EIT-M

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by

applying the four stages of the wastewater treatment process
Authored by: Guest

[Type
the document
subtitle]
Mekelle
university

Department of chemical

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 2
Statement of the Problem....................................................................................... 3
Objective................................................................................................................. 4
General objective:................................................................................................ 4
Specific objective................................................................................................. 4
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................5
2.1. Composition of Wastewater.............................................................................. 5
2.2. Wastewater treatment process........................................................................6
2.2.1. Preliminary treatment................................................................................6
2.2.2. Primary treatment.................................................................................... 10
2.2.3. Secondary Treatment...............................................................................11
2.2.4. Tertiary and Advanced Wastewater Treatment.........................................14
2.3. Advantage and disadvantage of wastewater treatment techniques..............15
2.4. Reasons for wastewater reuse........................................................................16
2.5. Application of treated wastewater..................................................................17
CHAPTER 3: CONCLUSION........................................................................................ 18
CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATION............................................................................... 19

[Type text]

Page 1

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

Abstract

Treatment of institutional (mekelle university arid campus) wastewater supplying a safe and
comfortable environment to students and workers around the campus. The wastewater produces
at the campus makes the students and worker discomfort and also polluted the environment due
to formation of bad odor and other harmful biological and chemical agents which can affect
directly or indirectly on the society. It has been found that it is technically possible to treat the
wastewater based on four stage of wastewater treatment (preliminary, primary, secondary and
tertiary) to meet the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) standard.

[Type text]

Page 2

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Wastewater treatment is being used both in small scales and large scales in Ethiopia. Due
Emphasis has also been given for applications of for industries and others as means of reducing
harmful agents, environmental burden, and reducing way to live comfortable.
Applications in industrial, municipal and domestic are also seen in major parts of the country.
For instance the Raya brewery factory has well installed wastewater treatment in order to treat
the wastes accumulated from various sections for the sake of creation of safe working
environment and the society around the fabric. Application of wastewater treatment in any
university of the country has not installed. However research on institutional wastewater
treatment is observed in some universities. Currently there is no university who has applied
wastewater treatment plant for use in reducing bad odor, organic matter which can create unsafe
environment. The rising number of students and using water for cleaning caf, bath room,
laundry and human waste creates high wastewater. The main research question emanates from
these facts. How can wastewater treatment contribute in reducing bad odor and eliminating
environmental problem in university.

[Type text]

Page 3

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

Statement of the Problem

In mekelle university at arid campus there is various sources of wastewaters like
wastewater from laundry, toilet, laboratory, cafe, bath room, lounge and human waste
which can be affect/harm the environment as well as the peoples who live around the
campus (arid) either bad odor exist or contact with skin. Then in order to prevent/protect
from exposure of those contaminants different stages of wastewater treatment
mechanisms are takes place.

Objective
General objective:

The general objective of this study is treatment of wastewater in Mekelle University at

Arid campus using different stage of prevention mechanism. The aim is to create a safe
environmental condition and comfortable to live, to protect health of the people around
the campus.

Specific objective

To characterize the effluent wastewater parameters including BOD 5, COD, TSS and TDS,
TN,TP and NH3-N
To reduce formation of bad odor
Removal of pollutants and the protection and preservation of our natural water resources.

[Type text]

Page 4

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Before the late 1800s, the general means of disposing human excrement was the outdoor privy
while the major proportion of the population used to go for open defecation. Sewage treatment
systems were introduced in cities after Louis Pasteur and other scientists showed that sewage
born bacteria were responsible for many infectious diseases. The Early attempts, in the 900s, at
treating sewage usually consisted of acquiring large farms and spreading the sewage over the
land, where it decayed under the action of micro-organisms. It was soon found that the land
became 'sick'. Later attempts included the discharge of wastewater directly into the water bodies,
but it resulted in significant deterioration of the water quality of such bodies. These attempts
relied heavily on the selfcleansing capacities of land and water bodies and it was soon realized
that nature couldn't act as an indefinite sink. In general from about 1900 to the early 1970s
treatment objectives were concerned with:1. The removal of suspended and floatable material from wastewater.
2. The treatment of biodegradable organics (BOD removal).
3. The elimination of disease-causing pathogenic micro-organisms
The CWA (clean water act) requires that municipal wastewater treatment plant discharges meet a
minimum of 'secondary treatment'. Over 30 percent of the wastewater treatment facilities today
produce cleaner discharges by providing even greater levels of treatment than secondary.

