CE 507 – WATER & WASTE WATER ENGINEERING
Sand and/or Multi Media
CE52FA3/8:00 P.M – 9:30 P.M TTH
GROUP 3
MOROLA, RENATO
SONIO, JHAZZEM ARIEL S.
TOPIC: DESIGN OF PHYSICAL AND
CHECMICAL TREATMENT PLANT (PRIMARY
TREATMENT)
Physical and Chemical waste water treatment techniques
are techniques to remove the coarse fraction.
Oil, fatty acids and suspended solids could be removed
by the use of the following techniques:
1. Physical Treatment
a. Screening
b. Grit Chamber
c. Floatation or skimming tank
2. 2. Chemical Treatment
a) Coagulation
b) Flocculation
c) Sedimentation
d) Filtration
Physical and Chemical Treatment is normally used to
prepare the waste water for the next treatment
technique, in many cases biological treatment.
PHYSICAL TREATMENT
It typically consists of filtration techniques that
involve the use of screens, sand filtration or cross
flow filtration membranes. Screens are typically used
as a pretreatment method to remove larger
suspended material.
Filtration: Frequently used to filter suspended solids.
A. SCREENING / SCREEN CHAMBER
Screen chamber remove dead animals, branches
of tree, logs of wood, rags and other coarse floating
material.
The effluent is passed through the bar screens
for rag removal. In this section, two automatic bar
screen cleaners remove large solids (rags, plastics,
etc.) from the raw sewage. The collected material is
placed in dumpsters to be taken later to the landfill.
B. GRIT CHAMBER / GRIT TANKS
Grit includes sand, ash, egg shell, etc. of
diameter less than 0.2 mm.
Next, the effluent moves to the grit tanks. These
tanks reduce the velocity of the effluent so that heavy
particles may fall to the bottom. The solids are
pumped to an auger pump which separates the water
from the grit while the water moves onward. The grit
(mostly inorganic solids) goes to a dumpster which is
taken to a landfill. There are two complete grit
removal systems which are rotated in operation for
equal hours.
C. SKIMMING TANK
Fats, waxes, fatty acid, soap, minerals and
vegetable oil present in waste water are collectively
called as oil and grease. As oil and grease are lighter
than water they are normally separated by natural
floatation.
The bubbles of air are passed on the bottom of
the tank and floating matter rises and remain on the
surface of waste water which can be separated
easily.

CHEMICAL TREATMENT
A. COAGULATION
1. Coagulation is the process in which certain
chemical agent is mixed with water then colloidal
and suspended particles are agglomerated and
form insoluble metal hydroxide known as flocks.
Coagulation- flocculation process
2. In plain sedimentation, the heavier particles settle
down. However fine particles take many hours or
sometimes days to settle down.
3. The water possesses color which is mainly due
to the presence of very fine particles of clay, silt
and organic matter.
 Two important flocculators are polyacryalamide
and BA-2 flocculator (cat ion exchange type)
 The BA-2 polyelectrolyte is employed without any
coagulant because it brings about coagulation of
colloids itself. Most of colloidal particles carry
negative surface charge but molecule of BA-2 is
positively charged. Hence neutralization of
charges takes place.
The Coagulation- Flocculation processes
facilitate the removal of SS and colloidal particles. It
Is used in the final stage of solids-liquids separation:
 Settling
 Flotation or filtration

4. Sedimentation alone is not sufficient or removes

all the suspended matter. The process of
coagulation is used to remove fine particles from
water.
5. The most common coagulant used is Aluminum
Sulfate which is also known as Alum.
B. FLOCCULATION
The Water compounds are classified into three
categories:
 Suspended Solids
 Colloidal particles (less than 1 micron)
 Dissolved Substances (less than several
nanometers)

It is the agglomeration of destabilized particles C. SEDIMENTATION

into microfloc and after into bulky floccules which can
be settled called floc. The addition of another reagent
called flocculants or a flocculants aid may promote
the formation of the floc.
The factors, which can promote the coagulation
flocculation, are the velocity gradient, the time, and
the pH. The time and the velocity gradient are
important to increase the probability of the particles to
come.
In this process water is collected into big pond.,
slowly-slowly impurities are settled down by gravitation.
The process of sedimentation can be accelerated by
adding Alum (Aluminum sulfate) .
Settling down of suspended particles at the bottom of
water is called sedimentation. This process is also known
as Clarification.

FLOCCULATORS

In the recent years flocculators or

polyelectrolytes have widely been used. Flocculators
are organic high molecular weight compound
comprising many inorganic groups.

These groups undergo ionization when

dissolve in water.
THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF SEDIMENTATION ARE: 5. Simple and Economically feasible

1. The suspended and colloidal impurities are
separated in sedimentation tank by gravitation.
2. It reduce heavy sediment load before treating
water for other purposes.
3. The main principle of sedimentation is to allow
water to rest or flow at a very slow velocity. So
that heavier particles settle down due to gravity.
6. Effective and High Capacity
7. Varying degree of success in colour removal
DISADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL
TREATMENT PLANT
1. Sludge generation incapable for large scale
treatment

4. The process of settling of particles depends 2. Short half-life, stability affected by auxiliary
mainly on velocity of flow, size, shape and chemical expensive
specific gravity of particles and viscosity of liquid. 3. High energy cost
5. The velocity of water decreased by increasing 4. High amount of chemical required for PH
the length of flow. This principle is used in the adjustment
process of sedimentation.
5. Secondary pollutant
6. The size and shape of particles are increased by
formation of precipitates because of addition of 6. Produces high amount of sludge
coagulants.
7. Very Costly
D. FILTRATION

 Filtration is done in order to remove colloidal and

suspended matter remaining after sedimentation
and to remove bacterial load.

 The process of filtration usually consists of

allowing the water pass through thick layer of
sand or porous material which retain coarse
impurities on its surface and in pores.

 The apparatus used for filtration is called filter

and the porous material that fill the filter is known
as filtering medium.

ADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL

TREATMENT PLANT

1. Can decolorize all types of chemical class dye.

2. Operative with no loss of regeneration

3. When applied in gaseous state, no toxic

metabolites complete COD

4. Rapid and proficient process