Water Supply and Environmental

Engineering

SEWAGE TREATMENT
(CEng 4173)

CHAPTER -2

Preliminary treatment
 WASTEWATER TREATMENT
Wastewater treatment is designed to use the natural
purification processes (self-purification processes of
streams and rivers) to the maximum level possible.

Why we treat wastewater?

 The typical wastewater treatment plant is
designed to achieve many different
purposes:
 Protect public health
 Protect public water supplies
 Protect aquatic life
 Preserve the best uses of waters
 Protect adjacent lands
The main types of impurities found in sewage
can be classified into five groups:

• Floating or large suspended solids –leaves, twigs,

dead animals, fish, paper, rags, grit.
• Fine, suspended and colloidal solids –clay, silt,
micro-organisms, proteins.
• Dissolved solids–alkalinity, hardness, salts,
organics, and metals.
• Dissolved gases –carbon dioxide, hydrogen
sulphide.
• Immiscible substances – oils and greases.
 Wastewater treatment is a series of steps. Each of the steps
can be accomplished using one or more treatment processes or
types of equipment. The major categories of treatment steps
are:

1. Preliminary treatment — Removes materials that could

damage plant equipment or would occupy treatment
capacity without being treated.

2. Primary treatment — Removes settleable and floatable

solids (may not be present in all treatment plants
3. Secondary treatment — Removes BOD and dissolved
and colloidal suspended organic matter by biological
action. Organics are converted to stable solids, carbon
dioxide and more organisms.

4. Disinfection — Removes microorganisms to eliminate or

reduce the possibility of disease when the flow is discharged.

5. Sludge treatment — Stabilizes the solids removed from

wastewater during treatment, inactivates pathogenic organisms
and reduces the volume of the sludge by removing water.
In addition, the removal of various materials at the
beginning of the treatment process saves valuable space
within the treatment plant.
 A bar /coarse screen
debris as wastewater influent
passes through.
 Typically, a bar screen consists
of a series of parallel, evenly
spaced bars or a perforated
screen placed in a channel.
traps SCREENING
The bar screen may be manually
cleaned (bars or screens are
placed at an angle of 30o to
45o for easier solids removal or
mechanically cleaned (bars are
placed at 45o to 60o angle to

 The waste stream passes improve mechanical cleaner

through the screen and the operation).

large solids (screenings) are

trapped on the bars for
removal.
Figure Definition sketch for types of screens used in sewage treatment
 Clear openings for manually cleaned screens
between bars should be greater than 15mm.

 Approach velocity (min velocity <1m/s).

 Hydraulic losses through bar racks are a
function of approach (upstream) velocity, and
the Velocity through the bars (downstream),
with a discharge coefficient computed using
the following equation.
Bernoulli's equation can be used to estimate the
head loss through the bar:
23
 Trash Racks
 A trash rack is panels of a series of evenly spaced parallel metal bars.

Flow
 The bars are parallel and evenly spaced because a rake is commonly used to clear
the debris off the rack.
The head loss is usually incorporated into a discharge
coefficient C; a typical value of C = 0.84, thus C2 = 0.7.
Therefore the above Eq becomes (for bar racks)

h = 0.0728 (V2 - v2)

EXAMPLE 1:
Compute the velocity through a rack when the approach
velocity is 0.60m/s and the measured head loss is
38mm.
 Solution
h = 0.0728 (V2 - v2)
0.038=0.0728(V2 – 0.62 )
0.038=0.0728V2 – 0.026208
0.0728V2 = 0.038+0.026208
V2 =0.064208/0.0728
V2 =0.882
V =0.94 m/s
1. Compute the clean water head loss through bar screen
h = 0.0728 (V2 - v2)
=0.0728(0.92 – 0.62)
=0.033m
 Fine Screens
 Fine screens are used more frequently in wastewater treatment
plants for preliminary treatment or preliminary/primary
treatment purposes.

 Fine screens typically consist of rods or wire grating, wire

mesh or perforated plate, or closely spaced bars with openings
less than 15mm.

 Fine screens used for preliminary treatment are rotary or

stationary-type units.

 The clean water head loss through fine screens may be

computed by means of the common orifice equation
 Comminuting

 As an alternative to screening, shredding can

be used to reduce solids to a size that can
enter the plant without causing mechanical
problems or clogging.

 Shredding processes include comminution

(comminute means cut up).
 GRIT REMOVAL
 The purpose of grit removal is to remove the heavy inorganic
solids that could cause excessive mechanical wear.

 Grit is heavier than inorganic solids like sand, gravel, clay, egg
shells, coffee grounds, metal filings, seeds, and other similar
materials (G=2.65 and 0.2 mm size)

 Grit removal may be accomplished in rectangular grit chambers

or in aerated grit chambers.

