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Wastewater Management Report
by Armelle de Vienne
Introduction:
The necessity for adequate wastewater management is crucial. Roughly 1.8 million children
under the age of five die every year from water related diseases: that equates to a child dying
every 20 seconds. This figure is not surprising when we look at the two million tons of sewage
that is not properly disposed of but rather released into the worlds waterways. This figure
represents the 90% of developing countries water that is not dealt with correctly. This
discharge of wastewater that is left to flood the worlds waterways is not only a health concern
for the people of the region, but it is also a growing environmental problem. Its been estimated
that roughly 245,000 km
2
of marine ecosystems have been infected and the wastewater
discharge has been part of the reason why de-oxygenated dead zones in seas and oceans have
been increasing.
1

It is imperative that the world becomes concerned with wastewater management. Investing in
clean water will not only support several of the Millennium Goals but it also makes sense from
an economical point of view. According to a report from the Green Economy Initiative, every
US dollar invested in clean water and sanitation has a pay back of US $3- US $34, depending
on the region and the technology used. For these reasons, proper wastewater management is not
only a fundamental necessity to aid health and protect and restore the environment, but it is also
a practical financial investment.
Technology:
Wastewater treatment generally consists of applying various different technologies to improve
wastewater quality. Generally wastewater will be collected in a wastewater treatment plant,
after which it is subjected to a variety of processes to help purify the water. The general
treatment can be seen in Figure 1:


1
http://www.unep.org/pdf/SickWater_screen.pdf




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Figure 1: Wastewater Treatment Process

Available at: http://watertreatmentprocess.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/sewagetreatment-
waste-watertreatment-process.jpg
From this image we can see a physical process taking place which involves the physical
separation of water and waste or brine. This process can include sedimentation, screening,
aeration, filtration, flotation and skimming, degasification, and/or equalization. We next can
also see a chemical process taking place when the water passes through Cl2 (lq) in order to be
disinfected. Other methods of disinfection would include ozonation, neutralization,
coagulation, adsorption, and/or ion exchange. Lastly, the biological process that takes place is
with regards to the sludge digesters. This is in order to treat the sludge or waste in order to
prevent the waste to be disposed of somewhere else and cause harmful effects. As there are so
many processes that go into managing wastewater and purifying it, there are also countless
technologies under each of the processes: physical, chemical, and biological.
Membrane Technology Used in Wastewater Treatment:
Similar technology that has been used for desalination of seawater can also be used with regards
to wastewater. Reverse osmosis and membrane systems have already been used in wastewater
treatment plants and recently, two large scale wastewater reclamation plants, utilizing
membrane technology were commissioned in Singapore and in California, the United States.
Other membrane technologies used in wastewater treatment include membrane bioreactors,
low-pressure membranes, and high-pressure membranes. Membrane bioreactors usually use
microfiltration or ultrafiltration membranes immersed in vacuum systems or implemented in
external pressure-driven membrane units. Low-pressure membranes also tend to us MF or UF
membranes, however these provide a higher percentage of removal after secondary clarification
as the solids are more greatly suspended. These UF membranes are also effective for virus
removal. Lastly, the high-pressure membranes use either nanofiltration or reverse osmosis
pressure systems to produce high-quality product water that can be reused.




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Treating wastewater with membrane systems has been on the rise for the last 30 years and it
seems to be not only a viable solution but also an efficient and effective one.
Other Methods:
Other solutions for wastewater treatment, which have been used in a number of locations
throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, use natural aquatic and terrestrial systems. The
most common type of aquatic system is a facultative lagoon. This system acts like a primary
clarifier of a conventional sewage treatment system. It allows the heavier solids to sink to the
bottom and the lighter solids to float to the top, creating a layer of aerobic water on the top and
an anaerobic layer on the bottom. In the intermediate layers reside micro-organisms that are
capable of oxidizing both dissolved and suspended organics from the wastewater.
Constructed wetlands, aquacultural operations, and sand filters have typically been the most
successful in removing solids from wastewater lagoons.
2
These systems have also been
enhanced through the use of primary treatment technologies such as septic tanks, Imhoff tanks,
and primary clarifiers. Most constructed wetland systems have two different designs that can
be used. While both uses plant roots to provide substrate for the growth of bacteria, which
nourishes itself on the wastewater effluents, one of the designs uses surface water flows and the
other uses subsurface flows.
Another natural aquatic method is through the use of sand filters. There are two types of designs
that exist with this system as well. The first is an intermittent and the second is a recirculating
design. Why intermittent systems are flooded with waste water, they are then required to be
completely flushed out until it is flooded again. Recirculating systems include a pump that
recirculates the wastewater to the filter in a ratio of 3 to 5 parts filter effluent to 1 part raw
wastewater.
3
Both systems use a sand layer under which a collection system of open joint pipes
that is enclosed within graded gravel lies. These systems, although mainly offering biological
treatment of wastewater through the epiphytic flora that exists within the sand and gravel grains,
physical filtration and chemical treatment is also present in these systems.
Terrestrial treatment systems are another method of treating wastewater and these systems have
several benefits. In general, these systems have low maintenance costs and some provide water
for groundwater recharge, reforestation, agrticulture, and/or livestock pasturage.
4
The terrestrial
treatment systems include slow-rate overland flow, slow-rate subsurface infiltration, and rapid
infiltration methods.
Slow-rate overland flow may be the mostly costly to install, yet they provide the most positive
feedback with regards to monetary investment and sustainable development. Slow-rate
overland flow systems have the ability to reuse water and nutrients to be used for agricultural
purposes or reforestation projects. Overland flow systems have the advantage of being low
maintenance and requiring little technical manpower. The slow rate system works in that
primary or secondary wastewater is intermittently applied across the tops of terraces constructed
on low permeable soil, and then flowing across the vegetation, and then flowing into collection

