Understanding Water Treatment Fundamentals

[caneng2002]

I've been in civil engineering for 20+ years and during that time have danced around water/wastewater treatment and general infrastructure.

I'm both impressed and jealous of the water treatment knowledge some of the posters on this website.

Having recently started to gravitate to more water treatment work, I'd really like to get a better handle on the fundamentals.

I can look at water analysis and balance the ions and check the levels for compliance. At the other end I can size process equipment, calculate chemical dosage rates.

Areas that leave me confused/baffled is trying to understand what chemicals bond first, what solubility or concentration rates they can be reduced to with simple chemical/physical treatment. Ditto with how the reactions are effected by pH, alkalinity....

I would like to ask for a starting point on this learning curve.

A few bullet points would be great.

 

[bimr]

The subject is too broad for a response. However, it is recommended that you get a copy of the book listed below. Most of the answers will be found in that book.

E. Nordell, Water Treatment for Industrial and Other Uses, Reinhold, New York, 196l, pp. 489-526. 12

 

[edcard]

Any good process chemistry book will be helpful. I'm not familiar with the one recommended by the previous poster, but my favorite is an old book by Benefield and Randall. Sawyer and McCarthy (sp?) was also very popular, perhaps it still is. Infilco/Degremont and Nalco had books as well, mostly geared to water treatment.