Wastewater is water that has both solid and dissolved waste (sewage).

The sewage contained in wastewater could be from industries, residence, commercial places and or surface runoff. Treatment of this water is important because it reduces pollution and makes water safe for reuse There are several processes that are used in sewage treatment. These methods may involve use of chemicals, living organisms or even just physical processes. To choose which method to use you need to consider the amount and type of wastes in the water. One of the most popular methods of treating large amounts of water is chemical treatment. Chemicals including chlorine, coagulants, some acids and bases are mixed with sewage to kill germs present in it. Chlorine is by far the most common chemical used; it is used to kill bacteria. Acids and bases are used to neutralize wastewater that is alkaline or acidic respectively. Metals with more than one valence are usually used to coagulate wastes to allow the to settle so that it canPolyvalent metals are the most common coagulants

Different Methods of Wastewater Treatment Wastewater treatment is a process wherein the contaminants are removed from wastewater - both domestic and industrial, in order to produce waste stream or solid waste suitable for safe discharge or reuse. Basically, there exist several different processes of wastewater treatment, all of which can be broadly categorized into three different groups - physical, chemical and biological, on the basis of tasks involved. The extent to which the water is contaminated and what are the contaminants, both play a crucial role in determining which of these three methods to opt for. Given below is more information about each of these wastewater treatment methods. Physical Methods of Wastewater Treatment When it comes to physical wastewater treatment, physical processes - such as sedimentation, aeration and filtration, are used for the treatment of water instead of resorting to chemicals or biological means. 'Sedimentation', wherein coarse screening of waste water is done to remove contaminating objects after allowing them to settle at the base, is one of the most efficient physical water treatment method used in various parts of

the world. When heavy contaminants settle down, the removal of cleared effluent or waste stream becomes relatively easy. Sedimentation is one of the most popular wastewater treatment methods, which is often used at the beginning and the end of several other water treatment processes. Other widely used methods of physical wastewater treatment are aeration and filtration. In 'aeration', air is added to the wastewater physically in order to provide oxygen to the contaminated water. In 'filtration', on the other hand, the contaminated water is passed through various filters to separate the contaminating solids from the water. Sand filter is by far the most common filter used in this process. In a number of wastewater treatment methods, semi-solid contaminants - such as grease and oil, are allowed to float on the surface of the water, and are eventually removed physically. Chemical Methods of Wastewater Treatment As opposed to physical treatment of water, chemical treatment involves the use of chemicals to get rid of contaminants in it. Of the various methods used to treat water chemically, the most common method is 'chlorination'. In this process, chlorine - a strong oxidizing chemical, is used to kill the bacteria which lead to decomposition of water. 'Oxidization' is yet another chemical water treatment method, wherein oxidizing agents such as ozone, are used to treat polluted water. These oxidizing agents make water reusable by hampering the biological growth process of bacteria which happens to be the main cause of decomposition of water. When it comes to industrial wastewater treatment, a chemical process known as 'neutralization' is quite common. This process involves adding acid or base to the water to adjust its pH value and bring it back to neutral level. Lime is one of the best examples of base used in the process of neutralization to neutralize acid wastes. Polyvalent metals, i.e. metals having more than one valence, are very often used as coagulating chemicals in sewage treatment. Iron and other metals containing compounds like ferric sulfate and aluminum sulfate are some of the best examples of coagulants. There do exist some water treatment processes which can be categorized as physical as well as chemical processes. One of the best examples of this is the use of carbon - which adsorbs contaminants to clean the water. Biological Methods of Wastewater Treatment As of now we stressed on the fact that bacteria decomposes water, and hence one has to get rid of bacteria when it comes to treatment of wastewater. In biological water treatment processes however, bacteria and other such microorganisms are used to biochemically decompose the wastewater and stabilize the end product. Biological water treatment is further categorized into two sub-divisions - aerobic and anaerobic. In the 'aerobic process', bacteria consumes the organic matter and helps convert it to carbon dioxide in the presence of oxygen. In the 'anaerobic process', on the other hand, sludge is fermented at a particular temperature in the absence of oxygen.

More than a billion gallons of wastewater or sewage is produced daily, and disposing that much amount of polluted water in environment can result in a great deal of harm to various lifeforms. It is very important to treat wastewater before it is disposed out into the environment. More importantly, this wastewater has to be transferred to the wastewater treatment plants with utmost care, as any leakage in pipelines carrying it can also result in environmental pollution. At the end of the day, waste disposal is a serious issue which threatens the basic fabric of the environment. The sooner we realize the seriousness of this issue, the better it is for us - as well as the generations to come.

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is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains. In loose American English usage, the terms 'sewage' and 'sewerage' are sometimes interchanged.[1] Both words are descended from Old French assewer, derived from the Latin exaquare, "to drain out (water)" Contents [hide]

1 Categories 2 Sewage services o 2.1 Disease potential o 2.2 Collection and disposal o 2.3 Treatment

2.4 Conversion to fertiliser o 2.5 Electricity 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References

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6 External links

[edit] Categories Classes of sewage include sanitary, commercial, industrial, agricultural and surface runoff. The spent water from residences and institutions, carrying body wastes, washing water, food preparation wastes, laundry wastes, and other waste products of normal living, are classed as domestic or sanitary sewage. Liquidcarried wastes from stores and service establishments serving the immediate community, termed commercial wastes, are included in the sanitary or domestic sewage category if their characteristics are similar to household flows. Wastes that result from an industrial process or the production or manufacture of goods are classed as industrial wastewater. Their flows and strengths are usually more varied, intense, and concentrated than those of sanitary sewage. Surface runoff, also known as storm flow or overland flow, is that portion of precipitation that runs rapidly over the ground surface to a defined channel. Precipitation absorbs gases and particulates from the atmosphere, dissolves and leaches materials from vegetation and soil, suspends matter from the land, washes spills and debris from urban streets and highways, and carries all these pollutants as wastes in its flow to a collection point.[2] [edit] Sewage services [edit]