WATER & WASTE WATER

ENGINEERING
LESSON 1 : WHAT IS WASTEWATER ?
 WASTE WATER ENGINEERING

• WASTEWATER ENGINEERING IS THAT BRANCH OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

IN WHICH THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ARE APPLIED TO
SOLVE THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE TREATMENT AND REUSE OF
WASTEWATER.
• THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF WASTEWATER ENGINEERING IS THE PROTECTION OF
PUBLIC HEALTH IN A MANNER COMMENSURATE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL,
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONCERNS.
 WHAT IS WASTEWATER?

• WASTEWATER IS A TERM THAT IS USED TO DESCRIBE WASTE

MATERIAL THAT INCLUDES INDUSTRIAL LIQUID WASTE AND
SEWAGE WASTE THAT IS COLLECTED IN TOWNS AND URBAN
AREAS AND TREATED AT URBAN WASTEWATER TREATMENT
PLANTS.
 WHERE DOES WASTEWATER COME FROM?
• DOMESTIC WASTEWATER― HUMAN AND
ANIMAL EXCRETA AND WATERS USED FOR
WASHING, BATHING, AND COOKING.
THE POLLUTION OF HOUSEHOLD WASTEWATER IS
MAINLY DUE TO THE FLUSHING OF TOILETS,
KITCHEN AND CLEANING WATER POLLUTED
WITH BACTERIA, VIRUSES, WASHING AND
CLEANING AGENTS INCLUDING DIRT AND RESTS
OF FOOD.
 WHERE DOES WASTEWATER COME FROM?
• INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER
INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER IS NOT JUST A BY-PRODUCT OF OIL AND GAS OR MINING AND
CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING COMPANIES, BUT ALSO A BY-PRODUCT OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE
PROCESSING INDUSTRIES, ESSENTIAL IN THE MAKING OF THE CLOTHES ON YOUR BACK, THE
SHOES ON YOUR FEET, THE COMPUTER AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, AND THE CAR YOUR DRIVE.
TO COMPLY WITH EXISTING LAWS, ANY ORGANIC AND INORGANIC POLLUTANTS TO WATER
USED IN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION MUST BE MANAGED. ORGANIC MATTER, METALS, AND THE
LIKE FOUND IN THE WASTEWATER MUST BE REMOVED BEFORE THE WATER CAN BE SAFELY
DISCHARGED BACK TO LAND, INTO BODIES OF WATER, OR REUSED IN PLANT OPERATIONS.
 WHAT INDUSTRIES PRODUCE INDUSTRIAL
WASTEWATER?
Here are the a few examples:

1.Mining
2.Metal Finishers
3.Industrial Laundries
4.Chemical Manufacturing
5.Power Plants
6. Food Processing
7. Dairy Manufacturing
 WHERE DOES WASTEWATER COME FROM?

• MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER
MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER IS DEFINED AS WASTEWATER FROM HOUSEHOLDS OR A
MIXTURE OF WASTEWATER FROM HOUSEHOLDS AND OF INDUSTRIAL ORIGIN AS
WELL AS PRECIPITATION WATER.
 WHERE DOES IT GO ?

•  WHERE DOES IT ALL GO!

