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Treatment of Water Using Various Filtration Techniques: Review Study

Conference Paper · November 2018

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Construction Management Practices

Treatment of Water Using Various Filtration

Techniques: Review Study
Shabiimam M. A1, Tehsin Kazi2, Poshekar Anas3and Sakharkar Shifa4
Abstract
Water scarcity has been listed by the World Economic Forum as the
largest global risk in terms of potential impact over the next decade. Due to
water scarcity one-third of the global population get severely affected. There is
3% amount of fresh water available in the earth but however lack of
accessibility of water due to various factors, humanity is facing a water crisis.
So, in order to avoid water deficient future it has become essential for every
country all around the globe to take a step towards water conservation.
Apart from water scarcity one major area of concern is water quality. Lack of
clean drinking water has put billions of people’s health at risk diseases like
malaria, cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid fever and many other diseases are spread
because of the consumption of contaminated water. That is why treatment of
water before consumption is necessary.
In view of all the above parameters, this review study is to discuss about the
various filtration techniques available. Natural substitutes used as a filtering
medium which are less expensive or which may be a by-product of any
agricultural or manufacturing process. For example, tamarind seed, which act as
natural coagulant and other natural materials like bentonite clay, red soil etc.
The filtration systems usually are of gravitational type and the backwashing
process of pressure type.
Keywords: Water Scarcity; Filtration; Water Borne Diseases; Natural
Adsorbents.

1. Introduction
In a developing country like India, rainfall is the most important source of
water, which the country receives abundantly, but due to its uneven distribution

12
Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering, Anjuman.I Islams. Kalsekar Technical Campus,
Panvel, Mumbai. Email:er.shabi@gmail.com
34
Student, Civil Engineering, Anjuman.I Islams. Kalsekar Technical Campus, Panvel, Mumbai

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as well as absence of proper rainwater harvesting, many regions all across the
country suffer with water scarcity. Apart from rainfall other water sources
which are of over flooded by the rainfall may be used. For example, lakes,
rivers, ponds, ground water, etc. These water sources are proving inefficient
because of haphazard growth of the country’s population and deterioration of
water quality due to pollutants and contaminants.
As per the data collected by NITI Aayog, 54 percent of Indians face high to
extremely high water stresses. Water stress refers to the lack of availability of
water or, if at all it is available, the quality is not up to the drinking standards
set up by WHO. One of the most important processes required for improving
the quality of water is Filtration. Filtration removes the minute suspended
particles, bacteria, pathogens as well as heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, etc.
and makes the water safe for drinking. With the advancement in technology, a
number of filtration techniques are now available world-wide. However,
countries like India still face water borne epidemics as the level of pollution in
the country is quite high. The mostly impacted due to this are the rural areas.
Lack of good quality water has deteriorated the people’s health.
This review paper focuses on the various types of Filtration techniques
available and which technique is most suitable for which type of region. We
will study the types of natural substitutes which are available as filtering media,
their properties and uses, etc.
2. Health Impacts Due to Water Pollution
Water pollution related diseases cannot be dodged because anyhow we have to
use water either for drinking, cooking or washing. The diseases related to water
might be of any type viz. viral, bacterial, protozoal, helminthic and leptospiral.
(Aisha Parveen and Shifa Zaidi, 2017)
2.1 Viral Diseases
Diseases that spread through viruses include viral Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E,
Poliomyelitis, Rotavirus, and Diarrhoea in infants etc.
2.1.1 Hepatitis A: This virus causes Inflammation in lever, Jaundice, Pain in
Belly and fatigue, fever and nausea.
2.1.2 Hepatitis E: Presence of this virus causes mild fever, fatigue, loss of
appetite, yellowish skin and dark urine.
2.1.3 Poliomyelitis: Also known as polio, this disease is categorised into two
different forms viz. Paralytic polio and Non paralytic polio. Some of the

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symptoms of polio are Loss of reflexes, severe spasm and muscle pain , loose
and floppy limbs , sudden paralysis , deformed limbs , etc.
2.1.4 Rotavirus: Rotavirus is the main cause of Diarrhoea in infants. The initial
symptoms include fever and vomiting.
2.1.5 Diarrhoea: the symptoms of diarrhoea include abdominal pain, abdominal
cramps, nausea, vomiting, etc.
2.2 Bacterial Diseases
The diseases which spread through bacteria are typhoid and paratyphoid fever ,
bacillary dysentery , E-coli and cholera.
2.2.1 Typhoid: Caused by the bacteria Salmonella Typhi, this disease may even
prove fatal, if it is not diagnosed early. The typhoid fever is particularly high
which gradually increases upto 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Symptoms include
weakness, abdominal pain, constipation and head ache.
2.2.2 Bacillary Dysentery: The symptoms of this disease may include
abdominal pain, cramps and bloating, flatulence (passing gas), loss of appetite,
urgency to pass stool and dehydration.
2.2.3 E-Coli: Escherichia Coli is a type of bacteria that normally lives in our
intestines and in the guts of some animals. Some E Coli bacteria are harmless
while some are very harmful and can cause diarrhoea if we consume
contaminated water. It can also cause life threatening symptoms such as adult
kidney failure, fever, bleeding, confusion and seizures.
2.2.4 Cholera: This disease is caused by eating food or drinking water
contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. Signs and symptoms of
cholera include rapid heart rate, loss of skin elasticity, low blood pressure, thirst
and muscle cramps.
2.3 Protozoal Diseases
The diseases which are caused due to the presence of protozoa in the drinking
water are amoebiasis and giardiasis. Both of these diseases causes infection in
the intestines due to which symptoms like stomach cramps, loose stool, etc.
may occur. These diseases are often found in people living in developing
countries where there is poor sanitation and lack of accessibility to clean water.
2.4 Helminthic Diseases
These diseases may give rise to severe infections like round worm and thread
worm. The egg of the round worm usually enters the human body through

