
- Physical processes for mechanical preparation such as aeration, sedimentation or thermal influence. This also includes the use of screens, filters and sieves.
- Biological processes such as anaerobic wastewater treatment, biochemical oxidation or sludge digestion
- Chemical processes such as neutralisation, disinfection, flocculation and precipitation
- Membrane processes such as filtration, osmosis and nanofiltration
- Physical Water Treatment. In this stage, physical methods are used for cleaning the wastewater. ...
- Biological Water Treatment. ...
- Chemical Water Treatment. ...
- Sludge Treatment.
What are the processes involved in the treatment of wastewater?
Biological processes such as anaerobic wastewater treatment, biochemical oxidation or sludge digestion Chemical processes such as neutralisation, disinfection, flocculation and precipitation Membrane processes such as filtration, osmosis and nanofiltration
What are the basic components of a wastewater treatment plant?
The type and order of treatment may vary from one treatment plant to another, but this diagram of the Ottawa-Carleton wastewater treatment plant illustrates the basic components. The primary level of treatment uses screens and settling tanks to remove the majority of solids.
What are the different types of wastewater treatment?
Wastewater from commercial and industrial processes is usually divided into the following four categories and dealt with accordingly: 1. Some wastewater can be treated on-site and reused within the plant for various purposes. 2. There are some wastewater treatment plants that are designed to treat industrial wastewater. 3.
What are the different stages of water treatment?
Several processes are at your disposal for implementing the various preparation stages of water treatment: Physical processes for mechanical preparation such as aeration, sedimentation or thermal influence. This also includes the use of screens, filters and sieves.

What are the four main types of wastewater?
Types of sewage Domestic sewage carries used water from houses and apartments; it is also called sanitary sewage. Industrial sewage is used water from manufacturing or chemical processes. Storm sewage, or storm water, is runoff from precipitation that is collected in a system of pipes or open channels.
What are three major steps in 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.
What are the processes for 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.
What are the 4 main processes of treating water?
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 is the most common stage of wastewater treatment?
The most common is chlorine. Chlorination kills bacteria and viruses, but this treatment has the disadvantage of requiring a stage for dichlorination before discharge into the environment.
What is process waste water?
Process Wastewater means any water which, during manufacturing or processing, comes into direct contact with or results from the production or use of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, byproduct, or waste product.
What are the 3 stages of wastewater treatment PDF?
Wastewater is treated in 3 phases: primary (solid removal), secondary (bacterial decomposition), and tertiary (extra filtration).
What is the fourth step of raw water treatment?
In the fourth step called ozonation, plant workers add a gas called ozone to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms as well as to improve taste. From there, the water is filtered using granular activated carbon to remove any fine particles.
How many steps are there in the water treatment process?
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. Let's examine these steps in more detail.
How many types of water treatment are there?
There are four common types of household water treatment systems, and they are: Filtration System: This is a water filter device that will remove impurities by means of a physical barrier, chemical, or a biological process.
What are the two types of wastewater treatment?
Firstly, problematic substances are removed from the water. This is done with cleaning, iron removal, manganese removal, sterilisation, desalination or softening .
What are the stages of water treatment?
Several processes are at your disposal for implementing the various preparation stages of water treatment: Physical processes for mechanical preparation such as aeration, sedimentation or thermal influence. This also includes the use of screens, filters and sieves. Biological processes such as anaerobic wastewater ...
What is the purpose of return sludge?
The other part of the sludge, also known as "return sludge" is returned to the aeration tank to ensure that there are enough microorganisms in the aeration tank to break down the dirt. After biological treatment, approximately 90% of the wastewater is cleaned of biodegradable substances.
What is the name of the tank that cleans wastewater?
In most wastewater treatment plants, the water pre-purified in the mechanical treatment stage now reaches what are known as aeration tanks, which are often designed as circulation tanks. This is where the biological cleaning takes place.
What is the process of converting methane gas into electricity?
A pump transports the fresh sludge to what is known as a digestion tower. In the digestion tower, methane gas is produced in four phases (hydrolysis, acidification, acetone gene and methanogene phase); it is converted into electricity in a block heating plant and can be used to supply the plant with energy.
How much of the wastewater is removed in the first stage?
In the first stage, the still completely untreated wastewater is mechanically treated; this removes about 20 - 30% of the contained solids. To achieve this, the wastewater is guided into a screening plant, where a screen or sieve drum filters out coarse impurities such as leaves, paper or textiles.
What is sedimentary sludge?
The sludge produced by sedimentation (settling to the bottom) is called primary sludge. It usually consists of organic material. The primary sludge is pushed from the bottom into a fresh sludge hopper by a scraper. The floating substances are transferred to a floating sludge duct.
What happens after a wastewater treatment plant meets all permit specifications?
After meeting all permit specifications, clean water is reintroduced into the environment. Although testing is 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.
What is the process of removing large items from the influent?
