WATER QUALITY ISSUES AND

TECHNOLOGY INTERVENTIONS
Dr. G.K.Khadse
Sr. Scientist, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur
 Structure of the
Presentation

1. Background
2. Water Scenario
3. Water Quality Issues
4. Technology Interventions

every drop counts

WATER Scenario
 About Water ….
• A “Single” Resource – has no substitute
• A Limited/Scarce Resource
• Has Social, Economic, and Environmental Value (social
and environment are recent)
• Water impacts all aspects of life on the planet
• Poor water management and water shortages can lead
to disease, malnutrition, reduced economic growth,
social instability, conflict, and environmental disaster
 What is in Water?
• Microbial organisms
– bacteria, viruses, parasites
• Minerals (inorganic species)
– soluble salts
• positive and negative ions
e.g. Na+, Cl-, CO32-, Ca2+
– insoluble suspended particles (colloids)
• Organic species
– lower concentrations than minerals
– mostly C, H, O, N, P based compounds
e.g. organic acids, tannins, detergents, pesticides
 When is water “polluted” ?
• When it is unsuitable for drinking?
– Microbial content
• coliform bacteria
– Metals
• lead, mercury, arsenic, ...
– Organics
• pesticides, hydrocarbons,...

• When it is unsuitable for aquatic organisms?

– Oxygen content is critical!

• When it is unsuitable for agriculture?

– pH, EC, SAR, RSC
 Water Pollution
Presence of undesirable substances in the quantities
which are harmful to man, vegetation or property

Pollution is defined as:

“To make foul or unclean; dirty” American College Dictionary

Water Pollution Indicators

Change in physical characteristics
Contamination by faecal and organic matter
Toxic pollutants, organics and heavy metals
 Point and Nonpoint Sources
NONPOINT SOURCES

Rural homes

Urban streets Cropland

Animal feedlot

Suburban POINT
development SOURCES
Factory

Wastewater
treatment
plant

Fig. 22-4 p. 494

Causes of Groundwater Pollution

Hazardous waste injection well

Pesticides
Coal strip
De-icing Buried gasoline
mine runoff
road salt and solvent tank
Pumping Cesspool
well Gasoline station septic tank
Waste lagoon Water pumping Sewer
well Landfill
Accidental Leakage from faulty
spills casing

Discharge

Confined aquifer

Groundwater
flow
 The Water Scene
• Resources are scarce
• Demands are outstripping supplies
• Environmental issues are serious
• Policy and institutional issues are complicated
• Current approach is sectoral & fragmented
• Financing is poor & options are expensive
Where are we headed?
• Decreasing per-capita availability
• Degrading water quality
• Increasing competition within
sectors & within society
– Urban versus agriculture
– Haves versus have not’s
– Upstream versus downstream
– National versus international
• Increasing competition/conflict
with the environment
 Water Usage and Demand
Of the total water usage
92% - Agriculture
5% - Domestic
3% - Industrial

 The overall water demand is supposed to increase from

552 bcm to 1050 bcm by 2025
 Average urban water usage: 135 lpcd
 Demand from industrial & domestic sectors is expected
to increase (growing population, urbanization & industrialization)
 Water Quality
 “Degree to which a set of inherent
characteristics fulfills requirements”

 “Conformance to requirements”

 “Those physical, chemical or biological

characteristics of water by which the user
evaluates the acceptability of water".

Examples
 For drinking : water should be pure, wholesome, & potable.
 For irrigation : dissolved solids and toxicants are important,
 For outdoor bathing : pathogens are important
 Industries : have their specific water quality needs.
Major factors responsible for WQ degradation
Increase in Urban Population
Industrial Development
Water Supply and Wastewater generation

• Cities generate 29,000 million L of waste water but there

is only a management capacity for 6000 million L.
• More than 300 cities with a population ≥ 1,00,000 are
completely without sewers.
• Only 30% of India's wastewater was being treated, with
the remainder flowing into rivers and groundwater.
• The sewer system, in the places they are present, are in
seriously bad condition.
 SOURCES OF POLLUTANTS

