Wastewater treatment

technologies
Contaminants
 Contaminants
1. Pathogen
2. Oxygen-consuming wastes, biodegradable
organic materials
3. Water-soluble inorganic substances
4. Inorganic plant nutrients
5. Microcontaminants
5/A. Inorganic microcontaminants
5/B. Organic microcontaminants
6. Suspended sediment
7. Radioactive substances
8. Thermal pollution
 1. Pathogens
• 20-30 component is most harmfull for human body
• Sources:
– Fecal wastewater
– Slaughterhouse sewage
– Sewage from animal processing plants
– Overflows in rural livestock holdings
• Identification of harmfull microorganism had
difficulties non contagious indicator
microoganism:
– Fecal coliform (Escherichia coli)
– Fecal streptococcus
– Clostridium perfingens
Illness Name
Typhus Enterobacteriaceae family
Paratyphoid Salmonella typhi, paratyphi
Cholera Vibrio cholerae bacterium
dysentery Amoeba: Entamoeba histolytica;
Bacterial: Shigella
gastroenteritis rotavirus
Infectious hepatitis hepatitis
A, B, C, D and E viruses.
infantile paralysis Poliovirus infections
Effect
diarrhea, vomiting, enlarged
spleen, inflammation of the
bowel
diarrhea, severe vomiting,
dehydration
diarrhea
severe stomach pain, nausea,
vomiting
fever, headache, loss of
appetite, abdominal pain,
jaundice, enlarged liver,
permanent liver damage
high fever, severe headache,
sore throat, stiff neck, deep
muscle pain, tremor, paralysis
of legs, arms
 2. Oxygen-consuming wastes,
biodegradable organic materials
Main process:

Sufficient dissolved oxygen + aerobic decomposing organisms (bacteria, fungi)

biodegradable organic materials decomposition

The balance is broken!

Unwanted
All aerob Oragnic substances
Too much suddenly
excessive extinction of creatures material produced
oxygen- proliferating Total DO
dissolved higher species extinction and decomposition (hydrogen
consuming aerobic deficiency
oxygen loss (fish) anaerob with anaerobic sulfide,
wastes input organisms
creatures rise way ammonia, and
methane)
 Odor of organic pollutant

Compound Formula Characteristic odor

Amines CH3(CH2)n-NH2 Fish

Ammonia NH3 Piss (ammonia)

Diamine NH2-(CH2)4-NH2 Rotten meat

Sulphur hydrogen H2S Rotten egg

Mercaptans CH3 SH; CH3(CH2)n-SH Badger feces

Organic sulphides (CH3)2-S; CH3-S-S-CH3 Rotten cabbage

Skatole C8H5-NHCH3 Human feces

 3. Water-soluble inorganic
substances
• Acids, salts, toxic heavy metal compounds
• 8 main ion in the water:
– Kation: Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+
– Anion: CO32-, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42-
• Metal ions
– From geological or anthropogenic source
– Essential elements: Ca, Mg, B, Zn, Cr, Ko, Mn, Mo, Fe,
Cu, Sn
– Harmful elements: Ag, Hg, Pb, Cd, As(metalloid),
• Ca2+, Mg2+
 Different aquatic species respond differently to changes in pH levels

Water acidity system pH Ecosystem is

raise level changes disrupted

Species with high ecological tolerance reproduce in water. Some species even live at pH 3,5
 4. Inorganic plant nutrients
• The two key nutrients for the growth of plants
in aquatic ecosystems are phosphorus,
(phosphate) and nitrogen (nitrate and
ammonium)

