
What are the stages of wastewater treatment?
Wastewater treatment facilities involve natural, chemical, and physical processes that allow for development and growth. There are three different stages of wastewater treatment each one, working together removing organic and inorganic loadings that would pollute the receiving streams in our environment.
What are the steps in the water treatment process?
Dec 06, 2018 · There are three main stages of the wastewater treatment process, aptly known as primary, secondary and tertiary water treatment. In some applications, more advanced treatment is required, known as quaternary water treatment.
What is the primary treatment of wastewater?
Aug 08, 2008 · Step-By-Step Wastewater Treatment Step 1: Raw Sewage enters the plant from public and private customers. Step 2: The Sewage first passes through mechanical bar screens. This combs out any large debris such as rags, cloths, wood, plastics, or other large objects. Step 3: The sewage then enters aerated grit chambers. Air is pumped into the wastewater which
What is the secondary stage of sewage treatment?
Jun 18, 2018 · Steps in the wastewater treatment process. THE PRIMARY TREATMENT PROCESS. 1. Screening. Wastewater entering the treatment plant includes items like wood, rocks, and even dead animals. Unless they are removed, they could cause problems later in the treatment process. Most of these materials are sent to a landfill.

What are the 5 steps of wastewater treatment?
Treatment StepsStep 1: Screening and Pumping. ... Step 2: Grit Removal. ... Step 3: Primary Settling. ... Step 4: Aeration / Activated Sludge. ... Step 5: Secondary Settling. ... Step 8: Oxygen Uptake. ... Sludge Treatment.
What are the 3 steps to wastewater treatment?
The 3 Stages Of Wastewater TreatmentPrimary Treatment. Before wastewater even gets to primary treatment, it is funneled through collection systems and treated with odor-neutralizing chemicals. ... Secondary Treatment. In secondary treatment, the goal is to break down wastewater even further. ... Tertiary Treatment.Dec 20, 2018
What are the 4 steps of water treatment?
4 Steps of Community Water TreatmentCoagulation and Flocculation. ... Sedimentation. ... Filtration. ... Disinfection. ... Learn More. ... Recommended Readings.
What is the process of wastewater treatment?
The Wastewater Treatment ProcessStage One — Bar Screening. ... Stage Two — Screening. ... Stage Three — Primary Clarifier. ... Stage Four — Aeration. ... Stage Five — Secondary Clarifier. ... Stage Six — Chlorination (Disinfection) ... Stage Seven — Water Analysis & Testing. ... Stage Eight — Effluent Disposal.Mar 5, 2021
What are the 3 stages of water filtration?
A standard RO system is equipped with 3 separate filter stages. Sediment, carbon, and reverse osmosis. Each filtration stage plays an important role on their own and also complement one another to achieve the best water filtration possible. Sediment filtration removes dust, dirt, particles, and rust in the water.
What are the 3 stages of sewage treatment PDF?
Wastewater is treated in 3 phases: primary (solid removal), secondary (bacterial decomposition), and tertiary (extra filtration).Jan 3, 2021
What are the 7 stages of water treatment?
These include: (1) Collection ; (2) Screening and Straining ; (3) Chemical Addition ; (4) Coagulation and Flocculation ; (5) Sedimentation and Clarification ; (6) Filtration ; (7) Disinfection ; (8) Storage ; (9) and finally Distribution.
What are the 4 steps of water treatment PDF?
Water treatment stepsCoagulation. Coagulation is often the first step in water treatment. ... Flocculation. Flocculation follows the coagulation step. ... Sedimentation. Sedimentation is one of the steps water treatment plants use to separate out solids from the water. ... Filtration. ... Disinfection.
What are the three types of wastewater?
There are three types of wastewater, or sewage: domestic sewage, industrial sewage, and storm sewage.
What is the final step in wastewater treatment?
The last step of primary treatment involves sedimentation, which causes the physical settling of matter. Sedimentation often uses chemicals like flocculants and coagulants.Sep 30, 2014
What is stage 2 of wastewater treatment?
Stage 2. – Includes Secondary Treatment using different methods of Biological Oxidation to further purify wastewater. The Conventional Activated Sludge Process is the most popular, using Aeration in a long, but effective process that entails mixing and aerating wastewater in a solution of microorganisms grown in the system that breakdown organic material and separates dissolved solids. This can be accomplished by:
What is the main objective of wastewater treatment?
