Purification of Water by Adding Alum and Boiling

The mere boiling of water is historically known to make water drinkable. Water treated in this manner might still be turbid. The purification of water by the addition of alum before boiling takes care of this problem.

Water treatment through boiling is arguably the oldest procedure used to purify water. Boiling water is likely the easiest method of obtaining water when no chemical means such as chlorination are available. Many novel technologies offer the promise of availing water for consumption. An example is the harvesting of the moisture suspended in the air to obtain fresh drinking water. Boiling of water, on the other hand, provides a much more economic means of water purification.

The additional supply of alum to water before boiling increases the efficiency of the boiling process.

Boiling of water is just one of the many methods of water treatment through thermal means. The main principle of water treatment through this method is to bring the treated water to temperatures that are lethal to the microbes that may be present. The heat kills the microbes, hence making the water safe to drink. There are many other forms of treating drinking water through this method including Solar Water Treatment methods.

Water that initially contains certain chemical properties such as carbonates often leads to the formation of precipitates. These tend to adhere to the surfaces of the containers used during the boiling process.

Simply put, the alum treatment of water acts by inducing the coagulation effect on the water sample. This refers to the agglomeration of suspended particles in a given water sample. These elements coalesce together, forming huge particles that eventually sink to the bottom of the vessel in which the water is contained.

The treated water at the top is then separated from the rest as purified water. This is the same process that is used in most municipal water treatment operations. However, one should note that the water is, at this point, the water might still be unsuitable for drinking especially if obtained from sources that are potentially contaminated. The water might still contain microorganisms such as E-Coli that are potentially disease-causing.

In most commercial water treatment plants that use alum for purification, the additional stage of disinfection is necessary. This is often achieved using chlorine. However, boiling can also do the job at a small scale level in the home setting. Thus, the purification of water by adding alum before boiling helps achieve impressive results.

Ideally, 1 minute is okay, but 10 minutes guarantees that all harmful microbes are eliminated.

Most disease-causing microorganisms die far before the boiling point of water is attained. This means that the water might be purified and safe to drink after the first few minutes. However, the additional minutes are necessary to guarantee that the biologically hazardous constituents in the water are eliminated.

The addition of alum to water ensures that a significantly lower boiling time is needed. This is because alum also helps to remove some of the pathogens.

• Boiling of water is an attractive method of water purification because of its ease and low cost. All that is required is a suitable container, source of heat, and sufficient time for boiling to take place.
• Boiling is unlike the chemical treatment processes such as chlorination that leave residual chemicals in the water samples. This is great considering that boiling does not lead to the introduction of secondary chemicals in the body.

• Boiling of water might take longer than necessary time to achieve water purification. The boiling itself takes a minimum of ten minutes, and an additional time is required for the water to cool to temperatures that are safe to drink.
• Boiling Itself does not affect other critical water qualities such as color and odor. This means potentially ill experience while using the water treated through boiling alone.

• The efficiencies achieved by the addition of alum in the removal of turbidity make it an indispensable element in water treatment. When added in the right amount, it removes virtually all the suspended matter.
• Alum is also easy to obtain as it is available in many outlets. This makes its acquisition easy.
• Alum is also cost-friendly. Hence, this makes it an inexpensive item to acquire.

• One of the major problems associated with the use of alum in water treatment is that it is labor intensive. After adding the required volume into the water, one needs to mix it thoroughly to increase the efficiency of the process. After letting the water settle for some time, additional labor is needed to separate the sludge at the bottom from the useful water.
• Alum leads to lowered pH levels in the treated water. Water with lowered pH is acidic and might cause problems such as diarrhea and abdominal pains among others. The problem is solved by adding suitable alkaline to raise the pH.
• When the alum is used in excessive quantities, it might result in the presence of dissolved Aluminum compounds in the water. This is often an undesirable quality as it might lead to ill health. Chemicals are often removed using methods such as Reverse Osmosis.

Most boiled water samples, while safe for drinking, might have ‘flat’ tastes. This might not be enjoyable for most people. To improve this, one can add a pinch of salt or by letting it stand for some duration before use.

To minimize any further infection of the treated water, the boiled water should be kept in a clean and sterile container.

Boiling water is an easy way of purifying water. Since boiling only eliminates the disease-causing microorganisms and leaves out the suspended matter, the addition of alum improves the process on a wide scale. Hence, purification of water by adding alum and boiling should be embraced for anyone wishing to get high-quality water at low costs.