Water Quality & Water Pollutants

WATER QUALITY EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTANTS ON WATER

QUALITY
Water quality describes the condition of the
water, including chemical, physical, and biological • Deteriorating water quality is damaging the
characteristics, usually with respect to its suitability environment, health conditions and the global
for a particular purpose such as drinking or economy. When biological oxygen demand — the
swimming. indicator that measures the organic pollution
• It is measured by several factors, such as the found in water — exceeds a certain threshold, the
concentration of dissolved oxygen, bacteria growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of
levels, the amount of salt (or salinity), or the the regions within the associated water basins
amount of material suspended in the water falls by a third.
(turbidity). In some bodies of water, the • Water pollutants may cause disease or act as
concentration of microscopic algae and quantities poisons. Bacteria and parasites in poorly treated
of pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, and other sewage may enter drinking water supplies and
contaminants may also be measured to cause digestive problems such as cholera and
determine water quality. diarrhea.

Importance of Water Quality:

Other consequences:
The presence of certain contaminants in • Destruction of biodiversity
our water can lead to health issues, including • Contamination of the food chain
gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and • Lack of potable water
neurological disorders. Infants, young children, • Disease Infant mortality
pregnant women, the elderly, and people with
weakened immune systems may be especially at
risk for illness. PREVENTION OF WATER POLLUTION

• Dispose of Toxic Chemicals Properly

WATER POLLUTANTS • Shop with Water Pollution in Mind
• Do Not Pour Fat and Grease Down the Drain
Water Pollutants are harmful materials
• Use Phosphate-Free Detergent and Dish Cleaner
which causes water pollution.
• Check Your Sump Pump or Cellar Drain Dispose
4 Major Water Pollutants: of Medical Waste Properly
• Eat More Organic Food
• Pathogens
• Report Water Polluters
• Organic Materials
• Support Environmental Charities
• Inorganic Materials
• Cut Down on Meat Consumption
• Macroscopic Pollutants
• Try to Avoid Plastic Containers
• Keep Your Vehicles from Leaking
• Cut Down on the Chemicals
• Plant Some Trees
• Help Clean Up Beaches and Rivers

HYDROSPHERE 1
 Introduction to Chemistry of Water and Water Cycle

INTRODUCTION TO WATER WATER CYCLE AND ITS COMPONENTS

• Water is a transparent, colorless, odorless, The water cycle shows the continuous
and tasteless liquid. movement of water within the Earth and
• It is a naturally occurring substance found atmosphere.
on Earth. ✓ It is a complex system that includes many
• It is essential for all known forms of life. different processes. Liquid water
• It exists in three states: solid, liquid, and gas. evaporates into water vapor, condenses to
• It is used for a wide range of purposes, such form clouds, and precipitates back to earth
as drinking, cooking, cleaning, agriculture, and in the form of rain and snow.
industrial processes.
WATER CYCLE
STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF WATER

• The chemical formula for water is H2O

• The structure of water is composed of two
hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to one
oxygen atom.
• The arrangement of the atoms is often
referred to as a "V" shape or bent geometry.
• The oxygen atom has a partial negative charge,
while the hydrogen atoms have a partial
positive charge.
• Water is a universal solvent.
• Water has a high heat of vaporization, high
specific heat capacity, and high surface
tension.
• It has a neutral pH of 7 and can act as a • Evaporation - The process where liquid
buffer to maintain pH in biological systems. water changes into water vapor(gas)
DIFFERENT SOURCES AND USES OF WATER • Condensation - The process where water
GROUND WATER: Source of water that is vapor(gas) changes into water droplets (liquid)
under the land or surface.
• Plant uptake - Water taken from the
Can be accessed by: Wells, Tube
groundwater flow and soil moisture.
Wells, Hand pumps
SURFACE WATER: Sources of water that can
• Transpiration - Evaporation of liquid water
be found on the surface.
from plants and trees into atmosphere
This includes the following: Rivers, Streams,
Lakes, Reservoirs, Spring • Transportation - The movement of solid,
RAINWATER: Water droplets that came from the liquid and gaseous water through the
sky (precipitation). Major source of water. atmosphere

