Common Contaminants Found in Industrial Water Systems and How to Remove Them

The water we use in every industry must be clean. Using dirty, contaminated water can lead to health complications or unsafe work environments. Within almost all industries, it is easy for water to get contaminated, and finding solutions to treat them should be just as easy. Below, we’ll walk you through what types of contaminants you might find in your water and different solutions on how to remove them through different treatment systems.

Contaminates

Bacteria such as sewage leaks, animal waste,  and human waste are all common forms of contaminants that can be found in industrial water if left untreated. However, if left untreated, water contaminated with bacteria can lead to mild stomach issues or even more serious illnesses.

Lead from old pipes or other plumbing fixtures can be another source of contamination in industrial water. Exposure from water contaminated water can result in serious long-term health effects.

Chemical contamination is another thing to look out for. It can be easy for chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to sneak into industrial water sources. These chemicals can enter the water supply from agricultural runoff, industrial waste, and other sources. There are a number of health issues that can result from leaving chemically contaminated water untreated.

Mercury, arsenic, and cadmium are all metals that have also been found to contaminate industrial water. Water that contains metal contaminants can lead to serious health risks if consumed in high levels.

While there are some serious consequences of leaving water untreated, there are also several ways to treat the water to ensure the safety of everyone in the workplace. The first water treatment option is called the Raw Water Treatment method. Samcotech says that “Raw water treatment systems are used to treat source water for a given application, such as heating, cooling, rinsing, processing, or even for consumption.” There are impacts that could get in the way of treating the water during the boiler feed method. These negative impacts include: variable turbidity levels, variable flow rates, changing feed chemistry, changing quality requirements, and secondary rates.

Boiler feed water treatment is another treatment solution. “Boiler feed water treatment systems are used to remove certain contaminants from water used in boiler makeup and condensate return water”. This treatment form is best used in industries that utilize boilers in their daily operations. The boiler feed water treatment can also be affected negatively if there are traces of sludge buildup, scale buildup, Corrosion, or foaming and priming.

If you work with cooling systems every day then the cooling tower water treatment is perfect for you. The cooling tower water treatments are meant to remove contaminants present in feed water, circulation water, and/or blowdown water in order to prevent damage to cooling tower components. This treatment could be negatively impacted by excess blowdown, low cycle of concentration, secondary waste disposal, or water scarcity.