The priceless gifts which Mother Nature has given us are water, air, and soil. Without these, no life is possible on any planet. Our planet is blessed with all these essential elements needed to support intelligent life like us humans. As we know, a living being is made from cells and tissues. But to nourish them, water is needed. Our planet is covered by water, but most of it is not fit for drinking. Only four % of all the water available on earth is fit for drinking. All the complex life forms on earth depend on this small percentage.
With an increase in the human population and industrialization, we have exploited this invaluable resource beyond its limits. This is the reason why many parts of the world have drinking water scarcity. Rising pollution has added to our problems as it increased the earth’s temperature. This caused the greenhouse effect triggering and the melting of polar ice caps at a highly accelerated rate. All of these issues have now come to humans’ faces, and we, as a civilization, have realized it in the past few decades. Currently, humans are working tirelessly in technologies to conserve water and use it wisely. We are pressing on water recycling and saving water as much as possible. We have also recognized the need to purify water and eradicate health-related issues with low drinking water.
Water Purification And Various Methods To Do It
Water purification is a concept ancient and primitive. Humans started using cotton cloths and coal to filter water. With time new technologies have evolved. Now we have cutting edge methods that use RO (reverse osmosis) and UV (ultraviolet) technologies to purify water. Initially, these techniques were implemented in industrial water purifiers. With time, these technologies have been embedded in household water purifiers since the water quality in an urban setting has dwindled over time due to the increasing population and underdeveloped civic amenities in India.
The need for such a household water filter for those who can afford it is critical. These water purifiers are fitted with RO and UV systems. RO systems use a membrane to keep impurities out, while UV uses UV radiations at low frequency to kill all water-bound pathogens. The next big challenge that is faced by water purifiers is hard water, and this is not only a challenge for households but also for industries.
Hard Water And Its Challenges
The hardness of water is simply nothing but minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium in abundance. When in perfect quantity, they fulfill the need for humans and are essential. But once they are in a lot, they degrade the dissolving power of water. Any other solvent does not dissolve, and water lets them move as suspended particles. This nature is called hardness of water; it also impacts water’s taste, becoming more inflexible or bitter or salty. To counter this, we have water softening agents or water softener.
These water softeners make water soft through various scientific methods like the Ion-exchange method, where we use resins as softeners. Other agents like lime or washing soda or chelating agents like Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or in short EDTA and Tetrasodium. You might be surprised to know, but RO or reverse osmosis is also a method to eliminate hard water and make it soft and usable or drinkable again.
Discourage Wastage By Using The Hard Water For Other Purposes
Once we move through all these processes, the water regains its original properties and is soluble and drinkable again. The solubility makes it fit for various industrial purposes like dyeing or washing or mixing or cleaning. From a household water filtration perspective, making the water soft from hard may not levy any cost, but all the water softening processes are very costly from an industry perspective. This increases the stake to use the output as well as efficiently. We should remember water softening also generates a lot of wastewater. To produce one liter of soft water, we generate 5 liters of challenging wastewater. This water should be used for other purposes, and this applies to both industries and households. It is recommended to use the excreted water for washing utensils or clothes or for cleaning and sanitation in household settings.
Conclusion
In the end, we can say that after all these learning’s we are in a better position to make a call on whether we need a water purifier or not for household or industrial use. We also know what goes behind the scenes of these water purification systems and which one we should opt for. We must also rely on the brand and the quality of the product and its after-sales maintenance and service experience. As buyers, we should not compromise on all these facts and make a wiser choice for our families and us.