HYDROSPHERE 2
• Runoff - River, lake, and stream transport primary route for water to return to the
of water and transport of ice in glaciers Earth's surface.
✓ Example of: Dew, Fog, and Clouds
• Precipitation - Water that falls to the earth.
Most precipitation falls as rain but includes snow, HUMAN IMPACTS ON WATER CYCLE
sleet, drizzle, and hail.
The following are some of the human impacts
on the water cycle:
• Groundwater - Underground
water flows (aquifers) • Altering the natural hydrological cycle
• Deforestation
• Deposition - Water vapor (a gas) changes into
• Urbanization
ice (a solid) without going through the liquid
• Agricultural practices
phase.
• Climate change
• Sublimation - Ice and snow (a solid) GLOBAL WATER SCARCITY
changes into water vapor (a gas) without
moving through the liquid phase. Main causes of water scarcity:

• Climate change
• Infiltration - Movement of water into the
• Overpopulation
ground from the surface
• Poor water management
• Percolation - Movement of water past the • Pollution
soil going deep into the groundwater.
THE NEED FOR CONSERVATION MEASURES
EVAPORATION AND CONDENSATION OF
Some of the conservation measures:
WATER
• Water conservation in households
EVAPORATION is a process involving a
• Agriculture water conservation
change of state: Water goes from a liquid state to
• Industrial water conservation
a gas state.
• Reuse of wastewater
✓ Evaporation is a very important part of the • Protection of water resource.
water cycle. Heat from the sun, or solar
energy, powers the evaporation process. It
soaks up moisture from soil in a garden,
as well as the biggest oceans and lakes.

✓ Examples: Hot tea getting cold, and wet

clothes drying in the sun

CONDENSATION is the reverse process:

Water goes from a gas state to a liquid state.
Water in a gaseous state is called water vapor.

✓ Condensation is crucial to the water cycle

because it is responsible for the
formation of clouds. These clouds may
produce precipitation, which is the

HYDROSPHERE 3
 Purification of Water and Reverse Osmosis
Water purification is the process of removing
contaminants and impurities from water, making it ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
safe and suitable for consumption or other specific
Advantages: Reverse Osmosis can purify/filter your
uses. The purification process typically involves
water to the maximum extent. That all the Bacteria,
physical, chemical, or biological methods that
Viruses, and other contaminants. Were removed to
target different types of contaminants.
the water.
Potable water is defined as water that is
Disadvantages: Reverse Osmosis also removes the
suitable for human consumption. It is filtered and minerals and nutrients in the water.
treated properly and is finally free from all the
contaminants and harmful bacteria. WHAT CONTAMINANTS, ELEMENTS, OR,
SUBSTANCE DOES REVERSE OSMOSIS REMOVE
PROCESS OF PURIFYING
FROM WATER?
Those methods include boiling, granular
Up to 99%+ of the dissolved salts (ions),
activated-carbon filtering, distillation, reverse
osmosis, and direct contact membrane particles, colloids, organics, bacteria and pyrogens
distillation. from the feed water. Reverse Osmosis membrane
rejects contaminants based on their size and
IMPORTANCE OF WATER
charge. Any contaminant that has a molecular
• Water is the divine source of all weight greater than 200 is likely rejected by a
living beings properly running RO system. Likewise, the greater
• Humans, plants, and animals needs the ionic charge of the contaminant, the more likely
water for various purposes it will be unable to pass through the RO membrane.
• we all need water to sustain our lives
PROCESS OF REVERSE OSMOSIS
• it keeps us hydrated
Involves the use of semipermeable membrane,
CONSERVATION OF WATER
which allows water molecules to pass through while
1. Reducing our daily usage blocking the passage of larger molecules and
2. water should be recycled where possible particles.
3. Use the appropriate water level
4 Stages of Reverse Osmosis:
4. Not allowing natural water to go waste
1. Sediment pre-filter for mechanical
INTRODUCTION OF REVERSE OSMOSIS
filtration: used to mechanically filter out
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a water particles as small as 5 microns. It removes
treatment process that removes larger sediment to protect the membrane
contaminants from water by using
2. Granular activated carbon pre-filter for
pressure to force water molecules through
membrane protection: used to protect the
a semipermeable membrane.
reverse osmosis membrane from degradation
• A filtration process of removing small
due to chlorine.
particles in water. It is the reverse version
of osmosis so it’ll be from low water
potential to high water potential.