 Processes use gravity and velocity, aeration or centrifugal force

to separate the solids from the wastewater.
 Flow equalization
 The purpose of flow equalization (whether by surge or diurnal)
is to reduce or remove the wide swings in flow rates normally
associated with wastewater treatment plant loading; it
minimizes the impact of storm flows.

 The process can be designed to:

 prevent flows above maximum plant design hydraulic

capacity,

 reduce the magnitude of diurnal flow variations and

 eliminate flow variations.

 Flow equalization
 Flow equalization is accomplished using mixing or
aeration equipment, pumps and flow measurement.

 Equalized flows allow the plant to perform at

optimum levels by providing stable hydraulic and
organic loading.

 The downside to flow equalization is the additional

costs associated with construction and operation of
the flow equalization facilities.
 AERATION
 Unit process in which air and water are brought into
intimate contact.
 The contact time and ratio of air to water must be

sufficient for exchange sufficient oxygen.

Advantages
 Providing O2 for purification and improving overall
quality.
 CO2 reduction-reduces the corrosion.

 Raising the pH.

 VOC removal

 Effective method for bacterial control

Methods of aeration

 Diffused aeration

 Spray aeration

 Mechanical aeration
 Turbine aeration

 Surface aeration
 Diffused aeration

 Providing maximum water surface per unit volume of

air.

 Air bubbles brought with water in a mixing or contact

chamber.

 A common way to aerate water is via diffused air.

 Air is pumped through some sort of diffuser to generate

small bubbles.
 Usually gas is injected into the bottom of the aeration
tank and is allowed to rise to the surface in an open
tank.

 The rising bubbles transfer oxygen to the water, as well

as transport bottom water to the surface.

 The bubbles raising through water create turbulence.

 Untreated water is allowed to enter the tank from top

and exit from bottom.
Efficiency of diffused aeration can be improved:

 Fine bubbles (0.2 cm dia) as compared to

coarse bubble (2.5 cm dia)

 By increasing water depth (9-15 ft)

 By improving the basin geometry (width to

depth ratio not exceed 2)

 By increasing the retention time (10-30 min)

Typical diffused aeration system looks like:
There are a large variety of diffuser types. For example ceramic
plates
These plates are arranged on manifolds at the bottom of
aeration tanks as shown here.
Other types of diffusers include coarse aerators
Again, these diffusers would be arranged by a manifold
on the bottom of an aeration tank.
To determine the oxygen transfer rate in these diffused
aeration systems, first define the pressure difference
from top to bottom of the tank.

At the surface:
Psurface  14.7(1  0.032  Alt )

Alt = altitude in thousands feet above sea level

Psurface has units of psi

 62.4H
Pbottom  Psurface  (psi)
144

H = depth of tank (depth of discharge point) in feet.

 Spray aeration
These are aerators with special nozzles to produce a fine
spray.
Each nozzle is 2.5 to 4 cm diameter discharging about 18
to 36 l/h.
Nozzle spacing should be such that each m3 of water has
aerator area of 0.03 to 0.09 m2 for one hour.
 Mechanical Aeration
Basically there are two types of mechanical aeration.

Turbine Aeration:

 In this system coarse bubbles are injected into the

bottom of the tank and then a turbine shears the
bubbles for better oxygen transfer.

 Efficiency of turbine aerators is generally higher than

diffused aeration.
Surface Aeration:
 In this case a mixing device is used to agitate the
surface so that there is increased interfacial area
between liquid and air.

 There are many different types of surface

aerators .
Common surface aerators
Design consideration for mechanical aerators is
usually based on Eckenfelder and Ford equation.
 Cw Cl 
N  N0 
 T 20 
  (1.02) 
 9.17 
Notice that there is no depth consideration for
mechanical aeration.
Where as:
N = actual transfer rate (lb-O2/hr)
N0 = manufacturer specified transfer rate ( lb/hr) for clean water, 20oC, zero DO.
Cw = saturation value for oxygen for sewage under operating conditions.
9.17 = saturation DO for clean water, 20oC.
Cl = the design oxygen concentration in the aeration basin.
T = Temp.
α = oxygen transfer correction factor for waste water
 CHEMICAL ADDITION
 Chemical addition is made to the waste stream to:
 improve settling,

 reduce odors,

 neutralize acids or bases,

 reduce corrosion,

 reduce BOD,

 improve solids and grease removal,

 reduce loading on the plant or

 remove nutrients and

 aid subsequent downstream processes.

 CHEMICAL ADDITION
 The particular chemical and amount used depends on the
desired result.

 Chemicals must be added at a point where sufficient mixing

will occur to obtain maximum benefit.

 Chemicals typically used in wastewater treatment

include:

 chlorine, peroxide, acids and bases, mineral salts (ferric

chloride, alum, etc.) and bioadditives

GOOD
DAY