Rainwater Treatment Technology for the Hygienic and Food Purposes in Households

The aim of the research was to develop a comprehensive technology for the treatment of rainwater collected from roof surfaces for hygienic and food purposes in households. Optimized technology will allow obtaining water with parameters enabling its widespread use “in situ”. Based on the results of the analyses, the quality of rainwater was assessed and critical parameters were selected, determining its suitability for various household purposes. Due to the pH < 6.5, low alkalinity and negligible hardness, rainwater tends to dissolve CaCO3 deposits. Rainwater cannot be considered as an emergency source of water intended for consumption in crisis conditions and used for hygienic purposes without its prior treatment. The proposed rainwater treatment technology is based on the following processes: pre-filtration (net filter 20 microns)—de-acidification filtration (Corosex bed)—main filtration (membrane filter with a filtration threshold of 0.1 micron)—disinfection (UV lamp, UV-LED diodes), improved the microbiological quality and physical stability of water by lowering the turbidity to 0.25 NTU, increased the pH to the normative value, and also minimized the corrosive aggressiveness of rainwater.