Lecture 1

Wastewater
Engineering:
Overview
Instructor
Dr Sher Jamal
Khan
1
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Domestic Wastewater
Also known as municipal or sanitary wastewater 
or simply sewage is used water discharged from 
the residential, commercial and institutional zones 
of a city or town or community and collected 
through sewerage system
Industrial Wastewater
Wastewaters from large and medium scale 
industries are called industrial wastewaters

2
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Wastewater Regulations
NEQS: National Environmental Quality Standards
Pakistan Environmental Protection Council  (PEPC) 
approved NEQS  in 1999
Sr. No. Parameter NEQS (Inland  EPA USA
water bodies 
)
1 pH 6‐9 6‐9
2 5‐days BOD 80 mg/L 30
3 COD 150 mg/L ‐
4 TSS 150 mg/L 30
5 TDS 3500 mg/L ‐
6 Grease and oil 10 mg/L ‐ 3
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
 Treatment Methods: Methods in which application of 
physical forces predominate are known as unit operations;
 Unit operations include:
 Screening
 Mixing
 Flocculation
 Sedimentation
 Flotation
 Elutriation (Air classification)
 Filtration
 Heat transfer and drying
4
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
 Methods in which removal of contaminants is 
brought about by chemical and biological reactions 
are known as unit processes
 Chemical Unit Process
Reduction or removal is brought about by means of 
chemical reactions by adding chemicals
Major treatment methods • Chemical processes are 
Chemical neutralization expensive
Chemical coagulation • Handling of large volume 
Chemical precipitation of sludge generated
Chemical oxidation
Chemical disinfection
5
 Wastewater Engineering: Overview
 Biological Unit Process
 Reduction or removal is brought about by microorganisms
 Major treatment methods
 Suspended growth process: Activated sludge process; Aerated 
lagoon; Oxidation pond; Aerobic and anaerobic digesters
 Attached growth process: Trickling filter; Rotating biological 
contractor; Bio towers, Up‐flow filters, etc.
 Various levels of treatment include
 Preliminary
 Primary
 Advanced Primary
 Secondary (without or with nutrient removal)
 Tertiary (Advanced)

6
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Typical Wastewater Treatment Plant Process

7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Uu8CpOn‐0&feature=player_embedded
8
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
 Current Status
 Late 1980s: Conventional secondary treatment without nutrient removal 
was most common method
 Because of nutrient enrichment that led to eutrophication and water 
quality degradation, nutrient removal processes evolved
 In US, no. of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs)  > 16,000
 Approximately, 92% of total existing flow handled by plants with capacity 
>0.044 m3/s (1 Mgal/d)
 Last ten years, plants designed using biological nutrients removal (BNR)
 Filtration effectively used for effluent reuse; Filtration improves 
disinfection, especially for ultraviolet (UV) disinfection because of 
reduction in coliform bacteria attached to large suspended solids and 
reduction in turbidity allows UV light transmittance 9
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
 Important concerns
1. Aging infrastructure
2. New methods of process analysis and control
3. Treatment plant performance and reliability
4. Wastewater disinfection
5. Combined sewer overflows
6. Impacts of stormwater and sanitary overflows and 
nonpoint sources of pollution
7. Separate treatment of return flows
8. Odor and Volatile organic carbon (VOC) emission 
control
9. Retrofitting and upgrading WWTPs 10
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
 Aging Infrastructure
 Portions of collection systems, particularly 
those in older cities, are older than the 
treatment plants;
 Age of pipes and ancillary structures, types 
of materials and methods of construction, 
and lack of repair, leakage is common;
 Leakage forms: Infiltration where water 
enters collection system; Exfiltration where 
water leaves the pipe
 In comparison to treatment standards, 
little or no attention has been focused on 
discharge of untreated wastewater from 
sewers through exfiltration
 In Pakistan, barely collection system exists 
in cities and even if they do exist, leakage is 
a main issue
11
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Process Analysis and Control
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), computer 
based computational methods for solving 
fundamental equations of fluid dynamics, used to 
improve and optimize hydraulic performance of 
wastewater treatment facilities;
Application of CFD include design of new systems 
or optimization of systems to reduce or eliminate 
dead zones and short circuiting
CFD simulates range of operating conditions to 
evaluate performance before designs and 
operating changes are finalized
12
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Treatment Process Performance
Design treatment system to produce effluent 
concentrations equal to or less than the limits 
prescribed by discharge permit;
Monitoring of critical parameters such as total 
organic carbon (TOC), transmissivity, turbidity, and 
dissolved oxygen is necessary
Chlorine residual monitoring for dosage control, 
and pH monitoring in controlling nitrification 
systems

