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Study of Methods of Purification of Water

The document discusses methods of purifying water for human consumption. It describes three main categories of purification methods: physical processes like filtration and sedimentation, biological processes such as slow sand filters and activated carbon, and chemical processes including flocculation, chlorination, and ultraviolet light. Key purification goals are removing contaminants like chemicals, biological agents, solids, and gases to make water safe for drinking.

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Lakshya Bhati
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1K views2 pages

Study of Methods of Purification of Water

The document discusses methods of purifying water for human consumption. It describes three main categories of purification methods: physical processes like filtration and sedimentation, biological processes such as slow sand filters and activated carbon, and chemical processes including flocculation, chlorination, and ultraviolet light. Key purification goals are removing contaminants like chemicals, biological agents, solids, and gases to make water safe for drinking.

Uploaded by

Lakshya Bhati
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Study of methods of purification of water

Why Should We Purify Water Before Drinking it?

In short, you need to purify water so you can be sure it’s safe to
drink. The main risks in water are parasites, bacteria, viruses
and chemical pollutants, naturally occurring yet toxic metals
such as lead, or manmade chemicals. Untreated water will
probably taste pretty gross, too.

What Are the Methods of Purification?

Water purification for human consumption purposes


consists in the removal of different contaminants as
chemicals (i.e., pollutants, toxic metals), biological
contaminants (algae, bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses),
suspended solids, and gases.
There are several methods used in the water purification
process, which include:
(1) Physical processes: such as filtration, sedimentation, or
distillation.
(2) Biological processes: such as sand filters, active carbon.
(3) Chemical processes: such as flocculation, chlorination,
the use of ultraviolet light.

1). Physical Processes:


o Filtration is based on the separation of solids from
fluids, by interposing a porous medium (filter) which retains
the solid particles and allows the fluid to pass on the other
side.
o Sedimentation approach uses the gravitational force
which determines the solids to form a deposit at the bottom
of the tube containing contaminated water
o Distillation involves the transformation of the liquid
(water) into a vapor phase, process which is based on the
difference in the volatility of the compounds.

2). Biological Processes:


o Slow sand filters represent one example of biological
approaches used in water purification, which implies using
1–2 m deep tubes filled with sand, which retain the
impurities present in the filtered water.
o Activated carbon (charcoal), another utilized approach,
is a microporous carbon with high surface area and
enhanced adsorption properties.

3). Chemical Processes:


o Boiling water is the cheapest and safest method of water
purification. Water sources and or channels of distribution
may render your water unsafe. For example, parasites and
germs are things you may not see by bare eyes, but their
effects can be life threatening.
o Flocculation is a process in which colloids in
suspension become destabilized after the addition of a
clarifying agent; regarding the water purification process, the
flocculation phenomenon can refer to the destabilization and
coagulation of contaminants present in the water.
o Water chlorination is commonly encountered in the
treatment of water supply and consists in the addition of
chlorine or hypochlorite to kill microbes and to prevent the
spreading of waterborne diseases.
o The use of electromagnetic light, especially with short
wavelength (in ultraviolet range) is commonly used in
disinfection, due to the fact that it produces gaps in the
structure of nucleic acids of microorganisms disabling their
cellular functions. This method is often used in water
decontamination.

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