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contaminated water and food and hatches inside the intestine. These then lead to
various problems such as stomach pain, irritability, loss of appetite and
diarrhoea. If it is not treated, then it may lead to anaemia and malnutrition.
Thread worms are also called Pin Worms. They may cause severe itching of the
anus when the mature female parasites begin to lay eggs in that area.
3. Treatment of Water Using Various Filtration Techniques
3.1 Slow sand Filtration
Slow Sand Filter (SSF) dates back to the Eighteenth century as its need was felt
after discovering that the outbreak of diseases like cholera and typhoid were
linked to the consumption of contaminated water (Huisman and Wood, 1974).
As suggested by the name, a Slow Sand Filter uses a sand bed as a filter
medium followed by a coarser material such as gravel. Most of the biological
treatment is done by the sand, and the gravel is used to prevent sand from
clogging the under-drain piping. The under-drainage system is used to collect
the filtered water from the filter. SSF is very effective in removing particulate
matter which is greater than the pore size of the filter. Some bacteria and
viruses, therefore, percolates deeper into the sand bed before removal, however,
with passage of time, the size of the pores gets reduced because of the
deposition of particulate matter and the filtering effectiveness is increased. It
was found that virus removal efficiency of SSF increases with increasing bed
depth and decreasing rate of filtration and increasing water temperature (Troyan
and Hansen, 1989). The run time of the filter ranges from 60 to 80 days, but in
some cases, it may also reach 100 days (Ellis, 1985). The cleaning of SSF is
done by draining the water level down to the sand bed level and then removing
1 to 2 cm of the bio film.
3.2 Rapid sand Filtration
Rapid Sand Filter (RSF) was introduced in the late 80s as the need to build a
water treatment facility in limited portion of land was felt and the SSFs were
huge and took up a huge portion of valuable land. Two types of rapid filters are
mainly used viz. Rapid gravity filter and Rapid pressure filter.
The tanks of a rapid gravity sand filter are usually open to atmosphere while
those of a rapid pressure filter remain closed. The main difference between the
two is that one uses gravity for mobility of water and the other uses pressure. Its
main components are the chamber, filter sand, gravel support, under-drainage
system and wash water troughs. RSF alone cannot treat the water that is why it
needs pre-treatments like sedimentation and flocculation and post-treatment like

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disinfection (usually Chlorination). When combined with these processes, a

RSF can prove highly efficient. It has a high filtration rate which ranges from
4000 to 12000 litres per hour per square meter surface, hence small portion of
land is used. The filter is cleaned every 24 hours through backwashing process
which requires as little as 30 minutes. In backwashing, the filtered water is
supplied in a backward direction under pressure which cleans all the
accumulated particulate matter on the filter beds. After backwashing, the filter
is again ready for use. RSF is a highly effective method for removing Turbidity
but it is ineffective in removing viruses, fluorides, arsenic, salts, etc. without
pre- and post- treatments.
3.3 Reverse Osmosis
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a pressure driven membrane technology that has seen
its application worldwide. RO is a diffusion-controlled process in which the
water is passes through RO membranes. RO systems can be found today in
most of the places such as kitchens, hospitals, refineries, pulp and paper
industries and much more. RO process effectively removes microbes and
toxins. RO can also be used for desalination of water and treatment of peat
water. Peat water is acidic brown water commonly found in peat land area
which has high content of natural organic matter (S.G.Hulling et al, 2001).
However, it has been found that Reverse Osmosis not only removes each and
every impurity but it also removes most of the essential minerals. Calcium and
magnesium are some of the minerals that are completely lost in RO filtration.
These minerals are essential for the human body in many ways. Calcium is
beneficial for the bones and magnesium is used by the body to activate various
enzymes which improve the metabolism of the body. The membrane may get
clogged after certain period of usage and hence it has to be replaced for
prolonging its life.
3.4 Micro and Ultra Filtration
Micro-filtration (MF) and Ultra filtration (UF) are the recently developed
filtration technologies that have high potential of filtering the water upto the
desired quality that is needed to be obtained. Both the filters work on the same
principle i.e suspension of the particulate matter such as heavy metals,
suspended solids, dissolved salts on the filter membrane. The diameter of pores
of MF membrane ranges from 0.1 to 0.3 μm while that of an UF membrane is as
small as 0.02 μm. Due to comparatively large pore size than UF, the MF can be
clogged due to accumulation of minute particles of size smaller than 0.1 μm.
Hence, it is advisable to do Coagulation or flocculation before using Micro

