WHAT IS CLEAN WATER?

The definition of clean water depends on who’s talking and which type of water is under discussion. We make different demands on the water we drink and shower in at home and the water used by industry. Even in the industrial segment, though, different people and companies have entirely different needs and understanding of what constitutes clean. Water that might be considered clean in one industry is unusable in another. A ship’s captain, a farmer, an auto mechanic and a pharmaceutical manufacturer all use water – and need to purify their water – but all in different ways. A swimming hall and a brewery also have different ways of looking at clean water. In short, clean water means different things to different people in different settings.

Wallenius AOT enables you to purify water sustainably. It gives you water that is free of harmful microorganisms and other organic pollutants – without releasing harmful effluents into the oceans and atmosphere.

In our climate-conscious era, environmentally sound, sustainable water purification should be a given.

Clean water means different things to different people in different settings. For one person, clean water is a pristine lake to swim in. For another, it’s a sterile liquid for efficient production. For yet another, access to clean water is the difference between life and death.

Sterile water

• Pharmaceutical industry, Clinical laboratories
One definition of sterility is a maximum of one (micro)organism per million parts. For water, this means only one organism in a million remains following purification (technically, this is known as a log 6 reduction).

Deionised/distilled water

• Chemical laboratories
Some applications demand very high chemical purity. Distillation is the classic method of achieving this, but modern technology enables production of sufficiently clean water through more energy-efficient methods.

Tap water (drinking water)
Drinking water quality is variously defined by different agencies and institutions. The WHO’s drinking water guidelines are an example of a standard regulating both.

Treated water

• Animal husbandry, Industrial processes
For some categories of water use, natural fresh- or saltwater can be employed after treatment to remove undesirable components such as particles, odours and organisms.

Surface water

•lake, stream, river, Agriculture – irrigation, Untreated water for industrial applications
The chemical properties of natural water vary from place to place. Water that is considered fresh and healthful in one setting may be considered badly polluted in another. The definition of clean water depends on the context.

Cooling tower water

Process water

• Cleaning water, Greenhouses,Chemical-industrial process water
Both the chemical and biological properties of industrial process water vary. Such water often has to be treated before being released into a recipient or a municipal sewage system. Treatment requirements depend very much on the type of contamination.

Greywater

Blackwater