Water treatment refers to processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. The goal of all water treatment is to remove existing contaminants in the water or reduce the concentration of such contaminants. One such use is returning water that has been used back into the natural environment without adverse ecological impact.

As water scarcity becomes an ever-prevalent global problem, there is a need to maximise the use of all available water sources. This paradigm shift has resulted in the maturation of desalination technologies. Desalination is the process by which the salt content in sea water is reduced to a useable extent.