•Organic Sources: Domestic & industrial wastes,

agro & livestock effluents

•Chemical Sources: Heavy metals, nitrates &

toxic chemicals from agriculture, chemical
industries, hospitals, etc

•Solid Sources: Sediments from construction,

agriculture, housing, etc

•Squatter Sources: Excreta, grey water, garbage

& other household materials

•Sources from Wet Markets, Hawkers & Food

Industry: oil, organic wastes & etc
 Some more facts …
• All the run-off from storm water is discharged as sewage
• Storm water management was never considered as a
serious issue until 2000
• Advanced water treatment technologies are only limited to
highly developed urban cities
• All the major 18 rivers in India were polluted due to
discharges from agricultural, domestic and industrial uses
• Groundwater is contaminated and depleted day by day
• Diarrhea alone causes more than 1600 deaths daily
• 21% of the communicable diseases are water related
 Water may contain…

Physical Chemical Metals Organics Bacterio Biological Radioactive

logical
Clay Calcium Iron Phenols Zooplankton Alpha emitters
Silt Magnesium Manganese Oil & Grease Total Phytoplankton Beta emitters
Humus Sodium Copper Pesticides Coliforms
Peat Potassium Chromium Faecal
Materials Chloride Cadmium Coliforms
Weeds Sulphate Zinc
Fluoride Lead
Carbonates Mercury
Nitrate Nickel
Phosphate Selenium
Boron
 Adverse effects of impurities
Problems Constituents Responsible
 Aesthetically not acceptable and  Clay, Silt, Humus, Colour
Palatability decreases

 Health related problems

• Affect mucous membrane  pH
• Gastro-intestinal irritation  Hardness, TDS, Ca, Mg, SO4
• Dental and skeletal fluorosis  Fluoride
• Methaemoglobinaemia  Nitrate

 Encrustation in water supply  Hardness, TDS

structure

 Adverse effects on domestic use  Ca, Mg, Cl

Contd...
 Eutrofication of the water body  Zoo & Phyto, Phosphate, Nitrate
 Taste, discoloration & corrosion  Iron, Mn, Cu, Zn, Alkalinity
of pipes fittings and utensils
 Promotes iron bacteria  Fe & Mn
 Corrosion in water supply system  pH, Cl
 Carcinogenic effect  Cr, As
 Toxic effect  Cd, Pb, Hg
 Formation of chlorophenols with  Phenols
chlorine
 Imparts unpleasant taste and  Oil & grease
odour after chlorination
 Water-borne diseases  Bacteria & viruses
Major causes of water contamination
1. Supply End
 Improper source protection
 Industrial and domestic discharges
 Inadequate water treatment due to:
- Improper dosing of chemicals
- Overloading of WTPs
 Cross connections
 Suction of wastewater (intermittent water supply)

2. Consumer End
 Improper pipe fittings and location of taps
 Unhygienic storage of drinking water
 Hygienic habits
 Biological Hazards

Biological hazards are caused by the presence

of an infective agent or an aquatic host.

Presence of virus, bacteria, worms etc. causes:

 Cholera
 Gastric problems
 Typhoid
 Dysentery (both amoebic and bacterial)
 Round worm infection
 Guinea worm infestation
 Jaundice etc.
 Chemical Hazards
Diseases Chemical
Pollutants
Fluorosis Fluoride
Arsenicosis Arsenic
Intestinal Polychlorinated
biphenyl
Disorders of liver, bone and
circulatory system, Birth anomalies Vinyl chloride

Anemia, bone marrow damage,

leukemia Benzene
Damage to central nervous system Phthalates
Carcinogenic problem Nitrosoamine
 Major Water Quality Issues
Common issues of Surface & Ground water
• Pathogenic (bacteriological) Pollution
• Salinity
• Toxicity (micro-pollutants and other industrial pollutants)

Surface Water Ground Water

•Eutrophication • Fluoride
•Oxygen depletion • Nitrate
•Ecological health • Arsenic
• Iron
• Sea water intrusion 23
 NITRATE
• Increasing level of nitrate is due to agricultural
fertilizers, manure, animal dung, nitrogenous
material, sewage pollution
• Blue baby diseases to infants
 FLUORIDE
• Health Impacts
– dental fluorosis
– skeletal fluorosis
– non-skeletal fluorosis
• Acceptable limit - 1 mg/l
• Max. permissible limit - 1.5 mg/l

