Major Water Pollutant

The major categories of water pollutants are (i) organic pollutants, (ii) micro-
organisms (pathogens), (iii) nutrients, (iv) suspended solids and sediments (organic
and inorganic), (v) inorganic pollutants (chemicals, salts and metals), (vi) thermal
pollution, and (vii) radioactive pollutants.

Water Quality Parameter

Water quality can be classified into four types—potable water, palatable water,
contaminated (polluted) water, and infected water. The most common scientific
definitions of these types of water quality are as follows:

1. Potable water: It is safe to drink, pleasant to taste, and usable for domestic purposes
2. Palatable water: It is aesthetically pleasing; it considers the presence of chemicals
that do not cause a threat to human health .
3. Contaminated (polluted) water: It is that water containing unwanted physical,
chemical, biological, or radiological substances, and it is unfit for drinking or
domestic use .
4. Infected water: It is contaminated with pathogenic organism

There are 3 categories of water quality parameters that help measure

the quality of water, including physical parameters, chemical parameters
and biological parameters.

1. 1. Physical water 2. 2. Water chemistry 3. 3. Biological parameters

quality parameters parameters of water

1. Electrical conductivity 2. pH 3. Bacteria

4. Color 5. Acidity 6. Algae
7. Turbidity 8. Alkalinity 9. Nutrients
Taste and odour Hardness Viruses
Temperature Chlorine
Foam Dissolved oxygen
Solids Biological oxygen demand

1. Physical water quality parameters

Conductivity:
 Conductivity of water is mainly due to presence of ionizable inorganic
compounds.
 Pure water has very low conductance. For example 1µ mho for distilled water.
Therefore conductivity measurement indicates amount of ionizable inorganic
compounds in water.
Color:

 Pure water is colorless. Therefore any types of color appearance in water

indicates water pollution.

 Natural water system is often colored by foreign material. If color is due to

suspended material, it is called as apparent color. Color given by dissolved
material that remains even after removal of suspended material is called true
color or real color.

Color is measured by comparing the water sample with standard color solutions or
colored glass disks. One color unit is equivalent to the color produced by a 1 mg/L
solution of
platinum (potassium chloroplatinate (K2PtCl6)) .

The color of a water sample can be reported as follows:

 Apparent color is the entire water sample color and consists of both dissolved
and suspended components color.
 True color is measured after filtering the water sample to remove all
suspended material.

Color is graded on scale of 0 (clear) to 70 color units. Pure water is colorless, which
is equivalent to 0 color units

Turbidity:
 Pure water is clear and do not absorb light. Therefore if turbidity appears in
water, it indicates water pollution.
 Turbidity in water is given by various materials like suspended solid, dissolved
materials and microbial loads. Some materials that give turbidity may be toxic to
consumers. Therefore turbid water is not suitable for drinking purposes.
Furthermore turbidity decreases efficiency of disinfection process.
 Turbidity prevents penetration of light into deeper layer of natural water system
that directly affects photosynthetic organism in bottom.

Taste and odour:

 Pure water is always tasteless and odourless. Therefore if any types of taste
and odour are present, it indicates water pollution.
 Water taste and odour may develop due to natural or artificial regions.
 Compounds giving taste and odour to water may be toxic to consumer, so
drinking water should be tasteless and odour less.

Temperature:

 Temperature is not directly used to evaluate whether water is potable

(drinkable) or not.
 In natural water system like lake and river, temperature is very important
physical factor that determines water quality. If temperature increases, solubility
of Oxygen in water decreases.
 Furthermore rise in temperature increases the growth rate of aquatic
microorganism, so they consume dissolved O2 faster and level of dissolved O2
decreases.
 Similarly, temperature affects disinfection process because efficiency of
disinfection is lower at lower temperature.

