DE LA SALLE LIPA

COLLEGE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

Summative Assessment
Is Chemical Treatment Method the best way
to treat wastewater?

Submitted to Engr. Ovette M. Magsombol

Submitted by
Christienne Simone F. De Jesus of Envi2

July 2021
 I. Introduction

People and their ecosystems across the globe rely on clean water to survive. The
water from the household, industrial, and commercial use became what we called
wastewater, resulting in a continual change in composition and difficulty in defining it. It
is composed of 99.9% water and 0.1% harmful chemicals, organic materials, and
microbes. Considering that wastewater is release into lakes, ponds, streams, rivers,
estuaries, and seas, and sometimes storm runoff contains hazardous chemicals that wash
off roadways, parking lots, and rooftops, the 0.1% that can be found here is what has
been removed in a wastewater treatment since it contains bacteria, viruses, and diseases
that is very harmful for humans and other living organism. And according to the United
Nations (2021), agriculture uses 72% of all water withdrawals, municipalities use 16%
for households and services, and industries use 12%. Due to the increase in water
withdrawals nearly half of the world's population now spends at least one month each
year in potentially water-scarce areas (Burek et al., 2016). That is why there should be a
treatment since the wastewater that could still be reused contains organic matter,
microorganisms, and inorganic compounds. There are a lot of wastewater treatment
method and one of them is the Chemical treatment, also known as tertiary treatment,
involves utilizing chemical materials to react with some of the unwanted compounds and
heavy metals, while leaving some of the contaminating material untouched. Since
wastewater will be release to the different bodies of water after used, if left untreated, it
could cause harm to different living organisms and also to humans. This case analysis
will be discussing on why Chemical treatment is the best method to treat wastewater.

II. Background Information

Approximately 80% of wastewater is discharged into the environment untreated

around the world, particularly in developing nations, inflicting environmental harm, and
poisoning local communities. The uncontrolled discharge of household and industrial
wastewater is the primary source of water contamination in urban waterbodies. Hence,
The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9275) was established which
seeks to preserve the country's water bodies from pollution caused by land-based sources
such as industry, commercial institutions, agriculture, and community/household
activities. Through a multisectoral and participative approach engaging all stakeholders,
it proposes a comprehensive and integrated plan to avoid and limit pollution. Despite its
rising economy, the Philippines confronts major water and sanitation access issues.
According to Samion (2020), the demand for resources grows as population increases,
and with a limited amount of natural water, the issue of providing appropriate water and
sanitation services rises. Waterborne illness caused by disease-causing bacteria or
pathogens in recreational or drinking water also existed. it can also be acquired via eating
or drinking contaminated food or drinks, coming into touch with animals or their habitat,
or spreading from person to person. According to the Department of Health (DOH), each
year, an estimated 1.8 million people die from diarrheal illnesses, the majority of which
may be traced back to contaminated food or water. In the Philippines, the proportion of
families with access to clean water met the 2015 Millennium Development Goal of 90%,
while the proportion of households with sanitary toilets fell short of the target (World
water council,2015).
According to Philippines National
Demographic and Health Survey, in
2017, bottled water or refilling
stations were utilized by 58 percent
of urban households as a source of
drinking water. The respondents
reported that their supply of drinking
water was piped into a house, yard,
or plot, in addition to bottled water
or refilling stations. If the water from
the piped is contaminated with
Figure 1. Share of urban households with improved sources of drinking water in
bacteria, then it will be most likely
the Philippines in 2017. to cause diseases.

III. Alternatives
Since wastewater contains chemical, biological, or physical pollutants, if it is left
untreated and enters the public water system, it has the potential to cause serious
disease. As an alternative solution to avoid this problem, wastewater treatment was
developed and it is important considering that after the treatment, the majority of
wastewater is generally discharged back into the environment. According to AOS
Treatment Solutions (2017), Biological, Physical, and Chemical treatment are the best
method when it comes to wastewater treatment, and they vary according to the types of
contaminants found in the water. When the water is to be utilized for drinking, biological
methods are usually implemented. Fermentation and aerobic treatment are both
biological methods. On the other hand, sedimentation, aeration, and filtration are forms
of physical methods. To remove oil and grease particles, sand filters are sometimes
utilized in the oil water separation process. To the contrary, chlorine is the most often
utilized chemical in the treatment of sewage and other forms of wastewater. The
procedure is known as chlorination. This is the most efficient way to destroy a wide range
of viruses and bacteria. When it comes to treating industrial wastewater, a method called
as neutralization works well. When treating acidic water, lime is occasionally utilized.
 IV. Solution
According to water-technology (2011), the development of innovative ecologically
friendly procedures is a key component in the mandate of firms offering wastewater
treatment chemicals and/or technology, because wastewater treatment has traditionally
been a high consumer of energy and produces considerable carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions. Chemical wastewater treatment uses targeted additions of certain compounds
to force contaminants that are dissolved in wastewater to separate more easily. A
previously dissolved material becomes a dissoluble substance that can be filtered out of
a liquid during precipitation. Ion exchange, flocculation, UV, and ozone treatments are
some more pollutant removal strategies. Toxic soluble metals are the most common
pollutants eliminated via chemistry (like aluminum, cobalt, copper, iron, mercury, nickel,
lead, and zinc). Although bacteria are ineffective at eliminating these pollutants, adding
calcium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide to the water solution helps produce insoluble
metal hydroxides that can precipitate out of the solution. Chemical coagulation, chemical
precipitation, chemical oxidation, and advanced oxidation, ion exchange, and chemical
neutralization and stabilization are some of the chemical unit processes that may be used
to clean wastewater. It is suitable for
wastewaters containing high levels of
chemical toxins, such as wastewaters
from chemical and pharmaceutical
industries, pulp and paper mills, labs,
and textile producers. It is also perfect
for eliminating heavy metals from
mining effluent.

Figure 2. chemical wastewater treatment

V. Recommendation
Processing wastewater for use, or recycling and reuse, entails combining several
technologies to achieve satisfactory solutions to water purification and remediation
challenges. The kind of wastewater, pollutants in the water, and what the water will be
utilized for after treatment can all influence the treatment options you choose. The finest
wastewater treatment techniques should always be in accordance with the rules in effect
in the state and municipality where your facility is located. In addition, the procedures
utilized should be as ecologically friendly as feasible. To choose what waste water
treatment is the best, a company should depend on the wastewater profile, flow rate,
contaminant levels in relation to how low the levels need to be after treatment, and land
and utilities available that best fits your business or industry.
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