Introduction

 Purpose of purification of water is to produce water

that is safe and wholesome.
 Purification of water on large scale
 Purification of water on small scale
Purification of Water on large scale
 The method of treatment to be employed depends
upon nature of raw water and desired standards of
quality.
 Components of water purification system
- Storage
- Filtration
- Disinfection
Storage
 Water is drawn out from the source and impounded in natural or
artifical reservoirs.
 Optimum period of storage : 10 – 14 days
Advantages
 Storage provides a reserve of water from which further polution
is excluded.
 By mere storage about 90% of suspended impurities settle down
in 24 hours by gravity, the water becomes clear allowing
penetration of light.
 Aerobic bacteria oxidize organic matter present in the water with
the aid of dissolved oxygen. Free ammonia and nitrates drop.
 Pathogenic organisms eventually die out. Decrease in bacterial
count by 90% within 5 – 7 days.
 If water is stored for long periods there is likelihood of
development of algae which imparts foul odor and
color to water.
Filtration – Slow sand filters
 Comprises of :
-Supernatant (raw) water
-A bed of graded sand
-An under-drainage system
-A system of filter control valves
Supernatant water
 Depth : 1 – 1.5 meter
 Provides constant head of water so as to overcome the
resistance of the filter bed and thereby promote down
flow.
 Provides waiting period (3- 12 hours) for raw water to
undergo purification by sedimentation, oxidation and
particle agglomeration.
 Level of supernatant kept constant.
Sand Bed
 Thickness: 1 meter
 Sand grains : Preferably rounded and have an effective
diameter between 0.2 to 0.3 mm. -
Should be clean
 Sand bed supported by layer of graded gravel. (30 – 40
cm deep)
 Water percolates slowly.
 Purification processes : mechanical straining,
sedimetation, adsorption, oxidation, bacterial action.
 Rate of filtration: 0.1 – 0.4 m3/hour/sq. meter of sand
bed surface.
Vital Layer:
 Schmutzdecke, zoogleal layer or biological layer
 Contains threadlike algae and numerous lifeforms like
plankton, diatoms and bacteria.
 Process of formation called ripening of the filter.
 Takes several days to form
 Extends 2 – 3 cm into top portion of sand bed.
 Removes organic matter, holds back bacteria and
oxidizes ammoniacal nitrogen into nitrates.
Under-drainage system
 Located at bottom of filter bed
 Consists of porous or perforated pipes.
 Serves dual purpose of providing outlet for filtered
water and supporting filter medium above.
Filter box
 Rectangular open box 2.5 to 4m deep built wholly or
partly below the grond.
 Supernatant water 1.5m
 Sand Bed 1.2m
 Gravel support 0.30m
 Filter Bottom 0.16m
Filter control
 Venturi meter
 Measures bed resistance or “loss of head”
 When loss of head exceeds 1.3 meter its uneconomical
to run the filter.
Filter cleaning
 Supernatant water is drained off and sand bed is
cleaned by scraping off the top portion of sand layer to
a depth of 1 or 2 cm
 After 20 or 30 scrapings the thickness of sand bed is
reduced to about 0.5 to 0.8 mts then plant is closed
down and new bed is constructed
Advantages of slow sand filter
 Simple to construct and operate
 Cost of operation is cheap
 Quality of filtered water is high.
 Known to reduce bacterial counts by 99.9 – 99.99%
Rapid sand filter
River Coagulatio
Alum
n
Mixing Chamber

Flocculation chamber

Sedimentation Tank

Chlorin
Filters
e
Clear water storage

Consumption
Advantages of rapid sand filters
 Can deal with raw water directly no preliminary
storage required
 Filter beds occupy less space
 Filtration is rapid 40 – 50 times that of a slow sand
filter
 Washing of filter is easy
 More flexibility in the operation
Disinfection
Criteria for disinfectant in water supplies:
 It should be capable of destroying pathogenic organisms
present within contact time available and should not be
influenced by constituents present in water.
 Should not leave products of reaction which render water
toxic or impart color.
 Should have ready and dependable availability at
reasonable cost.
 Possess the property of leaving residual concentration to
deal with possible recontamination
 Be amenable to detection
Chlorination
 Kills pathogenic bacteria, no effect on spores and
certain viruses.
 Also oxidizes iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide,
destroys some taste and odor producing constituents
 Also controls growth of algae and slime organisms and
aids coagulation.
Principles of Chlorination
 Water to be chlorinated should be free of turbidity
 Chlorine demand should be estimated:
Chlorine demand = Amount of chlorine added –
residual chlorine
Point at which chlorine demand is met is called
break point chlorination
 Contact period of at least one hour
 Minimum recommended concentration of free chlorine :
0.5mg/L for one hour
 The sum of chlorine demand of specific water plus the free
residual chlorine of 0.5mg/L constitutes the correct dose of
chlorine to be added.
Methods of Chlorination
 Chlorine Gas
 Chloramine
 Perchloron
Advantages
Advantages
 Low cost
 Ease of application
 Kills almost all bacterial contaminants

Disadvantages
 Formation of halogenated compounds which are
suspected carcinogens.
Alternatives
 Ozonation
 Membrane processes
- high pressure processes
- low pressure process
Purification of water on small scale
 Boiling
 Chemical disinfection
Bleaching powder
Chlorine solution
High test hypochlorite
Chlorine tablets
Iodine
Potassium permanganate
Filtration
Pasteur Chamberland filter, Berkefeld filter, Katadyn filter
 Ultraviolet irradiation
Multi-stage reverse osmosis purification of water
Disinfection of wells

 Wells are main source of water supply in rural areas

 Need arises to disinfect them during epidemics of
cholera, gastroenteritis etc.
 Most effective method is by bleaching powder.
 Potassium permanganate should not be used
Steps
 Find the volume of water in well
 Find the amount of bleaching powder required for
disinfection
 Dissolve bleaching powder in water
 Delivery of chlorine solution into well
 Contact period
 Orthotolidine aesenite test
Drinking water purification in
hostel
o Aquaguard is used for drinking
o Source of water is bore well
o Cleaning is done once in a month
o Chlorination is done
water used in hostel kitchen
o Source of water is bore well
o Cleaning is done once in three months
Storage
Water used for cleaning purposes
 Source of water is bore well
 Cleaning is done once in four months
Storage
 Borewell
Sapthagiri
Garden Gate Engineering
college
Capacity
Capacity
Total dissolved solids (TDS)
UV filter