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MOST COMMON WATER CONTAMINANTS
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( Its SOURCES and METHOD OF TREATMENT) |
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Source - Acidic waters usually attain their acidity from the seepage of acid mine waters, or acidic industrial wastes. Acid mine waters are frequently too low in pH to provide suitable drinking water even after neutralization and Treatment. |
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Treatment - Injects soda ash or caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) to raise the pH and increase alkalinity. Run through calcite, corosex, or a combination of the two to neutralize acidity but it adds hardness to the water so both need to be replenished on a periodic basis. |
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AMMONIA |
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Source – Soluble in water it is the natural product of decay or organic nitrogen compounds. Runoff in agricultural areas where fertilizers are applied and animal feed lots.
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(Ammonia is not found in well water supplies because the bacteria in the soil converts its nitrates ) |
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Treatment – Can be destroyed chemically by chlorination and can be removed by cation exchange. Degasification will also remove Ammonia.
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ARCENIC |
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Source – Usually comes from mining and metallurgical operations and runoff from agricultural areas using arsenic as industrial poisons. Commercial grade phosphate can have some arsenic in it. |
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Treatment – Can be removed or reduced by conventional water treatment process if in an inorganic form, the likes of reverse osmosis, activated alumina, ion exchange, activated carbon and distillation. If in organic form it can be removed by oxidation of the organic material and subsequent coagulation. |
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BACTERIA |
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Source – Bacteria are tiny organism occurring naturally in water. Biological contamination are separated in two groups: (1) Pathogenic (disease causing) and (2) Non-pathogenic (not disease causing). Pathogenic bacteria causes illness such as typhoid fever, dysentery, gastroenteritis, infectious hepatitis and cholera. E Coli (Escherichia Coli) is the coliform bacterial organism which is looked for when testing the water. This organism is found in the intestines and fecal matter of humans and animals. If E Coli is found in a water supply along with high nitrate and chloride levels it indicates waste has contaminated the supply from a septic system or sewage dumping and has entered by way of runoff, a fractured well casing or broken lines. If coliform bacteria is present it is an indication that disease causing bacteria is also present. |
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Treatment – Can be treated by microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration or chemical oxidation and disinfection. Ozone injection is one form of chemical oxidation and disinfection but chlorine injection is most widely recognized method. Ultraviolet will also kill bacteria but turbidity, color and organic impurities interfere with the transmission of ultraviolet energy and may decrease the disinfection efficiency. |
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CALCIUM |
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Source – Calcium is the major component of hardness in water. Which is mostly derived from all rock but the greatest concentration comes from limestones and gypsum. |
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Treatment – Calcium, as with all hardness, can be removed with a simple sodium form cation exchanger (softener). Reverse Osmosis will remove 95 - 98 % of the calcium in the water. Electrodialysis and Ultrafiltration also will remove calcium. Calcium can also be removed with the hydrogen form cation exchanger portion of a deionizer system. |
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