Removal of large items from the influent to prevent damage to the facility’s pumps, valves and other equipment .#N#The process of treating and reclaiming water from wastewater (any water that has been used in homes, such as flushing toilets, washing dishes, or bathing, and some water from industrial use and storm sewers) starts with the expectation that after it is treated it will be clean enough to reenter the environment.#N#The quality of the water is dictated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Water Act, and wastewater facilities operate to specified permits by National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). According to the EPA, The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. Under the CWA, EPA sets wastewater standards for industry. The EPA has also developed national water quality criteria recommendations for pollutants in surface waters. EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls discharges.#N#As an example of expected standards, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of average wastewater effluent is 200 mg/L and the effluent after treatment is expected to be >30 mg/L. It is crucial a wastewater facility meets these expectations or risk stiff penalty.#N#The physical process of wastewater treatment begins with screening out large items that have found their way into the sewer system, and if not removed, can damage pumps and impede water flow. A bar screen is usually used to remove large items from the influent and ultimately taken to a landfill.
Why is wastewater pumped into a 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.
What is activated sludge?
These small solids are called activated sludge and consist mostly of active bacteria. Part of this activated sludge is returned to the aeration tank to increase the bacterial concentration, help in propagation, and accelerate the breakdown of organic material. The excess is discarded.
What happens if water flows too slow?
If the water flow is too slow, it impacts the process up stream. The solids that fall to the bottom of the clarifier are know as sludge and pumped out regularly to ensure it doesn’t impact the process of separation. The sludge is then discarded after any water is removed and commonly used as fertilizer.
What is the function of an aeration tank?
The primary function of the aeration tank is to pump oxygen into the tank to encourage the breakdown of any organic material (and the growth of the bacteria), as well as ensure there is enough time for the organic material to be broken down.
What is a bar screen in wastewater treatment?
A bar screen is usually used to remove large items from ...
What is the process of wastewater treatment?
Wastewater treatment is a complex topic that involves numerous processes, components and equipment that all have the singular goal to turn any liquid into water that can either be reused or returned to the water cycle.
Why is wastewater treated in a tertiary stage?
After the primary and secondary treatment stages, wastewater needs to undergo the tertiary treatment process to ensure that it is free of suspended and dissolved substances. Even though the effluent from the secondary stage is somewhat safe for release into the environment, undergoing the tertiary stage is necessary for the following reasons: (1) it has the ability to remove up to 99% of the wastewater’s impurities; (2) it produces effluent water that is close to drinking water quality; (3) to meet standard requirements in developed countries; (4) for the removal of hazardous nitrogen and phosphorus compounds.
How does wastewater get into a plant?
It is usually done by pouring the wastewater into big sedimentation tanks (can either be square, circular or rectangular) for the macrobiotic solid matter to settle at the bottom or at the surface of tanks. Once the solid matter settles, it turns into sludge that is removed using large scrappers and is moved to the center of the cylindrical tanks. After that, the sludge is pumped out of the tanks for further treatment (it can be used as a fertilizer), with the remaining water also being pumped out for secondary treatment.
Why is chlorine used in wastewater treatment?
In some cases, chlorine is used to disinfect the effluent in order to complete the secondary treatment process .
What is the secondary process of treatment?
The secondary process of treatment is where the removal of fine and dissolved colloidal organic matter occurs, with the help of microorganisms (algae, fungi, and bacteria) that help decompose the organic matter to stable organic forms . When the effluent leaves the sedimentation tank in the primary stage, it is typically transferred to a facility that uses this treatment, and different processes (activated sludge process, aerobic digestion, anaerobic ponds, etc.) are used by different plants when removing organic matter. By the end of this treatment process, the remaining organic matter turns into large particles that settle down at the bottom of huge tanks, which makes them easy to separate from the remaining wastewater. In some cases, chlorine is used to disinfect the effluent in order to complete the secondary treatment process.
What happens when sedimentation leaves the sedimentation tank?
When the effluent leaves the sedimentation tank in the primary stage, it is typically transferred to a facility that uses this treatment, and different processes (activated sludge process, aerobic digestion, anaerobic ponds, etc.) are used by different plants when removing organic matter.
What is wastewater treatment?
Wastewater treatment is a process to treat sewage or wastewater to remove suspended solid contaminants and convert it into an effluent that can be discharged back to the environment with acceptable impact. The plants where the wastewater treatment process takes place are popularly known as Wastewater treatment plants, ...
Why is wastewater treatment important?
So, Wastewater treatment plants plays a major role in keeping environment clean and saving numerous lives.
What is a sewage treatment plant?
Sewage treatment plants eliminate contaminants from wastewater and household sewage. It uses physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants to make the water and solid waste reusable. Combined Effluent Treatment Plants are established where a cluster of small scale industries are present.
How is suspended solid removed from wastewater?
Suspended solid materials from the wastewater are removed by the sedimentation primary treatment. Other floatable materials like oils, fats, etc are removed using dissolved air floatation treatment. Primary wastewater treatment, in general, removes about 60% of suspended solids from wastewater.
