Basic Environmental Engineering

(ChE4103)
Lecture -4
 3. Sources and Constituents of Wastewater

3.1. Overview of wastewater

What is wastewater?
 Wastewater (or waste water) is any water that has been affected by human use.
 Wastewater is "used water from any combination of domestic, industrial,
commercial or agricultural activities, surface runoff or storm water, and any
sewer inflow or sewer infiltration".
 Wastewater, basically, is the flow of used water from a community. Wastewater:
is simply that part of the water supply to the community or to the industry which
has been used for different purposes and has been mixed with solids either
suspended or dissolved.
 Therefore, wastewater is a byproduct of domestic, industrial, commercial or 
agricultural activities.
 “Wastewater,” also known as “sewage,” originates from household wastes,
human and animal wastes, industrial wastewaters, storm runoff, and
groundwater infiltration.
 Cont…
 Water used to irrigate turf and gardens, swimming
pools, roof drainage, surface runoff and storm water
are all wastewater but not classified as sewage.
 Wastewater is 99.94% water by weight (Water
Pollution Control Federation, 1980).
 The remaining 0.06% is dissolved or suspended
material in the water.
 Cont…
Why are we producing so much dirty water?
 The reason is a combination of factors: population growth,
urbanization, industrialization, and food production. 
 Global populations are expected to exceed nine billion by 2050.
 Urban populations may rise nearly twice as fast, projected to
nearly double from current 3.4 billion to 6.4 billion by 2050,
with numbers of people living in slums rising even faster, from 1
to 1.4 billion in just a decade.
 This means a lot of pressure on water resources. The more
water we withdraw, the more wastewater we will produce.
Wastewater is produced in every dwelling.
 In developing countries, less water may be withdrawn and less
wastewater may be produced, but they largely have very little
infrastructure to treat the wastewater.
 Cont…
 The picture is very different in developed
countries where there is some level of effort
made in treating wastewater. 
Example:
 Every day in the UK over 624,200 km (about
387,860 miles) of sewers collect over 11 billion
litres of wastewater from homes, municipal,
commercial and industrial premises and
rainwater run-off from roads and other
impermeable surfaces.
 Cont…
 In developing countries and in rural areas with
low population densities, wastewater is often
treated by various on-site sanitation systems
and not conveyed in sewers.
 These systems include septic tanks connected
to drain fields, on-site sewage systems (OSS), 
vermifilter systems and many more.
 Cont…
 We depend on freshwater a wide range of reasons, but
unless we revolutionize the way we deal with dirty water,
our needs for fresh water will not be met in the near future.
 After treatment at a wastewater treatment plant, the
treated wastewater (also called effluent) is discharged to a
receiving water body.
 The terms "wastewater reuse" or "water reclamation" apply
if the treated waste is used for another purpose.
 Reclamation: Treatment of wastewater for subsequent reuse
application or the act of reusing treated wastewater.
 Wastewater that is discharged to the environment without
suitable treatment causes water pollution.
 3.2. Sources and types of Wastewater
 Sources of wastewater mainly categorized into
two. These are:
Non point sources: Sources of pollution that
originate from multiple sources over a relatively
large area.
Point sources: Pollution loads discharged at a
specific location from pipes, outfalls, and
conveyance methods from either municipal
wastewater treatment plants or industrial waste
treatment facilities.
 3.2.1. Domestic (also called sanitary) wastewater.
 Wastewater discharged from residences and from commercial,
institutional, and similar facilities.
 The principal sources of domestic wastewater in a community are
the residential areas and commercial districts.
 Other important sources include institutional and recreational
facilities.
 For areas now served with collection systems, wastewater flow
rates are commonly determined from existing records or by direct
field measurements.
 For new developments, wastewater flow rates are derived from
an analysis of population data and estimates of per capita
wastewater flow rates from similar communities.
 Cont…
 Water consumption records may also be used for estimating
flow rates.
 These records are especially useful in other parts of the
world where water use for landscape irrigation is limited and
90 percent or more of the water used becomes wastewater.
 When water consumption records are used for estimating
wastewater flow rates, the amount of water consumed for
purposes such as landscape irrigation (that is not discharged
to the collection system), leakage from water mains and
service pipes, or product water that is used by
manufacturing establishments must be evaluated carefully.
 Cont…
 For many residential areas, wastewater flow rates
are commonly determined on population and the
average per capita contribution of wastewater.
 For residential areas where large residential
development is planned, it is often advisable to
develop flow rates on the basis of land-use areas
and anticipated population densities.
 Where possible, these rates should be based on
actual flow data from selected similar
communities, preferably in the same location.
 Cont…
 Population projection data are usually
available from local, regional, and state
planning agencies.
 Wastewater flow rate can vary depending on
the quantity and quality of the water supply;
rate structure; and economic, social and other
characteristics of the community.
 Cont…
 Depending on the function and activity, unit
wastewater flow rates for commercial facilities can
vary widely.
 Because of the wide variations that have been
observed, every effort should be made to obtain
records from actual or similar facilities.
 In the past, commercial wastewater flow rates were
often based on existing or anticipated future
development or comparative data.
 Typical unit-flow rate allowances for commercial
developments normally range from 7.5 to 14 m3/ha.d.
 Cont…
 Typical flow rates from some institutional
facilities are again is stressed that flow rates
vary with the region, climate, and type of
facility.
 The actual records of institutions are the best
sources of flow data for design purposes.
 Wastewater flow rates from many
recreational facilities are subject to seasonal
variations.
 3.2.2. Industrial Wastewater
 Wastewater flow rate from industrial sources vary with
the type and size of the facility, the degree of water
reuse, and the onsite wastewater-treatment methods,
if any.
 Extremely high peak flow rates may be reduced by the
use of onsite detention tanks and equalization basins.
 Typical design values for estimating the flows from
industrial areas that have no or little wet-process-type
industries are 7.5 to 14 m3/ ha.d for light industrial
developments and 14 to 28 m3/ ha.d for medium
Industrial development.
 Cont…
 For industries without internal water recycling or
reuse programs, it can be assumed that about 85
to 95 percent of the water used in the various
operations and processes will become wastewater.
 For large industries with internal water reuse
programs, separate estimates based on actual
water consumption records must be made.
 Average domestic (sanitary) wastewater
contributed from industrial facilities may vary from
30 to 95 L/capita.d.
 3.2.3. Infiltration or Inflow

