Water is an important factor for all kinds of life, and over the years it has been threatened by pollution. It is interesting to know about the potabilization process, which is defined as a set of physical and chemical treatments that water intended for human consumption must undergo.
1- Filtration: polluted water is filtered to remove large dirt particles and facilitate subsequent treatment.
2- Flocculation: the water then receives two substances: hydrated lime, which is responsible for correcting the pH, and aluminum sulphate, which makes the dirt particles gather, forming small clots.
3- Decantation: after flocculation, the water goes to decantation, where it will stop so that the flakes heavier than water settle to the bottom.
4- Carbon Filters: at this stage, the decanted water, that is, without the flakes, passes through filters formed by layers of sand, carbon and peat (material of organic origin, which is formed in the initial stage of the natural transformation process of vegetable waste into charcoal mineral).
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5- Disinfection: the water will arrive in this process practically clean, but not free from microorganisms. Thus, it will receive the chlorine that eliminates harmful germs to health.
Water treatment steps
Water is essential in human life, but it needs to be properly treated, because untreated water when ingested can be responsible for the transmission of many diseases such as:
• amoebiasis;
• giardiasis;
• gastroenteritis;
• typhoid and paratyphoid fevers;
• infectious hepatitis;
• anger.
These are called waterborne diseases. Water can also be linked to the transmission of some worms such as taeniasis, schistosomiasis, ascardiasis, hookworm and oxyuriasis.
By Líria Alves
Graduated in Chemistry
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FOGAÇA, Jennifer Rocha Vargas. "Water treatment"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/quimica/tratamento-agua.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
Chemistry
Water pollution, physical aspects of water, chemical aspects of water, biological aspects of water, industrial waste, heavy metals, drinking water, organic matter, water turbidity, sewage.