HYDROSPHERE 4
3. Ultrafine RO membrane: This effectively
screens out micro-particles, heavy metal
complexes, microorganisms, colloidal matter,
most cysts, and mineral ions like fluorides
and sodium.

4. Carbon polishing post filter: used to

provide a final polish to the water, removing
unwanted odors and ensuring the creation of
superb tasting water.

HYDROSPHERE 5
 Water Filtration and Activated Carbon
WATER FILTRATION • Is also important in our daily domestic
activities like cooking, washing and cleaning.
Water filtration is the process of removing or
reducing the concentration of particulate matter, • Water filtration systems also prolong
including suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, appliance life.
algae, viruses, and fungi. • Everything in the household is cleaner and
• It contains fibres, especially nanofibers, of ion brighter with cleaner water.
exchange properties have been applied in the DISADVANTAGE OF USING WATER FILTRATION
fields of biotechnology, pharmaceutical
processing, producing ultrapure water for the • Some of these filters have a tendency to
semiconductor industry, catalytic conversion remove all contaminants and chemicals from
processing, and battery technologies the local water source.
• The purified water becomes too pure and will
• There are many other benefits of filtered water,
lack trace elements that may be important to
including a better taste, and being more cost
the human body‘s nutritional growth.
effective and environmentally-friendly when
compared to buying bottled water. • Some of water filtration systems also do not
have the ability to get rid of microscopic
• The importance of water filtration is that it
bacteria, organic matter, and viruses.
gives people access to clean water that is free
of contaminants, that tastes good, and is a ACTIVATED CARBON
reliable source of hydration.
Activated carbon is used to purify liquids
• Tap water is often filtered in a water purification
and gases in a variety of applications, including
facility before it reaches the end user.
municipal drinking water, food and beverage
Nevertheless, authorities test the water quality
processing, odor removal, industrial pollution
right after the water is filtered, before it goes in
control.
the municipal feed lines, which generally
produces results above the required standard. • It is a material used to filter harmful
chemicals from contaminated water.
ADVANTAGE OF USING WATER FILTRATION • It is composed of black granules of coal,
wood, nutshells or other carbon-rich materials.
• There are over 2000 toxic substances in tap
• It has the ability to selectively collect gases,
water and by regulations by the environmental
protection agencies and up to 99.9% are removed liquids and impurities inside its pores.
from the water. Forms of Activated Carbon
• Granular Activated Carbon ( GAC)
• The use of a filtration system is also cost
• Powder Activated Carbon ( PAC)
effective.
• Extruded Activated Carbon ( EAC)
• Water filtration systems improve the quality of
life for both plant and animal life. Benefits of Activated Carbon
• The human body has up to 70% water and it
a) It only removes the substances you don’t
requires pure and clean water for a healthier want.
livelihood and growth. b) It helps improve the flavor of your water. It
• It also has other health benefits like treating is inexpensive.
acne and other skin conditions. c) It helps make for healthier and safer water.
d) It is easy to keep your carbon filters in good
condition.

