Conventional septic systems form an integral part of any building. During the operation of septic systems, wastewater from the plumbing, including commodes, showers, sinks etc., flows due to the force of gravity to the inlet of the septic tank in the building. This marks the start of the process of treatment and disposal of wastewater and sewage.
Proper Mechanism of Septic Tank
When the septic tank works in a correct manner, the system will not begin to
“overflow” to the disposal trenches, usually referred to as the “field line”. Gravity takes care of the overflow from the septic tank to the trenches. The septic tank normally becomes full within a period of 5 to 10 days after moving into a home. It is then that the system turns into an “on-demand” system which means that whatever goes in, must come out. No more storage space is left in the septic tank. Therefore, the treated wastewater begins to collect in the disposal trenches.
Wrong Handling of Septic System
Homeowners often tend to notice that their drains are running rather slowly and they must take a look within their tank to check if the inlet baffle has become clogged or not. Though some individuals take out their baffle, without it wastewater gains the potential to “short-circuit” the detention time by flowing through the top of the “floatable” layer within the septic tank. This is not an ideal situation for the septic system.
Once the water seeps into the trenches, it starts to percolate into the soil present below the trenches. The trenches all remain connected with one another via the same “overflow” system as the remainder of the septic system. In case the building possesses multiple trenches, the first trench is going to be the one that receives the wastewater. This trench will soon become full and due to the lack of oxygen; will develop a “Biomat” right at the bottom of the trench. The Biomat acts in a manner similar to a liner at the bottom of the trench and it keeps the wastewater from percolating into the soil below. The wastewater then begins to “overflow” into the following trench. Once all the trenches have become saturated, the system will probably experience failure.
Benefits of Wastewater Treatment Systems
Wastewater treatment systems help to eliminate contaminants from the household along with wastewater and industrial sewage materials. The systems make use of chemical, physical and biological processes to remove the physical, biological and chemical contaminants. Treated wastewater needs to be completely safe for the environment if it is to be reused for garden and lawn watering, as fertilizer, aquifer recharge, industrial applications along with suppression of dust. Some advanced technology is found in recent times, which allow industries to treat sewage in such a manner that it becomes safe to reuse as drinking water.
Steps of Wastewater Treatment
Pre-treatment processes allow industries to remove large debris like branches from the wastewater. Screening also helps to eliminate greater pieces that are smaller in size than those removed during pre-treatment, including cans, plastic packets, and rags. It may be carried out either manually or with a raking bar. Removal of grit involves the removal of small stones, sand along with broken glass. This is carried out mostly in big systems. In larger systems, grease and fat can be removed using skimmers that collect the materials floating on the surface of the water. Most plants provide this treatment using mechanical surface skimmers as the primary clarifiers. Primary treatment can be used to settle sludge matter via the process of sedimentation. Some scrapers can be found that drive the settled sludge in the direction of the container for improved treatment. Secondary treatment involves the degradation of the biological content from the sewage that is a result of food and human waste along with detergents and soap. Numerous types of secondary treatment methods are available.
In case the wastewater needs to be discharged within a fragile ecosystem like low-flow rivers or coral reefs or estuaries, tertiary treatment is available following the secondary treatment to disinfect the water in a physical or chemical manner. If the water is purified in a satisfactory manner, it may be used to irrigate crops or recharge groundwater.
