Chapter 5 - Urban drainage system

5.1 Sewage drainage (rainwater, industrial and household)

5.2 Sewage treatment works
Adjective clauses

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 Read and make mindmap.
Difference Between Sewage and Drainage
August 21, 2011
Sewage vs Drainage
The two words, which are often used in the field of hydraulics,
are drainage system and sewage system. There must be a proper
system to send out excess or waste water in any country.
Drainage systems and sewage systems are used for this purpose.
Sewage
The process, by which waste matters carried away by sewers, is
known as sewage. Foul water and surface water are the two
main types of waste water. Foul water includes water from
sinks, toilets, kitchen, showers, etc. Surface water includes
water from the roof down pipes, rain water. A sewer means a
pipe, either be a privately owned pipe or public sewer, which
takes off foul water or surface water. When designing sewage
system, the slope of the pipes or sewers and volume of sewage,
route of sewers must appropriately be selected such that it
ensures the even flow under gravity and not leaving any solids
behind. Modern sewage systems include domestic sewers,
industrial sewers, and storm sewers. Normally, the sludge that is
obtained from sedimentation process is used as fertilizer or
dumped into the sea.
Drainage
A system of watercourses or drains for carrying off excess water
is known as the drainage system. In geomorphology, drainage
system is seen as the pattern formed by the lakes, streams and
rivers in a particular drainage basin. In general, drainage system
denotes/indicate/show man made system of drainage. A suitable,
good drainage system is important because, if there is no proper
drainage system water does not run off, instead it becomes
standing water that will smell and allows mosquito breeding. It
will harm the health of human beings and may cause diseases
like cholera.
What is the difference between Sewage and Drainage?
 Though, both sewage and drainage carry water, they have
some differences between them.
 Generally, drainage system is used to run off the excess
water to sea or reservoirs or any other suitable place, while
sewage system is used to carry out the waste water and solids
to dispose them in a proper way. Simply, sewage system is a
drainage system for carrying waste water.
 Drainage system either be manmade system or natural
system (in case of rivers and lakes), while sewage system is
often manmade system.
 Sewers are designed to carry solid waste also, while drainage
is designed to carry excess water.
 Sewage system can either be maintained by government or
private sector, while drainage system is mostly maintained
by local or federal government of the state
 Drainage can be open to air, but sewage can’t be open to air.

[Link] (>3 minutes)

How do wastewater treatment plants work?
Cities and towns have sewerage systems in place to carry the
wastewater from
our homes, hotels, factories and other establishments to a sewage
treatment
plant where the wastewater is treated. It is then deemed safe to
release into
other water sources. The treatment of wastewater goes through
different stages. Wastewater is treated to remove the physical,
chemical and biological contaminants present in it through various
processes.
The pre-treatment process involves the sewage being sent through
grids or vertical bars that can remove large solid substances, like
metal cans, paper, and plastic materials.
In primary treatment process, the sewage flows through the grit
chamber very slowly so that the sand pebbles and soil settle down at
the bottom. The sewage flows into the settling tank or sedimentation
tank where the solid wastes like feces are allowed to settle down.
Waste such as soaps, oils and grease rise to the top of the
wastewater. The waste material that settles down at the bottom is
called the sludge, and the floatable material is called the scum.
Scum is then removed using a skimmer, and sludge is removed with a
 scraper every few days. The water that is left out is called the
clarified water.
In the secondary treatment process, biological or organic wastes
are removed. It is a biological process. This is done by
transferring the clarified water into an aeration tank where air
blowers bubble air, which helps the aerobic bacteria to grow and
feed on the organic contaminants such as food waste, feces and other
organisms.
The mixture then flows from the aeration tank into the clarifier
where activated sludge settles out by gravity. The activated sludge
so produced along with the sludge produced in the primary process is
transferred to the digester where it is decomposed by anaerobic
bacteria. Biogas is produced in this process which can be used as
fuel or can be used to produce electricity. The activated sludge is
then left in the sand drying beds. Some quantity of water in the
activated sludge evaporates and the remaining quantity drains through
the sand beds. This leaves behind the remaining dried sludge which
can be used for making fertilizers or compost.
In the tertiary treatment process, the leftover wastewater is
treated with chlorine to remove the phosphorus compounds, nitrogen
compounds and bacteria. It is a chemical process. Chlorine tablets
are added to kill the germs. This process is called chlorination.
Then this water is let off into the water bodies.

