WASTE WATER MANAGEMENT

• Every community produces wastes in huge quantities every day. The liquid
portion of the waste (waste water) is the water that has been fouled by a
variety of uses.

• Waste water is defined as the liquid or water that carries waste from
residences, institutions, commercial and industrial establishments.

• Waste water is sometimes called grey water.

• Waste water consists of sewage (faeces + urine) and sullage (any thing that
goes down the sink).

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STRENGTH OF SEWAGE

• Strength of sewage is most of the times judged by its BOD

value.

• It is dependent on the degree of water consumption, for

example;
– USA has high water consumption of about 350 – 400 litres per day,
• Sewage is weak because it is diluted.
• BOD5 ranges approximately between 200 – 250 mg/l

– In tropical countries water consumption is very low of about (40 – 100 litres
per day).
• Sewage is very strong,
• BOD5 ranges approximately between 400 – 700 mg/l

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SEWAGE STRENGTH IN TERMS OF BOD5

STRENGTH BOD5 (mg/L)

Weak < 200
Medium > 200 ≤ 350
Strong > 350 ≤ 500
Very strong > 500

. Sewage is conveyed in pipes known as sewers from the place of

production to the place of treatment except when sewage is treated in
septic tank and pit latrines from which sewage emanates.

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SEWAGE COMPOSITION
• % COMPOSITION WASTE WATER

SEWER

0.1% SOLIDS
99.9% WATER

70% ORGANIC

PROTEINS FATS
30%
CARBOHYDRATES

GRITS

METALS

SALTS

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WASTE WATER TREATMENT TERMINOLOGY
• Unit operation:
– This refers to treatment methods in which the application of physical or chemical forces
predominates .
• e.g. screening.

• Unit process:
– These are methods that involve biological or chemical reactions.
• E.g. addition of aluminum sulphate to water.

• Waste water treatment system

– This is a combination of unit operations and unit processes designed to reduce certain
parameters of waste water to an acceptable level.
• Waste water treatment systems are divided into primary, secondary and
tertiary or advanced system.
• Most treatment plants have primary and secondary treatment systems
only.

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 PRIMARY TREATMENT SYSTEM

• The main aim of this system is to remove solid materials from the
incoming water.
• It involves screening, grit removal and primary sedimentation.

Primary

effluent
Raw water Screening Grit chamber sedimentation
(clarifier)

Screening or The aim of grit chamber Under flow to

comminatory is to settle out solid grit sludge unit

{screening are either

taken to a land fill or
burnt

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SECONDARY TREATMENT SYSTEM

• This usually consists of biological conversion of dissolved and colloidal

organics into biomass that can subsequently be removed by
sedimentation. Secondary treatment is typically achieved by using
biological processes.

Secondary
Effluent from Activated growth sedimentation
primary system system (tank)

• Trickling filter Humus tank

• RBC
Activated sludge system
• Activated sludge
•Contracted wetlands
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SCREENING

• This stage seeks to remove particles that may damage pumps, valves and
other mechanical equipment.
• There are two types of screens
– Manually cleaned bar rake; it is used in small treatment plants.
– Mechanically rake cleaned which is used in heavy treatment plants.
• Screens are defined as either fine or coarse. Coarse screens consists of
vertical bars spaced at one or more centimeters apart inclined away from
incoming water.
• Fine screens consists of open wire or perforated plates mounted on a
rotating disk.
• The flow velocity should not exceed 1m/s in a channel. The common
velocity being 0.3m/s.
• The screenings are either buried or incinerated (burnt).

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COMMINUTING AND GRIT REMOVAL

• This is used as an alternative to screens.

• It is done using shredding device known as comminatory which is located
across the flow pipe.
• Municipal waste water contains in-organic solids such as sand, pebbles,
silts, egg shells, metal fragments, glass etc. Some larger and heavier
organics such as bone, seeds, cobs etc are also removed together with the
in-organics.
• These in-organic and organic solids form a material called grit. since these
materials are abrasive, they tend to abrade pumps and other mechanical
devices if not removed from water.
• They also have a tendency of settling in corners and bends thereby
reducing flow velocity and ultimately clogging pipes.
• Grit removal systems consists of enlarged channel area where reduced
velocity are allowed to settle out solid materials.

