INTRODUCTION: Wastewater treatment is closely related to the standards and/or expectations set for the effluent quality.

Wastewater treatment processes are designed to achieve improvements in the quality of the wastewater. The various treatment processes may reduce: 1. Suspended solids (physical particles that can clog rivers or channels as they settle under gravity) 2. Biodegradable organics (e.g. BOD) which can serve as food for microorganisms in the receiving body. Microorganisms combine this matter with oxygen from the water to yield the energy they need to thrive and multiply; unfortunately, this oxygen is also needed by fish and other organisms in the river. Heavy organic pollution can lead to dead zones where no fish can be found; sudden releases of heavy organic loads can lead to dramatic Fishkills. 3. Pathogenic bacteria and other disease causing organisms These are most relevant where the receiving water is used for drinking, or where people would otherwise be in close contact with it; and 4. Nutrients, including nitrates and phosphates. These nutrients can lead to high concentrations of unwanted algae, which can themselves

become heavy loads of biodegradable organic load Treatment processes may also neutralize or removing industrial wastes and toxic chemicals. This type of treatment should ideally take place at the industrial plant itself, before discharge of their effluent in municipal sewers or water courses.

BACKGROUND This manual, updated from the 4th edition, continues its goal to be one of the principal references of contemporary practice for the design of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The manual was written for design professionals familiar with wastewater treatment concepts, the design process, and the regulatory basis of water pollution control. It is not intended to be a primer for the inexperienced or the generalist. The term municipal wastewater is intended to refer to those wastes treated by publicly owned WWTPs, as opposed to sanitary wastes, which refers primarily to toilet wastes, and domestic wastewater, which largely encompasses household wastes without a commercial or institutional component. In addition to commercial and institutional wastes, municipal wastewater often contains significant flows from manufacturing and other industrial sources. In this manual, industrial and institutional wastes are discussed only to the extent that the

DEFINING OVERALL OBJECTIVES At the onset of design, there are universal goals common to all wastewater treatment facilities and individual goals that are communityand site- specific. The overarching goal is the need to protect human health and the environment. This concept falls under an umbrella of factors typically known as protection of beneficial uses and includes other factors, such as protection of recreational uses, wildlife and aquatic life, domestic and industrial water supplies, and navigation and transportation. Wastewater treatment facilities represent a significant investment by the community, and detailed planning is needed in advance of the design effort. This planning is often completed through the development of a facility plan to forecast influent flows, loads, and community growth and to incorporate current and upcoming regulatory requirements. In the United States, regulatory requirements are established in accordance with

SITE-SELECTION PROCESS There is no specific formula for sitting a WWTP. Although general guidelines may apply to many projects, it is important to develop a specific method for a specific project. To fit the process to the project, the project manager and owner must first gain a clear understanding of some basic siting variables and their influence on siting. From this exercise, the manager or owner will gain a general feeling for the complexity of the siting effort, which is key to establishing a siting process that suits the project. The project manager should first make a list of the variables that may influence the siting effort, noting which are within his/her control and the relative level of importance that each is likely to play in the project. These variables should include, at a minimum, the following: Project size/technical complexity, Level of real or perceived environmental impact, Political

WATER TREATMENT PROCESS

Follow a drop of water from the source through the treatment process. Water may be treated differently in different communities depending on the quality of the water which enters the plant. Groundwater is water located under ground and typically requires less treatment than water from lakes, rivers, and streams.Stop at each treatment point to show where the water is along the treatment path. You may click on each treatment point on the image for a little information about that treatment point.

Wastewater Treatment Methods & Disposal Satisfactory disposal of wastewater, whether by surface, subsurface methods or dilution, is dependent on its treatment prior to disposal. Adequate treatment is necessary to prevent contamination of receiving waters to a degree which might interfere with their best or intended use, whether it be for water supply, recreation, or any other required purpose.

