WATER QUALITY

AND TREATMENT

FILTRATION
 FILTRATION
• It is a process that generally follows
sedimentation so as to remove some of the
suspended particles (colloidal particles and
micro-organisms) remaining after
sedimentation
• Filtration - Water is passed through filters
(granular layered porous media) made of
sand, anthracite coal , etc to filter out
remaining particles from sedimentation.
 FILTRATION - INTRODUCTION

1) WHY CARRY OUT FILTRATION?

• Filtration clarifies water and enhances the

effectiveness of disinfection.

• To remove clays, silts, natural organic matter,

precipitates from other treatment process, iron and
manganese and micro-organisms
 FILTRATION - INTRO..

2) MODES OF FILTRATION

• Gravity
• Pressure
• Up flow
 FILTRATION - INTRO…

3) TYPES FILTERS

• Slow sand filters

• Rapid filters
• Roughing filters
 FILTRATION - MEDIA

4) FILTER MEDIA

 The following media are commonly used as

filtering media

• Sand (cheapest)
• Anthracite (coal) or hard coal
• Garnet sand (costly)
• Crushed glass
• Slag, burned husks, activated carbon
 FILTRATION - MEDIA

5) QUALITIES OF FILTER MEDIA

 Broadly speaking, filter media should possess

the following qualities

• Coarse enough to retain large quantities of floc,

• Sufficiently fine particles to prevent passage of
suspended solids,
• Uniform size to avoid stratification due to backwash
• Deep enough to allow relatively long filter runs, and
• Graded to permit backwash cleaning.
• Retain a maximum quantity of solids with minimum
head loss
 FILTRATION - MEDIA

5) QUALITIES OF FILTER MEDIA - CONTD

• Hard resistant to abrasion during transportation, laying

and washing
• Inert - material should not be lost by dissolving and
undesirable chemicals should not be leached out into
the water

 Above all the filtering media should always be

affordable.
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
1) ROUGHING FILTERS
• Used as pre-treatment for slow sand filters to reduce the
turbidity of the water to be treated. High turbid waters of
between 20 to 150NTU can be treated.
• Media used is gravel of different sizes: The water flows slowly
through beds of gravel of different sizes, first coarse, then
becoming finer .
• Removal of suspended particles is by sedimentation in pore
spaces and adhesion on the surface of gravel grains
• typically have a filter box divided into multiple sections
containing gravel beds of decreasing particle size, inlet and
outlet structures, and flow-control devices
• turbidity removal ranges from 60 to 90%
• There are generally of two types:
1. Vertical flow
2. Horizontal flow
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
1) ROUGHING FILTERS – Vertical flow

• filtration rates relatively high, up to 20m/h

• low backwash rates
• may replace the flocculation and sedimentation in
conventional rapid filters
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
1) ROUGHING FILTERS – Vertical flow
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
1) ROUGHING FILTERS – Horizontal flow

• Have large silt storage capacity due to the coarse filter

media and hence long filter run.
• Operation can extends for years before cleaning or
removal of media
• Filtration rate ranges from 0.5 to 4m/hr
• First coarse fraction: 4.5 to 6m; middles fraction 3 to
4m and last fraction 1.5 to 2m .
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
1) ROUGHING FILTERS – Horizontal flow
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
2) SLOW SAND FILTERS
• It is a bed of sand through which water passes slowly vertically
downwards. As the water moves through, the suspended solids
are filtered and the microorganisms living in the sand removes
the organic impurities
• The filter builds up a layer of filtered contaminants on the
surface, which becomes the active filtering medium
• Slow sand filters are cleaned by taking them off line and
• draining them. The organic or contaminant layer is then
scraped off.
• The filter can then be restarted. After water quality reachesan
acceptable level, the filter can then be put back on line.
turbidity removal ranges from 60 to 90%
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
2) SLOW SAND FILTERS - CONTD
• Applicable to waters with low turbidity
• Filtration rate low 0.4m/hr
• Are of any size or any shape –Rectangular commonly used
• Area (surface) – 600m2
• Side walls either vertical or sloped
• Sand bed is unstratified
• Filter run for 30 days and permissible head loss range from 1.0
to 1.5m
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
1) SLOW SAND FILTERS

