International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064

Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391

Secondary Treated Wastewater in Construction

Vidhya Lakshmi .A1, Arul Gideon .R2
1, 2
PG Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chembarambakkam, Chennai,
TamilNadu-600123, India

Abstract: Human life, as with all animal and plant life on the planet, is dependent upon water. Not only do we need water to grow our
food, generate our power and run our industries, but we need it as a basic part of construction purpose. Now at present stage water is in
great demand in the field of construction. So as to fulfill the demand in this project the water used in concrete is replaced by secondary
treated wastewater from Sewage water treatment plant. Sewage treatment is the process of removing contaminants from waste water
and household sewage, both runoffs (effluents), domestic, commercial and institutional. It includes physical, chemical, and biological
processes to remove the contaminants. The aim of the present research work is to investigate the possibility of using the secondary
treated wastewater for the purpose of construction works on continuous basis. By evaluating and comparing the compressive and
tensile strength of the conventional concrete cubes and secondary treated wastewater concrete cubes it is found that the strength
obtained is greater in secondary treated wastewater concrete cubes. Hence, on the continuous basis secondary treated wastewater can be
used for the construction purpose.

Keywords: Sewage treatment, contaminants, compressive and tensile strength.

1. Introduction sprayed on and filled into fine cracks for repairs by the
grouting process.
Concrete is the most commonly used building material. It has
the advantage of being formed into any desired shape most 1.3 Disadvantages of Concrete
conveniently. It is an artificial stone obtained by mixing
aggregates, cement and water and allowing the product to Concrete has low tensile strength and hence easily cracking.
cure for hardening. It’s essential ingredients are cement and Fresh concrete shrinks on drying and hardened concrete
water which react with each other chemically, to form expands on wetting. Concrete expands and contracts with the
another material having the useful strength. The strength of changes in temperature. Concrete under sustained loading
concrete depends upon the quality of its ingredients, their undergoes creep resulting in the reduction of prestress in
relative quantities and the manner in which they are mixed, entirely impervious to moisture and contains soluble salts,
compacted and cured. It is possible to produce concrete of which may cause efflorescence. Concrete is liable to
different specifications for various purposes by suitably disintegrated by alkali and sulphate attack. The lack of
adjusting the proportions of cement, aggregate and water. ductility inherent in concrete as a material is disadvantageous
with respect to earth quake resistant design.
1.1 Requirements of Good Concrete
2. Treatment of Wastewater
The aggregate should be hard and durable. Aggregate should
have proper gradation. It should contain adequate of cement 2.1 Origin of Sewage
so that it possess strength and water tightness. The water
should be free from hardness and organic materials. It should Sewage is generated by residential, institutional, commercial
possess good workability. Thorough mixing should be done and industrial establishments. It includes household waste
so as to produce a homogenous mass. The temperature of liquid from toilets, baths, showers, kitchens, sinks and so
concrete should be kept above freezing point until it gains the forth that is disposed of via sewers. In many areas, sewage
desired strength. This is necessary to ensure a uniform rate of also includes liquid waste from industry and commerce. The
hardening. separation and draining of household waste into greywater
and blackwater is becoming more common in the developed
1.2 Advantages of Concrete world, with greywater being permitted to be used for
watering plants or recycled for flushing toilets. Sewage may
Concrete is economical in the long run as compared to other include storm water runoff. As rainfall travels over roofs and
engineering materials. Concrete possess a high compressive the ground, it may pick up various contaminants including
strength, and the corrosive and weathering effects are soil particles and other sediment, heavy metals, organic
minimal. When properly prepared, its strength is equal to the compounds, animal waste, oil and grease.
hard natural stone. The green concrete can be easily handled
and moulded into any shape or size according to
specifications. The formwork can be reused number of times
of similar jobs resulting in economy. It is strong in
compression and has unlimited structural applications in
combination with steel reinforcement. Concrete can ever be