Wastewater treatment consists of applying known technology to improve or upgrade the quality of a wastewater. Usually wastewater treatment will involve collecting the wastewater in a central, segregated location (the Wastewater Treatment Plant) and subjecting the wastewater to various treatment processes. Most often, since large volumes of wastewater are involved, treatment processes are carried out on continuously flowing wastewaters (continuous flow or "open" systems) rather than as "batch" or a series of periodic treatment processes in which treatment is carried out on parcels or "batches" of wastewaters. While most wastewater treatment processes are continuous flow, certain operations, such as vacuum filtration, involving as it does, storage of sludge, the addition of chemicals, filtration and removal or disposal of the treated sludge, are routinely handled as periodic batch operations. Wastewater treatment, however, can also be organized or categorized by the nature of the treatment process operation being used; for example, physical, chemical or biological. Examples of these treatment steps are shown below. A complete treatment system may consist of the application of a number of physical, chemical and biological processes to the wastewater.

SOME

PHYSICAL,

CHEMICAL

AND

BIOLOGICAL

WASTEWATER TREATMENT METHODS Physical Sedimentation (Clarification) Screening Aeration Filtration Flotation and Skimming Degasification Equalization Chemical Chlorination Coronation Neutralization Coagulation Adsorption Ion Exchange Biological
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Aerobic Activated Sludge Treatment Methods Trickling Filtration Oxidation Ponds Lagoons Aerobic Digestion Anaerobic Anaerobic Digestion Septic Tanks Lagoons Physical methods Include processes where no gross chemical or biological changes are carried out and strictly physical phenomena are used to improve or treat the wastewater. Examples would be coarse screening to remove larger entrained objects and sedimentation (or clarification). In the process of sedimentation, physical phenomena relating to the settling of solids by gravity are allowed to operate. Usually this consists of simply holding a wastewater for a short

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period of time in a tank under quiescent conditions, allowing the heavier solids to settle, and removing the "clarified" effluent. Sedimentation for solids separation is a very common process operation and is routinely employed at the beginning and end of wastewater treatment operations. While sedimentation is one of the most common physical treatment processes that is used to achieve treatment, another physical treatment process consists of aeration -- that is, physically adding air, usually to provide oxygen to the wastewater. Still other physical phenomena used in treatment consist of filtration. Here wastewater is passed through a filter medium to separate solids. An example would be the use of sand filters to further remove entrained solids from a treated wastewater. Certain

phenomena will occur during the sedimentation process and can be advantageously used to further improve water quality. Permitting greases or oils, for example, to float to the surface and skimming or physically removing them from the wastewaters is often carried out as part of the overall treatment process. In certain industrial wastewater treatment processes strong or undesirable wastes are sometimes produced over short periods of time. Since such "slugs" or periodic inputs of such wastes would damage a biological treatment process, these wastes are sometimes held, mixed with other
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wastewaters, and gradually released, thus eliminating "shocks" to the treatment plant. This is call equalization. Another type of "equalization" can be used to even out wide variations in flow rates. For example, the wet well of a pump station can receive widely varying amounts of wastewater and, in turn, pump the wastes onward at more uniform rates. Chemical treatment consists of using some chemical reaction or reactions to improve the water quality. Probably the most commonly used chemical process is

chlorination. Chlorine, a strong oxidizing chemical, is used to kill bacteria and to slow down the rate of decomposition of the wastewater. Bacterial kill is achieved when vital biological processes are affected by the chlorine. Another strong oxidizing agent that has also been used as an oxidizing disinfectant is ozone. A chemical process commonly used in many industrial wastewater treatment operations is neutralization. Neutralization consists of the addition of acid or base to adjust pH levels back to neutrality. Since lime is a base it is sometimes used in the neutralization of acid wastes.

