Chapter 4: Wastewater Engineering
Wastewater engineering deals with the collection, treatment, and safe disposal of domestic,
industrial, and stormwater effluents. Chemical engineers play a critical role in designing treatment
processes that minimize environmental impact and recover valuable resources. Objectives include
removing pollutants, protecting public health, and enabling water reuse.
4.2 Sources of Wastewater
• Domestic/municipal wastewater: Contains organic matter, nutrients, and pathogens.
• Industrial wastewater: May contain toxic chemicals from textile, chemical, food, and paper
industries.
• Stormwater runoff: Carries sediment, oil, and debris from urban areas.
4.3 Characteristics of Wastewater
Wastewater is characterized by physical, chemical, and biological parameters:
pH: 6–9 (affects treatment efficiency and corrosion) BOD: 100–300 mg/L (oxygen demand for
microbial decomposition) COD: 200–600 mg/L (total oxidizable pollutants) TSS: 100–500 mg/L
(suspended solids load) Nutrients (N, P): 10–50 mg/L (can cause eutrophication) Pathogens: High
(public health concern)
4.4 Wastewater Treatment Processes
Treatment is classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary.
4.4.1 Primary Treatment
• Screening: Removes large debris.
• Grit Removal: Settles sand and small stones.
• Sedimentation: Settles heavier organic solids in primary clarifiers (BOD removal ~25–40%).
4.4.2 Secondary Treatment
• Activated Sludge Process: Aerobic microorganisms degrade organic pollutants.
• Trickling Filters: Wastewater passes over microbial media.
• Rotating Biological Contactors (RBCs): Microbes grow on rotating discs.
• Reduces BOD by 85–95%.
4.4.3 Tertiary Treatment
• Filtration (sand or membrane) to remove remaining solids.
• Nutrient removal (N and P) via chemical or biological methods.
• Disinfection using chlorine or UV light.
4.5 Industrial Wastewater Treatment
• Pre-treatment: pH adjustment, neutralization, removal of solids.
• Primary/Secondary treatment as described above.
• Advanced treatment: Adsorption, chemical precipitation, membrane filtration.
4.6 Case Study: Addis Ababa Wastewater Treatment
Plant capacity: ~140,000 m³/day. Process: Screening → Grit removal → Primary clarifier →
Activated sludge → Secondary clarifier → Disinfection. Challenges: Industrial effluents with high
BOD and heavy metals, irregular stormwater flow. Lessons: Industrial pre-treatment is crucial;
continuous monitoring ensures compliance with standards.
4.7 Problem Set and Discussion Questions
1 Define BOD and COD and explain their importance in wastewater treatment.
2 Compare primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment in terms of pollutant removal.
3 Explain the activated sludge process and its key design parameters.
4 Discuss challenges in treating industrial wastewater compared to domestic wastewater.
5 How can chemical engineers optimize nutrient removal in tertiary treatment?
6 Design a conceptual wastewater treatment system for a medium-sized city (textual flowchart).
4.8 Textual Flow Diagrams
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Flowchart: Influent Wastewater → Screening → Grit Removal →
Primary Clarifier → Secondary Treatment → Secondary Clarifier → Tertiary Treatment →
Disinfection → Effluent Industrial Wastewater Flowchart (Textile Example): Raw Wastewater → pH
Adjustment → Coagulation → Flocculation → Sedimentation → Biological Treatment → Filtration →
Disinfection → Effluent