 This is wastewater entering a collection

system from a variety of entry points including
service connections and from the ground
through such means as defective pipes, pipe
joints, connections or access port (manhole)
walls.
3.2.4. Storm Water Or Runoff Resulting From Rainfall and Snowmelt

 These include water from floods (storm water),

runoff (rainwater running through cracks in the
ground and into gutters) and snowmelt from polar.
 This also includes wastewater generated from
agricultural facilities: wastewater used for cleaning in
animal farms, washing harvested produce and
cleaning farm equipment.
 Types of wastewater from household

 Wastewater comes in four main types namely Blackwater, Graywater,

Yellow water and brown water.
 Blackwater
This is wastewater that originates from toilet fixtures, dishwashers, and
food preparation sinks. It is made up of all the things that you can imagine
going down the toilets, bath and sink drains. They include poop, urine,
toilet paper and wipes; body cleaning liquids, anal cleansing water and so
on. They are known to be highly contaminated with dissolved chemicals,
particulate matter and is very pathogenic.
 Graywater
This is wastewater that originates from non-toilet and food fixtures such as
bathroom sinks, laundry machines, spas, bathtubs and so on. Technically it
is sewage that does not contain poop or urine. Graywater is treated very
differently from Blackwater and is usually suitable for re-use.
 Yellowwater 
This is basically urine collected with specific channels and not
contaminated with either blackwater or graywater.
 Brown water: Black water without urine or yellow water
 3.3. Effects of Water Pollutants

3.3.1. Water pollution:

 Fresh water bodies and marine water into which wastewater is
discharged may be polluted and rendered unsafe for human use.
 Depending on what is discharged, aquatic life may be harmed
too. 
3.3.2. Water security:
 There is water scarcity in many places in the world.
 Wastewater discharged on lands can leach into underground
water tables and potentially contaminate aquifers and
underground water.
 If discharged in freshwater bodies, it may render water sources
unsuitable for use
 3.3.3. Effect on Ecosystem:

