How does the Raw Water Purification Systems Work?

Purification of water is vital for industrial companies as they mostly use raw water sources for their facility. Such raw water purification systems are most appropriate in avoiding expensive maintenance fees, costly plant downtime, and other problematic issues.

Water Purification Systems can be referred to as the treatment plants which are spread on a large scale to address the specific raw water treatment requirements. A compact version of such a purifying system is mostly employed inside the RO devices installed in our homes for finer filtering of water. 

Most industries follow a specific treatment process that may vary as per their plant specifications. But most of the purification systems usually follow the below steps:

Intake of Raw Water

Here raw water is referred to the natural water found in the environment. The source of this water can be natural resources such as oceans, lakes, rivers, or even groundwater. While intaking raw water from these sources, the industrial plant employs a grate or mesh screen to eliminate larger objects such as fish, offshoots, and leaves. The pumped water is then transferred to the facility for further purifying processes.

Coagulation

Most of the large solid objects are removed in the intake process; hence in the coagulation process, bulk suspended solids are removed by adding various chemicals. The method of coagulation begins with mixing reactors (also known as coagulants) in the reaction tank. They combine all the finer particles present in water to form a massive particle to settle it. A few of the common coagulants are alum and polyaluminium chloride, and both are aluminum-based.

Flocculation

After coagulation, the water is sent to a chamber for flocculation. Here, the coagulated particles are meant to stir with long-chain polymers. During the process, charged molecules pull all the coagulated and colloidal particles together to form a visible and settleable particle.

Sedimentation

The flocculated water is then transferred to a chamber, known as a clarifier. In this very slow gravity settling process, fine solid particles settle down to the bottom of the clarifier, which is a sludge blanket. Collected sludge is then pumped out and sent for slime handling or dewatering operation. The water collected is reused and mixed with the water from the front end of the clarifier.

Filtration

The next step in the raw water purification systems is to run the water through gravity sand filters. These filters are packed tightly with 2 or 4 feet of silica sand with notched edges. The water feed passes through it, trapping the unwanted particles.

Disinfection

Following the filtration process, the next step is to kill the bacteria present in the water. Chlorination and disinfection are the processes used to get rid of these microorganisms. Many a time, this process is done before the filtration process to keep the filters clean and disinfected.

Distribution

The last process of any water purification treating system is to distribute the purified water. For the industrial process, it gets pumped to holding tanks, from where it can be utilized for any further demands of the facility. In case the water is to be used for municipal purposes, the treated water can be transferred to water towers and then can be sent in a circuit throughout the city.

All processes within a purifying system are responsible for maintaining PH of water to a level where it can be used in the facility or for consumption. Raw water treatment solutions are cost-effective and are efficient in reducing the suspended impurities from surface water. Many engineering companies offer custom-built and standardized systems for raw water purification systems.