Borehole water treatment for non-potable use could be the answer to your water problems.
At Water Purification Solutions, we design and manufacture water treatment plants that purify contaminated groundwater from boreholes, making it fit for use.
This gives our clients access to alternative water sources, which can be used for various purposes such as non-potable use. Some examples of non-potable use include irrigation, cleaning and washing, dust suppression, and toilet flushing.
In this article, we explore two different projects in which we give industrial clients access to their borehole water for non-potable use.
Borehole Water Treatment for Auto Body Shop
The first example covers treatment of borehole water for a large auto body shop in Malmesbury.
This auto body shop is one of South Africa’s largest suppliers of brake system components for heavy duty trucks, buses, and trailers, covering most vehicle and component manufacturers. Their service offering includes washing of large vehicles like trucks.
Challenge
The client’s main concern was the corrosion of vehicles washed using the borehole water. This indicated that, due to the corrosive nature of the borehole water, the water had to be treated before it could be used to wash the vehicles.
Our water analyses indicated that the cause of the corrosiveness of the groundwater is elevated levels of chloride (Cl), sodium (Na), and total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water.
Water treatment
To address this challenge, our scope for this project covered the turnkey design and manufacture of a water treatment plant to treat the borehole water for non-potable use.
The design consists of two stages of treatment: Reverse osmosis (RO) and post-treatment.
Reverse osmosis is intended to remove dissolved ionic species in order to achieve the required final product water quality. In addition, cartridge filtration is incorporated to guard the RO against suspended particles. Anti-scalant dosing protects the RO membranes against scaling.
The final stage, post-treatment, comprises of remineralisation. We included a calcium carbonate vessel that will increase the pH of the water and negate any corrosive behaviour of the water.
Having manufactured and tested the water treatment system, we installed it at the client’s premises.
Results
The borehole water treatment system delivers product water with a reduced level of total dissolved solids as well as an increased pH value. This negates any potential corrosive behaviour of the water, greatly improving the client’s vehicle washing processes.
Borehole Water Treatment for Transport Company
The second example covers treatment of borehole water for a green transport company in Cape Town.
This transport logistics provider specialises in the local and regional transport of various dry bulk goods. As a responsible organisation, they continuously aim to reduce the carbon footprint of their operations.
Challenge
The client wanted to use the water from their on-site borehole for cleaning and toilet flushing at their facilities. However, the borehole water was unusable, because it contained a large amount of contaminants.
After conducting in-house water testing on the water samples received from the client, we discovered that the main points of concern regarding the water quality are total dissolved solids (TDS), iron, and manganese.
Water treatment
Our solution to the above-mentioned challenge was to design and manufacture a borehole water treatment system that would purify the contaminated groundwater for non-potable use.
The design of the fully-automated water treatment system comprises of four stages of treatment:
- Pre-treatment
- Filtration
- Reverse osmosis
- Post-treatment
The pre-treatment stage removes dissolved metals and organics through pH adjustment and oxidation.
In the following stage, a series of media filters is introduced to remove metals from the water and to absorb dissolved constituents such as organics and residual chlorine. Cartridge filtration is also incorporated for the removal of particles larger than 5μm.
In the next stage, RO technology is used for the removal of dissolved ionic species in order to achieve the final product water quality.
Finally, the product water gets disinfected in the post-treatment stage. For this project, we opted for sodium hypochlorite dosing to keep biological growth at bay through to point of use.
Upon completion and approval of the design, our team built the water treatment system on skids and tested it thoroughly.
Results
The custom borehole water treatment system enabled the client to use their borehole as an alternative water source for non-potable uses, namely cleaning and toilet flushing. Not only did this save them costs on municipal water, but it also enabled them to operate at full capacity, without having to deal with inadequate and erratic water supply.
Get in touch with our water treatment specialists at WPS if you too are interested in finding a solution to your company’s water-related challenges at through water treatment.
