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Did
you know?
Reverse osmosis is the finest water filtration method known. This process will
allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a solution. It is used
to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in order to improve the
color, taste or properties of the fluid. R.O. uses a membrane that is semi-permeable,
allowing the fluid that is being purified to pass through it, while rejecting
other ions and contaminants from passing.
This technology uses a process
known as crossflow to allow the r.o. membrane to continually clean itself. This
is the reason of why an r.o. element can last many years before clogging or
need replacement. This
water purification process requires a driving force to push the fluid through
the membrane, and the most common force is household water pressure or pressure
from a booster pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving force and
efficiency.
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NITRATE (Nitrate Nitrogen)
in Drinking Water
Nitrate Nitrogen.
The concentration of nitrates is commonly expressed as N03-.
The term "nitrate nitrogen" is used to refer to the nitrogen
present which is combined in the nitrate ion. This nomenclature is used
to differentiate nitrate nitrogen from nitrogen in the form of ammonia
(ammonia nitrogen), from nitrogen in the form of nitrite (nitrite nitrogen),
etc. The concentrations are usually expressed in milligrams per liter
of nitrogen.
Many
ground waters contain small amounts of nitrate nitrogen. Concentrations
range from 0.1 mg/l to 3 or 4 mg/l in most areas. Amounts as high as 100
mg/l have been found, however. Nitrates may occur in both shallow and
deep well supplies, but they are most common in water from shallow wells.
Nitrate nitrogen can result from the seepage of water through soil containing
nitrate-bearing minerals. It may also occur as the result of using certain
fertilizers in the soil; however, nitrates are one of the products of
decomposition of animal and human wastes. Thus, the presence of nitrates
in a water supply indicates possible pollution of the water.
Nitrate
nitrogen has been much publicized in recent years in relations
to the problem of "blue babies." In concentrations as low as
10 to 20 mg/1 nitrate nitrogen has caused illness and even death among
infants under six months of age. If such water is used for supplemental
or for complete bottle feeding, it may affect the ability of the blood
to carry oxygen. This oxygen starvation is called methemoglobinemia, or
more commonly, the "blue baby" condition. This serious illness
in infants is caused because nitrate is converted to nitrite in the higher
pH conditions existing in the stomachs and intestinal tracts of infants
under six months of age. Nitrite interferes with the oxygen carrying capacity
of a child's or baby animal's blood. This is an actue disease in that
the symptons can develop rapidly. In most cases, health deteriorates rapidly
over a period of days. Symptons include shortness of breath and blueness
of skin.
In
the process of decomposition, raw sewage undergoes a chemical change.
Among the end products is nitrate nitrogen. When nitrate nitrogen occurs,
it is considered evidence of pollution either from septic tank fields,
cesspools or other sewage sources. Where a groundÂwater is known to contain
little or no nitrate nitrogen naturally, the appearance of any significant
increase is a probable indication of pollution. Because of these factors,
well waters containing nitrate nitrogen should be checked periodically
by local or state health authorities.
The
best method for treatment of large nitrate nitrogen concentrations due
to human or animal wastes is prevention. Wells should be properly located
and constructed in order to prevent sewage contamination. Nitrates can
be removed through distillation, deionization, or reverse
osmosis. Even though about 95% of ionic nitrates can be removed by
reverse osmosis, non-ionic forms of nitrogen are not rejected and pass
through the membrane. In commercial and industrial water supplies nitrates
do not usually present serious problems.
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