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Group Nghĩa translate
Types of sewer system
1．Public sewer system｜2．River-basin sewerage｜3．City sewer system

Conceptual diagram of the types of sewer system

 1．Public sewer system
The public sewer system is a sewer system that is “controlled by the local public
authorities in order to exclude or process sewage water mainly in the urban districts.
They come with a disposal treatment facility or those that are connected to the river-
basin sewerage that has a structure of a closed conduit for the most part of the
sewerage facility in which sewage water must be excluded” (Article 2, clause 3 of
the Sewerage Service Act). In principle, the local authorities implement the
establishment/control of the public sewer system. However, in case at least two local
authorities receive benefit from this and it is demonstrated that it is difficult to
establish the facilities only through local authorities, the prefectural governments can
execute establishment/control. In addition to this, from the year 1991, as an
exception and based on the special measures law of local revitalization for
depopulated districts, for those that satisfy a certain fixed requirement among the
depopulated areas, it became possible for the prefectural governments to act for the
local authorities to establish fundamental areas of the main pipe, drainage, etc.
Among public sewer systems, those facilities that are mainly used for business
activity of a specific business are called the “specific public sewer system.”
Specifically, within the planned sewage water amount of the relevant sewer system,
it is caused by the business activity of the business or is thought to dominate roughly
over 2/3 of planned sewage water. (For the implementation of the law which
partially revises the Sewerage Service Act (issue 35 November 10, 1971)
In addition, all of the sewer systems mentioned below are referred to as the
“specified environmental preservation public sewer system.”
Among public sewer systems, sewer systems that are set outside the urbanization
areas (regarding urban planning districts that have not yet been set with an
urbanization area, the already existing urban areas and the areas that surround them
are referenced. This refers to districts with a concentration of population commonly
referred to as the white urban planning districts.). Also included are those sewer
systems that are specified in Article 2 of the National Park Acts to preserve the water
quality of the water districts within the districts of the National Park (hereinafter
referred to as a nature preservation sewer system). Also included are those to be
implemented within the districts that have the necessity to execute improvement of
the living environment by the maintenance of the public sewer system (hereinafter
referred to as the farming and fishing villages) or districts where water quality
preservation is essential with a population of under 1,000 people (hereinafter referred
to as simple public sewer system).
Furthermore, a sewer system other than these specified public sewer systems and
specified environmental preservation public sewer systems are designated as a
restricted “public sewer system.”
Specified public sewer systems had been executed as a special urban sewer system
business before 1971. However, with the revision of the Sewerage Service Act in
1970, it was required that all public sewer systems have a disposal treatment facility
or connection to river-basin sewerage. Accordingly, the treatment facility established
in the special urban sewer system was included in the idea of the disposal treatment
facility and since then it was implemented as a specified public sewer system.
2．River-basin sewerage
River-basin sewerage is “a sewer system that holds a disposal treatment facility
which also excludes sewage water from at least two local districts which are
controlled by the local authorities to process or exclude the sewage water from the
sewer system that is independently controlled by the local authorities” (Sewerage
Service Act Article 2, clause 4 a). In addition to this, it is referred to as the “sewer
system controlled by the local authorities that discharges only rainwater excluded
from the public sewer system (limited to those with disposal treatment facilities) to
the rivers or other public water districts or to the ocean areas that hold a facility to
adjust the amount of rainwater flow and that excludes rainwater in at least two local
districts” (Sewerage Service Act Article 2, clause 4 b). Generally, the control and
establishment of river-basin sewerage is conducted by the prefectural governments
but the local authorities can also execute operations in cooperation with the
prefectural governments.
The river-basin sewerage specified in Sewerage Service Act Article 2, clause 4 a
was established due to the expansion of the urban districts with changes in the
municipality and in the social situation such as the increase of awareness toward the
necessity of water preservation. With these changes, the necessity of implementation
and planning from a wide perspective that crosses over the political districts based on
units of basin, such as rivers, without limiting the execution on a local level has
grown for the existing sewer system operation.
The first implementation of the river-basin sewerage in Japan took place at the
Neyagawa basin in Osaka (1965). However, since those times, as there were no clear
regulations for the Sewerage Service Act, the river-basin sewerage was thought of as
being a part of public sewer system. The law system on river-basin sewerage was
established in 1970 on the occasion of the revision of the Sewerage Service Act.
On the other hand, the reason why maintenance was conducted for river-basin
sewerage (rainwater river-basin sewerage) specified in the Sewerage Service Act
Article 2, clause 4 b was due to the development of urban areas and the necessity for
the prefectural governments to efficiently implement flood prevention for several
local districts due to the frequent occurrence of the concentrated heavy rain. With
this, it has become possible to conduct maintenance as river-basin sewerage that
excludes only rainwater in at least two local districts starting in 2005. (However, this
is limited to rainwater excluded from the public sewer system that holds a disposal
treatment facility.)
Furthermore, in case the river-basin sewerage that used to exclude sewerage in at
least two districts will exclude sewerage from single local districts due to the
merging of cities, a special law for the merging of cities that considers the existing
sewer system as the river-basin sewerage in a span that does not exceed 10 years has
been established under consultations between the prefectural governments and the
new local authority created by the merging of cities.
3．City sewer system
 A city sewer system only serves for the purpose of excluding rainwater
independently in cities (outside the draining districts of public sewer system) and is a
system that does not hold a disposal treatment facility.

