Different Methods of Water Purification and Its Importance

Table of Contents

What is Water Purification?

Water purification is the process of removing impurities or pollutant from contaminated water to make it a clean water.
Water purification is a refinement of water through the exclusion of undesirable chemicals, impurities that lay suspended in the water.

Importance of Water Purification:

Water purification system reduces the risk of water-borne diseases.
Water purification system can reduce the risk of medical conditions such as bladder cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer by removing chlorine on drinking water.
A whole house filter will benefit children to develop healthy immune systems through the consumption of pure water.
Pure water can benefit people with skin allergies.
Pure water can is necessary for pregnant women as impure water can lead to several birth defects and congenital health problems
Home water purification system will prevent more than 2100 water contaminants.
Water purification system eliminates the risk of drinking contaminated water and environmental pollution.

Different Water Treatment Methods on the basis of place of Treatment:

1. Household water-treatment systems

Boiling
Household slow sand filter
Domestic chlorination

2. Community water-treatment system

Storage and sedimentation
Up-flow roughing filter
Slow sand filtration
Chlorination in piped water-supply systems

Most Common Methods of Water Purification, Its Advantages and Limitations:

Types of water purification method	Meaning	Advantages	Limitations
Boiling	In this process, water needs to be rolling boiled and should be kept in a clean pot and covered.	It is the cheapest and safest method of water purification. Easy to kill the microorganisms in household system	High heat while boiling leads to destroying water-soluble vitamins such as B &C Requires affordable and sufficient fuel to boil water for daily drinking purpose.
Sedimentation & Decantation	Sedimentation is a process of removing solids that lies at the bottom of the surface through gravity. Decantation is a process for the separation of mixtures of immiscible liquids and solids such as suspension.	It is a commonly used method for water purification Fewer chemicals are required for water treatment. Removal of settable solids can reduce turbidities and make the water more amenable to other treatment methods to reduce microbes Low-cost technology to reduce settable solids and perhaps some microbes for water	Only settable solids, such as sands, silts, and larger microbes settle efficiently; clays and smaller microbes do not settle; only moderate to low microbe reductions Unreliable method to reduce pathogens; solids are not efficiently removed by settling from some waters; can be labor-intensive
Chlorination of water	Chlorination method is the process of mixing chlorine in the water that kills germs and purifies the water. However, pregnant women are not recommended to drink chlorinated water. This method is usually considered appropriate during emergency conditions In this method, a chlorine tablet or drop is kept in the water. The mixture should be then stirred and left for at least 30 minutes. Within this time frame, the chlorine will react and oxidize any organic matter in the water.	Chlorine is a powerful oxidizing agent thereby getting rid of many bacteria in water. Chlorine is easily available Chlorination of water is a cost-effective method.	Chlorine gas is a powerful biocide, so transport and storage need to be planned and managed for public safety. Chlorination cannot reliably kill organisms with a lifecycle phase that includes a protective cyst such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, so drinking water catchments need to be protected from these by excluding human and animal feces contamination. Oxidation of organic compounds by chlorine can produce toxic byproducts such as trihalomethanes, which can be carcinogenic, so water storage needs to be designed and maintained to minimize organic contamination. Large amount chlorine is harmful and poisonous.
SODIS (Solar Disinfection) method	SODIS (Solar water disinfection system), is a method of water purification that relies on solar energy where contaminated water transparent container are exposed to direct sunlight usually for not less than 6-8 hours. The principle underlying solar disinfection is that microorganisms are vulnerable to light and heat It has been proven that as soon as the water temperature reaches 50 °C, the inactivation process is accelerated which usually leads to complete bacteriological disinfection.	A safe and easy method of water purification. Economical method compared with other methods of water purification as it relies on locally available resources, plastic bottles, and sunlight. Environment flexibility.	It is not applicable for large volumes of water. This method calls for relatively clear water. This method is very dependent on favorable climate and weather conditions, especially in the place where appropriate solar radiation exists.
Filtration	This process includes removing harmful toxins from the hard water where the water will go through various kinds of equipments. It also helps in the reduction of high concentration of the minerals in the water. Likewise, it is a very common method for water purification.	It is very easy and straightforward to use. The taste and odor of the water will improve, also gets rid of chlorine present in the water. This method makes sure about the removal of toxins from hard water.	No guarantee over the complete removal of germs from filtered water. The filter used for filtration should be cleaned thoroughly. The cartridges should be disposed of safely without hampering the environment as they contain harmful toxins.