Wastewater Or Sewage Treatment

Purpose of Sewage Treatment:

To manage wastewater discharged from homes, businesses, and industries to reduce
the threat of water pollution.

• To remove pollutants from wastewater for its recycling.

To promote health concern and public hygiene. More than 50% diseases are spread by
untreated sewage due to presence of various pathogens microorganisms , worms etc.
To preserve aquatic life and wildlife habitat.

• If sewage is disposed untreated in water bodies, it can result in following problems.

Depletion of O2 resources of streams

Cause turbidity, colour in water bodies

Can be toxic to aquatic life. To promote recreation and quality of life.

Sewage is treated to be reused for Irrigation purposes and Ground water recharge
 Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Municipal Wastewater treatment consists of four major categories. (i)

Preliminarily treatment (ii) Primary treatment (iii) Secondary treatment and (iv)
Advanced treatment.
The purpose of pretreatment is to protect the wastewater treatment plant
(WWTP) equipment. Primary treatment removes those pollutants that are either
settle or float. It remove 50% of suspended solids and 35% BOD. Secondary
treatment remove upto 85% suspended solids and BOD. It does not remove
nitrogen, phosphorus, or heavy metals significantly, nor completely remove
pathogenic bacteria and viruses. When secondary process is not sufficient to
fulfilled the treatment requirement then advanced (tertiary) treatment has to be
done. It remove 99% BOD, Phosphorus, suspended solids, and bacteria, 95% of
nitrogen. It produce clean, colorless odorless water.
The impurities removed from wastewater do not vanish simply.
 Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Some of the organics are broken down into harmless CO 2 and water. Most of the
impurities are removed from wastewater as a solid, that is sludge. Sludge handling and
disposal must also be carried out to achieve satisfactory pollution control.

Industrial Wastewater: The municipal WWTP are usually not designed to remove the
impurities of industrial waste. The industrial waste can damage the sewer system and /or
treatment units. Therefore, a pretreatment process for industrial waste is essential before
disposing it in to sanitary sewer and treatment units. The objectives of pretreatment are
(i) Prevention of pollutants that interfere the operation of WWTP. (ii) To prevent WWTP of
pollutants that will pass without treatment. (iii) To improve opportunities to recycle and
reclaim municipal and industrial wastewater and sludge. Such type of industrial waste
must not be allowed to sanitary sewer and treatment units. Like Toxic materials, waste
that obstruct to flow of sanitary waste; oxygen demanding materials; heated waste of
temperature more than 400C, petroleum oil; or products of mineral oils; toxic gases,
vapors etc.
Wastewater Treatment
 Water and Wastewater Treatment
• Classification of Waste water treatment:

• The contaminants present in water / wastewater can be removed by physical,

chemical and/or biological means. The individual methods usually classified as
physical unit operation, chemical unit processes, and biological unit processes. In
some cases there is a combination of these units and processes.

• Screening Devices

• To operate water and wastewater treatment plants, it is necessary to remove or

reduce in early treatment process large suspended solid material that interfere with
operations or damaging equipment. The first device used in water and wastewater
treatment is known as screening device.

• It is also used at the intakes of rivers, lakes and reservoirs for water treatment plants
or at wet well into which main trunk sewer discharges for a wastewater treatment
plant. These devices remove large floating materials like old clothes, dead animals,
 Screening Devices

lumber, tree branches, roots, bushes, plastics etc. As these particles can clog and damage

pumping units or impede the hydraulic flow in open channels or pipe network. The removal of

these impurities are essential to minimize losses of pumping plant as well as disturbing of flow in

channels and pipes. The materials removed by these devices are termed as Screening. The

screening are usually non biodegradable materials and can be used for land filling purposes.

•Screens or Bar Rack: Screens are classified as coarse screen 50-150 mm; medium with 25-50

mm; and fine with less than 20 mm openings. The screen materials are usually made up of

stainless steel, milled bronze, or copper, polyester and other fabric screen cloths. The fine screens

remove influent suspended solids, Putrescible matter, grease and scum as well as pathogenic

fecal materials. To prevent the settling of coarse materials in the channel, the velocity in approach

channel must be in the range of 0.3 m/s to 0.6 m/s. It consists of parallel bars, rods or wires,

grating, wire mesh or perforated plate, having opening of any shape but circular and rectangular

are common.
 Head losses in Screen and Bar rack

• Head losses in Screen and Bar rack.

• Hydraulic losses through bar racks are a function of approach Channel
(upstream velocity, and the velocity through the bars (down stream) with
a discharge coefficient. According to Bernoulli’s equation the headloss
through bar racks: + = h2 + +∆h or

∆h = - h2 = Where ∆h = headloss, m
• h1 upstream depth of water, h2 downstream depth of water at screen,
• V2 flow velocity through the bar rack, m/s
• v 1 approach velocity in upstream channel, m/s
• g acceleration due to gravity, 9.81 m/s2
• C = Discharge coefficient 0.84  
 Comminutor

• Located across the flow path and intercepts the coarse solids and shred
them to approximately 8mm in size. It consists of a screen and cutting
teeth. It need frequently proper maintenance and provisions should be
made to by-pass flow during repairs. Small plants use screens as by-pass
while large plants install comminutor in parallel.
 l

Grit Chamber

• Grit are small inorganic solids like pebbles, sand, silt, eggshells, glass and metal fragment. As Grits

are abrasive in nature and will cause wear on pumps. Grit deposits in pipes, sumps and clarifiers

can absorb grease and solidify. They are non biodegradable and occupy valuable space in the

digest. The major contributor is infiltration and depends on the type, age and condition of sewerage

systems Industrial waste and Domestic garbage also contribute grit materials. Therefore its removal

is essential. Usually grit particles are inert and dry, however 15 to 65% moisture content are present

depend on the nature of grit. Inorganic particles with Sp. gravity ≥ 2.65 and approximate diameter

of 0.20 mm or larger can be removed. while organic matters be keep in suspension. The physical

operation to remove is termed as Grit Chamber.