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Group Nghĩa translate
How Sewer and Septic Systems
Work
By: Marshall Brain
The article How Toilets Work leads many readers to ask the next logical question:
"So what happens after I flush the toilet?"
In this article, we will look at one of inner workings of sewer systems so that you can
understand how they handle the billions of gallons of wastewater that the world
produces every day!
Why Do We Need a Sewer System?
Each time you flush the toilet or you wash something down the sink's drain, you
create sewage (also known in polite society as wastewater). One question that many
people might ask is, "Why not simply dump this wastewater onto the ground outside
the house, or into a nearby stream?" There are three main things about wastewater that
make it something you don't want to release into the environment:
1. It stinks. If you release wastewater directly into the environment, things
get very smelly very fast.
2. It contains harmful bacteria. Human waste naturally contains coliform
bacteria (for example, E. coli) and other bacteria that can cause disease.
Once water becomes infected with these bacteria, it becomes a health
hazard.
3. It contains suspended solids and chemicals that affect the
environment. For example:
 Wastewater contains nitrogen and phosphates that, being fertilizers,
encourage the growth of algae. Excessive algae growth can block
sunlight and foul the water.
 Wastewater contains organic material that bacteria in the environment
will start decomposing. When they do, these bacteria consume oxygen
in the water. The resulting lack of oxygen kills fish.
 The suspended solids in wastewater make the water look murky and
can affect the ability of many fish to breathe and see.
The increased algae, reduced oxygen and murkiness destroy the ability of a
stream or lake to support wildlife, and all of the fish, frogs and other life forms
quickly die.

No one wants to live in an place that stinks, is full of deadly bacteria and cannot
support aquatic life. That's why communities build wastewater treatment plants and
enforce laws against the release of raw sewage into the environment.

