Sewer Disposal

Chapter 6

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 Introduction
• Waste water form all sources are conveyed and are taken to treatment
plant and released or directly released to nature,
• The untreated one need to be taken most care of
• The waste are to be returned to nature as safely as possible to not
hinder the exiting systems in nature and harmful consequences

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 Objectives of proper sewage disposal

• Reduce the public health risks by proper disposal

• Converting sewage non harmful and less nuisance
• Prevent habitat and ecosystem destruction of the aquatic and other
land organisms

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 Method of sewage disposal

Sewage
Disposal
(untreated)

Land
Dilution
treatment
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 Sewage Disposal by Dilution Method
• When there is large water bodies like rivers, ponds, streams, etc. and
the sewage treated or untreated are very small in quantity so the sewer
is very much diluted
• The sewer may cause harm but after mixing with large water bodies its
concentrations decreases very much
• Self decomposition occurs as time passed and stabilizes and be a part
of water bodies

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 Essential condition for dilution
• Sewage is comparatively fresh (4-5) hrs of production
• Floating and suspended have been removes
• Large volume of water compare to sewage
• Possibility of thorough mixing after dilution
• Sufficient currents to carry and dilute sewage
• Water of water bodies have high DO in it
• Water not used for water supply and navigation for at least some
reasonable distances downstream
• No industrial waste and toxic wastes in sewage
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 Dilution factor
• Factor by which time the sewage (sample) volume or discharge is
mixed in the total volume or discharge of diluted water
• Ratio of discharge or volume of diluted water(final) to sewage volume
or discharge

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 Self Purification in stream
• Sewage in water streams or river makes pollution
• After travel some downstream distance it becomes cleaned or purified
• Due to dilution, sedimentation, oxidation and reduction,
decomposition, etc.
• Suspended solids gradually deposits in bottom and wash away in
course of time
• Organic matters are decomposed aerobically using DO in water
• Nitrogen, Sulphur, phosphorous, potassium etc., move under their
natural cycle
• Bacteria are eaten by protozoa etc. and that are taken by other aquatic
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organisms
 Self Purification in stream
• Sewage in water streams or river makes pollution
• After travel some downstream distance it becomes cleaned or purified
• Due to dilution, sedimentation, oxidation and reduction,
decomposition, etc.
• Suspended solids gradually deposits in bottom and wash away in
course of time
• Organic matters are decomposed aerobically using DO in water
• Nitrogen, Sulphur, phosphorous, potassium etc., move under their
natural cycle
• Bacteria are eaten by protozoa etc. and that are taken by other aquatic
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organisms
Factor effecting Self Purification in stream
Dilution

Current

Sunlight

Temperature

Sedimentation

Oxidation

Reduction
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 Factor effecting Self Purification in stream
• Dilution:
• Rapid dispersion and dilution makes lesser concentrations of
pollutants and reduce the nuisance
𝐶𝑠𝑄𝑠+𝐶𝑟𝑄𝑟
Concentration of mix is C =
𝑄𝑠+𝑄𝑟
C = concentration
Q = discharge
s= sewage
r = river
• Every components are diluted in same manner
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 Factor effecting Self Purification in stream
• Currents:
• Less current cause less mixing and velocity so cause deposition of
sludge
• Higher currents mixes thoroughly and prevent nuisance but avoid
algae growth
• For self purification via algae process slow current is preferred

• Sunlight:
• Sunlight provide energy for photosynthesis and kills pathogens in
exposure
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• More the sunlight more the self purification

 Factor effecting Self Purification in stream
• Temperature:
• Microbial activity depends on temperature
• Lower temperature less activity and higher has more
• Faster self cleansing process in higher temperature

• Sedimentation:
• Slow currents more sedimentation and easily separated
• If less dilution and less DO - anaerobic condition occurs
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 Factor effecting Self Purification in stream
• Oxidation:
• Organic matter decompose consumes DO
• DO in water is replenished from atmosphere
• Oxidation occurs till DO is depleted by decomposition
• Self purification rate depends on oxidation rate

• Reduction:
• Anaerobic condition helps to reduce the complex compounds
• Oxidation byproducts also are further degraded in anaerobic
condition by chemical or biological factors
• Reduction assists the self-purification
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 Examples
• a waste water effluent of 600 l/s with BOD = 60mg/l and temperature
of 250C enters a river with the flow is 30 m 3/s and BOD = 3 mg/l DO
= 8.5 mg/l and temperature = 16 0C.. Determine the following after
mix: combined discharge, BOD, DO, Temperature.