HYDROSPHERE 6
 Sources of Water Pollutants
WATER POLLUTION waste is intentionally dumped into bodies of
water. Land pollution can also become water
When pollutants are released into
pollution if the trash or other debris is carried by
subterranean groundwater or into bodies of water
animals, wind. or rainfall to bodies of water.
including lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, and
Significant amounts of solid waste pollution in
oceans, it is referred to as "water pollution." These
inland, those that may come from landfills, can
compounds interfere with the water's ability to be
also eventually make their way to the ocean. Solid
used for good or with ecosystems' ability to
waste pollution is unsightly and damaging to the
operate naturally.
health of aquatic ecosystems and can harm wildlife
✓ Water pollution can also involve the discharge
directly. Many solid wastes, such as plastics and
of energy, such as radiation or heat, into bodies
electronic waste. break down and leach harmful
of water, in addition to the release of things
chemicals into the water, making them a source of
such as chemicals, debris, or germs.
toxic or hazardous waste.
SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTANTS
EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION ON
• SEWAGE AND WASTEWATER GROUNDWATER AND OCEANS

The main source of pathogens (disease-causing Many people get their drinking water from
germs) and putrescible organic compounds is groundwater, which is the liquid that makes up the
domestic sewage. As germs are expelled in feces, all aquifers that are subterranean geologic structures.
sewage from cities and towns are likely to include For instance, roughly 50% of Americans rely on
some pathogens, which might pose a direct threat to groundwater for their residential water supply.
public health. Another type of danger to water Because of the natural filtering that takes place when
quality is putrescible organic debris. The amount of groundwater slowly moves through layers of soil, it
may look perfectly pure, but dissolved chemicals,
dissolved oxygen in the water decreases as organic
bacteria, and viruses can still contaminate it.
materials naturally break down in the sewage by
Chemical contaminant sources include mining and
bacteria and other microbes. Because high amounts
petroleum production, leaking underground storage
of oxygen are necessary for fish and other aquatic
tanks beneath gas stations, poorly designed or
animals to live, this puts the health of lakes and
poorly maintained subsurface sewage-disposal
streams in peril.
systems (such as septic tanks), industrial wastes
• SOLID WASTE disposed of in improperly lined or unlined landfills or
lagoons, leachates from unlined municipal refuse
The improper disposal of solid waste is a major landfills, and industrial wastes disposed of in
source of water pollution. Solid waste includes improperly lined or unlined landfills or lagoons.
garbage, rubbish, electronic waste, trash, and
construction and demolition waste, all of which are WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WATER
generated by individual, residential, commercial, POLLUTION
institutional, and industrial activities. The problem is • How Water Pollution Affects Humans
especially acute in developing countries that may • How Water Pollution Affects the Environment
lack infrastructure to properly dispose of solid waste • Dispose of chemicals properly
or that may have Inadequate resources or regulation • Reduce your plastic consumption
to limit improper disposal. In some places solid • Avoid using pesticides
• Wash less
HYDROSPHERE 7
 Pump-and-Treat
Pump and treat is a common method for • The contamination source has not been
cleaning up contaminated groundwater completely removed.
containing chemicals such as industrial solvents, • The contaminant plume is large.
metals and fuel oil. Groundwater is pumped • Groundwater cannot be pumped at a fast rate.
from wells or trenches to an aboveground • Groundwater flow is slow, or the flow path is
treatment system that removes the complex.
contaminants.
✓ Pump and treat systems also help keep the IS PUMP AND TREAT SAFE?
contaminant plume from spreading by
pumping contaminated water toward the Pump-and-treat generally is considered a
wells. This pumping helps prevent safe way to both clean up contaminated
groundwater and keep it from moving to other
contaminants from reaching drinking water
areas where it may affect drinking water supplies,
wells, wetlands, streams and other natural wildlife habitats, or recreational rivers and lakes.
resources. Although pumping brings contamination above
the ground surface, it does not expose people to
HOW DOES PUMP AND TREAT WORKS? the contamination. The pumped groundwater is
contained in piping and tanks until it is treated. A
Pump and treat methods may involve installing pump and treat system is monitored to ensure the
one or more wells to extract the contaminated extraction wells and treatment units operate as
groundwater. Groundwater is pumped from these designed. Also, the groundwater is sampled to
“extraction wells” to the ground surface, either ensure the plume is decreasing in concentration
directly into a treatment system or into a holding and is not spreading.
tank until treatment can begin. The treatment
HOW MIGHT DOES PUMP AND-TREAT
system may consist of a single cleanup method,
AFFECT ME?
such as activated carbon or air stripping, to clean
You may notice increased truck traffic when
the water. However, treatment often requires
construction equipment and materials come to the
several cleanup methods if the groundwater
site. You also might hear drilling rigs and other
contains different types of contaminants or high
equipment during construction. Operation of pump
concentrations of a single contaminant. Once
and treat systems generally will not disrupt your
treated water meets regulatory standards, it may
community as noise levels are low.
be discharged for disposal or further use.

