Purification of water with high permanent hardness and salinity

Summary

Chemical softening methods have been widely used in the practice of water treatment, primarily in the energetics and industry for softening, decarbonization and decoloration of water. In combination with reverse osmosis, they provide for preparing water of the required qualitative composition. In drinking water supply softening methods are used quite rarely due to a number of circumstances, such as the need to use various chemicals that are not typical for public water supply; generation of a large volume of sludge subject to subsequent processing, and, what is most important, resulting in highly alkaline water with pH of more than 10 unacceptable for drinking water. However, in case only but water sources with such a complex composition are available, then chemical methods have to be used. In Mediana-Filter Research and Production Company, JSC studies were carried out to obtain high-quality water from an underground source of uncharacteristic salt composition, with a high content of sulfates and low alkalinity, provided that the purification technology should generate minimum liquid waste. After testing several technology options in pilot plants, a scheme was proposed that met the requirements of the customer. It should be noted that underground water of the southern regions of the country has a partially similar salt composition, so the results of pilot tests can also be applied to obtain drinking water from similar sources.

Key words

reagent treatment , flow chart of treatment , reverse osmosis , desalination , hardness , pilot plant , sulphates , water , dynamic softening system , liming , sodium liming , soda softening , sludge blanket , dynamic softening system water conditioning