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Coagulation consists of the addition of a chemical that, through a chemical reaction, forms an insoluble end product that serves to remove substances from the wastewater. Polyvalent metals are commonly used as coagulating chemicals in wastewater treatment and typical coagulants would include lime (that can also be used in neutralization), certain iron containing compounds (such as ferric chloride or ferric sulfate) and alum (aluminum sulfate). Certain processes may actually be physical and chemical in nature. The use of activated carbon to "adsorb" or remove organics, for example, involves both chemical and physical processes. Processes such as ion exchange, which involves exchanging certain ions for others, are not used to any great extent in wastewater treatment. Biological treatment methods use microorganisms, mostly bacteria, in the biochemical decomposition of wastewaters to stable end products. More microorganisms, or sludges, are formed and a portion of the waste is converted to carbon dioxide, water and other end products. Generally, biological treatment methods can be divided into aerobic and anaerobic methods, based on availability of dissolved oxygen.
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The purpose of wastewater treatment is generally to remove from the wastewater enough solids to permit the remainder to be discharged to a receiving water without interfering with its best or proper use. The solids which are removed are primarily organic but may also include inorganic solids. Treatment must also be provided for the solids and liquids which are removed as sludge. Finally, treatment to control odors, to retard biological activity, or destroy pathogenic organisms may also be needed. While the devices used in wastewater treatment are numerous and will probably combine physical, chemical and biological methods, they may all be generally grouped under six methods: Preliminary Treatment Primary Treatment Secondary Treatment Disinfection Sludge Treatment Tertiary Treatment

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Degrees of treatment are sometimes indicated by use of the terms primary, secondary and tertiary treatment. Tertiary treatment, properly, would be any treatment added onto or following secondary treatment. Preliminary Treatment

At most plants preliminary treatment is used to protect pumping equipment and facilitate subsequent treatment processes. Preliminary devices are

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designed to remove or cut up the larger suspended and floating solids, to remove the heavy inorganic solids, and to remove excessive amounts of oils or greases. To affect the objectives of preliminary treatment, the following devices are commonly used:

1. Screens -- rack, bar or fine 2. Comminuting devices -- grinders, cutters, shredders 3. Grit chambers 4. Pre-aeration tanks

In addition to the above, chlorination may be used in preliminary treatment. Since chlorination may be used at all stages in treatment, it is considered to be a method by itself. Preliminary treatment devices require careful design and operation.

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Primary

Treatment

In this treatment, most of the settleable solids are separated or removed from the wastewater by the physical process of sedimentation. When certain chemicals are used with primary sedimentation tanks, some of the colloidal solids are also removed. Biological activity of the wastewater in primary treatment is of negligible importance.

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The purpose of primary treatment is to reduce the velocity of the wastewater sufficiently to permit solids to settle and floatable material to surface. Therefore, primary devices may consist of settling tanks, clarifiers or sedimentation tanks. Because of variations in design, operation, and application, settling tanks can be divided into four general groups: 1. Septic tanks 2. Two story tanks -- Inhofe and several proprietary or patented units 3. Plain sedimentation tank with mechanical sludge removal 4. Upward flow clarifiers with mechanical sludge removal When chemicals are used, other auxiliary units are employed. These are: 1. Chemical feed units 2. Mixing devices 3. Flocculates The results obtained by primary treatment, together with anaerobic sludge digestion as described later, are such that they can be compared with the zone of degradation in stream self-purification. The use of chlorine with primary treatment is discussed under the section on Preliminary Treatment.

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Secondary Treatment Secondary treatment depends primarily upon aerobic organisms which biochemically decompose the organic solids to inorganic or stable organic solids. It is comparable to the zone of recovery in the self-purification of a stream. The devices used in secondary treatment may be divided into four groups: 1. Trickling filters with secondary settling tanks 2. Activated sludge and modifications with final settling tanks 3. Intermittent sand filters 4. Stabilization ponds The use of chlorine with secondary treatment is discussed under the section on Secondary Treatment Chlorination This is a method of treatment which has been employed for many purposes in all stages in wastewater treatment, and even prior to preliminary treatment. It involves the application of chlorine to the wastewater for the following purposes:
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1. Disinfection or destruction of pathogenic organisms 2. Prevention of wastewater decomposition --

(a) Odor control, and (b) protection of plant structures 1. Aid in plant operation -(a) Sedimentation, (b) trickling filters, (c) activated sludge bulking 1. Reduction or delay of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) While chlorination has been commonly used over the years, especially for disinfection, other methods to achieve disinfection as well as to achieve similar treatment ends are also used. Among the most common is the use of ozone. In view of the toxicity of chlorine and chlorinated compounds for fish as well as other living forms, coronation may be more commonly used in the future. This process will be more fully discussed in the section on disinfection.
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Sludge Treatment

