Water Treatment

Template:Infobox water treatment Water treatment is the process of improving the quality of water to make it more acceptable for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to the environment. Water treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components, or reduces their concentration so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. This treatment is crucial to human health and allows humans and the environment to thrive.

Overview

The goal of water treatment is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce their concentration to make water safe and accessible for human use and environmental protection. Sources of water can include surface water, groundwater, and even sea water, which is treated for specific uses.

Processes

Water treatment processes can be divided into physical, chemical, and biological methods:

Physical Processes

• Filtration: Removes particles from water by passing it through porous materials. Types of filtration include sand filtration, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis.
• Sedimentation: Involves the removal of suspended solids by allowing gravity to settle them out of the water.
• Distillation: A process of boiling water and then condensing the steam into a clean container, leaving contaminants behind.

Chemical Processes

• Chlorination: Disinfection using chlorine to kill or deactivate pathogens.
• Flocculation: Chemicals are added to the water to form larger particles from smaller ones, which can then be removed by sedimentation.
• pH adjustment: The addition of acids or alkalis to adjust the pH of water, which can help control corrosion in pipes and remove contaminants.

Biological Processes

• Biological filtration: Uses microorganisms to degrade organic contaminants in water.
• Aerobic treatment: Involves the use of oxygen-consuming bacteria to treat water.
• Anaerobic treatment: Uses bacteria that function in environments without oxygen to treat wastewater.

Water Sources and Their Challenges

Different sources of water present different challenges in treatment:

• Surface water: Often contaminated by organic material, pathogens, and agricultural runoff.
• Groundwater: Can contain dissolved minerals and chemicals that are harmful, such as arsenic or lead.
• Sea water: Requires desalination to remove salt and other minerals for it to be potable.

Regulations and Standards

Water treatment is heavily regulated by laws and standards to ensure the safety and quality of water. These regulations can be international, national, or local. Common standards include those set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States.

Future Challenges

The future of water treatment involves addressing the increasing scarcity of water resources, improving the efficiency of treatment processes, and dealing with contaminants of emerging concern like pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

See Also

• Water purification
• Wastewater treatment
• Environmental engineering