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Filtration. One drawback of this technique is that it cannot be used as stand-

alone treatment process as it is a mechanical process. It has to be assisted with a
disinfection unit to take care of the harmful pathogens that have remained even
after passing through the filter. Ultra filtration is more efficient than Micro
filtration owing to its smaller pore size. The membranes are made of plastics
such as PES (Polyether Sulfone) and PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) (Matter,
2018)
4. Use of Naturally Available Materials in Water Treatment
As the world is starting to adopt eco-friendly and sustainable approaches for
almost every kind of processes such as manufacturing, waste disposal, etc., it
has now become essential to search for natural alternatives for water treatment.
Many studies have been conducted giving details of the use of naturally
available materials as a medium for water filtration in place of the already
famous inorganic and synthetic materials. Some of them are discussed below:
4.1 Moringa Oleifera Seeds
Commonly known as drum-sticks, these plant species act as a natural coagulant
in water treatment process. Moringa Oleifera (MO) can be used for drinking
water treatment as well as waste water treatment. It contains water soluble
protein and till now, fourteen species of MO have been discovered. All of these
possess certain degree of coagulation property (G. Pan et al, 2015). MO seeds
are very effective in removing high turbidity and organisms from water as it
contains a bio coagulant compound (S.H.A. Hamid et al, 2014). The sludge
production is comparatively lower than Aluminium Sulphate and MO seeds do
not affect the pH of water (A. Ndabigengesere et al, 1998). It also does not
affect the conductivity, alkalinity, cation and anion concentrations.
4.2 Activated Carbon
This is a widely used adsorbent. Activated carbon is usually derived from
charcoal although it can also be produced from raw materials such as wood, nut
shell and petroleum. It contains a large number of pores on its surface which
helps in attracting the particulate matter as well as dissolved organic matter to
stick on its surface. In addition to this, it also improves the taste of water.
Activated carbon is an easily available and widely accepted adsorbent. A layer
or two of activated carbon provided before the process of Ultra filtration, Nano
filtration and Reverse Osmosis, prevents membrane fouling which improves the
life of the membrane. It is available in granulated as well as powdered form.
Activated carbon beds can be cleaned by washing process and reused easily. It

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has also been used in most of the portable water filters used today owing to its
easy availability and good water purification property.
5. Conclusion
In this paper, various water filtration techniques were discussed. Taking into
consideration the advantages and disadvantages of each of the techniques, it can
be easily decided that which type of filtration technique is suitable for which
type of region. Naturally available adsorbents further enhance the pollutant
removal and help us to achieve the sustainability that we have been trying to
achieve since so many years. These techniques help in getting rid of the water
borne diseases which is the major thread.
References
Aisha Perveen and Sayeda Shifa Zaidi. (2017). Effects of Water Pollution on
Human Health: A Review. World Journal of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Volume 7, Issue 1, 503-509.
Ellis, K.V. (1985). Slow Sand Filtration. CRC Critical Reviews In
Environmental Control, 15(4): 315-354
Hamid, S. H. A., Lananan, F., Din, W. N. S., Lam, S. S., Khatoon, H., Endut,
A., & Jusoh, A. (2014). Harvesting microalgae, Chlorella sp. by bio-
flocculation of Moringa oleifera seed derivatives from aquaculture
wastewater phytoremediation. International Biodeterioration &
Biodegradation, 95, 270-275.
Huisman, L and Wood, W E (1974). Slow Sand Filtration. World Health
Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, Pp 1-89.
Matter, C. G. (2018). Membrane Filtration (Micro and Ultrafiltration) in Water
Purification. Handbook of Water and Used Water Purification, 1-17.
Ndabigengesere, A., & Narasiah, K. S. (1998). Quality of water treated by
coagulation using Moringa oleifera seeds. Water research, 32(3), 781-
791.
Oladoja, N. A., & Pan, G. (2015). Modification of local soil/sand with Moringa
oleifera extracts for effective removal of cyanobacterial
blooms. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, 2, 37-43.
Sharma, S., & Bhattacharya, A. (2017). Drinking water contamination and
treatment techniques. Applied Water Science, 7(3), 1043-1067.
Troyan, J. J., & Hansen, S. P. (1989). Treatment of microbial contaminants in
potable water supplies: technologies and costs. Noyes Data Corp. Park
Ridge, N.J. Pp.5-54. Website: https://www.webmd.com (Accessed 2nd
Sep,2018)

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