Eutrofization

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLbDbmmV6Qc
 Nitrogen
• Ammonia is a cell poison
• Higher levels of nitrate in drinking water are dangerous to humans.
• Process:
1. Nitrate is reduced in the human digestive tract to nitrite (reduction)
2. Oxyhemoglobin transfroms into methemoglobin (Fe oxidation)
3. Methemoglobin is converted back into hemoglobin by the specific
enzyme of a healthy adult human.
At over 10% of methemoglobin presence the body's oxygen supply is
damaged because methemoglobin is unable to transport oxygen.
Hemoglobin is present in the human body in the form of 1-2%
methemoglobin
Babies are in more danger:
• In infants, the enzyme production develops only gradually, and
small infants are unable to detoxify.
• Infants have an almost neutral gastric pH. The neutral pH favors
the conversion of nitrate to nitrite, thus contributing to the
formation of methaemoglobin.
 Phosphorus
• Phosphate in drinking water is not a health
problem, given that people need this nutrient.
• Sources:
– human selection
– Detergent
– Fertilizer
– rock weathering
• Plant can only use just the reactive
phosphorus forms
 Microcontaminants
• Their harmful effects are mainly due to their
taste and smell.
• Those are capable of accumulating in the
body.
• Possibly those have carcinogenic properties
• those harmful effects can occur already at
relatively low concentration
 Inorganic microcontaminants
• Causes bad taste: iron, manganese, zinc,
phosphorus and nitrogen
• Toxic heavy metals: Hg, Pb, Cd
• Essential elements are needed in small quantities
for the wildlife: B, Zn, Cr, Ko, Mn, Mo, Fe, Cu, Sn
• Toxic to living organisms : Ag, Hg, Pb, Cd,
As(metalloid), Be
• Cyanide-containing waters should be treated
directly at the site of their formation because of
the increased risk of poisoning
 Organic microcontaminants
• Petroleum oils and derivatives
– Those cause bad taste and toxic effects
• 1 μg/l : bad taste
• 10 mg/l: bad effect to phytoplankton and zooplankton
• 30 mg/l: deadly concentration to fish
• Detergents
– cause foaming of surface waters, thus preventing oxygen uptake
– dispersion of petroleum derivatives (petroleum derivatives can
reach the bottom of the water mass)
– Phosphate-based detergents unnecessarily increase the
phosphorus content of water, leading to eutrophication
– Emulsion effect: prevent the precipitation and settling of micro-
contaminants and carcinogens (those can go trough the filters in
dissolved form)
– cause foaming of activated sludge, thus preventing undesirable
sludge removal
 Organic microcontaminants

• Phenol and derivatives

– Toxic compounds (cell poison, proteins precipitation)
• PCB (polychlorinated biphenyles)
– Carcinogenic effect
• pesticides - biocidal substances
– insecticides, herbicides, fungicides
– DDT (insecticides)
• Carcinogenic effect
• Bioaccumulative (fatty tissues)
DDT accumulation
Time Magazine,
1947
„good for fruits”
„good for steers”
„good for homes”
„good for row crops”
 6. Suspended sediment
• Sedimentary soils, organic and inorganic substances
(from surface runoff)
• Types:
– Rough (sand) - settles quickly
• Damage of rotating mechanical equipment
– Fine (caly) – remain in suspension for weeks
• adsorption of toxic heavy metal compounds, pesticides, bacteria
and other hazardous substances
• Effects:
– weaken the penetration of the sun's rays into the water
– sealing the gills, they kill the fish and they kill shell’s
– Reduce the food for aquatic organism (bottom
sedimentation)
– The sediment deposited on the bottom deteriorates the
feeding and spawning grounds of fish
 7. Radioactive compounds
(Mutagenes)
• 226Ra, 228Ra, 228Sr, 238U, (Surface water)
• Sources
– geothermal wells
– nuclear power plants
– healthcare facilities
– industrial and research laboratories
• 222Rn (underground water)
– From uranium, granite and phosphate rocks
 8. Heat pollution
• Heat plume:
– difference in density caused by temperature rise.
– temperature stratification may occur which may stabilize
– the warm water flows separately on the surface.
• Warming reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen (4-5
mg/l DO loss)
• When warm water enters stagnant water, warming
increases the activity of aquatic organisms
• Increased evaporation and increased solubility due to
higher temperatures may increase total salt content
Heat plume
 Heat pollution effects
• Direct heat effect
• Disorders of life phenomena (increased
respiratory rate, increased photosynthesis,
malformations)
• Loss of nutritional organisms due to lack of
oxygen
• Decreased resistance against poisoning
• Disorders at reproduction
• Changes in the composition of the original
population