2
http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea59e/ch25.htm
3
http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea59e/ch25.htm
4
http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea59e/ch25.htm




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channels. This system mainly treats the wastewater through sedimentation, filtration, and
biochemical activity as the water flows across the vegetation. The biochemical activity allows
for filtration, adsorption, ion exchange, precipitation, and microbial action. This makes
vegetation not only a vital component of the treatment of wastewater but it also allows for the
extraction of nutrients, protection against erosion, and the maintenance of soil permeability.
The difference with rapid infiltration systems is that these do not require vegetation like the
overland flow methods. Wastewater is applied moderate-highly permeable soils and the cleaned
effluent drains naturally into surface waters. Here the main goal is to convert ammonia nitrogen
to nitrate nitrogen in the water before discharging it.
Physical Step
API Oil-Water Separator: This is a device that is used to separate oil and suspended solids from
the wastewater. It is especially used with regards to wastewater sewage from oil refineries,
petrochemical plants, chemical plants, natural gas processing plants, and other industrial
sources.
Chemical Step
Advanced oxidation: This processes helps to remove organic and inorganic waste materials in
wastewater by means of oxidation. This process is especially helpful in cleaning biologically
toxic or non-degradable materials such as aromatics, pesticides, and petroleum elements.
MixAlco: This process includes both biological and chemical components, which result in a
bioconversion of biomass to mixed alcohol fuels. In doing so, more energy from biomass will
end up as liquid fuels than in converting biomass to ethanol by yeast fermentation.
Powdered block filters and Granular Activated Filers: Both of these are carbon filters. Carbon
block filters are especially successful at removing larger number of contaminants through
chemical absorption. They are effective in removing chlorine, sediment, and volatile organic
compounds but do not remove minerals, salts, or dissolved inorganic compounds as well.
Biological Step
Activated Sludge: using air and biological floc, the activated sludge process helps to oxidize
carbonaceous matter, oxidize nitrogenous matter, remove phosphate, and drive off gases
including carbon dioxide, ammonia, and nitrogen.
Aerated Lagoon: an aerated lagoon is a holding area in which artificial aeration is applied to
the wastewater to promote biological oxidation.
Aerobic Treatment Systems: Generally best used in single homes or small groups, this system
is similar to a septic tank system. However, the difference is that the aerobic treatment systems
uses an aerobic process for digestion rather than an anaerobic process.




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Anaerobic Digestion: Anaerobic digestion includes a series of processes in which
microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. An anaerobic
filter is a form of anaerobic digestion.
Septic Tank: These are small-scale sewage treatment systems in which waste discharged into
the tank can decompose or mineralize. These tanks can be combined with other wastewater
treatment units such as biofilters or aerobic systems.
Imhoff tank: This is another unit used to process sewage. It does so by settling and
sedimentation, after which the extracted sludge is subjected to anaerobic digestions.
EcocycIET: This system is a closed-loop system that is able to treat wastewater by removing
pollutants through a process known as evapotranspiration. Waste matter from septic tanks,
greywater etc. is recirculated through beds of sand, crushed gravel, and specified vegetation.
There micro-organisms will convert the waste matter into nutrients for the plants to use and the
bed liner will ensure that no sewage enters the subsurface environment.
Trickling filter: This technology works in that wastewater is poured over a bed of media (rocks,
lava, gravel, peat moss, ceramic etc.), which causes a layer of biofilm to grow on top of this
layer. As waste water passes through the system, the waste matter will stay along the bed, air
and CO2 will be released, and the treated water will be produced.
Figure 2: Cross section of a Trickling Filter

Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trickle_Filter_Cross-section.png
MARKET
The global wastewater treatment and recovery systems market in 2010 was estimated at $6.5
billion and it is expected to reach $29.4 billion in 2020.
5
This is likely to happen as governments
and the worlds population begins to take water scarcity and the vulnerability of our
environment more seriously.