Private Treatment: The Septic Tank

In rural areas where houses are spaced so far apart that a sewer system would be too
expensive to install, people install their own, private sewage treatment plants. These
are called septic tanks.
A septic tank is simply a big concrete or steel tank that is buried in the yard. The tank
might hold 1,000 gallons (4,000 liters) of water. Wastewater flows into the tank at one
end and leaves the tank at the other. The tank looks something like this in cross-
section:

In this picture, you can see three layers. Anything that floats rises to the top and forms
a layer known as the scum layer. Anything heavier than water sinks to form
the sludge layer. In the middle is a fairly clear water layer. This body of water
contains bacteria and chemicals like nitrogen and phosphorous that act as fertilizers,
but it is largely free of solids.
Wastewater comes into the septic tank from the sewer pipes in the house, as shown
here:

A septic tank naturally produces gases (caused by bacteria breaking down the organic
material in the wastewater), and these gases don't smell good. Sinks therefore have
loops of pipe called P-traps that hold water in the lower loop and block the gases
from flowing back into the house. The gases flow up a vent pipe instead -- if you look
at the roof of any house, you will see one or more vent pipes poking through.
As new water enters the tank, it displaces the water that's already there. This water
flows out of the septic tank and into a drain field. A drain field is made of perforated
pipes buried in trenches filled with gravel. The following diagram shows an overhead
view of a house, septic tank, distribution box and drain field:

A typical drain field pipe is 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter and is buried in a
trench that is 4 to 6 feet (about 1.5 m) deep and 2 feet (0.6 m) wide. The gravel fills
the bottom 2 to 3 feet of the trench and dirt covers the gravel, like this:

The water is slowly absorbed and filtered by the ground in the drain field. The size of
the drain field is determined by how well the ground absorbs water. In places where
the ground is hard clay that absorbs water very slowly, the drain field has to be much
bigger.
A septic system is normally powered by nothing but gravity. Water flows down from
the house to the tank, and down from the tank to the drain field. It is a
completely passive system.
You may have heard the expression, "The grass is always greener over the septic
tank." Actually, it's the drain field, and the grass really is greener -- it takes advantage
of the moisture and nutrients in the drain field.
Urban Wastewater Systems
In urban and suburban areas where people are packed closer together and where there
is a lot more wastewater to treat, the community will construct a sewer system that
collects wastewater and takes it to a wastewater treatment facility.
Why are manhole covers round?
Because it avoids accidents. Since manhole covers are round, it is impossible for a
cover to fall down the manhole. If they were square or rectangular, they could.
In the ideal case, a sewer system is completely gravity-powered, like a septic system.
Pipes from each house or building flow to a sewer main that runs, for example, down
the middle of the street. The sewer main might be 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 m) in diameter.
Periodically, a vertical pipe will run up from the main to the surface, where it is
covered by a manhole cover. Manholes allow access to the main for maintenance
purposes.
The sewer mains flow into progressively larger pipes until they reach the wastewater
treatment plant. In order to help gravity do its job, the wastewater treatment plant is
usually located in a low-lying area, and sewer mains will often follow creekbeds and
streambeds (which flow naturally downhill) to the plant.
Normally, the lay of the land will not completely cooperate, and gravity cannot do all
the work. In these cases, the sewer system will include a grinder-pump or a lift
station to move the wastewater up over a hill.

Screw pumps
Once the water reaches the wastewater treatment plant, it goes through one, two or
three stages of treatment (depending on the sophistication of the plant). Here's what
each stage does:
 The first stage, known as primary treatment, does the same thing a septic tank
does. It allows the solids to settle out of the water and the scum to rise. The
system then collects the solids for disposal (either in a landfill or an incinerator).
Primary treatment is very simple -- it involves a screen followed by a set of
pools or ponds that let the water sit so that the solids can settle out.
 Primary screen Primary clarifiers
Primary treatment might remove half of the solids, organic materials and
bacteria from the water. If the plant does no more than primary treatment, then
the water is chlorinated to kill the remaining bacteria and discharged.
 The second stage, known as secondary treatment, removes organic materials
and nutrients. This is done with the help of bacteria -- the water flows to large,
aerated tanks where bacteria consume everything they can.

