How Industrial Gases Are Used To Generate Clean Water
May is National Water Safety Month. It recognizes the need to raise awareness on proper water safety when it comes to aquatic activities like swimming. As an industrial gas supplier, Air Source Industries also cares about people being safe in the water. One water safety subject we wanted to share more information on is related to a different kind of water safety: having clean water.
You may be wondering how this ties into industrial gases, but in fact, industrial gases make it possible for manufacturers to reduce their energy footprints and make their water treatment processes more sustainable and efficient. Sometimes things we believe to be simple like enjoying clean tap water have to go through extensive processes to make sure they are safe for communities. Let’s review why water needs to be treated, California’s water treatment process, and how industrial gases play a role in purifying water.
California’s Water Goals
When we think about water quality, we usually think about drinking water, but there is more to water than just the water we drink. Wastewater, streams, lakes and other bodies of water all indirectly play a part in our daily lives. Many challenges can arise when trying to control water quality. Factors like natural disasters, stormwater, recreational activities, fires, and other water-related factors can impact water purity.
When thinking about how to improve water quality, it all comes down to protecting the source, like the Colorado River. Recently, the Water District of Southern California focused on ozone disinfection, which utilizes oxygen to destroy bacteria. In order to identify what should be done to preserve water, quality tests, analysis, and benchmarks are set to help evaluate areas of improvement. Continually monitoring and maintaining water quality will always be the main goal for water agencies.
The Basic Water Treatment Process
Through a mechanical and chemical process, water is treated to remove any contaminants and pollutants. There is a range of contaminants in water including bacteria, organic compounds, fungus, minerals, metals and other unsanitary elements that could make us sick. That’s why there are water treatment processes in place to recycle and clean our water.
- Coagulation: Chemical compounds are added to the water that flows through the treatment plant in order to remove dirt particles and other particulates in the water. The compounds that are added act as a magnet, which attracts the particles in the water.
- Sedimentation: Next, the particles that are “magnetized” sink to the bottom of the tanks, allowing for the water to filter through to the next phase.
- Filtration: The water then passes through the filtration process to further purify the water through a biological process. This is accomplished by running the water through a series of tanks which contain filters of sand, gravel, and charcoal. These natural filtration methods are used in order to avoid using additional chemicals. The filters remove bacteria and any other smaller solid particles.
- Disinfection: Typically, chlorine is added to disinfect the water to kill any remaining bacteria and microorganisms.
- Storage: After the water is disinfected, it is run through pipes which lead to your home or business.
Alternative to Chemical Treatment: Aeration & CO2 Purification
According to the American Chemistry Council, oxygen and carbon dioxide are most commonly used in the water treatment process for wastewater, drinking water and other bodies of water like lakes and streams. Recently, there have been new innovations to enhance the purification process by utilizing carbon dioxide to produce a chemical gradient which helps separate impurities that the traditional chemical process doesn’t fully remove.
- The Purification Method: Many times during the disinfection stage of the water treatment process, chemicals like chlorine are used, but there have been alternative methods that do a better job of disinfecting water with the use of carbon dioxide. Steps 2, 3 and 4 in the treatment process above are all forms of water purification which can be expensive and may not remove microscopic impurities.
Researchers have discovered a way to use dissolved carbon dioxide in water which essentially charges and separates micro-organisms from the purified water stream. This process produces a chemical gradient within the water that helps separate 99.9% of the impurities. This process has been more efficient in saving energy, it’s more effective, and is easily mass producible, which can lead to cost reductions.
Additionally, high purity oxygen is also used for aerobic digestion, oxygen enhanced aeration, and odor control. Aeration is an alternative method for the chemical treatment of water and can result in the same water benefits as the chemical process without adding additional chemicals to the water supply.
- Aeration: Bacteria’s role in wastewater is to break down organic matter and convert it into CO2 and water. During the coagulation process, oxygen can be pumped into the water tank to help bacteria grow. Bacteria can break down organic matter on its own but the process would take too long and would result in the creation of hydrogen sulfide that eventually turns into methane. That’s why aeration is an important part of the water treatment process.
Through aeration, bacteria consume the organic matter, which includes soils and animal reside among other organic materials. This process creates the magnetic effect we mentioned above that attracts the matter and then sinks to the bottom of the tank. When oxygen is added to the water, this ultimately helps breakdown the water more efficiently from particulates and prevents hydrogen sulfide and methane gas from being created within the water.
Through these alternative methods using industrial gases, water treatment can be done more efficiently and safely for the people who consume or use the water as the end result. With these methods, there may be more opportunity to be able to supply third world countries with cleaner water in the future as scientists work to streamline this process and make it more cost-efficient.
Conclusion
Without quality standards, we’d be more susceptible to infections and disease in our water. Many people don’t realize or are aware of the processes needed to provide our society with clean, treated water. People may take the water purification process for granted as they simply turn the faucet on and believe they have unlimited clean drinking water.
At Air Source, we believe in providing outstanding gas delivery and supply to our customers. We will exceed your expectations. If you’re looking for carbon dioxide and oxygen gases, let us schedule convenient deliveries to your business. For a free quote, please call our experts to help you get started. Call us at (562) 426-4017 or get a gas quote online.
Sources:
https://amwater.com/caaw/water-quality/water-treatment
https://www.americanchemistry.com/The-Economic-Benefits-of-Industrial-Gases.pdf
http://www.mwdh2o.com/PDF_About_Your_Water/2.3.1_Annual_Water_Quality_Report.pdf
https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia/wastewater-treatment-process-california
https://www.americanlaboratory.com/Blog/347287-The-Importance-of-Oxygen-Injection-for-Wastewater-Treatment/