2.1. Composition of Wastewater

Wastewaters consist of water in which solids exist as settleable particles, dispersed as colloids,
which are materials that do not settle readily, or solids in a dissolved state. The wastewater
mixture will contain large numbers of microscopic organisms, mostly bacteria that are capable of
consuming the organic component (fats, proteins and carbohydrates) of the mixture and bringing
about rapid changes in the wastewater. Since the sources of wastewater as well as the inputs are
highly variable and since there is also an active microbial component, the composition of all
wastewaters is constantly changing. Prior to entering a wastewater treatment plant, a wastewater
is sometimes called raw wastewater or raw sewage.

[Type text]

Page 5

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
The solid components of wastewaters actually represent a very small part of most discharges,
usually less than 0.1 percent by weight. However, it is this small component of the wastewater
that presents the major challenges in wastewater treatment, operation and disposal. Essentially,
the water component, the other 99.9 percent can be viewed as providing the volume and the
vehicle for transporting the solid and microbial component of the wastewater.
Although the solid component of wastewaters was noted above as consisting of less than 0.1
percent by weight of the wastewater, the common method used to express the components of
water is not percentage. The amount of materials commonly found in or added to wastewater are
more easily expressed as a concentration in milligrams per liter. This is sometimes still called
parts per million. For practical purposes, these terms may be considered equal. For purposes of
conversion, one milligram per liter is equivalent to 8.34 pounds per million gallons.
Considered chemically, wastewater is a very complex mixture of components that would be
difficult to completely define. In broad terms, it consists of an organic and an inorganic
component. Although a variety of chemical tests are used to characterize wastewaters, not all of
the chemical components will be discussed, only the most important. Probably the most often
measured characteristics of wastewater are suspended solids and BOD. Because solids are an
important category in wastewaters, their composition is explained in some detail.

2.2. Wastewater treatment process

By definition, process means a series of actions or changes. Treatment facilities incorporate
numerous processes which in combination achieve the desired water quality objectives. These
processes involve the separation, removal and disposal of pollutants present in the wastewater.
The treatment of wastewater is accomplished by four basic methods or techniques; preliminary,
primary, secondary, and tertiary.
2.2.1. Preliminary treatment

Preliminary removes all materials that can be easily collected from the raw sewage before they
damage or clog the pumps and sewage lines of primary treatment clarifiers. Objects commonly
removed during Preliminary include trash, tree limbs, leaves, branches, and other large objects.

[Type text]

Page 6

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
The influent in sewage water passes through a bar screen to remove all large objects like cans,
rags, sticks, plastic packets etc. carried in the sewage stream. This is most commonly done with
an automated mechanically raked bar screen in modern plants serving large populations, while in
smaller or less modern plants, a manually cleaned screen may be used. The raking action of a
mechanical bar screen is typically paced according to the accumulation on the bar screens and/or
flow rate. The solids are collected and later disposed in a landfill, or incinerated. Bar screens or
mesh screens of varying sizes may be used to optimize solids removal. If gross solids are not
removed, they become entrained in pipes and moving parts of the treatment plant, and can cause
substantial damage and inefficiency in the process.

Mechanical Processes
1. Screening
The first unit operation encountered in wastewater-treatment plants is screening. A screen is a
device with openings, generally of uniform size that is used to retain the coarse solids found in
wastewater.
According to the method of cleaning, screens are designated as hand cleaned or mechanically
cleaned.
According to the size of openings, screens are designated as coarse or fine. Coarse screens
have openings of inch or more, and fine screens have openings of less than inch.