Photo courtesy [Link]

Aeration tank
The wastewater then flows to settling tanks where the bacteria settle out.
Secondary treatment might remove 90 percent of all solids and organic
materials from the wastewater.

Photos courtesy [Link]

Secondary clarifier
 The third stage, known as tertiary treatment, varies depending on the
community and the composition of the wastewater. Typically, the third stage will
use chemicals to remove phosphorous and nitrogen from the water, but may also
include filter beds and other types of treatment. Chlorine added to the water kills
any remaining bacteria, and the water is discharged.

Final clarifier Chlorination tank

Measuring the Effectiveness of a Treatment Plant

The effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants is measured on several different
scales. Here are some of the most common:
 pH - This is the measure of the water's acidity once it leaves the plant. Ideally,
the water's pH would match the pH of the river or lake that receives the plant's
output.
 BOD (bio-chemical oxygen demand) - BOD is a measure of how much
oxygen in the water will be required to finish digesting the organic material
left in the effluent. Ideally, the BOD would be zero.
 Dissolved oxygen - This is the amount of oxygen in the water as it leaves the
plant. If the water contains no oxygen, it will kill any aquatic life that comes
into contact with it. Dissolved oxygen should be as high as possible and needs
to cover the BOD.
 Suspended solids - This is the measure of the solids remaining in the water
after treatment. Ideally, suspended solids would be zero.
  Total phosphorous and nitrogen - This is the measure of the nutrients
remaining in the water.
 Chlorine - The chlorine used to kill harmful bacteria needs to be removed so
it does not kill beneficial bacteria in the environment. Ideally, chlorine should
not be detectable.
 Coliform bacteria count - This is the measure of fecal bacteria remaining in
the water. Ideally, this number would be zero. Note that water in the
environment is not totally free of fecal bacteria -- birds and other wildlife do
introduce some.
The main reason why these indicators need to be watched so closely is because any
community produces a huge quantity of wastewater. Discharge levels ranging from 10
million to 100 million gallons per day (38 million to 380 million liters) are common
for a wastewater treatment plant.

Group Triển Minh translate

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House Drainage System Explained [Simple
Beginner’s Guide]
To avoid many of the common plumbing-related issues, such as burst pipes, a leak
under the sink, blocked drain and clogged toilets, you must first understand a bit more
about the standard house drainage system.

What is Drainage?
The drainage system’s most important feature is to carry away used water to the
sewage system. If you ever wondered what is drainage, the simplest way to remember
it is like all the used water leaving your property through the piping.
It is important to understand that your drains work by gravity only. The closer to a
vertical pipe your drainage system is, the faster and easier it will flow away. As this is
often difficult to achieve in standard household architecture, most drain pipes are at an
angle to keep the used water flowing to the sewage constantly.
A horizontal drain pipe usually gets blocked by soap and grease residues and causes
issues, such as slower water drains and eventually build up to a blockage. What
happens when your drain water reaches the public sewer is a whole other topic.
Usually, your local authorities take care of everything that goes beyond the lateral
drain.

What is Plumbing?
We have access to water around our properties through the plumbing. But what is
plumbing? It is usually divided into two subsystems. One subsystem brings freshwater
from a mains water supply near our property, which is then regulated to our taps and
water fixtures through a network of pipes. The other subsystem takes the wastewater
away to the sewage plant.
All water coming into your property goes through a meter, which registers the amount
you are using. With burst pipes, it is important to know where the main water stop
valve is, and that usually is very close to the meter.
Foul Drainage Systems And Surface Water Drainage
Now that you are familiar with plumbing and drains, it is time to learn what foul
water drainage is and how it differs from the surface water drainage system. In
modern properties, they are usually divided into a distinct set of pipes each.
Foul drainage will transport the water coming from the bathrooms, kitchen sink,
shower and your laundry away from your property. This water is considered
wastewater and needs to be transported to your local sewage treatment plant. All the
water coming to your property from the mains supply that is being used needs to go
through your foul drains.
Surface water drainage is for all water around your property that is not connected to
your house plumbing. That includes the rainwater collected by your gutters, your
patio, sportsfields and driveway. Since it has not contaminated, it is not considered
harmful and can be diverted to a soakaway, a river or a stream.
If you live in an old property, it is possible that they combine both systems in one, but
it is best to keep them separate. Storm-water flowing to your foul drainage can lead to
flooding and foul water flowing to your surface water drain may cause contamination
of the streams it is taken to.

