I Have A Water Treatment Problem
Water is a universal solvent and is one of the foundations of life. We need water, sun, air and soil for life as we know it to exist.
We need to drink water. We need water for irrigation. We wash using water. We also need water to produce power in power stations. Large buildings use evaporative cooling towers to keep us cool in the summer. In all these applications, water needs to be fit for purpose. If it is not, you will have a water treatment problem.
Water Analysis Is Fundamental
If you have a water treatment problem, you need to start by analysing the water… What pollutants are in the water? Is it hard? Does it have iron in it? Any toxic heavy metals? Organics? Bacteria. Armed with a good water analysis, you can proceed to the next step which is water treatment fit for purpose that has been treated properly.
Main Categories of Water Treatment Problems
There are several main categories into which water treatment problems fall into:
- Corrosion – Caused by an electrochemical reaction in which normally a metal loses electrons to an electron acceptor such as Oxygen in the water or it can be caused by a reaction of the metal with acids, M(s) + Acid = M(solution) + Hydrogen gas. Chlorides in the water can be transformed to Hydrochloric acid which is corrosive to many metals.
- Scale: Hardness in water can cause scaling on water pipes.
- Biofouling: Given the right nutrients, bacteria can proliferate in your water treatment system causing slime, harboring pathogens or even causing something called Under Deposit Corrosion. Some bacteria like Sulphate Reducing Bacteria can convert Sulphate into H2S gas which is corrosive to metals and concrete and has a rotten egg unpleasant smell.
- Pollution: If your waste water is polluted, you cannot discharge it into the environment because it will have an negative environmental impact. For example, we cannot discharge raw sewage into a river because the water contains organics, nitrogen and phosphorus all of which will have a negative environmental impact. The waste water could contain pathogenic bacteria too. Sometimes the waste water can have a very high or very low pH or contain heavy metals or industrial oils. It needs to be treated. Pharmaceutical companies cannot discharge their waste water directly into the sewer because of the chemicals and pharmaceuticals in the water.
Water Treatment Systems
Water treatment systems help clarify water using clarifiers or filters, can remove heavy metals or hardness from the water, they can reduce the organic pollution of the water using processes that use bacteria, or they can remove the salts in the water using desalination technologies like Reverse Osmosis too. We can kill harmful bacteria in water using UV light or a disinfectant. Water from a well might contain metals like iron or manganese which need to be removed. Water can be hard for example in London so we need to soften it.
The goal is a water that is fit for purpose.
Whatever the application or use of water, you need a water treatment specialist to make sure it is just that – fit for purpose.
RO systems can turn seawater into drinking water or treated sewage into the same. It is amazing what water treatment technology can achieve these days.
To learn more about water treatment technologies, visit our home page and look at the different presentations on various water treatment technologies. If you have water treatment problems that need specialist help, send us an email so we can have a confidential discussion.
Water Treatment Projects
We have managed water treatment projects from A to Z. Design review, construction and commissioning phases. We are also experts at troubleshooting operating water treatment plants that do not meet effluent requirements.
Conclusion
Kremesti Environmental Consulting Ltd is your partner in all things water treatment.
Sincerely,
Rami Elias Kremesti M.Sc., CSci, CEnv, CWEM