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 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
2.2 Collection System 1. Primary treatment.
2. Secondary treatment.
The purpose of a sewage collection system is to remove 3. Tertiary treatment
wastewater from points of origin to a treatment facility or
place of disposal. The collection system consists of the
sewers (pipes and conduits) and plumbing necessary to
convey sewage from the point of origin to the treatment
system or place of disposal. It is necessary that the collection
system be designed so that the sewage will reach the
treatment system as soon as possible after entering the sewer.
If the length of time in the sewers is too long, the sewage will
be anaerobic when it reaches the treatment facilities. Sanitary
sewage collection systems should be designed to remove
domestic sewage only. Surface drainage is excluded to avoid
constructing large sewers and treating large volumes of
sewage diluted by rainwater during storms. Sewers which
exclude surface drainage are called sanitary sewers, and
those which collect surface drainage in combination with
sanitary sewage are called combined sewers. Figure 2: Sewage treatment process

Except for force mains, sewers are laid to permit gravity flow 2.3.1 Primary Treatment
of their contents. Usually the slope is such that a flow rate of Primary treatment consists of temporarily holding the sewage
0.03 metre (m) per second or more is maintained when the in a quiescent basin where heavy solids can settle to the
line is flowing half full to full. This is a self-cleansing bottom while oil, grease and lighter solids float to the
velocity and prevents solids from settling in the sewer pipes. surface. The settled and floating materials are removed and
To the maximum extent practical, sewers are laid in straight the remaining liquid may be discharged or subjected to
lines. Corners and sharp bends slow the flow rate, permit secondary treatment. Pretreatment removes materials that can
clogging, and make line cleaning difficult. Pumping is be easily collected from the raw sewage before they damage
necessary where the slope of the sewer does not produce the or clog the pumps and sewage lines of primary treatment
required minimum velocity of 0.03 m or where sewage must clarifiers.
be lifted to a higher elevation. Sewage can be pumped from
pumping stations through pressure lines regardless of their 2.3.1.1 Screening
slope, or it can be raised to a higher elevation at pumping The influent sewage water passes through a bar screen to
stations, so that gravity flow will again produce the required remove all large objects like cans, rags, sticks, plastic packets
velocity. etc. carried in the sewage stream. This is most commonly
done with an automated mechanically raked bar screen in
modern plants serving large populations, while in smaller or
less modern plants; a manually cleaned screen may be used.
The raking action of a mechanical bar screen is typically
paced according to the accumulation on the bar screens
and/or flow rate. The solids are collected and later disposed
in a landfill, or incinerated. Bar screens or mesh screens of
varying sizes may be used to optimize solids removal. If
gross solids are not removed, they become entrained in pipes
and moving parts of the treatment plant, and can cause
substantial damage and inefficiency in the process.

2.3.1.2 Grit Chamber

Pretreatment may include a sand or grit channel or chamber,
Figure 1: Raw Sewage where the velocity of the incoming sewage is adjusted to
allow the settlement of sand, grit, stones, and broken glass.
2.3 Treatment Process These particles are removed because they may damage
pumps and other equipment. For small sanitary sewer
Sewage can be treated close to where the sewage is created, a systems, the grit chambers may not be necessary, but grit
decentralized system, or be collected and transported by a removal is desirable at larger plants. Grit chambers come in 3
network of pipes and pump stations to a municipal treatment types: horizontal grit chambers, aerated grit chambers and
plant, a centralized system. Sewage collection and treatment vortex grit chambers.
is typically subject to local, state and federal regulations and
standards. Industrial sources of sewage often require 2.3.1.3 Oil and Grease Removal
specialized treatment processes. In some larger plants, oil and grease are removed by passing
the sewage through a small tank where skimmers collect the
Sewage treatment generally involves three stages, oil floating on the surface. Air blowers in the base of the tank
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 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
may also be used to help recover the oil as froth. Many
plants, however, use primary clarifiers with mechanical
surface skimmers for oil and grease removal.