WHY USE PUMP-AND-TREAT?

HOW LONG DOES PUMP AND-TREAT WILL IT
Pump and treat systems remove a wide range
TAKE?
of groundwater contaminants. Pump and treat
Pump and treat may last from a few years to
typically is used once the source of the
several decades. The cleanup time will depend
contamination, such as leaking drums and
on how long it takes to pump all the
contaminated soil, has been treated or removed
contaminated groundwater necessary to treat
from the site. It also is used to contain plumes so
the plume or keep it from spreading. For
that they do not move offsite or toward lakes,
example, pump and treat will take longer where:
streams, or water supplies.
• Contaminant concentrations are high.

HYDROSPHERE 8
 Permeable Reactive Barrier
Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) are passive
supply electrons for reduction or stimulate
remediation systems especially designed for the
microorganisms to facilitate electron
remediation of contaminated ground water.
transfer.
✓ The technique involves digging a trench in
the path of flowing groundwater and filling it REACTIVE MATERIALS
with a permeable reactive material. As the 1. ZERO VALENT IRON (ZVI)
contaminated groundwater passes through • Is an oxidized compound that passes
the PRB, contaminants interact with the electrons to contaminants when they come
active material in the PRB and being in contact with one another.
absorbed, precipitated, or degraded. • It treats contaminants such as organic-
halogenated hydrocarbons, inorganics, and
WHAT IS PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIER metals. The reaction tends to degrade or
(PRB)? precipitate out contaminants when reduced
by the ZVI.
A permeable reactive barrier (PRB), also
referred to as a permeable reactive treatment 2. GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON/GCA
zone (PRTZ), it is a developing technology that • It is a chemically stable material with a high
has been recognized as being a cost-effective adsorption capacity for organic compounds
technology for in situ (at the site) groundwater because of its large surface area.
remediation. PRBs are barriers which allow • The effectiveness of GAC on inorganic
some— but not all—materials to pass through. compounds has yet to be evaluated. There is
a possibility of repeated use of this reactive
REACTIVE PROCESSES material through phosphate extraction, acid
washing, and recently, microbial
1. IMMOBILIZATION regeneration.
May occur through sorption on barrier
materials or precipitation from the dissolved 3. LIMESTONE
state. Organic compounds tend to absorb • Limestone is used in the remediation of
through hydrophobic expulsion, while metals anionic and cationic compounds. It is also
absorb through electrostatic attraction or effective in reducing the solubility of certain
surface complexation reactions. Sorption and metals.
precipitation are reversible, requiring the
4. OXYGEN RELEASING COMPOUNDS/ORC
removal of reactive medium and gathered
• Dissolved oxygen content is very low in
products to continue remediation.
groundwater.
2. TRANSFORMATION • Oxygen releasing material can create an
Transformation is the process of taking a aerobic environment and allow for
microbiological growth. This growth
contaminant and transforming it into a less
enhances the PRB and assists in
harmful or non-toxic form. It does not
degrading the contaminant.
require the removal of the reactive medium
and can take the form of an irreversible
redox reaction. The medium may directly
HYDROSPHERE 9
 GROUNDWATER MODELING 2. FUNNEL AND GATE

