Wastewater treatment removes contaminants so that the resulting effluent can be discharged or reused with an acceptable impact on the environment. This lesson introduces the purpose of treatment, the importance of choosing a suitable process, and the main types of treatment plants.
Wastewater treatment is a process that removes contaminants from water after it has been used. The treated output is called effluent. Its quality should be suitable for its intended destination, such as discharge to a water body or reuse as reclaimed water.
All flashcards
What is wastewater treatment?
A process that removes contaminants from wastewater so the resulting effluent can be discharged or reused with an acceptable impact on the environment.
What is effluent?
The treated wastewater leaving a treatment process or plant.
What is on-site pretreatment?
Treatment performed at an industrial site before its wastewater is sent to a municipal sewage treatment plant.
What are common by-products of wastewater treatment?
Sludge is the main by-product. Biogas can also be produced when the process uses anaerobic treatment.
What is phase separation?
A process that transfers impurities from water into a non-aqueous phase, allowing them to be removed from the wastewater.
Quiz questions
What physical principle does sedimentation use to separate particles from wastewater?Answer: Gravity settles sufficiently dense particles when flow conditions allow.
What is the purpose of a grit channel in sewage treatment?Answer: It settles dense grit while less-dense material continues onward.
How does anaerobic treatment break down organic matter?Answer: Microorganisms act on organic matter in the absence of oxygen.
Which limitation applies to anaerobic treatment used on its own?Answer: It does not effectively remove pathogens, nitrogen, and phosphorus by itself.
How does activated carbon filtering improve wastewater quality during polishing?Answer: It removes remaining impurities through chemical adsorption.