NAME: Chilton John C.

Duat
COURSE/YEAR: BSCE – 2nd Year
Subject/Offer Number: BES 12_24324

REACTION PAPER
Sources of wastewater and How it is Treated in the Wastewater Plant
I find it interesting and an open mind when I watched the video because it explained how engineers find its way to recycle
water from sludge back into clean water and it all in the process in wastewater treatment plant. It’s a wow to me that all
drains in our homes, in public cities, industrial waste, etc. lead to a wastewater treatment plant where that wastewater gets
turned back into water that we drink. It takes the runoff from street drains, showers, sinks, washing machines and toilets to
make it safe and clean again before releasing it back into the environment. In Countries like New York City has an array
14 wastewater treatment plants that handle a combined 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater daily.
A set of bar screens rakes away large items such as tree limbs, garbage, leaves, cans, rags, plastic bottles, diapers, toys,
even guns and other waste materials commonly referred to as pretreatment. In the case of unusual items such as guns are
sent off to the evidence Locker and a police station to be investigated.
Grit chambers is the next level in the pretreatment process since bar screens don’t catch everything. These chambers of
various types regulate the rate of water inflow so that stones, sand and glass settle out. There are types of grit chambers -
horizontal grit chambers, aerated grit chambers and vortex grit chambers which all accomplished the same task using
slightly different methods. The sewage will move on to the primary treatment process which starts with a large basin
called a Primary Clarifier. Clarifiers in general function on the principle of settling velocity this term can be defined
simply as the speed at which a particle settles for wastewater being pumped into clarifiers it's important that the flow rate
of the water being pumped in doesn't exceed the settling velocity of the particles trying to be removed, at this step in the
process the slightly treated wastewater which is referred to as "effluent" is free of solids larger than 10 micrometers.
The top layer of the clarified water flows over a weir wall and into the next basement the process called the "aeration
Basin" now begins the process of secondary treatment the sole focus of which is to significantly degrade the biological
content of the sewage in many cases this process starts with aeration basins effluent flows into the aeration basins at the
bottom of which are hundreds if not thousands of tiny air blowers that create bubbles through the water. Following
aeration basins, the effluent along with much of the sludge is pumped into a secondary filter or clarifier where some of the
sludge is removed and pumped back into the aeration basins as the returned activated sludge. at this point, 85% of all
organic matter is removed from the water, and the effluent should be safe to drink in most cases although you probably
wouldn't want to.
Disinfection is the final step of the process and is usually accomplished in one of three ways either through chlorine,
ozone, or ultraviolet disinfection. Each process has its benefits and drawbacks with each being used commonly throughout
the wastewater treatment process across the world chlorine disinfects the water through chemical disinfection chlorine
which you can think of as concentrated bleach is added to the effluent here to kill off any remaining bacteria and
organisms still living in the water when chlorine is added to kill off the bacteria it then has to be removed before it can be
discharged as to not kill off anything in the discharge location after this the water is safe enough to discharge into a stream
or lake, Ozone disinfection is another method of disinfection that involves pumping an electrical current through the water
that causes oxygen molecules o - to disassociate and combine with a free oxygen molecule forming O3 known as "ozone",
Ozone is an incredibly strong oxidant and it kills off bacteria. The last common method uses ultraviolet light to scramble
bacteria’s DNA so that they cannot multiply in UV disinfection the bacteria in the water aren't killed rather they're
sterilized rendering them harmless viewer to ingest water with living microbes immediately following UV treatment any
harmful bacteria would be unable to multiply or render your body damage.
Good to know that the entire process of wastewater treatment takes on average 24 to 36 hours from when a drop of water
enters to when it leaves. Wastewater plant operators will make adjustments to a plant’s operation and constantly measure
levels to ensure proper discharge and proper treatment. Without this process that they do around-the-clock our sewage
would always stay sewage and sanitation in modern cities would be much much worse!
For me, wastewater can be treated up to different qualities to satisfy demand from different sectors, including industry and
agriculture. It can be processed in ways that support the environment—and can even be reused as drinking water.
Wastewater treatment frees scarce freshwater resources for other uses or preservation. “Once treated, it can be used to
replace freshwater for irrigation, industrial processes, or recreational purposes. It can also be used to maintain the
environmental flow and by-products from its treatment can generate energy and nutrients.” Wastewater treatment offers a
double value proposition, the report says. Also, Water filtration is so important to prevent water-related illnesses and
diseases. Infants, elderly adults, and people with poor immune systems are more highly susceptible to experiencing
adverse effects due to contaminated water from the tap.

