Enhancement of Water Treatment by using Electromagnetic Field
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2014-04-29
Authors
Sawafta, Bassam
Slameh, Hassan
Abu-Hamad, Islah
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Despite its ubiquity, there is relatively little scientific literature on magnetic water treatment. It is not clear how, or even if, it works. Unlike chemical water softening, magnetic treatment should have no direct effect on water chemistry (unless the magnets are in contact with the water); yet, it is claimed to alter the morphology and adhesion of molecules.
The aim of this project is to investigate the effect of magnetic field on CaSO4 solutions properties, and then to see how these potential changes of solution properties can influence the efficiency of filtration process if done directly after applying the magnetic field on it.
Claims of the electromagnetic field effect on precipitation of salts, coagulation of colloids and wax formation from crude oil, have been met with considerable skepticism, mainly because there is no obvious way for a magnetic field to influence any of these processes.
Much of the irreproducibility of the data, and possibly the effect itself, may result from inadequate control of experimental conditions. Here, we set out to establish whether or not any effect exists. We conducted several experiments using identically treated samples, with and without magnetic field. There is considerable variability in the results, but our method enabled us to answer the key question, and to identify some relevant variables.
Our results indicate that exposing the solution to the set magnetic field for a specific period of time can enhance the effectiveness of the water treatment technique.