INTRODUCTION

The treatment of wastewater is a relatively modern practice. Although sewers to remove foul-smelling water were common in ancient Rome, it was not until the 19th century that large cities began to understand the necessity of reducing the amount of pollutant in the used water they were discharging to the environment (Guelph.ca).

Despite large supplies of fresh water and the natural ability of surface waters to cleanse themselves over time, populations had become co concentrated by 150 that outbreaks of life threatening disease became commonplace. These outbreaks were traced to pathogenic bacteria in the polluted water (Guelph.ca).

What happens in a wastewater treatment plant is essentially the same as what occurs naturally in an ocean, lake, river or stream. The function of a wastewater treatment plant is to speed up this natural cleansing process. The practice of wastewater collection and treatment has been developed and perfected, using some of the most technically sound biological, physical, chemical and mechanical techniques available. As a result, public health and water quality are protected better today than ever before (Guelph.ca).

Wastewater can be defined as the flow of used water discharged from homes, businesses, industries, commercial activities and institution which is directed to treatment plants by a carefully designed and engineered network of pipes. Wastewater contains a wide variety of solids of various shapes, sizes and densities. Effective removal of these solids may require a combination of unit operation such as screening, grinding and settling (Guelph.ca).

PRIMARY TREATMENT
Although no material is removed by the process, flow-measurement devices are essential for the operation of wastewater-treatment plants and are generally included in the primary system. Operations to eliminate large objects and grit, along with flow measurement, often referred to as preliminary treatment, are an integral part of primary treatment (Howard et al., 1985).

Screening
The first unit operation generally encounters in wastewater treatment plants is screening. A screen is a device with openings, generally of uniform size, that is used to retain solids found in the influent wastewater to the treatment plant. The principal role of screening is to remove coarse material from the flow stream that could (aboutcivil.com): i) ii) iii) Damage subsequent process equipment. Reduce overall treatment process reliability & effectiveness. Contaminate waste way.

Figure 1: Screens bar rack.

Wastewater screens are classified as fine or coarse, depending on their construction. Coarse screen usually consist of vertical bars spaced 1 or more centimeters apart and inclined away from the incoming flow. Solids retained by the bars usually removed by manual raking in small plant, while mechanically cleaned units are used in larger plants. Fine screens usually consist of woven-wire cloth or perforated plates mounted on a rotating disk or drum partially submerged in the flow, or on a travelling belt. Fine screens should be mechanically cleaned on a continual basis (Howard et al., 1985).

Screening devices are contained in rectangular channels that receive the flow from the collection system. Manually cleaned devices should be readily accessible for cleaning, and mechanically cleaned systems should be enclosed in suitable housing. Proper ventilation must be provided to prevent accumulation of explosive gases. A straight channel section should be

provided a few meters ahead of the screen to ensure good distribution of flow across the screen. Hydraulically, flow velocity should not exceed ( ( ) in the channel, with

) considered good design. Head loss across the screen will depend on the degree . Provision should be

of clogging. Clean bars and screens result in a head loss of less than made for a head loss of up to

for manually cleaned or for manually operated, mechanically

cleaned screens (Howard et al., 1985).

Comminuting
In some plants, shredding devices are installed after the bar screen or as alternatives to screening. Shredding devices reduce solids to a size that can enter the plant without causing mechanical problems or clogging. The most common shredder is the comminutor. Comminutors are devices that act both as a cutter and a screen. In this device all of the wastewater flow passes through the grinder assembly. The grinder consists of a screen or slotted basket, a rotating or oscillating cutter and a stationary cutter. Solids pass through the screen and are chopped or shredded between the two cutters. The comminutor will not remove solids that are too large to fit through the slots, and it will not remove floating objects. The materials must be removes manually (water.me.vccs.edu).

Channel design for comminutors is similar to that for screens. Since material does not accumulate on the device, head loss rarely exceeds ( ). Comminutors are high-

maintenance item, and provisions should be made to bypass the unit when the repairs are needed. In small plants, bypass through a bar screen is usually provided. Larger plants may operate several comminutors in parallel so that flow from one or more disabled units may be proportioned through the remaining units (Howard et al., 1985).

Shredding devices should be located ahead of pumping facilities at the treatment plant. Grit removal ahead of the shredder will save wear on the cutting head. Usually, however, grit chambers are located at or above ground level to facilitate grit handling and pumps may be necessary to lift the sewage to them. In this case, shredding is done ahead of the pumps and cutter wear must be tolerated (Howard et al., 1985).

Figure 2: Comminutor

Grit Removal
Municipal wastewater contains a wide assortment of inorganics solids such as pebbles, sand, silt, egg shells, glass, and metal fragments. Operations to remove these inorganics will also remove some of the larger, heavier organics such as bone chips, seeds, coffee, and tea grounds. Together, these compose the material known as grit in wastewater treatment systems.

Most of the substance in grit are abrasive in nature and will cause accelerated wear on pumps and sludge-handling equipment with which it comes in contact. Grit deposits in areas of low hydraulic shear in pipes. Pumps and clarifier

Channel design for comminutors is similar to that for screens. Since material does not accumulate on the device, head loss rarely exceeds ( ). Comminutors are high-

maintenance item, and provisions should be made to bypass the unit when the repairs are needed. In small plants, bypass through a bar screen is usually provided. Larger plants may operate several comminutors in parallel so that flow from one or more disabled units may be proportioned through the remaining units (Howard et al., 1985).

Shredding devices should be located ahead of pumping facilities at the treatment plant. Grit removal ahead of the shredder will save wear on the cutting head. Usually, however, grit chambers are located at or above ground level to facilitate grit handling and pumps may be

necessary to lift the sewage to them. In this case, shredding is done ahead of the pumps and cutter wear must be tolerated (Howard et al., 1985).

1. http://www.aboutcivil.com/preliminary-treatment-process-of-waste-water.html 2. http://guelph.ca/uploads/ET_Group/wastewater/Introduction%20to%20Wastewater.pd

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3. http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/ENV195WWI/Lesson2_print.htm