Contaminants present in waste water, seepage water and ground water include salts, heavy metals and organic compounds of low biodegradability. This paper considers the wide range of physico-chemical processes available for separation of such compounds from water and points out their optimal and economic range of application. Main subjects are desorption processes (air/steam stripping), adsorption processes (activated carbon, polymeric resins) and membrane separation processes. Alternative water treatment technologies (evaporation, distillation, liquid-liquid-extraction, oxidation, flocculation and precipitation) and combined processes are presented and discussed.