On Site Sewage Treatment (Alternative Waste Systems)
On Site Sewage Treatment (Alternative Waste Systems)
On Site Sewage Treatment (Alternative Waste Systems)
UNIT OPERATIONS
The treatment of wastewater depends upon the impurities present. The impurities present
are Physical, Chemical, & Biological and accordingly the treatment given are physical, chemical
and biological treatments.
1. Physical Treatment
▷ In above table the Screen, Clarifiers, grit chamber are all physical treatment unit because
in all those units the removal of impurities is taking place due to physical processes like
Gravity Settling, Mechanical Straining, etc.
▷ Mechanical Straining takes place in screens and Gravity Settling takes place in clarifiers.
▷ Clarifiers are also known as sedimentation basin or Settling tanks.
SCREEN – is a unit operation that separates large floating materials in and/or on water from
entering water treatment facilities and mains.
CLARIFIERS – are settling tanks built with mechanical means for continuous removal of solid
being deposited by sedimentation.
GRIT CHAMBER – long narrow tanks that are designed to slow down the flow so that solids
such as sand, coffee grounds, & eggshells will settle out of the water.
2. Chemical Treatment
▷ Chemical treatment of waste water is normally preferred when the wastewater discharge is
very small like that produced by industries, which contain chemicals.
▷ Takes place in units which are called reactors, chemical treatment of industrial wastewater
can be achieved from one of the following methods:
▷ Chemical Coagulation, Chemical Precipitation, Oxidation & Reduction, Neutralization,
Ion Exchange.
Chemical Coagulation
-is the chemical water treatment process used to remove solids from water, by manipulating
electrostatic charges of particles suspended in water. This process introduces small, highly charge
molecules into water to destabilize the charges on particles, colloids, or oily materials in
suspension.
Chemical Precipitation
- is the change in form of materials dissolved in water into solid particles. Chemical
Precipitation is used to remove ionic constituents from water by the addition of counter-ions to
reduce the solubility.
Neutralization
- is employed to balance the excess acidity or alkalinity in water, whereas flow equalization
is a process of controlling flow velocity and flow composition. In practical sense, it is the
adjustment of pH to achieve the desired treatment objective.
Ion exchange
- is a water treatment method where one or more undesirable ionic contaminants are
removed from water by exchange with another non-objectionable, or less objectionable ionic
substance.
3. Biological Treatment
▷ Fully utilizes the micro organisms for treatment of the wastewater.
▷ Depending upon the type of microbes used, the biological treatment is classified as:
▷ Aerobic Treatment using aerobic organisms: the example of the treatment units are
activated sludge plant, trickling filter, rotating biological contactors, oxidation ponds, etc.
▷ Anaerobic Treatment: uses the aerobic microbes. The example of anaerobic treatment
units are sludge digesters.
Activated sludge
▷ Refers to a multi-chamber reactor unit that makes
use of highly concentrated microorganism to
degrade organics and remove nutrients from
wastewater to produce a high-quality effluent.
▷ To maintain aerobic conditions and to keep the
activated sludge suspended, a continuous and well
timed supply of oxygen is required.
Trickling Filter
▷ Also called trickling biofilter, biofilter, biological
filter and biological tricking filter
▷ Is a fixed bed biological reactor that operates under
(mostly) aerobic conditions.
▷ Pre-settled wastewater is continuously trickled or
sprayed over the filter. As the water migrates through
the pores of the filter, organics are aerobically
degraded by the biofilm covering the filter materials.
Oxidation Pond
▷ Also called as lagoons or stabilization ponds, are
large, shallow ponds designed to treat wastewater
through the interaction of sunlight, bacteria, and
algae.
Sludge Digesters (anaerobic treatment)