Editing Microfiltration (section)

===Water treatment===
{{Main|Water treatment}}

Perhaps the most prominent use of microfiltration membranes pertains to the treatment of potable water supplies. The membranes are a key step in the primary disinfection of the uptake water stream. Such a stream might contain [[pathogens]] such as the protozoa [[Cryptosporidium]] and [[Giardia lamblia]] which are responsible for numerous disease outbreaks. Both species show a gradual resistance to traditional [[disinfectants]] (i.e. [[chlorine]]).<ref>Water Treatment Solutions. 1998, Lenntech, accessed 27 September 2013 <http://www.lenntech.com/microfiltration.htm</ref> The use of MF membranes presents a physical means of separation (a barrier) as opposed to a chemical alternative. In that sense, both filtration and disinfection take place in a single step, negating the extra cost of chemical dosage and the corresponding equipment (needed for handling and storage).

Similarly, the MF membranes are used in secondary wastewater effluents to remove [[turbidity]] but also to provide treatment for disinfection. At this stage, [[flocculation|coagulants]] ([[iron]] or [[aluminum]]) may potentially be added to precipitate species such as [[phosphorus]] and [[arsenic]] which would otherwise have been soluble.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chadha |first1=Utkarsh |last2=Selvaraj |first2=Senthil Kumaran |last3=Vishak Thanu |first3=S. |last4=Cholapadath |first4=Vishnu |last5=Abraham |first5=Ashesh Mathew |last6=Zaiyan |first6=Mohammed |last7=Manikandan |first7=M |last8=Paramasivam |first8=Velmurugan |title=A review of the function of using carbon nanomaterials in membrane filtration for contaminant removal from wastewater |journal=Materials Research Express |date=6 January 2022 |doi=10.1088/2053-1591/ac48b8|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022MRE.....9a2003C }}</ref>