WASTE WATER TREATMENT METHODS

1. PHYSICAL METHODS- physical methods of wastewater treatment are useful

in water purification and recycling. In this stage, physical methods is use for
cleaning the wastewater. Processes like screening, sedimentation and skimming is
use to remove the solids. No chemicals are involved in this process.

a) SCREENING: Screening is the first unit operation used at wastewater treatment

plants (WWTPs). Screening removes objects such as rags, paper, plastics, and
metals to prevent damage and clogging of downstream equipment, piping, and
appurtenances. Some modern wastewater treatment plants use both coarse
screens and fine screens. Figure 1 depicts a typical bar screen (a type of coarse
screen). Wastewater Screening is the first unit operation in all
wastewater treatment plants. Screen is the device used to retain solids
found in the influent wastewater to the treatment plant. The main
purpose of screening is to remove solid materials that could:

 Cause damage to other process equipment.

 Cause reduction in efficiency of the whole system
 Contaminate waterways
The materials that is remove using screens called screenings.
b) Comminution: is the next step in wastewater treatment. During this process,
the now largest wastes look smaller by cutting them into smaller pieces. A
screen is use to keep out the larger pieces of waste from the flow. It is, then cut
into smaller pieces that either a) can reenter the flow and continue through the
process, or b) must be removed and disposed of.

c) Grit chambers: Grit includes sand, gravel, cinder, or other heavy solid
materials that are “heavier” (higher specific gravity) than the organic
biodegradable solids in the wastewater. Grit also includes eggshells, bone chips,
seeds, coffee grounds, and large organic particles, such as food waste. Removal
of grit prevents unnecessary abrasion and wear of mechanical equipment, grit
deposition in pipelines and channels, and accumulation of grit in anaerobic
digesters and aeration basins. Grit removal facilities typically precede primary
clarification and follow screening and comminution. This prevents large solids
from interfering with grit handling equipment. In secondary treatment plants
without primary clarification, grit removal should precede aeration (Metcalf &
Eddy, 1991).
Grit chambers are long narrow tanks that are design to slow down the flow
so that solids such as sand, coffee grounds and eggshells will settle out of
the water. Grit causes excessive wear and tear on pumps and other plant
equipment. Its removal is particularly important in cities with
combined sewer systems, which carry a good deal of silt, sand, and gravel
that wash off streets or land during a storm. Suspended solids that pass
through screens and grit chambers are remove from the sewage in
sedimentation tanks. These tanks, also called primary clarifiers, provide
about two hours of detention time for gravity settling to take place. As
the sewage flows through them slowly, the solids gradually sink to the
 bottom. The settled solids—known as raw or primary sludge—are move
along the tank bottom by mechanical scrapers. Sludge collected in a hopper,
where it is pump out for removal. Mechanical surface-skimming devices
remove grease and other floating materials.

d) Pre aeration: Pre-aeration of wastewater, that is aeration before primary

treatment is sometimes provided for the following purposes :
(1) To obtain a greater removal of suspended solids in sedimentation
tanks.
(2) To assist in the removal of grease and oil carried in the wastewater.
(3) To freshen up septic wastewater prior to further treatment.
(4) BOD reduction.
Pre-aeration is accomplish by introducing air into the wastewater for a
period of 20 to 30 minutes at the design flow.

e) Flotation: Flotation removes dispersed or suspended substances from

fluids by means of very fine gas bubbles that transport the substances to
 the surface, and subsequently, bubbles and substances are remove with
a clearing device. In wastewater treatment, the flotation processes used
to separate oils, fats and finely suspended solids and particles.
The smaller the micro-bubbles, the better the accumulation of particles
or droplets function. To this end, wastewater technology often uses
Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF), a method proven economically efficient. In
addition, auxiliary agents such as collectors, controllers and pushers
support flotation processes.