The main objective of Wastewater Treatment is to separate solids from liquid then to treat both turning the solids into nonhazardous Bio-solids and water into non-threatening environmentally safe water to add back to the environment where it came from with the intention of using it again. 1. Primary Wastewater Treatment.
How does secondary treatment remove organic matter?
The secondary stage of treatment removes about 85 percent of the organic matter in sewage by making use of the bacteria that is naturally found in it. Increased oxygen encourages the growth of bacteria, which consume and breakdown the complex organic compounds.
How much BOD is removed from sewage?
Weekly averages may be up to 50 percent higher. A sewage treatment plant providing both primary and secondary treatment is expected to remove at least 85 percent of the BOD and suspended solids from domestic sewage.
What is secondary treatment?
Secondary treatment is the part of the Wastewater Treatment process that breaks down organic matter, removes dissolved and colloidal solids. This organic waste material would create a high Oxygen demand on the receiving stream if it were let go into the environment. Secondary treatment is traditionally applied to the liquid portion of sewage after initial Preliminary and Primary treatment has removed settleable solids and inorganic floating material.
What is anaerobic digestion?
Anaerobic Digestors. Most large Wastewater Treatment Plants use 2 Stage Anaerobic Digestion to treat the solids removed from the Primary and Secondary Treatment facilities. Treatment is needed for the Solids to be deemed safe for landfills.
What is the purpose of sludge treatment?
The basic goals of treating sludge before final disposal are to reduce its volume and to stabilize the organic materials.
What are the stages of wastewater treatment?
What Are the Three Stages of Wastewater Treatment? There are three main stages of the wastewater treatment process, aptly known as primary, secondary and tertiary water treatment. In some applications, more advanced treatment is required, known as quaternary water treatment.
Where is wastewater held?
During primary treatment, wastewater is temporarily held in a settling tank where heavier solids sink to the bottom while lighter solids float to the surface. Once settled, these materials are held back while the remaining liquid is discharged or moved through to the more rigorous secondary phase of wastewater treatment.
What is tertiary treatment?
In the case of water treated by municipalities, tertiary treatment also involves the removal of pathogens, which ensures that water is safe for drinking purposes.
How long does aeration last?
Aeration is a lengthy process which increases oxygen saturation by introducing air to wastewater. Typically, the aeration process can last for up to 30 hours, but it is very effective. 3.
What are the three stages of wastewater treatment?
The three stages of wastewater treatment are known as primary, secondary and tertiary. Each stage purifies water to a higher level. In some applications, only one or two stages are necessary. The level of treatment necessary depends on the water’s intended use case, and what environment it will be discharged into.
How to remove organic contaminants?
Removal of organic contaminants is best achieved using a membrane bio reactor, where a biological process takes place in the reactor where microorganisms consume the organic matter for energy. The microorganisms replicate to create solids. The solids are then filtered by the membrane to produce effluent.
What is tertiary treatment?
Tertiary treatment, also known as polishing, disinfects water to the highest standards. This stage is necessary to produce water to specification, such as technical waters, and to treat wastewater for public water systems.
Does chlorine kill viruses?
Chlorination kills bacteria and viruses, but this treatment has the disadvantage of requiring a stage for dichlorination before discharge into the environment. Another chemical used to disinfect water is iodine. This is equally as effective as chlorine at killing viruses and bacteria.
What is UV water treatment?
A correctly sized UV system can be used to de-chlorinate or de-ozonate process water and it can control microorganisms equal to chemicals. To help with your water treatment problems, we offer a wide selection of water treatment systems, as well as finance, rental and servicing solutions.
Does UV light disinfect?
UV disinfection requires no chemicals, and it can be used in place of chemicals. This means no extra filtering stage for additives. UV does not affect the pH, appearance, taste or smell of water, but it does destroy microorganisms. UV light wastewater treatment is typically used for bacterial control, ensuring organisms are unable to replicate.
What are the different levels of wastewater treatment?
There are several levels of wastewater treatment; these are primary, secondary and tertiary levels of treatment. Most municipal wastewater treatment facilities use primary and secondary levels of treatment, and some also use tertiary treatments.
What is tertiary wastewater treatment?
Tertiary (or advanced) treatment removes dissolved substances, such as colour, metals, organic chemicals and nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen.
How to reduce pressure on septic system?
