10.1.2

Potable Water in the UK & in Saudi Arabia

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Potable Water in the UK

There are different methods for producing potable water. Which method is chosen depends on what water is available and the local conditions.

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Rainfall levels in the UK

  • In the United Kingdom, levels of rainfall are quite high.
  • Rain water is a type of fresh water, meaning that it contains low concentrations of dissolved substances.
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Collecting fresh water

  • Step 1 in potable water production in the UK is collecting fresh water from a source that is not near to heavily polluted areas.
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Treating water

  • Once collected, the water is put through a 2-step treatment process:
    1. Filtration: particles of solid are filtered out by passing the water through a wire mesh.
    2. Sterilisation: harmful microbes are killed by bubbling chlorine gas through the water.

Potable Water in Saudi Arabia

There are many methods for producing potable water. In Saudi Arabia, the conditions are very different to the UK and so a different method is used.

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Seawater

  • Rainfall levels are low, and so supplies of fresh water can't be relied upon.
  • Seawater is used as an alternative to fresh water.
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Treating seawater

  • Seawater must be desalinated (have the salt removed) to make it potable. There are 2 desalination methods:
    1. Distillation: boiling seawater creates steam, which then condenses to give pure water.
    2. Reverse osmosis: a selective membrane only allows water molecules to pass through. This results in larger molecules being separated out of the water.
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Cost of treating seawater

  • The major disadvantage of both desalination methods is that their high energy demands mean that costs are high.

Jump to other topics

1Atomic Structure

2Chemical Bonding

3Quantitative Chemistry

4Chemical Changes

5Energy Changes

6The Rate & Extent of Chemical Change

7Organic Chemistry

8Chemical Analysis

9Chemistry of the Atmosphere

10Using Resources

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