13
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Treatment Plant Reliability
Defined as the “probability that a system can 
meet established performance criteria 
consistently over extended periods of time”
Detailed energy analyses and audits are important 
as significant savings can be realized by selecting 
energy efficient processes and equipment
Large amount of electricity is used for aeration; 
Typically one‐half of entire plant electricity usage 
is for aeration
14
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Wastewater Disinfection
Historically, chlorine has been used as disinfectant
Due to permits requiring low or nondetectable
amounts of chlorine residual in treated effluents, 
alternative disinfection such as UV radiation is 
preferred
 Improvements in UV lamp and ballast design within 
past 10 years have significantly improved 
performance and reliability

15
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), Sanitary 
Sewer Overflows (SSOs)
Combined systems carry mixture of wastewater and 
stormwater runoff and when capacity of 
interceptors is reached, overflows occur to the 
receiving waters
Large overflows can impact receiving water quality 
and can prevent attainment of mandated standards

16
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs)
Combination of factors result in release of 
untreated wastewater from parts of sanitary 
collection  system; These releases are termed 
sanitary system overflows (SSOs)
SSOs caused by: (1) Entrance of excessive amounts 
of stormwater; (2) Blockage; (3) Structural, 
mechanical, or electrical failures
Result from aging infrastructure 

17
 Wastewater Engineering: 
Overview
 Nonpoint Sources
Effects of pollution from nonpoint sources is growing
Runoff from pastures and feedlots attributed as potential 
factor
 Treatment of Return Flows
Provision of separate facilities for treating return flows 
from biosolids and other processing facilities
Separate facilities include: (1) steam stripping for removal 
of ammonia from biosolids return flows; (2) high‐rate 
sedimentation for removing fine and colloidal material; 
(3) Flotation and high‐rate sedimentation for treating 
filter backwash water; (4) soluble heavy metals removal 
18
by chemical precipitation
 Wastewater Reclamation and 
Reuse
 In locations where fresh water supply has become inadequate 
to meet water needs, once‐used water collected from 
communities and municipalities must be viewed as resource 
 Concept of water reuse is becoming widely acceptable due to 
global water shortages

19
 Wastewater Reclamation and 
Reuse
 Treated effluent is used for landscape watering and 
other non‐potable uses
 For satellite reclamation systems, where wastewater 
flows are mined (withdrawn from collection systems) 
for local treatment and reuse, transportation and 
treatment costs can be reduced significantly
 Indirect potable reuse of reclaimed water is viable. 
However, direct potable reuse is not practicable
 Water reuse currently restricted to agricultural and 
landscape irrigation, groundwater recharge for 
repelling saltwater intrusion, and non‐potable 
industrial uses (e.g., boiler water and cooling water)
20
 Wastewater Reclamation and 
Reuse
Conventional technologies for water and 
wastewater treatment may be incapable of 
reducing levels of trace contaminants up to 
the desired concentration levels;
Therefore new technologies that offer 
significantly improved levels of treatment 
need to be tested and evaluated

