Water is life

Disinfection by boiling and chlorination Boiling and chlorination are the most common water and wastewater disinfection processes in use throughout the world. Boiling is primarily used in rural areas in developing countries to eliminate living organisms, especially bacteria, present in the water. It is also used in emergencies when other, more sophisticated methods of disinfection are not available. Prior to the development of chlorination, boiling was the principal method used to kill pathogenic organisms. Technical Description ·   Boiling Boiling is a very simple method of water disinfection. Heating water to a high temperature, 100°C, kills most of the pathogenic organisms, particularly viruses and bacteria causing waterborne diseases. In order for boiling to be most effective, the water must boil for at least 20 minutes. Since boiling requires a source of heat, rudimentary or non-conventional methods of heat generation may be needed in areas where electricity or fossil f...

Reverse Osmosis - Pros and Cons The semi-permeable membrane used in   reverse osmosis   contains tiny pores through which water can flow. The small pores of this membrane are restrictive to such organic compounds as salt and other natural minerals, which generally have a larger molecular composition than water. These pores are also restrictive to bacteria and disease-causing pathogens. Thus, reverse osmosis is incredibly effective at desalinating water and providing mineral-free water for use in photo or print shops. It is also effective at providing pathogen-free water. In areas not receiving municipally treated water or at particular risk of waterborne diseases, reverse osmosis is an ideal process of contaminant removal.   The reverse osmosis process contains several downsides which make it an inefficient and ineffective means of purifying drinking water. The small pores in the membrane block particles of large molecular structure like salt, but more dangerous chem...

Vapor Compression Distillation Mechanical energy provides a source of thermal energy for condensation processes similar to MED.             Mechanism Vapor Compression Distillation, or VCD, is often used together with Multi-effect Distillation for large applications or alone when used in smaller settings.  The key difference that makes VCD unique is that the compression of vapor is utilized to change the boiling point of water.  A quick refresher of physics and the ideal gas law PV = nRT reminds us pressure and temperature are proportional.  At a constant volume, an increase in pressure leads to an increase in temperature (Loverude et. al. 2001).  VCD plants, therefore, use compression of vapor as a source of evaporating heat. Plants are divided into stages and may contain one in smaller plants or more in larger ones.  VCD is simple and reliable compared to other methods of desalination.  It ...