5
http://business.ezinemark.com/wastewater-treatment-and-recovery-systems-market-to-2020-31c635f4fbc.html




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Middle East and North Africa
There are two aspects to wastewater that make adequate wastewater management vital for our
future. The first is that it can cause damage to our already degrading environment, and secondly,
if treated correctly, it has the possibility to reduce our freshwater intake from other sources. As
populations continue to grow, creating a higher demand for water, and climate change begins
to have a larger impact on water scarcity; one of the big trends that we will likely see is the
reuse of wastewater for agricultural purposes. This has already started to happen in certain
Middle Eastern countries as well as North African countries as well. Israel and Tunisia, for
example, have very efficient wastewater reuse facilities. These countries might provide a model
for countries such as Jordon, Morocco, Algeria, the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, and Yemen, which
currently do not have adequate systems. As these countries reside in arid regions, it is likely,
however, that we will see a growing demand for wastewater treatment facilities in these regions
and in fact, the Gulf has already started to invest in these sorts of facilities.
In the United Arab Emirates, for example, the Abu Dhabi Water& Electricity recently
constructed two wastewater treatment plants in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, which cost roughly USD
$91 million.
China
China, is another country that will see a large increase in investments in wastewater
management technologies. Not only does China suffer from water scarcity, but it is increasingly
suffering from public health and water-borne diseases. Thus, as China continues to industrialize
and its government continues to impose legislation on water treatment, it will become a major
investor in wastewater treatment technologies. While currently, membrane technologies are still
somewhat criticized in China for their high costs, as membrane technology prices continue to
drop, these will likely be the type of treatment plants that will emerge in the area.
India
India is another prime example of a rapidly growing market. With a growing population and
increasing urbanization, India is forced to update its sewage treatment; and thus, it has and will
continue to increase its investments in wastewater treatment. In fact, Indias water and
wastewater market is said to be growing roughly 10-12% per year, with the government
contributing to over half of the related projects.
6
This just further goes to show that increased
pressure has resulted not only in the private sector from investing in such technologies but that
the government is finally forced to act as well.
Brazil
80% of Brazils population still needs to be connected to a sewage treatment facility. It is these
kinds of conditions that make Brazil a growing investor in wastewater treatment facilities. A
program launched by the Brazilian government called Programa de Aceleracao de Crescimento
(PAC) is an investment program aimed to target this 80% of the population and provide the
entire population of Brazil by 2020. It is this kind of investment, as well as new legislation that

6
http://www.ivgpartners.com/reports/US%20India%20Water%20Opportunities.pdf




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is driving the action for adequate wastewater treatment facilities and is making Brazil a new
player in the market.
Conclusion
As we observe regions and countries that are slowly making their way into the wastewater
treatment market, we can clearly see the driving force behind the progress: government
legislation. This also illustrates the pressing nature of wastewater treatment. Governments have
begun to realize the necessity of investing in wastewater treatment systems. Not only does
poorly treated wastewater contribute to health problems and damage the environment, but
adequately treated water can also help to alleviate our growing demands for water for industrial
and agricultural purposes. This is going to be vital as freshwater scarcity becomes an increasing
threat for the worlds populations.
References:
1. http://www.icis.com/Articles/2009/07/27/9233722/brazils-industrial-and-
waste-water-treatment-market-is-burgeoning.html
2. http://www.cbc-mr.com/pdf/Study-Decentralized%20Watertreatment.pdf
3. http://www.aquamarinepower.com/sites/resources/Reports/2470/Renewable%2
0desalination%20market%20analysis%20-
%20Oceania%20South%20Africa%20Middle%20East%20and%20North%20Africa.p
df
4. http://www.ivgpartners.com/reports/US%20India%20Water%20Opportunities.
pdf
5. http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea59e/ch25.htm
6. http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/ENV149/methods.htm
7. http://business.ezinemark.com/wastewater-treatment-and-recovery-systems-
market-to-2020-31c635f4fbc.html
8. http://www.unep.org/pdf/SickWater_screen.pdf