• WHERE DOES THE WATER FROM THE WASHER GO?
• WHEN YOU FLUSH THE TOILET WHERE DOES THE CONTENTS GO?
• BY GRAVITY FLOW, THE WASTE IS ON ITS WAY TO YOUR LOCAL WASTEWATER
TREATMENT PLANT!
 CHARACTERISTIC OF WASTE WATER
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
1. SOLIDS
COMPOSED OF FLOATING MATTER, SETTLEABLE MATTER, COLLOIDAL MATTER AND
MATTER IN SOLUTION.
TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS)
 TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS) INCLUDE ALL PARTICLES SUSPENDED IN WATER
WHICH WILL NOT PASS THROUGH A FILTER.
 AS LEVELS OF TSS INCREASE, A WATER BODY BEGINS TO LOSE ITS ABILITY TO SUPPORT
A DIVERSITY OF AQUATIC LIFE.
 SUSPENDED SOLIDS ABSORB HEAT FROM SUNLIGHT, WHICH INCREASES WATER
TEMPERATURE AND SUBSEQUENTLY DECREASES LEVELS OF DISSOLVED OXYGEN
• TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS)
TDS ARE PASSED THROUGH THE FILTER. TDS COMPRISED OF COLLOIDAL AND DISSOLVED
SOLIDS. COLLOIDS ARE TYPICALLY IN THE SIZE RANGE FROM 0.001 TO 1ΜM.
• VOLATILE SUSPENDED SOLIDS (VSS)
THOSE SOLIDS THAT CAN BE VOLATILIZED AND BURNED OFF WHEN THE TSS ARE IGNITED.
VOLATILE SUSPENDED SOLIDS DATA IS CRITICAL IN DETERMINING THE OPERATIONAL
BEHAVIOR AND BIOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM.
2. TURBIDITY
MEASURE OF THE LIGHT-TRANSMITTING PROPERTIES OF WATER, IS ANOTHER TEST USED TO
INDICATE THE QUALITY OF WASTE DISCHARGES AND NATURAL WATERS WITH RESPECT TO
COLLOIDAL AND RESIDUAL SUSPENDED MATTER.
UNITS – NTU (NEPHELOMETRIC TURBIDITY UNITS)
EQUIPMENT USING TO MEASURE - ELECTRONIC TURBIDITY METER OR A TURBIDITY
TUBE
3. COLOUR
 AGE OF THE WASTE WATER IS DETERMINED QUALITATIVELY BY ITS COLOUR AND ODOUR.
 FRESH WASTEWATER IS USUALLY A LIGHT BROWNISH- GRAY COLOUR.
 TRAVEL TIME OF THE COLLECTION SYSTEM INCREASES ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS DEVELOP AND COLOUR
OF THE WASTE WATER CHANGES SEQUENTIALLY FOR GRAY TO DARK GRAY, AND ULTIMATELY TO BLACK.
 THIS BLACK COLOUR IS DUE TO THE METALLIC SULFIDES WHICH FORMED UNDER THE ANAEROBIC
CONDITIONS.
4. ABSORPTION / TRANSMITTANCE
 THIS IS MEASURE OF THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT, OF A SPECIFIED WAVE LENGTH, THAT IS ABSORBED BY THE
CONSTITUENTS IN A SOLUTION.
 ABSORBANCE MEASURE USING THE SPECTROPHOTOMETER.
5. TEMPERATURE
 THE TEMPERATURE OF WASTE WATER IS COMMONLY HIGHER DUE TO THE ADDITION OF WARM WATER
FROM HOUSEHOLDS AND INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES.
 TEMP. IS EFFECTS ON CHEMICAL REACTIONS AND REACTION RATES, AQUATIC LIFE AND THE SUITABILITY
OF THE WATER
6. ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY
 IT IS MEASURE OF THE ABILITY OF A SOLUTION TO CONDUCT AN ELECTRIC
CURRENT.
 EC IS ONE OF THE IMPORTANT PARAMETER USED TO DETERMINE THE
SUITABILITY OF THE WATER FOR IRRIGATION.
SI UNITS – MILLISIEMENS PER METER (MS/M) OR MICROMHOS PER CENTIMETER
(ΜMHOMS/CM)
EQUIPMENT USE TO MEASURE – ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY METERS.
 CHARACTERISTIC OF WASTE WATER
CHEMICAL PRO PERTIES
1. PH
 THIS REPRESENT THE HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION.
 WASTE WATER WITH AN EXTREME CONCENTRATION OF HYDROGEN ION IS DIFFICULT TO TREAT BY
BIOLOGICAL MEANS.
 FOR TREATED EFFLUENT DISCHARGED TO THE ENVIRONMENT THE ALLOWABLE PH RANGE USUALLY
VARIES FROM 6.5 TO 8.5.
2. CHLORIDES
 HUMAN EXCRETA, CONTAIN 6G OF CHLORIDES PER PERSON PAR DAY.
 INFILTRATION OF SALTY WATER INTO SEWERS IS ALSO A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF HIGH CHLORIDES
3. ALKALINITY
 ALKALINITY IN WASTE WATER RESULTS FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE
 HYDROXIDES (OH-), CARBONATES (CO3 2-), AND BICARBONATES (HCO3 -) OF ELEMENTS
 SUCH AS CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, ETC….
 WASTE WATER IS NORMALLY ALKALINE, RECEIVING ITS ALKALINITY FROM MATERIAL ADDED DURING
DOMESTIC USE.
• 4. NITROGEN AND PHOSPHOROUS
 ELEMENTS NITROGEN AND PHOSPHOROUS, ESSENTIAL TO THE GROWTH OF
MICROORGANISMS,
 PLANTS, AND ANIMALS ARE KNOWN AS NUTRIENT OR BIO-STIMULANTS.  THESE ARE
REQUIRED TO EVALUATE THE TREATABILITY OF WASTE WATER BY BIOLOGICAL
PROCESSES.
 INSUFFICIENT NITROGEN AND PHOSPHOROUS CAN NECESSITATE THE ADDITION OF
NITROGEN TO MAKE THE WASTE TREATABLE.
 BUT IF CONTROL OF ALGAL GROWTH IN THE RECEIVING WATER IS NECESSARY, REMOVAL
OR REDUCTION OF NITROGEN IN WASTE WATER PRIOR TO DISCHARGE MAY BE DESIRABLE.
5. METALLIC CONSTITUENTS
 TRACE QUANTITIES OF MANY METALS SUCH AS CADMIUM (CD), CHROMIUM(CR),
 COPPER(CU), IRON (FE), LEAD (PB), MANGANESE (MN), MERCURY (HG), NICKEL (NI)  AND
ZINC(ZN) ARE IMPORTANT CONSTITUENTS OF MOST WATERS.
• BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
ORGANISMS FOUND IN SURFACE WATER AND WASTE WATER INCLUDE BACTERIA,
FUNGI, ALGAE, PROTOZOA, PLANTS AND VIRUSES. ABOVE SOME TYPES CAN ONLY
BE OBSERVED MICROSCOPICALLY.
PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS
PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS FOUND IN WASTE WATER MAY BE EXCRETED BY HUMAN
BEINGS AND ANIMALS WHO ARE INFECTED WITH DISEASE OR WHO CARRIERS OF A
PARTICULAR INFECTION DISEASE. THESE ORGANISMS CAN FOUR BROAD
CATEGORIES BACTERIA, PROTOZOA, HELMINTHES (WORMS) AND VIRUSES.