2.3.1.4 Primary Clarifier

After preliminary treatment the sewage flows into large
round or rectangular tanks. In these the heavier organic
material sinks to the tank floor and is swept by a scraper
blade to a submerged outlet. From here it is pumped as slurry
to a storage tank for subsequent treatment. Most of the solids
in wastewater are removed in this process and concentrated
into thick slurry which has a volume less than 1% of the
Figure 3: Secondary treated wastewater
sewage received at the works. This slurry is known as sewage
sludge and it is dealt with separately. The liquid element
2.4 Wastewater Treatment Facts
(settled sewage) flows over a weir to the next stage of
treatment.
1) Each person produces approximately 150 liters of
wastewater per day containing 60g of organic matter. A
2.3.2 Secondary Treatment
large proportion of this water is actually used to flush away
Secondary treatment removes dissolved and suspended
waste and carry it to the treatment works.
biological matter. Secondary treatment is typically performed
2) Each person produces on average 55g of bio solids per day
by indigenous, water-borne micro-organisms in a managed
as dried solids, or 20kg per annum
habitat. Secondary treatment may require a separation
3) Sewage is 99.9% water and the wastewater treatment
process to remove the micro-organisms from the treated
process is designed to treat the 0.1% solids.
water prior to discharge or tertiary treatment. Secondary
4) The better the treatment, the more sludge is produced. As
treatment typically utilizes biological treatment processes, in
our environment has improved more and more sludge’s are
which microorganisms convert nonsettleable solids to
being produced.
settleable solids. Sedimentation typically follows, allowing
5) The water industry invests millions of pounds each year in
the settleable solids to settle out.
research to improve its understanding of wastewater
treatment, sludge treatment and biosolids recycling to
2.3.2.1 Activated Sludge
ensure protection of public health and the environment.
The most common option uses microorganisms in the
treatment process to break down organic material with
aeration and agitation, and then allows solids to settle out. 3. Materials and Methods
Bacteria-containing “activated sludge” is continually
recirculated back to the aeration basin to increase the rate of 3.1 Materials
organic decomposition.
The materials used in this research work are ordinary
2.3.2.2 Trickling Filters Portland cement of 53 grade, river sand, coarse aggregate of
These are beds of coarse media (often stones or plastic) 3-10 20mm nominal size and secondary treated waste water.
ft. deep. Wastewater is sprayed into the air (aeration), and
then allowed to trickle through the media. Microorganisms 3.2 Preparation of Specimens
attached to and growing on the media, break down organic
material in the wastewater. Trickling filters drain at the Concrete mix proportions of ratio 1:1.5:3 is used for the
bottom; the wastewater is collected and then undergoes preparation of specimens. Conventional and Secondary
sedimentation. treated wastewater specimens were casted in parallel. The
specimens were cured under tap water at room temperature
2.3.2.3 Lagoons and tested at the age of 7, 14 and 28days.
These are slow, cheap, and relatively inefficient, but can be
used for various types of wastewater. They rely on the 4. Tests on Concrete
interaction of sunlight, algae, microorganisms, and oxygen
(sometimes aerated). After primary and secondary treatment, 4.1 Compressive Strength Test
municipal wastewater is usually disinfected using chlorine or
other disinfecting compounds, or occasionally ozone or The casted specimens of size 150mm*150mm*150mm cubes
ultraviolet light. and size 150mm*300mm cylinders were tested to determine
the compressive strength at the age of 7, 14 and 28days. The
results of the tested specimens for compressive strength are
presented in Table 5.

4.2 Split Tensile Test

The sizes of 150mm*300mm cylinders were tested to

determine the split tensile strength at the age of 7, 14 and
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ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
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28days. The results of specimens tested for split tensile
strength are presented in Table 8.

