| Stages | Pre-treatment, RO, disinfection |
| Pre-treatment | Multi-media filter, carbon filter, softener |
| RO | Reverse osmosis with a storage and buffer tank |
| Disinfection | UV, ozone, or both |
| Key control | Raw water analysis, recovery rate, conductivity |
| Key decision | Which stages the raw water actually needs |
The raw water analysis decides it. Surface water usually needs multi-media filtration, carbon and RO; hard well water needs softening before the RO; low-hardness municipal water may only need carbon and disinfection. A package bought without an analysis is either oversized or short of a stage.
UV leaves no residue and acts instantly, but it has no residual effect in the bottle. Ozone leaves a residual that protects the water in storage, and it needs a destruction step before filling. Many plants run both: ozone for storage, UV as a final barrier.
| Stage | Removes | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-media filter | Suspended solids | Turbidity of raw water |
| Carbon filter | Chlorine and organics | Municipal dosing and taste |
| Softener | Hardness | Calcium and magnesium in the analysis |
| RO | Dissolved salts | Conductivity target of the product |
| UV or ozone | Micro-organisms | Storage time and final barrier |
Site requirements, air and power consumption sit with the Water Treatment.
By permeate flow against filler demand plus the buffer tank volume. The tank covers the RO flush and any short stop; without it, the filler waits on the membrane. Sizing the RO at exactly the filler rate is a common design error.
Site requirements, air and power consumption sit with the Pre-treatment.
Conductivity at the RO outlet, turbidity before and after the filters, and a microbial sample on a fixed schedule. Continuous sensors catch drift; the microbial sample catches what the sensors cannot see.
The same question is worked through from another angle in How Water Treatment Enhances Bottled Beverage Taste.
It can be used only after analysis. Borehole water often carries hardness, iron or manganese, all of which need a stage before the RO or before filling.
RO removes minerals as well as contaminants. Very low-mineral water tastes flat, so some plants blend or re-mineralise to a specification rather than chasing the lowest conductivity.
It is a controlled circuit that circulates cleaning solution at a set flow, temperature, concentration and time. Any line filling a product other than water needs one, and its capacity follows the largest circuit.
On chlorine breakthrough and on the supplier recommendation, not on a fixed calendar. A carbon bed that is exhausted lets chlorine reach the RO membrane.
Country: Maldives
Product: PET Bottled Mineralized Water
Capacity: 24,000BPH (500ml); 2 Lines
Solution:Water Production Line
Country:Kazakhstan
Product: PET Bottled Sparkling Water, Canned Soft Drink, Canned Tea
Capacity: 25000CPH (250ml)
Solution:Three Lines,7000BPH(1.5L), 15000CPH(330ml),15000CPH(450ml)