Wastewater Disposal and Reuse

Pollutants:

A pollutant is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or
adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. A pollutant may cause long- or short-term damage
by changing the growth rate of plant or animal species, or by interfering with human amenities,
comfort, health, or property values.

Water pollutants:

There are several classes of water pollutants. The first are disease-causing agents. These are
bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms that enter sewage systems and untreated waste. A
second category of water pollutants is oxygen-demanding wastes; wastes that can be decomposed
by oxygen-requiring bacteria.

Types of water pollutants:

There are many types of water pollution because water comes from many sources.

 Agrochemicals
 Bacteria and viruses
 Heavy metals
 Nutrients
 Oil and grease
 Plastics

Agrochemicals:

An agrochemical or agrichemical, a contraction of agricultural chemical, is a chemical product

used in agriculture. In most cases, agrichemical refers
to pesticides including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and nematicides. It may also include
synthetic fertilizers, hormones and other chemical growth agents, and concentrated stores of raw
animal manure.

Sources:

Concentrations of pesticides in Swiss rivers and lakes frequently exceed the Swiss quality goal of
0.1 μg/l for surface waters. The farmers who did not perfectly comply with `good agricultural

Department of Environmental Engineering, UET Taxila

 Wastewater Disposal and Reuse

practice' caused at least 14% of the measured agricultural herbicide load into surface waters.
Pesticides, used for additional purposes in urban areas (i.e. protection of materials, conservation,
etc.), entered surface waters up to 75% through waste water treatment plants.

Effects:

Pesticide residues affect human health. In fact, pesticide application has become a great threat to
human health. Studies have shown that long-term low-dose exposure to pesticides leads to the
development of respiratory diseases such as asthma. Such exposure also leads to reduced sperm
quality and sperm count, causing sterility. Pesticide poisoning is more significant in developing
countries compared to developed countries. Pesticide residues affect environmental quality.

Bacteria and viruses:

Bacteria (common noun bacteria, singular bacterium) constitute a

large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria
have a number of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals. Bacteria were among the first
life forms to appear on Earth, and are present in most of its habitats.

Sources:

The E. coli0157:H7 strain is found in ground beef, raw milk, chicken, vegetables, and fruit.
Shield. The most common food that these bacteria can contaminate include: salads (potato,
chicken, seafood, vegetable), raw vegetables, milk and other dairy products, and meat products
especially poultry.

Effects:

Bacteria and the gastrointestinal tract: beneficial and harmful effects. Bacteria can also cause
severe gastrointestinal infections as a consequence of the ingestion of contaminated food. Food-
borne bacterial infections can lead to serious consequences for the patient.

Heavy metals:

Heavy metals are generally defined as metals with relatively high densities, atomic weights,
or atomic numbers.

Department of Environmental Engineering, UET Taxila

 Wastewater Disposal and Reuse

Sources:

 Mercury in fish.
 Lead in bone broth.
 Cadmium in e-cigarettes.
 Arsenic in rice.
Effects:

These can be similar to other health conditions and may not be immediately recognized as due to
heavy metal toxicity:
 Nausea.
 Vomiting.
 Diarrhea.
 Abdominal pain.
 Central nervous system dysfunction.
 Heart problems.
 Anemia.

Nutrients:

A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce.

Sources:

 Whole meal bread, wholegrain cereals, baked beans, pasta,

potatoes, peas, other starchy vegetables.
 Lean meat, chicken, fish, cheese, milk, eggs, bread, nuts,
and legumes.
 Oils, butter, margarine, cream, meat, cheese, pastry, biscuits,
nuts.

Effects:

Macronutrients, which are protein, fat and carbohydrates, provide energy, but also have other roles.
You need large amounts of these nutrients on a daily basis. Micronutrients, required in smaller
amounts, are vitamins and minerals that are essential components of biological processes occurring
throughout your body.

Department of Environmental Engineering, UET Taxila

 Wastewater Disposal and Reuse

Oil and grease:

Oil and grease includes fats, oils, waxes, and other related constituents found in water, generally
wastewater. EPA method 1664 uses n-hexane as the extraction solvent for Oil and Grease and
other extractable material that is not adsorbed by silica gel in surface and saline waters.
Sources:

Oil, and grease are by-products of cooking found in:

 Food Scraps
 Butter, Margarine, or Shortening
 Meat Fats
 Cooking Oils
 Mayonnaise and Salad Dressings
Effects:

 Toxicity
 Suffocation
 Prevents O2 Transfer into the Water
 Aesthetics
 Collection system problems
 Decrease treatment efficiency in WWTP

Plastics:

Plastic is material consisting of any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic

compounds that are malleable and so can be molded into solid objects.

Sources:

The main source of synthetic plastics is crude oil. Coal and natural gas are also used to produce
plastics. Petrol, paraffin, lubricating oils and high petroleum gases are bi-products, produced
during the refining of crude oil.

Effects:

Effects on humans. Due to the use of chemical additives during plastic production, plastics have
potentially harmful effects that could prove to be carcinogenic or promote endocrine disruption.
Through biomonitoring, chemicals in plastics, such as BPA and phthalates, have been identified
in the human population.

Department of Environmental Engineering, UET Taxila

 Wastewater Disposal and Reuse

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollutant.

https://www.google.com.pk/search?q=water+pollutants&oq=water+pollutant&aqs=chrome.0.0j6
9i57j0l4.25251j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653502000802.

http://pubs.sciepub.com/aees/2/2/5/.

https://www.google.com.pk/search?ei=cZiwWrPxHomQkwX7srTIBA&q=sources+of+Bacteria
%3A&oq=sources+of+Bacteria%3A&gs_l=psy-
ab.3...235293.247812.0.251448.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.2wyoi54R7ME.

https://www.google.com.pk/search?ei=H56wWrb_K4nksAfAkoR4&q=sources+of+Nutrients&o
q=sources+of+Nutrients&gs_l=psy-
ab.3...95646.106068.0.107005.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.dx0RtZj2Fsg.

https://www.google.com.pk/search?ei=jJ6wWufRCcOZkgWH7IOwDQ&q=effects+of+Nutrient
s&oq=effects+of+Nutrients&gs_l=psy-
ab.3...230142.239417.0.240850.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.zkxZxht8QWs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic.

https://www.google.com.pk/search?ei=DKSwWqDjLca1sQHt5qmgDw&q=sources+of+Plastics
%3A&oq=sources+of+Plastics%3A&gs_l=psy-
ab.3...230420.251984.0.253129.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.JhjFSDWDU2s.

https://www.google.com.pk/search?ei=q6WwWrOCM4f8swHFrZKIBA&q=effects+of+Plastics
%3A&oq=effects+of+Plastics%3A&gs_l=psy-
ab.3...6439.11709.0.12774.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.dBzQS-PTVg4.

Department of Environmental Engineering, UET Taxila