[Type text]

Page 7

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
Fig: Mechanical Screen

Fig: Definition sketch for types of screens used in wastewater treatment

2. Grit chamber
Preliminary may include a sand or grit channel or chamber, where the velocity of the incoming
sewage is adjusted to allow the settlement of sand, grit, stones, and broken glass. These particles
are removed because they may damage pumps and other equipment. For small sanitary sewer
systems, the grit chambers may not be necessary, but grit removal is desirable at larger plants.
[7]

Grit chambers come in 3 types: horizontal grit chambers, aerated grit chambers and vortex grit

chambers. The process is called sedimentation.

Aerated grit chamber:
Diffused air keeps organic
Solids in suspension as grit
Settles

[Type text]

Page 8

Vortex - Type
Grit Chambers

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

Vortex is created
-Grit move to the outside
Of the unit and gets
collected

3. Flow Equalization
Flow equalization is used to overcome the operational problems caused by flow variations, to
improve the performance of the downstream processes, and is also used as an emergency tank to
equalize wastewater effluent in case of any process failure in the treatment process.
the design must provide for sufficient mixing to prevent solids deposition and concentration
variations and also to provide aeration to prevent odor problems.
The best location for equalization facilities to be at existing and proposed treatment plant sites.
In some cases, equalization after primary treatment and before biological treatment may be
appropriate.

[Type text]

Page 9

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
Location

2.2.2. Primary treatment

In this treatment, most of the settleable solids are separated or removed from the
wastewater by the physical process of sedimentation. The objective of primary treatment
is the removal of settle-able organic and inorganic solids by sedimentation, and the
removal of materials that will float (scum) by skimming. Approximately 25 to 50% of the
incoming biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), 50 to 70% of the total suspended solids
(SS), and 65% of the oil and grease are removed during primary treatment. Some organic
nitrogen, organic phosphorus, and heavy metals associated with solids are also removed
during primary sedimentation. In many industrialized countries, primary treatment is the
minimum level of pre-application treatment required for wastewater irrigation. Primary
sedimentation tanks or clarifiers may be round or rectangular basins, typically 3 to 5 m
deep, with hydraulic retention time between 2 and 3 hours.

[Type text]

Page 10

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
Settled solids (primary sludge) are normally removed from the bottom of tanks by sludge
rakes that scrape the sludge to a central well from which it is pumped to sludge
processing units. Scum is swept across the tank surface by water jets or mechanical
means from which it is also pumped

Fig: sedimentation tank and clarifier

2.2.3. Secondary Treatment

Secondary treatment depends primarily upon aerobic organisms which biochemically decompose
the organic solids to inorganic or stable organic solids. It is comparable to the zone of recovery
in the self-purification of a stream.
The devices used in secondary treatment may be divided into four groups:

[Type text]

Trickling filters with secondary settling tanks

Activated sludge and modifications with final settling tanks

Intermittent sand filters

Stabilization ponds
Page 11

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

Fig: A generalized, schematic diagram

Fig: A typical complete trickling

filter system

of an activated sludge process

The use of chlorine with secondary treatment is discussed under the section on Secondary
Treatment
Chlorination

This is a method of treatment which has been employed for many purposes in all stages
in wastewater treatment, and even prior to preliminary treatment. It involves the
application of chlorine to the wastewater for the following purposes:
1. Disinfection or destruction of pathogenic organisms
2. Prevention of wastewater decomposition -(a) Odor control, and
(b) protection of plant structures
3. Aid in plant operation -(a) Sedimentation,
(b) trickling filters,
(c) activated sludge bulking

[Type text]

Page 12

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
4. Reduction or delay of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
While chlorination has been commonly used over the years, especially for disinfection,
other methods to achieve disinfection as well as to achieve similar treatment ends are also
used. Among the most common is the use of ozone. In view of the toxicity of chlorine
and chlorinated compounds for fish as well as other living forms, ozonation may be more
commonly used in the future. This process will be more fully discussed in the section on
disinfection.
Sludge Treatment
The solids removed from wastewater in both primary and secondary treatment units,
together with the water removed with them, constitute wastewater sludge. It is generally
necessary to subject sludge to some treatment to prepare or condition it for ultimate
disposal. Such treatment has two objectives -- the removal of part or all of the water in
the sludge to reduce its volume, and the decomposition of the putrescible organic solids
to mineral solids or to relatively stable organic solids. This is accomplished by a
combination of two or more of the following methods:
1. Thickening
2. Digestion with or without heat
3. Drying on sand bed -- open or covered
4. Conditioning with chemicals
5. Elutriation
6. Vacuum filtration
7. Heat drying
8. Incineration
[Type text]

