MADDAWALABU UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF Civil ENGINEERING

Course: Waste water treatment

1- INTRODUCTION TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT

1.1 General about Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater collected from urban areas and from different industries must ultimately be
returned to receiving water bodies or to the land. The complex question of which
contaminants in wastewater must be removed is to protect the environment and to what
extent must be answered specifically for each case. This requires analyses of local
conditions and needs together with the application of scientific knowledge, engineering
judgment based on past experience, and consideration of federal, state and local
requirements and regulations.
The presence of different pollutants in the wastewater makes it almost impossible to treat
all the wastewater in the same manner. Some important contaminants/pollutants of
concern in wastewater treatment are given in the Table 1.
The contaminants (pollutants) in wastewater are removed by physical, chemical and/or
biological means, and the individual methods usually are classified as physical, chemical
and biological unit processes or operations.
Treatment methods in which the application of physical forces predominates are known
as physical unit operations. Typical physical unit operations are: screening, mixing,
flocculation, sedimentation, flotation, and filtration and membrane filter operations.
Treatment methods in which the removal or conversion of contaminants is brought about
by the addition of chemicals or by other chemical reactions are known as chemical unit
processes.
Neutralization, oxidation, reduction, precipitation, gas transfer, adsorption, ion-exchange,
electro-dialysis etc. are the most common examples of these processes used in
wastewater treatment.

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Treatment methods in which the removal of contaminants is brought about by biological
activity are known as biological unit processes.
Biological treatment is used primarily to remove the biodegradable organic substances
(colloidal or dissolved) in wastewater. Basically, these substances are converted into
gases that can escape to the atmosphere and into biological cell tissue that can be
removed by settling. The most common approaches in the biological wastewater
treatments are: aerobic processes such as trickling filters, activated sludge, oxidation
ponds (or lagoons), and anaerobic processes such as anaerobic lagoons, sludge digestion,
etc.
Usually in the municipal wastewater treatment, but also in other wastewater processing
all the above mentioned unit operations and processes are grouped together to provide
what is known as primary, secondary and tertiary (or advanced) treatment.
The term primary refers to physical unit operations and in some cases to chemical unit
processes; secondary refers to biological unit processes; and tertiary refers to
combinations of all three.
In addition to the above mentioned classical basic processes, some new directions are
also evident in various specific areas of wastewater treatment, including:

(i) modification in treatment operations, processes and concepts

(ii) the changing nature of the wastewater to be treated
(iii) the problem of industrial wastes
(iv) wastewater treatability studies
(v) environmental and energy concerns
(vi) land treatment
(vii) small and individual onsite systems

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Table 1. Important contaminants of concern in wastewater treatment

Contaminants Reason for importance

Suspended Suspended solids can lead to the development of sludge deposits and
solids anaerobic conditions when untreated wastewater is discharged in the
aquatic environment
Biodegradable Composed principally of proteins, carbohydrates and fats,
organics biodegradable organics are measured most commonly in terms of
BOD and COD. If discharged untreated to the environment, their
biological stabilization can lead to the depletion of natural oxygen
resources and to the development of septic conditions
Pathogens Communicable diseases can be transmitted by the pathogenic
organisms in wastewater
Nutrients Both nitrogen and phosphorus, along with carbon, are essential
nutrients for growth. When discharged to the water these nutrients
can lead to the growth of undesirable aquatic life. When discharged in
excessive amounts on land they can also lead to the pollution of
groundwater
Refractory These organics tend to resist conventional methods of wastewater
organics treatment. Typical examples include surfactants, phenols, and
agricultural pesticides
Heavy metals Heavy metals are usually added to wastewater from commercial and
industrial activities and may have to be removed if the wastewater is
to be reused
Dissolved Inorganic constituents such as calcium, sodium, and sulfate are added
inorganic solids to the original domestic water supply as a result of water use and may
have to be removed if the wastewater is to be reused
Source: Metcalf & Eddy, Wastewater engineering

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Table 2. Unit operations, processes, and treatment systems

Unit Operation, Unit Process, or

Contaminant Classification
Treatment System
Suspended solids Screening and comminution P
Sedimentation P
Flotation P
Filtration P
Coagulation / sedimentation C/P
Land treatment P
Biodegradable Activated sludge B
organics Trickling filters B
Rotating biological contactors B
Aerated lagoons B
Oxidation ponds B
Intermittent sand filtration P/B
Land treatment B/C/P
Physical / chemical P/C
Pathogens Chlorination C
Ozonation C
Land treatment P
Nutrients: Suspended-growth nitrification and denitrification B
Nitrogen Fixed-film nitrification and denitrification B
Ammonia stripping C/P
Ion exchange C
Breakpoint chlorination C
Land treatment B/C/P
Phosphorus Metal salt coagulation/sedimentation C/P
Lime coagulation / sedimentation C/P
Biological/chemical C/P

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 phosphorus removal B/C
Land treatment C/P
Refractory organics Carbon adsorption P
Tertiary ozonation C
Land treatment systems P
Heavy metals Chemical precipitation C
Ion exchange C
Land treatment C/P
Dissolved inorganic Ion exchange C
solids Reverse osmosis P
Electrodialysis C
*B = biological, C = chemical, P = physical.