Remedy
1. Deflouridation

2. Mixing fluoride free water

3. Intake of vit. C,D, calcium,

antioxidants
Dental Flurosis

Rheumatic Flurosis
 ARSENIC

• Occur in groundwater from

arseniferous belt
• Industrial waste, insecticides

Melanosis of Trunk

Keratosis of Sole
 TOXIC METALS

• Many metals are toxic

to aquatic animals.
• Bio-accumulate
through food chains

• Colorimetric methods are tedious & time consuming

• Toxic metals are best analyzed by AAS or ICP
 Diseases related to water

Water-borne Water-based
Diseases Diseases

Water-washed Water-related
Diseases Diseases
 Aesthetically
acceptable

Radioactive Chemically safe

elements absent

Safe water /
Wholesome
water

Free from Organic substances

bacteria absent
How can we address the Water Crisis?
• Use less water
– More efficient irrigation
– Low-flow shower and toilets
– Use native plants for crops and landscaping

• Find new sources of clean water

– Um… Where? On the moon?
• Treat the undrinkable water that we have
– Use reverse osmosis to desalinize salt water
– Clean polluted water using filters, chemicals,& UV light
Other
• Widening the knowledge base in terms of technology and best practices
• Integrated water resource management (IWRM)
• Conjunctive use and management of surface & groundwater
• The use of indigenous knowledge for water management
• Improving Governance and facilitating Finance
 Units, BIS Limits and Significance of Physical
Parameters

BIS Limits
Parameters Unit Desirable Permissible Significance
Temperature 0C Ambient - Indicator of Thermal Pollution
Colour Hazen Units 5 25 Aesthetic Quality
Odour Unobjectionable Aesthetic
Taste Agreeable Aesthetic
Aesthetic; Harmful bacteria
Turbidity NTU 5 10 may be associated with
particles
Health related problem, may
affect mucous membrane
pH 6.5 to 8.5
and problems in water supply
system
Relates to
Conductivity m S/cm
TDS
Palatability decreases and
TDS mg/L 500 2000 may cause gatro-intestinal
irritation
Units, BIS Limits and Significance of Chemical Parameters

BIS Limits
Parameters Unit Significance
Desirable Permissible
Encrustation in water
Total supply structure
Hardness mg/L 300 600 Adverse effect on domestic
(as CaCO3) use Gastro intestinal
irritation
Same effects caused by
Calcium Hardness, because
mg/L 75 200
(as Ca) hardness is due to calcium
& magnesium mainly
Encrustation in water
supply structure
Magnesium
mg/L 30 100 Adverse effect on domestic
(as Mg)
use Gastro intestinal
irritation
Palatibilty decreases, salty
Chloride mg/L 250 1000
taste and corrosion
 Units, BIS Limits and Significance of Chemical Parameters
BIS Limits
Parameters Unit Significance
Desirable Permissible
Causes Gastro-intestinal
Sulphate irrigation, particularly when
mg/L 200 400
(as SO4) magnesium and/or sodium are
present
Fluoride Causes incurable disease
mg/L 1.0 1.5
(as F -) fluorosis
Alkalinity
mg/L 200 600 Taste becomes unpleasant
(as CaCO3)
Nitrate No Causes methaemoglobinemia
mg/L 45
(as NO3) relaxation particularly to infants
Helps in biological growth and, if
Phosphate in excess, leads to eutrofication
- - -
(as P) of the waterbody along with
other nutrients such as NO3)
 Units, BIS Limits and Significance of Heavy Metals

BIS Limits
Parameters Unit Significance
Desirable Permissible
Impart taste, dicolouration and
Copper (as Cu) mg/L 0.05 1.5 corrosion of pipes fitting and
utensils
Chromium (as Cr) mg/L 0.05 No relaxation May be carcinogenic
Cadmium (as Cd) mg/L 0.01 No relaxation Toxic
Zinc (as Zn) mg/L 5 15 Impact tste
Lead (as Pb) 0.05 No relaxation Toxic
Mercury (as Hg) mg/L 0.001 No relaxation Toxic
Iron (as Fe) mg/L 0.3 1.0 Impart taste, appearance are
affected, adverse effect on
domestic use and water supply
structures. Promotes iron bacteria
Manganese mg/L 0.1 0.3 Impart taste, appearance are
affected, adverse effect on
domestic use and water supply
structures. Promotes iron bacteria
Units, BIS Limits and Significance of Organic, Nutrient &
Demand