The solids removed from wastewater in both primary and secondary treatment units, together with the water removed with them, constitute wastewater sludge. It is generally necessary to subject sludge to some treatment to prepare or condition it for ultimate disposal. Such treatment has two objectives -- the removal of part or all of the water in the sludge to reduce its volume, and the decomposition of the putrescible organic solids to mineral solids or to relatively stable organic solids. This is accomplished by a combination of two or more of the following methods:

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1. Thickening 2. Digestion with or without heat 3. Drying on sand bed -- open or covered 4. Conditioning with chemicals 5. Elutriation 6. Vacuum filtration 7. Heat drying 8. Incineration 9. Wet oxidation 10.Centrifuging Package Units The term "package units" is used in the field to describe equipment which has been put on the market by a number of manufacturers that is intended to provide wastewater treatment by the use of prefabricated or modular units. Package units can also refer to a complete installation, including both mechanisms and prefabricated containers. This term is also applied to installations where only the mechanisms are purchased and the containers constructed by the purchaser in accordance with plans and specifications prepared by the manufacturer.

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Though specific limitations have not been established, individual package units have, in general, been small installations serving a limited population. Package units have been adapted to practically all the treatment devices, either singly or in various combinations that have been mentioned.

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Tertiary and Advanced Wastewater Treatment

The terms "primary" and "secondary" treatment have been used to generally describe a degree of treatment; for example, settling and biological wastewater treatment. Since the early 1970's "tertiary" treatment has come into use to describe additional treatment following secondary treatment. Quite often this merely indicates the use of intermittent sand filters for increased removal of suspended solids from the wastewater. In other cases, tertiary treatment has been used to describe processes which remove plant nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorous, from wastewater.
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Improvement and upgrading of wastewater treatment units as well as the need to minimize environmental effects has led to the increased use of tertiary treatment. A term that is also sometimes used to indicate treatment of a wastewater by methods other than primary or biological (secondary) treatment is advanced treatment. This degree of treatment is usually achieved by chemical (for example coagulation) methods as well as physical methods (flocculation, settling and activated carbon adsorption) to produce a high quality effluent water.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Sedimentation is accomplished either in horizontal-flow or vertical-flow tanks. The former are usually rectangular and the latter circular. In a rectangular tank, sewage enters continuously at one end and passes at the other end, generally over a weir. Sludge is removed manually into sludge-digestion tanks. The scum formed at the surface is removed by the mechanical scraper with the aid of a second blade called skimmer, through a scum trough. In the case of a circular or upward-flow tank, sewage enters at the center, rises vertically to be drawn off by flowing over a peripheral weir arranged at the surface. Such tanks are particularly designed to make use of the principle of flocculation whereby, small Colloidal particles are agglomerated into bulky wooly masses, which are more easily settled as sludge on the bottom of the tank. Mechanical scrapers collect the sludge, concentrating it towards the center, from where it is removed for further treatment. The effluent flowing over the outlet weir is collected in an outlet
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pipe for further treatment. When only raw sewage is to be treated in these tanks, they may be generally termed as primary settling tanks or primary clarifiers. While when a sewage that has received secondary treatment, as in trickling filters or aeration tanks, is to be treated in them, then they may be called as secondary settling tanks or secondary clarifiers. For the sedimentation tanks, the capacity in water supply is determined by the volume of sewage-flow and the required detention period: 1. Detention period: 1 to 3 hours. Longer periods result in higher efficiency than shorter periods but too long a period induces septic conditions and should be Avoid 2. velocity of flow: about 30 l/sec. 3. surface loading: it may be noted that the overall range of surface loading between 30,000 to 50,000 l/m/day is in conformity with that used in case of horizontal flow andverticalflow sedimentation tanks.
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3. Liquid depth of mechanically cleaned settling tanks should not be less that 2.1 m, and for the final clarifier for activated sludge, not less than 2.4 m.