f) Sedimentation: Sedimentation uses gravity to separate solid particles in

sedimentation tanks. A sedimentation tank is a flat, nearly current-free
tank specifically designed for sedimentation processes. The solid particles
settle on the bottom of the tank. Wastewater treatment uses
sedimentation processes in various ways. In the preliminary cleaning
tank, un-dissolved substances settle and form primary sludge that is
subsequently concentrated in the digestion tower where is transformed
anaerobically. The transformation process produces digested sludge and
fermentation gas, which, in its cleaned form like biogas converted into
electricity to cover energy demands. Aerobically produced sludge also
added to the digestion tower after it has separated from the wastewater
through sedimentation in the clarifier tank. In addition, sand traps and
sludge collectors separate particles that are heavier than water.
2. CHEMICAL METHODS- Chemical treatment may be a straightforward or
complicated process depending on the contaminants in the water and the
chemical reactions that take place. Most wastewater chemical treatment
involves the following steps.

SECONDARY TREATMENT
a) Neutralization: Neutralization involves the addition of chemicals, for its
purpose of adjusting the pH of the wastewater. This involves the
addition of acids (to lower pH) or alkalis (to raise pH) depending on the
initial pH of the influent. Wastewater technology uses neutralization to
adjust the pH value. Acids and alkali are add as required, after processes
like precipitation and flocculation, and for the neutralization of industrial
wastewaters.

b) Chemical precipitation: during precipitation, chemical wastewater

treatment facilities cause metals to precipitate out of the wastewater.
Chemical treatment often adds charged ions to the water that the
existing metallic ions can react with to form new, harmless substances.

Chemical precipitation is the most common method for removing

dissolved metals from wastewater solution containing toxic metals. To
convert the dissolved metals into solid particle form, a precipitation
reagent added to the mixture. A chemical reaction, triggered by the
reagent, causes the dissolved metals to form solid particles. How well the
process works is dependent upon the kind of metal present, the
concentration of the metal, and the kind of reagent used. In hydroxide
precipitation, a commonly used chemical precipitation process, calcium
or sodium hydroxide is use as the reagent to create solid metal
hydroxides. However, it can be difficult to create hydroxides from
dissolved metal particles in wastewater because many wastewater
solutions contain mixed metals.

c) Coagulation: Coagulation in chemical wastewater treatment means

adding chemical substances that combine with the smaller waste
particles to form larger, heavier particles. The chemical coagulants are
often aluminum-based substances such as alum.
Flocculation occurs when the smaller, suspended particles come out of
suspension to form large, solid clumps the plant can easily remove.
This chemical process involves destabilizing wastewater particles so that
they aggregate during chemical flocculation. Fine solid particles dispersed
 in wastewater carry negative electric surface charges (in their normal
stable state), which prevent them from forming larger groups and
settling. Chemical coagulation destabilizes these particles by introducing
positively charged coagulants that then reduce the negative particles’
charge. Once the charge is reduce, the particles freely form larger groups.

d) Chemical flocculation: Flocculation uses flocculants to help remove very

fine particles from wastewater that would not normally accumulate as
larger agglomerates a result of their electrical repulsion from having an
identical charge. By adding specialty chemicals, larger formulations of
particles will occur which will then settle out in a sedimentation process.
Flocculation prepares very fine particles that are present either
suspended or in the form of colloidal solutions, for removal from water.
If the surface charge of this very fine particulate matter is the same, the
particles cannot, due to mutual electrical repulsion accumulate to larger
agglomerates.
In this case, suitable chemicals, flocculants and flocculation aids help
achieve the agglomeration of such particulate matter, creating macro
flakes that sediment.
Flocculation used to improve settling properties as well as to drain
sewage sludge. Employing iron and aluminum salts for flocculation allows
the flocculating of phosphate at the same time.

FINAL TREATMENT
e) Disinfection: which kills or sterilizes harmful microorganisms like viruses
and bacteria, is sometimes the final stage for wastewater that requires a
stringent level of treatment before reuse. Chlorine is a common and
economical disinfectant. Other options include ozone treatment and
ultraviolet (UV) light sterilization. Is the process designed to kill or
inactivate microorganisms in the Waste water. Contrast this to
sterilization, which is the removal and destruction of all living
microorganisms, including pathogenic and saprophytic bacteria,
vegetative form s and spores.
f) Chlorination: Chlorine and its various forms are powerful oxidants that
will kill or inactivate most pathogenic organism that are harmful to
human and animal life. Chlorination is the most commonly used
disinfection process for wastewater treatment.

