Water Treatment – Chlorine | Ozone & UV
Water Treatment is the modification of raw water to meet a standard either for drinking or product creation. All the individual methods of water filtration falls into the genberal category of water treatment including water softeners
The three great water sanitizers or dis-infectants being used today are Chlorine, Ultra Violet lights and ozone . Each has its pros and con’s which should be carefully considered before a choice is made .
Chlorine as a Water Sanitiser or water disinfectant
The tablets below are not the same as chlorine tablets for swimming pools as they are without the cynosuric acid found in swimming pool chlorine tablets . Please do not confuse the 2 products.
To be used effectively with chlorine shock treatment for water systems a dosage of 50 ppm must be used and circulated or pumped through the system then left for some hours after which the system must be thoroughly flushed to remove the chlorine residue. Best handled by a water treatment or purification professional.
chlorine tablets for water purification
Chlorine has been used for decades as a very effective water disinfectant and is still the mainstay of disinfectants used today in municipalities and states around the world as it is cheap and effective. If dosed correctly into a water system at the correct rate to allow for a 0.2% free chlorine availability at the users tap or faucet then the system is extremely effective in killing most water borne diseases, bacteria and virii.
Not only is it effective in water but in a whole range of products for the water treatment market and forms the basis of many home cleaning substances.
The major downside is its long term exposure effect on tissues and particularly human tissue as it cannot tell the difference between a bacteria and healthy living tissue and simply kills everything in comes into contact with. Studies in the USA have linked chlorine usage in water as a major cause of rectal and general cancers.
Fortunately it is fairly easily removed from water systems by the use of carbon filters or KDF/carbon filters and better still reverse osmosis in conjunction with the former.
Water Treatment – UV Water Sanitisation
Much better than chlorine as it does not add to the water but irradiates bacteria in clear water killing them when exposed to the UV wavelength. UV for water sanitisation is designed according to flow rates and volumes but requires that electricity be available and that the water be clear and the outer glass covering be clean .
Ultra Violet Light Sanitisation Systems
Power failures , variable water clarity and dirt affect the ability of the UV system to function efficiently under all conditions and in many cases the UV is used in conjunction with other water sanitisation systems and particularly in the water bottling industry.
Most systems pass the water in front of the UV light just once and this is fine for clear water or smaller quantities but for systems with larger volumes such as koi ponds the water needs to be continuously circulated past the UV light system.
Ozone Water Purification
One of the latest additions to water treatment and air purification is the introduction of ozonation. Not only is it 31 000 times faster than chlorination it does not produce the side effects such as THM’s created as a byproduct of chlorination and the filtration thereof.
Ozone does have some down sides in that it can produce bromate which is an unhealthy by product with life threatening side effects rarely advertised and almost always present in the product water.
3 gr/h Ozone Generator
In addition adequate air flow must be present in the area to balance the side effects of over dosing or excessive ozonation. The live time of ozone is approximately 20 mins after which it dissipates . Used extensively in the water bottling industry as both a CIP mechanism , pre sterilisation method and air purifier this method is very effective but it is still resistant to some forms of bacteria .
Ozone is introduced to the water either by a venturi system , ( most effective method ) , whereby a bypass valve is installed which sucks the water into the flow of water thus saturating the water with ozone.Water is then circulated within the container to maximise the saturation of ozone and therefore its effectiveness.
Venturi 50 mm for Ozone
A blanket bubbler method is often used where a ozone bubbler is suspended below the surface of a container and any water enetering the vessel must pass through the layer of ozone created .Water is then circulated within the container to maximise the saturation of ozone and therefore its effectiveness.
The blanket bubbler unit has a big negative in that it relies on the power of the ozone generator pump plus the angle of the piping and the temperature of the water to effectively saturate the water with ozone.Because of it’s unstable nature the ozone will eventually attack the piping and in a bubbler situation that can happen sooner than later.
Aqua Elite runs an advice service with qualified professionals on standby to assist with water treatment or sanitisation problems. Call Michael on 082 599 6613 for assistance.