Removal of Phosphorous
To ensure public safety and protecting the environment, phosphorus removal during wastewater treatment is vital.
Removal of this nutrient from waste streams is key to preventing eutrophication – a natural process inciting algae blooms.
Algae blooms can suffocate ecosystems, creating dead zones in which animal life can not survive. Moreover, this causes
other water quality issues threatening our drinking water.
Phosphorus is a problem in wastewater though phosphorus is a necessary element, high levels of phosphorus can lead to
multiple environmental complications in streams, lakes, rivers and coastal areas. A typical issue caused by elevated
phosphorous in natural water sources is Eutrophication – a rampant stimulation of algae and other plants, leading to
oxygen depletion in the water. These areas of oxygen depletion in water are known as dead zones.
Dead zones will harm and kill various aquatic life forms, depleting both fauna and flora. “Fish Kills” are typically caused
by these dead zones, when there is not enough oxygen in the water for the fish to survive. This can happen quickly. A
healthy marine ecosystem may become a dead zone with hundreds to thousands of dead fish within a matter of days from
the introduction to elevated phosphorous levels.
When water is consumed, by both animals and humans, the algal toxins can be harmful. It is essential for phosphorous to
be removed for drinking water. Furthermore, swimming the algal waters can cause skin irritations and illness.
Wastewater contains highly elevated concentrations of phosphorous. Therefore, before discharging the water to local
streams and rivers (where it may also flow to downstream drinking water plants), it is imperative that the phosphorous be
reduced to safe levels. Fortunately, there are numerous treatment methods that can efficiently and effectively remove
phosphorous.
Phosphorous that comes in to the treatment plant is about two-thirds soluble or dissolved and about a third in particulate
form contained in organic molecules. Most wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) use two strategies to remove
phosphorus: chemical phosphorus removal (CPR) and biological phosphorus removal (BPR).
Chemical phosphorus removal uses precipitating phosphors with an aluminum salt or iron salt. Iron salt, including ferric
chloride, can provide numerous benefits to reduce scum in secondary treatment processes and manage orders and sulfides
in anaerobically digest sludge. Chemical phosphorus removal processes can also reduce struvite formation, which is often
a compilation when a plant converts to a biological phosphorus removal system, reducing additional phosphorus in the
digester.
While chemical phosphorus removal systems are efficient and effective, it is important to note that they may increase
sludge production rates and need additional storage requirements.
Biological phosphorus removal may result in increased phosphorus levels accumulating in biological solids. The waste-
activated sludge from the liquid stream removes these biosolids and phosphorus. To effectively implement biological
phosphorus removal, an anaerobic-aerobic sequence is required to select for polyphosphate-accumulating organisms
(PAOs)
Influent wastewater will go through the anaerobic zone. The PAOs can release phosphorus while collecting and storing
carbohydrates with the absence of oxygen. After the anaerobic zone, the aerobic zone is where the PAOs can consume
these carbohydrates while absorbing excess phosphorus. The anoxic zone is located between these two zones to remove
nitrates from the return activated sludge.

Waste Water Collection

In these videos explained about collection systems are the system of underground pipes and maintenance structures used
to convey wastewater to a Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF). In most communities the wastewater collection
system is one of the most valuable and largest infrastructure assets. Including gravity sewers, pumping stations, force
mains and other sewer conveyance methods, collection systems have brought dramatic improvements to public health.
Most sewers carry wastes from households and commercial establishments and are referred to as sanitary sewers. The
EPA estimates approximately 500,000 miles of publicly owned sanitary sewers with a similar expanse of privately-owned
sewer systems carry wastewater away from homes and businesses to be treated. Whenever possible, gravity (the pipes are
placed on a slope so that the water flows with gravity) is used to convey the wastewater, but sometimes pumping stations
are used to move the wastewater to higher elevations.
Historically, there were two types of sewer systems: separate sanitary sewer and combined sewer systems (CSS). For
separate systems, one set of ditches and pipes carried storm water runoff directly to streams or rivers without treatment,
while a different set of pipes carried wastewater to be treated. In combined sewer systems, storm water and sanitary
wastes are conveyed in the same pipes. In heavy rain conditions, combined systems can be overwhelmed and discharge
untreated waste into receiving waters. Even in separate systems, rainfall can overwhelm collection systems due to inflow
(water from downspouts and sump pumps), and infiltration (storm water and ground water entering pipes through cracks
and leaky connections).
Sanitary sewers (wastewater pipelines) transport wastewater from homes and businesses to a centralized treatment facility.
These differ from storm sewers which collect snowmelt and rainwater. Sanitary sewers include pump stations, force
mains, manholes, storage facilities, and other components. In the United States, there are approximately 16,000 sanitary
sewer systems consisting of over 740,000 miles of public sewer lines.
Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation, as sanitary sewers age, they can develop defects resulting from aging, structural failures,
improper maintenance, or poor design which leads to broken pipes, leaking joints, poorly sealed or hole-filled manhole
lids, and root-infested sewers. These defects allow extraneous water infiltration which can overwhelm existing capacity
and introduce storm water flows to a wastewater only sewer. Sewer rehabilitation includes repair and renewal as opposed
to replacement to extend the useful life of the pipe. There are a variety of options to rehabilitate pipes and many of them
are outlined in the above link.
Storm Water refers to a heavy quantity of water, such as rain or snow, that falls to the surface of the Earth, which becomes
polluted as it picks up, carries, and transports various pollutants (oil, grease, chemicals, sediment, nutrients, pathogens)
along streets, drains, open channels, and storm sewer systems. Most of the untreated runoff eventually is discharged into
nearby waterbodies. However, in combined sewer systems, storm water flows with wastewater and is treated at a water
resource recov Rainfall derived infiltration and inflow can overwhelm and impair operation of water resource recovery
facilities, causing sanitary sewer overflows and/or basement backups. Utilities can invest in sewer
rehabilitation/replacement and work with private property sewer owners to identify sources of infiltration and inflow. ery
facility.
The Importance of Wastewater collection systems maintain the intricate balance between dirty, used water and the clean,
drinkable water available in almost every home and business today. This system collects water from homes and transports
it to a centralized wastewater treatment facility where the water is cleaned and recycled.