Question

How is recycled water used indirectly for drinking?

Answer 1

Hint: Recycled water is the process of converting wastewater into water that can be reused for various purposes. Potable water can be delivered for reuse – ‘Indirect Potable Reuse’ and ‘Direct Potable Reuse’.

Complete answer:
Indirect potable reuse (IPR) means the water is delivered to the consumer indirectly. After the purification process, the reused water is pumped into a natural basin or reservoir, before it gets delivered to a pipeline that leads to a water treatment plant.
Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) of reclaimed water is used by some municipalities and others are still investigating. For example, reclaimed water is percolated down to groundwater aquifers, pumped out, treated again, and finally used as drinking water. This technique is known as groundwater recharging. It includes slow processes of further multiple purification steps like absorption and biodegradation.
IPR is used in many countries, where the latter is discharged into groundwater to hold back saline intrusion in coastal aquifers. It generally includes some type of environmental buffer, but in certain areas, direct alternatives are being used.
In IPR, the increment of drinking water supplies is treated with urban wastewater, followed by an environmental buffer that precedes drinking water treatment. In this case, urban wastewater passes through a series of treatment steps that encompasses membrane filtration and separation processes like membrane filtration, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, followed by an advanced chemical oxidation process like ultraviolet and ozone. In IPR reuse applications, the reclaimed wastewater is used directly or mixed with other sources.

Note: Although IPR is more accepted than DPR, it is still controversial. Many scientists believe that IPR has health risks and the perception of the quality of the natural water source being degraded by the addition of reclaimed water. It has some disadvantages over direct potable reuse.
-They have higher capital and operational costs.
-IPR generally treats the same water twice, which is a waste of time and resources.