0.4-0.6mm
1.5-2.0mm
Total depth of sand bed, h=1 to 1.4 m
5-8mm Filter box, H  at least 2.7m
Plan area A  5000m2
15-25mm
Gravel
h  at 300 to 400mm

underdrains
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
2) SLOW SAND FILTERS - OPERATION
• Sand bed filled from below to prevent scour from the inlet and
drives out air from pores
• Water allowed to run to for a number of weeks until the
Schmutzdeck is established. This flow is approximately ¼ of
design rate, and then the flow is gradually increased to its
design value. This can be monitored through bacterial count
• Water should be kept moving down to provide dissolved
oxygen to the organisms (to prevent anaerobic conditions)
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
2) SLOW SAND FILTERS - ADVANTAGES
• Good removal of pathogens, bacteria and viruses, cercanae,
ova and cysts. A 99.9% removal can be achieved in slow sand
filtration. Chlorination is usually specified as a precaution and
in case of operator error.
• No chemical pre-treatment necessary
• No sophisticated equipment or design i.e. the level of skills
required is less
• Local material e.g. sand can be used with even a higher non-
uniformity coefficient is acceptable (1.7 –3.0)
• Disposal of sludge easier because no chemical sludges are
produced.
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
2) SLOW SAND FILTERS - DISADVANTAGES
• Only low turbidity water can be treated otherwise it is easily
clogged
• Large area of land required
• Algae growth – constant cleaning required
• Colour of vegetable origin not removed by slow sand filters.
• In cold climates the biological activity is slow
• Large labour force for cleaning
• Capital intensive
• Low hydraulic loading
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
3) RAPID FILTERS
• In rapid sand filtration much higher application velocities
are used
• They are depth filtration filters
• They have large particle sizes, effective size of 1mm
(compared to 0.2mm in SSF)
• High filtration rates due to frequent cleaning and absence of
bio-film
• Lower head losses compared to SSF because the deposits are
distributed through great depth
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
3) RAPID FILTERS- APPLICABILITY
• Convectional treatment – after coagulation, flocculation
and sedimentation, for the removal of floes carried over
from the sedimentation stage.
• Direct filtration as the only turbidity removal stage before
slow sand filtration
• Removal of soluble compounds of Manganese and iron.
insoluble compounds are formed on the sand grains.
• For tertiary treatment after biological treatment for high
quality effluents in wastewater treatment.
• For high hydraulic loading 100 to 200m3/m2 /d as
composed to slow sand filter(1 –4m3/m2 / day).
• Can be used as roughing filtration – turbidity reduction
before sand filtration
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
3) RAPID FILTERS- HOW IT WORKS
• The water above the filter provides the hydraulic pressure (head) for the
process.
• The filter medium is above a larger gravel, rock, or other media for
support.
• Below the rock is usually an underdrain support of some type.
• The water flows through the filter and support media, exiting from a pipe
below.
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
3) RAPID FILTERS- HOW IT WORKS - CONTD
 FILTRATION- FILTERS
4) RAPID FILTERS VERSUS SLOW SAND FILTERS
FILTRATION- HYDRAULICS
FILTRATION- HYDRAULICS
 FILTRATION- BACK WASHING
• Cleaning of the filters is achieved by backwashing at
the rate of about 10 times the normal filtration rate.
• The upward flow of water expands the bed producing
a fluidized condition in which accumulated debris is
scoured off the sand particles.
• Troughs collect the scour and are placed high enough
above the sand layer so that sand will not be carried
out with the backwash water.
 BACK WASHING is carried out when the turbidity and
head loss limits are reached and when the time to
backwash is reached.
 FILTRATION- BACK WASHING
HOW TO DO BACK WASHING

 Basically the principle lies behind loosening the deposits

using water and air or both. This is usually achieved by the
following ways

 Compressed air first then water. The air loosens deposits,

and then water washes them out. This reduces wash water
requirement
 compressed air and water simultaneously, then water, but
gravel mat be dislodges if the backwash are high, sand may
not be fluidised and smaller grains may be lost
 FILTRATION- BACK WASHING
HOW TO DO BACK WASHING
 FILTRATION - BACK WASHING
WATER FOR BACK WASHING

 elevated tank (overhead)

 high pressure system from pumps. This is expensive
 inter-filter washing units
FILTRATION – DESIGN EXAMPLE
SLOW FILTERS
FILTRATION – DESIGN EXAMPLE
FILTRATION – DESIGN EXAMPLE
SLOW FILTERS
FILTRATION – DESIGN EXAMPLE
RAPID FILTERS
FILTRATION – DESIGN EXAMPLE
RAPID FILTERS
FILTRATION – DESIGN EXAMPLE
RAPID FILTERS
FILTRATION – DESIGN EXAMPLE
RAPID FILTERS
FILTRATION – DESIGN EXAMPLE
RAPID FILTERS
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