BIS Limits
Parameters Unit Significance
Desirable Permissible
Indicate organic
BOD mg/L - -
pollution
Indicate organic
COD mg/L - -
pollution
Objectionable taste
Phenols and odour. Forms
mg/L 0.001 0.002
(as C6H5OH) chlorophenols with
chlorine
Causes undesirable
taste and odour
Oil & Grease mg/L 0.01 0.03
after chlorination
takes place
Pesticide mg/L Absent 0.001 Toxic
 Units, BIS Limits and Significance of
Bacteriological Parameters

BIS
Parameters Unit Significance
Limits
Total Causes
CFU/100 mL Zero
Coliforms water borne diseases
Typhoid
Cholera
Faecal Jaundice
CFU/100 mL Zero
Coliforms Dysentery and
water related diseases
such as Scabies
 Significance of Biological Parameters

Parameter Significance

Zooplankton Presence of zoo & phytoplankton

are the indicator of pollution
Pollution depend upon the
population of planktons They act
as nutrient to the micro organisms
Phytoplankton present in water body
 BIS Limits of Radioactive Elements

BIS Limits
Parameter Unit Significance
Desirable Permissible

Alpha emitters Bq/L max. - 0.1 -

Beta emitter pci/L max. - 1.0 -

Bq : Bequirel
pci : Pico Curie
Technology Interventions for
Safe Water Supply
 Search for alternative options
• Provision of a new & alternate source of water
• Transporting water from a distant source
• Blending water from different contaminated
and non-contaminated sources
• Dual water sources
• Rainwater harvesting
 Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Water
Treatment Technologies in the Rural Areas

• Availability of alternate safe water sources in the vicinity

• Complex operation of the treatment process
• Requirement of skilled manpower for plant operation
• Availability of spares
• High O&M cost
• Paucity of funds available with the local body
• Willingness to pay for the treated water
Water Treatment Technologies for Rural Area

• Defluoridation
• Iron Removal
• Arsenic Removal
• Reverse Osmosis
• Disinfection
Defluoridation
 ISO 9001-2000

Fluorosis in
India
 Defluoridation technologies

Chemical Precipitation Adsorption Ionic Separation

Reverse Electro-
Alum Electrolytic Activated Ion Adsorbents
Osmosis dialysis
Coagulation Defluoridat alumina Exchange . Bauxite
(Nalgonda -ion . Gypsum
Technique) . Quartz
Activated Ion . Lime
alumina, exchanger . Zeolites
Alum, lime Acid and Acid, Alkali . Clays
Aluminium
Alkali and Alum
. Sands
. Coal
. Red Mud
. Etc..
 Principle of Defluoridation

• Following techniques basically work on same

chemical principle which involves formation
of AlF6- complex ion which further complex
with Al(OH)3 to form heterogeneous phase
which separates from water:

– Nalgonda Technique (lime-alum

precipitation, Invented by NEERI)
– Poly Aluminium Chloride
– Electrolytic Defluoridation
Limitations of the Technologies

Deterioration in water quality and taste

Variation in dose of chemicals with change of
fluoride and alkalinity
Disposable of sludge
Requirement of Skilled workers
High O&M Cost
Electrolytic Defluoridation Technique
• Removal of fluoride by active species of hydroxide of Al produced by
passing DC power through Al electrode

• Process is effective to:

--- remove excess fluoride and

--- bring down the bacterial load

• Simple to fabricate, easy to operate , minimum maintenance

• Suitable for treatment of raw water with fluoride conc. upto 10 mg/L

• Produces potable water with palatable taste

• Sludge produced is much less (60-70%) than conventional methods

• Treatment cost upto Rs. 25 per 1000 L

Flow diagram EDF process
Solar Energy Based EDF Plants Installed by CSIR- NEERI

Sargapur village, Seoni Dist.(M.P.)

Usarvara village, Durg Dist. (C.G.) June 2011
Sept. 2010

Adivasi Kanya Shiksha Parisar,

Malgaon village, Balod Dist. (C.G.) Dist. Chindwara (M. P.)
Jan. 2012 Aug. 2012
School based EDF plants
• 15 plants installed in residential
schools/hostels/ashrams in Dhar
Dist. M.P. in 2013

• Financial Support from UNICEF,

Bhopal

• Capacity 200 Litre per batch

• Raw water fluoride concentration

2.2 to 9.5 mg/L

• Cost of the plant: Rs. 15000

 Features of EDF
Advantages
• Useful for safe water supply in fluoride affected area
• Easy to operate even by unskilled persons
• Minimum maintenance
• Low cost (Rs. 20 /1000 L)
• Less sludge quantity
• Produce potable water with palatable taste
• Reduces the fluoride concentration to <1.0 mg/L
• Simultaneous reduction in bacterial contamination