Foam:

 Foam in water id due to foaming substances like detergents, soaps etc dissolve
in water. Foam is regarded as dangerous in natural water system because it
creates anaerobic condition.
 Some foaming substance is toxic to consumers. Therefore water with foam is
not suitable for drinking purposes.

Total dissolved solid:

 If water is filtered to remove suspended solid, the remaining solid in water

indicates total dissolved solid.
 Dissolved solid may be organic (animal or plants waste) or inorganic
compounds (carbonate, sulfate, bicarbonate etc). These compounds give
variety of effects like hardness, taste, odour etc depending on nature of
dissolved solid.
  If the dissolved solid in water exceeds 300 mg/ltr, it adversely affects living
organisms as well as industrial products.
Water can be classified by the amount of TDS per litre as follows:

 freshwater: <1500 mg/L TDS;

 brackish water: 1500–5000 mg/L TDS;
 saline water: >5000 mg/L TDS.
2. Water chemistry parameters
pH
pH is one of the most important parameters of water quality. Actually, pH of water is a
measure of how acidic/basic water is. Pure water is neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at
25°C. Normal rainfall has a pH of approximately 5.6 (slightly acidic) owing to atmospheric
carbon dioxide gas. Safe ranges of pH for drinking water are from 6.5 to 8.5 for domestic use
and living organisms need.
Acidity:

Acids contribute to corrosiveness and influence chemical reaction rates, chemical

speciation and biological processes. Acidity of water is its quantitative capacity to
react with a strong base to a designated pH.
Mineral acidity: It is measured by titration to a pH of about 3.5, the methyl orange
end point (also known as methyl orange acidity).
Total acidity: Titration of a sample to the phenolphthalein end point of pH 8.3
measures mineral acidity plus acidity due to weak acids, thus this is called as total
acidity (or phenolphthalein acidity).

Alkalinity

Alkalinity is a measure of the capability of water to absorb H+ ions without significant

change of pH. In other words, alkalinity is a measure of the acid buffering capacity of
water. The determination of alkalinity of water is necessary for controlling the
corrosion, to calculate the amount of lime and soda needed for water softening; in
conditioning the boiler feed water, etc.

Hardness
Hardness occurs when water has a high mineral content. If left untreated, dissolved minerals
in the water may form scale on the hot water pipes. If you bathe in water with high mineral
content, you may find it difficult to create lather with the soap you use. The hardness of
water is mainly caused by the presence of magnesium and calcium ions, which can enter the
water from rocks and soil. In most cases, groundwater has a higher hardness than surface
water. You can measure the hardness of water using a colorimeter or test strips.
Hardness

Hardness is a term used to express the properties of highly mineralized waters.

Calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions cause the greatest portion of hardness in
naturally occurring waters. They enter water mainly from contact with soil and rock,
particularly limestone deposits. These ions are present as bicarbonates, sulfates,
and sometimes as chlorides and nitrates. Generally, groundwater is harder than
surface water. There are two types of hardness:
Water with more than 300 mg/L of hardness is generally considered to be hard, and
more than 150 mg/L of hardness is noticed by most people, and water with less than
75 mg/L is considered to be soft. From health viewpoint, hardness up to 500 mg/L is
safe, but more than that may cause a laxative effect.
Hardness is normally determined by titration with EDTA and Eriochrome Black as
indicator using NH4Cl& NH4OH buffer. It is usually expressed in terms of mg/L of
CaCO3.
Chloride
Chloride occurs naturally in groundwater, streams, and lakes, but the presence of
relatively high chloride concentration in freshwater (about 250 mg/L or more) may
indicate wastewater pollution. Chlorides may enter surface water from several
sources including chloride-containing rock, agricultural runoff, and wastewater.

Dissolved oxygen
This is a key water quality parameter that can help you determine the level of
pollution in rivers, lakes and streams. When the concentration of dissolved oxygen in
the water is high, you can be sure that the water quality is high. Dissolved oxygen is
produced due to the solubility of oxygen. The amount of DO you can find in your
water depends on many factors, not the least of which are the salinity of the water,
the pressure and the temperature. Dissolved oxygen levels can be measured using
a dissolved oxygen meter.

