FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT (FKAAB)

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING (BFC32403)

SEMESTER 2 2019/2020

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

NAME : NURNAJIHAH BINTI ZAIMY

MATRIC NO : AF170194

SECTION :5

LECTURER : PROF. MADYA. Ts. Dr. RAFIDAH BINTI HAMDAN

SUBMISSION DATE : 1st APRIL 2020

Water Treatment Process

Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it more
acceptable for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation,
river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to the
environment. Water treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components, or reduces their
concentration so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. This treatment is crucial to
human health and allows humans to benefit from both drinking and irrigation use. The water
treatment process may vary slightly at different locations, depending on the technology of the plant
and the water it needs to process, but the basic principles are largely the same. This section
describes standard water treatment processes.
 a) Intake

Water is pumped from a water source, such as a lake, river, or ground water, into the water
purification plant via a pump station. As it enters the pump station, the water is sent through a
screen. This helps prevent large debris (such as wood, fish, and plants) from entering the system
and clogging equipment.

b) Coagulation

After water is pumped into the treatment plant, the purification process begins. Coagulant
chemicals are added to the water and mixed at a high rate. The coagulation causes any fine
particulates in the water to stick together, forming larger clumps of particles (known as floc).

c) Sedimentation

Following the coagulation process, the water and floc particles are sent into a sedimentation
basin. During this time, the floc has the opportunity to settle to the bottom of the tank, where it can
be removed; the clean water at the top of the tank is sent to be filtered.

d) Filtration

The filtration process allows water to pass through natural filters of variable sizes and
compositions (e.g. sand, gravel, and charcoal). These natural filters help to sift out any remaining
particles in the water. Solid matter collected in the sedimentation and filtration processes is sent to
be used as fertilizer.

e) Disinfection

To protect against bacteria, viruses, and other microbes, the water must be disinfected. In most
cases, this is done using chemicals such as chlorine or with ultraviolet light.

f) Storage & Distribution

After the water purification process has been completed, the water is pumped into water storage
tanks. The clean, safe drinking water is then pumped to homes and businesses when needed. Water
purification is a specialized and involved process that focuses on keeping communities healthy.
These steps guarantee continuous access to safe drinking water.
 Wastewater Treatment Process

Wastewater treatment is the process of converting wastewater – water that is no longer needed
or is no longer suitable for use – into bilge water that can be discharged back into the environment.
It’s formed by a number of activities including bathing, washing, using the toilet, and rainwater
runoff. Wastewater is full of contaminants including bacteria, chemicals and other toxins. Its
treatment aims at reducing the contaminants to acceptable levels to make the water safe for
discharge back into the environment.

1. Wastewater Collection
Collection systems are put in place by municipal administration, home owners as well as business
owners to ensure that all the wastewater is collected and directed to a central point. This water is
then directed to a treatment plant using underground drainage systems or by exhauster tracks owned
and operated by business people. The transportation of wastewater should however be done under
hygienic conditions. The pipes or tracks should be leak proof and the people offering the exhausting
services should wear protective clothing.
2. Odour Control

To ensure that the surrounding areas are free of the foul smell, odour treatment processes are
initiated at the treatment plant. All odour sources are contained and treated using chemicals to
neutralize the foul smell producing elements.

3. Screening

Screening involves the removal of large objects for example nappies, plastics, diapers, rags,
sanitary items, broken bottles or bottle tops that in one way or another may damage the equipment.
Failure to observe this step, results in constant machine and equipment problems. Specially
designed equipment is used to get rid of grit that is usually washed down into the sewer lines by
rainwater. The solid wastes removed from the wastewater are then transported and disposed off in
landfills.

4. Primary Treatment
This process involves the separation of macrobiotic solid matter from the wastewater. Primary
treatment is done by pouring the wastewater into big tanks for the solid matter to settle at the
surface of the tanks. The sludge, the solid waste that settles at the surface of the tanks, is removed
by large scrappers and is pushed to the centre of the cylindrical tanks and later pumped out of the
tanks for further treatment. The remaining water is then pumped for secondary treatment.

5. Secondary Treatment
Also known as the activated sludge process, the secondary treatment stage involves adding seed
sludge to the wastewater to ensure that is broken down further. Air is first pumped into huge
aeration tanks which mix the wastewater with the seed sludge which is basically small amount of
sludge, which fuels the growth of bacteria that uses oxygen and the growth of other small
microorganisms that consume the remaining organic matter. This process leads to the production of
large particles that settle down at the bottom of the huge tanks. The wastewater passes through the
large tanks for a period of 3-6 hours.
6. Bio-solids handling

The solid matter that settle out after the primary and secondary treatment stages are directed to
digesters. The digesters are heated at room temperature. The solid wastes are then treated for a
month where they undergo anaerobic digestion. During this process, methane gases are produced
and there is a formation of nutrient rich bio-solids which are recycled and dewatered into local
firms. The methane gas formed is usually used as a source of energy at the treatment plants. It can
be used to produce electricity in engines or to simply drive plant equipment. This gas can also be
used in boilers to generate heat for digesters.

7. Tertiary treatment
The tertiary treatment stage has the ability to remove up to 99 percent of the impurities from the
wastewater. This produces effluent water that is close to drinking water quality. Unfortunately, this
process tends to be a bit expensive as it requires special equipment, well trained and highly skilled
equipment operators, chemicals and a steady energy supply. All these are not readily available.

8. Disinfection
There are still some diseases causing organisms in the remaining treated wastewater. To eliminate
them, the wastewater must be disinfected for at least 20-25 minutes in tanks that contain a mixture
of chlorine and sodium hypochlorite. The disinfection process is an integral part of the treatment
process because it the health of the animals and the local people who use the water for other
purposes. The treated waste water is later released into the environment through the local water
ways.

9. Sludge Treatment

The sludge that is produced and collected during the primary and secondary treatment processes
requires concentration and thickening to enable further processing. It is put into thickening tanks
that allow it to settle down and later separates from the water. This process can take up to 24 hours.
The remaining water is collected and sent back to the huge aeration tanks for further treatment. The
sludge is then treated and sent back into the environment and can be used for agricultural use.