Introduction to

Wastewater Treatment
Lecture # 11

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Waste water
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely
affected in quality by human activities. It comprises liquid
waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial
properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can
encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and
concentrations.

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Types of waste water
Grey water
Black water

Greywater is defined as wastewater generated from

dishwashers, wash-hand basins, showers and baths & washing
machines.
Blackwater is the wastewater containing feces, flush water
and toilet waste.

It is preferred to be kept separate both waste water sources to

reduce the amount of water that gets heavily polluted.

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Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater treatment generates a Cleaned Water
Stream and sludge

 Cleaned water my be re-used for irrigation or

rarely drinking water production or disposed into
river
 Sludge refers to the residual, semi-solid material
left from industrial wastewater and comprise
solids found in wastewater plus organisms used in
the treatment process

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Wastewater Treatment Processes

Physical Chemical Biological

Processes Processes Processes
Screening Coagulation Aerobic
Sedimentation flocculation process Anaerobic
Filtration Chlorination
Reverse osmosis Chemical
precipitation

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Waste Water Treatment Stages

Pre/Primary Treatment
Secondary Treatment
Tertiary & Advanced WWT
Sludge Treatment

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Waste Water Treatment Stages

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Primary Treatment
Primary treatment process mainly involves the use of
some physical means to separate certain materials.
The typical materials that are removed during
primary treatment include fats, oils, and greases
(also referred to as FOG), sand, gravels and rocks
(also referred to as grit), larger settle able solids
including human waste and floating materials.
Primary treatment usually reflects processes like
settling and floating, sedimentation and filtration.

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Secondary Treatment
It involves mainly the biological processes especially aerobic and
some physical processes like sedimentation.
Secondary treatment removes up to 85 – 95 % of the
biodegradable organic matter.
Following factors are involved in the selection of an appropriate
biological process

 Quantity of WW
 Biodegradability of waste
 Availability of land

Most commonly used biological processes include; activated

sludge reactors, membrane bioreactors and trickling filters
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Tertiary Treatment
Tertiary treatment uses physical filtration and chemical
precipitation methods to remove rest over biologically
degradable organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus from
water.
The main goal for such kind of treatment is to remove a
particular type of contaminant or to treat water in such a way
that it can be reused. Some common processes for tertiary
treatment involve; removal of phosphorus compounds by the
coagulation process using different chemicals, removal of
nitrogen compounds (using ammonia stripping process),
removal of some organic and colored compounds ( using
adsorption on activated carbon) and the removal of dissolved
solids (using membrane processes).
In order to remove pathogenic compounds, WW is often treated
with some disinfectant such as chlorine 13
Sludge Treatment
Sludge treatment involves biological and physical processes
such as digestion and grit or water removal.
Sludge contains biomass generated as a result of biological
operations and also some precipitates coming from the different
chemicals added for treatment
Selection of an appropriate sludge treatment process depends
upon the following factors:

 Nature of sludge
 Environmental consequences/factors
 Final disposal options available ( e-g incineration or landfill)

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Waste Water Treatment Plant

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Waste Water Treatment Plant

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Wastewater Treatment (Case study)

Primary Treatment

Step 1 Sanitary Sewer

Step 2 Bar Screen
Step 3 Primary Settling Basin

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Step 1: Sanitary Sewers
They carry wastewater
from homes and
businesses to the raw
wastewater pumping
station at the treatment
plant. Routine cleaning
and closed circuit
television inspection of
sanitary sewer lines
helps keep the sewer
collection system in good
shape.
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Step 2: Bar Screen
They let water pass, but
not trash (such as rags,
diapers, etc.). Bar
screens are vital to the
successful operation of
a plant, they reduce the
damage of valves,
pumps, and other units.
The trash is collected
and properly disposed
of. The screened
wastewater is pumped
to the Primary Settling
Basins.
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Step 3: Primary Settling Basins
They allow smaller
particles to settle from
wastewater by
gravity. This primary
wastewater flows out to
the next stage of
treatment. Scrapers
collect the solid matter
that remains (called
"primary sludge"). A
surface skimmer
collects scum or grease
floating on top of the
basins.
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Wastewater Treatment Stages
Secondary Treatment

Step 1 Aeration Basin

Step 2 Final Settling Basins

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Step 1: Aeration Basins
They supply large amounts of air
to the mixture of primary
wastewater and helpful bacteria
and the other microorganisms that
consume the harmful organic
matter. The growth of the helpful
microorganisms is speeded up by
vigorous mixing of air (aeration)
with the concentrated
microorganisms (activated sludge)
and the wastewater. Adequate
oxygen is supplied to support the
biological process at a very active
level.

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Step 2: Final Settling Basins
They allow the clumps of
biological mass (the
microorganisms) to settle
from the water by gravity.
This mixture, called
"activated sludge," is
returned to the aeration
basins to help maintain
the needed amount of
microorganisms.

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Wastewater Treatment Stages
Sludge Treatment

Step 1 Sludge Thickener

Step 2 Digester
Step 3 Subsurface Injection

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Step 1: Sludge thickener

The primary sludge continues

on to the Sludge Thickener
where the solids are
concentrated by removing the
water from sludge and pumped
to the anaerobic digesters.

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Step 2: Digesters

Primary and activated

sludges are anaerobically
digested (decomposed by
bacteria without the presence
of air) in the digester.
Stabilized sludge has little
odor and conforms to the EPA
requirements to further reduce
harmful microorganisms.

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Digesters

Methane gas is produced

by this anaerobic digestion
and is used as fuel for an
engine-generator providing
electrical power used in the
treatment process.

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Step 3: Subsurface injection
Application of the
stabilized sludge
(biosolids) onto farmland
by subsurface injection
(plowing). The biosolids
are utilized in an
environmentally
acceptable manner as a
beneficial and valuable
fertilizer and soil
conditioner.

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