Biological oxygen demand

Microorganisms like bacteria use organic matter as a food source. When this
material is metabolized, oxygen is consumed. If this process occurs in water, the
dissolved oxygen in the water sample will be consumed. If a large amount of organic
matter is present in the water, a large amount of dissolved oxygen will be consumed
to ensure that the organic matter decomposes. However, this can create problems
because aquatic plants and animals need dissolved oxygen to survive. You can
measure the biological oxygen demand using the dilution method. If the BOD level is
high, the water is contaminated.

3. Biological parameters of water

Bacteria
High levels of bacteria in water can lead to many harmful waterborne diseases,
including cholera, tularemia and typhoid.

Algae
Algae are tiny, microscopic plants composed of photosynthetic pigments. These
plants are able to sustain life by efficiently converting inorganic material into organic
material, which is done using energy from the sun. In this process, algae consume
carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
Algae are also essential in the treatment of wastewater using stabilization ponds.
Major problems caused by algae include strange odours and poor taste problems.
Keep in mind that certain species of algae can pose a serious public health risk. For
example, blue-green algae have the potential to kill cattle.

Nutrients
Nitrogen is a naturally occurring nutrient found in fresh and salt water. It is essential
for plant growth in aquatic ecosystems. Problems arise when large amounts of
nitrogen are introduced into river ecosystems. As a result, excessive algal growth
may occur, depleting the available oxygen in streams on which fish and other aquatic
life depend.

Viruses
Viruses are tiny biological structures that may be harmful to human health. Only a
powerful electron microscope can see viruses. All viruses need a parasite to survive.
Because viruses are small, they are able to pass through most filters. Certain
waterborne viruses can cause hepatitis and similar health problems. Despite the
difficulty of dealing with viruses, most water treatment facilities should be able to
eliminate them during the disinfection process.

DRINKING WATER QUALITY STANDARD

 WASTE WATER TREATMENT

Four common ways to treat wastewater include physical water

treatment, biological water treatment, chemical treatment, and
sludge treatment.

Physical Water Treatment

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

One of the main techniques of physical wastewater treatment includes

sedimentation, which is a process of suspending the insoluble/heavy particles from
the wastewater. Once the insoluble material settles down at the bottom, you can
separate the pure water.

Another effective physical water treatment technique includes aeration. This process
consists of circulating air through the water to provide oxygen to it. Filtration, the third
method, is used for filtering out all the contaminants. You can use special kind of
filters to pass the wastewater and separate the contaminants and insoluble particles
present in it. The sand filter is the most commonly used filter. The grease found on
the surface of some wastewater can also be removed easily through this method.

Biological Water Treatment

This uses various biological processes to break down the organic matter present in
wastewater, such as soap, human waste, oils and food. Microorganisms metabolize
organic matter in the wastewater in biological treatment. It can be divided into three
categories:
 Aerobic processes: Bacteria decomposes the organic matter and
converts it into carbon dioxide that can be used by plants. Oxygen is
used in this process.
 Anaerobic processes: Here, fermentation is used for fermenting the
waste at a specific temperature. Oxygen is not used in anaerobic
process.
 Composting: A type of aerobic process where wastewater is treated by
mixing it with sawdust or other carbon sources.
Secondary treatment removes most of the solids present in wastewater, however,
some dissolved nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous may remain.

