Filtration is a separation process where a solid-liquid mixture is percolated through a porous medium (filter) which ideally screens out solid particles, letting the liquid (filtrate) through. We mainly have in-depth filtration (filtration through a granular bed) and filtration accompanied by the formation of a cake (filtration ‘through a support’).
A membrane is any material that, in the form of thin films (0.05 mm to 2 mm), have the property of selectively opposing the transfer of different components found in a liquid or gas fluid and, therefore, allowing certain elements making up this fluid to be separated out (particles, solutes or solvents).
Ion exchangers are insoluble granular substances; their molecular structures include acid or base radicals capable of permutating, without any visible change to their physical appearance and without any change in solubilisation, the positive or negative ions that are «fixed» to these radicals, with ions of the same sign found in solution in their surrounding liquid.
Water disinfection means the removal, deactivation or killing of pathogenic microorganisms. Microorganisms are destroyed or deactivated, resulting in termination of growth and reproduction. When microorganisms are not removed from drinking water, drinking water usage will cause people to fall ill.