Evolution of

Wastewater Treatment
 Evolution of Wastewater
Treatment
•This is an health and environmental concern.
•Methods was first developed in response to the concern for public
health and the adverse conditions caused by the discharge of
wastewater to the environment.
•Developing methods of treatment became necessary that could be used
to accelerate the forces of nature, under controlled condition, in
engineered treatment facilities that required less land.
 A. Treatment Objectives
•In general, from about 1900 to early 1970s, Treatment
Objectives were concerned with:

1. The removal of suspended and floatable material

2. Treatment of biodegradable organics, and
3. The elimination of pathogenic organisms
 B. Current Health and
Environmental Concerns
•Techniques for analyzing specific constituents and their potential health and
environmental effects have become more comprehensive as the characteristics
of wastewater has become more extensive.
•Careful assessment of health and environmental effects and community
concerns has become increasingly important in wastewater management.
•The need to establish a dialog with the community is important to assure the
health and environmental issues are being addressed.
 C. Sustainability Consideration
•Some important considerations:
1. Rapid extraction of remaining fossil carbon supplies and
subsequent transfer of this carbon to the atmosphere
2. The consumption of nonrenewable resources
3. The release of gasses in the atmosphere that may affect the
climate.
C. Sustainability Consideration (cont.)
•Problematic CURRENT & PAST practices (w/ respect to wastewater treatment)
1. Discharge of nutrients and trace constituents.
2. Excessive headloss and pumping as a result of poor hydraulic design.
3. Inefficient aeration system design
4. Lack of consideration for the importance of primary treatment systems.
5. Limited use of anaerobic processes for BOD removal and energy recovery
6. Limitations in sludge reuse and ultimate disposal options
7. Placement of wastewater treatment facilities without regard to water reuse
8. Life cycle pumping energy implications,
9. Potential impacts of sea level rise.
C. Sustainability Consideration (cont.)
•Sustainability issues that are important with regards to the design,
construction, and operation of wastewater management
facilities:
1. Overall energy balance
2. Process-related greenhouse gas emissions
3. Total chemical usage and carbon footprint associated with those
chemicals
4. The fate of the total constituents present in effluent and process
byproducts
Characteristics of
Wastewater
A. Sources of Wastewater
•Domestic Wastewater (sanitary wastewater)
•Industrial Wastewater
•Infiltration/ inflow (I/I)
•Stormwater
 B. Types of Collection Systems

•Collection systems are used for the removal of wastewater and

stormwater.
•Types:
1. Sanitary wastewater collection system
2. Combined wastewater and stormwater collection systems, and
3. Stormwater collection Systems
C. Wastewater Constituents
Characterization of Wastewater
Constituents are in terms of:

1. Physical Properties
2. Chemical Properties
3. Biological Properties
C. Wastewater Constituents
Characterization of Wastewater Constituents are in terms of:
1. Physical Properties
a. Turbidity
b. Color
c. Odor
d. temperature
 C. Wastewater Constituents
Characterization of Wastewater Constituents are in terms of:
2. Chemical Properties
a. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
b. Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
c. Nitrogen
d. Phosphorous
e. Chlorides
f. Sulfated
g. Heavy metals
C. Wastewater Constituents
Characterization of Wastewater Constituents are in terms of:
2. Biological Properties
a. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
b. Nitrogenous Oxygen Demand (NOD)
c. Microbial Life
d. Oil and Grease
C. Wastewater Constituents (cont.)
Constituents of Concern
Secondary treatment standards for wastewater are based on:
1. Removal of biodegradable organics
2. Total suspended solids
3. pH
C. Wastewater Constituents (cont.)
RECOVERABLE RESOURCES IN WASTEWATER
“Wastewater is now considered a renewable,
recoverable source of energy, resources, and water.”
(Tchobanoglous, 2011)