Limitations
• pH sensitive process
• Periodic monitoring of residual aluminium
• Power driven
• Effectiveness at higher fluoride conc. (>10 mg/l) to be proven
Awards
International Project Innovation Award (PIA)-
2011 instituted by IWA for which entries were
from various countries such as Sri Lanka,
Vietnam, Lebanon, Brazil, South Korea, China,
Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya, Philippines,
Jordan besides India

The DST-Lockheed Martin India and FICCI

Innovation Growth Program Award 2012
New Delhi March 29, 2012
Fluoride Removal System 40,000 lpd
 Iron in Water
Problems: Health & Aesthetic
• Not directly health related
• Imparts metallic taste
• Causes digestive track problems
– indigestion
• Stains everything that comes in contact
• Combines with tannic acid to form ink and tea grayish to black

Problems: Distribution system

• Tends to form deposits which are flushed in initial supply
• Favors growth of iron bacteria
 Iron in water
Removal
• In groundwater the iron is present as soluble ferrous
bicarbonate and can be removed by
– Aeration, settling and filtration
– Cation exchangers operating either on sodium or hydrogen cycle
– Manganese zeolite filter

• Iron in an organic or colloidal form may be present in

some surface waters, shallow wells or occasionally in
deep well waters
– Org. iron cant be removed by coagulation with settling & filtration
 Hand Pump Attachable Iron Removal Plant
• Continuous operation system
Principle:
• Aeration (Gas transfer) • 1 cu m/hour hydraulic loading
• Oxidation • 40 Ipcd and 10 hours daily operation assumption
• Precipitation
• Sedimentation • 250 population
• Filtration
• Based on contact bed aeration system
• Cylindrical body
• Collection / flocculation chamber
• Sedimentation chamber
• Filter chamber
• Plant Dimensions
• Diameter, cm : 135
• Height, cm : 150
• 240 plants were installed at Assam during water
Mission in 1992
• Construction cost about Rs. 50,000
Schematic diagram of Iron Removal Unit
Activated Media in Aeration Chamber
Iron Removal System 20,000 lph
 NEERI-Zar : Portable Instant Water Filter
• Water purification system suitable for potable water supply particularly under
emergency situation with a wide range of flood water quality

• Disaster management tool for drinking water supply in flood affected situations

• A typical unit, with two 100 L vessels, can serve about 20-30 persons, when operated
for 10 hours a day, on the basis of 6-10 lpcd for drinking & cooking

• Removes turbidity and suspended matter as well as the micro-organisms . No change

in the dissolved mineral concentrations in raw and filtered water

• Can be used to treat the pond/lake water for villages/small colony/isolated places

• Cost of the unit Rs. 6000 : Operating cost Rs. 3 per 100 L

• Installed 100 units in flood affected remote areas of Barmer District in Oct.2006 &
400 Aila Cyclone affected villages of Sundarban dist.(WB) in 2009 to treat pond water

• Received Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award by IIT Kharagpur in 2008

• Technology is available free to everybody who wants to use for societal venture
Features
 Simple to fabricate
 Easy to operate
 Minimum maintenance
 Light weight
 Ease in transportation & installation
 Useful for emergency water supply
 No power requirement
 Gravity operated
 Capacity 18-20 L/h
 Performance of NEERI-ZAR
 Produces filtered water with turbidity <3 NTU
from raw water with turbidity of 100-300 NTU

 Reduction in bacterial load (Coliform & E.coli.):

90-99 %
 Treated water completely free from total
coliforms and E.Coli counts after disinfection
 Zooplankton like Cyclops, nauplius, daphnia etc.
also removed during filtration
NEERI-ZAR installed in the flood affected area of Barmer
District, Rajasthan
Transportation and Installation
of NEERI-ZAR at
Sundarban District (WB)
Chemo-defluoridation Technique
• Salts of calcium and phosphorous to used to reduce
the fluoride

