Various methods of purifying water

With all the variety of trade marks, names of water purifiers and promotional gimmicks manufacturers and marketers wat ka water in the household segment it is based on only a few methods.

Mechanical water treatment (filtration)

Actually, this method of water purification and gave the common (and do not) name all methods of water purification. It's simple - any mechanical water filter can be schematically represented in the form of a lattice with cells of various sizes, from a fraction of a micron to a few millimeters. The objective of such a filter is also simple - to delay irreversible mechanical impurities (sand, clay, rust, sludge, slurry, etc.). Technically, such a filter can be implemented as a container with filter material (quartz sand and so forth.), As does the grid with cells of varying size as bulb type filter cartridges from expanded polypropylene, polypropylene cord, polyester and others.

In addition, the removal of mechanical impurities - a mandatory step for all water treatment systems, which gave a common name for all water purifiers - Water filters.

Sorption

This method of water absorbing sorbent dissolved gases (chlorine and its derivatives, hydrogen sulfide and others.), Organic impurities (organic chlorine), a low molecular weight volatile organics. In the vast majority of household water purifiers as activated carbon sorbent acts of different kinds (wood, bituminous, coconut). This water purification technology is not without a number of drawbacks: pollution accumulates in the interior of the sorbent and under certain conditions can reverse them in the discharge of cleaned water; coals have different selectivity for the adsorption of contaminants. That is, fully rely on the 100% reliability of this method is not possible. However, alternatives to carbon sorbents moment. The fibrous sorbents (eg Akvalit), though much better show sorbent abilities have not been able to press on the market considerably inexpensive water purification and processing coal.

Ion exchange

This substitution method in water salts of calcium, magnesium, heavy metals, nitrates, nitrites, and others. Ions to neutral. Working material in this case acts as an ion exchange resin; in domestic water purifiers are generally used sodium cation (replace all of the above contamination sodium ions). This selective ion exchange resin primarily salts of rigidity, and therefore forms the basis for various types of softeners (flask with cartridges, water softeners column type "rooms"). Sodium differ in cation exchange capacity, are able to regenerate the material with a solution of salt (NaCl). Less common uses less sodium and anion exchange resins are other options.

Reverse osmosis

This water purification by semi-permeable membranes. In this case, a weed not pass into the drinking portion of the purifier, not only the impurities of large molecules of water (any organic, any salts, any compounds), but monovalent ions. Currently and in the foreseeable future for water treatment by reverse osmosis is the most reliable and credible technology. Confirmation of the reliability of the technology is widely used in the food industry, pharmacology, production of branded water and beverages. Furthermore, in some regions of the world waste water purified by such techniques, and returned to a central water supply! And this water for tens of orders of magnitude cleaner than from other sources, not to mention its microbiological safety.

Inverse osmosis systems have become dominant in the market of drinking water purifiers. Due to mass production and fine-tuning the system became more accessible, significantly decreased the cost of their operation. Osmosis water purification technology becomes really "popular". Many legends and myths about the osmotic water debunked reputable scientists and by the users themselves. Over the decades, it has accumulated a tremendous positive statistics.

Shoulds doubt the obvious?