Water Purification Systems
Microfiltration
Ultrafiltration
Reverse Osmosis
Pre-treatment
Disinfection
Water Purification & Filtration Systems
Microfiltration
Ultrafiltration
Reverse Osmosis
Pre-treatment
Disinfection
There are an array of commonly experienced water problems among our various markets:
Whether fed from a municipal source, a borehole, a river, or the ocean, all water supplies contain dissolved mineral salts, microbiological contaminants and other materials. The amounts present determine the final analysis of the water, and ultimately whether the water is suitable for its intended application. In order to provide quality water for domestic and industrial use, the impurities that exceed acceptable levels have to be identified. Water treatment equipment should never be installed without a water analysis.
Water purification methods:
Ecotech Africa’s Water Purification methods and Filtration solutions address common water problems such as:
Ecotech Africa has fast and effective Water Purification methods and Filtration solutions for the following water types:
Water Purification Methods & Filtration
Water Purification/Filtration is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water.
The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose. Most water is purified for human consumption (drinking water) but water purification methods may also be designed for a variety of other purposes, including meeting the requirements of medical, pharmacology, chemical and industrial applications.
Water purification methods:
Microfiltration
Microfiltration usually serves as a pre-treatment for other separation processes such as ultrafiltration, and a post-treatment for granular media filtration. The typical particle size used for microfiltration ranges from about 0.1 to 10 μm. In terms of approximate molecular weight these membranes can separate macromolecules generally less than 100,000 g/mol. The filters used in the microfiltration process are specially designed to prevent particles such as, sediment, algae, protozoa or large bacteria from passing through a specially designed filter.
More microscopic, atomic or ionic materials such as water (H2O), monovalent species such as Sodium (Na+) or Chloride (Cl-) ions, dissolved or natural organic matter, and small colloids and viruses will still be able to pass through the filter. Microfiltration usually serves as a pre-treatment for other separation processes such as ultrafiltration, and a post-treatment for granular media filtration. The typical particle size used for microfiltration ranges from about 0.1 to 10 μm. In terms of approximate molecular weight these membranes can separate macromolecules generally less than 100,000 g/mol.
The filters used in the microfiltration process are specially designed to prevent particles such as, sediment, algae, protozoa or large bacteria from passing through a specially designed filter. More microscopic, atomic or ionic materials such as water (H2O), monovalent species such as Sodium (Na+) or Chloride (Cl-) ions, dissolved or natural organic matter, and small colloids and viruses will still be able to pass through the filter.
Ultrafiltration
Ultrafiltration is a membrane filtration process similar to Reverse Osmosis, using hydrostatic pressure to force water through a semi-permeable membrane. Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular weight are retained in the so called retentate, while water and low molecular weight solutes pass through the membrane in the permeate. This separation process is used in industry and research for purifying and concentrating macromolecular solutions, especially protein solutions. Ultrafiltration is not fundamentally different from microfiltration or nanofiltration except in terms of the size of the molecules it retains – it is defined by the Molecular Weight Cut Off (MWCO) of the membrane used. Common applications for ultra-filtration systems are food & beverage processing, pharmaceutical use, municipal, borehole and surface water treatment.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a complicated process which uses a membrane under pressure to separate relatively pure water (or other solvent) from a less pure solution.
When two aqueous solutions of different concentrations are separated by a semi-permeable membrane, water passes through the membrane in the direction of the more concentrated solution as a result of osmotic pressure. If enough counter pressure is applied to the concentrated solution to overcome the osmotic pressure, the flow of water will be reversed.
Ecotech Africa recognises the need
Pre-Treatment
Various methods exist for effective pre-treatment.
The objective of pre-treatment is to remove contaminants from raw water that will affect the stability and performance of the main treatment process and to remove contaminants that will affect performance of clients’ main process.
Pre-Treatment Methods
Filtration
Two main types of filter media are employed – surface filter, a solid sieve which traps the solid particles, and a depth filter, a bed of granular material which retains the solid particles as it passes. The first type allows the solid particles, i.e. the residue, to be collected intact; the second type does not permit this. However, the second type is less prone to clogging due to the greater surface area where the particles can be trapped.
Filtration Types
Surface Filtration
Also, when the solid particles are very fine, it is often cheaper and easier to discard the contaminated granules than to clean the solid sieve. Filter media can be cleaned by rinsing with solvents or detergents. Alternatively, in engineering applications, such as water treatment plants, they may be cleaned by backwashing. Self-cleaning screen filters utilize point-of-suction backwashing to clean the screen without interrupting system flow.
Depth Filtration
Coagulation
Flocculation
Disinfection vs Sterilization
Disinfection (Large Scale): Selective destruction or inactivation of pathogenic organisms and Sterilization (Small scale): Complete destruction of all organisms.
Chlorination
The primary purpose of chlorination is to disinfect water before it is used for drinking or other uses. Other purposes of chlorination are taste/odour control, prevention of algae growth, iron/manganese oxidation and destruction of hydrogen sulphide.
Ozone
Ozone is one of the strongest commercially available oxidising agents and is commonly used for the treatment of water in municipal and industrial process applications. The special advantage is in the environmentally friendly way in which it works, without the formation of harmful chlorinated by-products.
Flocculation
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