WASTE WATER, TREATMENTS AND DISPOSAL

Ar.Saniya Aafreen
Measi Academy of Architecture
WASTEWATER – DEFINITION

• water originated from a combination of domestic, industrial, commercial or

agricultural activities, surface runoff or storm water, and from sewer inflow or

infiltration.

• In simple words , Spent or used water with dissolved or suspended solids, discharged

from homes, commercial establishments, farms, and industries

WASTEWATER ENGINEERING

• Wastewater engineering is that branch of environmental engineering in which the

basic principles of science and engineering are applied to solving the issues

associated with the treatment and reuse of wastewater.

• The ultimate goal of wastewater engineering is the protection of public health in a

manner commensurate with environmental, economic, social, and political

concerns.
WHY TREAT WASTE WATER ?
SOURCES OF WASTEWATER

DOMESTIC AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIAL

IMPORTANT CONTAMINANTS IN WASTE WATER
BIODEGRADABLE ORGANICS - Deplete natural oxygen resources
proteins, carbohydrates and fats &measured in terms
and cause septic conditions to
of BOD and COD aquatic species
IMPORTANT CONTAMINANTS IN WASTE WATER

PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS - cause infectious diseases.

SUSPENDED SOLIDS - Lead to sludge deposits and

anaerobic conditions

DISSOLVED INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS highly

- addedtoxic,
to carcinogenic,
domestic watermutagenic or
supplies, and
teratogenic.
may have to be removed for waste-
calcium, sodium and sulphate
water reuse.
- added by commercial and industrial
HEAVY METALS
activities must be removed for reuse of
the waste-water.
POLLUTANTS - highly toxic, carcinogenic,
organic and inorganic compounds mutagenic or teratogenic.

REFRACTORY ORGANICS - resist conventional waste-water

surfactants, phenols and agricultural pesticides treatment
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – PRIMARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – IN DETAIL
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – PRIMARY
WASTE WATER TREATMENT
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – primary treatment - screening

• one of the oldest treatment methods

• removes gross pollutants from the waste

stream

• Why screening is done ?

- protect downstream equipment from

damage,

- avoid interference with plant operations

- prevent objectionable floating material

from entering the primary settling tanks

WASTE WATER TREATMENT – primary treatment – screening devices

• Screening devices consist of parallel bars,

rods or wires, grating, wire mesh, or
perforated plates, to intercept large floating
or suspended material

• openings may be of any shape-generally

circular or rectangular.

• The material retained from the manual or

mechanical cleaning of bar racks and
screens is referred to as “screenings”,

• either disposed of by burial or incineration, or

returned into the waste flow after grinding
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – primary treatment – screening devices
WASTE WATER TREATMENT –– screening devices- coarse screens – mechanical
WASTE WATER TREATMENT –– screening devices- coarse screens – manual
• Bar screens consist of vertical or
inclined steel bars distributed equally
across a channel through which
waste-water flows

• used ahead of mechanical

equipment including raw sewage
pumps, grit chambers, and primary
sedimentation tanks.

• Trash racks, are constructed of

parallel rectangular or round steel
bars with clear openings

• usually followed by regular bar

screens or comminutors
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - coarse screens – mechanical
Chain driven screen

Reciprocating rake screen

The reciprocating rake bar screen is equipped with a
function that instructs the rake to ride over any
barriers in its path while cleaning the bar screen
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - coarse screens – mechanical

Catenary Bar Screen

http://www.fairfieldservice.com/catenary.aspx
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - coarse screens – mechanical
Continuous belt bar screen
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - fine screens – mechanical
• Fine screens consist of various types of
screen media, including slotted
step screen
perforated plates, wire mesh, woven wire
cloth and wedge-shaped wire.

• fine screens must be cleaned

continuously by means of brushes,
scrapers, or jets of water, steam, or air
forced through the reverse side of the
openings

• efficiency of a fine screen depends on

the fineness of the openings as well as
the sewage flow velocity through those
openings.
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - fine screens – mechanical

Drum screen

Static wedge wire

WASTE WATER TREATMENT - COMMINUTION
• to pulverize large floating material in the waste flow

• installed where the handling of screenings would be impractical

• between the grit chamber and the primary settling tanks

• reduces odours, flies and unsightliness.

• A comminutor may have either rotating

or oscillating cutters

• Rotating-cutter comminutors either

engage a separate stationary screen
alongside the cutters, or a combined
screen and cutter rotating together.