 All ecosystems are connected and they all ultimately depend on water.
 Similarly, all water (surface and underground) is connected.
 This means careless wastewater discharge can have some serious ripple
effect.
 One common effect of wastewater is the eutrophication of fresh water
bodies and oceans. 
 If one part of the ecosystem chain is destroyed, it can upset its entire
food chain.
 Raw wastewater is rich with nitrogen and phosphorus (N, P) and leads to
the phenomena of EUTROPHICATION.
 EUTROPHICATION is the growth of huge amounts of algae and other
aquatic plants leading to the deterioration of the water quality.
 Raw wastewater is rich with organic matter which consumes oxygen in
aquatic environment. Raw wastewater may contains toxic gases and
volatile organic matter.
 3.3.4. Effect on Agriculture/Fisheries/Tourism:

 Wastewater for irrigation may contain unsuitable chemicals and

higher concentrations of nutrients needed for crops.
 This can result in delayed and under yielding.
 Wastewater used for animal farming may also contain harmful
things and chemicals dissolved in them.
 Animals may die, and there is a chance that humans that eat such
animals may be harmed too.
 In some places, faecal sewage is discharged directly into the sea.
 The discharge contains pathogens and harmful dissolved
chemicals which can affect fishing in that area.
 The smell and such behavior does not encourage tourism to that
area.
 3.3.5. Effect on Health of urban and rural populations:

• Wastewater is a big health issue, as it carries

and transports a myriad of diseases and
illnesses.
• It is believed that about 2.2 million people die
each year (globally) from diarrhoeal disease
(WHO).
• At least 1.8 million children under five years
die every year due to water related disease, or
one every 20 seconds (WHO, 2008).
 3.4. Characteristics of Wastewater

3.4.1. Physical characteristics of Wastewater

3.4.1.1. Solids
 Solids are important in wastewater treatment plant designs.
 Total Solids (TS): All the matter that remains as residue upon evaporation at
103oC to 105 oC.
 Solids may be settleable solids which measured as ml/L and is an approximate
measure of the sludge that can be removed by primary sedimentation.
 Solids also appear as suspended solids (SS) and filterable solids (FS).
3.4.1.2. Odor
 Odor is produced by gas production due to the decomposition of organic
matter or by substances added to the wastewater.
 Odor is mainly due to H2S formation in wastewater.
Odor is measured by special instruments such as the Portable H2S meter which
is used for measuring the concentration of hydrogen sulfide.
 Cont…
3.4.1.3. Temperature
 Temperature of wastewater is commonly higher than that of water
supply.
 Depending on the geographic location the mean annual temperature
varies in the range of 10 to 21oC with an average of 16oC.
 Temperature affects chemical reactions during the wastewater
treatment process, affects aquatic life and oxygen solubility is less in
worm water than cold water.
 Optimum temperature for bacterial activity is in the range of 25 to
35°C.
 Aerobic digestion and nitrification stop when the temperature rises
to 50°C.
 When the temperature drops to about 15°C, methane producing
bacteria become inactive.
 Nitrifying bacteria stop activity at about 5°C.
 Cont…
3.4.1.4. Density
 The density of wastewater is almost the same density of water when
the wastewater doesn't include significant amount of industrial waste.
3.4.1.5. Color
 Fresh wastewater is light brownish gray.
 With time it becomes dark gray.
 With more time wastewater colored black (septic).
 Sometimes pink due to algae or due to industrial colors.
3.4.1.6. Turbidity
 Fresh water is colorless and fully light transmitter.
 Wastewater turbidity is a measure of the light transmitting properties
of wastewater.
 It in turn indicates the amount of pollutants or light retardants in the
wastewater.
 3.4.2. Chemical Characteristics of Wastewater

