Sewage Treatment

Purpose of sewage treatment

Protect public health Protect the environment Convert waste water into stable end-products Dispose of end-products in a safe manner Recover & recycle materials if possible Provide a service which is reliable & regular Operate without nuisance or offence Provide an economic system Comply with appropriate standards & legislation

Sewage treatment processes

Techniques & processes for sewage treatment can be grouped in terms of their operating principles under the following types: Physical processes Chemical processes Biological processes

Sewage treatment processes

Physical processes- eg. Screening, sedimentation, flotations, filtration, centrifugation, reverse osmosis, micro filtration Chemical processes- eg. Neutralisation, precipitation, oxidation-reduction, ion-exchange Biological processes- eg. Biological filtration, activated sludge, stabilisation ponds, anaerobic digestion

Sewage treatment plants (STP)

Large scale sewage treatment Involve a combination of units that are installed to carry out particular treatment processes The exact combination of treatment plant units depend upon the nature of the input & the objectives for quality of the water system that is receiving the effluent from the treatment plant

Sewage treatment plants: stages

Preliminary treatment Primary treatment Secondary treatment Tertiary treatment

STP: Preliminary Treatment

Needed to remove large solids & grit which may cause blockages & damage to other parts of the treatment plant Commonly uses screens made of steel bars about 25mm apart to remove solids such as rags, paper, wood & plastic Finer screens of stainless steel wire mesh are used when needed

STP: Preliminary Treatment

To remove grit such as sand, gravel & small fragments of glass & metal, a process of rapid sedimentation is used It allows the smaller solids to remain suspended & pass to the next stage This next stage is carried out by equipment such as vortex separators which uses centrifugal force to throw the grit to the sides of a circular chamber Other forms of treatment may remove oil & grease if they are present in large quantities Outputs from some industries require pre-treatment before they enter a treatment system

STP: Primary treatment

Uses sedimentation tanks in which the waste water is moved at a velocity which allows the fine solids to fall out of suspension by gravity these solids form a removable sludge at the base of the tank Also allow floatable materials such as oil & grease to form a scum on the surface Scrapper blades or skimming devices move across the surface of the tank & separate the scum

STP: Primary treatment

Can reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) measurement by up to 40% & reduce the suspended solids by up to 70% The output contains only dissolved material & fine suspended material

STP: Secondary treatment

The aim is expose the settled waste to biochemical reactions under aerobic conditions The purified waste water is then separated by secondary settlement tanks a variety of plants can be used for the process

STP: Secondary treatment

Two common choices: Biological filtration- the waste water is trickled through a bed of inert material on which a biomass of micro-organisms develops. Aeration occurs naturally Activated sludge- the sewage is aerated in tanks by mechanical agitators which keep oxygen levels high. New biomass or sludge develops & some of it is returned to the aeration tank to seed or activate the raw sewage

Biological filter bed

Final settling tanks

STP: Secondary treatment

In both cases the aerobic bacteria are able to grow & purify the sewage 2ndary sedimentation tanks separate the biomass or humus from the effluent, in which BOD reading is usually less than 20mg/l

STP: Tertiary treatment

Used, if the quality of effluent is not good enough to meet requirements or standards (eg. The level of suspended solids in the effluent may be too high) Methods:

Settlement in lagoons Irrigation onto land Filtration through beds of sand or gravel, fine metal filters

Effluents may also be disinfected if there is a danger of pathogens affecting nearby activities such as bathing Techniques used are the same as for the treatment of water supplies ie

Sludge treatment

Sludge treatment
Output of sewage treatment: After treatment to suitable stds, the effluent can be safely returned to surface water system (rivers etc) Sludge however has to be further treated and then transported for disposal Sludge treatment can represent 50% of the capital & operating costs for sewage treatment
Liquid effluent Sludge solids

Sludge treatment
Sludge from primary & 2ndary treatment has typically 90% water content and needs treatment to reduce this The exact methods depends on the nature of the sludge and the proposed disposal method Common processes used:
Thickening Stabilisation dewatering

Sludge treatment
Thickening-process of reducing volume of sludge, often by gravity settlement. As the sludge concentration increases, the volume typically decreases by 3-5 times Stabilisation- a process which prevents anaerobic breakdown of the sludge & subsequent offensive odours. (Anaerobic digestion- method which utilises the organic matter in the sludge). Chemical stabilisation is an alternative method involving the addition of lime (calcium hydroxide) to the sludge, creating an alkaline environment unsuitable for micro-organisms. Dewatering- process of reducing water content of sludge by physical methods incl. drying, filtration, squeezing, centrifugal action & natural compaction

Sludge Disposal
Increasing volume becomes a technical & environmental challenge. Options for disposal are:
Landfill Land disposal Sea disposal incineration