Page 13

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
9. Wet oxidation
10. Centrifuging

Package Units
The term "package units" is used in the field to describe equipment which has been put on the
market by a number of manufacturers that is intended to provide wastewater treatment by the use
of prefabricated or modular units. Package units can also refer to a complete installation,
including both mechanisms and prefabricated containers. This term is also applied to
installations where only the mechanisms are purchased and the containers constructed by the
purchaser in accordance with plans and specifications prepared by the manufacturer.
Though specific limitations have not been established, individual package units have, in general,
been small installations serving a limited population.
Package units have been adapted to practically all the treatment devices, either singly or in
various combinations that have been mentioned.
Disinfection
Primary, secondary and even tertiary treatment cannot by expected to remove 100 percent of the
incoming waste load and as a result, many organisms still remain in the waste stream. To
prevent the spread of waterborne diseases and also to minimize public health problems,
regulatory agencies may require the destruction of pathogenic organisms in wastewaters. While
most of these microorganisms are not pathogens, pathogens must be assumed to be potentially
present. Thus, whenever wastewater effluents are discharged to receiving waters which may be
used for water supply, swimming or shellfishing, the reduction of bacterial numbers to minimize
health hazards is a very desirable goal.
Disinfection is treatment of the effluent for the destruction of all pathogens. Another term that is
sometimes also used in describing the destruction of microorganisms is sterilization.
[Type text]

Page 14

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
Sterilization is the destruction of all microorganisms.

While disinfection indicates the

destruction of all disease causing microorganisms, no attempt is made in wastewater treatment to

obtain sterilization. However, disinfection procedures applied to wastewaters will result in a
substantial reduction of all microbes so that bacterial numbers are reduced to a safe level.
2.2.4. Tertiary and Advanced Wastewater Treatment

Tertiary treatment is simply additional treatment beyond secondary! Tertiary treatment can
remove more than 99 percent of all the impurities from sewage, producing an effluent of almost
drinking-water quality.
The terms "primary" and "secondary" treatment have been used to generally describe a degree of
treatment; for example, settling and biological wastewater treatment. Since the early 1970's
"tertiary" treatment has come into use to describe additional treatment following secondary
treatment. Quite often this merely indicates the use of intermittent sand filters for increased
removal of suspended solids from the wastewater. In other cases, tertiary treatment has been
used to describe processes which remove plant nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorous,
from wastewater.
Improvement and upgrading of wastewater treatment units as well as the need to minimize
environmental effects has led to the increased use of tertiary treatment.
A term that is also sometimes used to indicate treatment of a wastewater by methods other than
primary or biological (secondary) treatment is advanced treatment. This degree of treatment is
usually achieved by chemical (for example coagulation) methods as well as physical methods
(flocculation, settling and activated carbon adsorption) to produce a high quality effluent water.

2.3. Advantage and disadvantage of wastewater treatment

techniques
A recent World Bank Report came out strongly in favour of stabilization ponds as the most
suitable wastewater treatment system for effluent use in agriculture. Table 15 provides a
comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of ponds with those of high-rate biological
wastewater treatment processes. Stabilization ponds are the preferred wastewater treatment

[Type text]

Page 15

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
process in developing countries, where land is often available at reasonable opportunity cost and
skilled labour is in short supply.
Table: Advantages and disadvantages of various sewage treatment systems
C PAE B OAW
ri a c x i x e a
t c t t o i r st
e ki e l d a e
ri a v n o a t st
a g a d g ti e a
e t e i o db
p e d c n il
l d a a d l iz
a s e l it a a
n l r f c g ti
t u a il h o o
d t t on
g i e np
eor
o
pn
n
l a
d
ac
s
nt
y
ti
st
v
e
a
m
t
e
d
s
l
u
d
g
e