How Drainage System Works

It is easy to understand how the drainage system works. It functions entirely with the
help of gravity and does not use any pressure to move water through your plumbing.
All water appliances, all sinks and toilets within your house are connected with pipes.
When you flush or turn the tap on the wastewater goes first to a small pipe in your
house and then connects to a larger sewer pipe under the road. This sewage then joins
a network of municipal sewers which all go to a sewage treatment plant.
House Drainage Parts and Components
Being familiar with most of the parts of your drainage system can be crucial in times
of need. Most drain parts and components are well hidden under our sink, behind
walls or under floors, but knowing which is responsible for what may save you time,
effort and potentially money.
1. Fixture Drains – this is the visible part of your sink or shower drain that
everybody is familiar with. It is open and often comes with some blocking
mechanism.
2. U-bends or P-traps – immediately after the fixture drains there is a p-trap,
which is often a curved pipe, shaped in the letter „P” or „U“. It holds standing
water and prevents sewage gasses from rising.
3. Toilet trap – sometimes built-in, the toilet trap is like the p-trap in shape and
function – it blocks sewage gasses.
4. Clothes washer Standpipe – while most of your washing machine pipes may
be hidden, the standpipe is often left exposed. The washing machine drain tube
takes the water to your standpipe, which takes it to your sewage.
5. Branch Drain lines – they run horizontally and connect fixture drain traps to
main drain lines. They are often hidden behind the walls.
6. Main drain line – hidden under your foundation slab or basement floor, the
main drain line is connected to the municipal sewer line and carries all your
home’s wastewater to it.
7. Pipe shut-off – your stop valve is usually close to your water meter and must
prevent flooding or water damage.

 Make questions and answer them.

Group Triển Minh translate
SEWAGE DISPOSAL
INTRODUCTION
Sewage disposal, or wastewater disposal, various processes involved in the collection, treatment, and
sanitary disposal of liquid and water-carried wastes from households and industrial plants. The issue of
sewage disposal assumed increasing importance in the early 1970s as a result of the general concern
expressed in the United States and worldwide about the wider problem of pollution of the human
environment, the contamination of the atmosphere, rivers, lakes, oceans, and groundwater by domestic,
municipal, agricultural, and industrial waste.

TRANSPORT AND WASTEWATER

Wastewater is carried from its source to treatment facility pipe systems that are generally classified
according to the type of wastewater flowing through them. If the system carries both domestic and
storm-water sewage, it is called a combined system, and these usually serve the older sections of urban
areas. As the cities expanded and began to provide treatment of sewage, sanitary sewage was separated
from storm sewage by a separate pipe network. This arrangement is more efficient because it excludes
the voluminous storm sewage from the treatment plant. It permits flexibility in the operation of the
plant and prevents pollution caused by combined sewer overflow, which occurs when the sewer is not
big enough to transport both household sewage and storm water.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT
The processes involved in municipal wastewater treatment plants are usually classified as being part of
primary, secondary, or tertiary treatment.

