Clarifying Drinking Water

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Can anyone suggest a simple way of clarifying water, other than by settling?

A contact in Haiti has placed a number of pumps to bring up groundwater and is in need of a really simple approach... perhaps coagulant or flocculent... to clarify water prior to treating this for portability.

Barring imported approaches, what might work? Thanks!

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34 Answers

  1. Might be a little late on this thread but for cost effectiveness ACH (aluminum chlorohydrate) is a great low cost and effective coagulant even at low doses (below 5 mg/L). Especially if it's added upstream from a static mixer. Very little maintenance when compared to traditional mixers.

  2. Might be a little late on this thread but for cost effectiveness ACH (aluminum chlorohydrate) is a great low cost and effective coagulant even at low doses (below 5 mg/L). Especially if it's added upstream from a static mixer. Very little maintenance when compared to traditional mixers.

  4. I recently had success in filtering a very difficult-to-settle & dilute (400 ppm) suspended solid (humate) in the effluent from a heavy mineral sand processing plant in Georgia, USA.  The process is a sloping sand bed (as opposed to a typical horizontal sand-filed filter) - its design was based on a process used for dewatering very fine grained mine tailings.  I posted the PowerPoint presentation on Research Gate and attach the abstract for your consideration below.  The presentation shows photos of a very simple bench testing apparatus that could be fabricated for less than $US100.  The process should work on ground water containing trace amounts of dissolved and suspended iron and manganese, too.  Good luck.  J. Gusek

  5. Dear Anthony,
    It is a pity that  did not tell us the indicators and  causes.
    You can try filtration across crushedrecycled glass instead of sand.
    In the presence of organic substances can try additionally a well-known additive (not a coagulant, and not a floculant).

  6. Good morning Anthony,

    We have been running experiments using a new innovative filtration textile designed by a leading South African University. The trials have been really well received. Have a look at the attached specification. The textile is easy to use, cost effective and reusable. We are happy to facilitate to your contact in Haiti.

  7. Hi Anthony,

    You are welcome to use the ClariWash system by WaterReach - which can be built locally using plastic pipes and tanks with a degree of DIY competence. It provides clarification and rapid filtration with no moving parts/low maintenance.

    I attach an information about the system and can provide detailed drawings should you wish to use it.

    Kind regards

    Nigel Heeler

    WaterReach 

  10. Raw water --->  Process----> Treated water

    The process depends on raw water quality, treated water quality (Potable water - quality known), quantity of water to be treated, available area, Local laws etc. 

    Approach with full details for a proper solution.

  11. Ground water does not need any sedimentation until & unless it has high iron content or clay. Please give the characteristics of water.

    At the user end for killing microorganism & pathogens

    a. Simple boiling for 20 minutes

    b. Storing the water in Copper vessel for overnight

    c. Disinfection with chlorine

    Traditional  three Pot method

    Three earthen pots one above other. First pot will have clean river sand, Second pot will have charcoal & third pot will collect the treated water.

    Rajendrakumar V Saraf,M.Sc. (India), M.Sc. (UK), FIE, FIWWA

     

    21, Radhakrishna, Near SBI, Paud Road, Pune 41038

    Tel 02015433445, 9822186763

    www.virajenvirozing.com,

       
       
     

     

     

     

  12. Use SteriPlant. It's a water based natural disinfectant and 100% effective in removing viruses, bacteria and fungal spores.

    Please visit following URL on our LinkedIn page for an article on SteriPlant -

    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/need-steriplant-our-lives-dr-rajeev-sharma/

    You could also write to us at support@masalaindia.in for further details on SteriPlant.

    regards

    Rajeev

  13. When I was a child in the 50's and 60's we lived in a rural farm setting where our water supply came via a channel. There was a considerable amount of suspended clay and some minor very fine organic matter. My father used to broad cast (sprinkle) over the surface of our concrete water tank a liberal amount of calcium suphate which had the desired effect of clarifying the water for washing, cleaning and cooking. Our drinking water was boiled and cooled so we always had clear and clean water to drink and very low in calcium due to the boiling.

    There is a TEXAS A&M report ;  T.L. Provin and J.L Pitt Professor and Soil Chemist, Program Specialist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory Department of Soil and Crop Sciences  NO. SCS-2013-02 refer page no.7 which in part says;

    "If the cause of turbidity is chemical in nature, gypsum (calcium sulfate), Epson salts (magnesium sulfate), aluminum sulfate (alum), or limestone (calcium carbonate) can be used to clear muddy ponds by removing suspended clay particles. Gypsum is a neutral salt and will not affect the pH of the pond."

    My health and that of my siblings is fine even at this time some 60 years later. given that you are after a simple and inexpensive process i hope that the reference and the experience will help.

    Kind Regards

    Ray Najar

  14. Add some Alum & pass water over some simple sand bed.If E-Coli bacteria is present then bleaching solution addition will be a simple solution.

  16. Hi Anthony,

    SaferEx will serve you. Read about it; https://thewaternetwork.com/_/saferex-multi-action-water-purifier-a-solution-to-water-challenges/blog-Jl6/saferex-multi-action-water-purifier-a-solution-to-water-challenges-4sjP18jNM71wltS8grBy-Q

    The coagulated contaminants could be removed by passing the water through a micron or composite filter to get your safe water for potability and use.

