What is alum-contaminated water? How to effectively treat alum-contaminated water?

 Alum-contaminated water often occurs in rural areas, plains,... where wet rice is grown or there is polluted underground water. Alum-contaminated water affects many activities in life and human health. In this article, Dong A would like to highlight 6 harmful effects of alum-contaminated water and a simple but effective way to treat alum-contaminated water.  

1. What is alum-contaminated water?  

Alum-contaminated water (also known as alum water) is a phenomenon in which domestic water is opaque yellow and has a sour taste and an unpleasant odor. If you leave alum-contaminated water in the basin for about 10 minutes, buff-yellow precipitates will appear on the surface water.  

The pH in alum-contaminated water is very high, and the concentration of impurities and hardness in the water exceeds the permissible level. They can cause dangerous effects on users' health if exposed for a long time.   

2. What is the cause of alum contamination in water?  

The situation of water contaminated with alum is probably no longer strange to families in rural areas, especially if the family uses water from drilled wells. Causes of alum-contaminated water include:  

Groundwater sources are polluted  

Previously, the underground water sources were considered stable, low in impurities, and rich in minerals that are good for health. However, up to now, under the impact and development of many industrial and agricultural factories, groundwater has been seriously affected.  

Current underground water sources contain a lot of heavy metals, thereby causing alum contamination that affects users' daily activities. They no longer maintain the same high level of purity as before.  

Soil characteristics  

In rural areas growing wet rice, after the Winter-Spring rice crop, upon transition to the cold dry season, the field soil is left dry for a long time, causing oxygen in the air to come into contact with other factors, creating alum in the soil. This is the reason why the soil is seriously contaminated with alum.  

When winter is over and turns to early spring, the water is filled into the rice fields, and alum in the soil will contaminate the water. When the field water is drained into ponds, lakes, and rivers, this area will also become contaminated with alum, causing the well water source to become seriously contaminated with alum.  

This is the reason why every summer-autumn rice crop comes, Northern people often have to apply alum treatment measures before planting rice, to limit alum poisoning in wet rice plants.   

High increase of sulfate ion  

Alum in water is created by the combination of SO42- and positive ions of two different metals, forming an 8-surface double salt crystal.  

3. What are the phenomenons of alum-contaminated water?  

In daily activities, the alum-contaminated water includes the following phenomenons:  

3.1 The taste and color of food change  

When using alum-contaminated water to prepare food, the taste of the dish may not be the same as normal. The color of the food also changes, often showing a buff yellow color. The reason is that the water is contaminated with alum and has a lot of iron, affecting the dish.   

3.2 Domestic appliances are rusty  

Alum-contaminated water will cause metal utensils to rust because they contain many metal salts such as aluminum, manganese, and iron. Besides, they also cause related cooking utensils such as cutting boards, knives, saucepans, pans, pots, stainless steel bowls, chopsticks, etc. to change color due to oxidation or yellowing that cannot be cleaned.  

3.3 Color of clothes changes  

Clothes washed in alum-contaminated water will change color. The reason is because iron atoms in alum-contaminated water will settle into the fabric fibers of clothes. They accumulate residue and stick to the fabric, making it more susceptible to discoloration and roughness.  

When you use alum-contaminated water to wash clothes, you will see reddish-brown and buff-yellow stains. Clothes will turn yellow with a fishy smell. If it is used to wash clothes for a long time, the fabric will not only become dull but also easily be torn and damaged.   

4. 6 What are the harmful effects of alum-contaminated water?  

If it only has a small impact on daily life and crops, the people will not be warned too much about alum-contaminated water like that. It also causes potential dangers for human health. The following are 6 harmful effects of alum-contaminated water on each person's health if used for a long time.   

4.1 Cause of Hepatitis A  

Alum-contaminated water contains many impurities and the virus that causes Hepatitis A. Patients will get sick when using this water for cooking and drinking every day. Initial symptoms of the disease include jaundice, fever, nausea, diarrhea,...  

4.2 Cause of Typhoid  

Typhoid has a long incubation period. When the disease shows clear signs, it is usually quite severe and requires a lot of time to treat. During the incubation period, the disease does not manifest clearly. When it comes to the onset stage, typhoid has symptoms such as: headache, abdominal pain, fever, rash,...  

Alum-contaminated water is one of the common causes of typhoid. The large iron content in water becomes a host for parasitic typhoid bacteria to grow in the human body.   

4.3 Cause of dysentery  

People who use alum-contaminated water are at high risk of dysentery because of sulfates in the water. When daily using this water, dysentery bacteria will be created. Symptoms of the disease include: abdominal pain, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite, bloating, high fever, etc. In some cases, if the patient is allergic to iron, it can also cause serious consequences, affecting the digestive system such as: vomiting, indigestion, loss of appetite,...  

