Saturday 9 January 2016

Basics Relating To Sewage Water Treatment System

By Stephanie Richardson


Sewage is made up of more than 90% water. The constituents vary depending on the source. Domestic wastewater is usually drawn from toilets, plumbing fixtures, dishwashers, laundry, bath and so on. Commercial sources includes manufacturing plants, restaurants and other businesses. A sewage water treatment system is needed to separate the water from the solid waste before it is disposed of.

The rules and regulations that guide the installment of treatment plants vary as you travel from one country or state to another. It is important that you make yourself conversant with what applies in your case. In general, most on-site plants have only two stages of treatment before the effluent is release. Larger plants serving cities and townships are often more advanced and process the effluent in four stages.

In the first stage, also known as the primary stage, large objects are removed using fine screens. These typically include wood, plastic and rags. Aeration is then done to remove the fine particles which mainly comprise grit and sand. More solid waste is removed through the process of sedimentation. The solid that settles at the bottom of the tanks is referred to as sludge.

In the secondary stage, the main task is the removal of organic waste. This process is carried out in a number of large tanks known as digesters. Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria combine to greatly reduce the amount of organic waste in the effluent. The amount of nutrients is also reduced and by extension, the number of pathological organisms. Sedimentation is repeated to yield more sludge before the effluent is released to a large holding pond.

The tertiary stage is the final stage. A number of processes take place here. Biological filters are used to optimize on the other stages. The filters biodegrade any organic matter left from the other stages and also reduce the levels of foam, ammonia, oil and grease. Disinfection is done using chlorine, ozone and UV radiation. The color clears and odor is eliminated after all these process.

There are a number of differences in treatment systems but overall the results are more or less the same. One of the fundamental differences that exist is the use of enzymes rather than microorganisms in some of the systems. In the enzyme system of filtration, a blend of enzymes are added to the wastewater at the secondary and tertiary stages to help breakdown the organic matter.

The enzyme based system appears to be falling out of favor due to a number of disadvantages that have been realized. One of the major disadvantages is the fact that it is not practically possible to produce all the enzymes required to biodegrade all the organic matter in the effluent. This makes the system less efficient. Additionally, it is a more expensive undertaking. When microorganisms are used they can synthesize each of the required enzymes.

If you are planning to have a wastewater treatment system, there are two options to consider; setting up your own or getting a connection to the regional sewerage pipeline. The former is often quite tasking especially if one is planning on the advanced (four-stage) system. A simpler (two-stage) system works for most people. The important thing is to be aware of the installation guidelines that exist.




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