What Is Water Treatment? A Complete Guide for Industrial and Drinking Applications

Water treatment is the operation of removing unwanted substances from water to make it appropriate for a certain use.

Selection of the appropriate treatment process begins with the knowledge of the water source, contaminants, treatment capacity required, and intended use of the treated water.

Water treatment system manufacturer can use a combination of technologies such as filtration and ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO), membrane bioreactors (MBR), or chemical treatment to achieve the desired water quality.

If the water quality, capacity or site conditions are unusual, a custom water treatment system is perhaps better suited than a standard system.

What Is Water Treatment?

Water treatment is a process that reduces or removes contaminants from water to make it better. These contaminants may include suspended solids, organic material, microorganisms, dissolved salts, oils, heavy metals, and other undesirable materials.

Treatment will be based on two fundamental questions: Where will the water be used, and where is the water from?

There are differences in requirements for drinking water, industrial process water and industrial wastewater.

How Does a Water Treatment System Work?

Typically, a water treatment system is a combination of processes. The order of the sequence depends on the quality of the water to be treated and the quality of the water that needs to be obtained.

1. Pretreatment and Filtration

The larger particles will be removed in the pretreatment step and the load on the subsequent treatment steps will be reduced. It can be screened or filtered by using multimedia filtration, sedimentation, and other separation processes.

For membrane processes, good pretreatment is crucial before the process to protect the membrane and to ensure stable operation.

2. Ultrafiltration

Ultrafiltration – using a membrane to separate very small suspended particles and other contaminants from water. It can be applied as a preceding treatment before reverse osmosis or as a part of a full purification process.

QILEE offers integrated UF/RO systems for many applications, including municipal water, industrial process water, and water reuse.

3. Reverse Osmosis

A membrane process that can be utilized to remove dissolved salts and other contaminants is called reverse osmosis. It is used frequently when a greater level of purification is needed.

Depending on the design of the water system and the pretreatment needs, brackish water or seawater can be used as a source of water for RO. Containerized RO systems are available from QILEE for these applications.

Biological and Chemical treatment.

Filtering is not the only solution to all water issues. The industrial wastewater can have additional pollutants (oils, suspended solids, heavy metals, or others) that must be treated.

Treatment can involve biological processes, like an MBR, dissolved air flotation (DAF), chemical dosing, or membrane processes like NF and RO depending on the wastewater characteristics.

Drinking Water Treatment vs. Industrial Water Treatment

The distinction between the two is the quality target. Drinking water treatment aims to make water potable, whereas industrial water treatment is typically customized for a specific industrial process or wastewater need.

As indicated in the table, no one treatment method is appropriate for all projects. The process design should be based on the water quality testing and intended application.

What Are Water Treatment Systems Used For?

Many different types of water treatments are used in various areas. Surface water and/or groundwater can be treated for use as drinking water. Industrial systems can treat water for production processes, boilers, or other equipment.

Another important role of wastewater treatment is reuse. An appropriate system may be designed to permit reuse of some of the treated effluent. QILEE also offers reclaimed-water plants based on MBR and UF+RO technologies for industrial and municipal reuse.

Containerized systems can be beneficial in environments where space, construction time, or mobility is an issue. These systems are built in prefabricated containers and can be moved to site and installed with less construction activity.

How to Choose a Water Treatment System Supplier

When looking for a system, buyers should realize:

• The raw water source and results of laboratory analysis.
• Required treatment capacity
• Required treated-water quality
• Available installation space
• Requirements for wastewater discharge or reuse.
• Energy and chemical needs.
• Maintenance and operating conditions

The supplier should be able to explain why each stage of the treatment is necessary. This is especially critical for industrial projects, as water quality can impact production, equipment operation, and wastewater compliance.

If more than one technology is needed to make the system work, a manufacturer with experience in water treatment systems can be of assistance. For example, QILEE provides the following models and integrated systems in containers: drinking water, purified water, high purity water, process water and industrial wastewater treatment.

When Do You Need a Custom Water Treatment System?

A basic system can be effective in situations where water supplies and treatment needs are simple. A custom water treatment system may be necessary for more complex projects.

If the water chemistry is unusual, if flow rates fluctuate, space is limited, the treated water quality requirements are strict, or water can be reused, it can be advantageous to customize it.

To solve each system, engineers can choose and configure treatment modules based on the specific water-quality challenge.

What Should You Check Before Installing a Water Treatment System?

The critical first step of a successful treatment project is gathering the right information. The water analysis should provide a listing of the primary contaminants present in the water sample and the level of concentration. Clear flow requirements should also be included to accommodate normal and peak demand.

The location also plays a role. The final design can be affected by available space, power supply, drainage, chemical storage, access for maintenance, and future expansion.

The discharge or reuse target applies equally to industrial wastewater. If the treated water is to be utilized in production, a system that just removes basic pollutants might not be adequate.

Conclusion

Water treatment is not a single treatment that works for all situations. The proper treatment will depend on the water source, the contaminants, the capacity needed, and the final use of the treated water. A variety of other processes can be used in combination with filtration, UF, biological treatment, chemical treatment, etc., to achieve desired results.

The selection of a water treatment system supplier and water treatment system manufacturer is not just about selecting individual equipment for buyers. The supplier must be aware of the entire treatment method and should be able to match the system to the actual treatment needs of the project.

If standard equipment is not sufficient, a custom water treatment system can offer more flexibility. The first step in developing a valid water treatment system in the field is to start with water analysis and water treatment objective.