Power and Utilities:
Water and Wastewater
Treatment
Industrial Chemistry
2nd sem, 2020 - 2021
Unique Properties of Water
The Earth’s Water Resources
• Not all of the Earth’s
water resource is
ready for every
organism’s
consumption
• Distribution is unequal
- based on factors
such as topography,
season and amount of
rainfall received
Water Quality Parameters
Taste and Odor Color
• Determined by organoleptically • Pt-Co standard (chloroplatinate)
(ie. using senses)
• Measured in color units (CU)
• Indicator, and even • WHO – 15 CU max.
approximation, of the presence of • 10-15 CU – colorless to unaided eye
some compounds • 100 CU – looks like tea
• “chlorine taste” – around 0.2 – 0.4
ppm Cl
• “chloroform odor” – 20 µL
Water Quality Parameters
Conductivity Solids
• Estimation of the amount of ions / • Total dissolved solids (TDS)
minerals present • Determined by drying the water
sample at 180℃
• Measured in µS/cm
• Standards • WHO & EU standard: 1500 ppm
• WHO & EU standards for potable max
water: 250 µS/cm
• Raw and potable – 50-500 µS/cm • Total suspended solids (TSS)
• Mineralized water - > 500 µS/cm • Determined by filtering the water
sample followed by drying at 103-
105℃
Water Quality Parameters
Turbidity Hardness
• Estimation of fine suspended • Sum of all polyvalent cations that
matter (colloidal matter) contribute to hardness
• Clay, silt, planktons, microorganisms • Primarily Ca & Mg (significant
concentrations)
• Measured in nephelometric • Fe, Al, Mn, Sr, Zn
turbidity unit (NTU)
• White light, 90° to incident beam • Originally measured in terms of
soap precipitation
• Standards
• WHO acceptable limit for potable
water: < 5 NTU
• Measured & reported as mg/L Ca &
• Distilled water: 0 – 0.5 NTU
Mg as CaCO₃
Water Quality Parameters
pH • Biochemical oxygen demand
• Important indicator of potability (BOD)
and thrival of aquatic ecosystems • Indicator of microorganism presence
• Involves O2 saturation of sample
followed by 5 days incubation at 20 ℃
• WHO, US EPA, EU standard: (BOD5)
6.5 – 8.5 • Reported as mg O2 / L
• Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
Oxygen demand • Indirect measure of quantity of organic
• Indicator of: compounds in water
• microorganisms in wastewater that • Faster determination
can mediate oxidation of organic • Uses a strong oxidizing agent
matter (K2Cr2O7) followed by back titration
• Oxidizable species present in water with a reducing agent
(organic pollutants)
Other Water Quality Parameters
Coliform Plant & Algal Nutrients
• Indicator of bacterial
contamination (E. coli, Klebsiella
pneumonia, Enterobacter • Nitrogen compounds (nitrites,
aerogenes) nitrates
• Determined using multiple tube
fermentation technique
• Phosphorus compounds
• Measured as MPN (Most (phosphates)
probable number)
• Sum of all aerobic and and
facultative anaerobic, gram-negative,
nonspore-forming, rod-shaped • Inorganic / mineral substances
bacteria that ferment lactose with (heavy metals, acid mine water,
gas formation within 48 hours at chelating agents)
35°C
Water Treatment & Purification
• Performed when water supplies do not
meet the criteria for their intended purpose
Treatment categories:
❖ Domestic water treatment
• Municipal water treatment plants
• MWSS (later Maynilad, Manila Water, PrimeWater)
• LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration)
• For water that will be used in close contact with
the body (drinking, bathing, washing)
• Typically sourced from surface water
• Focus on
• sensorial acceptability (color, odor, taste)
• elimination of pathogenic microorganisms
Water
Treatment &
Purification
Domestic water
treatment
Water Treatment & Purification
Domestic water treatment: steps
• Preliminary / prechlorination
stage
• Passing through screens / filters
• Removal of algae and other solid
wastes that can clog the water
treatment facility
• Aeration
• Oxidizes Fe and Mn into insoluble
forms, H2S and volatile organic
compounds
Water Treatment & Purification
Domestic water treatment: steps
• Coagulation • Flocculation
• Charge neutralization of • Aggregation of flocs
suspended colloidal particles (macroflocs), allowing them to
• Formation of larger, heavier particles be easier to setlle by gravity, or
called flocs - microflocs filtered out from the treated
• Coagulating agent – alum water
(KAl(SO4)2·12H2O) • Flocculating agent - polymers
Water Treatment & Purification
