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Using resources (Potable water (water of appropriate quality is essential…
Using resources
Potable water
water of appropriate quality is essential for life. For humans, drinking water should have sufficiently low levels of dissolved salts and microbes. Water that is safe to drink is called potable water. Potable water is not pure water in the chemical sense because it contains dissolved substances
the methods used to produce potable water depend on available supplies of water and local conditions
in the UK, rain provides water with low levels of dissolved substances that collects in the ground and in lakes and rivers, and most potable water is produced by:
- choosing an appropriate source of fresh water
- passing the water through filter birds
- sterilising
sterilising agents used for potable water include chlorine, ozone or UV light
If supplies of fresh water are limited, desalination of salty water or sea water may be required. Desalination can be done by distillation or by processes that use membranes such as reverse osmosis. These processes require large amounts of energy
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Life cycle assessment
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use of water, resources, energy sources and production of some wastes can be fairly easily quantified. Allocating numerical values to pollutant effects is less straightforward and requires value judgments
selective or abbreviated LCAs can be devised to evaluate a product but these can be misused to reach predetermined conclusions
Waste water treatment
urban lifestyles and industrial processes produce large amounts of waste water that equip treatment before being released into the environment. Sewage and agricultural waste water require removal of organic matter and harmful microbes. Industrial waste water may require removal of organic matter and harmful chemicals
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