Sewage Treatment

Exploitation of Natural microbial
communities in Treatment of Sewage
Course:
Microbes, Man and Environment
(BOT-409)
BS 8th Botany
Prepared by:
Shazeen Shoaib
Sewage Treatment
• Sewage contains wastewater from households, businesses and possibly pre-treated industrial wastewater.
Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type
of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is
suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby
preventing water pollution from raw sewage discharges. The aim of sewage treatment is;
• To remove pollutants.
• Destruction of the deadly pathogens.
• To counterbalance coarse particles.
• Elimination of poisonous substances.
• Thus, we can say the principal objective of wastewater treatment is to decrease biological oxygen demand
(BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and also eutrophication, and much more, so that it won’t spread
toxicity in the environment.
Primary Treatment
Primary treatment comprises screening, grit removal and sedimentation for extraction of coarse
suspended solids such as fats, oil, greases, sand, gravel, rocks and any other large floating material.
1. Screening:
Screening removes objects such as rags, paper, plastics, and metals to prevent damage and clogging of
downstream equipment, piping, and appurtenances. Some modern wastewater treatment plants use both
coarse screens and fine screens.
a) Coarse Screens
Coarse screens remove large solids, rags, and debris from wastewater, and typically have openings of 6
mm (0.25 in) or larger. Types of coarse screens include mechanically and manually cleaned bar screens,
including trash racks.
b) Fine Screens:
Fine screens are typically used to remove material that may create operation and maintenance
problems in downstream processes. Typical opening sizes for fine screens are 1.5 to 6 mm.
Very fine screens with openings of 0.2 to 1.5 mm are sometimes placed after coarse or fine
screens.
2. Grit Removal:
Grit includes sand, gravel, or other heavy solid materials that are “heavier” (higher specific
gravity) than the organic biodegradable solids in the wastewater. Removal of grit prevents
unnecessary abrasion and wear of mechanical equipment, grit deposition in pipelines and
channels, and accumulation of grit in anaerobic digesters and aeration basins.
3. Sedimentation:
• Suspended solids that pass through screens and grit chambers are removed from the sewage
in sedimentation tanks. These tanks, also called primary clarifiers, provide about two hours
of detention time for gravity settling to take place.
• As the sewage flows through them slowly, the solids gradually sink to the bottom. The settled
solids—known as raw or primary sludge is moved along the tank bottom by mechanical
scrapers. Sludge is collected in a hopper, where it is pumped out for removal.
• Fat and grease are removed by passing the sewage through a small tank where skimmers
collect the fat floating on the surface. Air blowers in the base of the tank may also be used to
help recover the fat as a froth or mechanical surface-skimming devices are employed to
remove grease and other floating materials.
Secondary Treatment
Secondary treatment removes the soluble organic matter that escapes primary
treatment. Secondary sewage treatment is a heart of sewage treatment. This is a
biological process that is an accelerated version of natural decomposition, in which
bacteria digest organic waste in aerobic environment.
There are three basic biological treatment methods: activated sludge process, trickling
filter and the oxidation ponds.
1. Activated Sludge.
• The activated sludge treatment system consists of an aeration tank followed by a