The second unit is describing a septic (Imhoff) tanks. Designed by Karl Inhofe of Germany, an Inhofe tank is an improved septic tank in which the incoming sewage or influent is not allowed to get mixed up with the sludge produced. And, the outgoing sewage or effluent is not allowed to carry with it large amount of the suspended matter as in the case of a normal septic tank. In chamber a is double chambered Imhoff Tank, the upper

called the sedimentation tank or flowing through

chamber, through which sewage flows at a very low velocity and the lower chamber is the digestion chamber in which anaerobic or septic decomposition occurs. Solids of the sewage settle to the bottom of the sedimentation chamber through the sloping bottom walls (slope 5 vertical to 4 horizontal). They are made to fall in the digestion chamber through an entrance slot at the lowest
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point of the sedimentation Chamber of the Imhoff Tank. The slot is trapped or overlapped in such a way that the gases Generated in the digestion chamber cannot enter the sedimentation chamber. A gas vent, also called scum chamber is provided with the digestion chamber to take care of the gases escaping to the surface. The chief gas is methane (CH4) having a considerable fuel value and may, therefore, be separately collected for use. In order to prevent particles of sludge or scum from penetrating into the sedimentation chamber, the sludge and scum must be maintained at a distance of at least 45 cm below and above the slots respectively. The free or clear zone in the Imhoff Tank is called neutral zone. The digestion chamber in an Imhoff Tank is made up of two or three inverted cones called hoppers with sides sloping (1:1) so as to concentrate the sludge at the bottom of the hopper. The sludge is removed periodically through sludge-pipe, the flow being under a hydrostatic pressure of 1.2 to 1.8 m. All the sludge is not removed; only the lower layers which are completely decomposed are withdrawn, leaving some sludge to keep the tank
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seeded with anaerobic bacteria. To permit uniform distribution of settled solids throughout the length of the digestion chamber, so as to utilize the storage capacity in the greatest measure, arrangements for reversing the direction of flow through the Imhoff tanks are

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CONCLUSION:
Coagulation removes dirt and other particles suspended in water. Alum and other chemicals are added to water to form tiny sticky particles called "floc" which attract the dirt particles. The combined weight of the dirt and the alum (floc) become heavy enough to sink to the bottom during sedimentation. The quality of life depends on the ability to manage available water in the greater interest of the people. Water depletion of good quality water and environmental pollution has given tremendous importance to the water management. Joints efforts are needed by water technologists and textile industry experts to reduce water consumption in the industry. While the user industries should try to optimize water consumption, water technologists should adopt an integrated approach to treat and recycle water in the industry.

Our motto is to save living species and its surrounding environment. Thus we must stop using chemicals and dyes, which produce harmful effect to the biotic and biotic factors in our eco-systems. Reduction of waste at the source is the preferred strategy instead of
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the traditional method of end of pipe waste treatment. Apart from problematic chemicals and dyes, the main pollutant is, of course, water. So, the new technologies, which aim to reduce or eliminate water, are to be conceived.

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REFERENCES

1. Sivaramakrishnan, C.N., 2004, Colourage, LI, No.9, 27-32.

2. Mckay, G, 1979, American Dyestuff Reporter, 68, 29-34. 3. Mali, P.L., Mahajan, M.M., Patil, D.P. and Kulkarni, M.V., 2000, J. Sci. Res., 59, 221-224. 4. Namboodri, C.G., Sperkins, W. and Walsh, W. K., 1994, American Dyestuff Reporter, 4, 17-27. 5. Wu, M., Eiteman, A and Law, S.E., 1998, Journal of Environmental Engineering, 124, 3, 272-277. 6. Arslan, I., Balcioglu, I.A. and Tuhkanen, T., 1999, Environ. Technol., 20, 921-931. 7. Yamuna, R.T., 1995, Ph.D thesis, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. 8. Buckley, C.A., 1992, Wat. Sci. Technol., 25, 203-209. 9. Vlyssides, A.G. and Israilides, C.J., 1998, J. Environ. Sci. Health, A33 (5), 847-863. 10. Jurgens, Julian F., Reid, David J., Guthrie, John D., 1948, 11. Tang, W.Z. and An., H., 1995, Chemosphere, 31, 4157-4170.

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