21
 Wastewater Reclamation and 
Reuse
 Technologies for water reuse applications:
Membranes (pressure driven, membrane bioreactors)
Carbon adsorption
Advanced oxidation
Ion exchange
Air stripping
 Membranes are most significant development for 
treatment applications; Membranes produce high 
quality treated effluent suitable for reclamation
 Wastewater reclaimed with membrane technology can 
be effectively used for indirect potable applications
22
 The “Top 10” Global Challenges 
for the New Millennium
1. Energy  If the annual water 
supplies drop below 1,000 
2. Water m3 per person/year: water 
3. Food scarcity 
4. Environment  Aggregate impact of users 
5. Poverty affect
6. Terrorism and War  Supply of water
 Quality of water 
7. Disease
 Leads to demand by all 
8. Education sectors including 
9. Democracy domestic, industry and 
10. Population agriculture
Source: http://cleantechauthority.com/energy‐tops‐list‐of‐global‐challenges/

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 Physical & Economical Water Scarcity

3/10/2017 24
 Current & Future Water Shortages
Water Population
6000 250
Per Capita Water availability

5000 200

Population (In Millions)

(cubic meter/year)

4000
150
3000
100
2000

1000 50

0 0
1951 1961 1972 1981 1992 2000 2003 2012 2020
Years

25
 Pakistan Water Use Pattern
2004 2025
Industry Others Municipal
Municipal
1% 2% 8% Industry
4%
3%
Unused
Unused
24% 7%

Municipal
Industry
Envir.
Irrigation
Irrigation
71% Others
Irrigation
Total Requirements = 115 MAF 80%
Total Requirements = 149 MAF
Availability = 104 MAF Anticipated Availability = 104 MAF
Shortfall = 11 MAF (10%) (No additional storage scenario)
Shortfall = 45 MAF (30%) 26
 Estimates & projections for 
population and recycled wastewater 
resources (RWR) per capita in 2005 
and 2030 for countries that are 
expected to fall below the water 
scarcity level (1000m3/capita/year) in 
the year 2030

Source: M. Qadir et al., 2007

27
Water Stress Among 25 Most Populous 
Countries
 Water Pollution
 Existing surface water resources are
continuously being subjected to
contamination and mismanagement while
ground water is under severe threat of
ground water mining;

 According to WHO, about more than 1

billion people do not have access to safe
drinking water.

 Unsafe drinking water is responsible for

numerous diseases including dysentery,
diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, malaria and
gastroenteritis.

 Water pollution causes 60% of infant

mortality in Pakistan. UNICEF estimates
200,000 children in Pakistan die annually
due to diarrhea alone.

29
The Pakistan Water Scarcity Situation

• Groundwater [Depleted] • Population [     ]
• Surface water [Polluted] • Demand [     ]
• Rainfall [Wasted]        • Consumption [ ]       

SCARCITY

• Industrial Growth [     ] • Agriculture [    ]
• Economy‐Industry [     ] • Health & Environment[   ]
• Water Business[ ]        • Future [ Uncertain  ]       

30
 Possible Solutions

Wastewater treatment to prevent 
surface and groundwater contamination

Sustainable development
 In the past, wastewater was a “problem”
 Now, it is considered as a “resource”
oSmart use of available water resources

oWastewater reclamation and reuse
31
 Water Reclamation and Reuse
 Water reclamation is the treatment of wastewater to make it 
reusable meeting water quality criteria;
 Water reuse is the use of treated wastewater for beneficial 
uses;
 Water reuse is attractive particularly in present situation 
where the available water supply cannot meet expanding 
water demands in a growing community;
 Reclaimed water can be used for 
 Applications that do not require high‐quality water supply;
 Protecting aquatic ecosystems;
 Complying with environmental regulations by better managing water 
consumption and wastewater discharges.

32
 Urbanization and Water Resources
 Urbanization being prominently 
expanding around Pakistan will 
intensify the pressure on water 
resources due to imbalances 
between water demands and 
proximity of water sources;

 Lahore had population approx. 
6.3 million in 1998 (census) which 
is estimated to be 10 million in 
2012