• Q=30.6 m3/s 𝐶𝑠𝑄𝑠 +𝐶𝑟𝑄𝑟

• BOD = 4.118 mg/l C =
• DO = 8.382 mg/l 𝑄 𝑠 +𝑄𝑟
• T = 16.18 0C
• Calculate BOD in kg per day = 10.887 kg/day
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 Oxygen sag curve

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 Oxygen sag curve

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 Oxygen sag curve
• River has about constant DO in it as Oxygenation and Deoxygenation
is there in same rate
• After addition of sewage the DO is started to consumed
(deoxygenation increases)
• cumulative decrease in DO or consumed as in graph
• Similarly mixing and gas transfer from atmosphere cause DO
replenishing (oxygenation rate) as in graph
• Combination of the 2 curves gave the Oxygen Sag Curve

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 Strecter Phelp’s equation
• In any polluted stream, amount of DO at any time can be determined by
superimposing the rates of deoxygenation and reoxygenation by following
equation
For base 10

Dt =
𝐾𝐿𝑜
10
_𝐾𝑡
− 10
_𝑅 𝑡
+ Do 10-R t ….(i)
𝑅−𝐾
Dt = DO deficit at any time t (mg/l)
Lo = ultimate first stage BOD at the disposal point (mg/l)
t = any time
Do = initial DO deficit (mg/l)
R(base e)
R = reoxygenation constant with base 10 (per day) R (base 10)= 2.303
K(base19 e)
K = deoxygenation constant with base 10 (per day) K (base 10)= 2.303
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 Strecter Phelp’s equation
• R and K depends in the temperature “T” and can be derived for any
temperature as:
KT = K20 (1.047)T - 20 and RT = R20 (1.016)T-20
K20 and R20 are deoxygenation and reoxygenation constant at 20 0C
dDc
• Critical DO deficit ( Dc ) is obtained by 𝑑𝑡
= 0 as:
𝐾
Dc = L0 10-K tc
𝑅
tc = time at which critical dissolved oxygen deficit D c occurs

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 Strecter Phelp’s equation
• The value of tc can be obtained by differentiating equation (i)
dDt
=0
dt

1 R KL0 −RD0+KD0
t c= log10
R−K K KL0
putting R/K = fs (self-purification constant) in above we get,
1 D0
tc= log10 fs 1 − (fs − 1) and
K (fs − 1) L0
1
Dc = L0 10 −𝐾𝑡𝑐
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fs 21
 Strecter Phelp’s equation

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 Strecter Phelp’s equation
The distance of critical deficit from disposal point “Xc ” is given by :
Xc = v tc where ,”v” is velocity of flow of stream.
Taking log10 on both sides in critical DO deficit equation and putting
value of “ tc ” and on simplification, we get,

(𝑓𝑠 – 1)
𝐿0 𝐷0
= 𝑓𝑠 1 − 𝑓𝑠 − 1
𝑓𝑠𝐷𝑐 𝐿0

This equation is useful in oxygen sag curve analysis.

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 Sewage disposal by land treatment
• Sewage is evenly spread on the surface of land
• Organic solids and the suspended solids remains on the surface of the
soil and water percolates in the ground
• Organic solids are acted and degraded by bacteria and partially by the
action of sunlight, air and heat

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 Sewage disposal by land treatment
• Advantages:
• Natural method
• Water bodies can be prevented form pollution
• Possible of discharge even if there is no larges water bodies in
surrounding
• High fertilizing value can be used as for irrigation
• Cheap for construction and requires no treatment
• Operation and maintenance is low

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 Sewage disposal by land treatment
• Disadvantages:
• Large area of land
• Area with and seasons of heavy rainfall and frequent rainfall
• Not for soil with inpervous or low seepage properties like clayey
soil
• Proper monitoring and supervision is required to prevent sewage
sickness
• In irrigation, care must be taken as it is contaminated with
pathogens and spread of diseases can occur easily form crops and
contact
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 Sewage disposal by land treatment
• Suitability of land treatment
• Area with low rainfall, can be used for the irrigation
• No large water bodies are there for dilution
• Quantity is more it cause water pollution in river
• Alivia, porous and sandy soil
• Water table is much deeper
• Crops have good market

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Methods of sewage disposal by land treatment

Irrigation or sewage farming

Broad irrigation or effluent irrigation

Overland flow

Rapid infiltration
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 Irrigation or sewage farming:

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 Irrigation or sewage farming:
• The sewage is directly discharged in the land to support plant growth
• Organic matters are broken down by action of bacteria and the
atmospheric conditions
• The nutrients value (NPK) in sewage is used by the plants to grow
• Water is evaporates, percolates or evapotranspiration
• About 33% more yield is there for the sewage irrigation than in regular
water irrigation
• Used of domestic and organics only
• Industrial wastes with chemicals and toxins are not suitable
• Pathogen contamination is there as a risk for farmers and consumers
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 Irrigation or sewage farming:
• Care and hygiene must be taken in consideration
• Primary treatment is needed generally before application as to remove
settling particles

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 Broad irrigation:

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 Broad irrigation:
• Sewage is flooded on the vacant land having porous soil which acts as a
filter media
• The organic matter is acted by bacteria in soil layer
• About 15 cm dia perforated pipe network is laid at spacing of 10 – 30
cm spacing are laid under the soil layer at certain depth to collect the
water
• Collected water can be then discharged to water bodies or irrigation as it
contains less organic maters

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 Overland flow
• Overflows on land making a runoff film on slope having 2 – 8%
• At downgrade it is collected by catch drains and disposed off
• Used for land with impervious soil
• Generally grass are planted to provided habitat for the organisms and
prevent soil erosion

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Method of application of sewage on land
Sprinkler or spray irrigation
Surface irrigation
Sub surface irrigation
Basin
Flooding
Ridge and furrow
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 Sprinkler or spray irrigation method
• Sewage without the settleable and suspended particles are passed to
sprinkler head at pressure and distributes by spraying

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 Surface irrigation method
• Parallel drains are constructed at regular interval over the sloped field
and sewage over flows through field along the slope
• Water is absorbed and excess runoff reach to drains and goes to another
field

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 Sub Surface irrigation method
• Sewage application is under ground level
• Perforated pipe laid subsurface provide water to soil and the capillary
action rise sewage to root level of plants
• Water is subsurface so no direct contact with sewage and vectors are
eliminated and water loss is reduced and cab be used for large are with
small quantity of water

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 Basin method
• Big trees and plants are planted in isolated islands and basins are made
around it
• Sewage in basin provide nutrients and water to root zone and percolated
in soil
• Orchards and fruit gardening

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 Flooding method
• Land divided in suitable plot size with dykes as boundary and swage is
applied 30-60cm depth flood and under drains remove the percolated
water form soil

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 Ridge and furrow method
• Ridge (120-250cm wide ) and furrow (120-150 cm wide) of 15-30cm
height are constructed
• Planation is in ridges and 2/3rd depth is filled by sewage resulting in
saturation in root zone and water is reduced by evapotranspiration,
evaporation and percolation

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 Sewage sickness and its preventions
• On continuous application of sewage, the pores of the soil is clogged by
slowly suspended solids, organic matters, etc.
• Increase in clogging cause the seize of air flow and free molecular
oxygen transport
• This cause anaerobic conditions and starts to decompose sewage in
absence of molecular oxygen ie anaerobic decomposition
• Produces H2S and other gases and cause the nuisance
• The capacity of land is exhausted , this condition is called sewage
sickness

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 Sewage sickness and its preventions
• Prevention:
•Proper choice of land with porous soil
•Pre treatment of sewage removing suspended solids
•Giving rest or internment flow of sewage in land
•Crop rotation
•Shallow depth and underdrains constructions
•Frequent ploughing and rotation and mixing of soil layers

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• Sewage water characteristics: Examples
• Discharge= 1.72 m3/s
• Minimum river discharge = 7.24 m3/s
• Tempt of sewage = 30.5 0C
• Tempt of river = 17.5 0C
• Deoxygenation constant K = 0.1/day at 20 0C
• Reoxygenation constant R = 0.5/day at 20 0C Calculate critical oxygen deficit (Dc)
• BOD5 at 20 0C sewage = 225mg/l and its location Xc
• BOD5 at 20 0C river = 1.2mg/l
Estimate BOD5 at 20 0C of sample ta
• DO in river = 90% of saturation critical point
• Saturation DO of water at 20 0C = 9.17mg/l
• Saturation DO of water at 17.5 0C = 9.64mg/l
• VelocityRabinofMaharjan
river water = 2 km/hr 44

• Sewage is putrefied, i.e. DO=0mg/l

 Examples

•DO of river at 17.5 0C = 90% of saturation at 17.50C = 8.67mg/l

•DO at mix = 7.011mg/l

•Temperature at point of mixing = 200C

•BOD5 at point of mix = 44.16mg/l

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 Examples
•Initial DO deficit (Do )= saturation DO – DO at that temperature =
2.16mg/l
•Ultimate BOD5 after mix L0  BOD5=L0(1-10−𝐾𝑡 ) 64.58mg/l
•Self purification constant (fs) = R/K = 5
•Time of critical deficit,
1 D0
tc= log10 fs 1 − (fs − 1) L
K (fs − 1) 0
1.59days
•Distance of critical deficit from mixing point:
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Xc = v tc 76.32km
46
 Examples
• Critical do deficit
1
Dc = L0 10 −𝐾𝑡𝑐 8.956mg/l
fs
•DO at critical point = saturation DO at 20 0C – Dc 0.214mg/l
•BOD at critical point BODtc = L0(1-10−𝐾𝑡𝑐 ) 44.78mg/l
•BOD5 at critical point BOD5 = L0(1-10−𝐾 5 )

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