
Why do we need advanced wastewater treatment?
The desire to protect human health, recover and conserve resources while adapting to a changing landscape, including new technologies and aging infrastructure, will drive more advanced wastewater treatment.
Why should Environmental Engineers care about water and wastewater?
Amid the challenges of climate change, aging infrastructure, and urbanization environmental engineers must develop resource efficient water and wastewater treatment.
What are the management and treatment options for water resources?
Management and treatment can vary from small onsite treatment and discharge to large-scale water resource recovery facilities with collection systems and pumping stations, treatment processes, oil-water separators, recycling, energy recovery, and reuse.
Can innovation in wastewater treatment infrastructure help reduce nitrogen in coastal communities?
As the population in coastal communities continues to increase and effluent nitrogen regulations become more stringent, innovation in our wastewater treatment infrastructure can help promote resource efficient nitrogen removal.

Which act provided federal funding for the construction of water treatment plants?
The Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 (P.L. 80-845) established a grant program to assist localities with planning and design work and authorized loans for treatment plant construction. In subsequent amendments, federal assistance increased and a construction grant program replaced the loan program.
What is Resource Recovery wastewater?
Resource recovery from wastewater facilities in the form of energy, reusable water, biosolids, and other resources, such as nutrients, represents an economic and financial benefit that contributes to the sustainability of water supply and sanitation systems and the water utilities operating them.
What is FBR in wastewater treatment?
FBR Process: An active water treatment process that utilizes microbes growing on a fluidized media bed to degrade or consume difficult contaminants. Fluidized Bed Bioreactor: Uses microbes, grown on a fluidized media, to transform toxic contaminants.
What methods are used for the treatment of wastewater?
The treatment of wastewater is accomplished by four basic methods or techniques; physical, mechanical, biological and chemical. Physical methods of treatment include the use of tanks and other structures designed to contain and control the flow of wastewater to promote the removal of contaminants.
Why is wastewater recovery important?
Wastewater treatment is fundamental to protect the health of many different ecosystems. Wastewater, properly treated, is a source of water for many purposes. Good wastewater treatment allows the maximum amount of water to be reused instead of going to waste.
What is sustainable wastewater management?
To increase the efficiency of wastewater reuse by encouraging water reuse, reduction or recovery.
What is FBBR?
Fixed-bed bioreactors, or FBBRs, are advanced biological wastewater treatment technologies used for efficiently treating wastewaters with high to extremely high organic contamination levels.
How does an FBR work?
In this type of reactor, a fluid (gas or liquid) is passed through a solid granular material (usually a catalyst) at high enough speeds to suspend the solid and cause it to behave as though it were a fluid.
What is Fab STP?
Fluidised Aerobic Bio-Reactor (FAB) as the name indicates consists of floating media of cylindrical shapes and different sizes. As compared to conventional technologies FAB reactors are compact, energy efficient and user friendly.
Which of the following type of treatment methods are used for municipal and industrial wastewater?
Which of the following type of treatment methods are used for municipal and industrial waste waters? Explanation: Slow Rate (SR) systems are the predominant form of land treatment for municipal and industrial waste-water.
When was wastewater treatment introduced?
The first sewer systems in the United States were built in the late 1850s in Chicago and Brooklyn. In the United States, the first sewage treatment plant using chemical precipitation was built in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1890.
What is the best wastewater treatment system?
To give a short answer, the best system on the market is the ClearFox Nature. This is a totally non-electric plant, and it is the only non-electric treatment plant in the world that does not require replacement parts or media. So, the best non-electric sewage treatment plant is without a doubt the ClearFox Nature.
What are the nutrients in wastewater?
Nutrient and Biosolids Recovery. Some resources recovered from wastewater, including nitrogen and phosphorus, are valuable in agriculture as components of fertilizers. At the levels found in wastewater, these nutrients are considered contaminants and can cause eutrophication in water bodies.
What are the resources recovered from WWT?
Of course, one of the most important resources recovered in WWT is cleaner water. Water can be treated and reused as nonpotable water for industrial processes like cooling and cleaning, landscape or agricultural irrigation, and purple pipe applications like toilet flushing and street cleaning.
Why is it important to establish good communication among water utilities, government, and the public?
In some places, particularly the United States, it’s important to establish good communication among water utilities, government, and the public because of a prevalent psychological “yuck factor” that often is expressed when direct potable use is considered.
