5 Cost-Effective Water Treatment Solutions

As we all know, water is a finite resource, as despite its abundance on Earth only a very small percentage, 0.3% to be precise, is suitable for human consumption. The rest (99.7%) is in oceans, ice-caps, soil and in the atmosphere. To make things worse, of that mere 0.3%, much is unattainable. 

Overpopulation and water pollution are some of the deterrents, which hamper the availability of water to the masses. In many parts of the world, water is a treasured resource, and plastic storage tanks are the most popular means of storing it. But the thought of water preservation seldom comes across the mind of the general public living in the cities.

Apart from the availability of water, its purification also plays a huge role when it comes to providing water to the masses. Water purification is needed because all water resources have varying quality of water. Many are polluted with industrial or household waste, and according to reports, there are usually more than 2,100 water impurities present in untreated water.

As water tanks are the main water storage solutions used in India, it is of utmost importance to regularly purify them in order to curb water contamination and to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. 

Water purification heavily depends on the source of water. Purifying water of moving water bodies such as rivers requires different purification measures compared to stagnant water bodies such as lakes. Primarily, there are 5 techniques used for water purification:

• Coagulation or Flocculation: This process involves the addition of aluminium sulfate, commonly known as an alum, to untreated water. The mixture of alum and water coagulates the dust particles and forms larger particles called flocs. These flocs can then be removed through the process of filtration or settling.
• Sedimentation and Filtration: Following coagulation and flocculation, a sedimentation basin is used, where the water moves very slowly, making the heavy flocs settle at the bottom. Particles, which get accumulated at the bottom are called sludge and are further carried to drying lagoons. The water now passes through a filtration process, which separates free-flowing particles from the water. These filters are made of stones, sand, or crumpled anthracite. Filtration helps in improving the efficiency of disinfection. A backwashing process is used to clean the filters after the filtration process.
• Disinfection and Sludge Drying: Water is disinfected using chlorine before it passes through the distribution system. Now, the solid particles left after sedimentation and filtration are transferred to drying lagoons.
• Fluoridation: Fluoridation is used to control and regulate the concentration of free fluoride ions in water. This is done in order to reduce dental cavities/ tooth decay.
• pH Correction: Lime is combined with filtered water in order to adjust the pH levels. This helps in stabilizing soft water so that corrosion in the water distribution system can be minimized.

Other water treatment solutions include:

• Purification & Filtration: Water purifiers and filters, like reverse osmosis purifiers (RO), are popular worldwide. In a nutshell, filtration purifies water and gets rid of impurities therein, by creating a physical barrier through a chemical or biological process.
• Water softeners: In order to remove harshness from water, water softeners, containing sodium or potassium ions are used to replace calcium and magnesium ions.
• Distillation: Through distillation, water is heated, the steam is collected and condensed in a separate container. This leaves behind a residue.
• Disinfection: The process of deactivating or killing pathogenic microorganisms is called disinfection. The most commonly used chemical disinfectant is chlorine, whereas ultraviolet rays, heat, and electronic radiation are examples of physical disinfectants.

With more than three decades of experience, Sheetal Group has established itself as one of India’s leading water tank manufacturers. Exemplary finishing, robust designs and protective qualities are some of the staples of their water storage solutions. From underground black water tanks to multi-layered water storage containers, Sheetal Group provides the highest quality water storage tanks, which comply with all the necessary quality standards and specifications.