WATER TREATMENT

 Water treatment is any process designed to improve the quality of water to make it
appropriate for specific end use.(end use could be water for recreation, drinking water,
industrial water supply, irrigation water, river flow maintenance and many other uses)
 WATER TREATMENT PROCESSES
 The treatment processes include purely “physical” methods (i.e. Screening and Plain
sedimentation); purely “chemical” methods (i.e. Adsorption and Ion-exchange) and “physico-
chemical” techniques in which contaminants are altered chemically to enhance their removal
by physical processes ,

 “Clarification” processes, are typically physic-chemical techniques which are intended to remove micro organisms, turbidity and
colour including the humic materials associated with the formation of trihalomethanes. Depending on the concentration of the
contaminants to be removed the processes include “separate” coagulation, sedimentation and filtration stages or may
“incorporate all these stages” in a single unit.
 The following are the typical water treatment processes;
 SCREENING (or STRAINING)

Is a physical process of preventing the entry of floating matter like paper, plastics, twigs, logs, cloth, plants and other
trashes which may damage pumps or other mechanical equipment.
 The devices used for screening, called “screens or strainers”. These are located at the source (i.e. intake) and are of two
types:

(a) Fine screens:- which are made up of “fine wire-meshes or perforated plates” of metals with openings less than 6mm wide.

They remove fine suspended solids and they normally get clogged, thus requiring frequent cleaning

b)Coarse screens:- which are sometimes called “trash racks or bar screens”; are parallel iron rods placed vertically or at a
slight slope of about 45o-60o with the horizontal at about 5-10 cm centre to centre.

They remove bigger floating matter and are usually placed in front of fine

screens








 SEDIMENTATION

Is a physical process in which suspended particles like sand, silt and dirty denser than
water will settle down at the bottom.

There are two types of sedimentation:-

(a) Plain Sedimentation:-

The particles settle down on their own without using any chemical. The raw water is
required to be retained in large tanks for some time. During retention period in the tank,
coarser type of suspended matter settles down at the bottom. The device used in carrying
out this process is called “sedimentation or settling tank” or a “clarifier”.

The accumulated solids at the bottom of the tank is known as “sludge”.

(b)Chemical-Aided Sedimentation:-

The particles settle down with the help of chemicals. (Also known as Sedimentation with
Coagulation)

 COAGULATION
Is the rapid mixing process of adding a chemical (i.e. coagulant) to the raw
water which contains colloids, and thus forming thick insoluble gelatinous
precipitated balls (flocs), that arrest the suspended impurities while settling down
to the bottom of the tank.
Chemical added are alum, sodium aluminate,feCl3,FeSO4 etc
 FLOCULATION


This is a water treatment process( slow mixing) where dispersed coagulants particles come
together to form flocs to be removed from water. The fine colloidal negatively charged
adhere to the floc positively charged and grow bigger then settle down.
 FILTRATION

Is a physical process that removes the left out particles, residual turbidity and few
micro ogarnisms after sedimentation.

• Water by passes through a series of layers (or beds) of a porous granular material (e.g.
sand and gravel). During filtration water passes down through the filter bed by a
combination of water pressure from above and suction from the bottom.

There are two types of filters commonly used for treating municipal water;-

Slow Sand Filter (SSF); and

Rapid Sand Filter (RSF).
• SSF can remove larger percentage of impurities and bacteria from water as compared to
what can be removed by RSF. The sand media used is finer in SSF while it is larger in

RSF. SSF yield a very slow rate of filtration (about 1/30th that of RSF), requires larger
area for installation and is costly.




DISINFECTION

“Clarification” (i.e. treatment comprising the processes-plain sedimentation, coagulation and
filtration) removes many micro-organisms along with the suspended solids in water.

However, by itself, it is not sufficient to ensure complete removal of pathogenic bacteria
and viruses




Thus, water after filtration still contains; bacterial impurities, colour, taste, odour and dissolved
inorganic salts.

Disnfection:- Is a process by which harmful bacteria are destroyed to make it safe for
drinking.

