Waste Water Treatment Process
Waste Water Treatment Process
Waste Water Treatment Process
Adsorption, and
Disinfection
organic substances in wastewater. Organic substances are converted into gases that can
escape to the atmosphere and as biological cell tissues that can be removed by settling.
Suspended Solids
Dissolved solids
Nature of solids
Unit Operations/Process used for removal
Coarse
Organic
andCoarse screen
inorganic
Fine organic and inorganicMicroscreens
solids and algae
Settleble inorganic
Grit chamber
Settleble organic
Primary sedimentation tank
Non settleble organic
Biological process followed by secondary
sedimentation tank
Organic
Biological process
Inorganic
Reverse OsmosisRoot zone treatment with
certain type of trees and aquatic plants
The wastewater treatment is achieved in three stages; primary, secondary and tertiary
treatments.. Some of the unit operations and processes are included in each stage of
treatment. The process flow diagram of a typical wastewater treatment plant is furnished in
Table
1 Primary Sewage Treatment
The first stage of sewage treatment is known as primary treatment which also includes certain
preliminary operations such as flow equalization, communication (or grinding), grease
removal, flow measurement, etc. The unit operations in primary treatment are screening to
remove larger floating objects, grit removal for removing inert sand and inorganic particles,
and settling for removing settleable suspended organic solids. The main purpose of the
primary treatment is to produce a generally homogeneous liquid capable of being treated
biologically and a sludge that can be separately treated or processed.
The next stage of sewage water treatment is secondary treatment, which is designed to
remove soluble organics from the wastewater. Secondary treatment consists of a biological
process and secondary settling. Secondary treatment is designed to substantially degrade the
biological content of the sewage such as derived from human waste, food waste, soaps and
detergent.
3 Types of Biological Treatment based on Process
There are two types of biological water treatment process; aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic
process means that dissolved oxygen (DO) is present for the microbes for respiration.
Anaerobic process means that the process proceeds in the absence of DO.
The effluent from primary water treatment units is further treated generally using aerobic
biological processes. For these processes to be effective, the microorganisms require both
dissolved oxygen and a substrate on which to live. Oxygen can be supplied either through
natural process or artificial mechanical means. In both cases, the bacteria and protozoa
consume biodegradable soluble organic contaminants and bind much of the less soluble
fractions into floc particles. The oxidization of organic substances can be achieved by
anaerobic process also by anaerobic organisms, which dont need DO. They take their oxygen
requirement from complex organic substances, such as sulphate (SO4), phosphate (PO4), etc.
The end-products of aerobic and anaerobic processes are different. Under aerobic conditions,
if completely oxidized, organic matter is transformed into non-hazardous products such as
CO2 and H2O and cell tissues. But an anaerobic process, apart from CO 2 and H20 and cell
tissues, can also produce methane (CH,), which is explosive, and ammonia (NH 3) and
hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which are toxic. Some materials are better degraded under anaerobic
conditions than under aerobic conditions. In some cases, the combination of anaerobic and
aerobic systems in a series provides better and more economical treatment than either system
could alone provide.
Classification of biological sewage treatment based on growth system
Biological sewage treatment systems are classified into systems: (a) attached growth system,
and (b) suspended growth systems. Aerobic and anaerobic biological systems are available in
both attached and suspended growth configurations. Examples are as follows:
Aerobic suspended growth systems: activated sludge process, aerated lagoon, waste
stabilization ponds etc.
Anaerobic attached growth systems: anaerobic filters and upflow anaerobic sludge
blanket units.
The final step in the secondary treatment stage is to settle out the biomass as
biological floc or filter material generated during biological treatment and produce
sewage water containing very low levels of organic material and suspended matter.
4 DISINFECTION
The purpose of disinfection in the treatment of wastewater is to substantially reduce the
number of living organisms in the water to be discharged back into the environment. The
effectiveness of disinfection depends on the quality of the water being treated (e.g., TSS, pH,
etc.), the type of disinfection being used, the disinfectant dosage (concentration and time),
and other environmental variables. Turbid water will be treated less successfully since solid
matter can shield organisms, especially from ultraviolet light or if contact time is low.
Generally, short contact times, low doses and high flows are against effective disinfection.
Common methods of disinfection include use of ozone, chlorine, or UV light. Chloramine,
which is used for drinking water, is not used in waste water treatment because of its
persistence. Disinfection follows secondary clarification in most treatment plants or after
tertiary treatment when the wastewater reclamation and reuse is contemplated. Disinfection is
normally accomplished with chlorine. Due to the potential environmental impact of chlorine,
most plants now dechlorinate wastewater effluents before discharge.
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