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PRIMARY SEDIMENTARY

• With the screening completed and the grit removed, waste water still
contains light suspended solids which are removed by sedimentation.
• Primary sedimentation is a unit operation designed to concentrate and
remove these suspended solids from the water.
• Sedimentation tanks can either circular or rectangular, but usually 3m
deep and are filled with waste water for about 2 to 3 hours.
• Settled solids (raw sullage) is removed from the tank by mesh scrappers.
• Floating materials (supernant)are collected by a surface skimming system
and removed from the tank for further processes.
• Metcalf & Eddy (waste water treatment)
• The gravitational separation of suspended solids that are heavier than
water from the water.
• The aim of sedimentation is to achieve a high degree of clarification.
• Also to achieve a high degree of thickening (removal of liquid from sludge)

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CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT

• This refers to the standard method of sewage treatment

which comprises the following;
– Preliminary treatment; involves screening/ comminuting with the
main aim of removing grit .
– Primary treatment (primary sedimentation)
– Secondary treatment (activated/ attached growth system)
– Sludge treatment (anaerobic digestion)
• Application of sedimentation in waste water treatment
process
– This is used for grit particulate and matter removal and treatment in
primary settling basins.
– Biological floe removal in secondary settling basins.
– Chemical floe removal when chemical coagulation is used.

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SETTLING PHENOMENA

• Settling of particles depends on the characteristics and

properties of the particle. I.e. whether the particles are
discrete or flocculent or whether they are dilute or
concentrated.
• Discrete refers to particles whose size and shape do not
change with time.
• Flocculants are particles whose surface properties aggregate
with other particles with which they make contact.
• They change in size and shape with time.
• Dilute suspension are those particles that are less than 1%
solids by volume, or ≤ 200mg/l suspended solids.

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TYPES OF SETTLING

• There are four types of settling phenomena

– Discrete particle settling (Type 1),
– Flocculent particle settling (Type 2),
– Hindered or zone settling (Type 3), and
– Compression settling (Type 4).
• Discrete particle settling refers to settling of particles in dilute
suspension.
• Particles settle as individual entities without interfering with
adjacent particles. I.e. unhindered settling.
• Particles settle discretely at a constant settling velocity. For
example, sand and other particles.

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ANALYSIS OF DISCRETE PARTICLE SETTLING

• This is analyzed using sedimentary laws of Sir Isaac Newton and

Stokes.
• In the design of an ideal sedimentation tank, one first computes
velocity of a particle (vs) to be removed and then sets the
overflow rate (vo) at a value equal to or less than (vs).
– Ie vo ≤ vsa
• Determination of settling velocity is different for different
classes of settling.
• For a particle that settles in water, experiences two initial forces;
1. Force of gravity (Fg) = ρpgvp, where ρp is density of particle, vp is the
volume of the particle, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

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- - - - - - /CONTINUED

2. Buoyant force (Fb) = ρwgvp

where ρw is the density of water.
• These forces are always is opposite direction to each other.
• Once a motion has been initiated, a third force (force of
friction) emerges due to frictional drag (Fd) = cdρwAp(v2/2)
– Where;
• Ap is cross-section area of the particle perpendicular to the direction of
flow,
Fd Fb
• cd is Newton’s drag coefficient,
• V is velocity of particle.

• The friction drag force depends on particle

velocity, particle diameter etc. Fg

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- - - - - - /CONTINUED
• The driving force for acceleration is the reference between
gravity and water.
– I.e. Df = Ff - Fb
= (ρp – ρw)gvp
• when the driving force is equal to drag force, the particle
velocity reaches a constant value known as terminal velocity
(vs).
– Ie when (ρp – ρw)gvp = cdρwAp(v2/2)
• For spherical particles with diameter D,
– Vp/Ap = (4πr3)/(3πr2)
= 2D/3
• Volume of the particle = (2D/3)(πD2/4)
= (πD3/6)
• Therefore (ρp– ρw)g(2D/3) = Cdρw (vs2/2)…(1)
• Where Cd is associated with Reynolds number .
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- - - - - - /CONTINUED
• The drag coefficient takes on different values depending on wether the flow
regime surrounding the particle is lamina or turbulent.
• For different flow regimes Cd is taken as Cd =24/Re – laminar flow
– where Re = (φρwVsd)/µ; Re ≤ 1.0
= 24/Re + 3/Re1/2 r + 0.34
(for transition flow where 1 ≤ Re ≤ 104 and = 0.4 for turbulent where Re > 104).
• For Re = (φρwVsd)/µ,
φ = shape factor to correct for lack of sphericity, for a perfect sphere, φ =
1.0
d = Particle diameter
µ = dynamic viscosity of the fluid
Vs= particle settling velocity
• For laminar flow conditions and perfect sphere particle
Cd = (24µ)/(φρwVsd)…(2)
• Hence substituting (2) into (1)
• We therefore Vs= (ρp– ρw)gd2/18µ (known as the stoke’s equation)

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- - - - - - /CONTINUED

• Where particle size and a correction factor for sphericity are known,
stoke’s equation can be used to determine particle terminal settling
velocity.