3.4.2.1. Organic matter

 About 75% suspended solids and 40% filtered
solids are organic.
 Organic matter is derived from animals &
plants and man activities.
 Organic matter is about (40-60%) proteins,
(25-50%) carbohydrates and 10% (fats, oils,
and grease).
 Cont…
Measurements of organic matter:
 Many parameters have been used to measure the
concentration of organic matter in wastewater. The
following are the most common used methods:
i. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5):- is the oxygen
equivalent of organic matter. It is determined by
measuring the dissolved oxygen used by
microorganisms during the biochemical oxidation of
organic matter in 5 days at 20oC. It is one of the
indirect method carbonaceous material measurement.
Conceptually:
Cont…
 Cont…
 Takes five days to obtain result
 Measure only biodegradable matters
 Some organic matter e.g. Cellulose may take
long time for degradation
Cont…
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Model:
 Cont…
Example 3.1:
 Determine the 1-day BOD and ultimate BOD
for a wastewater whose 5 days 20°C BOD is
200 mg/L. The reaction constant K= 0.23d-1
what would have been the 5-day BOD if it had
been conducted at 25°C?
Cont…
 ii. Chemical oxygen demand (COD):-
 It is the oxygen equivalent of organic matter. This is also
indirect method. It is determined by measuring the
dissolved oxygen used during the chemical oxidation of
organic matter in 120 minutes.
 Since the BOD5 test is time consuming, chemical oxygen
demand is routinely performed for wastewater
treatment operations after the relationship between
BOD5 and COD has been developed for a wastewater
treatment plant.
 Many regulatory agencies accept the COD test as a tool
of the wastewater treatment operation.
Cont…
Cont…
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 The COD results are typically higher than the BOD values.
 The correlation between COD and BOD varies from plant to
plant.
 The BOD: COD ratio also varies across the plant from
influent to process units to effluent.
 The ratio is typically 0.5:1 for raw wastewater and may drop
to as low as 0.1:1 for well-stabilized secondary effluent.
 The normal COD range for raw wastewater is 200 to 600
mg/L (WEF 1996a).
 Domestic sewage has 100-400 mg/L and treatment target is
to reduce to 30 mg/L 80-90 % reduction.
 Cont…
Generally,
 Cont…
iii. Total organic carbon (TOC):-
 This method measures the organic carbon existing in the wastewater
by injecting a sample of the WW in special device in which the carbon
is oxidized to carbon dioxide then carbon dioxide is measured and
used to quantify the amount of organic matter in the WW.
 This method is only used for small concentration of organic matter.
 It is direct method
iv. Theoretical oxygen (ThOD)
 If the chemical formula of the organic matter existing in the
wastewater is known the ThOD may be computed as the amount of
oxygen needed to oxidize the organic carbon to carbon dioxide and a
other end products.
 One of the indirect method.
 Cont…
Example 3.2
 Calculate the Theoretical Oxygen Demand
(ThOD) for sugar C12 H22 O11 dissolved in water
to a concentration of 100 mg/L. Calculate
"TOC".
Cont…
 Cont…
Example 3.3:
 Chemical Oxygen demand (COD) and Total
Organic carbon (TOC) - Determine BOD5/COD,
BOD5/TOC, TOC/BOD5 ratios for the following
organic compound (C5 H7 NO2). Assume "k" =
0.23d-1.
 Cont…
Solution:
 3.4.2.2. Inorganic Matter

 The following are the main inorganic materials of concern

in wastewater treatment:
i. Chlorides:-
 High concentrations indicate that the water body has been
used for waste disposal.
 It affects the biological process in high concentrations.
ii. Nitrogen:
 Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) = Organic Nitrogen +
ammonia Nitrogen (120 mg/l).
iii. Phosphorus: - Municipal waste contains (4-15 mg/l).
iv. Sulfur: this a source of odor in wastewater.
 Cont…
v. Toxic inorganic Compounds:-Copper, lead,
silver, chromium, arsenic, boron.
vi. Heavy metals: - Nickels, Mn, Lead,chromium,
cadmium, zinc, copper, iron mercury.
3.4.2.3. Gases
 The following are the main gases of concern in
wastewater treatment: N2, O2, CO2, H2S, NH3, CH4.
3.4.2.4. pH
 The hydrogen-ion concentration is an important
parameter in both natural waters and wastewaters.
 It is a very important factor in the biological and
chemical wastewater treatment.
 Water and wastewater can be classified as neutral,
alkaline or acidic according to the following ranges:
pH = 7 neutral, pH > 7 Alkaline and pH < 7 Acidic.
 3.4.3. Biological Characteristics:

 The environmental engineer must have considerable

knowledge of the biological of waste water because it is a very
important characteristics factor in wastewater treatment.
The Engineer should know:
 The principal groups of microorganisms found in wastewater.
 The pathogenic organisms.
 Indicator organisms (indicate the – presence of pathogens).
 The methods used to amount the microorganisms.
 The methods to evaluate the toxicity of treated wastewater.
 Cont…
Main groups of Microorganisms:
 The main microorganisms of concern in
wastewater treatment are Bacteria, Fungi,
Algae, Protozoa, Viruses, and pathogenic
microorganisms groups.
 Quiz 1 (5%)
1. What is wastewater?
2. List the types of household wastewater.
3. Mention at least two effects of water
pollutants
4. What is the difference between BOD5 and
BODu ? Show in graph.
5. What is the difference between ThOC and
TOC?