Seth's+Research+Paper

Seth's home page

Wastewater treatment Seth wood LA IV Wastewater treatment and what happens to the wastewater after it gets treated is important to the environment and the things living in it. In this paper I will explain the primary, secondary and the tertiary treatments of wastewater and the disposal of sludge. The primary treatment's first thing to do is to screen out large objects to prevent clogging of lines or tank wastewater pipes. Secondly this goes in to a grit chamber that slows down the wastewater so the sludge falls to the bottom of the tank. The third step, the wastewater goes into a sedimentation tank that allows more of the sludge to fall to the bottom and is pumped out and the oils are skimmed off. The secondary treatment begins with something called activated sludge. This uses microorganisms to break down organic materials. The second thing to put it through is a trickling filter. This uses a bed of rocks 3-10 feet deep so the wastewater is shot into the air onto the rock so the microorganisms that grow on the rocks break down the solids. The third thing is to put it in a lagoon. This step relies on sunlight, algae, microorganisms and oxygen. Tertiary treatment begins with the use of chlorine or ozone or even the use of ultraviolet light. This removes nitrogen and phosphorous and carbon. This process can be either physical, biological or chemical. The last thing in all the treatments is the disposal of sludge. This is either used for fertilizer on farms or is disposed of by burning or burying them. All in all the primary, secondary and the tertiary treatments all work together to clean and sanitize the wastewater so its safe to drink or to be discarded into the river.

Biosolids Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials formed from the treatment of sewage in a wastewater treatment plant. Biosolids can be used for fertilizer on farms to improve the soil. Biosolids are made from human waste and other organic materials. Some materials would be found in the industrial wastewater that comes from businesses like taxidermy or restaurants. “Once the wastewater reaches the plant, the sewage goes through physical, chemical and biological processes which clean the wastewater and remove the solids. If necessary, the solids are then treated with lime to raise the pH level to eliminate objectionable odors. The wastewater treatment processes sanitize wastewater solids to control pathogens (disease-causing organisms, such as certain bacteria, viruses and parasites) and other organisms capable of transporting disease” ( __[|www.epa.gov]\owm\mtb\biosolids\genqa.htm__). Biosolids can be a good thing to use. Here are some things that are good about them. Biosolids treatment can create jobs for people in need of work. It is  a cost effective method for the disposal of solid waste.  The biosolids can be r  ecycled instead of putting it in landfills.   There can be some bad things about biosolids as well. Biosolids can cause potential  health hazards. B  iosolids m   ay contain hazardous chemicals and can possibly be transferable to crops or the soil used for crops.   Contamination resulting from accumulation of industrial   wastewater might not be treated good enough to get chemicals out of the waste. Biosolids are good and bad for the environment. There are ways to make biosolids safer like more regulations or the use of safer chemicals for the wastewater. It is made up of organic waste from sewer systems and septic systems. Biosolids are treated in a wastewater treatment plant. Conventional Systems Conventional systems are septic tank systems that are a type of underground holding tank that is meant to hold the household wastewater. This system is not the greatest system to have for it must be pumped out every 2 years. The size of the tank depends on the size of the house (if your house was as big as the school then the tank would need a large area of land). Conventional systems are low cost and most of the cost goes to pumping it out every 2-3 years. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">They are low maintenance because they have no electrical or moving parts. Conventional systems are a type of <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">gravity fed septic system. Gravity fed systems are systems that have no pumps but rely on downhill momentum. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Conventional systems are likely to overflow into your yard if not maintained or pumped out. This type of system must have a two-foot separation that must be maintained between the bottom of the distribution system and saturated soils or restrictive soils such as heavy clay or rock. Conventional systems must have a certain type of soil or rock on it or it will fail. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Ecologically Engineered Systems <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Ecologically engineered systems are a better type of septic tank then a conventional system. This is better made for wetter areas. These tanks are bigger and stronger then the others and more environmentally friendly. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Ecologically engineered systems are less likely to overflow and don't need to be pumped as often as the conventional systems need to be. They break down the biosolids faster then the conventional systems. This works in all types of soil and rock so the location wouldn't matter. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">An ecologically engineered system comes in two forms. The first is a tank and the 2nd uses a type of manmade wetland. The wetland uses plants for the treatment of the wastewater. This promotes animal habitat and a safer way to treat wastewater. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Ecologically engineered systems are very expensive. They use pumps and other electrical parts so they have a very high maintenance cost. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">What are the Effects on the environment if wastewater is not treated? <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">If untreated or improperly treated sewage gets into streams or ponds, the organic material can deplete the oxygen, which can kill fish and other aquatic life. When a lagoon has an overload or has a low oxygen level then untreated wastewater can leak out of the lagoons. There is a risk for high algae blooms in the untreated water. This can make the water unsafe and also will kill the bacteria that break down the waste. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">In this paper, I have talked about the primary, secondary and the tertiary treatments of wastewater and the disposal of sludge. Also I talked about the effects on the environment. There are many ways to treat wastewater and many more ways to harm the environment if we aren't careful. We must be careful on what we put in the environment for it may not be healthy for the plants and wildlife as well as people.