characteristics

OF SEWAGE
Prepared by: Raphael Nico S. Castaeda

CHARACTERISTICS
3 Main
OF SEWAGE
Characteristics of
Sewage:
Physical

Characteristics
Chemical
Characteristics
Biological
Characteristics

Physical Characteristics
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS solids that are present on the
wastewater that may be classified into three parts.

Total Solids (TS):

All the matter that remains as residue upon evaporation at 103C to
105C.

Settleable Solids

Solids that are measured as ml/L, which is an approximate measure of

the sludge that can be removed by primary sedimentation.

Suspended Solids (SS) and Filterable

Solids (FS)

Sand, silt, rock, pipe work debris, colloids, plant materials and other
water impurities.

Other Physical
Characteristics

Temperature: Commonly higher than that of water

supply. Depending on the geographic location the
mean annual temperature varies in the range of 10C
to 21C with an average of 16C.
Density: Almost the same as the density of water
when the wastewater doesnt include significant
amount of industrial waste.
Turbidity: the amount of suspended particles in a
sample which cause cloudiness or the measure of

 COLOR:

Other Physical
Characteristics

SEWAGE DURATION IN
PLACE

COLOR

Fresh Wastewater

Light Brownish Gray

With time

Dark Gray

More time

Black

Sometimes the color turns pink due to algae or other

industrial toxic contamination.

Chemical
Characteristics
CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS - are characteristics of sewage that
affects its chemical properties and composition.
Organic Matter: Chemical composition that are derived from animals,
plants and man activities.

ORGANIC MATTER
Protein
Carbohydrates
Fats, Oils, and
Grease

PERCENTAGE
COMPOSITION
40%-60 %
25%-50%
10%

Chemical
Characteristics
Measurement of Organic Matter: Many parameters have been
used to measure the concentration of organic matter in
wastewater. The following are the most common used methods:

Biochemical
oxygen
demand
(BOD)

Chemical
oxygen
demand (COD)

Chemical
Characteristics
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
The BOD of the sewage is the amount of oxygen required for
the biochemical decomposition of biodegradable organic
matter under aerobic conditions. The oxygen consumed in the
process is related to the amount of decomposable organic
matter. The general range of BOD observed for raw sewage is
100 to 400 mg/L.

Chemical oxygen demand (COD)

The COD gives the measure of the oxygen required for

chemical oxidation. It does not differentiate between biological
oxidisable and nonoxidisable material. However, the ratio of
the COD to BOD does not change significantly for particular
waste and hence this test could be used conveniently for
interpreting performance efficiencies of the treatment units. In
general, the COD of raw sewage at various places is reported

Chemical
Characteristics
Inorganic Matter: Chlorides, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulfur, Toxic
Inorganic compounds (copper, lead, silver, chromium, arsenic,
boron), and Heavy Metals (Nickel, Cadmium, Zinc, iron, mercury)
Gases: N2, O2, CO2, H2S, NH3, CH4 are the main gases that are in
concern with wastewater treatment.
pH (Power of Hydrogen): The hydrogen-ion concentration is an
important parameter in both natural waters and wastewaters. It is
a very important factor in the biological and chemical wastewater
treatment. Water and wastewater can be classified as neutral
(pH=7), alkaline (pH>7) or acidic (pH<7).

Biological
Characteristics

BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS microorganisms that are

present in the sewage that may have factors affecting water
treatment. The main groups of microorganisms are the following:
PROTOZ
OA

FUNGI

PATHOGENIC
MICROORGANI
SM

VIRUSE
S

ALGAE

BACTERI
A