WATER PURIFICATION

o SIMPLE FILTRATION This is the most common method of filtration and is used to remove an insoluble solid material from a solution. The solid could be the required product or an impurity or an additive such as a drying agent. A filter paper is folded (conventional or fluted) and placed in a filter funnel which is then placed in the neck of an Erlenmeyer flask or supported in a clamp or ring stand. The solution to be filtered is then slowly and carefully poured into the funnel taking care not to fill the funnel above the edge of the filter paper.

o AERATION Aeration is the intimate exposure of water and air. It is a way of thoroughly mixing the air and water so that various reactions can occur between the components of the air and the components of the water. Aeration is used to treat tastes and odors, to help remove minerals such as iron and manganese from water, and to remove carbon dioxide from the water. Aeration follows screening and (optional) pre-chlorination and precedes coagulation. Like pre-chlorination, aeration is an optional procedure used when problematic components exist in the raw water. In many cases, chemical alternatives exist to aeration even when the raw water contains problematic components treatable by aeration. A variety of factors must be taken into account when deciding whether aeration is appropriate for a water treatment plant. In general, aeration is more commonly used when treating groundwater than when treating surface water. Surface water has

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typically run through creeks and rivers, aerating the water before it reaches the treatment plant. Aeration removes or modifies the constituents of water using two methods scrubbing action and oxidation. Scrubbing action is caused by turbulence which results when the water and air mix together. The scrubbing action physically removes gases from solution in the water, allowing them to escape into the surrounding air. In the picture above, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are shown being removed by scrubbing action. Scrubbing action will remove tastes and odors from water if the problem is caused by relatively volatile gases and organic compounds. Oxidation is the other process through which aeration purifies water. Oxidation is the addition of oxygen, the removal of hydrogen, or the removal of electrons from an element or compound. When air is mixed with water, some impurities in the water, such as iron and manganese, become oxidized. Once oxidized, these chemicals fall out of solution and become suspended in the water. The suspended material can then be removed later in the treatment process through filtration. The efficiency of the aeration process depends almost entirely on the amount of surface contact between the air and water. This contact is controlled primarily by the size of the water droplet or air bubble. The goal of an aerator is to increase the surface area of water coming in contact with air so that more air can react with the water. As air or water is broken up into smaller drops/bubbles or into thin sheets, the same volume of either substance has a larger surface area. Aeration typically raises the dissolved oxygen content of the raw water. In most cases, this is beneficial since a greater concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water can remove a flat taste. However, too much oxygen in the water can cause a variety of problems resulting from the water becoming supersaturated. Supersaturated water can cause corrosion (the gradual decomposition of metal surfaces) and sedimentation problems. In addition, air binding occurs when excess oxygen comes out of solution in the filter, resulting in air bubbles which harm both the filtration and backwash process. Types of Aerators: Air diffusion is a type of aerator in which air is blown through a trough of water. As water runs through the trough, compressed air is blown upward through porous plates on the bottom. This method is not very efficient due to limited air transfer.

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 Most of the other aeration methods work by passing raw water through air in small streams rather than by passing air through water. A few, such as spray nozzle aerators, pump water through nozzles breaking the water into a fine spray.

Cone tray aerators and cascade aerators both work by forming little waterfalls. The cone tray aerator, shown below, consists of several cones in which water flows through the cone and over the rim of the cone. Cone aerators are primarily used to oxidize iron.

Cascade aerators allow water to flow in a thin layer down steps. In both the case of the cone tray aerator and the cascade aerator, the waterfalls allow the water to come in contact with air.

Coke tray aerators also pass water through air in small streams. A coke tray aerator is comprised of a series of activated carbon trays, one above another, with a distributing pan above the top tray and a collecting pan below the bottom tray. The distributing pan breaks the water up into small streams or drops. The holes in the trays should be designed to develop some head loss to provide for equal distribution to the lower tray.
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o SAND FILTRATION Slow sand filtration is a simple and reliable process. They are relatively inexpensive to build, but do require highly skilled operators. The process percolates untreated water slowly through a bed of porous sand, with the influent water introduced over the surface of the filter, and then drained from the bottom. Properly constructed, the filter consists of a tank, a bed of fine sand, a layer of gravel to support the sand, a system of underdrains to collect the filtered water, and a flow regulator to control the filtration rate. No chemicals are added to aid the filtration process.

o FLOTATION Flotation is a general term used in water treatment to describe a family of methods used to separate particles from a liquid. The general process involves the flotation of particles to the surface of the liquid where they are concentrated and removed by physical means. Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) is an efficient flotation method for water clarification. The term refers to the method of producing flotation by dissolving air in
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the water under pressure and then releasing the pressure. When the pressure is released the solution becomes supersaturated with air as millions of small bubbles form. These bubbles attach to any particles in the water causing their density to become less than that of water. The particles then rapidly float to the surface for collection and removal, leaving the clarified water behind.

o FLOCCULATION In the flash mixer, coagulant chemicals are added to the water and the water is mixed quickly and violently. The purpose of this step is to evenly distribute the chemicals through the water. Flash mixing typically lasts a minute or less. If the water is mixed for less than thirty seconds, then the chemicals will not be properly mixed into the water. However, if the water is mixed for more than sixty seconds, then the mixer blades will shear the newly forming floc back into small particles. After flash mixing, coagulation occurs. During coagulation, the coagulant chemicals neutralize the electrical charges of the fine particles in the water, allowing the particles to come closer together and form large clumps. You may already be familiar with the process of coagulation from cooking. You can see coagulation occurring when preparing gelatin (jello) or when cooking an egg white. The final step is flocculation. During flocculation, a process of gentle mixing brings the fine particles formed by coagulation into contact with each other. Flocculation typically lasts for about thirty to forty-five minutes. The flocculation basin often has a number of compartments with decreasing mixing speeds as the water advances through the basin. This compartmentalized chamber allows increasingly large floc to form without being broken apart by the mixing blades.

REFERENCES: http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/ENV115/Lesson5_print.htm http://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/slowsand.htm http://www.dissolvedairflotation.com/introductiontodaf.html http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/env110/lesson4.htm

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