Why is water treatment equipment needed in more and more places?

Why is water treatment equipment needed in more and more places?

Why do we need water treatment equipment?

The tap water we use daily undergoes multiple filtration processes to remove large particles and disinfect contaminants. After testing at water treatment plants, it meets national standards before being distributed through extensive pipelines and pressurized reservoirs to households.

Before reaching households, water traverses complex pipeline networks. Damaged or unrepaired sections may intersect with sewage pipes, contaminating the water supply. For instance, in some residential buildings, water pipes passing through toilets before reaching kitchen sinks can cross sewage lines.

Due to leaks and seepage around water pipes, and the infrequent disinfection of pressurized reservoirs, long-term sedimentation has accumulated significant grime at the bottom of reservoirs. Additionally, rust generated by water pipes and other contaminants can pollute the water supply. Professional inspections have detected substances like rust, lead, phenols, harmful microorganisms, and pesticide residues have been detected to varying degrees, with pollution levels reaching alarming levels. Long-term consumption may lead to various health issues such as stomach and intestinal stones, cardiovascular diseases, and arteriosclerosis.

Many believe boiling tap water makes it safe to drink. However, boiled water merely reduces gastrointestinal discomfort and stomach pain without eliminating harmful contaminants like rust, lead, phenols, microorganisms, or pesticide residues. Thus, the water we've long consumed remains highly impure.

Water treatment equipment, simply put, employs various physical and chemical methods to remove harmful substances unnecessary for production and daily life. This category encompasses devices that filter and purify water. Given the close relationship between social production, daily life, and water, the water treatment field involves an extremely broad range of applications, forming a vast industrial sector.

Types of Water Treatment Equipment

Currently, the market offers numerous water treatment products, such as:

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Pure Water Equipment

EDI/ mixed-bed ultra-pure water systems, ion exchange pure water systems, ultrafiltration systems, softening and desalination equipment, seawater desalination plants, reclaimed water reuse systems, wastewater recycling equipment, precision filtration units, water treatment accessories, consumables, solar photovoltaic ultra-pure water systems, well water filtration units, and automotive urea systems. However, selecting appropriate equipment requires consideration of specific conditions, client water consumption levels, and design requirements—no one-size-fits-all solution exists. Below we discuss domestic drinking water treatment equipment. Based on materials used, filter cartridges employed, and operating methods, these systems are categorized as pure water machines, water purifiers, and water softeners.

Water Treatment Equipment: Pure Water Machine　　

Pure water machines are a relatively new type of water treatment equipment on the market, yet they have garnered increasing consumer acclaim, particularly among water dispenser users. This is because they eliminate the expense of purchasing bottled water and the hassle of transporting it. The key difference between pure water machines and water dispensers lies in their water sources: water dispensers rely on externally purchased bottled water, while pure water machines connect directly to household taps to produce purified water on-site.

Pure water machines utilize American reverse osmosis technology with imported reverse osmosis membranes. This technology was previously widely applied in high-tech fields such as medicine (e.g., hemodialysis for kidney disease), electronics, aerospace (astronaut fluid recycling), and seawater desalination. In recent years, this technology has been adapted to develop water purification equipment suitable for household use. Its operating principle involves applying pressure to water, allowing water molecules and ionized mineral elements to pass through the reverse osmosis membrane. The vast majority of dissolved inorganic salts (including heavy metals), organic compounds, bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants cannot penetrate the membrane, thereby strictly separating permeated purified water from concentrated wastewater. The pore size of reverse osmosis membranes is only 0.0001 microns, while viruses typically measure 0.02-0.4 microns in diameter and common bacteria range from 0.4-1 microns. Therefore, you can confidently drink the pure water flowing from your reverse osmosis system.

　　Pure water machines not only eliminate impurities, rust, silt, colloids, bacteria, and viruses, but also remove harmful radioactive particles, organic compounds, fluorescent substances, pesticides, and troublesome water scale and heavy metals. This ensures your boiled water remains scale-free while safeguarding your family's health.

Water Treatment Equipment: Water Purifiers

Water purifiers come in various types. Based on the number of filter cartridges used, they include coarse-filter purifiers: typically employing PP fiber cotton and activated carbon. These are categorized as single-stage, two-stage, three-stage, four-stage, and five-stage purifiers. Additionally, they are classified by core filtration technology: coarse filtration, hollow fiber precision filtration, and ceramic cartridge precision filtration. The primary distinction lies in the type of filter cartridge employed.

　　Depending on the filter cartridges, water purifiers can remove impurities, rust, some bacteria, viruses, and colloids from tap water. However, they are not very effective against heavy metals and water scale, and some models cannot eliminate these substances at all. Therefore, while water purifiers can meet some user requirements, they do not achieve the goal of providing water suitable for direct consumption. It is still best to boil the water before drinking.

　　Features: No motor, no power required—driven by water pressure. No storage tank. High-quality models typically feature five-stage filtration: - Stage 1: PP fiber filter - Stages 2 & 3: Activated carbon - Stage 4: Hollow fiber membrane or ceramic filter - Stage 5: Post-activated carbon filter (primarily for taste enhancement).

Water Treatment Equipment: Water Softener

Water softeners haven't been on the market for very long, but many users have grown quite fond of them. Using ion exchange technology, water softeners effectively soften water quality, completely eliminating limescale. They also deliver a high flow rate, capable of providing softened water for the entire household.

　　During operation, water containing calcium and magnesium ions passes through resin loaded with sodium ions. The calcium and magnesium ions replace the sodium ions and become adsorbed onto the resin. Water containing sodium ions then exits the softener as “soft water,” continuing until all resin surfaces are saturated with calcium and magnesium ions and can no longer perform exchange. The resin is regenerated using a dilute solution of sodium chloride (salt) and water. The entire operation of a fully automatic water softener—including water production, refilling, brine absorption, and backwashing—is controlled by a computerized control head, enabling fully automated operation without requiring dedicated personnel.

Using softened water prevents scale buildup on cups, teapots, bathtubs, and sinks, making them easier to clean. Household water pipes remain free of scale deposits, extending the lifespan of water heaters and preventing reduced hot water flow over time. Using softened water reduces consumption of detergents and soaps, significantly lowers plumbing maintenance costs, and extends clothing lifespan by 32% compared to hard water washing. Laundry resists yellowing, white shirts stay brighter, blue shirts retain deeper hues, and colors appear more vibrant. Furthermore, women who regularly bathe with soft water enjoy significant beauty benefits (high-end spas now use soft water for client treatments). Using soft water reduces your daily household chores, freeing you from heavy domestic labor.

　Water softeners can be categorized by controller type into time-based and flow-based models, and by appearance into integrated and split-system units. Based on controller automation, they are classified as manual (semi-automatic) or fully automatic.

Function: Primarily softens water by removing limescale. Not suitable for direct consumption; intended for domestic use such as bathing and beauty treatments. Water softeners do not eliminate impurities, bacteria, viruses, or heavy metals from water; their function is specifically to remove limescale.

Beyond domestic water treatment equipment, various industries utilize specialized water treatment systems. These are widely applied in chemical processing, electronics and semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, glass manufacturing, electroplating, electronics, fine chemicals, ultra-pure water treatment for LED/LCD/OLED production, industrial drinking water systems, food and beverage processing, papermaking, textile dyeing and printing, municipal environmental protection, and other sectors.