• Suitable for fluoride concentration upto 10 mg/L

• The process is free from interference of anions

concentration of water

• Does not affect the palatability of water unlike the

other chemical treatment (Nalgonda Tech.) for
fluoride removal

• Cost of the unit Rs. 2500

• The treatment cost of the process for raw water with

fluoride conc. of 5 mg/L and treated water with
fluoride conc. <1 mg/L is Rs. 0.2 per L

• 60 household demonstration units installed in

Sakhra village in Yavatmal Dist. (MS)
“NEERI-Zar”- Domestic Iron Removal Unit

• NEERI-ZAR can also works as Domestic Iron

Removal Unit
• KMnO4 is used as oxidizing agent to precipitate
out iron in groundwater (0.5 mg per mg of iron)
• KMnO4 also works as disinfectant
• Suitable for iron affected remote places
• 20 units installed in Tadoba Reserve Forest,
Chandrapur Dist. (M.S.) for supply of potable
water to forest guards (Iron conc. 3 to 7 mg/L)
• Demands received from police camps at remote
places
• Can be scaled up to community level
 Slow Sand Filtration
Features

 Most efficient and reliable method of surface water

treatment for rural and municipal water supplies

 A single step treatment for the removal of marginal

turbidity, organic matter, particulate matter and
pathogenic organisms from water

 Pre-treatment needed when higher turbidities

(> 30 NTU) are encountered for longer duration

 Relatively simple design and construction

Advantages
 Ideal for small scale rural water supply  Can be constructed with locally available material
by local craftsmen
 Low cost technology
 No chemicals are required (except  O&M can be taken care of by members of the local
disinfectant) community
 No power-driven mechanical parts are
present  Only known unit operation which accomplishes a
high degree of concurrent improvement of the
 No wash water is required for the cleaning
physical, chemical and bacteriological quality of
of the filter
raw water.
 Sludge is small in quantity and has a very
high dry matter content.
 Design and Development of Sustainable Remediation Process for mitigation
of Arsenic Contamination in Ground Water
(RGS&TC, GOM Sponsored)

Arsenic Removal Unit 1000 ppb

99.89

99.78

99.67
97.83
97.28
100

92.83
91.09
89.89
95

89.57
87.07
86.41
Arsenic Removal

86.20
Efficiency (%)

84.57
90
4 hrs
85

78.48
2 hrs
80
75
70
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
S a m pling P ort No. of Arse nic R e m ova l
Unit

Alarming conc. of arsenic

3000 ppb

98.89
97.59
95.09
94.49
100

94.30
93.26
91.65
91.17
95

89.40
86.30
87.34

87.18
Arsenic Removal

86.13
Efficiency (%)
90
4 hrs

81.04
85
2 hrs
80
75
70
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
S a m pling P ort No. of Arse nic R e m ova l
Result : Arsenic Removal 80-100% Unit
Re- Engineering of Sustainable Remediation Process for mitigation of Arsenic
Contamination in Ground Water (RGS&TC, GOM Sponsored)
Initial Arsenite Conc. : 100-3000 Arsenite Removal Efficiency

ppb Ars enite rem oval Efficiency %

Residual Ars enite Conc. (ppb)

100 122.13 140

98.48

Residual Arsenite Conc.

97.73 97.73 120

Arsenite Removal
98 96.97

Efficiency %
100
96 80

(ppb)
94 60
40
92
20
1.85 3.70 2.78 2.78
90 0
0 2 4 6 8
0 Sampling Interval (Hour)

Arsenite Removal Efficiency

Arsenite removal Efficiency %

Residual Arsenite Conc. (ppb)

100 3198.62 99.94 99.91 3500

Residual Arsenite Conc.

99.88 99.88
3000

Arsenite Removal
99.8

Efficiency %
2500

(ppb)
99.6 2000

99.4 1500
1000
99.2
500
1.85 3.70 2.78 3.70
99 0
0 2 4 6 8
0 Sampling Interval (Hour)

Arsenic Removal Efficiency :

96 - > 99%
Residual Arsenite Conc. : < 10ppb

Patent : preparation in
Arsenic Removal
Progress
Chemo-Dearsenification for Removal of
Initial Arsenite Conc. : 100-3000ppb
Excess Arsenic from Water KMnO4 + FeCl3

AsRUs being
Arsenite removal
installed in West Bengal Chemo-Dearsenification
Efficiency %
Residual Arsenite
through RamaKrishna conc (ppb)
100 600
Mission 496 98.93 99.11

Residual Arsenite
Arsenic Removal
99 500

Efficiency (%)
98.27 98.22 98.22

Conc. (ppb)
400
98
300
97
200
96 100
8.56 5.29 8.81 8.81 4.41
95 0
0 2 8 12 16 20

0 Sampling Interval (Hour)

Chemo-Dearsenification
Arsenite removal Efficiency %
Residual Arsenite conc (ppb)
100 99.66 99.59 99.72 99.66 3000
2818
99 2500

Residual Arsenite
Conc. (ppb)
Arsenic Removal
2000

Efficiency (%)
98
Removal of Total Arsenic using Fenton’s Reagent 97
1500

1000
96 500
9.69 11.46 9.69
(As(III) & As(V) : 1:1 ratio 95
7.93
0
0 2 8 10 18
Sr. Initial conc.of Conc. Arsenic Removal 0 Sampling Interval (Hour)

No. As (ppb) of Res. As efficiency (%) Arsenic Removal Efficiency : 91- > 99%
(ppb) Residual Arsenite conc. : < 10ppb
1 3016 12.02 99.6
2 2044 36.08 98.23
Cost of Treatment
3 920 3.7 99.59 With KMnO4 + FeCl3 = 5 paisa per litre
4 115 ND 100 With Fenton’s Reagent = 10 paisa per litre
5 52 ND 100
 Desalination Technologies
• Membrane Processes
– Reverse Osmosis
– Electro dialysis
• Thermal Processes
– Multiple Effect Evaporators
– MSF distillation
– Vapor Compression
 Pretreatment
• Suitability to the membrane used
• Removal SS
• Removal of dissolved gasses
• pH adjustment
• Disinfection
• Metal removal
• Removal of organics
 Operating Problems
• Membrane fouling
– Deposition
– Chemical formation
– Bacterial slime
• Concentration polarization
• Results are
– Higher pressure drops
– Lower flux
– Lower membrane life
 Membranes used
• Cellulose acetate
• Poly amides
• Poly sulfone
• Poly acrylonitrile
• Ceramic
• Under various brand names, generally as
composites
TYPICAL COSTS OF DESALTED WATER

– Sea water desalting Rs. 40-80 / cu m

– Brackish water desalting Rs. 15 – 45 / cu m
Pot Chlorinator for Disinfection of
Dug Well and Storage Tanks Waters

Single Pot system

• Single Pot system Suitable for Community dug wells
and storage tanks of 9000 to 13000 L capacity

• Earthen pot of 7 to 8 L capacity is used

• Dry mixture of 1.5 kg bleaching power (BP) and 3 kg

coarse sand is placed in the pot over the pea gravel

• Pot is lowered in the well/tank and kept 0.9 to 1.2

m below water level

• Chlorine residual : 0.2 to 1.0 mg/L for 15 to 20 days

• One pot is enough for daily drawl of 900 to 1300 L

(40-50 people per day)

• With higher drawl rates 2 pots/well are necessary p

Pot Chlorinator for Disinfection of Dug Well and
Storage Tanks Waters

Double Pot system

• Suitable for household dug wells upto 4000 L
having withdrawal rate of 360 to 450 L of
water per day

• Unit consist of two cylindrical pots, one inside

the other

• Moist mixture of 1 kg BP + 2 kg of sand is kept

in the inner pot with 0.6 cm dia. hole above
the level of sand and BP mixture

• Pot is lowered in the well and kept 0.9 to 1.2 m

below water level with the help of rope

• Chlorine residual : 0.15 to 0.5 mg/L for 15 to

20 days
ELECTRO CHLORINATION
SYSTEMS
 Electro chlorination is the name given to
process whereby an electrical current is used
to convert sodium chloride solution to sodium
hypochlorite or chlorine.
 In practice a number of electrodes are
normally connected together to form an
electrolyser assembly.
 Brine solution passes through the electrolyser
cells where it is electrochemically transformed
into sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl).
 The overall reaction, sustained by electrical
energy, is as follows:
 2NaCl (salt) + H2O (water) + Energy = NaOCl
(hypo) + NaCl ( salt ) + H2 ( hydrogen )
Applications :
 Rural & Urban Water Supply Schemes,

 Ground Water,

 Railway stations,

 Waste & Sewrage treatment,

 Swimming pools,

 Cooling systems,

 Health services.
Optimizing your Water
Purification system
 Thank
You

Questions ?