• A different type of comminutor, known as

a barminutor, involves a combination of a
bar screen and rotating cutters.
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - FLOW EQUALIZATION

• technique used to improve the

effectiveness of secondary and
advanced wastewater treatment
processes

• by levelling out operation parameters

such as flow, pollutant levels and
temperature over a period of time

• Variations are damped until a near-

constant flow rate is achieved, minimizing
the downstream effects of these
parameters.

• may be applied at a number of locations

within a waste-water treatment plant
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - FLOW EQUALIZATION
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – grit chambers
• Also known as grit channels or grit basins
• Sewage contains – organics or inorganic
• To remove sand, grit and inorganic
matter
• Velocity of flow is decreased
• Heavier particles settle down and lighter
particles carried forward for further
treatment
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – detritus tank
• Purpose similar to grit chambers
• Heavier particles settle down
(organic) and lighter particles
carried forward for further
treatment (inorganic)
• finer particles are removed than
those by a grit chamber
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – skimming tanks

• Removes floating substances – grease, soap etc.

• More in industrial waste, restaurant kitchens

WASTE WATER TREATMENT - SEDIMENTATION

• fundamental and widely used unit

operation in waste-water treatment

• involves the gravitational settling of

heavy particles suspended in a mixture.

• used for the removal of grit, particulate

matter in the primary settling basin,
biological floc in the activated sludge
settling basin, and chemical flow when
the chemical coagulation process is
used.
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - SEDIMENTATION
• Sedimentation takes place in a settling tank, also referred to as a
clarifier.

• three main designs,

- horizontal flow, - circular, square, rectangular
- solids contact
- and inclined surface. – hopper bottom tank

• In designing a sedimentation basin, the system must produce

both a clarified effluent and a concentrated sludge.

• Four types of settling occur, depending on particle

concentration:
- discrete,
- flocculent,
- hindered and
- compression.
WASTE WATER TREATMENT - SEDIMENTATION
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – SEDIMENTATION – horizontal flow

• may be rectangular, square or circular in shape

• flow
-in rectangular basins - rectilinear and parallel to the long axis of the
basin
- in centre-feed circular basins, the water flows radially from the centre
towards the outer edges
• Both types of basins are designed to keep the velocity and flow
distributions as uniform
• to prevent currents and eddies from forming, and thereby keep the
suspended material from settling
• made of steel or reinforced concrete
• The bottom surface slopes slightly to facilitate sludge removal
• In rectangular tanks, the slope is towards the inlet end, while in
circular and square tanks, the bottom is conical and slopes towards
the centre of the basin.
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – SEDIMENTATION – solid contact clarifiers

• Solid contact clarifiers bring incoming solids into contact with a suspended layer of

sludge near the bottom that acts as a blanket.

• The incoming solids agglomerate and remain enmeshed within the sludge blanket,

• the liquid is able to rise upwards while the solids are retained below.
WASTE WATER TREATMENT – SEDIMENTATION – Inclined surface basins

• Inclined surface basins, also known as

high-rate settlers,

• use inclined trays to divide the depth

into shallower sections, thus reducing
particle settling times.

• provide a larger surface area, so that a

smaller-sized clarifier can be used.

• Many overloaded horizontal flow

clarifiers have been upgraded to
inclined surface basins.

• Here, the flow is laminar, and there is no

wind effect
Secondary treatment

The main function of the secondary treatment of

sewage is to convert the remaining organic
matter into stable form by oxidation or nitrification.

Broadly classified into two categories

• Filtration

• Activated sludge process.

Filtration

• Contact beds
• Intermittent sand filter
• Trickling filters
• Miscellaneous Filter

Contact beds
• A contact bed is a water tight tank, filled with gravel, ballast or broken stone as filtering
media.
• dug below ground level and are provided with concrete lining.
• Dosing tank receives sewage from the setting tank.
• Sewage after passing through the filtering media is collected and conveyed through
the under drainage system to the effluent pipe.
Trickling filters
• These are also known as percolating filters or
sprinkling filter.
• Sewage is allowed to sprinkle or trickle over a bed of
coarse, rough hard material and it is then collected
through the underground system.
• Oxidation of the organic matter is carried out under
aerobic condition.
• Trickling filter may be circular or rectangular in shape
10 to 15 cm thick RCC floor slopes towards the central
drain or towards the periphery of filter as per design of
underdrainage system.
• A bacterial film known as biofilm is formed around the
particles of filtering media and for the existence of this
film.
• Oxygen is supplied by the intermittent working of the
filter and by the provision of suitable ventilation
facilities in the body of filter.
Intermittent sand filters
• Sewage effluent is applied to filtering sand bed
• Applied at regular intervals
• 2 actions – mechanical straining action
- bacterial action taking place in voids of sand particles

Bacteriological treatment
Activated sludge process
Activated Sludge process

• Setting sewage is presence of abundant oxygen.

