Environmental Technologies and Eco-innovation in the Czech ...

(by means of coagulants 1 ) under slow stirring (water clarification 2 ) and subsequent
filtration. Finally, it is cleared of germs through disinfection and safe drinking water
results.
The necessity to remove substances that pass through the chemical clarification
unaffected (especially nitrates brought into natural waters from large-scale agricultural
production) requires continuous modernisation of water treatment methods. This
mainly includes the development of new coagulants that are friendlier to nature
and to humans for water treatment through clarification, and the development
of a more efficient and friendlier disinfection method. The consequences related
to global climate changes require support for innovations in water management that
will enable the provision of drinking water from those sources that were originally
less convenient (because of lack of ground water and of surface water). In addition,
they will enable the resolution of problems that arise due to the long-term storage
and transport of treated and pre-treated water.
Research of new coagulants and verification of safe common coagulants is
ongoing and its results are being implemented in practice. In addition to classical
water treatment procedures, other water treatment methods are being developed,
applied and used in the Czech Republic:
● thermal treatment (distillation) – liquids with different boiling points are
separated from each other by distillation,
● reverse osmosis – this is pressure filtration through a special membrane adapted to
capture specification,
● denitrification – the biochemical decomposition of nitrates all the way down to
basic nitrogen is occurring under defined conditions by specific microorganisms,
● disinfection by UV radiation preventing the formation of undesirable chlorinated
organic compounds through the use of chlorine,
● ozonisation – disinfection by using ozone preventing the formation of undesirable
chlorinated organic compounds through the use of chlorine,
● nanofiltration – a process similar to reverse osmosis using a different type of
membrane that captures all inorganic salts and large organic compounds,
● microfiltration – this is pressure filtration through microfilters with specific pore
sizes under defined conditions that also captures bacteria.
1 coagulant – a substance creating an insoluble compound with its impurities dissolved in water
2 water clarification – a mechanical-chemical process where water is stirred slowly while doses of coagulants are added;
supports the formation of flakes of the precipitated impurities
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