Domestic water treatment: steps
• Sedimentation
• Settling of flocs by gravity
Water Treatment & Purification
Domestic water treatment: steps
• Filtration
• Sand filter
• Removal of flocs that didn’t settle
during the sedimentation
• Contains coarse particles (gravel)
and finer particles (sand)
• Activated carbon
• Adsorption of organic impurities
Water Treatment & Purification
Domestic water treatment: steps
• Disinfection
• Removal of microorganisms
• Chlorination
• Hypochlorites (NaOCl, Ca(OCl)2
• Chlorine Dioxide
• Ozonation
• UV
• Sunlight
Water Treatment & Purification
Treatment categories (cont.):
❖ Wastewater treatment
• Focus on removal of suspended and dissolved solids before discharge into water
bodies (effluent discharge)
• Discharged water from domestic, agricultural and industrial use
• Greywater
• from sinks, tubs, showers, dish and clothes washers
• Contains soaps, detergents, food waste
• Blackwater
• From toilet flushes
• Contains human wastes (fecal matter), toilet paper
• Yellow water
• Urine
Water
Treatment &
Purification
Wastewater
treatment
Water Treatment & Purification
Wastewater treatment: steps
• Screening
• Removal of coarse solids and floating materials such as plastics
Water Treatment & Purification
Wastewater treatment: steps
• Grit removal • Defatting & degreasing
• Settling of sand, stones, broken • Grease removal by skimming of
glass wastewater surface,
• Sometimes, air blower is used
to froth the grease
Water Treatment & Purification
Wastewater treatment: steps
• Primary treatment • Secondary treatment
• Physical separation of ss and • Removal of biodegradable
organic matter by organic matter, nutrients (such
sedimentation in primary as N, P) and ss using biological
clarifiers treatment (such as bacteria &
protozoa)
Water Treatment & Purification
Wastewater treatment: steps
• Tertiary treatment
• Final treatment to improve effluent quality before discharge to water bodies
• use of sand filters and activated carbon filters
• If it involves disinfection – “effluent polishing”
• Lagooning – manmade ponds / lagoons where further biological improvement
was done before discharge; uses fish and filter feeders (Daphnia sp.)
Water Treatment & Purification
Wastewater treatment: steps
• Sludge treatment and disposal
• Sludge - solids separated during wwt treatment
containing organic matter, sediments,
microorganisms and nutrients
• Sludge digestion
• Reduces amount of organic matter and
microoganisms
• May also involve composting and incineration
• Sludge dewatering
• Dehydration in order to reduce sludge volume –
easier and cheaper to transport & dispose
Water Treatment & Purification
Treatment categories (cont.):
❖ Industrial water treatment
• Boiler water – used in steam production and as
heating fluids circulating in heating coils
• Cooling water – water that removes heat away
from machinery to prevent overheating
• Focus is on retention of cooling and heating
efficiency
• removal of scales and solids deposits –
hardness
• Removal of biofilms and microbial slimes
Water Treatment & Purification
Boiler water treatment
• Internal treatment
• Involves:
• Deaeration – removal of dissolved
O2
• Addition of treatment chemicals
(sludge conditioners) to the boiler to
convert scale-forming compounds to
free-flowing sludge
• Boiler scales
• Ca salts, Mg salts, silicates, Fe & Cu
oxides
• Sludge conditioners
• Phosphates, chelating agents,
polymers
Water Treatment & Purification
Boiler water treatment
• External treatment
• Removal of SS, DS, Ca2+ and
Mg2+ prior to feeding of water
into the boiler
• Involves:
• Sand and activated carbon filters
• Demineralization / water softening
• Ion-exchange
• Reverse osmosis
• Desalination
Water Treatment & Purification
Cooling water treatment
• External treatment
• Removal of SS and DS
prior to feeding of water
into the cooling tower
• Involves:
• Sand and activated carbon
filters
• Demineralization / water
softening
• Ion-exchange
• Reverse osmosis
• Desalination
• Disinfection
Water Treatment & Purification
• Water softening
• Utilizes only cation-exchange resin
• Replacement of Ca2+ and Mg2+
with Na+
• Demineralization / deionization
• Cation-exchange
• Replacement of Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+
into H+
• Anion exchange
• Replacement of SO42-, CO32-, Cl-, NO3-
into OH-
Water Treatment
& Purification
Reverse Osmosis
Water Treatment & Purification
Desalination