Chemical Water Treatment

Chemical wastewater treatment standard processes typically include:
 precipitation of the metals
 coagulation and flocculation; after all the larger objects settle out, various
chemicals are added to a reaction tank to remove the bulk suspended solids
and other various contaminants. This process takes out all the finer particles
in the water by combining them into heavier particles that settle out. The
 most widely used coagulates are aluminum-based such as alum and
polyaluminum chloride. Sometimes a slight pH adjustment will help coagulate
the particles, as well.
 ion exchange, which is common for drinking water applications or any other
applications that require high-quality water (like recycling the water for use in
other processes or making steam)
 disinfection, where chemicals like chlorine remove any kind of bacteria that
may be in the wastewater that needs to be disinfected before it’s discharged

Sludge Treatment
This is a solid-liquid separation process where the least possible residual moisture is
required in the solid phase and the lowest possible solid particle residues are
required in the separated liquid phase.
An example of this includes dewatering of sludge from industrial wastewater or
sewage plant where the residual moisture in dewatered solids determines the
disposal costs and the centrate quality determines the pollution load returned back to
the treatment facility. You need to minimize both.
Domestic wastewater (DWW) is the wastewater derived from household activities
such as washing clothes and utensils; bathing; cleaning one’s hands, home and
vehicles; defecation; and micturition. The DWW can be subcategorized as yellow-
(containing urine), brown- (containing feces plus flushed water), black- (containing
urine, feces, bacterial activity) and greywater (containing water from the kitchen,
laundry, shower and handwashing).

FLOWSHEET DIAGRAM FOR WASTE WATER TREATMENT

Preliminary Treatment Plant

Preliminary or pre-treatment is performed to protect the WWT plant from
physical damage or clogging problems. All suspended solid garbage, fecal matter,
oil, grease and grit are removed from the wastewater flow. This includes the process
of coagulation and sedimentation. Sedimentation is carried out in large tanks called
clarifiers, and the process is also called the clarification process. Pre-treated water is
subjected to coagulation and flocculation for further removal of suspended materials
Primary Treatment Plant
After the removal of the heavy suspended materials from wastewater, primary
treatment processes are followed. Primary treatment includes coagulation,
flocculation and precipitation technique to remove suspended organic and inorganic
substances from the water.
Coagulation involves the addition of various aluminum or ferric compounds, such as
ferric chloride, aluminum sulphate and sodium aluminate, into the water as
coagulants.

Secondary Treatment
Colloidal solids and biodegradable waste material remaining in wastewater are
separated during this process. This process includes adsorption, biodegradation and
filtration.
Active carbon is used as an absorbent to remove excess pollutants which are polar.
Granular activated carbon and powdered activated carbon are two forms of the same
material and are mostly used to purify water effluents.
Activated carbon produced from different sources can efficiently remove Pb2+, Cr2+,
Co2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Cu2+ and Cr6+ from aqueous solutions. The adsorption technique is
used for all treatment purposes, from the treatment of home to industrial effluent to
the treatment of aquatic water. Rather than activated carbon, several other materials,
such as clay minerals, zeolites, agricultural waste, industrial by-products, biomass
and polymeric materials, which possess high adsorption capacity for the target
contaminants, can be used
Tertiary Treatment
The treated water is chemically treated at this stage. To kill disease-causing
organisms, the water is disinfected with chemicals such as chlorine or may be
exposed to ultraviolet rays. Ozone gas can also be used to treat it. After that, the
water is discharged into the distribution system.
Microbes in Sewage Treatment: Overview
What is sewage? Sewage refers to the municipal wastewater that is generated in
cities and towns on daily basis.

Researchers estimate the indicator species, such as coliform bacteria

or Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the sewage water. Although most of the coliform
bacterias do not cause diseases, these are commonly found in the human gut and
sewage. Their presence indicates that human waste has reached the water
supply.

Human excreta is the major component of it, along with large amounts of organic
matter and microbes, out of which many are pathogenic. So, it cannot be directly
discharged into natural water bodies like rivers, streams, etc. Hence, sewage has
to be treated in Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in order to make it less
polluting before disposal.

The treatment of wastewater is done by the heterotrophic microbes, naturally

present in the sewage.

Thus, Microbes Sewage treatment, also known as wastewater treatment, is the

removal of impurities from sewage before it enters natural water bodies.

