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WATER PURIFICATION PROCESSES IN NATURAL

SYSTEMS

CE 4312- WATER AND

WASTEWATER ENGINEERING

LECTURE 6- Water Pollution Control and Water

Quality Modeling

These systems include physical, chemical and biological

processes.
The speed and completeness with which these processes
occur depend on system-specific variables.
Hydraulic characteristics - volume, rate, and turbulence
of flow,

physical
characteristics - bottom and bank
material, variations in sunlight and temperature,

chemical nature of natural waters

Ms. Nadeeka Miguntanna, Senior Lecturer,

Faculty of Engineering, University of Ruhuna
nadee830@gmail.com

In natural waters these system variables are set by nature

and can seldom be altered.

Physical Processes
Dilution

Although dilution is a powerful solution to the self-cleaning

mechanisms of surface waters, its success depends upon
discharging relatively small quantities of waste into large bodies of
water.
Dilution capacity of a stream can be calculated using the principals
of mass balance.
If the volumetric flow rate and the concentrations of a given material
are known in both the stream and the waste discharge, the
concentration after mixing can be calculated as,
CsQs + CwQw =QmCm

C - the concentrations (mass/volume) of the selected material,

Q - the volumetric flow rate (volume/time) and subscripts
s, w and m - stream, waste and mixture conditions

Sedimentation and Re-suspension

Sedimentation is natures method of removing suspended

particles from a watercourse.

The impacts are;

Anaerobic conditions are likely to be developed at the
sediment deposits and any organics trapped in them will
decompose.

Sediment deposits may fill up the pore space at the
streambed and creating unsuitable conditions for the
reproduction of many aquatic systems.

May cause difficulty for navigation.

May reduce the reservoir storage capacity and silt harbors.

May increase flooding due to channel filling.

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Filtration

Small bits of organic matter or inorganic clays and other

sediments may be filtered out by pebbles or rocks along the
streambed.
As the water percolates from the surface downward into
ground water aquifers, filtration occurs.

Gas transfer

The transfer of gasses into and out of water is an important

part of the natural purification system.
The replenishment of oxygen lost to bacterial degradation or
organic waste is accomplished by the transfer of oxygen from
the air into the water.
Conversely gasses evolved in the water by chemical and
biological processes may be transferred from the water to
the atmosphere.

Chemical Processes

Natural waters contain many dissolved minerals and gasses

that interact chemically with one another in complex and varied
ways.
Oxidation-reduction, dissolution-precipitation, and other
chemical conversions may aid or obstruct natural processes of
natural water systems.
Note: Oxidation Reduction (Redox) reactions

Cd2+ + Fe Fe 2 + + Cd

Many of the chemical reactions involved in the self-purification process

must be biologically mediated.
These chemical reactions are not spontaneous but require an external
source of energy for initiation.
In the case of biodegradable organics and other nutrients this activation
energy can be supplied by microorganisms that utilize these materials for
food and energy.
The total sum of the processes by which organisms assimilate and use food
for subsistence growth and reproduction is called metabolism.
The metabolic processes and the organisms involved are a part of the selfpurification process of natural water systems.
The biochemical reactions involved in metabolism are extremely
complicated and are not yet completely understood. It is known however
that two types of processes each involving many steps must occur
simultaneously.

Redox reactions can be expressed as a sum of two half reactions

Cd 2 + + 2 e - Cd

and

Fe

Fe 2 + + 2 e -

WATER QUALITY MODELING

BioBio-chemical Processes

Oxidation is loss of electrons and Reduction is gain of electrons.

Metal ions will replace ions of a less easily oxidized metal from solution.

Advection, Diffusion and Dispersion

Advection
Advection results from flow that is unidirectional and does not
change the identity of the substance being transported.

Advection moves matter from one position in space to another.

Simple examples of transport primarily of this type are the flow

of water through a lakes outlet and downstream transport due
to flow in a river or estuary

Catabolism- provides the energy for the synthesis of new cells as well as for the
maintenance of other cell functions.
Anabolism-provides the materials necessary for cell growth.

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WATER QUALITY MODELING

WATER QUALITY MODELING

Advection, Diffusion and Dispersion

Diffusion
Refers to the movement of mass due to random water motion
or mixing. Such transport causes the dye patch to spread out
and dilute over time with negligible net movement of its center
of mass.
On a microscopic scale molecular diffusion results from the
random Brownian motion of water molecules. A similar kind of
random motion occurs on a larger scale due to eddies and is
called turbulent diffusion.
diffusion Both have a tendency to minimize
the gradients. That is the differences in concentration by
moving mass from regions of high to low concentrations.

Advection, Diffusion and Dispersion

Dispersion
This process also causes pollutant to spread.
However in contrast to random water motion in time, dispersion
is the result of velocity differences in space.
For example, suppose the dye were introduced into water
flowing through a pipe.
In such cases, a molecules of dye near the wall of the pipe
would move more slowly than a molecule near the center due
to a velocity gradient or shear.
The net effect of these differences in mean velocity is to spread
or mix the dye along the pipes axis.