The chemicals used for this purpose are called “disinfectants”.

There are two categories of disinfection processes:-

(a) Chemical disinfection methods:-

(i) Chlorination (chlorine –Is the universally used disinfectant)

(ii) Ozone gas treatment,

(iii)Excess lime treatment,

(iv)Iodine and bromine treatment,

(v) Silver treatment, and

(vi)Potassium permanganate treatment

(b) Physical disinfection methods:-

(i) Boiling, and

(ii) Ultra-violet radiation

AERATION:


Aeration:- Is a physical process of artificially inducing gas (air) by bringing fresh air and water
in intimate contact

Uses of Aeration:


Adding oxygen to water to make it fresh (especially for ground water being deficient in oxygen)
Removal of H2S, CO2 and other volatile matter that cause taste and odour (especially for
water from deeper layers of an impounding reservoir)

Removal of “Fe2+ and Mn2+” which become oxidized to “Fe3+ and Mn3+”

precipitates.

The equipment /device used in this process is known as “aerator”

 ACTIVATED CARBON TREATMENT

Activated carbon is very porous mostly used for removing tastes and odours from water by
absorbing gases, iron and manganese. It can also be used as a de-chlorinating agent,

for the removal of phenolic tastes and colour from water.

This property of activated carbon is due to a number of carbon atoms with free
valence which imparts absorptive and adsorptive power. It is produced from carbonaceous
substances (e.g. saw dust, paper mill waste, etc.); which are first heated to 500oC in a
closed vessel. It is then activated or oxidized by passing air or steam through it so as to
remove the hydrocarbons which might interfere with the adsorption of organic matter.

 WATER SOFTENING

Water that contains dissolved salts of Ca and Mg is known as HARD WATER. Such water results from water coming in
contact with geological formations that contain these salts.

Hardness in water causes:-


Corrosion and incrustations in pipe;

Consumption of more soaps (in laundry -lathering of soaps is impaired);

Scales in boilers and water heaters;

Bad taste in water;

Difficulties in dyeing industry;

Creates bubbles in the manufacturing process of paper making, textile finishing, ice-making, etc.

Hence, hardness has to be removed before water is supplied to public. The process of removing minerals causing hardness
from water is called “Water softening”.
There are two types of hardness:-




(a) Temporary (or Carbonate) Hardness:

-Is caused by the presence of bi-carbonates of Ca and Mg.

-Is removed by “boiling the water” or by “adding lime” to water and the precipitate formed is
removed by sedimentation

However, boiling is not practicable in the public water supply scheme and thus the addition of lime is resorted to.

 (b) Permanent (or Non-Carbonate) Hardness:

-Is caused by the presence of sulphates, chlorides, and nitrates of ca
and Mg.

-Is removed by one of the following processes:

(i) Lime-Soda process:-

-In which hydrated lime Ca(OH)2 and soda ash (i.e washing soda, NaCO3) are used.

(ii) Zeolite (or Base-Exchange, or Ion-Exchange) process:-

- In which Zeolite (a mineral in nature and also manufactured synthetically) is used.

The process is based on the property of materials to exchange an ion, in their structure for an ion
in the solution in contact with them without affecting the physical nature.

Na2Z + Ca(HCO3)2 CaZ + 2NaHCO3




(iii) Demineralization process

-In which, instead of exchange of material ion, like in the former process above; hydrogen
ions get exchanged with metallic ions

 PUMPING

A pump:- Is a mechanical device or machine which is used to for lifting water or any other fluid
to higher elevations or at a higher pressure.

The operation of lifting water or any fluid is called “pumping”.

Pumping may be adopted for the following purposes:-

To increase the water pressure at certain points in the distribution system;

To lift raw river/lake or well water and carry it to the treatment plant; and

To lift treated water to elevated storage tanks, so that it may later flow automatically
under gravity into the distribution system.

In the case of water treatment plant, two categories of pumps are adopted:-

(i) Low pressure pumps:- required to lift water to the flash-mix tanks and to potable water
storage tanks

(ii)High-pressure pumps:- required to deliver potable water to consumers.