This coursework master's dissertation (60 credits) has been developed as part of the author's
Master's of Engineering Degree (MEng) in Water Quality Engineering at the University of Cape
Town (UCT). The author currently works in the field of water and wastewater treatment as a
consulting engineer with eight (8) year's relevant experience. The latter four (4) years have
been mainly focussed on potable water treatment and rendering it safe for human consumption.
During this time the author received some exposure to the chemical- and physical water
treatment processes however it was felt that in-depth knowledge on the matter was lacking.
Therefore the focus of this dissertation pertains to potable water treatment only and its
emphasis is on the following aspects: - Raw water quality: What should one test for in the raw
water when and why should you test for it and how can it be removed or used to inform the
process design. - Process design: A user friendly excel based software model has been developed
by the author that enables the user to perform a process design that should be able to
adequately treat most surface waters (from rivers and dams).Water is a precious and limited
resource that plays a vital role in sustaining life on earth. Also 60% of an adult human body
consists of water and if not consumed in sufficient amounts can lead to dehydration and
ultimately result in fatality. However water does not only fulfil a critical survival need. It
is also used in many other applications. For example in the municipal sphere water is used for
various other purposes such as bathing brushing of teeth washing of clothes transporting
excrement (in the form of wastewater) preparing food watering of gardens to name but a few.
In the industrial sector water can be used for cooling food and drink production washing etc.
The list goes on and on. In most cases water in its natural form is not suitable for use in any
of the above-mentioned applications and must be treated first before it is considered
appropriate and safe for distribution to consumers. As such the goal of water treatment is to
take water from a raw water source this can include the ocean a wastewater treatment works
(in the case of re-use) aquifers dams or rivers and to treat the water so that it complies
with local regulations and standards. In South Africa drinking potable water must comply with
SANS 241-1 (South African National Standards 2015:1-14) and the maximum allowable limit of
each determinant is listed in Tables 1 and 2 under Section 4 thereof. There are many water
treatment process configurations available and there is a vast selection of technologies
offered for each process step. It is often difficult to establish the right process
configuration based on the physical and chemical characteristics of the water. The next
challenge is to choose the right technology for each process step. Some technologies are very
specific to the type of water they can treat and it is not one size fits all. Further other
technologies are sensitive to conditions such as flow variations through the water treatment
works.
