WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESS

What is considered wastewater?

Wastewater refers to all effluent (sewage or liquid waste that is discharged
into water bodies either from direct sources or from treatment plants) from
household, commercial establishments and institutions, hospitals, industries
and so on. It also includes stormwater and urban runoff, agricultural,
horticultural and aquaculture effluent.

How do we waste water?

Wastewater comes from domestic, industrial, commercial or agricultural
activities. The composition of wastewater varies widely depending on the
source.

Where does wastewater come from?

Wastewater comes from:

Homes – human and household wastes from toilets, sinks, baths, and drains.
Commercial wastewater comes from non-domestic sources, for example:
Industry, Schools, and Businesses – chemicals and other wastes from factories,
food-service operations, airports, shopping centres. This wastewater may
contain hazardous materials and requires special treatment or disposal.
Wastewater is guided down the drains and into the sewers that run under the
roads. These sewers carry the wastewater to the treatment plants or sewage
treatment works.

Sources of industrial wastewater

Almost all industries produce some form of wastewater. Here are some
wastewater-heavy industries:
 Pulp and Paper
 Wood processing
 Power Plants
 Battery manufacturing
 Mines and Quarries
 Oil and Gas
 Chemicals Industry
 Iron and Steel
 Food Industry

Water and waste management

Water as a valuable resource is a challenge that the entire world is facing
currently, and potable water shortage may lead to poor health and living
standards for the entire world population. Wastewater management covers
the aspects of design, building and operation of plants for water treatment
and supply, sewerage, wastewater treatment and disposal, and solid waste
treatment and disposal.

Wastewater treatment facility

Wastewater has a lot of impact on the natural world and it is important to
treat it effectively. By treating wastewater, you don't just save the creatures
thriving on it, but also protect the planet as a whole.
Wastewater treatment facilities produce wastes that contain many potential
contaminants.
Reclaimed wastewater is usually clean enough to be used for irrigation, but
usually contains higher concentrations of dissolved solids than the source
water.
Also, chlorine-disinfected reclaimed water can contain significant trace
amounts of disinfection by-products.

There are two wastewater treatment plants:

1. Chemical or physical treatment plant

Effluent Treatment Plant- Plant design varies depends upon the Influent.
Physical waste treatment plants use chemical reactions as well as physical
processes to treat wastewater. Physical wastewater treatment plants are
mostly used to treat wastewater from industries, factories and manufacturing
firms. This is because most of the wastewater from these industries contains
chemicals and other toxins that can largely harm the environment.

2. Biological wastewater treatment plant

Sewage Treatment Plant

Biological waste treatment plants use biological matter and bacteria to break
down waste matter. Biological treatment systems are ideal for treating
wastewater from households and business premises.

Wastewater treatment plant process

Wastewater treatment plant process steps are numerous and heavily depend
on the type and extend of the contamination.
Wastewater treatment process consists of a combination of physical, chemical,
and biological processes and operations to remove solids, organic matter and,
sometimes, nutrients from wastewater.

Wastewater treatment process steps:

Preliminary treatment
Preliminary treatment is the removal of coarse solids and other large
materials often found in raw wastewater.
Primary treatment
Primary treatment is the removal of settleable organic and inorganic solids by
sedimentation, and the removal of materials that will float (scum) by
skimming.
Secondary treatment
Secondary treatment is the further treatment of the effluent from primary
treatment to remove the residual organics and suspended solids. Secondary
(or biological) treatment uses microbes to consume dissolved organic matter
that escapes primary treatment, converting it to carbon dioxide, water and
energy for microbe growth and reproduction.
Advanced treatment
Advanced wastewater treatment is employed when specific wastewater
constituents which cannot be removed by secondary treatment must be
removed. To eliminate specific contaminations to meet regulatory
requirements, many plants must resort to special treatment, e.g., the Fenton
process to remove non-biodegradable COD.
Disinfection
After the primary treatment stage, the secondary treatment process and
advanced treatment process, there are still some diseases causing organisms
in the remaining treated wastewater. To eliminate them, the wastewater must
be disinfected in tanks that contain a mixture of chlorine and sodium
hypochlorite.
Sludge Treatment
The sludge that is produced and collected during the primary and secondary
treatment processes requires concentration and thickening to enable further
processing.

Industrial wastewater disposal

Industrial sites for light, general and heavy industry build the economy and
provide substantial employment opportunities.  Industrial waste management
practices may pose a significant risk to sensitive water resources.
Appropriate site location, provision of services, wastewater plant design and
best operational management practices are needed to minimize this risk. In
summary, the wastewater treatment process is one of the most important
environmental conservation processes that should be encouraged worldwide.