Waste Water Treatment

Md. Arif Hossain

B.Sc and M.S (Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Dhaka)
Lecturer, Department of Chemistry
Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology, Gazipur
Email: [email protected]
Mobile number: +8801925802336
Origin of Waste Water:
• Wastewaters can be classified by their origin as domestic wastewater and
industrial wastewater.
• Any combination of wastewaters that is collected in municipal sewers is termed as
municipal sewage.
• Domestic wastewater is that which is discharged from residential and commercial
establishments, whereas industrial wastewater is that which is discharged from
manufacturing plants.
• The pollutants in domestic wastewater arise from residential and commercial
cleaning operations, laundry, food preparation, body cleaning functions, and body
excretions. The composition of domestic wastewater is relatively constant.
▪ Industrial wastewater is formed at industrial plants where water is used for various
processes, and also for washing and rinsing of equipment, rooms, etc. These
operations result in the pollution of the nearby aquatic systems because some of
the products and byproducts are discharged, either deliberately or unintentionally
into them.
 Table 1. Typical composition of domestic wastewater
Constituent Concentration

Strong Medium Weak

Solids, total 1200 700 350
Dissolved solid, total 850 500 250
fixed 525 300 145
volatile 325 200 105
Suspended solids, total 350 200 100
fixed 75 50 30
volatile 275 150 70
Settleable solids (ml/1) 20 10 5
Biochemical oxygen demand, 5-days, 20°C 300 200 100

Total organic carbon (TOC) 200 135 65

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) 1000 500 250
Nitrogen (total as N) 85 40 20
Organic 35 15 8
Free ammonia 50 25 12
Nitrites 0 0 0
Nitrates 0 0 0
Phosphorus (total as P) 20 10 6
Organic 5 3 2
Inorganic 15 7 4
Chlorides 100 50 30
tt
Alkalinity (as CaCO3) 200 100 50
Grease 150 100 50
 Table 2. Composition of sewage in some urban cities of India

Constituent Delhi Kanpur Madras Hyderabad Ahmedaba

d
Suspended solids (mg/l) 354 560 550 985 148
TDS (mg/1) 803 1000 1170 723 1600
BOD, at 20°C (mg/1) 203 255 352 339 133
COD (mg/1) 377 532 ― ― ―
Nitrogen (total as N) 28.5 73.9 59.2 50.9 27.3
(mg/1)
PO4 (mg/1) 13.7 2.5 25.3 ― ―
Chlorides (mg/1) 147 114 259 104 300
pH 7.5 7.0 7.4 7.4 7.5
 t
Pollutants Industry type
Organic
Proteins (1), (2), (3), (4), (13)
Carbohydrates (1), (2), (3), (5), (6), (13)

Fats and oils (1), (2), (3), (4), (7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13)

Dyestuffs (3), (4), (5), (6)

Organic acids (6), (13)

Phenols (3), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11)

Detergents (1), (3), (12), (13)
Organo-pesticides (2), (13)
Inorganic
Acids (3), (6), (10), (11)
Alkalies (3), (6), (7), (8), (10), (11), (12)
Metals (3), (5), (6), (10), (11), (13)
Metallic salts (4), (5), (10), (11), (13)

Other salts (1), (3), (4), (5), (6)

Phosphates, nitrates (1), (3), (4), (5), (6)

Industry type:
(1) dairy
(2) food processing,
(3) textiles,
(4) tanning,
(5) paper making,
(6) chemical,
(7) petro-chemical,
(8) coke ovens,
(9) industrial oil production,
(10) engineering,
(11) metallurgy,
(12) laundry and
(13) agriculture.
(i) Preliminary Treatment.
➢The principal objectives of preliminary treatment are the removal of gross solids
(i.e. large floating and suspended solid matter, grit, oil and grease if they are
present in considerable quantities.
➢Large quantities of floating rubbish such as cans, cloth, wood and other larger
objects present in waste water are usually removed by metal bars, acting like
strainers as the waste water moves beneath them in an open channel. The velocity
of the water is then reduced in a grit-settling chamber of a larger size than the
previous channel.
➢Removal of gross solids is generally accomplished by passing waste water
through mixed or moving screens. Different types of these screens are available,
which include bar screens, hand raked or mechanical raked screens, drum screens
and wire rope screens.
(ii) Primary Treatment
After the removal of gross solids, gritty materials and excessive quantities of oil and
grease, the next step is to remove the remaining suspended solids as much as
possible. This step is aimed at reducing the strength of the waste water and also to
facilitate secondary treatment.
The main primary treatments are
Sedimentation.
Flotation
Equalization
Neutralization
(iii) Secondary (Biological) Treatment
So far, only those materials were considered that might be removed by some type of
physical or mechanical action. Since much of the organic material in wastewater
may be colloidal or dissolved, the primary treatment processes are largely
ineffective in removing it. This organic material still represents a high demand for
oxygen which must be reduced further so that the effluent may be rendered suitable
for discharge into the water bodies.
In secondary treatment, the dissolved and colloidal organic matter present in waste
waters is removed by biological processes involving bacteria and other micro-
organisms. These processes may be aerobic or anaerobic. In aerobic processes,
bacteria and other micro-organisms consume organic matter as food. They bring
about the following sequential changes:
i) Coagulation and flocculation of colloidal matter,
ii) Oxidation of dissolved organic matter to CO2, and
iii) Degradation of nitrogenous organic matter to ammonia, which is then
converted into nitrite and eventually to nitrate.
Some of the commonly used biological treatment processes are
(i) Aerated Lagoons
(ii) Trickling Filters
(iii) Activated Sludge Process
(iv) Oxidation Ditch
(v) Oxidation Pond
(vi) Anaerobic digestion
(i) Aerated Lagoons
✓These are large holding tanks or ponds having a depth of 3-5 m and are lined with
cement, polythene or rubber. The effluents from primary treatment processes are
collected in these tanks and are aerated with mechanical devices, such as floating
aerators, for about 2 to 6 days. During this time, a healthy flocculent sludge is
formed which brings about oxidation of the dissolved organic matter.
✓BOD removal to the extent of 90% could be achieved with efficient operation. The
operation and maintenance are relatively simple.
✓The major disadvantages are the larger space requirements and the bacterial
contamination of the lagoon effluent which necessitates further biological
purification in maturation pond or by secondary sedimentation and sludge
digestion.
(iv) Tertiary (Advanced) Treatment
In many cases the increments of pollution remaining after ordinary treatment are too
large for natural removal prior to the next use. Thus, a number of tertiary or
advanced wastewater treatment techniques are becoming important, although at
present only a very small percentage of municipal systems use them. Several of
these methods are also applicable to industrial wastes where BOD and suspended
solids may not be the most important indicators of water quality, and indeed a
number of them find much greater use in such applications. In addition, they may be
employed at the beginning (water purification) as well as the end of the human
water use cycle.
• Activated carbon adsorption
• Ultrafiltration
• Electrodialysis
• Ion exchange
• Removal of bacteria and viruses
• Removal of nitrogen and phosphorus
• Disposal of treated wastewater in spoils
Thank You