Performance Evaluation of Drinking Water Treatment Plant in Iraq

Abstract

The presence of natural or non-natural pollutants in water resulting from human activity such as the introduction of harmful agricultural and industrial pollutants into rivers that could be the main reason in forming trihalomethane compounds after chlorination step in drinking water production plants. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to assess the efficiency of traditional drinking water treatment plants in the removal of organic and inorganic pollutants (chemical and physical parameters). The Al-Hussein city water project as a traditional water treatment plant in Karbala governorate was taken with a capacity of 8000 m3/ has a model for this study. The physical and chemical properties of traditional plant was measured such as (Turbidity, Temperature, pH, Electric conductivity, Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride, Aluminum, Sulphate, Total dissolved salts) was taken from four units in the plant (quick mixing unit, sedimentation unit, filtration unit and disinfection unit). The average chemical and physical properties for both raw and drinking water were calculated for eight months during 2017-2018. The average removal percentage of turbidity was 60.7%. However, the values of the other tests ranged from 5 to -0.94%. In order to evaluate the presence of the organic substances in the plant. The samples for raw and drinking water were withdrawn in the winter and spring season from four units of the plant. The traditional plant show the removal efficiency of organic materials was 82% in the winter and 52% was in the spring season. The results showed that the physical and chemical properties were not significantly affected during the treatment process and their values were within the limits of the standard of drinking water. The traditional drinking water treatment plant considers unstable plant for the removal of organic compounds in the winter and spring with the possibility of forming chlorinated organic compounds. Therefore, there was the need to use additional treatment techniques to meet the challenges of new pollutants.