Water purification 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 may also be designed for a variety of other purposes, including meeting the requirements of medical, pharmacology, chemical and industrial applications. In general the methods used include physical processes such as filtration and sedimentation, biological processes such as slow sand filters or activated sludge, chemical processes such as flocculation and chlorination and the use of electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet light.
The purification process of water may reduce the concentration of particulate matter including suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi; and a range of dissolved and particulate material derived from the surfaces that water may have made contact with after falling as rain.
The standards for drinking water quality are typically set by governments or by international standards. These standards will typically set minimum and maximum concentrations of contaminants for the use that is to be made of the water.
It is not possible to tell whether water is of an appropriate quality by visual examination. Simple procedures such as boiling or the use of a household activated carbon filters are not sufficient for treating all the possible contaminants that may be present in water from an unknown source. Even natural spring water – considered safe for all practical purposes in the 19th century – must now be tested before determining what kind of treatment, if any, is needed. Chemical analysis, while expensive, is the only way to obtain the information necessary for deciding on the appropriate method of purification.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) purifying tap water helps ensure that it is safe to use for cooking, drinking and brushing your teeth. Different water-treatment methods use different strategies to disinfect the water, which removes dangerous contaminants. If it is not possible or desirable to purify tap water yourself, purchasing bottled water is often an appropriate alternative.
Water purification methods
There are a variety of water purification methods based on processes such as through filtration and sedimentation, biological processes (through sand filters and sludge treatment), chemical processes (by filtering through cloth and chlorine treatment) and using electromagnetic radiation or ultraviolet light. Water purification processes can reduce the concentration of fine particles (such as parasites, algae, viruses and fungi) and soluble particles originating from soil or water surfaces were in contact with them.
Water Purification Drinking Water Improvement
According to the findings of the World Health Organization (WHO) report, 1.1 billion people in the world have access to proper drinking water, 88% of 4 billion cases of diarrhoea were caused by drinking non-hygienic water and 1.8 million people die from diarrhoea every year. An evaluation by the WHO shows that 94% of diarrhoea cases could have been prevented using water purification.
The Strauss Water T6 water purifier ensures you are only drinking the purest, cleanest water every time. It keeps the good bacteria and filters out the bad and being plumbed into the mains means you’ll never run out!