REPUBLIC OF BENIN

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MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND

SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH

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ABOMEY-CALAVI POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL

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TEXT :

SEPTIC TANK FUNTIONS

Group 10 : Professor:
AMOUSSOU Joas Mr Bienvenu OLORY
SEFFOU Yazid
HANTAN Oronce Donald
HOUESSOUVO G. C. Paulin
 Academic year : 2022-2023
TEXT : Septic tank functions

What is a septic tank? Your septic tank is the first step in the process of sewage conditioning,
in a subsurface disposal system. Without it the untreated sewage would quickly clog the
receiving soil and prevent the purification process of leaching and soil percolation.

Septic tanks serve three functions:

1. Removal of solids. As sewage enters the septic tank, its rate of flow is reduced so that the
larger solids sink to the bottom and soaps, grease, and smaller solids rise to the surface. These
solids are retained in the tank, and the clarified effluent with suspended and dissolved solids is
discharged.

2. Bacterial action. The solids and the liquids in the tank are partially decomposed by
bacteria and other natural processes. These bacteria are called anaerobic because they thrive
in the absence of free oxygen. This decomposition of sewage under anaerobic conditions is
termed “septic,” hence the name of the system (and the cause of the odor).

3. Sludge and scum storage. Sludge is the accumulation of solids at the bottom of the tank,
while scum is a partially submerged mat of floating solids that may form at or near the
surface. Space must exist in the tank to store these residues during the intervals between
pumping. Otherwise, the sludge and scum will eventually be scoured from the tank and will
clog the leach field and receiving soil.

The Final Stage of Disposal

The treated effluent from the septic tank is discharged to the leach field where it percolates
through suitable "septic stone" and finally into the subsoil for further purification.

Will the Use of Chemical Additives Solve Septic System Problems?

There are currently a wide variety of chemical additives available for use in septic systems.
They purportedly help improve the functioning of septic systems. The majority of these
additives are a combination of the various types of bacteria commonly found in a septic tank.
While it cannot be said that the addition of these additives will in any way harm your septic
system, there is no scientific documentation that chemical additives will improve its
operation. The number of bacteria contained in a chemical additive is very small in relation to
the bacteria already present in your septic system.
KEYS WORDS :

Sewage : It’s a suspension of water and solid waste, transported by sewers to be disposed of
or processed.

Sludge : There is solid separated from suspension in a liquid. A residual semi-solid material
left from industrial, water treatment processes.

Effluent : There is a stream that flows out, such as from a lake or reservoir. It’s also the
sewage water that has been treated, and is released into a natural body of water, a flow of any
liquid waste.

Soil percolation : Percolation in the soi lis simply the movement of the water through the soil
and a soil percolation test is the means to measuring this movement. It is related the both
saturation and water that drains away from roots too rapidly.

Scum : A layer of impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid. The topmost liquid
layer ef a cesspool or septic tank.

Subsoil : The layer of earth that is below the topsoil.

COMMENT :

Houses that are not lucky enough to be connected to a collective sewer network, condition
domestic waste water in an underground evaluation system. It’s the septic tank. It is an
underground drainage structure. Septic tanks have three functions namely : removal of solids,
 bacterial action and storage of sludge and scum. At the end of the treatment, the treated
effluent from the septic tank is discharged into the disposal field where it is percolated
through an appropriate ‘‘ septic stone’’. The use of the septic tank is essential for the
evacuation of the domestic waste water.