WATER PURIFICATION

ON A LARGE SCALE
Dr.Akshita Manthina
1st year PG SPM
MIMS
Purification of water on a large scale:
- The purpose of water treatment is to produce water that is safe and
wholesome.
- The components of a typical water purification system comprises of
the following -
1. Storage
2. Filtration
3. Disinfection
Storage
- Storage provides a reserve of water that is free from pollution.
- Just by storage, a very considerable amount of purification takes place.
1. Physical - 90% of suspended impurities settle down by gravity.
Water becomes clearer which allows penetration of light.
2.Chemical - The aerobic bacteria oxidize the organic matter in the
water
with the aid of dissolved O2. So, free ammonia reduces and
nitrates increase.
3. Biological - Pathogenic bacteria die out in a few days.
Filtration
- This is the second step of purification of water. This is done to remove the
pathogens and to a certain extent the suspended impurities which have
escaped the first step i.e., storage. The effective filter media is sand.

- There are 2 types of filtration

a. Slow sand filter or biological filter
b. Rapid sand filter or mechanical filter
a.Slow sand filter or
Biological filter
This method was first used in England and
Scotland in early 19th century based on the
observation that muddy water percolating
through earth came out on a hillside in a clear
stream.

Elements of slow sand filter:

1. Supernatant water (raw water)
2. Sand bed
3. Underdrainage system
4. System of filter control valves
I SUPERNATANT WATER

➢ It lies above the sand bed, 1-1.5m deep.

➢ Provides a constant head of water to overcome
resistance.
➢ Provides waiting period for raw water to undergo partial
purification by sedimentation, oxidation and particle
agglomeration.
II SAND BED
➢ The sand should be clean, free from Vital layer-
clay/organic matter. ➢ The surface of the sand bed gets covered
➢ The thickness of the sand bed is 1m. with a slimy growth which is called
➢ Sand grains are rounded with a diameter Schmutzdecke layer/biological
of 0.2-0.3mm. layer/zoogleal layer.
➢ It is supported by a gravel layer of 30- ➢ The slimy growth consists of algae,
40cm planktons, diatoms, bacteria.
➢ Water percolates very slowly at 0.1–0.4 ➢ Formation of the vital layer - ripening of
m3/hr/sq.mt filter.
➢ It is called the “heart of the filter”.
➢ It removes organic matter, holds back
bacteria, oxidises ammonical nitrogen into
nitrates.
III UNDERDRAINAGE SYSTEM
Filter box-
➢ It is at the bottom of the filter
bed. ➢ It is an open box, rectangular in shape and
2.5-4m deep
➢ It consists of perforated pipes. ➢ It is built wholly or partly below ground.
➢ It is an outlet for filtered water ➢ The walls are made of stone, brick or
and support medium. cement.
➢ From top to bottom-
1. supernatant water- 1-1.5m
2. sand bed- 1.2m
3. gravel support- 0.30m
4. filter bottom- 0.16m
IV SYSTEM OF FILTER
CONTROL VALVES:
➢ The valves/devices in outlet system maintain
constant rate of filtration.
➢ Venturi meter- measures resistance or loss of head
➢ When resistance builds up - the valves open
➢ When loss of head > 1.3m, means it is
uneconomical to run the filter.
CLEANING
➢ Bed resistance increases ===> Fully opening of valves =====>Time to clean
➢ Supernatant water is drained off ⇒ Scraping off top layer of sand(1-2cm)
➢ The job is done by unskilled labourers using hand tools or mechanical
equipment.
➢ After 20-30 scrapings, sand bed thickness is reduced to 0.5-0.8m, that is
when the plant is closed and a new bed is constructed.
Advantages
1. It is simple to construct and operate.
2. The cost of construction is cheaper than that of rapid sand filter.
3. The physical, chemical and bacteriological quality of filtered water is very high.
4. When working ideally, slow sand filters have been shown to reduce total
bacterial counts by 99.9 to 99.99% and E.coli by 99 to 99.9% .
b. RAPID SAND FILTER OR
MECHANICAL FILTER
Types of rapid
sand filters:
1. Gravity type (Paterson’s filter)
2. Pressure type (Candy’s filter)
Steps involved:
1. Coagulation
2. Rapid mixing
3. Flocculation
4. Sedimentation
5. Filtration
1.Coagulation- raw water is first treated with alum

2. Rapid mixing- treated water is subjected to violent agitation

in mixing chamber for few minutes which allows a quick and
thorough dissemination of alum throughout the water.

3. Flocculation- slow stirring of the treated water in a

flocculation chamber for 30 minutes.
Most widely used is the mechanical type of flocculator which
consists of a number of paddles which rotate at 2 to 4 rpm.
The slow and gentle stirring results in the formation of a thick,
copious, white flocculent precipitate.
4. Sedimentation- the coagulated water is detained in
sedimentation tanks for 2-6 hours when the flocculent precipitate
together with impurities settle down in the tank.
Atleast 95% of the flocculant precipitate needs to be removed
before the water is admitted into rapid sand filters.