A. Primary treatment
The wastewater that enters a treatment plant contains debris that might clog or damage the pumps and
machinery. Such materials are removed by screens or vertical bars, and the debris is buraed or buried
after manual or mechanical removal. The wastewater then passes through a comminutor (grinder),
where leaves and other organic materials are reduced in size for efficient treatment and removal later.
Raw sewage includes waterborne waste from sinks, toilets, and industrial processes.
Treatment of the sewage is required before it can be safely buried, used, or released back
into local water systems. In a treatment plant, the waste is passed through a series of
screens, chambers, and chemical processes to reduce its bulk and toxicity. The three general
phases of treatment are primary, secondary, and tertiary. During primary treatment, a large
percentage of the suspended, solids and inorganic material is removed from the sewage. The
focus of secondary treatment is reducing organic material by accelerating natural biological
processes. Tertiary treatment is necessary when the water will be reused; 99 percent of
solids are removed and various chemical processes are used to ensure the the water is as
free from impurity as possible.

Grit chamber
In the past, long and narrow channel-shaped setting tanks, known as grit chambers were designed to
permit inorganic particles to settle at the bottom while the smaller particles and most of the organic
solids that remain in suspension pass through.

Sedimentation
The rate of sedimentation is increased in some industrial waste-treatment stations by incorporating
processes called chemical coagulation and flocculation in the sedimentation tank. Coagulation is the
process of adding chemicals such as aluminum sulfate, ferric chloride, or polyelectrolytes to the
wastewater; this causes the surface characteristics of the suspended solids to be altered so that they
attach to one another and precipitate. Flocculation causes the suspended solids to coalesce.
Coagulation and flocculation can remove more than 80 percent of suspended solids.

Flotation (or Floatation)

An altemative to sedimentation that is used in the treatment of some wastewater is flotation, in
which air is forced into the wastewater under pressures of 1.75 to 3.5 kg per sq cm. The
wastewater, supersaturated with air, is then discharged into an open tank; there the rising air
bubbles cause the suspended solids to rise to the surface, where they are removed. Flotation can
remove more than 75 percent of the suspended solids.

B. Secondary Treatment
The second treatment biologically reduces the organic material that remains in the liquid stream.
Usually the microbial processes employed are aerobic- that is, the organisms function in the presence
of dissolved oxygen. Secondary treatment actually involves harnessing and accelerating nature’s
process of waste disposal. Aerobic bacteria in the presence of oxygen convert organic matter to stable
forms such as carbon dioxide, water, nitrates, and phosphates, as well as other organic materials.
Trickling Filter
In this process, a waste stream is distributed intermittently over a bed or column of some type of
porous medium. A gelatinous film of microorganism coats the medium and functions as the removal
agent. The organic matter in the waste stream is absorbed by the microbial film and converted to
carbon dioxide and water.

Activated Sludge
This is an aerobic process in which gelatinous sludge particles are suspended in an aeration tank and
supplied with oxygen. The activated-sludge particles, known as floc, are composed of millions of
actively growing bacteria bound together by a gelatinous slime. Organic matter is absorbed by the
floc and converted to aerobic products.

C. Advanced Wastewater Treatment

If the final effluent is intended for reuse, advanced wastewater treatment is necessary. The term
tertiary treatment is often used as a synonym for advanced treatment, but the two methods are not
exactly the same. Tertiary, or third-stage, treatment is generally used to remove phosphorous, while
advanced treatment might include additional steps to improve effluent quality by removing refractory
pollutants.
Dissolved solids are reduced by processes such as reverse osmosis and electrodialysis. Ammonia
stripping, denitrifìcation, and phosphate precipitation can remove nutrients. If the wastewater is to be
reused, disinfection by ozone treatment is considered the most reliable method other than breakpoint
chlorination. Application of these and other advanced waste-treatment methods is likely to become
widespread in the future in view of new efforts to conserve water through reuse.

D. Septic Tank
A sewage treatment process commonly used to treat domestic is the septic tank: a concrete, cinder
block or metal tank where the solids settle and the floatable materials rise. The partly clarified liquid
stream flows from a submerged outlet into subsurface rock-filled trenches through which the
wastewater can flow and percolate into the soil where it is oxidized aerobically. The floating matter
and settled solids can be helped from six months to several years, during which they are decomposed
anaerobically.