Wastewater treatment
I can outline the key stages involved in the treatment of wastewater and describe features of each.
- Year 10
- AQA
Wastewater treatment
I can outline the key stages involved in the treatment of wastewater and describe features of each.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- There are many sources of wastewater and each introduces different types of contaminants.
- There are sequential steps involved in making wastewater safe before disposal into the environment.
- Multiple types of waste need to be removed from different kinds of wastewater.
- Releasing untreated wastewater into the environment could impact an ecosystem's health.
- Sludge can be anaerobically treated, producing materials that can be used as a fertiliser or fuel.
Keywords
Waste water - Used water from homes, industry and agriculture.
Sludge - The solid collected after sedimentation during treatment of wastewater.
Effluent - The fluid component obtained after sedimentation during the treatment of wastewater.
Aerobic - A process that occurs in the presence of oxygen.
Anaerobic - A process that occurs in the absence of oxygen.
Common misconception
Some pupils think that 'wastewater' is the same as 'sewage' and/or that anything found in a sewer is 'sewage'.
Stress that wastewater is any used water that has been affected by domestic, industrial and agricultural processes; sewage is a part of waste water, but specifically that which is contaminated by with faeces and urine.
Licence
Lesson video
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