 In Pakistan’s urban areas, current 
indiscriminate pumping through 
large capacity public tube wells 
and low capacity private tube 
wells have already contributed to 
severe problems of ground water 
mining
33
 Rationale for Water Reclamation and 
Reuse in Pakistan
 Reclaimed water is readily available in the vicinity of the 
urban environment where water resources are mostly 
needed;
 Reclaimed water provides a reliable water source as 
production of urban wastewater remains nearly constant;
 Increased costs associated with wastewater treatment 
facilities to meet higher quality effluent standards;
 Technically and economically proven wastewater treatment 
processes are available that can provide water for nonpotable 
applications;
 Growing numbers of successful water reclamation and reuse 
projects throughout the world 

34
 Water Reuse Applications
Water reuse categories and typical applications
Category Typical application
Agricultural irrigation Crop irrigation
Landscape irrigation Parks, freeway medians,
greenbelts, golf courses
Industrial recycling and Cooling water, boiler feed, process
reuse water
Groundwater recharge Salt water intrusion control
Recreational Lakes and ponds, fisheries
Nonpotable urban use Fire protection, air conditioning,
toilet flushing, car wash
Indirect potable use Blending with public water supplies
35
 Influence of Reuse on Water Demand
Fresh water quantity

Available water resource

Water scarcity

futile
LATER
Required water demand
after water conservation
and reuse policy
Required water demand
NOW
2010 2015 2025

36
Time
 Treatment Technologies for Wastewater 
Treatment and Water Reclamation
 Levels of treatment are defined as preliminary, primary, 
secondary, secondary with nutrient removal, tertiary and 
advanced.
 Reuse applications govern the type of treatment required
 Each application has requirements related to product water 
quality, rate of use and time of use. 
 Treatment technologies are utilized, either singly or in 
combination, to achieve desired levels of pollutant removal.
 In selecting appropriate treatment operations and processes, the 
provision of multiple barriers is an important consideration.
 Membrane based systems can be a process of choice for water 
reclamation plant that produces high quality reclaimed water.

37
 Wastewater Treatment Approach

 There are two basic approaches to wastewater treatment: 
Centralized versus Decentralized Treatment Systems

CENTRALIZED DECENTRALIZED
38
 Perspective in Water Resource Management
 Prioritize the use of water based on availability and quality. 

 Preserve highest quality water resources for drinking water supplies by 
substituting reclaimed water for direct non‐potable applications that have less 
significant health risks.

 Water reclamation and reuse option is inevitable in Pakistan because sources of 
water are limited due to physical, political and/or economic constraints and 
further attempts to reduce consumption (to conserve water) may not be 
possible.

 Implementation of water reclamation and reuse should be at the forefront of 
government efforts in the context of sustainable water resources management 
to reduce the gap between water demand and supply at present and in the 
future.

 Water reclamation with combination of advanced biological systems is much 
viable alternative as compared to increasingly expensive, environmentally 
destructive, and politically sensitive development of new dams and reservoirs.
39
 Punjab
Second largest province 
by area (205,344 km2)
Largest province by 
population (55% of 
Pakistan)
36 districts 
5 Large Cities, dozen 
intermediate and many 
small cities
 Wastewater Flows from Urban Areas of Punjab
Name of city Estimated urban  Estimated  Estimated  Wastewater 
population wastewater  wastewater  treatment (%)
(million) generation discharge
(lpcd) (cusecs)
Lahore 6.748 231 3304 0.01
Faisalabad 2.830 180 1278 20
Gujranwala 2.148 180 312 No
Multan 1.623 180 235 No
Rawalpindi 2.318 180 171 No
Sargodha 0.876 145 99 No
Sialkot 0.855 145 92 No
Gujrat 0.676 145 42 No
Shiekhupura 0.827 145 416 No
Jhang 0.782 145 21 No
Other cities 8.792 125 421.60 No
Total 27.476 6,391.60
Source: Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) report (2010)
 Industrial Wastewater in Punjab 
• Punjab has a major share of the industries in Pakistan.
• There is a variety of industry located in the urban
areas.
• The industrial wastewater from industries within
urban limits is discharged along with the municipal
wastewater without any treatment.
• Some Industries more polluting than others
 PROPOSED SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS Location