5. Filtration- partly clarified water is now subjected to rapid sand

filtration.
As filtration proceeds, the alum floc not removed by
sedimentation is held back on the sand bed and forms a slimy
layer comparable to the zoogleal layer in slow sand filter. It
absorbs bacteria from the water. Oxidation of ammonia takes
place during filtration.
When the loss of head approaches 7-8ft, filtration is stopped and
the filters are subjected to a washing process called
“backwashing”.
Flow diagram of rapid sand filtration
plant

Cl
.
.
BACKWASHING
➢ Rapid sand filters need washing daily or weekly depending upon the loss
of head.
➢ Washing is accomplished by reversing the flow of water through the sand
bed which is called backwashing.
➢ It dislodges the impurities and cleans up the sand bed.
➢ Washing is stopped when clear sand is visible and the wash water is
sufficiently clear.
➢ The whole process of washing takes about 15 minutes.
➢ In some rapid sand filters, compressed air is used as part of the
backwashing processes.
Advantages
1. Rapid sand filters can deal with raw water directly. No preliminary storage is
required.
2. The filter beds occupy less space.
3. Filtration is rapid, 40-50 times that of a slow sand filter.
4. The washing of the filter is easy.
5. There is more flexibility in operation.
DISINFECTION
For a chemical or an agent to be potentially useful as a disinfectant in water
supplies, it has to satisfy the following criteria-
1) should be capable of destroying the pathogenic organism within the
contact time.
2) shouldn’t be unduly influenced by the range of of physical and chemical
properties of water like temperature, pH and mineral constituents.
3) should not leave products of reaction which render the water toxic.
4) should be readily available at reasonable cost.
5) leaving residual concentration to deal with small possible recontamination.
6) be amenable to detection by practical, rapid and simple analytical
techniques
Additional Treatment
Processes

Importance of Chlorination
Chlorination is crucial for disinfecting
water by eliminating harmful
microorganisms.
CHLORINATION
➢ This is the final step of disinfection of water by adding chlorine to the water.
➢ It was GA Johnson (1908) who initiated the use of chlorine compounds for
disinfecting water.
➢ It kills pathogenic bacteria but has no effect on spores and certain viruses (eg-
poliovirus, viral hepatitis) except in high doses.
Action of chlorine-
➢ The disinfecting action of chlorine is mainly due to the hypochlorous acid and
to a small extent due to the hypochlorite ions.
Cl₂ + H₂O ⇌ HOCl + HCl
HOCl ⇌ H⁺ + OCl⁻
➢ Chlorine demand - It is the amount of chlorine required by
the water for its purification.

➢ Breakpoint chlorination - It is the point at which the

chlorine demand is met and free residual chlorine starts
appearing.

➢ Contact period- It is the time period required for the

chlorine to disinfect the water.
PRINCIPLES OF CHLORINATION
➢ Water should be clear and free from turbidity.
➢ Chlorine demand of the water should be estimated.
➢ The presence of free residual chlorine for a contact period of at least one
hour is essential to kill bacteria and viruses.
➢ The minimum recommended concentration of free chlorine is 0.5mg/L for
one hour for drinking water.
➢ The sum of the chlorine demand of the specific water plus the free
residual chlorine of 0.5mg/L constitutes the correct dose of chlorine to be
applied.
SUPERCHLORINATION
- Superchlorination followed by dechlorination comprises the addition of
large doses of chlorine to the water and removal of excess of chlorine
after disinfection.
- This method is used for heavily polluted waters whose quality fluctuates
greatly.
METHODS OF CHLORINATION
1. Chlorine gas - It is the first choice because it is cheap, quick in action,
efficient and easy to apply. But it is an irritant to the eyes and poisonous,
so a special equipment called “chlorinating equipment” is required to apply
chlorine gas to water supplies. Paterson’s chloronome is one such device.

2. Chloramine - They are loose compounds of chlorine and ammonia. Their

biggest drawback is that they are slower acting than chlorine so they are
not being used.

3. Perchloron or High test hypochlorite (H.T.H) - It is a calcium compound

which carries 60-70% of available chlorine.
ORTHOTOLIDINE (OT) TEST
➢ When this reagent is added to water containing chlorine, it turns yellow
and the intensity of the colour varies with the concentration of the gas.
➢ The yellow colour is produced by both free and combined chlorine
residuals. OT reacts with free chlorine instantaneously but reacts more
slowly with combined chlorine.
ORTHOTOLIDINE-ARSENITE (OTA) TEST
➢ This is a modification of the OT test.
➢ The errors caused by the presence of nitrites, iron, manganese all of
which produce a yellow colour with OT are overcome by the OTA test.
OTHER PROCESSES-
1. Ozonation
2. Membrane processes
a) High-pressure processes - reverse osmosis, nanofiltration
b)Low-pressure processes - microfiltration, ultrafiltration
Public Health Importance

Safe Drinking Water

Clean drinking water is essential for overall health and prevents numerous diseases.
Access to safe water sources significantly improves public health. Understanding the
link between public health and water quality is crucial for medical professionals.

Waterborne Diseases
Waterborne diseases pose a serious health threat, especially in underserved
communities. Awareness and prevention are crucial.

Sand Filtration Benefits

Sand filtration effectively removes pathogens and impurities from water. This technique
is simple and highly effective in improving water quality.
 Monitoring Water Quality
Importance of Testing
Regular tests are crucial for assessing microbiological and
chemical parameters in water. This ensures safe drinking
water for communities.

Monitoring Frequency
Consistent monitoring frequency is essential to detect
changes in water quality promptly. This helps in preventing
health hazards.

Adherence to Standards
Following WHO standards for water quality is vital for public
health. Compliance ensures that the water remains safe for
consumption.
Purpose of our
visit to the Understanding Rapid sand filtration
water Sand filtration is a key component in the water purification
process, removing contaminants effectively.
purification
plant
Importance for Public Health
Proper water purification ensures safe drinking water, which
directly impacts public health.

Relevance to Medical Professionals

Medical professionals must understand water purification to
address health issues related to waterborne diseases.
ALUM BLOCKS
THANK YOU
References:
1) K. Park
2) AH Suryakantha