    Regards

    Justin

  19. If clarifying is your goal there are many very inexpensive products on the market. Most have their company name and then say Clarifier.  Almost all use the same ingredients with different concentrations.  Cupric Sulfate. Liquid. very blue. A few drops to a few ounces. your observations are the best applications rates. Almost every store carries this.

  20. Have you considered a slow sand filter. Popular in developing countries and cheap.

     

  21. Groundwater at least from a source that is really groundwater is should not need clarification. It is however fairly common for new sources to be turbid due to the disturbance of drilling etc. Has the source been pumped for a while? Coagulant and flocculants can help settlement but are not removal processes in themselves.
     

  22. It's humorous that most of the answers provided meet neither criteria of being very simple and non-imported.

    Anthony - I suggest you look into constructing a roughing filter.  Here is a link to a good paper that discusses using them for drinking water treatment, but there is much more information readily available via Google.

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237827490_Roughing_filter_for_water_pre-treatment_technology_in_developing_countries_A_review

    They are a very simple technology that is well-suited to implementation in developing countries.

    1 Comment

    1. i agree with Daniel. A simple sand filter with some anthracite will take care of most suspended solids. Just make sure you have a back wash system for this. This is cheap and cost effective treatment. if this doesn't accomplish your goal on turbidity you just add a polymer dosing system to this to bring NTU's down even further. Tim Shrum

      2 Comment replies

      2. Polymer dosing is simple in theory, but complex in practice.  The wrong polymer can stabilize the suspension and make the problem worse.  Extensive jar testing is mandatory before proceeding with full-scale.  Also, you need high-quality make-up water that I'm guessing might not be available.  It's probably not economically feasible in this case, either.  Dry floc systems run at least $100k, plus the ongoing cost of the reagent.  Let's not even mention the logistics of getting any of this stuff in Haiti.

        That said, it is still a much better suggestion than  microfiltration or ultrafiltration...in Haiti.

  23. Good Morning Anthony;

    Please contact Mr. Pierre Sajous, President Aquathin d'Haiti pierresajous@yahoo.com (011 509 3701 6392).

    Pierre is a longtime friend and Authorized Aquathin Dealer of 25+ years in Haiti, with immense knowledge of the various water issues, and proper treatment.  Installations include commercial, residential, laboratory, municipal and industrial.

    We hope to be of service...& warmest regards,

    FOR THE BEST TASTE IN LIFE &

    38 Years Pure Excellence

    ...into another Quarter Century re-inventing the water industry !

    Think Aquathin...AquathinK !

    ( visit the all new www.aquathin.com )

     

    ** AN ISO9001:2000, ISO9001:2008 QMS REGISTERED / CERTIFIED COMPANY - (IMS 0192, NQA 12635) **

    & 2008 PRESIDENT'S E STAR AWARD RECIPIENT ( visit www.aquathin.com/estar2008.pps )

     

            Alfie

    Alfred J. Lipshultz

    President & CEO

    Aquathin Business Center  /  950 South Andrews Avenue / Pompano Beach, FL  33069

    T 954 781 7777 / F 954 781 7336 /E info@aquathin.com  / Skype aquathinhq.alfie

  24. Hi Anthony,

     

    As I am understanding you need remove suspended solids. But what kind of them?

     

    For many particle removal process in water and wastewater treatment with our technical partners we can supply a microfiltration (MF) system that does not need any clarification and in some cases does not need any coagulation clarification to retain the solids.

     

    Depending on your needs the system can be selected to retain particles from 25 to 0,2 um inn size, and it is really more effective than the average sand filter that can retain particles from 180 um.

     

    This technology replace conventional coagulation-floculation, clarification and sand filtrarion in just one equipment ocuping with 10 times less area, and doesn't fail as membranes do due to it does not use membranes, and we hope it will be used in many countries in a next future.

    We can supply small units to treate 1 l/s to ready to use containerized systems (plug and play), to treate from 30 to 100 l/s in just one container.

    Contact us if this system can solve your trouble at info@geo-future.com

    Regards,

    Orlando D. Gutiérrez Coronado

  30. Alum and a filter system.

  31. Dear Anthony,

    The easiest way is using a filter system. You can use a standard sand filtration or a cartridge filtration or a membran filtration such as ultrafiltration. It depends on what kind of solids and/or microbiology is in the water. Whether a coagulant or flocculent is required also depens on the ingredients in the water.

    We can supply you with a proper solution.

    Kind regards,

    Jan-Peter

  33. Dear Anthony,

                             I am writing from Ecohealth.

    The technology is very disruptive in nature and one of its kind, that can address your solution. And the flocculant is 100% organic and extracted from plants. Therefore does away with harmful chemicals like Chlorine etc.........

    Pls Check the Video: https://youtu.be/p92q7tpFQHk

    The Eco Tech process is a very simple way to treat sewage, using non-toxic organic reagents extracted from plants,  to return black water remarkably quickly into potable grade water.

    After filtration, the water is odourless, free of harmful bacteria and is absolutely 100% safe to drink.

    Perhaps you can use our solution in your unique situation.

    thanks