secondary clarifier.
a) Aeration Tank:
• Once the wastewater leaves the primary treatment steps, it enters the aeration tank, where it is
mixed with fresh sludge (loaded with bacteria) that is recirculated from the secondary clarifier
and air. The primary function of the aeration tank is to pump oxygen into the tank to encourage
the growth of the bacteria and the breakdown of organic material. The sludge loaded with
bacteria is allowed to remain there for several hours to ensure that there is enough time for
the organic material to be broken down.
• Aeration can be accomplished with pumping and defusing air into the tank or through aggressive
agitation that adds air to the water. This process is managed to offer the best conditions for
bacterial growth. Oxygen gas [O2] levels below 2 ppm will kill off the bacteria, reducing
efficiency of the plant. Dissolved oxygen monitoring at this stage of the plant is critical. Ammonia
and nitrate measurements are common to measure how efficient the bacteria are in converting
NH3 to N2↑.
•
A key parameter to measure in wastewater treatment is Biochemical Oxygen Demand
(BOD). BOD is a surrogate indicator for the amount of organic material present and is
used to determine the effectiveness of organic material breakdown.
b) Secondary clarifier
As the influent exits the aeration process, it flows into a secondary clarifier where, like the
primary clarifier, any very small solids (or fines) sink to the bottom of the tank. These small
solids are called activated sludge and consist mostly of active bacteria. Part of this
activated sludge is returned to the aeration tank to increase the bacterial concentration,
help in propagation, and accelerate the breakdown of organic material. The remaining part
is sent for tertiary treatment.
2. Trickling filter
• A trickling filter is simply a tank filled with a deep bed of stones. Settled sewage is
sprayed continuously over the top of the stones and trickles to the bottom, where it is
collected for further treatment. As the wastewater trickles down, bacteria gather and
multiply on the stones.
• The steady flow of sewage over these growths allows the microbes to absorb the
dissolved organics, thus lowering the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the sewage.
Air circulating upward through the spaces among the stones provides sufficient oxygen
for the metabolic processes.
• Settling tanks, called secondary clarifiers, follow the trickling filters. These clarifiers
remove microbes that are washed off the rocks by the flow of wastewater. Two or more
trickling filters may be connected in series, and sewage can be recirculated in order to
increase treatment efficiencies.
3. Oxidation Ponds
Oxidation ponds, also called lagoons or stabilization ponds, are large, shallow ponds
designed to treat wastewater through the interaction of sunlight, bacteria, and
algae. Algae grow using energy from the sun and carbon dioxide and
inorganic compounds released by bacteria in water. During the process of photosynthesis,
the algae release oxygen needed by aerobic bacteria.
Tertiary Treatment
The aim of tertiary wastewater treatment:
1. To kill or inactivate pathogenic organisms in the treated effluent prior to

discharge to the receiving stream.
2. And to reduce the nutrient content of wastewater to prevent uncontrolled

algae growth in lakes, reservoirs, or streams.
Tertiary treatment is required to raise the quality of the water to domestic and
industrial standards, and to meet specific requirements around the safe
discharge of water.
a) Disinfection
• Disinfection is the inactivation of disease-causing microorganisms. This can be done by

using chemicals or physical processes like mechanical destruction or radiation
application.
• The most widely used disinfectant is chlorine as it satisfies the criteria of an ideal
disinfectant because it is soluble and stable in water, non-poisonous to higher organisms
or humans, quickly and cheaply available, and toxic to the pathogen at low
concentration.
• Sometimes, sodium hypochlorite is also used to disinfect wastewater and to remove any
remaining disease-causing microorganisms.
• Ultraviolet (UV) light and ozone can be used instead of chlorine, iodine, or other
chemicals. UV radiation causes damage to the genetic structure of bacteria, viruses, and
other pathogens, making them incapable of reproduction. Ozone (O3) is generated by
passing oxygen (O2) through a high voltage potential resulting in a third
oxygen atom becoming attached and forming O3. Ozone is very unstable and reactive and
oxidizes most organic material it comes in contact with, thereby destroying many
pathogenic microorganisms.
b) Biological nutrients removal
• The biological nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen are also eliminated prior to release
in water bodies. Biological nitrogen removal is done by assimilation, nitrification, and
denitrification steps, whereas an anaerobic phosphorus stripper is required for biological

Sewage Treatment

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Exploitation of Natural microbial

communities in Treatment of Sewage

• Destruction of the deadly pathogens.

• To counterbalance coarse particles.

• Elimination of poisonous substances.

• The activated sludge treatment system consists of an aeration tank followed by a

1. To kill or inactivate pathogenic organisms in the treated effluent prior to

2. And to reduce the nutrient content of wastewater to prevent uncontrolled

• Disinfection is the inactivation of disease-causing microorganisms. This can be done by

passing oxygen (O2) through a high voltage potential resulting in a third

b) Biological nutrients removal

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