The wastewater originating from various sources can be broadly divided into two
categories:

1.2 Objectives of Wastewater Treatment

[Link] introduce fundamentals of the wastewater treatment plants and their unit
operations and processes
[Link] provide basic design skills and knowledge on the wastewater treatment
plants and their unit operations and processes
[Link] experience a design project on a hypothetical wastewater treatment plant

a. Identify kinds and sources of wastewater

b. Describe hazards in wastewater
c. Describe ways of treating wastewater
d. Describe the products of wastewater treatment, including the production
and use of biosolids
The overall objectives of wastewater treatment are associated with the removal of
pollutants and the protection and preservation of our natural resources.

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Specific concern is protection of human health by the destruction of pathogenic
organisms present in wastewater prior to treated effluent being discharged to receiving
water bodies and land.

1.3 Wastewater Treatment Standards

Effluents from different establishments should be treated before being discharged to

receiving bodies so that it should be:

1. Free from materials and heat in quantities, concentrations or combinations which

are toxic or harmful to human, animal, aquatic life.
2. Free from anything that will settle in receiving waters forming putrescence or
otherwise objectionable sludge deposits, or that will adversely affect aquatic life.
3. Free from floating debris, oil, scum and other materials in amounts sufficient to
be noticeable in receiving waters;
4. Free from materials and heat that alone, or in combination with other materials
will produce color, turbidity, taste or odour in sufficient concentration to create a
nuisance or adversely affect aquatic life in receiving waters;
5. Free from nutrients in concentrations that create nuisance growths of aquatic
weeds or algae in the receiving waters.

1.4 Flow Sheets for Wastewater Treatment Systems

Depending on the contaminants to be removed, an almost limitless number of process

combinations can be developed using the unit operations and processes. The term "flow
sheet" is used to describe a particular combination of unit operations and processes used
to achieve a specific treatment objective. Apart from the analysis of the technical
feasibility of the individual treatment methods, the exact flow-sheets configuration will
depend on factors such as:

(1) the needs of the client's needs,

(2) the designer's past experience,
(3) regulatory agency policies on the application of specific treatment methods,
(4) the availability of equipment suppliers,
(5) what use can be made of existing facilities,

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 (6) the availability of qualified operating personnel,
(7) initial construction costs, and
(8) future operation and maintenance costs

Conventional flow sheets for the treatment of wastewater are presented and discussed
below.
The choice of a set of treatment methods depends on several factors, including discharge
permits and available disposal facilities. For example, where an ocean discharge is used,
removal of large debris by screens and of settleable solids by sedimentation may be the
only treatment steps that are required. Where treated effluent is to be discharged to an
inland stream, complete treatment may be required. Discharges to environmentally
sensitive lakes, streams, and estuaries may require additional treatment to remove
specific constituents.
Treatment schemes are often identified as primary, secondary, or advanced (also known
as tertiary). In primary treatment, a portion of the suspended solids and organic matter is
removed from the wastewater. This removal is usually accomplished with physical
operations such as screening and sedimentation. The effluent from primary treatment
will ordinarily contain considerable organic matter and will have a relatively high BOD.
The further treatment of the effluent from primary treatment to remove the residual
organic matter and suspended material is known as secondary treatment. In general,
biological processes employing microorganisms are used to accomplish secondary
treatment. The effluent from secondary treatment usually has little BOD5 and suspended
solids and may contain several milligrams per liter of dissolved oxygen. When required
for water reuse or for the control of eutrophication in receiving waters, advanced
(tertiary) treatment is used for the removal of suspended and dissolved materials
remaining after secondary treatment.
Actually, the distinction between primary, secondary, and advanced treatment is rather
arbitrary, as many modern treatment methods incorporate physical, chemical, and
biological processes in the same operation. A more rational approach would be to drop
these arbitrary distinctions and to focus instead on the optimum combinations of
operations and processes that must be used to achieve the required treatment objectives.
Typical flow sheets for the treatment of wastewater are presented in Figure 1

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Figure 1. Flow chart for wastewater treatment processes

The diagram demonstrates how the treatment plant works and how the different processes
are inter-connected to work as one.
A significant element in wastewater disposal is the potential environmental impact
associated with it.
Environmental standards are developed to ensure that the impacts of treated wastewater
discharges into ambient waters are acceptable. Standards play a fundamental role in the

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determination of the level of wastewater treatment required and in the selection of the
discharge location and outfall structures.
Regulations and procedures vary from one country to another and are continuously
reviewed and updated to reflect growing concern for the protection of ambient waters.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) developed the National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit programme in 1972 to control
water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters.
Accordingly, industrial, municipal, and other facilities are required to obtain permits if
their discharges go directly into surface waters. Under this programme, secondary
treatment standards were established by USEPA for publicly owned treatment works,
governing the performance of secondary wastewater treatment plants. These technology-
based regulations, which apply to all municipal waste-water treatment plants, represent
the minimum level of effluent quality attainable by secondary treatment in terms of
BOD5 and TSS removal.

Waste water treatment standards

Effluents discharged to receiving water bodies should achieved the following minimum
wastewater quality limits:
Parameter Effluent Limit
BOD5 20mg/l
TSS 30mg/l
Nitrates (as Nitrogen) 30mg/l
Phosphate 10mg/l
COD 100mg/l
pH 6–9
Faecal coliform 1000MPN/100ml
Residual chlorine 1.5mg/l
MPN- Most Probable Number