Water treatment is essential to human health by improving water quality to make water suitable for the end use, which may be drinking water, industrial water supply, water recreation, etc.
What is a raw water treatment system?
Raw water treatment system is an important part of water treatment, which is responsible for the initial treatment of the raw water source to remove impurities, pollutants and harmful substances in the water, and provide qualified water quality for the subsequent water treatment process. This process is of great significance for ensuring drinking water safety, industrial water quality and environmental protection. In this article, we will discuss the raw water treatment system.
What does a raw water treatment system typically remove?
- Suspended solids: It contains silt, dust and other insoluble in water particles.
- Microbe: Such as bacteria, viruses, algae, etc., these microorganisms may pose a threat to human health.
- Organic contaminants: Such as volatile organics (VOCs) and synthetic organics (SOCs), which can have adverse effects during subsequent processing.
- Inorganic contaminants: Heavy metal ions, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, are toxic to humans.
How does a raw water treatment system work?
Raw water intake
Raw water is also untreated water in the natural environment, usually from rivers, lakes, oceans, groundwater and so on. These water sources are initially filtered to remove larger objects such as branches and leaves, and the water will be pumped to the main facility so that the quality of the water meets the requirements of subsequent treatment.
Flocculation
At this stage, adding flocculants (such as Poly Aluminum Chloride, Aluminum Sulfate, etc.) to the water through the pipeline mixer can make chemicals quickly and evenly dispersed in the water. After adding the flocculant, the suspended matter, silt and colloidal matter in the water will be gradually gathered under the action of electric neutralization, adsorption and interparticle bridging, net sweep, etc., to form large floc, which is helpful for subsequent precipitation treatment. For more details about flocculants, you can refer to: Poly Aluminum Chloride: A Great Option for Water Treatment
Sediment
After the flocculation, the accumulated floc will be separated from the water and sink to the bottom of the sedimentation tank. Precipitation treatment can effectively remove most of the suspended solids and colloidal substances in the water.
Filtration
The precipitated water enters the filtration system, and the fine suspended impurities, organic matter, bacteria, viruses, etc. in the water are intercepted by multi-stage filtration methods such as sand filtration and activated carbon filtration, so that the water becomes more clear and transparent, further improving the water quality.
Disinfection
Disinfection is the key part of raw water treatment. After the water is filtered into the clean water basin, adding the disinfectant (such as chlorine) for disinfection treatment can eliminate bacteria and viruses in the water to ensure the safety and health of the water.
Softening
For raw water with high hardness, softening treatment is required to reduce the content of calcium and magnesium ions in the water.
Distribution
If raw water is used in an industrial process, it is usually pumped into a storage tank where it can be used according to the needs of the facility. In the case of municipal water, the treated water is usually pumped into a distribution system consisting of water towers and various collection and distribution equipment, forming a cycle throughout the city.
In summary, raw water treatment system is a complex and fine process. Through precipitation, filtration, disinfection and softening steps, it can effectively remove suspended matter, microorganisms, organic matter, heavy metals in the water, providing high-quality water for the subsequent water treatment process. In this process, the rational use of various chemicals is also crucial. If you need water treatment chemicals, please feel free to contact us.