Based on the local conditions, the waterworks operators decide on an adapted technical concept, which has to be approved by the supervisory authorities. The required services are then advertised and awarded, which is extensive in the case of an EU-wide tender and takes a lot of time....
Clean and healthy drinking water is vital to people's well-being and health. However, in many parts of the world the natural water quality is not sufficient to meet the requirements for human consumption. To solve this problem, various water treatment methods are used, including chemical and advanced treatment methods.
Chemical treatment of water involves the use of chemicals to remove contaminants and improve water quality. A commonly used chemical process is the addition of flocculants such as aluminum sulfate or iron salts to bind suspended matter in the water and form larger particles called flocs. These flocs can then be more easily removed by sedimentation or filtration. The flocculation also helps remove organic contaminants and heavy metals.
Flocculation is usually followed by sedimentation, in which the flocs are separated by gravity or flotation. The water then goes through a filtration process to remove finer particles and sediment. The filtration can be done through sand filters, activated carbon filters or membrane filters, depending on the specific needs and the quality of the water to be treated.
In addition to chemical treatment, there are further treatment processes that include additional steps to remove specific contaminants. This includes disinfection, which kills microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and parasites to make the water safe for human consumption. The most common disinfection methods are the addition of chlorine, ozone, UV irradiation or the use of molecular separation membranes.
Another important step in further processing is the removal of chemical contaminants such as pesticides, herbicides, drug residues and heavy metals. This requires advanced technologies such as activated carbon filtration, reverse osmosis or advanced oxidation processes. These processes can effectively degrade or adsorb certain compounds to further improve water quality.
It is important to note that the choice of treatment methods depends on several factors, including the type and concentration of contaminants in the source water, the water quality required, and the resources available. Water resources must be continuously monitored and analyzed in order to select and adjust the appropriate treatment processes.
Overall, the chemical and further treatment of water is an essential process to keep drinking water safe and healthy
to make it healthy. By using various methods to remove contaminants, the water quality can be brought to an acceptable level. It is critical that governments, organizations and communities invest in their water infrastructure and use the right technologies and practices to make clean and safe drinking water accessible to all.
