A borehole gives you a source of water. It does not give you water you can bottle. Groundwater differs from one site to the next, and from one season to the next, so borehole water for bottling has to be tested and, in most cases, treated before it is filled and capped. This guide covers what is commonly found in borehole water, the treatment stages, where ozone disinfection fits in a bottling plant, and what to settle before you invest.
What can be in borehole water
These are the things that most often need attention:
- Iron and manganese. Metals picked up from the rock the water moves through. They are usually removed by oxidising them so that they can be filtered out.
- pH outside the guideline range. Water can be acidic or alkaline, and acidic water can be corrosive to pipework and equipment.
- Hardness. Calcium and magnesium cause scaling on equipment and fittings.
- Microorganisms. Bacteria such as E. coli and coliforms can reach an aquifer when contamination seeps through the ground.
- Sediment and dissolved solids. Particles can come up with the water, especially after drilling, and dissolved salts make up the total dissolved solids (TDS).
- Nitrate, fluoride and arsenic. Levels vary from one borehole to the next and can shift over time. Where they need attention, treatment can be designed to reduce them: arsenic through oxidation and filtration, nitrate and fluoride through selective removal.
Borehole chemistry also fluctuates, and seasonal changes can shift the mineral load. One test result is a snapshot of your water, not a permanent description.
Start with a water analysis, not a template
Treatment that works at one borehole can be wrong at the next. Biozone's borehole water treatment designs start with a laboratory analysis of your water, together with how much water you need and what the product has to meet. Treatment is configured from that analysis. Where drinking water is the target, it is designed to meet SANS 241 drinking water standards, and laboratory testing of the treated water is what shows whether it does. No fixed layout is applied to every project.
Bottled water also has its own requirements. Check which rules apply to your product, and who must test it, before you plan your launch.
The treatment stages
Not every borehole needs every stage. Biozone builds treatment in layers, each engineered to complement the next, and the analysis decides which layers a site gets. A typical sequence:
| Stage | Role in the treatment train |
|---|---|
| AFM® (activated filter media) | Removes larger particles and resists bio-slime formation |
| Activated carbon | Adsorbs chlorine, pesticides and organic compounds that affect odour and taste |
| 5 micron sediment shield | A physical barrier that protects the stages after it |
| Reverse osmosis (RO) | Reduces dissolved salts, heavy metals and a broad range of other contaminants |
| Smart remineralisation | Adds back minerals for a balanced taste |
| Ozone disinfection | Disinfects the water |
| UV treatment | Adds a secondary microbial barrier |
| Final polishing | Finishes the taste of the water |
Two points matter here. First, the order depends on the water. Where iron and manganese have to be precipitated, an oxidation step, for which ozone can be used, comes ahead of the media filters so that they can remove what has been oxidised, and the disinfection stage comes later in the train. Oxidants can damage reverse osmosis membranes, so the design has to control where ozone is dosed and what reaches the membrane. Second, ozone does not do the work of the other stages. It is not what removes dissolved salts, nitrate or fluoride. Where those need to be reduced, the design uses membrane or selective-media stages.
Where ozone disinfection fits in a bottling plant
What ozone is, and what it asks of the design
Ozone is a strong oxidant. It is generated on site and dissolved into the water, because it is unstable and cannot practically be stored. It breaks down quickly, and how quickly depends on the water: warmer water, a higher pH and more organic matter all make it disappear faster. That is why dosing, contact time and monitoring belong in the design from the start. Because ozone reacts with whatever is in the water, by-products can form, so treated water should be tested rather than assumed to be right.
Ozone in the bottling line
In Biozone bottling lines, ozone rinsing and disinfection of the bottles before filling is a standard hygiene stage. Where the client chooses it, the product water can also be treated with ozone. Biozone designs the ozone contact tank and dosing around inline monitoring, residual control and ORP-monitored dosing. On the water side of the plant, ozone can mean less chemical dependency where that is feasible.
Matching the treatment to the line
The bottling line sets the volume the treatment plant has to deliver. Biozone supplies manual lines for start-ups and pilot operations, semi-automated lines with operator-assisted filling and capping, and fully automated lines that run at 2,000 to 6,000 bottles per hour, depending on the line configuration, for still and carbonated water in formats from 330 ml to 5 L. See the bottled water systems page for the line options.
A borehole-to-bottle plant in practice
At AVBOB Industries in Bloemfontein, Biozone integrated a 2,000 L/h borehole water treatment plant, which uses reverse osmosis, with Aquazone ozone and an automated bottling line with a maximum capacity of 2,000 bottles per hour. The installation is designed to enable AVBOB to treat and bottle its own water in-house.
Ozone generators for bottling: the SOZ series
For bottling, rinse water and process water, Biozone supplies the SOZ series of ozone generators. SOZ units are supplied and supported by Biozone, a South African engineering company with 25 years in business. The range runs from the compact SOZ 10G to larger models for bigger water systems. A generator can also be supplied on a fully integrated skid with optional extras such as an off-gas ozone destructor, a gas–liquid mixing pump, backflow prevention, an ORP meter and an ambient ozone leak alarm. A Biozone engineer looks at your application and recommends the model.
The SOZ 10G is part of the SOZ series of ozone generators supplied by Biozone. Choppies in Zambia bought two SOZ 20G ozone generators from Biozone and uses them to disinfect water throughout its bottling process, from rinsing to filling.
Questions to settle before you invest
- What is in your water? Get a laboratory analysis, and repeat it across seasons if your borehole varies.
- How much water do you need, and when? Treatment is sized to flow and operating schedule, not to the borehole's best day.
- What line will you run? Manual, semi-automated and automated lines place different demands on the plant.
- How will it be monitored? Ask what is measured, where, and who reads it.
- Who will support it? Ask what documentation, training and technical support come with the equipment.
Talk to an engineer about borehole water for bottling
Biozone has been in business for 25 years. We are a South African engineering company, and we design water treatment from your water analysis: the source, its composition and your bottling line. To talk through your borehole water and your bottling plans, start with an assessment.
Request an application assessment with a Biozone engineer
It's free.
Call +27 67 972 2169 or +27 11 791 4403 · [email protected] · www.biozone.co.za
Frequently asked questions
Does borehole water need treatment before bottling?
What it needs depends on what a laboratory analysis finds and on the standard your product has to meet. Treatment is designed from that analysis.
Why use ozone for disinfection in bottling?
Ozone is a strong oxidant that is generated on site and dissolved into the water. It can mean relying less on stored chemical disinfectants, and it can reduce chemical dependency where that is feasible. It breaks down quickly, at a rate that depends on the water, so dosing and monitoring are part of the design.
Does ozone replace filtration or reverse osmosis?
No. Ozone oxidises and disinfects, and it helps filters remove iron and manganese. It is not what removes dissolved salts, nitrate or fluoride; membrane or selective-media stages are used where those need to be reduced. A treatment train combines stages according to the water analysis.
What does an application assessment involve?
Tell us what you need to treat, where, and how the system will run. A Biozone engineer will review your application and recommend a suitable ozone generator and the next steps. The assessment is free.