Following some water conservation practices can greatly reduce pressure on your septic system. For more information about conserving water, see the fact sheet about Water Consumption. Here are a few things that you can do to care for your septic system: 1 Do not use your drain or toilet as a garbage disposal; avoid putting dental floss, diapers, coffee grounds and paper towel down the drain, as they can clog up your septic system. 2 Spread your loads of laundry out over the week. When too much water is added to the septic tank, it does not have time to treat wastes, and you could be flooding your drainfield with wastewater. 3 Plant grass on your drainfield, but keep trees and shrubs away from it, because roots can clog the system and cause damage. 4 Do not drive on your drainfield, because this can compact the soil and damage the septic system components.
Why is oxygen important in wastewater treatment?
The oxygen helps the bacteria to digest the pollutants faster. The water is then taken to settling tanks where the sludge again settles, leaving the water 90 to 95 percent free of pollutants. The picture below shows the settling tanks in the Winnipeg Wastewater Treatment Plant.
What is the Canadian Environmental Protection Act?
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act governs the release of toxic substances into the environment and allows the federal government to develop regulations for the use of toxic substances. Most provincial and territorial governments have legislation regarding wastewater treatment standards and requirements.
How much oxygen is removed from water?
The primary treatment generally removes up to 50 percent of the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD; these are substances that use up the oxygen in the water), around 90 percent of suspended solids, and up to 55 percent of fecal coliforms.
How deep are lagoons?
Shallow lagoons, that are less than 1.5 metres deep, are used for primary treatment, which allows the solid waste to settle to the bottom of the lagoon over a period of 6 to 20 days.
How does sedimentation work?
The sedimentation process can be quickened by adding special chemicals or native plants, also known as coagulants, to the water. Coagulants help the sand, silt and clay join together and form larger clumps, making it easier for them to settle to the bottom of the container.
What is multi barrier approach?
A multi-barrier approach means ensuring that water is protected and purified every step of the way from the water source to household storage and consumption. Water quality will only be as good as the weakest link in the chain of water handling.

Stage Two — Screening
- Removal of grit by flowing the influent over/through a grit chamber. Fine grit that finds its way into the influent needs to be removed to prevent the damage of pumps and equipment downstream (or impact water flow). Too small to be screened out, this grit needs to be remove…
Stage Three — Primary Clarifier
- Initial separation of solid organic matter from wastewater. Solids known as organics/sludge sink to the bottom of the tank and are pumped to a sludge digestor or sludge processing area, dried and hauled away. Proper settling rates are a key indicator for how well the clarifier is operating. Adjusting flow rate into the clarifier can help the operator adjust the settling rates and efficiency. …
Stage Four — Aeration
- Air is pumped into the aeration tank/basin to encourage conversion of NH3 to NO3 and provide oxygen for bacteria to continue to propagate and grow. Once converted to NO3, the bacteria remove/strip oxygen molecules from the nitrate molecules and the nitrogen (N) is given off as N2↑ (nitrogen gas). At the heart of the wastewater treatment process is the encouragement and acce…
Stage Five — Secondary Clarifier
- Treated wastewater is pumped into a secondary clarifier to allow any remaining organic sediment to settle out of treated water flow. As the influent exits the aeration process, it flows into a secondary clarifier where, like the primary clarifier, any very small solids (or fines) sink to the bottom of the tank. These small solids are called activated sludge and consist mostly of active b…
Stage Six — Chlorination
- Chlorine is added to kill any remaining bacteria in the contact chamber. With the enhanced concentration of bacteria as part of the aeration stage, there is a need to test the outgoing effluent for bacteria presence or absence and to disinfect the water. This ensures that higher than specified concentrations of bacteria are not released into the environment. Chlorinationis the mo…
Stage Seven — Water Analysis & Testing
- Testing for proper pH level, ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, and residual chlorine levels to conform to the plant’s NPDES permit are critical to the plant’s performance. Although testingis continuous throughout the wastewater treatment process to ensure optimal water flow, clarification and aeration, final testing is done to make sure the effluent leaving the pl…
Stage Eight — Effluent Disposal
- After meeting all permit specifications, clean water is reintroduced into the environment. Although testingis continuous throughout the wastewater treatment process to ensure optimal water flow, clarification and aeration, final testing is done to make sure the effluent leaving the plant meets permit specifications. Plants that don`t meet permit discharge levels are subject to fines and pos…