 Grit Chamber
• Grit chamber are provided to (i) protect moving mechanical equipment
from abrasion and abnormal wear
(ii) Reduce formation of heavy deposits in pipelines
(iii) Reduce the frequency of digester cleaning caused by excessive
accumulation of grit and
(iv) To separate inorganic particles from organic and disposed off of these
particles just to wash without passing any further treatment process.

• Grit Chambers are usually located after bar racks and before sedimentation
tanks. Similarly, the installation of screening facilities ahead of the grit
chambers make the operation and maintenance of grit removal easier.

• Two important types of Grit Chambers (i) Horizontal flow Rectangular and
(ii) Aerated Grit Chamber
 Types of Grit Chambers

Rectangular Horizontal-flow grit chamber: The unit is designed to maintain

a velocity of 0.3 m/s and to provide sufficient time for grit particles to settle
at channel while organic particles are kept in suspension. A 25% increase in
velocity may result in washout of grit, while 25% reduction result retention
of non-target organics. The design of horizontal flow grit chamber be such
that, the lightest particles of grit will reach the bed of the channel. Usually
grit chambers must be designed to remove particles of diameter of 0.20
mm. The length of channel will be based on the settling velocity and control
section, while cross section area will be based on the rate of flow and the
number of channels. Allowance should be made for inlet and outlet
turbulence. The grit removal from horizontal chamber is accomplished by a
conveyor with scraper and buckets. In small units it is cleaned manually.
 Types of Grit Chambers

Typical Design information for horizontal flow grit chambers

Item Range Typical value
Detention time (sec) 45 - 90 60
Horizontal Velocity (m/s) 0.244 – 0.40 0.30
settling velocity (m/s) 1.0 – 1.30 1.15

• Aerated Grit Chamber: Aerated Grit chambers are normally designed to

remove particles of size 0.20 mm or larger with 2 to 5 minute detention
time at peak hour flow. This type of chamber may serve another useful
purpose, if the sewage is anaerobic when it arrives at the plant, aeration
serves to strip noxious gases from the liquid and to restore it immediately
to an aerobic condition, which allows for better treatment. Influent and
effluent baffles are used frequently for hydraulic control and improved grit
removal effectiveness. The diffusers are located about 0.45 to 0.60 meters
above the normal plane of the bottom.
 Aerated Grit Chambers

With proper adjustment 100% removal will be obtained, and the grit will be well
washed. Wastewater will move through the tank in a spiral path and will make two
to three passes across the bottom of the tank. For grit removal, aerated grit
chambers are often provided with grab buckets traveling on monorails and
centered over the grit and storage trough. Bucket removal of grit can be further
washed by dropping the grit from bucket through the tank contents. In case of
industrial wastewater is discharged having VOCs then either covering of system is
required of other type of grit removal will be used.
Design parameter for aerated grit chamber

item Range Typical value

Dimensions
Depth X length X width (m) 2 . 5 X (7.5 – 20) X (2.5 – 7.0)
Width depth ratio 1: 1 to 5:1 2:1
Detention time at peak flow (min) 2–5 3
Air supply (m3/min.m of length) 0.15 – 0.45 0.3
Grit and scum quantities (m / 10 m 0.004 – 0.200
3 3 3
0.015
 Grit Chamber Example
• Design an aerated Grit Chamber for the treatment of Municipal waste
water. The average wastewater flow is 0.5m3/sec, and the peak flow factor
is 2.7 times of average flow. Use two tanks calculate the grit chamber
volume and grit materials if 0.05 m3/103m3 of peak flow is the grit
concentration. Assume the average detention time is 180 seconds and
horizontal velocity 0.25m/sec, while settling velocity is 0.03 m/sec. Also
calculate volume of air supply if the rate is 0.3 m3/minute-m length of
chamber. Assume W: D is 1.2:1, while depth is 3m.
• Volume of grit chamber = 0.5 *2.7 * 3minute * 60 secs = 248.4 m3 for one
unit volume = 124.2 m3
•  
 Grit Chamber Example
• Given Information: Q average = 0.5 m3/sec; Peak flow Factor = 2.7; no of
tanks = 2; Volume of grit materials = 0.05 m3/(103 m3); Vh = 0.25 m/s Vs =
0.03 m/sec; td= 180 secs Q air = 0.3 m3/ (minute- m) W ; D = 1.2 : 1 and D
= 3m
• Required: Dimensions; Air Supply and Grit materials

• Solution: Peak flow = 0.5 *2.70 = 1.35 m3/sec

• Volume of tank = Q * t – 1.35 m3/sec * 180 secs = 243 m3
• Volume of one tank = 121.5 m3
• Volume = L * W * D where W : D = 1.2 : 1 and D = 3.0 m so W = 3.6 m
• V = 121.5 = L * 3.0 * 3.6 or L = 121.5/(3*3.6) = 11.25 m
• The dimensions are L = 11.25 m ; W = 3.6 m and D = 3.0 m Answer
• Air Supply = 0.3 m3/ (minute-m) * 11.25 * 180/60 = 10.125 m3 Answer
• Grit materials = 0.05m3/103m3 of flow = (0.05m3/103m3 )(1.35 * 3600 *24 =
5.832 m3/day Answer