Application of the Porous Media Model to the Study of Water Treatment

Abstract

This study focused on filtering techniques used to remove contaminants from well water, including bacteria, and viruses in the Agana community at Andoni Local Government Area. As a result, the already limited natural water supplies are under constant pressure. Filtration is one of the most commonly used methods in water treatment assessments. The filtration technique used in the research was filtered bed apparatus and the engineering aspects of the research is obtaining the head loss values of well 1( , well 2( ), and well 3( ) of different locations in the Agana community was obtained using the Carmen-Kozeny equation. Well 3 has the highest head loss value which shows that the volume of water retained was the least, and Well 2 which has the lowest head loss value depicts that the volume of water retained was the highest. Physicochemical properties of the water which are total hardness, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, pH, salinity, temperature, and conductivity also checked and compared with World Health Organization standards to know the state of the properties for well 1, 2, and 3 before filtration and after filtration. The results show that the well water (before filtration) has values of the physicochemical parameters like total hardness, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, pH, salinity, temperature, and conductivity which range from (0.5–0.9mg/l),(0.1-0.5mg/l),(0.06-0.28mg/l),(6.0-6.9mg/l),(0.4-1.0ppT),(0-26°c),(24-28mg/l) respectively, while for the well water (after filtration ) has values which range from (0.2-0.4mg/l),(0-0.1mg/l),(0-0.1mg/l),(6.0-7.0mg/l), (0.2-0.6 ppT), (0-26°c), (23-24mg/l) respectively. The results of the physicochemical properties of the well water (after filtration) are in line with the WHO standards which depicts that the filter bed apparatus was effective. Recommendations were made for effective water quality assessment that the community should have at least one of the filter beds used in the research in each compound that they can use for filtration of the well water.