What are some compounds that can be extracted from wastewater?
From Wastewater Treatment to Resource Recovery. Compounds that are considered contaminants in water — for instance, many nitrogen and phosphorus compounds — can be extracted from wastewater and used beneficially.
Is wastewater considered a waste?
Wastewater was once something to dispose of, but today it’s considered too valuable to waste. It is, in fact, rich in energy, nutrients, and other promising materials, not to mention the increasingly valuable resource of the water itself. As leaders in the sector realize the potential of wastewater, the entire wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) ...
How does aging infrastructure affect wastewater treatment?
As the infrastructure, largely built 50 years ago, begins to age and deteriorate, untreated water will discharge into the environment and the costs to repair will increase rapidly.
What is wastewater treatment?
Wastewater treatment refers to the removal of pollutants from wastewater before discharge to a waterbody. This includes physical processes such as sedimentation and filtration, chemical processes such as precipitation and biological processes like aerated lagoons or activated sludge. Resource Recovery.
How are WRRFs destroyed?
Although many microconstituents that reach WRRFs are destroyed through wastewater treatment and solids processing , some recalcitrant microconstituents and their metabolites may pass through the treatment process intact and may end up in the effluent or biosolids.
What is wastewater collection system?
Wastewater Collections Systems#N#Collections Systems refer to the system of underground pipes and maintenance structures that transport wastewater to water resource recovery facilities. These systems include gravity pipes, manholes, lift stations, force mains and more as they collect and transport residential and commercial waste.
How much wastewater is produced annually?
In excess of 300 billion cubic meters of municipal wastewater is produced annually in the world. The desire to protect human health, recover and conserve resources while adapting to a changing landscape, including new technologies and aging infrastructure, will drive more advanced wastewater treatment. With the ability to recover valuable resources ...
What are the most valuable natural resources?
Additional Resources. Water is the most valuable natural resource in the world. Municipalities and military installations must manage and steward wastewater from multiple potential sources, including sanitary and household, commercial, institutional, manufacturing, industrial, construction, and storm water.
Why is storm water management important?
As urban areas grow and severe weather becomes more common, the issue of storm water management will only escalate in importance because of decreases in natural land cover and the expansion of impervious surfaces , such as rooftops, sidewalks and roadways.

Wastewater Energy Recovery
Nutrient and Biosolids Recovery
- Some resources recovered from wastewater, including nitrogen and phosphorus, are valuable in agriculture as components of fertilizers. At the levels found in wastewater, these nutrients are considered contaminants and can cause eutrophication in water bodies. Crystallization of struvite, a phosphorus compound, can damage a facility’s mechanical systems, but both nitrogen and str…
Water Recovery
- Of course, one of the most important resources recovered in WWT is cleaner water. Water can be treated and reused as nonpotable water for industrial processeslike cooling and cleaning, landscape or agricultural irrigation, and purple pipe applications like toilet flushing and street cleaning. In water reuse, wastewater may also be highly treated fo...
Underexploited Resources
- Moving forward, scientists and engineers are considering a list of yet under-exploited resources in wastewater, including bioplastics, enzymes, metals, and minerals, but more work is needed to make their reclamation economically viable. Contact Fluenceto tap our deep well of experience in wastewater resource recovery, and stop watching valuable resources flow out with the wastewa…
Introduction
Description
- Wastewater Collections Systems Collections Systems refer to the system of underground pipes and maintenance structures that transport wastewater to water resource recovery facilities. These systems include gravity pipes, manholes, lift stations, force mains and more as they collect and transport residential and commercial waste. Wastewater Treatment Processes Wastewater …
Emerging Issues
- Storm Water Storm water is a growing source of water pollution in many watersheds across the country. As urban areas grow and severe weather becomes more common, the issue of storm water management will only escalate in importance because of decreases in natural land cover and the expansion of impervious surfaces, such as rooftops, sidewalks and roadways. These su…
Relevant Codes, Standards and Guidelines
- The Clean Water Act
- Earthquake Resilience Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities
- UFC 3-240-01 Wastewater Treatment and Collection
Additional Resources
- Organizations
1. EPA Office of Wastewater Management 2. National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP) 3. Storm Water Institute 4. Sustainable Sites Initiative 5. U.S. Green Building Council