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How Waste-Water Treatment Works: Wastewater Process Explained

The removal of contaminants from wastewater, or sewage, before it reaches aquifers or natural bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, estuaries, and seas is known as waste-water treatment. Because pure water does not exist outside of chemical laboratories, any differentiation between clean and contaminated water is based on the type and concentration of pollutants contained in the water, as well as its intended purpose. Water is said to be polluted in broad terms when it contains enough contaminants to make it inappropriate for a specific use, such as drinking, swimming, or fishing. We must pay close attention to waste-water services in order to ensure leading a healthy life. Ingesting water that is contaminated with harmful toxins can lead to unwanted health consequences which can be avoided by installing waste-water treatment plants. 

There are two processes to treat contaminated and sewerage water:

  • Aerobic process
  • Anaerobic process

The aerobic process involves treating toxic water with oxygen, whereas the anaerobic process treats water without the presence of oxygen. As aerobic bacteria tends to be the higher life form, it makes use of the oxygen present while digesting the waste-water. Anaerobic bacteria on the other hand treats and digests the waste-water through acid fermentation. 

In this article, we explore the process of waste-water treatment step by step. 

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The Aerobic Process: 

Using the ‘Aerobic Activated Sludge’ process, in an oxygen rich environment, the wastewater is treated with digestion of organic matter. This process takes a few hours as compared to the anaerobic process that can take up to 70 to 90 days.

The aerobic process has two main steps in its treatment cycle: 

  • Aerobic digestion is also referred to as Activated Sludge which is produced through the aeration of the incoming contaminated water which is then mixed with a deposit known as bacterial biomass and this is also where the digestion of ammonia and other nutrients takes place. It is essentially the metabolisation of organic substances with the help of microorganisms. 
  • Once the bacterial biomass clumps together and settles down, the solid retains whereas the water, through decanting, is drained out. The retained clumps of biomass stay within the system indefinitely, ready to get mixed with more incoming sewage that needs to be digested and oxidised. This process of digestion goes on in a continuous cycle that takes place in an oxygen-rich environment. 

Biomass helps in converting these complex substances into simpler ones like carbon dioxide and water which warms up the substrate highly. Active sludge that has been in the process for more than 5 days develops a sufficient amount of aerobic bacteria to digest ammonia and other nutrients.

The Anaerobic Process:

When organic matter is allowed to purify through acid fermentation in a septic tank, anaerobic digestion takes place. The septic process produces sulphur compounds that act as food for sulphur seeking microorganisms. This process is bound to release odorous smells as we go further into the process. This septic process can take up to months as compared to a few hours taken up by the aerobic process of treating waste-water. 

 

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This is a two-stage treatment process in which both the steps do not complement each other at all but are at the opposite sides of the biological spectrum.

  1. The primary process is septic (anaerobic), 
  2. The secondary process is aerobic. 

The primary phase of this process is septic. This septic process has no parameters when it comes to the loading situation, but it depends on the retention of the solid clumps through floatation and settling. These solid clumps are converted into bacteria cells that are retained in the system as sludge. This sludge will now stay in the system and mix with inflowing waste-water to go through the above discussed aerobic process. Anaerobic treatment is preferred when the dissolved organic concentrations in the water are high. 

Iconic Water Solutions is one of the best waste-water treatments Perth has to offer its residents. Iconic Water Solutions provide waste-water treatment plants for residential and commercial needs. With our wealth of experience and industry knowledge, we ensure that our high performing treatment plants give you the results you need. We perform timely maintenance checks for our installed plants so that nothing obstructs optimal performance. Get in touch with us today to discuss a detailed plan!