Water Treatment Process

in 11 Steps
1 COLLECTION
Water must first be gathered from lakes, rivers, and
reservoirs before it can be treated. Although natural
methods (such rivers) may be used, a complicated network
of pumps and pipelines is typically used to convey the water
from the source to the treatment facility.

2 SCREENING
Screens must be used to remove any big floating and suspended materials
from the intake in order to safeguard the treatment plant's main units and
promote their effective functioning. These pollutants can harm machinery
or restrict flow through the plant. They include leaves, twigs, paper, rags,
and other garbage. As the name implies, they are removed and caught using
a large metal screen. Screens come in two varieties: coarse and fine. Fine
screens use wire cloth, wedgewire components, or perforated plates to
remove solids whilst coarse screens use bars or rods to do so.

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3 AEARATION
Following screening, the water is aerated (provided with air) by circulating it
through a set of processes so that it may absorb oxygen from the atmosphere.
This technique assists in eliminating any gaseous organic compounds that give
the water an unfavorable flavour as well as soluble gases like carbon dioxide
and hydrogen sulphide, both of which are acidic, making the water less
corrosive. Aeration also eliminates manganese or iron by oxidising them to an
insoluble state. Iron and manganese may discolour textiles and give off-putting
tastes. These chemicals can be eliminated via filtering after becoming insoluble.
This process of water treatment comes before the main stages in the treatment
of water.

4 COAGULATION
Following aeration, coagulation occurs to remove the small, suspended particles (less
than 1 m in size). In this procedure, water is mixed with a substance known as a
coagulant, which has a positive electrical charge, neutralising the negative electrical
charge of the tiny particles. A high-speed impeller in a fast mix tank quickly disperses
the coagulant once the coagulant is added.
For instance, alum is a chemical substance that may be used to manufacture leather
by clarifying the amount of water. Additionally, it can be used as a homeostatic agent
for tiny wounds from shaving or as a deodorant additive in cosmetics.
 5 FLOCCULATION
The flocs in this flocculation basin interact with
one another while the water is gently agitated by
paddles. This results in the formation of bigger
flocs. As the water moves through the flocculation
basin, various compartments typically have slower
mixing rates. The mixing blades are prevented
from severing the growing flocs in this partitioned
chamber.

7 SEDIMENTATION
Once big flocs have developed, they must be settled
out by a procedure known as sedimentation (when the
particles fall to the floor of a settling tank). Gravity is
used physically in this operation to separate the solids
from the water. After coagulation and flocculation, the
water is maintained in the tank for a number of hours
so that sedimentation can occur. Sludge, the
substance that has gathered at the tank's bottom, is
taken out and disposed of.

8 FILTRATION
After the bigger particles have been removed
from the water, the remaining smaller undesired
particles must be removed using a variety of
media, such as sand, gravel, or granular activated
carbon. The filters are back-washed when they
contain a lot of trapped solids. When
contaminants are caught in the filter, clean water
and air are forced back up the filter to release
them, and the dirty water—known as backwash—
is pumped into the sewage system, if one exists.

9 BIOLOGICAL SLOW SAND FILTERS

One type of regulated or semi-centralized water treatment is slow sand
filtration. By combining several biological, physical, and chemical
processes, a well-made and well-maintained slow sand filter (SSF)
efficiently removes silt and hazardous organisms in a single treatment
step. This pre-treatment is only necessary when there is a significant level
of turbidity or algal contamination.

10 DISINFECTION
The remaining water has now had the vast majority of its impurities removed,
but it may still contain bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. In order to
kill these elements, they must be treated with enough chlorine to be effective
but not too much to affect taste or odor. There are various process under this
described below:

A Chlorination
The chemical used for disinfection that is most frequently utilised is chlorine, either
as a liquid (such sodium hypochlorite, or NaOCl) or a gas. It is easy to use and
reasonably priced. Chlorine interacts with any contaminants, including
microorganisms, in water over a specific amount of time, known as the contact time,
when added to the water. Residual chlorine is the quantity of chlorine that remains
after this. Up until the water reaches the users, this remains in the water throughout
the distribution system, guarding it against any microbes that could penetrate it.
 B Activated Sludge
In order to treat both municipal and industrial wastewater, activated sludge
is used. It is a multi-chamber reactor device that produces high-quality
effluent by degrading organics and removing nutrients from wastewater
using highly concentrated microorganisms.

C UV Light

In order to eliminate microorganisms from the

water, this method of water treatment employs a
low-pressure mercury arc lamp that generates UV
radiation. Pathogens are killed or rendered inactive
by UV radiation by having their DNA destroyed
once the light is shined on them. Radiation doses as
low as 20 mJ/cm2 can kill bacteria, while 45
mJ/cm2 is often needed to destroy viruses, leaving
cysts and worms unharmed. Although the light is
harmful to germs but harmless for people, you
should avoid looking directly at UV lights because
doing so might harm your eyes. In order to be
effective, the system typically needs only a few
seconds of exposure and leaves the treated water
tasteless and odourless.

STORAGE and DISTRIBUTION 11

The water must be preserved until there is a
need for it even if it is fundamentally
prepared for public use. The most typical
storage method is either above- or below-
ground tanks. Water must be available for
drinking as well as being kept on hand in
case of emergencies like fires.

The water is finally sent to homes and

businesses around the country via a
sophisticated system of pumps, tanks,
pipelines, hydrants, valves and meters.

Bibliogrpahy:
https://www.envirotech-online.com/news/water-wastewater/9/breaking-
news/what-are-the-different-stages-of-water-treatment/55821
https://theconstructor.org/environmental-engg/water-supply/stages-water-
treatment-plant/498706/
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?
number=B1487&title=household-water-treatment-disinfection-methods-and-
devices
https://prezi.com/p/mvkue-daokui/water-treatment-process/?webgl=0