Why is domestic wastewater generated?
Domestic wastewater is generated because of activities like bathing, washing, using the toilet, etc in residences, restaurants, and businesses. Surface rainwater runoff is generated due to the mixing of debris, grit, nutrients, and various chemicals. Industrial wastewater results because of chemical and manufacturing industry discharges.
What are the pollutants that are normally present in wastewater?
Typical pollutants that are normally present in wastewater are: Bacteria, viruses, and disease-causing pathogens. helminths (intestinal worms and worm-like parasites) Toxic Chlorine compounds and inorganic chloramines.
Why is industrial wastewater considered domestic wastewater?
Industrial wastewater results because of chemical and manufacturing industry discharges. So, wastewater is essentially the used water that has been affected by domestic, commercial, or industrial use. Domestic wastewater is relatively easy to treat as compared to industrial wastewater due to its high-strength nature.
What is wastewater treatment?
According to Wikipedia, “Wastewater treatment is a process to convert wastewater – which is water no longer needed or suitable for its most recent use – into an effluent that can be either returned to the water cycle with minimal environmental issues or reused.
What is the first task of a wastewater treatment plant?
Odor control of Wastewater. The first task of the treatment plant is to remove as much as foul smelling substances from the waste water and to control the spread of odor in the treatment facility and the corresponding region surrounding the plant.
What is aerobic treatment?
Aerobic treatment is usually done after anaerobic treatment of wastewater and involves the removal of colloidal and dissolved biodegradable organic matter. These are also known as high-rate biological processes because of high concentrations of microorganisms and relatively small reactor volumes.
Why is primary wastewater treatment important?
The goal primary wastewater treatment is to extract organic and inorganic solids through sedimentation and the floating materials (scum) through skimming.
What is the most commonly used physical method for waste water treatment?
The most commonly used physical method for waste water treatment is sedimentation. Sedimentation involves suspending of the heaver contaminates and particles to the bottom of the water and then extracting the pure water from the layers above, thereby reproducing fresh water in the process.
What is the process of disinfecting water?
The process of disinfection requires the use of chemicals such as chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, and other disinfectants.
What is the most commonly sent to recycling facilities?
Plastic products are the ones most commonly sent to recycling facilities as they are found in numerous amounts in waste water. Screening is usually a part of Preliminary treatment before the actual treatment of the wastewater starts. 4. Treatment Processes of Wastewater. The water is now ready for treatment.
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 process of removing pollutants from water?
Another natural method is called rapid infiltration, which is a process where a basin is filled with wastewater, which has already gone through a pre-treatment. The ground acts as a filter and removes the pollutants from the water. This method is similar to what happens in a septic system.
What is the process of tertiary treatment?
One of the biological treatment processes is called Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR). This diagram shows the treatment steps that Saskatoon wastewater goes through. Biological Nutrient Removal Process.
Where does BNR process occur?
In this treatment plant, wastewater first undergoes primary and secondary treatment. For the tertiary treatment, the BNR process occurs in the bioreactors. The BNR process uses bacteria in different conditions in several tanks, to digest the contaminants in the water.
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.
What is the process of removing sediment from a wastewater system?
1. Biofiltration. Bio filtration uses sand filters, contact filters or trickling filters to ensure that any additional sediment is removed from the wastewater. 2. Aeration. Aeration is a lengthy process which increases oxygen saturation by introducing air to wastewater.
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.

Stage One — Bar Screening
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 removed from the grit chamber. There are several types of grit chambers (horizontal, aerated or vortex) which control t…
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 ...
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 …
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 m…
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 p…
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 po…
How Is Wastewater formed?
Wastewater Treatment Process
- The sequence of wastewater treatment processes are usually characterized as: 1. Preliminary treatment 2. Primary treatment 3. Secondary treatment 4. Tertiary treatment or Advanced treatment
Basic Design Considerations
- Wastewater Treatment Requirement:The requirement of wastewater treatment is dependent on the following parameters: 1. the influent characteristics, 2. the effluent quality requirements, and 3. the wastewater treatment processes that produce an acceptable effluent. Laboratory tests of wastewater samples are performed to find out influent characteristics. Effluent quality requirem…
Types of Wastewater Treatment Plants
- For the betterment of society, environment, and the future, wastewater treatment should be taken seriously. The outbreak of numerous waterborne diseases can be prevented by proper wastewater treatment. So, Wastewater treatment plants play a major role in keeping the environment clean and saving numerous lives. There are basically three types of Wastewater tre…
Top Online Courses on Wastewater Treatment
- Wish to know more about waste-water treatment! Then the following video courses are for you. Click on the subject below and review the details and then proceed to take the course. 1. Membrane Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment 2. Water Treatment Process Design 3. Membrane Technologies Used in Water and Wastewater treatment 4. Basics of Water Desalin…