A PRESENTATION

ON
SEWAGE
DISPOSAL
6.1 Necessity and objectives of wastewater
disposal

Definition:
Sewage: liquid waste from community
Removing act of sewage :: sewage
disposal

Necessity:
 Accumulation causes nuisance
 Selection of Pretreatment method
 Protection of groundwater

Objectives:
 To improve public health
 To use sewage in farm
 To protect aquatic life
6.2 Wastewater Disposal Method
Composition, Quality, Characteristic of Sewage

USewage Primary Treatment

Secondary Treatment
By Dilution

disposal
By Land
Treatment
6.3 Wastewater disposal by Dilution process
and essential conditions for dilution
Disposal into water bodies
 Purification of wastewater by self-purification of natural
water

Essential Conditions :
A . Sewage
 Fresh Sewage
 No floating & suspended solids
 No toxic substances
B. Water Bodies
 High DO content
 Not being used for water supply & navigation
 Volume of water >> Volume of sewage
 Thorough mixing capacity
6.4. Self Purification of rivers/streams
Despite discharge of sewage,
Balancing its (river) DO
content after few
days.
Organic Matter Oxygen bacterial or
other
Nitrates,
ecomposition
DStable
Byproduct Sulphate
Carbon
 Due to decomposition, Dioxide
reduction in DO content.
 Deficit DO is replenished by aeration.
6.5. Factors affecting self purification

1. Dilution
 Ratio of volume of water bodies to sewage
 Higher the Dilution ratio, not appreciably reduction
in DO
C=(Cs*Qs+Cr*Qr)/(Qs+Qr)
where,
C= resulting
concentration of mixture
Cs, Cr = concentration of organic content
BOD,suspended solids in sewage & river resp.
Qs, Qr =Discharges of sewage &
river
2. Current
# Disperse the wastewater
# High velocity of current – reduction in time of
recovery
But affected to long length of stream.

3.Sunlight
# Enhance aquatic plants to produce oxygen

4. Sedimentation
# Removal of suspended solids by settling
# Anaerobic decomposition due to settled solids
5. Temperature
# High temp. increases solubility of oxygen in water.
# High temp. causes less self-purification time.

6. Oxidation
# Capability of stream to absorb more oxygen

7. Reduction
# Hydrolysis of organic matter
6.6 Oxygen Sag Curve
Variation of oxygen
deficit with the distance
along the stream or time
of flow from the point of
application

Oxygen deficit, D =
Saturation
DO - Actual
DO
Normal saturation DO for
fig: OXYGEN SAG AND BOD freshwater :
REMOVAL IN STREAM 14.62 mg/l @ 0 degree
7.63 mg/l @ 20 degree
 Terminology:
-Initial oxygen deficit, D
0

-Critical deficit , Dc
-Re-oxygenation curve, III
-De-oxygenation curve, II
-Dissolved Oxygen
fig : DEOXYGENATION,
REOXYGENATION AND OXYGEN
SAG CURVES
6.7.Streeter-Phelps Equation
Mathematical expression for oxygen sag curve
 Concept of superposition of rate of deoxygenation &
reoxygenation
Some Formulas

Where,
Dt = DO deficit at any time t.
Lt = amount of first stage BOD remaining in the sample at
time t
K’ = BOD reaction constant (base e)
R’ = Re-Oxygenation constant (base e)
This eqn …(c) is Streeter-Phelps Equation.
Where,
Dt = DO deficit at any time t.
L0 = Ultimate BOD
K= BOD reaction constant
R = Re-Oxygenation constant
D0=Initial Do deficit @ t=0
Fig : Characteristic Oxygen Sag Curve Obtained Using
Streeter- Phelps Equation

Where,
Dc= Critical DO deficit
Tc= Time required to reach critical point
Xc= Tc * velocity of stream’v’
Put Fs = R/K (or R’/K’),
Fs is self- purification constant
Introducing ‘Fs’ in eqn (d), (e), we have

Eqn (f) is simplification of eqns (d1) & (e1).

6.9 Disposal by land treatment

 It is wastewater spread on the surface of land.

Mechanism:
Some part of the wastewater evaporates;other part
percolates in the ground leaving behind suspended solids
which are partly acted upon by the bacteria and partly
oxidised by exposure to atmospheric actions of air, heat &
light.
6.9.1 Suitability of land Treatment

Alternative to river
• Not located in the vicinity
• Very small flow

Land
• Percolating land eg. Sandy , Loamy, or
alluvial soil

Climate
• Arid climate
• Low watertable
• Demand for irrigation water
6.9.4 Methods of application of sewage on Land

A. Surface Irrigation
a. Flooding Method
b. Ridge & Furrow Method
B. Subsurface irrigation
C. Spray Irrigation
In this method, land is divided into rectangular plots and
sewage is flooded over these plots at depth of 30 to 60 cm.
The under drains are provided to remove the percolated
effluent through soil.

A.a Flooding Method

 Furrows are the ditches of depth 30 to 50 cm and width of
120 to 150 cm.
 Ridges have length 15 to 30m and width 120 to 250 cm.
 Furrows are filled up to 2/3 depth and on ridge crops are
grown.

A.b. Ridge & Furrow method

 Sewage is applied directly to root zone of the plants through
perforated pipe or pipe with open joints.
 Pipe network laid about 30 cm below the ground level.
The sewage rises up due to capillary action and utilized by
plant.

B. Subsurface Irrigation

Effluent sewage is spread over the land through
nozzle of pipe under pressure.
 If sufficient head available and wastewater have no
any solid matters the only it can be sprayed under
pressure through pipe fitted at tips of pipes.

C. Spray Irrigation
6.9.5 Sewage Sickness & its Prevention
 The phenomenon of inability to take any further load of
sewage by the land.
 The pores of soil gets clogged, preventing
oxidation and causing noxious smells.

Its Prevention
• Pretreatment of Sewage
• Provision of extra land
• Under Drainage of soil
• Proper choice of land
• Rotation of crops
• Shallow depth application