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Water - The Problem of Purity
Water - The Problem of Purity
Iron
Manganese
Sulfate
Chloride
Alkalinity ((CO3)2,(HCO3-) and (OH-)).
Nitrate/ Nitrite
Silica
Aluminum
Phosphate
Sodium
Potassium
Dissolved Gases
Carbon Dioxide
Dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) associates with water molecules to form carbonic acid
(H2CO3), reducing the pH and contributing to corrosion in water lines.
Oxygen
Dissolved oxygen (02) can corrode water lines, boilers and heat exchangers, but is
only soluble to about 14 ppm at atmospheric pressure.
Hydrogen Sulfide
The infamous “rotten egg” odor, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can contribute to corrosion.
It is found primarily in well water supplies or other anaerobic sources.
Heavy Metals
1. Deep groundwater
1. Primary treatment
2. Secondary treatment
3. Tertiary treatment
Primary Treatment
Pumping and containment - The majority of water must be pumped from its
source and directed into pipes or holding tanks.
Screening - The first step in purifying surface water is to remove large debris
such as sticks, leaves, trash and other large particles which may interfere
with subsequent purification steps.
Storage - Water from rivers may also be stored in bankside reservoirs for
periods between a few days and many months to allow natural biological
purification to take place.
Pre-conditioning - Many waters rich in hardness salts are treated with soda-
ash (Sodium carbonate) to precipitate calcium carbonate.
Secondary Treatment
This includes the techniques that can be used to remove
the fine solids, micro-organisms and some dissolved inorganic
and organic materials. The choice of method will depend on
the quality of the water being treated, the cost of the treatment
process and the quality standards expected of the processed
water.
pH Adjustment
O3 ----------- O2 + [O]
UV Radiation