Use of Chitosan for Enhancing the Process of Surface Water Purification in Egypt

Abstract

Natural Organic Matter (NOM) is found in all surface waters. An increase in the amount of NOM over the past 10-20 years has been observed in raw water supply in many areas in Egypt, which has had a significant impact on drinking water treatment. Water scarcity and the increased contamination of drinking water has led to increased doses of coagulants and disinfectants used in water treatment, which has led to increased sludge volume and the production of harmful residual byproducts. In this paper, the results of experiments using an experimental model carried out to investigate improving the removal efficacy of NOM using a natural coagulant, such as chitosan, along with alum, are presented. The results show the use of chitosan is effective in removing NOM and reducing algae and turbidity. In addition, a dose of chitosan added to alum successfully reduced the amount of alum needed in the purification process.