• Activated sludge is mixed with raw or partially treated sewage.

• Organic solids present in sewage are rapidly oxidized and suspended and

colloidal matters coagulate and they form a readily settable precipitate

• After such precipitate settles down, the effluent which is obtained is clear

and sparkling.

• The effluent contains very low amount of organic matter.

• A portion of settled sludge is send for recirculation and the remaining part is

sent to sludge digestion tanks.

• The digested sludge is harmless.

TRAPS

• A trap is a fitting in a drainage system

• To prevent foul air or gases from sewer or drain

• Deeper the seal the efficient the trap – 40mm – 75mm

TYPES OF TRAPS
• Floor trap
• Gulley trap
• Intercepting trap
• Grease and oil trap
• Silt trap
Floor trap Multi Floor trap
• To collect wastewater from kitchen sinks ,
bathroom floors, washing floors. etc
• Starting point to waste flow
• Cast iron or pvc
• Depth is 40mm

Multi Floor trap

• To collect wastewater from many sanitary
fittings
Gully trap
• External surface of wall
• Disconnects waste water from kitchen
• It is a deep seal trap- barrier for preventing foul smell
from drain to inside
• Cast iron or glazed stoneware
• Grating – to retain solid matter
• Fitted in small masonry hole
• Max dist between gulley trap and first manhole is 6m

Intercepting trap
• Provided in the last manhole
• At the junc. Of house drain and public sewer
• Prevents entry of foul
• Glazed stoneware with inspection arm
• Closed with lid
• Deeper seal – 100mm
Grease and oil trap
• Chamber in sewer line to exclude grease and oil
• Floating principle – grease and oil are light in weight,
float above
• Inlet at bottom , out let at top
• Located near sources contributing grease and oil –
automobile repair works, industries , garages etc.
• If not removed sticks to the sides of sewer and reduce
capacity

Silt trap
• Situated at sources that carry silt , sand,
coarse particles etc.
• Silt being heavier settle down
• Has a masonry chamber with inlet and
outlets higher level
Septic tanks
• Adopted in cases of treatment and disposal of domestic sewage
• To avoid nuisance to public health
• Location of septic tank – 1. away from the building leeward side
- 2. to be avoided in swampy areas / areas prone to flooding

Septic tanks – design criteria

• Is influenced by –
1. Amount of sewage to be handled
2. Character of the soil and its relative absorption

Septic tanks – working

• Combined sedimentation and digestion tank
• Sewage held for a period of time – suspended heavy particles settle at bottom, main
liquid or effluent in the middle and scum in the upper layer to allow anaerobic action
and keep out air.
• Results in reduction of volume and foul gas . Still contain hazardous contents and taken
to soak pit
Siphon tanks
• Effluent disposal system of sand filter type is used or designed for larger quantities like
1000 gal then septic tank is equipped with siphon tanks
• Not needed for small installations using leaching cesspool and subsoil disposal bed
• Siphon tank collects overflow from septic tank
• Discharges it periodically into effluent sewer and disposal system
• Permits disposal unit to absorb the effluent intermittently and prevent saturation of
disposal beds

Soak pits
• Hollow, circular or rectangular pit
• Used where water table is low and ground
is limited
• Disposed into porous layer above
impervious layer , so that it seeps vertically
and not spread vertically
• horizontal dimension and depth – 1m
• Top to be covered and raised from the
adjacent ground level
Septic tanks – disposal
• Effluent is disposed either directly or through siphon tank in to the sewer and then to

disposal system

• 3 types of disposal systems –

}
1. Leaching cesspool Choice by
government
2. Subsoil drainage based on soil
conditions
and
3. Sand filter
topography

