Wastewater treatment
I can outline the key stages involved in the treatment of wastewater and describe features of each.
Wastewater treatment
I can outline the key stages involved in the treatment of wastewater and describe features of each.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
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
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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