During water treatment, a small, carefully controlled amount of chlorine is added to the water before it reaches homes. What is the main purpose of adding c...
Question 1 Report
During water treatment, a small, carefully controlled amount of chlorine is added to the water before it reaches homes. What is the main purpose of adding chlorine to the treated water?
Answer Details
Chlorine is added to treated water as a disinfectant, so its main purpose is to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. It destroys the microbes that cause water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, and because a small residual amount remains dissolved, the water is protected against recontamination as it travels through the pipes to homes.
Chlorine does not remove dissolved salts, since those stay in solution and would need distillation to be taken out. It does not remove large floating objects either, as those are caught by screening and settling long before this stage. Far from sweetening the water, too much chlorine gives an unpleasant taste and smell, which is why the dose is carefully controlled.
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