Groundwater models are computer models of • Funnel and gate systems are used to
groundwater flow systems and are used by channel the contaminant plume into a
hydrologists and hydrogeologists. Groundwater gate which contains the reactive material.
models are used to simulate and predict aquifer • The funnels are non-permeable, and the
conditions. simplest design consists of a single gate
with walls extending from both sides.
✓ A groundwater model may be a scale model or
• The main advantage of the funnel and
an electric model of a groundwater situation or
gate system is that a smaller reactive
aquifer.
region can be used for treating the plume,
✓ Groundwater models are used to represent the
resulting in a lower cost.
natural groundwater flow in the environment.
✓ Some groundwater models include (chemical) IMPLEMETATION OF PRB
quality aspects of the groundwater. Such
• PRBs are installed by digging a trench in the
groundwater models try to predict the fate and
path of contaminated groundwater and filling
movement of the chemical in natural, urban or
it with reactive materials such as iron, carbon,
hypothetical scenario.
or limestone. Sand can be mixed with the
Groundwater models may be used to predict reactive material to aid in allowing water to
the effects of hydrological changes (like flow through the materials. After the trench has
groundwater pumping or irrigation developments) been filled with reactive material, soil is used to
on the behavior of the aquifer and are often named cover the PRB, eliminating visibility from the
groundwater simulation models. Groundwater surface.
models are used in various water management
plans for urban areas. a) SHEET PILE AND EXCAVATION: Sheet piles
and excavation were used for the
CONFIGURATION installation of earlier PRBs, but they are
PRBs can be configured or arranged into two (2) slow and expensive and only suitable for
types: plumes less than 35 feet deep.

1. IRON BARRIERS b) CONTINUOUS TRENCHER: Continuous

trenching involves using a large cutting
There are two approaches to application of iron
chain excavator system and trench box and
particles for groundwater remediation:
hopper to backfill a trench with reactive
a. PRB made with mm-sized granular iron media. It is fast and inexpensive but can
only be used for trenches less than 50 feet
• Groundwater flows through the barrier and
deep and cannot be used on soil with large
is remediated.
cobbles.
b. Reactive Treatment Zone
c) MENDREL EMPLACEMENT: Mendrel
• Formed by sequential injection of nano- technology involves vertically driving a
sized iron form overlapping zones of long, hollow beam deep into the ground,
particles absorbed by the grains of covering it with iron filings and vibrating it
native aquifer material. to form a PRB. The mendrel is then moved
• The nanoparticles of iron have little one width over, the process is repeated,
mobility in the porous medium. and a continuous PRB is made.

HYDROSPHERE 10
 d) HYDRAULIC FRACTURE: Hydraulic fracture
ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA
involves injecting fine-grained iron into
fractures below the surface, which is then In 1996 a 46 m long, 7.3 m deep, .6 m thick
filled with guar gum and iron to form a PRB was installed at a Coast Guard Facility.
permeable PRB. Goal is to remediate a contaminant plume
of trichloroethylene (TCE) and hexavalent
e) DEEP SOIL MIXING: Deep soil mixing chromium (Cr (VI)).
creates columnar treatment zones to treat Took 6 hours to install using a continuous
plumes to a depth of 100 feet, but the trenching technique, which simultaneously
treatment zone is low in iron. removed the pre-existing sediment while
installing the reactive medium (granular
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
iron).
The success of a PRB is determined by The total cost was approximately $1 million,
monitoring the levels of contaminants in the water while the U.S. Coast Guard predicts that over
immediately downstream. If the levels are below 20 years $4 million will be saved compared to
maximum contaminant levels, then the PRB has a pump-and-treat system.
performed its function.
STATUS OF TECHNOLOGY
FAILURE
Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) technology was
In analyzing PRBs, emphasis has been placed introduced as an alternative method for
on losses of reactivity and permeability in the traditional pump-and-treat systems.
reactive well; however, flawed hydraulic
• This technology has been proven to be a
characterization of the few PRB failures that have
successful and most efficient promising
been reported. The reactivity of the media is more
method used by many researchers and in
likely to limit field PRB longevity than
several projects due to its direct and simple
permeability.
techniques to remediate groundwater. (Faisal
STRONGEST PREDICTORS OF POSSIBLE et al., 2017)
DIMINISHED PERFORMANCE OF PRBS:
ADVANTAGES
• Oxidation-reduction potential
• Cost effective
• Influent[pH]
• Has the ability to treat
• Influent concentrations of [alkalinity],
multiple contaminants
[nitrate NO−3], and [chloride Cl−]
• Limiting of cross contamination
CASE STUDIES
DISADVANTAGES
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA
• Restricted to shallow plumes
The first field-scale implementation of PRB • Loss of reactant potency and permeability
was in Sunnyvale. • Possible aesthetic problems

