9/17/2024

In order to save water and make safe drinking water available in all parts of the world, it is essential to indulge in water treatment process. It has always proven to be challenging, but with new technologies emerging, it has become a lot easier to supply high-quality water. 5 Methods of Water Purification To make water healthy and safe for consumption, here are 5 methods of water purification: Boiling water to kill pathogenic organisms like bacteria and viruses and make it safe for drinking Adding chlorine compounds like sodium hypochlorite, or solid calcium hypochlorite in water Using solar energy through solar PV panels, solar heating, and solar UV light to eliminate bacteria and viruses from small amounts of water Using vessels made from porous ceramic or fired clay to purify muddy water Removing salts, contaminants, or other minerals from water using desalination Chemicals Used in Purification of Water Water can get polluted by pathogens like germs, microorganisms, or bacteria, and get contaminated. Here are some chemicals used in purification of water: Chloramines: This is the most widely used filtration method which uses chloramines, and compounds resembling chlorine. Hydrogen peroxide: This is also a frequently used chemical used to purify drinking water, but takes more time to purify it than chlorine. Ozone: This helps create oxygen molecules which removes bacteria and other microbes from the water, as well as poison. Layout of a Water Treatment Plant A water treatment plant is a process that helps remove harmful substances from the water to make it high quality in nature. The layout of water treatment plant involves seven major steps: Screening: This helps in removing large floating and suspended solid substances like leaves, twigs, paper, etc. from the water. It consists of two different screens: Coarse screens: These are made from corrosion-resistant steel bars placed at 5-15 cm distance and keep coarse materials like logs and fish from entering. Fine screens: These are made from steel bars that are placed 5-20 mm apart, to keep suspended microscopic organisms like algae and plankton from entering. Aeration: This helps in supplying water with air to provide it with oxygen which allows biodegradation and removes acidic gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide that makes the water taste undesirable. Coagulation and Flocculation: This removes particles less than 1 µm from the water by adding a chemical called a coagulant, which, being a positive electrical charge neutralizes the negative electrical charge of the particles in the water. This forms soft particles known as flocs. Sedimentation: This process allows large flocs to settle on the floor of the tank, and get it removed for disposal. Filtration: This process separates solids from the water by passing it through sand and gravel beds and then pumps it back to the filter to remove impurities. Chlorination: This helps remove any pathogenic microorganisms using disinfectants such as chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, or gas. Then the water is pumped into the distribution system. Supplementary treatment: About 1 mg fluoride per liter of water is added to it, which helps in problems like dental decay. Introduction of Water Purification Water purification is the process of removing pathogens, harmful chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, etc. from water to make it safe for drinking. Public water systems often use the method of water treatment for the same. Different Methods of Water Purification Apart from traditional methods like boiling, filtration, distillation, and chlorination, some different methods of water purification that are more modern are: Ultraviolet treatment which uses UV light to kill bacteria and viruses by damaging the DNA of the pathogens. Reverse osmosis which uses a semipermeable membrane to remove bacteria, minerals, and chemicals to provide safe water. Ultrafiltration in which microorganisms, natural organic matter, and natural minerals like divalent ions are removed. Water Problems and Solutions Many areas lack access to safe and healthy water. Water scarcity or water shortage occurs due to dry and arid climate, and significant population. It can also occur when people cannot afford water and lack the facility to wash their hands. Dams and reservoirs: Reservoirs are artificial lakes that form behind dams in river, and can collected water during monsoons to store it for later use. Dams and reservoirs are also used for hydroelectricity, flood control, and recreation. Rainwater harvesting: In this process, rainwater is caught and stored in a system known as a rainwater harvesting system which is installed in federal buildings, as well as simple householdshoueseholds. Aqueducts: These are used to transfer water from one place to another, especially where it’s needed. Desalination: This process removes dissolved salt and minerals from seawater or saline groundwater. This is a very common process in the Middle East areas, where there is scarcity of water. Water recycling: In this method, wastewater from the sewagefrom sewage system is reused for agriculturalagricuoltural, municipal, industrial, and environmental purposes. It can also be treated to make water safe for drinking. Disinfection of Polluted Water Involves After the water is filtered to remove dust particles, chemicals, parasites, bacteria, and viruses, the further disinfection of polluted water involves using chemical disinfectants like chlorine, chloramine, or chlorine dioxide to kill any remaining parasites, bacteria, or viruses. Disinfecting water also removes the germs it gets from the pipes. Future of Water Treatment Technologies The future of water treatment technologies lays an emphasis on reducing water scarcity, and decreasing energy consumption. Generating energy from wastewater: Water treatment, however necessary, has been said to waste a lot of electricity during the purification process. This technology makes it possible to use the solids from the waste waste to use in biogas plants to generate heat and electricity. NASA’s Water Filtration Device: Through this device, contaminants are not removed, but separated from the water by forcing water through a filter matrix. This process doesn’t require filter orientation or gravity. Automatic Variable Filtration Technology: Instead of pushing water through filtering membrane, an influent is inserted at the top to flow downward which makes the compressed air move contaminants into an airlift pipe. NASA’s Nanotechnology: This technology uses submicroscopic membranes to filter contaminants from water. Aquaporins/Water channels: These are small membrane proteins that let water molecules pass through with the method of diffusion or osmosis. What are the safest water purification methods? The safest water purification methods are as follows: Boiling water to remove pathogens Keeping it under sunlight for atleast 6 hours Using water purifiers with multi-stage filtration processes like UV, UF, carbon blocks, etc. Using RO purifier which uses a semi-permeable membrane Adding small amounts of iodine to remove bacteria and viruses How can communities improve local water quality? When it comes to maintaining water quality, the communities have a big role to play in maintaining hygiene near water sources by collecting and storing water, and avoid contamination. This is possible through: Awareness about untreated industrial waste, agricultural waste, and improper disposal of waste. Educating by conducting workshops and campaigns to talk about preventive measures, waste management, rainwater harvesting, water treatment plants, etc. Enforcing strict rules and regulations on industrial discharges, agricultural practices, and sewage treatment. Investing in proper sewage treatment plants, waste management facilities, and water supply systems. Providing financial support for water conservation and treatment technologies. Conclusion To continue getting safe and healthy drinking water, it’s important to understand the emerging technologies for water treatment, prevalent water problems and solutions to manage them effectively.