Chlorination chemicals are relatively:

➢ Easy to obtain
➢ Economical
➢ Effective
➢ Easy to apply
Typical forms of chlorine used in wastewater treatment are:
➢ Elemental chlorine
➢ Hypochlorite
➢ Chlorine Dioxide
 g) Ozonation process: The formation of oxygen into ozone occurs with the
use of energy. This process is carried out by an electric discharge field as
in the CD-type ozone generators (corona discharge simulation of the
lightning), or by ultraviolet radiation as in UV-type ozone generators
(simulation of the ultraviolet rays from the sun). In addition to these
commercial methods, ozone also made through electrolytic and
chemical reactions. In general, an ozonation system includes passing dry,
clean air through a high voltage electric discharge, i.e., corona discharge,
which creates an ozone concentration of approximately 1% or 10,000
mg/L. In treating small quantities of waste, the UV ozonation is the most
common while large-scale systems use either corona discharge or other
bulk ozone-producing methods. 

3. BIOLOGICAL METHODS: The main alternative to chemical wastewater

treatment is biological wastewater treatment. Instead of using chemicals to
break down waste, this process uses beneficial microorganisms to biodegrade
waste material.

a) Activated sludge process:

• The activated sludge process is a biological process into which
oxygen is introduce that allows aerobic bacteria and other
organisms to thrive and multiply.
• Biological treatment takes place in the aeration tanks where
oxygen and wastewater added to the biomass.
• Biodegradable organic matter is use by bacteria as a food source
for producing new cells.
• Aeration tank contents, referred to as the Mixed Liquor
Suspended Solids (MLSS), flows to secondary clarifier to separate
the MLSS from the treated effluent.
• A portion of the settled MLSS containing microorganisms is
return to the aeration tank to continue the treatment process
(Returned Activated Sludge).
• Left uncontrolled, the organisms become too great in number,
so some must be periodically removed (Waste Activated Sludge)
 The activated sludge is obtain by settling sewage in the presence
of excess oxygen. So that activated sludge is settle down after the
sewage has been freely aerated and agitated for a certain time.
The activated sludge is biologically active and contain a large
number of aerobic bacteria and other microorganism.

b)  Trickling filters: A trickling filter is a type of wastewater

treatment system. It consists of a fixed bed of rocks, coke, gravel,
slag, polyurethane foam, sphagnum peat moss, ceramic, or plastic
media over which sewage or other wastewater flows downward
and causes a layer of microbial slime (biofilm) to grow, covering
the bed of media.
c) Stabilization ponds: Stabilization Ponds (WSPs) are large,
man-made water bodies in which black water, grey water or fecal
sludge are treated by natural occurring processes and the
influence of solar light, wind, microorganisms and algae. The
ponds can used individually or linked in a series to improve
treatment.
There are three types of ponds, (1) anaerobic, (2) facultative and
(3) aerobic (maturation), each with different treatment and design
characteristics. WSPs are low-cost for O&M and BOD and
pathogen removal is high. However, large surface areas and
expert design are required. The effluent still contains nutrients
(e.g. N and P) and is therefore appropriate for the reuse in
agriculture, but not for direct recharge in surface waters.

d) Aerated lagoons: An aerated lagoon is a suspended-growth

process in wastewater treatment unit. The aerated lagoon water
treatment system consists of a large earthen lagoon or basin that
is equipped with mechanical aerators to maintain an aerobic
environment and to prevent settling of the suspend biomass.
Provided with inlet at one end and outlet at the other end to
enable the wastewater to flow through and to retain for the
specified detention time. Initially, the population of
microorganisms in an aerated lagoon is much lower than that in
an ASP because there is no sludge recycle significantly longer
residence time is required to achieve the same effluent quality