PRBS presented a more cost-effective

solution to the problem at hand, being
able to passively remediate the
groundwater. Granular metal was chosen
as the reactive media. The contaminants
were reduced to target levels.

HYDROSPHERE 11
 Other Solutions for Water Pollution

WHAT IS WATER POLLUTION?

Water pollution refers to the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater,
making it unsuitable for human consumption, recreation, or other uses. Water pollution can occur due to various
human activities such as industrial waste discharge, agricultural practices, sewage disposal, and oil spills.

Water pollution has various impacts on the environment, human health, and aquatic life.

Some of the impacts of water pollution are:

• Damage to Aquatic ecosystem
• Health risk
• Economic losses
• Aesthetic and Recreational Impacts
• Global Warming

SOLUTIONS FOR WATER POLLUTION:

• Proper waste disposal

• Use of eco-friendly products
• Reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides
• Promote reforestation
• Constructing wetlands
• Promote sustainable agriculture
• Educate people

HYDROSPHERE 12
 Nanotechnology

HYDROSPHERE
NANOTECHNOLOGY PURIFICATION
Hydrosphere is the water that covers or
surrounds Earth's surface, including ocean Purification, on the other hand, is a chemical
water and atmospheric water. or physical process that removes all types of
impurities from a substance, including particles,
USE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY dissolved minerals, and contaminants.
✓ Purification methods can include filtration,
Nanotechnology has the ability to but they also involve other processes such
continuously monitor and reduce as distillation, reverse osmosis, ion
environmental pollution as well as remove the exchange, and adsorption.
tiniest pollutants from air and water systems. ✓ Purification is typically used to remove all
And therefore, as the technology develops, it impurities from a substance to make it safe
should be looked at whether there are any for consumption or for other specific
potential hazards to the environment or to applications.
people's health.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FILTRATION AND
The introduction of nanotechnology in this
PURIFICATION
field has the potential to lower costs while also
improving the effectiveness of the purification
methods although numerous technologies have To conclude, filtration is a process that
been created for the purification of water removes visible particles from a substance, while
purification is a process that removes all types of
IMPACT OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
impurities to make a substance safe or suitable for
In the coming years, the potential impact a specific application. While filtration can be a step
of nanotechnology on the development of in the purification process, purification involves
strategies and methods for the water additional steps and processes beyond filtration.
treatment would increase. Engineered
nanomaterials are anticipated to play a
significant role in more effective saltwater
distillation, water recycling, and water cleanup
as freshwater resources are rapidly decreasing.

NANOTECHNOLOGY FILTRATION

Filtration is a physical process that

separates solid particles from a liquid or gas
by passing the mixture through a filter. The
filter can be made of different materials and
can have varying pore sizes to capture
particles of different sizes. Filtration is typically
used to remove large particles and visible
impurities from a substance, such as sediment,
sand, or debris.

HYDROSPHERE 13
HYDROSPHERE 14
HYDROSPHERE 15
HYDROSPHERE 16