Wastewater

Constituents
 Wastewater
is any water that has been affected by human use.
It is used water from any combination of domestic,
industrial, commercial or agricultural activities,
surface runoff or storm water, and any sewer
inflow or sewer infiltration

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 Physical Characteristics
• under physical characteristics are wastewater solids ,
temperature, turbidity, color, odor, density and
conductivity
• the physical characteristics of wastewater are
determined using the physical method of analysis.

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Inorganic Chemical Chracteristics
• determine the nutrient present and the degree of
decomposition in wastewater
• inorganic chemicals such as ammonia, salt, sulfate
and metals can be harmful to any kinds of water

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Organic Chemical Characteristics

• determine the presence of specific organic

compound like organic matter (such as carbohydrates,
fats and oils) and to stabilize waste biologically

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 Biological Characteristics
• assess the presence of microorganisms specifically
those pathogenic bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa
and the effectiveness of treatment process
• in time of outbreak of epidemic, certain tests may be
done to find the types of pathogens

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Constituents of Concern in
Wastewater Treatment

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Suspended Solids
• this refers to small solid particles which
remain in suspension in water as colloid
or due to motion of water
• suspended solids can be removed by
the sedimentation
Can lead to development of sludge
deposit and anaerobic condition when
discharge untreated
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Biodegradable Organics
• this are proteins, carbohydrates
and fats
• can leads in depletion of oxygen
resources and development of septic
condition
• measure by BOD

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Pathogens
• Communicable diseases can
be transmitted by the
pathogenic organism that may
be present in wastewater

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Nutrients
• the nitrogen and phosphorus along
with carbon are essential for growth
and when discharged to aquatic
environment may lead to undesirable
aquatic life and when discharge in
excess may cause pollution in land

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Priority Pollutants
• Concern with known or
suspected carcinogenic,
mutagenic, teratogenic or high
acute toxic inorganic or
organic compound

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Refractory Organics

• surfactants, phenols and

agricultural pesticides are
refractory organics which
tends to resist conventional
methods of wastewater
treatment
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Heavy Metals

• Concern to hazard of heavy

metal contamination when
wastewater is to be reuse
• lead, copper, mercury,
arsenic, cadmium

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Dissolved Inorganics

• Inorganic constituents such

as calcium, sodium and sulfate
is originally added to domestic
water and must be removed if
the wastewater is to be reuse

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Sampling and Analytical
Procedures

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 To satisfy sampling program data collected must be:

Representative Reproducible Defensible Useful

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 Useful Chemical Relationships

Mole Fraction Electroneutrality Activity Coefficient

• Ratio of the number of • The sum of the positive • Estimated using
moles of a given solute to ions must equal to the sum Guntleberg Approximation
the total number of moles of negative ions in solutions
of solution

Ionic Strength Solubility Product

• Measure of the • Equilibrium Constant of a
concentration of dissolved reaction involving a
chemical constituent precipitate and it’s
constituents iron
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Physical Characteristics

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 SOLIDS
TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS
• Solids which remain • Solids which remain
floating in wastewater dissolved in water

SETTLEABLE SOLIDS VOLATILE AND FIXED SOLIDS

• Solids which settles out at • Material that can be
specified time period volatilized and burned off
when ignited.
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 PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION

✘ SERIAL ✘ ELECTRONIC ✘ MICROSCOPIC

FILTRATION PARTICLE SIZE OBSERVATION
COUNTING • Particles in
• it is the arrangement
• Particles in wastewater can also be
of two or more filtering
wastewater are enumerated
steps, one following
counted by diluting a microscopically by
the other, in order to
sample and then placing a small sample
remove increasingly
passing the diluted in a particle counting
finer particles
sample through chamber and counting
calibrated orifice or individual particles
past laser beams
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TURBIDITY
• sewage or wastewater is
highly turbid
• turbidity of wastewater is
due to dissolved substances,
colloidal matters, suspended
solids and microbial cells
COLOR
Conditions refers to the age of the
wastewater, which is determined
qualitatively by it’s color and odor
Fresh wastewater ------light
brownish gray
With time ----------------dark gray
More time ---------------black
ABSORPTION/TRANSMITTANCE
• Measure of the amount of
light of a specified wavelength
that is absorb by the
constituents in solution
• measured using
spectrophotometers
TEMPERATURE
• temperature of wastewater
depends upon season
• high temperature of
wastewater is due to evolution
of heat during decomposition
of organic matter
CONDUCTIVITY
The electrical conductivity of
water is a measure of the
ability of a solution to conduct
an electrical current, measured
EC as a surrogate measure of
total dissolved solids

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DENSITY, SPECIFIC GRAVITY,SPECIFIC WEIGHT
• density is simply the mass over the
volume
• density is an important physical
characteristic of wastewater because
of the potential for the formation of
density currents in sedimentation
tanks, chlorine contact tanks, and
other treatment units
 thanks!
Any questions?

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