The aim of drinking water treatment is to treat raw water (e.g. well water or groundwater) into drinking water . Safety for people is of course a major requirement. For example, in the case of heavily contaminated water, it must be ensured that the contamination is removed safely and reliably.
Drinking water treatment for municipalities
In German waterworks, groundwater is treated into drinking water . This drinking water treatment usually occurs naturally. The basic principle is usually essentially the same. Since groundwater often contains substances such as iron , manganese, carbonic acid and hydrogen sulfide, water suppliers must remove these substances.
For this purpose, the pipe water is mixed with oxygen in a so-called aeration system. This ensures that the carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfides escape from the water. Iron and manganese react with oxygen and form iron and manganese flakes. These flakes are filtered off in the next step. The filtration of oxidized iron and manganese is accomplished using a sand filter. In order for the sand filter to work for a long time, it must be regularly backwashed, thereby flushing out the dirt particles.
Drinking water treatment for well water
It may happen that you do not have a connection to the municipal water supply. In this case, for example, well water must be made usable as drinking water . Drinking water treatment for well water can, for example, be carried out using the methods mentioned above. However, there are other methods that may be more suitable on a small scale.
Since dissolved iron and dissolved manganese occur in well water, these can usually be filtered out before they oxidize. In this case, a so-called ion exchanger is used. During ion exchange , the substances iron and manganese are exchanged for harmless sodium . The operating principle is similar to that of a softening system.
If there are germs in the water, there are several options for disinfection. For example, a special disinfectant can be added to the water. As a result, a small dose is released into the drinking water and people drink it. The advantage of this process is the certainty that germs that enter the pipe network are killed.
An alternative is irradiation with UV light. During UV disinfection, the water at the entrance is constantly irradiated with intense UV light. Germs are killed before they get into the pipe network. This process is optimal for human health because no dangerous substances are includedde/glossary/drinking water" target="_self">Drinking water. However, there are a few points to consider to ensure disinfection.
