Water Treatment and disinfection

Nowadays water is not always safe to drink and to be used. As

a fact People can get many health problems, diseases and
sickness because of drinking unclean water which can hold
many germs that can survive in water. Examples of diseases
that can be happen are:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

Cryptosporidium
Giardia intestinalis
E. coli
Hepatitis A
And others

In order to get a cleaner and safer drinking water many steps

can be used to remove all germs in water that cause its
contamination. The most common treatments to clean water
today include:
Coagulation and Flocculation
This is usually is the first step in water treatment. The main
idea of this procedure is that a chemical with positive charge
will be added to the water. The positive charge will neutralize
the negative charges in the dirt as well as the unwanted
dissolved partials and as a result floc is formed.
Sedimentation
In this step floc will be trapped in the bottom of the water
supply or container due to the gravity and the Wight of the
suspended solids.
Filtration
After the floc is been settled in the bottom of the container, the
clean water will Proceed to other step which is filtration. The
water will be treated by passing through filters that consist of
many layers (gravel, sand and charcoal). This process is
important to remove smaller partials like dust, bacteria and
viruses.

 Disinfection
In general disinfection is that before water is been ready to
drink and to be used in businesses, some chemicals (for
example chlorine and chloramine) will be added to the water to
insure its cleanness. As a result of this step all the remaining
bacteria, viruses and the pathogenic microorganisms are killed
or deactivate its reproduction and the water will be protected
agents germs.
The agents that are used can also get rid of all organic
contaminants from the treated water. One other main and
important use of disinfection is to prevent microorganisms from
growing and getting doubled in the way to water sources after
disinfection. Because some germs stay active and productive in
the water even after disinfection.
to proses partials disinfection of water the following agents are
used:
- Fenols
- Hydrogen peroxide - Hypo chlorite (OCl-)
- Chlorine (Cl2)
- Metals: copper (Cu2+), silver (Ag+)
- Halogens: bromine (Br2), iodene (I)
- Bromine chloride (BrCl)
- Calcium permanganate (KMnO4)
-Ozone (O3)
- Chlorine dioxide (ClO2)
- Alcohols
- Soaps and detergents
- Kwartair ammonium salts
- many acids and bases
Water disinfection may vary according to the country and
treatment solutions. The normal disinfection is done by
applying it once, however other step of water disinfection may
be mandatory to get an extra measure. And the reason of that

is simply because doing so is protecting the water from viruses

and microbiological contamination in the water distribution
supplies. The second step mostly done with a deferent kind of
disinfection agent to completely make sure that the bacteria is
ether destroyed or in the worst case its functionality is
terminated.
The mechanism of disinfection is depends on the corrosion of
the cell wall that exist in the cells of microorganisms. Enzyme
or protoplasm activity will be changed due to the structural
changes. As a result of that microorganisms are no longer able
to multiply and increase water contamination. Organic matter in
the water are destroyed by oxidizing disinfectants, resulting
much less amounts of nutrients.
In order to achieve the purpose of disinfection, there are many
factors that have to be noted to affect water disinfection which
are:
The reaction time.
Types and concentrations of organic materials
present when chlorine or the disinfection agent is added,
the dosage of chlorine or disinfection agent
the temperature
pH of the water

There are different methods of water disinfection. Some of

them are expensive and hard to be done and others are more
economically and easier, all those methods are exist within the
following types:
Heat treatment
Radiation treatment
Chemical treatment