Water is our planet's lifeblood and, as a result, our most valuable resource. Water, on the other hand, is not all created equal. Chemicals, dissolved solids, biological components, and even minerals are absent from pure water. Water is a universal solvent that quickly dissolves a wide range of compounds. Some of these things are beneficial, such as naturally occurring minerals, whereas others should not be consumed.
WHAT ARE WATER IMPURITIES?
When we talk of impurities in water, we usually mean the negative components that are dissolved in it. These water contaminants are what we want to keep out of our drinking water. Dust, grime, hazardous compounds, biological contaminants, radiological contaminants, and total suspended solids are all examples of impurities in water (TSS). Total suspended solids (TSS) are visible particles that can cloud or haze water.
WHAT CAUSES IMPURITY IN WATER?
A variety of factors can lead to unwanted contaminants in water. Water from rain, streams, and wells can pick up dangerous compounds such as acid and metallic elements from the environment. Bacteria, algae, organic waste, amino acids, pathogens, viruses, microorganisms, and parasites are some of the biological components found in water. They end up in water as a result of contact with industrial sewage and wastewater, agricultural waste and runoff, decaying trash in water bodies, and chemical imbalances in the water that encourage microbe multiplication.
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) are elements in polluted or dangerous water that are not designed to dissolve. Dust, sand, clay, and rust are examples of solids. They stay floating in the water, making it muddy or cloudy. They also lack hydrogen and oxygen, which are two key components of pure water.
Drinking water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, which allows it to become pure and dissolve almost anything it comes into contact with. Suspended contaminants in water, if swallowed, can cause a variety of medical problems and disorders.
Among them include, but are not limited to:
1. Cholera is an illness caused by Guinea worms.
2. Typhoid
3. Legionella
4. Dysentery
5. Malaria is a disease spread by insects and bacteria in contaminated water.
Each year, 3.4 million people die as a result of waterborne infections brought on by unclean water. The situation is so serious that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a separate division dedicated to contaminated water in the United States. They also collaborate with the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist underdeveloped countries with clean water and treatment solutions.
WATER BIOLOGICAL IMPURITIES
The presence of living creatures in water causes biological pollutants. Algae, protozoa, pathogens, bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, and parasites, as well as their cysts (eggs) in contaminated water, fall into this category. Germs, or microorganisms that reproduce at an alarming rate, are the latter.
WATER COLLOIDAL IMPURITIES
Organic waste products and amino acids are examples of colloidal contaminants in water. Contact with suspended materials and elements such as sand, boulders, and biological matter in rivers, streams, and lakes causes water to become undrinkable or non-pure.
Chemical contaminants in water can come from a variety of sources, including:
- 1. Gases that rains and severe downpours pick up from the atmosphere
- 2. Industrial sewage and wastewater found near streams, rivers, and lakes decomposing animals and vegetation.
- 3. River water contains high quantities of calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, and chlorides.
- 4. Agricultural and domestic industrial waste produce organic chemicals. Anthropogenic pollutants are those that can be detected in both natural and drinking water.
- 5. Medical wastewater and equipment systems contain inorganic substances.
Microorganisms can pollute water by forming calcium and magnesium salts, as previously stated. However, silicates, as well as ferrous and non-ferrous ion-based compounds, can be found in these germs.
SOLUTIONS FOR IMPURE WATER
With so many contaminants in natural and drinking water, having the correct municipal water treatment system in place is one of the greatest options for communities. Aluminum, chlorides, and other hidden chemicals and elements are removed from drinking water systems using water treatment technologies.