Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
— Find answers to common questions about our water treatment solutions —
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Have questions about RO plants, ETP, STP, or water treatment systems?
We’ve answered the most common queries to help you make informed decisions.
General Water Treatment FAQs
Water treatment is the process of removing contaminants, impurities, and harmful substances from water to make it safe for industrial, commercial, or drinking use. Industries need treated water to protect equipment, ensure product quality, meet regulatory standards, and reduce environmental impact.
The main types of water treatment plants are RO Plants (Reverse Osmosis), ETP (Effluent Treatment Plants), STP (Sewage Treatment Plants), WTP (Water Treatment Plants), and DM Plants (Demineralisation Plants). Each serves a specific purpose depending on the water source and intended use.
ETP treats industrial wastewater containing chemicals and heavy metals. STP treats domestic or sewage wastewater. WTP purifies raw water from rivers, boreholes, or tanks for drinking or industrial process use. All three are essential for different water management needs.
The right system depends on your water source, water quality parameters (TDS, pH, hardness, BOD, COD), industry type, and discharge norms. A professional water treatment company like Hydroxen Solutions will conduct a water audit and recommend the most suitable solution.
TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) measures all dissolved minerals and salts in water (mg/L). For drinking water, the acceptable limit is below 500 mg/L as per BIS standards. For industrial processes, the required TDS level varies — boilers require very low TDS (below 10 ppm) while cooling towers tolerate higher levels.
The cost of a water treatment plant in India depends on capacity, technology, and type. A small commercial RO plant may start from Rs.50,000 while large industrial ETP or STP plants can cost from Rs.5 lakhs to several crores. Contact Hydroxen Solutions for a free customised quote.
Industries in India must comply with CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) and State PCB norms for wastewater discharge. Standards like BIS IS 10500 apply for drinking water quality. Non-compliance can result in fines, closure notices, or legal penalties.
Yes, Hydroxen Solutions provides comprehensive AMC services for all water treatment systems including RO plants, ETP, STP, WTP, water softeners, boilers, and cooling water systems to ensure optimal performance and compliance throughout the year.
RO Plant FAQs
An RO (Reverse Osmosis) plant uses a semi-permeable membrane under pressure to remove dissolved salts, bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and other impurities from water. It produces high-purity water suitable for drinking, industrial processes, boiler feed, and pharmaceutical use.
A commercial RO plant is designed for offices, hotels, hospitals, and housing societies with moderate water needs. An industrial RO plant handles larger capacities for factories, manufacturing units, and process industries requiring high-volume, consistent-quality treated water.
An RO membrane typically lasts 2-3 years depending on input water quality, usage, and maintenance. Regular pre-filter cleaning, anti-scalant dosing, and timely servicing can extend membrane life significantly.
Reduced flow rate in an RO plant is usually caused by clogged pre-filters, a fouled or scaled RO membrane, low feed water pressure, or a damaged pressure pump. A service check and membrane cleaning or replacement usually resolves this.
RO reject water (brine) contains concentrated dissolved solids removed during the purification process. It can be reused for toilet flushing, gardening, cooling tower makeup, or further treated using ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge) systems to minimise water wastage.
An RO plant should be serviced every 3-6 months depending on usage and water quality. Pre-filters need replacement every 3-6 months, carbon filters every 6-12 months, and membranes every 2-3 years. Regular servicing ensures performance and water safety.
RO plants are available from as small as 50 LPH (litres per hour) for small offices to 10,000 LPH and above for large industries. Hydroxen Solutions designs and installs custom-capacity RO plants based on your specific daily water requirement.
Yes, RO plants remove hardness-causing minerals like calcium and magnesium along with other dissolved salts. However, for very high hardness levels, a water softener is recommended as a pre-treatment stage before the RO system to protect the membrane.
Industrial RO plants are essential for pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, textiles, chemicals, power plants, hospitals, hotels, data centres, and any industry requiring purified process water, boiler feed water, or cooling water.
A ZLD RO system is an advanced water treatment setup where all wastewater is treated and recycled — with zero liquid being discharged to the environment. It uses multi-stage RO, evaporators, and crystallisers. It is mandatory for certain industries under CPCB guidelines in India.
Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) FAQs
An ETP is a system designed to treat industrial wastewater (effluent) containing chemicals, dyes, heavy metals, BOD, and COD before it is discharged into the environment. Industries like textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food processing, and tanneries are legally required to have an ETP.
BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) measures organic pollution in water. COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) measures the total oxygen needed to oxidise chemical pollutants. As per CPCB norms in India, the discharge limit for BOD is typically 30 mg/L and COD 250 mg/L for most industries.
A standard ETP involves primary treatment (screening, sedimentation), secondary treatment (biological treatment using aeration and activated sludge), and tertiary treatment (filtration, RO, and disinfection) to meet required discharge standards.
Depending on the capacity and complexity, an ETP plant can take anywhere from 4 to 16 weeks for design, fabrication, and installation. Hydroxen Solutions provides fast-track project execution with minimal disruption to your operations.
Yes, after proper tertiary treatment, ETP-treated water can be reused for cooling tower makeup, toilet flushing, gardening, and in some cases re-fed into industrial processes — significantly reducing freshwater consumption and water costs.
A compact or packaged ETP is a pre-engineered, modular effluent treatment system that requires minimal space, is easy to install, and is ideal for small to medium industries that need a cost-effective, ready-to-deploy wastewater solution.
Operating an industry without a proper ETP in India is a legal violation under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974. It can result in heavy fines, closure orders from the Pollution Control Board, and criminal liability for company management.
Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) FAQs
An STP treats domestic sewage — wastewater from toilets, kitchens, and bathrooms — to remove pathogens, organic matter, and suspended solids before it is safely discharged or reused. STPs are required in housing societies, hotels, hospitals, IT parks, commercial complexes, and townships.
MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) is a highly efficient biological sewage treatment technology that uses plastic media carriers to grow microorganisms that break down organic waste. It is preferred because it requires less space, has low maintenance, handles variable loads well, and produces high-quality treated water.
STP treats domestic sewage (from households, offices, and commercial spaces), while ETP treats industrial effluent (from factories and manufacturing units). Both systems aim to treat wastewater but are designed for different types of contaminants and discharge standards.
Yes, properly treated STP water (also called recycled water or grey water) meets standards for non-potable reuse such as landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, and construction activities — significantly reducing freshwater demand in large residential and commercial projects.
Yes, as per guidelines from many State Pollution Control Boards in India, housing societies and apartments above a certain size (typically 20,000 square feet or 50+ flats depending on the state) are required to install an STP and treat sewage before disposal.
STPs require daily monitoring of key parameters like pH, BOD, COD, and DO (dissolved oxygen), along with periodic cleaning of aeration tanks, sludge management, blower servicing, and media replacement. Hydroxen Solutions provides dedicated AMC services for STP plants.
Water Treatment Plant (WTP) FAQs
A WTP purifies raw water from rivers, lakes, or borewells by removing turbidity, colour, odour, suspended solids, and microorganisms through processes like coagulation, flocculation, filtration, and disinfection. An RO plant specifically removes dissolved salts and ions using a membrane — often used as a final polishing stage within a WTP.
The main WTP processes are: coagulation and flocculation (clumping particles), sedimentation (settling solids), filtration (removing fine particles through sand/carbon filters), and disinfection (using chlorine or UV to eliminate bacteria and viruses).
Both. Industries use WTPs to produce process water, boiler feed water, and cooling water. Municipalities use WTPs to supply safe drinking water to communities. Hydroxen Solutions designs and installs industrial and commercial WTPs tailored to capacity and water quality requirements.
WTPs in India are available from 1 KLD (Kilolitre per day) for small commercial units to several MLD (Million Litres per Day) for large industries and municipal projects. Hydroxen Solutions provides custom-designed WTPs across all capacity ranges.
Water Softener FAQs
A water softener removes hardness-causing minerals — primarily calcium and magnesium — from water through an ion exchange process, replacing them with sodium ions. This prevents scale buildup in pipes, boilers, heat exchangers, and appliances, extending their life and improving efficiency.
If your water has a hardness level above 200 mg/L as CaCO3, you are likely experiencing scale deposits in pipes, boilers, and cooling systems. Other signs include white deposits on surfaces, frequent equipment breakdowns, and increased energy consumption in heating systems.
A water softener removes only hardness (calcium and magnesium) using ion exchange. An RO plant removes a much broader range of dissolved salts, bacteria, heavy metals, and other impurities using membrane filtration. In many industrial setups, a softener is used before an RO plant as a pre-treatment stage.
A water softener regenerates automatically based on water consumption or on a timed schedule. Salt (sodium chloride) needs to be refilled in the brine tank typically every 4-6 weeks depending on hardness levels and daily water usage.
Boiler-based industries, textile and dyeing units, pharmaceutical companies, food and beverage manufacturers, hotels, hospitals, laundries, and any business using heat exchangers or steam systems benefit significantly from industrial water softeners.
Boiler Water Treatment FAQs
Boiler water treatment prevents scale formation, corrosion, and carryover — three major causes of boiler failure and energy loss. Untreated hard water causes scale deposits that act as insulators, forcing the boiler to consume more fuel and risking costly breakdowns or explosions.
Common boiler water treatment chemicals include oxygen scavengers (sodium sulphite, hydrazine), scale inhibitors (phosphonates, polymers), pH adjusters (caustic soda, ammonia), and corrosion inhibitors. The right chemical programme depends on boiler type, pressure, and feed water quality.
Boiler feed water should have very low TDS (below 10-50 ppm depending on boiler pressure), pH between 8.5-10.5, near-zero hardness, and very low oxygen content. Meeting these parameters is critical for safe and efficient boiler operation.
Scaling can be reduced by installing a water softener or RO plant as pre-treatment, using anti-scalant chemicals in the feed water, conducting regular blowdown to remove concentrated dissolved solids, and maintaining a proper chemical dosing programme with regular water testing.
Boiler water should be tested daily for key parameters like pH, TDS, and hardness, with weekly or monthly analysis for silica, iron, and other parameters. A scheduled chemical treatment programme by Hydroxen Solutions ensures consistent water quality and boiler safety.
Cooling Water Treatment FAQs
Cooling water treatment controls three major problems in cooling tower systems — scale formation (from hardness minerals), corrosion (from dissolved oxygen and low pH), and biological growth (algae, bacteria, Legionella). Without treatment, cooling efficiency drops and equipment lifespan is severely reduced.
Cooling tower treatment typically involves scale and corrosion inhibitors (phosphonate-based blends), biocides (chlorine, bromine, or non-oxidising biocides), dispersants, and pH controllers. Hydroxen Solutions provides customised cooling water treatment chemical programmes.
COC (Cycles of Concentration) is the ratio of dissolved solids in circulating water to that in make-up water. Higher COC means less water wastage (blowdown). Proper chemical treatment allows industries to operate at higher COC, saving significant amounts of water and treatment costs.
Legionella bacteria thrive in warm stagnant water between 25-45 degrees Celsius. Prevention includes maintaining proper biocide dosing, regular shock chlorination, cleaning and inspecting the cooling tower every 3-6 months, and keeping water temperatures outside the Legionella growth range where possible.
Yes, cooling tower blowdown water can be treated using a side-stream filtration system, softener, or RO plant and recycled back into the cooling system or used for other non-potable purposes — reducing overall water consumption and operating costs significantly.