Sludge Disposal
Landfill Disposal directly to landfill sites has been a common practice, with undesirable characteristics:
Contamination of waters by leaching fr the landfill Risk to public health by pathogen transfer Increased methane production during decomposition Environmental pollution by odour, flies & transport

Land disposal applied to farmland as a soil conditioner & fertilizer. The value of the sludge depends on the treatment it receives, but it is rich in organic matter & nutrients such as nitrogen & phosporus. The sludge may need to be balanced with other nutrients & cannot be spread onto farmland all year long

Sludge treatment & disposal

Sludge treatment & disposal

Sludge Disposal
Sea disposal In the past, it was convenient for some communities near the sea to dispose of sewage sludge by loading it onto special boats & discharging it out at sea EC do not permit this method Incineration Sludge contains considerable quantities of combustible materials & once dried, can be burnt During incineration, the organic & volatile components (incl toxic compounds) are destroyed The inert ash that remains is a hazardous waste that still needs to be disposed of via a controlled waste management site Incinerators have a high capital cost but are increasingly being used by large cities There are opportunities to mix sludge with refuse material , burn it and use it as a source of energy

Options for sewage treatment

Other alternatives for sewage treatment Share the same physical, chemical & biological processes but may be more appropriate for the following situations:

Single buildings Isolated groups of buildings Buildings & communities which lack the resources for bldg or maintaining treatment plants Communities who wish to use more natural methods of sewage treatment Communities who have enough unused land to put aside for alternative treatments Initial treatments of strong industrial waste water Tertiary treatment of effluent from some treatment plants

Cesspool
Is a watertight underground container used for the storage of household sewage No treatment of sewage occurs & the tank must be periodically emptied & the sewage taken away for treatment Constructed in variety of ways incldg in situ concrete, prefabricated plastic & fibreglass set into concrete

Cesspool
Usually used for single dwellings or small groups of houses & require no resources or monitoring apart from emptying However, running cost of emptying the tank is high & large underground tanks can be expensive to construct or install

SepticTank
Is a small scale sewage treatment plant in the form of an underground tank in which treatment takes place & from which there is continuous discharge of liquid The tank contains separate zones which allow solids to settle & form a sludge layer where anaerobic processes decompose the sewage Lighter materials may form a scum layer which helps prevent oxygen transfer & provides useful thermal insulation

Septic Tank
The tank acts as a primary treatment & the effluent fr the tank needs further treatment such as 2ndary filter or percolation into the soil via a system of percolated drainage pipes Usually rectangular in shape, if constructed on site or may be supplied as rounded prefabricated tanks in plastic or glass-reinforced plastic Usually require no particular maintenance apart fr removal of sludge

Septic Tank

Septic Tank
After desludging, a small percentage of sludge is kept in the tank to seed the new sludge & the tank is filled with water Commonly used for isolated single dwellings but can also be used for small rural communities such as a village A reed bed might be used following a bank of septic tanks arranged so they can be maintained without interrupting operation

To Subsoil drainage pipes or biological filter

Stabilisation ponds
Stabilisation ponds or lagoons is any enclosed body of water where organic waste is allowed to oxidise by natural activity Ponds can simply be contained by earth embankments & used in combination if necessary Easiest to operate where there is plenty of sunshine & land available

Stabilisation ponds
Simple to maintain & very effective at removing dangerous pathogens Have been used since early times, are the most common form of treatment in developing countries & are of increased interest to all communities The operation of the ponds can be grouped according to their method of operation

Stabilisation ponds
Methods of operation: Anaerobic ponds Oxidation ponds Aeration ponds

Stabilisation ponds
Anaerobic ponds-formation of sludge & a top crust creates good anaerobic conditions. Particularly suitable for stronger thicker wastes Oxidation ponds-an aerobic system where the oxygen is taken from the atmosphere & also supplied by the activity of algae in the ponds. The ponds are kept shallow (1-2m) to allow maximum penetration of sunlight Aeration ponds- ponds in which the oxygen is supplied by aerators & not by action of algae

Wetlands & reedbeds

Uses the natural processes associated with the growth of aquatic plants (submerged algae, floating plants eg hyacinth & emergent plants eg reeds) The development of micro-organisms around the plant & their root systems allows both aerobic & anaerobic bacteria to develop & digest the sewage product These plants can be encouraged to form in artificial wetlands or reed beds & these can be used for 2ndary or tertiary treatment of sewage, treatment of storm water & stabilisation of sludge

Wetlands & reedbeds

The plants are grown in beds of soil or gravel which are retained by an impervious lining The by-products of the biological treatment processes are taken up by the plants & removed when the plants are harvested Metals, if present get removed into the mud at the bottom of the bed the beds do not need daily attention but the water levels, plant growth & harvesting need to be managed They are being used to treat industrial waste & are also well-suited for the treatment of domestic sewage from small isolated developments

Wetlands & reedbeds

How lucky we r

London nightmen: Cesspool sewerman