Unit Operations in Water Treatment
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ScribdTranslationsUnit Operations in Water Treatment
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ScribdTranslationsUnit Processes in Water Purification
Nowadays, there are a large number of unit processes used in the
water treatment depending on the intended use, whether it is
domestic or industrial. The differences that exist between the desired quality in the
water and the water presented in the source itself (raw water) determines the
operations and treatment processes that must be applied to water.
The following presents the basic characteristics of unit processes.
most commonly used in water treatment:
SCREENING
It is the unit operation in which floating or suspended materials are
separated by means of bars, grilles or screens in a pouring action. The
large materials like branches, sticks, bottles, large rocks, and others can
get caught in thick bars. The smaller objects are removed with
screens or fine sieves. This operation is located at the intake or capture in
rivers and lakes. They are also placed in pumping stations for the purpose of
remove screens and other materials to protect the mechanical equipment.
MIXING
This unit operation involves making a substance completely mix.
in another. This is when a uniform concentration is required, to maintain a
temperature in a process reactor, To achieve this, we use highlights
hydraulics in channels, pipes, pumps, and tanks with mechanical agitators.
The first three options are based on the turbulence that exists in the regime of
flow. In the last option, the turbulence is induced by means of rotating propellers and
high-pressure air jets. Among the most common applications are the
coagulation and disinfection.
COAGULATION
It is the operation consisting of adding chemicals called coagulants.
raw water, achieve a uniform mixing and distribution, and then obtain the
formation of an easily sedimentable floc.
coagulation is very quick, fractions of a second, and must be done in a
quick mixing unit.
FLOCKING
It is the unit operation in which particles clump together or unite in small
mass with a specific weight greater than water called flocy that is obtained
through the slow or gentle agitation of the mass of water. Flocculation is
preceded by another operation called Coagulation in which the
repulsive forces existing between colloidal particles.
For flocculation, it is necessary to agitate the water in order to achieve the
collisions between destabilized colloidal particles that will form flocs. This
agitation can be achieved by means of gravity or by mechanical agitators
SEDIMENTATION:
It is the unit operation in which the suspended matter is removed from the phase.
liquid due to the action of settling caused by gravity at the bottom of a
reactor or tank. Solid particles can be in natural form or
modified due to coagulation. If they are denser, they settle and collide.
the bottom of the tank is considered removed.
FILTRATION
It is the unit operation that is defined as the passage of a fluid through a
porous medium to remove suspended material. In this process, they are separated
the particles (silt, clay, colloids) and microorganisms not removed in processes
previous stages of water treatment. Filtration is usually classified as Slow and
Quick according to the speed at which the water passes through the filter. The units of
The most commonly used filtration methods are rapid sand and gravel filters, supported by a
lower drainage system, in which gravity keeps the material in its
place, and the water flows vertically downwards and then is directed to a reservoir
or filtered water chamber.
DISINFECTION
It is the process in which pathogenic microorganisms are destroyed in the water.
treated with the purpose of preventing the spread of waterborne diseases.
In water treatment, chlorine and its compounds (Chlorination) are the
most popular disinfectants. Ozone O can also be used.3, light
ultraviolet, halogen gases and boiling.
AERATION
It is the operation in which water is brought into intimate contact with air.
purpose of exchanging volatile substances contained in water. It is an action
physics or mechanics by which undesirable matter is extracted from water and
replaced with oxygen and other gases from the air. It is used for iron removal
and manganese, in which case the oxygen in the air oxidizes these metals and them
It precipitates. Aeration is used to mix chemicals with water and in flocculation.
ION EXCHANGE
In this process, ions of given species are displaced from a material
insoluble ion exchange of different species that were in
solution. In practice, the water being treated is passed through a filter bed.
composed of an ion exchange material. When the capacity has
ceased, a solution is pumped into the ion exchange bed
regenerative that contains a high concentration of displaced ions.
This process displaces undesirable ions and rejuvenates the ion exchange bed.
ABSORPTION
It is the process by which the ions or molecules present in a phase
tend to condense and concentrate on the surface of another phase. The
the capture of pollutants in water or in the air is achieved through absorption
with the use of activated carbon. Usually, the absorbed material forms a layer
on the surface. The thickness of this layer is only one molecule and these do not
they change position once fixed in place. When the entire surface is
covered by the monomolecular layer, the absorption capacity in the absorbent
is considered null and therefore must undergo a process of
Regeneration.
Summary by: ING. CARLOS A. RUIZ PINZÓN
WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT
