
- Primary Wastewater Treatment. Primary treatment of wastewater involves sedimentation of solid waste within the water. This is done after filtering out larger contaminants within the water.
- Secondary Wastewater Treatment. Secondary treatment of wastewater makes use of oxidation to further purify wastewater. ...
- Tertiary Wastewater Treatment. This third and last step in the basic wastewater management system is mostly comprised of removing phosphates and nitrates from the water supply.
What is sewage water and its treatment process?
Process of Treating Wastewater
- Pre-treatment. It is the very first step just before the actual treatment. ...
- Primary Treatment. The wastewater at this point is devoid of solid materials and grit but has dissolved organic and inorganic solids which are treated at this stage.
- Secondary Treatment. In this stage, there are two ways to go about it. ...
- Tertiary Treatment. ...
- Sludge Treatment. ...
How to reduce sewage pollution?
- Shut off faucets when not in use
- Repair leaking faucets or pipes
- Take shorter showers
- Install low flow devices on faucets and showerheads and install low flow/dual flush toilets
- Replace older dishwashers and washing machines with newer, more energy efficient and water conserving models
- Use rainwater to water your gardens by installing rain barrels
How does a sewage treatment plant actually work?
You’re basically:
- growing the organisms in a suspension and retaining them
- mixing the wastewater with the biomass
- aerating this “mixed liquor” so the bacteria can get to work
- settling out the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS)
- sending return activated sludge (RAS) to the reactor basin
- sending waste activated sludge (WAS) to be dewatered and treated accordingly
How does wastewater treatment worksthe basics?
What does a wastewater treatment system typically remove?
- Biochemical oxygen demand. Biochemical oxygen demand, or BOD, refers to the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms to break down organic matter into smaller molecules.
- Nitrates and phosphates. ...
- Pathogens. ...
- Metals. ...
- Total suspended solids. ...
- Total dissolved solids. ...
- Synthetic chemicals. ...

What does primary sewage treatment involve?
Primary treatment of wastewater involves sedimentation of solid waste within the water. This is done after filtering out larger contaminants within the water. Wastewater is passed through several tanks and filters that separate water from contaminants.
Is primary sewage treatment a physical process?
Primary treatment removes material that will either float or readily settle out by gravity. It includes the physical processes of screening, comminution, grit removal, and sedimentation.
What is the first process in the primary treatment of sewage?
Treatment StepsStep 1: Screening and Pumping. ... Step 2: Grit Removal. ... Step 3: Primary Settling. ... Step 4: Aeration / Activated Sludge. ... Step 5: Secondary Settling. ... Step 6: Filtration. ... Step 7: Disinfection. ... Step 8: Oxygen Uptake.
What is the sewage treatment process called?
Sewage treatment often involves two main stages, called primary and secondary treatment, while advanced treatment also incorporates a tertiary treatment stage with polishing processes and nutrient removal.
Is primary sewage treatment mechanical?
Primary Treatment - Mechanical Process Primary sewage treatment consist of several mechanical processes designed to remove the larger suspended solids through screening and sedimentation.
Why primary treatment is also known as physical treatment?
Primary treatment basically involves physical removal of particles large and small from the sewage through the filtration and sedimentation. These are removed in stages initially floating debris is removed by sequential filtration.
What are the 3 types of sewage treatment?
There are three main stages of the wastewater treatment process, aptly known as primary, secondary and tertiary water treatment.
What is primary treatment and secondary treatment?
Differences between primary and secondary wastewater treatmentPrimary Wastewater TreatmentSecondary Wastewater TreatmentIn this method, the waste is processed through a physical procedure with equipment and filtration.The wastewater is purified through biological processes using microorganisms.3 more rows
What is preliminary treatment of wastewater?
Preliminary treatment is used to remove screenings and grit that enters a wastewater treatment plant from a sewered system. Preliminary treatment will have little effect on pathogens in the liquid wastestream.
What is primary secondary and tertiary treatment?
Wastewater is treated in 3 phases: primary (solid removal), secondary (bacterial decomposition), and tertiary (extra filtration). List the steps of wastewater/sewage treatment.
What are the types of sewage treatment?
What are the different types of sewage treatment plants available and the benefits of each systemActivate Sludge Process (ASP) ... Fixed bed reactor. ... Non-electric filter. ... Rotating Disc System / Rotating Biological Contractor (RBC) ... Sequence Batch Reactor (SBR) ... Submerged Aerated Filter.
What is the difference between primary and secondary sewage treatment?
Primary sewage treatment is a physical process that removes large impurities while secondary sewage treatment is a biological process that removes organic matter of sewage through the action of microbes.
What is the primary treatment process of sewage?
Primary Treatment Process of Sewage. In the primary treatment process, various suspended; floating and oily substances are removed from the sewage. The units of primary treatment are:
What is the angle of a sewage screen?
Screens are usually placed in an inclined position with an angle 30° to 60° with the direction of flow. Comminutors: Comminutors is the patented devices which break the larger sewage solids into small solids particles when the sewage is screened through them.
What is the purpose of a detritus tank?
The function of detritus tank is to remove finer particles than those removed by a grit chamber.
What is a primary clarifier?
It is also known as a primary clarifier or primary setting tank. The purpose of this unit is to remove the settleable solids present in the sewage. It is a rectangular tank constructed with brick masonry.
What is the treatment of sewage?
The treatment of sewage is one of the important measures, which aims in the removal of BOD, phosphorous, nitrogen, solids and bacteria. The composition of sewage is complex, and it differs depending upon the sources, the type of treatment or lack of it. The process of treating sewage is broadly classified as primary;
What is secondary treatment of waste?
Secondary treatment of waste involves the biological degradation of organic material by micro-organisms under controlled conditions. The usual method is to bring about the biological oxidation of the organic material under aerobic conditions, in which the waste is aerated to supply oxygen for the micro-organisms.
Why is primary sludge a problem?
ADVERTISEMENTS: Primary sludge is a problem because it is bulky and must be removed. It also contains 94 to 99 per cent water. In some cases, sludge is dried in beds with some water removed by filtration.
What is primary treatment?
Primary treatment consists of removing floating and suspended solids by mechanical means. More than half of the suspended solids can be removed by primary treatment as shown in Figure 8.4.
What are the methods of tertiary treatment?
The number of methods used for tertiary treatment is: (iii) Chemical oxidation. (v) Oxidation ponds. However, there is a growing need for advanced procedures that will provide a product capable of being reused for various purposes.
How is sand removed from water?
Sand and other coarse material is removed by grit chambers . After screening and removal of grit, the waste water is run directly into settling or sedimentation tanks, the process by which the suspended solids are removed by gravitational setting. ADVERTISEMENTS:
How is wastewater treated?
It is done by putting the wastewater into large settlement tanks for the solids to sink to the bottom. The settled solids are called sludge. At the bottom of these circular tanks, large scrappers continuously scrape the floor of the tank and push the sludge towards the center, where it is pumped away for further treatment. The rest of the water is moved to Secondary treatment.
What is the first stage of wastewater treatment?
Screening is the first stage of the wastewater treatment process. Screening removes large objects like diapers, nappies, sanitary items, cotton buds, face wipes, and even broken bottles, bottle tops, plastics, and rags that may block or damage equipment.
Why is air pumped into sludge scraping water?
These are called aeration lanes. Air is pumped into the water to encourage bacteria to break down the tiny bits of sludge that escaped the sludge scraping process.
Where does liquid waste go?
Wastewater (liquid waste) from flushing the toilet, bathing, washing sinks, and general cleaning goes down the drain and into a pipe, which joins a larger sewer pipe under the road. The sewer pipe goes on to connect to a different sewer pipe that leads to the treatment center.
What is primary treatment of wastewater?
Primary treatment of wastewater involves sedimentation of solid waste within the water. This is done after filtering out larger contaminants within the water. Wastewater is passed through several tanks and filters that separate water from contaminants.
What is the most effective method of secondary treatment of wastewater?
This method of secondary treatment of wastewater employs sand filters, contact filters, or trickling filters to ensure that additional sediment is removed from wastewater. Of the three filters, trickling filters are typically the most effective for small-batch wastewater treatment.
What is the third step in wastewater management?
This third and last step in the basic wastewater management system is mostly comprised of removing phosphates and nitrates from the water supply. Substances like activates carbon and sand are among the most commonly used materials that assist in this process.
How long does it take for a wastewater solution to be aerated?
The resulting mixture is then aerated for up to 30 hours at a time to ensure results.

Screening – Primary Treatment For Waste Water
Flow Equalisation – Primary Treatment For Waste Water
- Under uniform flow rates, clarifiers and mechanised secondary treatment are more efficient.
- Equalization basins store diurnal or wet-weather flow peaks temporarily and make the water flow rate uniform.
- Basins serve as a temporary holding area for the incoming wastewater during temporary plant shut down and maintenance.
- Under uniform flow rates, clarifiers and mechanised secondary treatment are more efficient.
- Equalization basins store diurnal or wet-weather flow peaks temporarily and make the water flow rate uniform.
- Basins serve as a temporary holding area for the incoming wastewater during temporary plant shut down and maintenance.
- It acts as a means of diluting and distributing hazardous or high-strength waste into batches.
Flocculation
- Flocculation is a water treatment process to remove small suspended solids which don’t settle in the sedimentation tank. In this process solids form larger clusters, or flocs on the addition of a flocculent like aluminium sulphate. The coagulant molecules have a positive charge. Hence, they can neutralize the negatively charged solid particles that are suspended in the water. Neutralizat…
Scum Removal
- Lighter materials rise to the surface as sludge settles to the bottom of the sedimentation tanks. The constituents of ‘scum’ are grease, oils, plastics, and soap. Scum is skimmed off the surface of the wastewater by slow-moving rakes. Scum is thickened before being poured into the digesters with the sludge. Primary treatment removes about 60% of the total suspended solids and nearly …