• In the absence of the two figures, an indirect method of measuring

settling velocities of discrete particles in a dilute suspension can be used.

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INDIRECT METHOD

• Construct a column with a sampling port,

• Place the suspension to be tested in the column,
• Mix the suspension to distribute the particles evenly,
• Allow the suspension to settle,
• E.g. suppose at time zero a particle is at the surface of the fluid,
• at time t = t0 the particle arrives at the sampling port.
• The average settling velocity (Vo)
• Vo = distance travelled/ time of travel taken
= Zo/to

Zo

Settling column for layer 1

suspension

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THE IDEAL SEDIMENTATION BASIN

• An ideal sedimentation tank,

• Quiescent conditions in the settling zone,
• Uniform flow across the settling zone,
• Uniform solids concentration as flow enters the settling zone.
• Solids entering the sludge are not re-suspended.

Vn

Outlet zone
Inlet zone

ho e
Vo zon
ttling
Se

sludge B

ℓ
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- - - - - - /CONTINUED
• The ideal sedimentation tank is divided into four zones as shown previously,
• Inlet zone is where momentum of the fluid is spread uniformly throughout the tank.
• Most of the particles from the inlet zone settles in the settling zone as the water flows
towards the outlet zone.
• Settled material corrects in the sludge zone.
• The waste water finally flows upwards out to the outlet weir.
• Consider a critical discrete particle with a settling velocity Vo at A which is just entering the
sludge zone at the end of the tank B. This particle falls through a depth ho in the retention
time to.
– Therefore VO = hO/ tO
but tO = volume/(flow/t)
= V/Q
Or VO = Q hO /V
= Q hO /(AhO)
= Q /A
• Where A is the surface area of the tank. Hence discrete particle solids
removal is not dependent on the depth of the tank.
• The settling Q/A is known as surface loading velocity or over-flow rate
• All particles with settling velocities greater than V O would be removed.
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FLOCCULANT PARTICLE SETTLING (TYPE 2)

• Fraction solids removed Xij = (1 - Cij / CO )x100

• Where Xij = mass of solids removed in % at depth i and time j.
• Iso-removal (iso-concentration) lines are drawn from mass fraction.
• The overall %ntage matter removed can be obtained for the
predetermined time.
• A column used for this analysis can be of any diameter but should be
equal in height to the depth of the proposed tank.
• Satisfactorily results can be obtained using a 100ml diameter plastic tube
about three meters high.
• Sampling ports should be inserted at every 0.5m height.
• Samples are withdrawn from the ports and analyzed for suspended solids
at various time intervals.

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EXAMPLE
• A column analysis of a flocculating suspension is run in the apparatus
shown below; the initial solids concentration is 250mg/l. The resulting
matrix is shown below. What will be the overall removal efficiency of a
settling basin which is three meters deep with a retention time of 105
minutes.
DEPTH TIME (MINUTES)
(m)
30 60 90 120 150 180

0.5 133 83 50 38 30 23
1.0 180 125 93 65 55 43
1.5 203 150 118 93 70 58
2.0 213 168 135 110 90 70
2.5 220 180 145 123 103 80
3.0 225 188 155 133 113 95

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- - - - - - - -/CONTINUED

• % solid removed Xij = (1 - Cij/ CO) × 100

X(0.5, 30) = (1 – 133/250) × 100
= 46.80 (for the first point)
• The table below has been reproduced to contain % solid removed.
DEPTH TIME (MINUTES)
(m) 30 60 90 120 150 180

0.5 46.8 66.8 80 84.8 88.0 90.8

1.0 28.0 50.0 63.0 74.0 78.0 83.0

1.5 19.0 40.0 53.0 63.0 72.0 77.0

2.0 15.0 33.0 46.0 56.0 64.0 72.0

2.5 12.0 28.0 42.0 51.0 59.0 68.0

07/07/22 02:50 3.0 10.0 25.0 38.0

ROHCAIS 47.0 55.0 63.0 24
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