Water Decontamination at Water Treatment Plants. A New Approach

Analysis of the chemical and physical methods of water decontamination is carried out, the advantages and shortcomings of their application are revealed. A new approach to water treatment at centralized water-preparation stations is proposed. The approach involves the treatment of natural surface water, as the source of drinking water supply, by means of air floatation using ceramic membranes, coagulation (with aluminium sulphates or hydroxochlorides), filtration (through sand filters) to prevent biofouling and to enhance the efficiency of decontamination of purified transparent water after filtration, irradiation with ultraviolet light and subsequent water conservation by carbon dioxide (to restrain the growth and propagation of microflora in the distributing network). Additional decontamination of water from the city water supply in the case of the necessity to use it for drinking purposes may be carried out by boiling. This will allow complete elimination of the chlorination of piped water and the negative effects of this kind of treatment.