EXISTING SEWAGE PUMPING STATIONS

PROPOSED SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

REMAINING TREATMENT PLANTS

4

COLLECTOR CHANNEL FOR S.W T/P SHAHDARA TREATMENT

COLLECTOR CHANNEL FOR SW-TP PLANT

SHAHDARA PUMPING
1 STATION
SHAD BAGH TREATMENT
PLANT
2
MAIN OUTFALL
SOUTH WEST PUMPING STATIONS 1,2,3 3
TREATMENT PLANT

MEHMOOD BOOTI
TREATMETN PLANT

SHAHBAGH & KHOKHAR ROAD PUMPING

STATIONS

GULSHAN-E-RAVI PUMPING
STATION

MULTAN ROAD PUMPING

STATION MEHMOOD BOOTI PUMPING
STATION

L.M.P BLOCK PUMPING

STATION
6
SOUTH LAHORE
WALLED CITY
TREATMENT PLANT
PUMPING STATION

NISHTER COLONY PUMPING

STATION

SOUTH EAST
TREATMENT PLANT
5
3/10/2017 HUD&PHED & Urban Unit P&D Department
 Pre‐selected technologies for wastewater treatment 
TECHNICAL FEATURES
• Alternative 1:  Natural lagoons
• Alternative 2:  Primary Sedimentation Tank (PST) + 
Activated Sludge Process (ASP)
• Alternative 3:  Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) + 
Activated Sludge Process (ASP)
• + Trickling filters
Alternative 4: Primary Sedimentation Tank (PST)
• Alternative 5:  Anaerobic lagoons + Stabilization Ponds

Source: JICA Report (2010) 
 FUTURE STRATEGIES –A way forward for developing waste water 
treatment system in Punjab
1. Government of Punjab
• Enforcement of PEPA Laws ,managerial tools and their knowledge to the concerned 
institutions.
• Provision of resources both institutional and financial
• Ownership of the concept
2.   WASAs / District Governments / TMAs
• Baseline Survey/data collection
• Study of effluent characteristics
• Pilot project at smaller scale
• Regular monitoring of wastewater
3. Technological Options
• Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB)
• Activated Sludge Process (ASP)
• Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)
• Combination of above treatment options
 Pilot Treatability Studies
 Potential advantages among 
various treatment technologies 
requires pilot testing;

 Obtain necessary data including 
reliability characteristics and 
scaling parameters serving as 
basis for full‐scale applications
Pilot Plant Hierarchy

Laboratory Full (prototype)

Pilot scale
scale scale

47
Laboratory‐Scale MBRs at AIT
Relay unit Manometer Mixer

Airflow
meter

HF module
Bioreactor

Pump

48
Laboratory‐Scale MBRs at NUST
Relay Unit
Air Flow Meter

Timer

Pump

SG-MBR
AG-MBR
 MBR Plant at NUST Campus
At IESE (SCEE) NUST, two bench‐scale MBR systems have been
successfully setup and operated for a period of 2 years
These MBR units have proven that MBR technology is a
reliable and efficient process which can be effectively used to
reclaim water at NUST campus
The water availability for landscaping and horticulture at the
NUST campus is a serious matter due to depleted
groundwater resources (Currently, minimum 50 m3/day and
maximum 100 m3/day of water)
In this context, it was proposed to construct pilot‐scale MBR
treatment systems at NUST Campus to meet the landscaping
and horticulture water demand at NUST campus.
MBR facility will be the first of its kind in Pakistan

50
Pilot Plant Layout Plan
Manhole
From Hostels and Schools

From Residential area
Boarding 
Room
Green  Green 
MBR  Area Area
Plant 
Control 
Skid and  Fountain Room
Tanks
Plant 
Belt  Green  Green  Manager 
Area Area Room
Filter 
Press 
Room

51
 NUST Membrane Package System
Complete Drum Screen Side-view of Drum Screen

Inner-view of Drum Screen Electric control Panel of Drum Screen

52
 NUST Membrane Package System
Inner-view of Membrane Cassette Upper-view of Membrane Cassette

Side-view of Membrane Tank and Skid Piping of Membrane Skid and HMI

53