AN OVERVIEW OF WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT 3

is established based upon legal criteria (e.g., the Safe Drinking Water Act, SDWA), and if non-potable or
process plant water, may be operational criteria (e.g., non-brackish waters to prevent scaling of heat
exchange equipment).
The number and complexity of unit processes and in turn unit operations comprising a water
purification or wastewater treatment facility are functions of the legal and operational requirements
of the treated water, the nature and degree of contamination of the incoming water (raw water to the
plant), and the quantities of water to be processed. This means then, that water treatment facilities
from a design and operational standpoints vary, but they do rely on overlapping and even identical
unit processes.
If we start with the first technology group, then filtration should be thought of as both a unit process and
a unit operation within a water treatment facility. As a separate unit process, its objective is quite clear:
namely, to remove suspended solids. When we combine this technology with chemical methods and
apply sedimentation and clarification (other physical separation methods), we can extend the technology
to removing dissolved particulate matter as well. The particulate matter may be biological, microbial or
chemical in nature, As such, the operation stands alone within its own block within the overall
manufacturing train of the plant. Examples of this would be the roughening and polishing stages of water
treatment. In turn, we may select or specify specific pieces of filtration equipment for these unit
processes.
The above gives us somewhat of an idea of the potential complexity of choosing the optimum group of
technologies and hardware needed in treating water. To develop a cost-effective design, we need to
understand not only what each of the unit processes are, but obtain a working knowledge of the operating
basis and ranges for the individual hardware. That, indeed, is the objective of this book; namely, to take a
close look at the equipment options available to us in each technology group, but not individually.
Rather, to achieve an integrated and well thought out design, we need to understand how unit processes
and unit operations compliment each other in the overall design.
This first chapter is for orientation purposes. Its objectives are to provide an overview of water treatment and
purification roles and technologies, and to introduce terminology that will assist you in understanding the
relation of the various technologies to the overall schemes employed in waster treatment applications.
Recommended resources that you can refer to for more in-depth information are included at the end of each
chapter. The organization of these resources are generally provided by subject matter. Also, you will find a
section for the student at the end of each chapter that provides a list of Questionsfor ntinking and Discussing.
These will assist in reinforcing some of the principles and concepts presented in each chapter, if the book is
used as a primary or supplement textbook. We should recognize that the technology options for water treatment
are great, and quite often the challenge lies with the selection of the most cost-effective combinations of unit
processes and operations. In this regard, cost-factors are examined where appropriate in our discussions within
later chapters.