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## Wastewater Treatment Wastewater treatment is necessary to remove contaminants from waste water and make it safe for the environment. Common contaminants include: * Human waste * Food waste * Soaps * Fertilizers * Metals * Phosphorus * Nitrogen These contaminants can cause diseases like typhoid...

## Wastewater Treatment Wastewater treatment is necessary to remove contaminants from waste water and make it safe for the environment. Common contaminants include: * Human waste * Food waste * Soaps * Fertilizers * Metals * Phosphorus * Nitrogen These contaminants can cause diseases like typhoid. ### Waste Water Treatment Steps 1. **Screening:** Large objects are removed, such as wood pieces, rocks, cans, and polythene bags. These objects could damage equipment in the treatment plant. 2. **Grit and Sand Removal:** The speed of the water is slowed down allowing grit and sand to settle at the bottom. 3. **Sedimentation:** Water is allowed to pass into a large tank where solids like faeces (sludge) sink to the bottom and materials like grease and oil float to the surface. Sludge is removed and sent to digesters where it is broken down by bacteria into biogas, which is a mixture of methane, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Biogas is a very good fuel. 4. **Aeration:** The clarified water is moved to an aeration tank where aerobic bacteria consume organic matter like human waste, soaps, and detergents, converting them into carbon dioxide. Microbes then settle down to the bottom as activated sludge. 5. **Discharged:** The water is removed from the top and safely discharged into the rivers or lakes.