Used water is affected by industrial, domestic, and commercial use, and wastewater composition constantly changes and varies. That is why it is difficult to emphasize a singular definition of this term. This topic is vast and has the role of wastewater screens and more equipment. The composition of wastewater is 99.9% water, and the remaining 0.1% contains organic matter, inorganic compounds, and microorganisms.
Wastewater elements are discharged into different water bodies- ponds, rivers, streams, lakes, oceans, and estuaries. Wastewater includes storm runoff, where harmful substances wash off parking lots, rooftops, and roads.
Wastewater Types
The term sewage denotes any wastewater that passes through a sewer. Before entering a wastewater treatment plant, wastewater is known as raw sewage or raw wastewater. Domestic wastewater comes from activities such as bathing, washroom usage, laundry, and food preparation. Commercial wastewater comes from non-domestic sources, such as auto body repair shops or beauty salons. This wastewater may contain toxic materials and needs disposal or special treatment. Industrial wastewater emanates from commercial or industrial manufacturing procedures, such as agriculture, and are complex to treat than domestic wastes.
The Organic Content of Wastewater
The organic element of wastewater is built with protein, fat, human feces, vegetables, and sugar material from food preparation and soaps. This organic content dissolved into the water exists as separate particles. However, the amount of organic material that does not dissolve but remains suspended in the water is called suspended solids. Wastewater is treated to eradicate much organic material as possible, especially with wastewater bar screens.
Implications for Microorganisms
Naturally forming water and soil bacteria consume the organic waste in wastewater and utilize it as energy and food source to develop rapidly. In a natural environment, with plenty of oxygen dissolved in the water, aerobic bacteria eat the organic materials and form a slime of new bacterial cells and dissolved salt-waste products.
Other Wastewater Pollutants
Viruses, bacteria, and disease-causing pathogens in wastewater can pollute beaches and degrade shellfish populations. Fecal coliform bacteria in human waste in innocuous. Some pathogens can adversely impact human health. These can be viruses such as hepatitis B and bacteria such as typhoid, for example.
