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Water treatment



 
 
Water treatment describes those processes used to make water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water
Drinking water

Drinking water is water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or utilized without risk of immediate or long term harm....
, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, of reduce the concentration of such contaminants so it becomes fit for its desired end-use. One such use is returning water that has been used back into the natural environment without adverse ecological impact.

The processes involved in treating water may be physical
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
 such as settling
Settling

Settling is the process by which particulates settle to the bottom of a liquid and form a sediment. ]Particles that experience a force, either due to gravity or due to centrifugal motion will tend to move in a uniform manner in the direction exerted by that force....
, chemical
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
 such as disinfection
Disinfection

Disinfectants are antimicrobial agents that are applied to non-living objects to destroy microorganisms, the process of which is known as disinfection....
 or coagulation
Coagulation

Coagulation is a complex process by which blood forms clots. It is an important part of hemostasis , wherein a damaged blood vessel wall is covered by a platelet and fibrin-containing clot to stop hemorrhage and begin repair of the damaged vessel....
, or biological
Biology

Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
 using aerated lagoon
Aerated lagoon

An aerated lagoon or aerated basin is a holding and/or treatment pond provided with artificial aeration to promote the biological oxidation of wastewaters....
s, slow sand filtration
Slow sand filter

Slow sand filters are used in water purification for treating raw water to produce a potable product. They are typically 1 to 2 metres deep, can be rectangular or cylindrical in cross section and are used primarily to treat surface water....
 or activated sludge
Activated sludge

Activated sludge is a process dealing with the treatment of sewage and Wastewater treatment. Atmospheric air or pure oxygen is bubbled through primary treated sewage combined with organisms to develop a biological flocculation which reduces the organic matter content of the sewage....
.

r purification is the removal of contaminants from untreated water to produce drinking water
Drinking water

Drinking water is water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or utilized without risk of immediate or long term harm....
 that is pure
Purity

Purity is the absence of impurity in a substance.Purity may also refer to:* in Buddhism, Purity in Buddhism refers to a spiritual purity of character or essence....
 enough for its intended use, most commonly human consumption.






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Water treatment describes those processes used to make water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water
Drinking water

Drinking water is water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or utilized without risk of immediate or long term harm....
, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, of reduce the concentration of such contaminants so it becomes fit for its desired end-use. One such use is returning water that has been used back into the natural environment without adverse ecological impact.

The processes involved in treating water may be physical
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
 such as settling
Settling

Settling is the process by which particulates settle to the bottom of a liquid and form a sediment. ]Particles that experience a force, either due to gravity or due to centrifugal motion will tend to move in a uniform manner in the direction exerted by that force....
, chemical
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
 such as disinfection
Disinfection

Disinfectants are antimicrobial agents that are applied to non-living objects to destroy microorganisms, the process of which is known as disinfection....
 or coagulation
Coagulation

Coagulation is a complex process by which blood forms clots. It is an important part of hemostasis , wherein a damaged blood vessel wall is covered by a platelet and fibrin-containing clot to stop hemorrhage and begin repair of the damaged vessel....
, or biological
Biology

Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
 using aerated lagoon
Aerated lagoon

An aerated lagoon or aerated basin is a holding and/or treatment pond provided with artificial aeration to promote the biological oxidation of wastewaters....
s, slow sand filtration
Slow sand filter

Slow sand filters are used in water purification for treating raw water to produce a potable product. They are typically 1 to 2 metres deep, can be rectangular or cylindrical in cross section and are used primarily to treat surface water....
 or activated sludge
Activated sludge

Activated sludge is a process dealing with the treatment of sewage and Wastewater treatment. Atmospheric air or pure oxygen is bubbled through primary treated sewage combined with organisms to develop a biological flocculation which reduces the organic matter content of the sewage....
.

Potable water purification

Water purification is the removal of contaminants from untreated water to produce drinking water
Drinking water

Drinking water is water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or utilized without risk of immediate or long term harm....
 that is pure
Purity

Purity is the absence of impurity in a substance.Purity may also refer to:* in Buddhism, Purity in Buddhism refers to a spiritual purity of character or essence....
 enough for its intended use, most commonly human consumption. Substances that are removed during the process of drinking water treatment include bacteria
Bacteria

The Bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals....
, algae
Algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms. The largest and most complex marine forms are called seaweeds....
, virus
Virus

A virus is a Optical microscope#Limitations of light microscopes infectious agent that is unable to grow or reproduce outside a host cell . Viruses infect all cellular life....
es, fungi, mineral
Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
s such as iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
 and sulphur, and man-made chemical pollutants.

Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment is the process that removes the majority of the contaminants from wastewater or sewage
Sewage

Sewage is the mainly liquid waste containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water, feces, urine, laundry waste and other material which goes down Plumbing fixture from households and industry....
 and produces both a liquid effluent suitable for disposal to the natural environment
Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
 and a sludge
Sludge

Sludge is the residual semi-solid material left from industrial, or wastewater Sewage_treatment#Secondary_treatment. When fresh sewage or wastewater is added to a settling Storage tank, approximately 50% of the suspended solid matter will settle out in an hour and a half....
. To be effective, sewage must be conveyed to a treatment plant by appropriate pipes and infrastructure
Sewage collection and disposal

Urban area areas require some methods for collection and disposal of sewage....
 and the process itself must be subject to regulation and controls. Some wastewaters require different and sometimes specialized treatment methods. At the simplest level, treatment of sewage and most wastewaters is carried out through separation of solid
Solid

A solid object is in the states of matter characterized by resistance to deformation and changes of volume. In other words, it has high values both of Young's modulus and of shear modulus; this contrasts e.g....
s from liquid
Liquid

Liquid is one of the principal states of matter. A liquid is a fluid that has the particles loose and can freely form a distinct surface at the boundaries of its bulk material....
s, usually by settlement. By progressively converting dissolved material into solids, usually a biological floc which is then settled out, an effluent stream of increasing purity is produced.

The important need for water treatment in developing countries

As of 2006, waterborne diseases
Waterborne diseases

Waterborne diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms which are directly transmitted when contaminated drinking water is consumed. Contaminated drinking water, used in the preparation of food, can be the source of foodborne disease through consumption of the same microorganisms....
 are estimated to cause 1.8 million deaths each year. These deaths are attributable to inadequate public sanitation
Sanitation

Sanitation is the hygienic means of preventing human contact from the hazards of wastes to promote health. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease....
 systems and it is clear that proper sewerage (or other options as small-scale water treatment) need to be installed.

Appropriate technology options in water treatment include both community-scale and household-scale point-of-use (POU) designs.

In order for the decrease of waterborne diseases to have long term effects, water treatment programs implemented by research and development groups in developing countries must be sustainable by its own residents. This can ensure the efficiency of such programs after the departure of the research team as monitoring is difficult because of the remoteness of many locations.

See also

  • Agricultural wastewater treatment
    Agricultural wastewater treatment

    Agricultural wastewater treatment relates to the treatment of wastewaters produced in the course of agricultural activities. Agriculture is a highly intensified industry in many parts of the world, producing a range of wastewaters requiring a variety treatment technologies and management practices....
  • Ecological sanitation
    Ecological sanitation

    Ecological sanitation, also known as ecosan or eco-san, is a new paradigm in sanitation that recognises human excreta and household wastewater not as waste but as resources that can and are recovered, treated , and reused....
  • Industrial wastewater treatment
    Industrial wastewater treatment

    Industrial wastewater treatment covers the mechanisms and processes used to treat waters that have been contaminated in some way by anthropogenic industrial or commercial activities prior to its release into the environment or its re-use....
  • Peak water
    Peak water

    Peak water is reached when the rate at which water is demanded is higher than the rate at which the supply is replenished. There is a vast amount of water on the planet but sustainably managed water is becoming scarce....
  • Water pollution
    Water pollution

    Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities, which can be harmful to organisms and plants that live in these water bodies....
  • Water quality
    Water quality

    Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed....
  • Water supply network
    Water supply network

    A water supply network is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components, including:# the drainage basin or geographic area that collects the water, see Water purification#Sources of drinking water;...


External links

  • Professional / research organization
  • -Project NeWT,
  • - Independent non-profit standards organization
  • - by photographer Marc Steinmetz
  • - Professional association focusing on wastewater treatment