DRINING WATER

1. Introduction about the product and unit operation with neat sketch on the entire process:

Introduction : Drinking water, also known as potable water, is water that is safe to drink or to use for food
preparation. The amount of drinking water required varies. It depends on physical activity, age, health issues, and
environmental conditions.For those who work in a hot climate, up to 16 litres a day may be required.[1] Water is
essential for life.Typically in developed countries, tap water meets drinking water quality standards, even though only
a small proportion is actually consumed or used in food preparation.Water may also be unacceptable due to levels of
toxins or suspended solids. According to the World Health Organization's 2017 report, safe drinking-water is water
that "does not represent any significant risk to health over a lifetime of consumption, including different sensitivities
that may occur between life stages".
A 'safely managed drinking water service" is "one located on premises, available when needed and free from
contamination". By 2015, 5.2 billion people representing 71% of the global population used safely managed drinking
water service.[

Unit operations: There are four unit operations involved in the drinking process. Namely, sedimentation, filtration,
aeration and adsorption

Sketch of entire process:

2. Select any one unit operation from your group and describe it.

Filtration: Filtration, which is a unit operation of separating solids from fluids, is the only one of the three water
purification methods that is capable of removing chlorine, chlorine byproducts, and VOCs from drinking water.
Chlorine and VOCs are the most dangerous and threatening contaminants of municipally treated drinking water.
Besides the removal of these dangerous chemicals, water filters also extract from drinking water the chlorine-
resistant protozoa giardia and cryptosporidium. These protozoa have plagued the water treatment industry for
several decades and have caused a number of epidemics of severe gastrointestinal disease, contracted through
drinking contaminated water. The purpose of filtration is to remove the particulates suspended in water by
passing the water through a layer of porous material. Larger particulates are retained by straining and
sedimentation, while colloidal matter is retained by adsorption, or coagulation and sedimentation. Biological
interactions occur only when the water passes very slowly through the porous mass.
3. Possible process improvements that can be incorporated

In an effort to meet stringent environmental regulations and to satisfy the rising water demands of growing
populations, many water treatment plants have employed smart technologies to increase operations reliability.
Water sustainability improvements, which can increase the energy efficiency of a plant and reduce its carbon
footprint, often include the optimization of chemical use, a minimization of waste generation, and the use
of solar or wind energy. Additionally, with the advancement of sophisticated technologies, water treatment
processes have incorporated complex instrumentation and process control systems. Use of
online analytical instruments, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, and
dedicated software have resulted in automation and computerization of treatment processes with the provision
for remote operations. Such innovations can improve system operations significantly to achieve consistent water
quality with minimal supervision, especially in larger system configurations.

4. Other industrial applications on selected unit operations & Viva voce

Filtration – Industrial applications:

Protect Equipment. In industrial manufacturing, filtration can help protect the complex and expensive
machinery that’s used. When particles aren’t properly filtered out, they can cause damage to the equipment,
which can ultimately lead to entire system failures. For example, leftover particles in a pipe can erode metal,
cause malfunctions and require essential – and expensive – parts to need replacement.

Purification. Filtration is extremely important to keep things like water, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals
clean, pure and free of contaminants. If it wasn’t for filtration, we might not have safe drinking water,
because it plays a crucial role in eliminating sediment, sand, gravel, carbon and other suspended particles.

Safety. Filtration can help prevent cross-contamination, health hazards, workplace safety issues and
environmental issues. It even helps companies comply with the safety and quality standards set by agencies
like the EPA and OSHA.

Product Isolation. Perforated tubes are designed with holes to separate particles from each other. Like
straining pasta, many manufacturing and industrial processes need to isolate their own solids, gases, oils,
water and other fluids to keep their systems functioning right.

Efficiency. Filtration helps many industrial operations flow smoothly and more efficiently. Take oil rigs, for
example. When bringing oil up out of the ground, sand and debris get mixed in with the oil. Placing
perforated tubes at the source can help get rid of some of those particles on the way up, saving time and
effort on the surface.