Septic tanks – leaching cesspool

• Receive effluents from septic tank or
siphon tank
• Walls laid below inlet
• Have open seepage joints
• Effluent passes trough this to the
surrounding layer of broken stone and into
the earth
• Bottom of the pool , is a porous surface
Septic tanks – subsoil disposal beds
• Consists of series of drain lines with tight joints and slopes very steep
• Lines continue with open joints where effluent flows through into the surrounding soil
Septic tanks – sand filters
• 2 types of sand filters - Closed and open

Closed
• Carries both distribution and collection ,
underground in the filter bed
• Upper layers covered with earth
• Closed filters – rectangular or round
patterns
• Base on capacity permits may be long

Open
• Exposes effluent
• Filter bed free of covering over sand
• Adopted where needs to be located
away from the building
• Closed joint drainage lines above surface
of bed
Septic tanks – imhoff tanks
• Sludge digestion
tank – german
scienist - karl imhoff
• Have two storeys –
also called two
storey digestion tank

Imhoff tanks - parts

• Sedimentation chamber

• Slot

• Digestion chamber

• Neutral zone

• Gas vent

• Sludge removal pipe

• roofs
IMHOFF TANKS -WORKING
Sedimentation chamber
• Upper compartment
• Sewage flows with low velocity in this chamber
• Dimensions of chamber based on velocity
• Suitable inlet and outlet devices
Slot
• Opening at the bottom of the sedimentation tank
• Solids that settle pass through the slot into the digestion chamber
• Minimum width of slot 150 mm
Digestion chamber
• Lower compartment
• Digests solids obtained from sedimentation tank
• Bottom is either in the form of hoppers or inverted cones slope is 1:1 – 1;2
Neutral zone
• Portion between bottom of sedimentation tank and top of digestion tank where slot is
present
• Depth – 450mm – 500mm
Gas vent
• Portion above neutral zone
• Lets out foul smell and gases
• Also known as scum chamber
• Can collect methane gas thus produced
Sludge removal pipe
• Digested sludge is removed
• By hydrostatic pumping
• Diameter of pipe – 150-200mm
• After which is disposed off
Roofs
• Not provided generally
• To avoid bad / foul smell due to weather conditions may be added.

Frequent cleaning is necessary

MANHOLE
• Construction made to connect ground level with a hole or opening in a sewer line to
carry out maintenance operations
Objectives
• Permit inspection, cleaning and maintenance
• Allows joining of sewer lines and changing direction or alignment
• Perforated manholes – escape undesirable gases
• Laying of sewer lines in convenient length

Location
• Every bend, junction of gradient and diameter

Classification of Manholes
• Shallow – 750mm- 900mm
• Places not with heavy traffic
• Also known as inspection chamber
• Light cover on top
• Normal or medium – 1500mm
• Rectangular or square in shape
• Heavy cover on top

• Deep – more than 1500mm

• Size in upper portion is reduced
• Heavy cover
• Brick arch or cement concrete
construction
Parts / components of Manholes
Access shaft
• Upper portion of deep manhole
• Minimum size – 750mm x 600mm
• Circular manhole – 600m – 750mm
• Can be expanded to size of working
chamber by arching or corbelling or
r.cc
Bottom or invert
• Bottom of manhole
• Cement concrete or brick paving
• Semi circular or u shaped main channel
• Sides are made to slope towards it
Cover with frame
• Provided with cover and frame at its top – cast iron
• Depth of frame – 200mm – 250mm
• Base -100mm
• Weight of cover – 90-270kg
• Shape – rectangular or circular
Steps / ladder
• Entry and exit made easy
• Steps firmly embedded in wall
• Horizontal centre to centre – 200mm
• Vertical centre to centre – 300mm
• Should start 400mm above ground
• Upto 300mm above bottom level
Walls
Stone work or cement concrete
Thickness – 200 mm min
Working chamber

Lower portion
Working space to clean
Min size – 900 x 1200 mm
Circular – 1200mm dia
Sanitary fittings

• Fittings that collect and discharge soil and waste water

• Different materials , ceramics, glazed earthen ware ,

glazed fire clay etc

• Types –

1. Wash basins

2. Bath tubs

3. Sinks

4. Urinals

5. Water closets

6. Flushing cisterns
Wash basins

• Washing hands, face etc.

• Various patterns and sizes

• Oval shape with overflow slot is used at houses

• Normally mounted on angle irons

• 2 taps – hot and cold

• Drainage hole is provided with a metal strainer

• Waste pipe is either direct or through bottle trap

• Wash basins is placed at a height of 75cm – 80 cm