People who use alum water are at high risk of dysentery because of sulfates in the water  

4.4 Cause of Cholera Epidemic  

Cholera epidemics can develop in polluted water and alum-contaminated water is an ideal environment for it. Vibrio Cholerae bacteria that causes cholera will attack people with poor resistance.  

The most obvious symptoms of cholera are continuous diarrhea, nausea, dehydration, abdominal pain fever, etc. In particular, cholera is a disease that can be transmitted into an epidemic and threaten the patient's life.   

4.5 Dermatitis and peeling of the skin  

The pH level in alum-contaminated water exceeds the permissible level and is the reason for dangerous skin diseases. In addition to the cause of dermatitis and skin peeling, alum-contaminated water when the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes, and mouth contact it, will cause changes in the properties of the organs.  

Alum-contaminated water has the risk of containing arsenic - a very dangerous substance for humans, increasing the risk of skin cancer for users. Symptoms that are easily recognizable and can be observed with the naked eye on patients include: The skin is extremely sensitive, easily inflamed and allergic, peels off and rashes. The patient's hair is dry and falls out easily. The mouth often gets hot, and the teeth and gums often become inflamed and yellow.   

4.6 Cause of Cancer  

Alum-contaminated water and well water are two things that contain many toxic impurities and heavy metals, including:  

• Arsenic: Increases the risk of lung cancer or skin cancer  

• Mercury: Causes central nervous system disorders   

• Nitrate: A dangerous base for humans, especially infants under 6 months old  

• Sulfate: Agent of dangerous gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery  

Cancer has many strains and has no obvious symptoms in the early stages. When it comes to the onset stage, it is often difficult to intervene and treat promptly. Therefore, if you have any symptoms such as changes in skin color, unusual pain, or unusual bruising, you should go to the hospital for timely examination and detection.   

5. Simple ways to treat the alum-contaminated water  

People can refer to the following simple ways to treat the alum-contaminated water:  

Using kitchen ash  

Kitchen ash can be used for slightly alum-contaminated water. Kitchen ash has K2CO3 as the main ingredient. When it meets iron particles in alum, it will create chemical reactions, precipitate and settle to the bottom. When the alum-contaminated water is filtered with kitchen ash, insoluble iron compounds will be removed. But if the water is heavily contaminated with iron, the kitchen ash cannot be completely filtered.  

Put 5g - 10g of kitchen ash into a basin of alum-contaminated water, leave for about 15-20 minutes for iron impurities to settle. Then you use a filter to get the clean water that has been de-alumed.   

Using potassium alum   

Potassium alum is a combination of aluminum and double sulfate salt of potassium. When potassium alum is mixed into alum-contaminated water, it creates an insoluble precipitation reaction. Then, the alum will be filtered out of the water. This method í applied to water contaminated with alum at a moderate level.   

Effectively purify water with potassium alum by dissolving water into a bucket of water (dosage is 50g/1m3 of water). Then pour the bucket of water that has dissolved the potassium alum into the place where the alum-contaminated water is stored. After stirring well and leaving it for 30 minutes, you will see impurities settling to the bottom. After all the sediment settles, filter it to get clean water for use.   

Using lime to filter alum-contaminated water  

If alum-contaminated water has a large concentration of Ammonium and inorganic and organic substances, using filtered lime is the preferred choice. Lime removes alum by precipitating heavy metals while increasing the pH of water.  

Prepare lime, add it to alum-contaminated water, then stir well and leave it for 25-30 minutes. When you see that the bottom of the water basin has insoluble solid residue, use a sieve to filter for clean water.  

Using a rain rig and a simple filter tank  

Rain rig and alum-contaminated water filter tanks are designed with operating principles from chemical and mechanical methods. In the filter tank, 3 layers will be applied: activated carbon, sand, and gravel. A simple rain rig will provide oxygen to oxidize Fe(II) to become Fe(III), thereby turning this substance from a dissolved form into a precipitate form. The 3-layer filter in the tank helps retain the precipitated alum. The water above the surface is clean water.   

Using an alum-contaminated water filter system  

The method of using water purifiers to treat alum-contaminated water has been invented and commonly applied recently because it is automatic and optimal in comparison with other manual methods.  

The current water filtration system uses advanced technology to detect and filter maximum impurities in alum water. Water filtration time is also faster, and the treated amount of water is greater. The machine can run continuously, ensuring high usage needs.  

The foregoing contents are the answer to the question " What is alum-contaminated water ?", and at the same time, Dong A sends you the most effective and simple solutions to treat alum-contaminated water. If you want to learn about other chemicals, please visit the website dongachem.com for more information.