P B FF F F GGG
la O
nD
t r
pe
e m
[Type text]

Page 16

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

rf o
ov
r al
m
a
n F PP F P F GG
c C
e r
e
m
o
v
al

S FGGGGFF
S
r
e
m
o
v
al

H PF P P F FG
el
m
i
n
t
h
r
e
m
o
v
[Type text]

Page 17

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

al

V PF P P F GG
ir
u
s
r
e
m
o
v
al

E S PP P P F FG
c i
om
np
o le
ma
ic n
f d
a c
ct h
oe
rs a
p
c
o
n
st
r
u
ct
io
n

S PP P F F PG
i
m
[Type text]

Page 18

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

p
le
o
p
e
r
at
i
o
n

L GGGGGFP
a
n
d
r
e
q
u
ir
e
m
e
n
t

MPP P F P PG
ai
n
te
n
a
n
c
e
c
o
st
[Type text]

Page 19

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

E PP P F P PG
n
e
r
g
y
d
e
m
a
n
d

S PF F F P FG
l
u
d
g
e
r
e
m
o
v
al
c
o
st
s

Key:
FC= Faecal coliforms (facultative anaerobe)
SS= Suspended solids;
G=Good;

[Type text]

Page 20

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process
F=Fair;
P = Poor.

2.4. Reasons for wastewater reuse

The most common reasons for establishing a wastewater reuse program is to identify new water
sources for increased water demand and to find economical ways to meet increasingly more
stringent discharge standards
Types of reuse
Urban reuse- the irrigation of public parks, school yards, highway medians, and residential
landscapes, as well as for fire protection and toilet flushing in commercial and industrial
buildings.
Agricultural reuse- irrigation of nonfood crops, such as fodder and fiber, commercial
nurseries, and pasture lands. High-quality reclaimed water is used to irrigate food crops.
Recreational impoundments- such as pond sand and lakes.
Environmental reuse- creating artificial wetlands, enhancing natural wetlands, and
sustaining stream flows
Industrial reuse- process or makeup water and cooling tower water

2.5. Application of treated wastewater

Agricultural
irrigation
Crop irrigation
Commercial
nurseries
Landscape
irrigation
Parks
School yards
Recreational/ environmental uses
Highway medians
Lakes
and ponds
Golf
courses
Marsh enhancement
Cemeteries
Stream-flow augmentation
Residential
Fisheries
Non-portable urban uses
[Type text]

Industrial recycling
and reuse
Cooling water
Boiler feed
Process water
Heavy construction
Groundwater
recharge
Groundwater
replenishment
Saltwater intrusion
Potable reuse
control
Blending in water supply
Subsidence
control
reservoirs

Page 21

Pipe-to-pipe water supply

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

Fire protection
Air conditioning
Toilet flashing

CHAPTER 3: CONCLUSION
The ultimate goal of wastewater management is the protection of the environment
in a manner commensurate with public health and socio-economic concerns. Based
on the nature of wastewater, it is suggested whether primary, secondary and
tertiary treatment will be carried out before final disposal. Understanding the nature
of wastewater is fundamental to design appropriate wastewater treatment process,
to adopt an appropriate procedure, determination of acceptable criteria for the
residues, determination of a degree of evaluation required to validate the procedure
and decision on the residues to be tested based on toxicity therefore, it is necessary
to ensure the safety, efficacy and quality of the treated wastewater.

[Type text]

Page 22

Treatment of Mekelle university main campus wastewater of by applying the

four stages of the wastewater treatment process

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATION
In institute Mekelle University (arid campus) there is a wastewater join together from different
portion of The university water users so due to this we recommended to the university to design
(construct) small scale wastewater treatment in the campus for further advantage using anaerobic
wastewater treatment and producing biogas for students caf as a fuel supply instead of log
consumption and cost for the transportation of the log and effort worker at the cooking time.

[Type text]

Page 23