Table 1: Compressive strength of conventional concrete

cubes
Specimen Compressive Strength (N/Mm2)
Trial
7days 14days 28days
1 Conventional 18.21 26.83 34.66
2 Concrete 19.69 27.12 32.01
3 Cubes 18.94 26.45 30.22

Table 2: Compressive strength of secondary treated

wastewater concrete cubes
Specimen Compressive Strength (N/Mm2)
Trial Figure 5: Compressive strength of cylinders
7days 14days 28days
1 Secondary Treated 28.86 39.96 44.40
2 Wastewater 26.72 36.99 41.10 Table 6: Tensile strength of conventional concrete cylinders
3 Concrete Cubes 26.14 36.21 40.22 Trial Specimen P Tensile Strength 2p/( Πld)
(N) (N/Mm2)
01 Conventional 38500 0.545
Table 3: Compressive strength of conventional concrete 02 Concrete 32700 0.462
cylinders 03 cylinders 28500 0.403
Compressive Strength (N/Mm2)
Trial Specimen
7days 14days 28days
Table -7: Tensile strength of conventional concrete
1 Conventional 18.38 25.46 28.29
Concrete cylinders
2 16.12 22.41 24.89
Cylinders Trial Specimen P Tensile Strength 2p/( Πld)
3 13.24 18.33 20.37
(N) (N/Mm2)
01 Secondary treated 43500 0.615
Table 4: Compressive strength of Secondary treated
02 wastewater concrete 38000 0.537
wastewater concrete cylinders
03 cylinders 34500 0.488
Compressive Strength (N/Mm2)
Trial Specimen
7days 14days 28days
1 Secondary Treated 20.59 28.51 31.68 Table 8: Comparison of tensile strength of conventional
2 Wastewater Concrete 19.13 26.49 29.43 concrete and secondary treated wastewater concrete
3 Cylinders 16.92 23.43 26.03 S. Average of Tensile
Specimen
No Strength (N/mm2)
01 Conventional Concrete 0.470
Table 5: Comparison of compressive strength of
Secondary treated wastewater
conventional concrete and secondary treated wastewater 02 0.546
Concrete
concrete
S. Average of Compressive
Specimen
No Strength (N/Mm2)
1 Conventional concrete cubes 32.29
Secondary treated wastewater
2 41.91
concrete cubes
3 Conventional concrete cylinders 24.52
Secondary treated wastewater
4 29.04
concrete cylinders

Figure 6: Tensile strength of cylinders

5. Results and Discussion

The various results obtained from the compressive strength
test and split tensile strength tests were discussed and
tabulated. The charts representing the test results were also
Figure 4: Compressive strength of cubes provided. The table 5 indicates the results of the compressive
strength of the cubes and cylinders whereas the table 8
indicates the results of the tensile strength of the cylinders.

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Paper ID: NOV163236 172
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 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
5.1 Conclusions Water. International Journal for Scientific Research &
Development| Vol. 2, Issue 10, 2014 | ISSN (online):
From the experimental result the following conclusions were 2321-0613
made: [11] K. S. Al-Jabri ab, A. H. Al-Saidy , R. Taha and A. J. Al-
 Tests performed in this study suggest that secondary Kemyani. Effect of using Wastewater on the Properties
treated wastewater is an interesting candidate for use in of High Strength Concrete. Procedia Engineering-
concretes for applications in the mixture. Volume 14, 2011,
 There is a significant increase in the load carrying capacity, [12] Marcia Silva and Tarun R. Naik. Sustainable Use of
the compressive strength of the secondary treated Resources – Recycling of Sewage Treatment Plant
wastewater concrete when compared with the conventional Water in Concrete
concrete. [13] Prof. A.B. More Prof. R. B. Ghodake et al. Reuse of
 The compressive strength is 9.62% more in case of Treated Domestic Waste Water in Concrete - A
concrete cubes confined with secondary treated Sustainable Approach. Indian Journal Of Applied
wastewater. Research- Volume : 4 | Issue : 4 | Apr 2014 | ISSN -
 Concrete prepared by using secondary treated wastewater 2249-555X
gives aesthetically pleasant appearance. [14] IS 10262-2009 Indian standard concrete mix
 It is found that the compressive strength and tensile proportioning- guidelines ICS 91.100.30 Bureau of
strength in secondary treated wastewater concrete increases Indian standards 2009.
when compared with the conventional concrete.

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