What is Microbes Treatment Method?

Residential and industrial establishments generate sewage. It involves household

waste liquid from bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, sinks, etc., disposed of through
sewers. In certain regions, sewage also carries wet waste from industry and
commerce.

1. Greywater is water produced from domestic activities like laundry, dishwashing,

and bathing and can be reused more readily.
2. Blackwater comes from toilets and contains human waste. The parting and
draining of household waste into greywater and blackwater have become more
common in today’s world.

Since sewage contains toxic materials, microorganisms play an important role by

removing the toxic using sewage treatment.

Sewage treatment is performed in two stages:

1. Primary treatment
2. Secondary treatment
Primary Sewage Treatment: This process is also known as a physical process.
In primary treatment, sewage is collected in a basin where sludge can settle to the
base, whereas oil and lighter substances float on the top. Substances in these
layers are then removed, and the remaining liquid is sent to secondary treatment.
Sewage sludge is treated in a separate process called sludge digestion.
 Secondary Sewage Treatment: This process is also called the biological
process. In secondary treatment, dissolved and suspended biological matter are
removed, often with the help of microorganisms in a controlled environment.
1. Most secondary treatment systems use aerobic bacteria that consume the organic
components of the sewage. Some systems use fixed-film techniques, where the
bacteria grow on filters, and the water passes through them.
2. The sewage is often mixed with air to facilitate decomposition as oxygen is critical
for the growth of bacteria. This air helps in the growth of useful aerobic microbes
into flocs (masses of bacteria associated with fungal filament to form mesh-like
structures).
3. During their growth period, these microbes consume a major part of the organic
matter transforming it into microbial biomass, a lot of minerals are also released
during this. This significantly decreases the Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD). Hence, the sewage water is treated till the BOD is reduced.
4. When the BOD of effluent is reduced significantly, it is then passed into a settling
tank, where the bacterial ‘flocs’ are left to settle down as sediment. This sediment
is called activated sludge. A small part of the activated sludge is then pumped
back into the aeration tank to serve as the inoculum.
5. The remaining part of the sludge is pumped back into large tanks called anaerobic
sludge digesters. Here, other anaerobic bacteria like methanogens are also
present. Along with organic mass, these microbes also digest aerobic microbes
(bacteria and fungi) of the sludge.
6. A mixture of gases like methane (CH4), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon
dioxide (CO2) etc., are produced during this digestive process. These gases form
biogas that is used as an alternate source of energy.
7. The effluent from the secondary treatment plant is discharged into natural water
bodies like rivers and streams.

Which Microbes are used in Sewage Treatment?

There are various microorganisms used in sewage treatment, but among these
three types of bacteria play a key role in keeping sewage clean. Each of these
 bacteria contributes to the treatment process in a different way, ensuring minimal
influence on the environment.
1. Aerobic Bacteria: Aerobic bacteria are most commonly used in aerated
environments in modern treatment plants. These bacteria degrade the
contaminants in the wastewater using free oxygen in the water, then turn into the
energy that can be used to grow and reproduce. This helps the bacteria to
complete their tasks, continue to grow and reproduce.
2. Anaerobic Bacteria: Anaerobic microorganisms are commonly employed in
wastewater treatment. Primary function of these bacterias in sewage treatment is
to reduce sludge volume and create methane gas from it. This gas can be used as
an alternative energy source when properly cleaned and managed. This type of
bacterias can utilize enough oxygen from its food supply and does not require
additional supply of oxygen. Another advantage of anaerobic microorganisms in
sewage treatment is that they remove phosphorus from wastewater. Most common
anaerobic forms belong to
Actinomyces, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, Propionibacterium and Peptostreptoco
ccus genera.
3. Facultative Bacteria: In sewage treatment, facultative microorganisms are
bacteria that can switch between aerobic and anaerobic states depending on their
surroundings. These bacteria like to reside in an aerobic environment.