Principles of

wastewater treatment
Wastewater
- Also written as waste water, is any water that
has been adversely affected in quality by
anthropogenic influence.
- can originate from a combination of domestic,
industrial, commercial or agricultural activities,
surface runoff or stormwater, and from sewer
inflow or infiltration.
Effluent requirements
The primary objective of wastewater treatment is
to remove or modify those contaminants
detrimental to human health or the water, land,
and air environment.
Treatment processes
The suspended, colloidal, and dissolved
contaminants (both organic and inorganic) in
wastewater may be removed physically,
converted biologically, or changed chemically.
Physical processes
Physical methods of wastewater treatment
accomplish removal of substances by use of
naturally occurring forces, such as gravity,
electrical attraction, and van der Waal forces, as
well as by use of physical barriers. In general,
the mechanisms involved in physical treatment
do not result in changes in chemical structure of
the target substances. In some cases, physical
state is changed, as in vaporization, and often
dispersed substances are caused to agglomerate,
as happens during filtration.
Biological Wastewater Treatment with Activated-Sludge
Process
• In the Bar Rack coarse solids are removed, such as
sticks, rags, and other debris in untreated wastewater
by interception. By use of fine screening even
floatable matter and algae are removed.
• In the Grit Chamber grit is removed consisting of
sand, gravel, cinders, or other heavy solid materials
that have subsiding velocities or specific gravities
substantially greater than those of the organic
putrescible solids in wastewater.
• The Primary Clarifier is a basin where water has a
certain retention time where the heavy organic solids
can sediment (suspended solids).
• The influent of the aeration tank is mixed with
activated sludge and in the Aeration Tank the
mixed liquor is aerated. By aerating the mixed
liquor the aerobic processes will be stimulated,
the growth rate of bacteria will be much faster.
Because the bacteria deplete the substrate,
flocculation takes place . The soluble substrate
becomes a solid biomass. These flocks of
biomass will sediment in the Secondary
Clarifier.
Wastewater Chemical Treatment Processes
Chemicals are used during wastewater treatment in an
array of processes to expedite disinfection. These
chemical processes, which induce chemical reactions,
are called chemical unit processes, and are used
alongside biological and physical cleaning processes to
achieve various water standards. There are several
distinct chemical unit processes, including chemical
coagulation, chemical precipitation, chemical oxidation
and advanced oxidation, ion exchange, and chemical
neutralization and stabilization, which can be applied to
wastewater during cleaning.
Chemical Precipitation
Chemical precipitation is the most common
method for removing dissolved metals from
wastewater solution containing toxic metals. To
convert the dissolved metals into solid particle
form, a precipitation reagent is added to the
mixture. A chemical reaction, triggered by the
reagent, causes the dissolved metals to form
solid particles. Filtration can then be used to
remove the particles from the mixture.
Chemical Coagulation
This chemical process involves destabilizing
wastewater particles so that they aggregate
during chemical flocculation. Fine solid particles
dispersed in wastewater carry negative electric
surface charges (in their normal stable state),
which prevent them from forming larger groups
and settling.
Chemical Stabilization
This process works in a similar fashion as
chemical oxidation. Sludge is treated with a large
amount of a given oxidant, such as chlorine. The
introduction of the oxidant slows down the rate
of biological growth within the sludge, and also
helps deodorize the mixture. The water is then
removed from the sludge. Hydrogen peroxide
can also be used as an oxidant, and may be a
more cost-effective choice.
Selection of treatment method
Wastes must satisfy effluent and water quality
objectives or standards if they are to be
discharged without creating a nuisance.
Treatment facilities for accomplishing this may
range from relatively simple land-based
treatment systems to complex automated
wastewater treatment plants. In specific
situations, several treatment methods may be
equally suitable.
The use of recycled water for
drinking is less common, largely
because many people are repelled
by the thought of water that’s been
in our sewage going to our taps.
But a few countries like Singapore,
Australia and Namibia, and states
such as California, Virginia and
New Mexico are already drinking
recycled water, demonstrating that
purified wastewater can be safe
and clean, and help ease water
shortages
The term “sewage to tap,” used to
drum up opposition to drinking
recycled water, is misleading
because recycled water that ends
up in drinking water undergoes
extensive and thorough
purification. In addition, it is
usually added to groundwater or
surface water for further cleansing
before being sent to a drinking
water supply where it is again
treated. In fact, it has been shown
to have fewer contaminants than
existing treated water supplies.