The water to be purified and softened
flows through the large inlet tube to the bottom, mixing on its way
with the necessary chemicals, and entering the apparatus at the
bottom, rises to the top, passing spirally round the whole
circumference, and depositing on the plates all solids and impurities.
All that is needed in the way of attention, even when dealing with
sewage, or the most polluted waters, is stated to be the mixing in the
small tanks the necessary chemical reagents, at the commencement of
the working day; and at the close of the day the opening of the mud
cocks shown in our engraving, to remove the collected deposit upon the
plates. For the past six months this system has been in operation at a
dye works in Manchester, successfully purifying and softening the
foul waters of the river Medlock. It is stated that 84,000 gallons per
day can be easily purified by an apparatus 7 feet in diameter. The
chemicals used are chiefly lime, soda, and alumina, and the cost of
treatment is stated to vary from a farthing to twopence per 1,000
gallons, according to the degree of impurity of the water or sewage
treated.
The results of working at Manchester show that all the visible filth
is removed from the Medlock's inky waters, besides which the hardness
of the water is reduced to about 6 deg.
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