| There are several different types of water | | | | Oxidizing agents work as a biocide and will neutralize |
| purification process in common use. | | | | reducing agents. Reducing agents neutralize oxidizing |
| The rest of this article has details about some of the | | | | agents like chlorine and ozone and they can help |
| main ways that impurities are removed from water. | | | | prevent damage to filter membranes used in such |
| Filtration is used in many different ways to remove | | | | processes as reverse osmosis. |
| contaminants from water and make it fit for human | | | | Clarification is another type of water purification |
| consumption. The most common filtration process is | | | | process. It is designed to remove suspended solids. |
| reverse osmosis. | | | | Coagulants are used to reduce the charges of ions. |
| In reverse osmosis - also known as reversed | | | | The ions then accumulate as larger particles called |
| osmosis or RO - a fine plastic membrane is used to | | | | flocs. These flocs then settle at the bottom of |
| filter water. It can be used to filter very fine particles | | | | settling tanks or can be removed using gravity filters. |
| - as small as 0.001 microns in size - as well as | | | | Clarification isn't perfect and doesn't remove particles |
| aqueous salts and metal ions. | | | | smaller than 25 microns. For this reason it is usually |
| Cartridge filtration is the most popular form of home | | | | only the first stage in a multistage water purification |
| water purification process. Fibres in the cartridge do | | | | process. |
| the job of filtering the water. For them to work at | | | | Other common types of water purification process |
| their optimum. contamination levels should be less | | | | are de-ionization and water softening, disinfection |
| than 100ppm. This is generally perfectly acceptable in | | | | (with chlorine, ozone or UV radiation), distillation, |
| a home environment where you would expect the | | | | electrodialysis, PH-adjustment, scavenging and |
| heavy-duty filtering to have been done by your local | | | | biological water purification. |
| water company. | | | | Because of some of the horror stories concerning |
| Although it's controversial, chemical water purification | | | | contaminants found in home water supplies, more |
| is also still used. Several different methods exist and | | | | and more people are becoming proactive and installing |
| which one will give the best results depends on | | | | some kind of home water filter to complete the |
| exactly what contaminants are present in the water | | | | water purification process. You should seriously |
| supply. For example, chelating agents will reduce | | | | consider joining them. |
| calcium or magnesium thereby softening hard water. | | | | |