Department of Technical Education

Andhra Pradesh
Name : P. Swami Reddy
Designation : Lecturer
Branch : Civil Engineering
Institute : Govt. polytechnic for women,
Medak
Year / Semester : VI Semester
Subject: : Environmental Engineering II
Subject. Code : C 605
Topic : Characteristics of sewage,
treatment & Disposal
Duration : 100 minutes
Sub. Topic : Strength of sewage & sampling
methods
Teaching Aid : Animation Clips & Images
Revised by : G.Appa Rao
9C 605.18 & 19 1
 OBJECTIVES

On completion of this topic, you would be able to :

• Define strength of sewage

• Explain the methods of sewage sampling

• Explain the characteristics of sewage

9C 605.18 & 19 2
 RECAP
What are the components of a sewage pumping
station ?
• The components of a sewage pumping station are :

1. Sump well / Wet well 6. Automatic starter / Float

operated switch
2. Dry well / Pump room
7. Valves
3. Motor room
8. Flow recorders, energy
4. Rising main meters
5. Emergency pipe 9. Pumping unit

9C 605.18 & 19 3
1. What is sewage ?

2. Have you come across any sewage dump ?

3. Do you feel pollution spreads due to sewage ?

9C 605.18 & 19 4
 Strength of Sewage
It is the potentiality of sewage to produce nuisance to the
man and his environment

• The nuisance is caused by the oxidizable organic matter

• Organic matter in the sewage is unstable and undergoes

decomposition

• If the concentration of organic matter is more, sewage is

strong and vice versa

• It is expressed in terms of B.O.D.

9C 605.18 & 19 5
Strength of sewage is indicated by following
characteristics
• Total volatile solids, both suspend and dissolved
• Odour
• Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
• Oxygen absorbed (OA)
• Chlorine demand
• Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
9C 605.18 & 19 6
 Sewage Sampling methods

• Nature and flow of sewage changes constantly

• Hence samples are collected at various depths and

at frequent intervals of time (half an hourly or

hourly intervals)

9C 605.18 & 19 7
 Sewage Sampling methods contd..
Sewage samples classified as :

i) Grab samples ii) Composite samples

• Grab samples are taken beneath the surface where

particles are mixed due to turbulence

• Composite sample is a mixture of different grab samples

collected at frequent intervals in equal volume or the
volumes proportionate to flow

• Composite sample gives the indication of true strength of

sewage 9C 605.18 & 19 8
 Sampling – Precautions to be taken

• Samples should be tested immediately as the

characteristics are liable for change with time

• In warm weather, the samples should be stored in an ice

chest to prevent bio-chemical changes in the samples

• For certain samples preservative like chloroform, formal

dehyde, sulphuric acid etc., are added

9C 605.18 & 19 9
 Sampling – Precautions contd..

• Samples are collected in quartz bottles

• Bottles are thoroughly cleaned and sterilized

• Bottle should be filled with sample completely without

leaving any air in the bottle

• Stopper should be firmly inserted and tied with a piece

of cloth

9C 605.18 & 19 10
 Sampling – Precautions contd..

• Bottles should be labelled giving the details like sample

number, time of collection, date and place of collection
etc.

• Sample have to be transported to the laboratory carefully

and quickly for testing

• Analysis should be started within 2-3 hours after the

sample collection

9C 605.18 & 19 11
 Characteristics of sewage

Sewage characteristics are broadly classified as

• Physical Characteristics

• Chemical Characteristics

• Biological Characteristics

9C 605.18 & 19 12
Physical characteristics of sewage

1. Colour

2. Odour

3. Temperature

4. Turbidity

9C 605.18 & 19 13
 Physical Characteristics contd..

1. Colour :

• Fresh sewage has yellowish, grey or light brown colour

• Stale (or) septic sewage has black or dark brown colour

• Other colours in the sewage are due to industrial wastes

and dyes present in it

9C 605.18 & 19 14
 Physical Characteristics contd..

Fig 1 Sewage has black or dark brown colour

9C 605.18 & 19 15
 Physical Characteristics contd..

2. Odour :

• Fresh domestic sewage has slightly soapy or oily smell

• Stale sewage has offensive odour due to liberation of

hydrogen sulphide, methane and other sulphur

compounds

9C 605.18 & 19 16
 Physical Characteristics contd..

3. Temperature :

• Temperature of sewage is slightly higher than that of

water supplied

• Rise in temperature increases the biological activity

9C 605.18 & 19 17
 Physical Characteristics contd..

4. Turbidity :

• Sewage is normally turbid like dirty dish water or

wastewater from baths and water closets having

floating matter

9C 605.18 & 19 18
Chemical characteristics of sewage

1. Solids

2. Other chemical substances

3. Gases

9C 605.18 & 19 19
 Chemical Characteristics contd..

1. Solids :

• Sewage contains both organic & inorganic solids

• Solids can be divided into

a) Settleable suspended solids

b) colloidal particles and

c) dissolved solids

9C 605.18 & 19 20
 Chemical Characteristics contd..

• Settleable solids can be removed by sedimentation

• Colloidal and dissolved solids require biological

treatment

• 100 parts of solids contain approximately 45 parts of

organic solids and 55 parts of inorganic solids

9C 605.18 & 19 21
 Chemical Characteristics contd..

2. Other Chemical substances :

• Sewage may contain proteins, carbohydrates, fats, oils,

greases etc.

• Sewage may also contains chlorides, compounds of

nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur, toxic compounds and
heavy metals

9C 605.18 & 19 22
 Chemical Characteristics contd..

3. Gases :
Sewage contains

• dissolved oxygen
• carbon dioxide
• hydrogen sulphide
• methane etc.,
which are either produced in it or absorbed from the
atmosphere 9C 605.18 & 19 23
 Biological Characteristics

• Sewage may contain a wide range of micro-organisms

• Micro-organisms include viruses , bacteria, algae, fungi,

protozoa, rotifers etc.

9C 605.18 & 19 24
Biological Characteristics contd..

• Micro–organisms are classified as

1. Aerobic bacteria

2. Anaerobic bacteria

3. Facultative bacteria

9C 605.18 & 19 25
 Biological Characteristics contd..

• Aerobic bacteria : They can live and grow in the presence

of dissolved oxygen present in sewage

• Anaerobic bacteria: They can survive and grow in the

absence of dissolved oxygen

– They can break molecules and use molecular oxygen

• Facultative bacteria: They can survive and grow both in

the presence and absence of dissolved oxygen

9C 605.18 & 19 26
 SUMMARY

• Strength of sewage is its potentiality to produce nuisance

to man and his environment
• Strength is expressed in terms of BOD
• Colour, odour, temperature and turbidity are the physical
characteristics of sewage
• Solids, chemical substances and gases are chemical
characteristics of sewage
• Sewage may contain aerobic, anaerobic and facultative
bacteria

9C 605.18 & 19 27
 QUIZ

1. Strength of sewage means

a) Inorganic chemicals

b) Turbidity

c) Nuisance value

d) Resistance to load by sewage

9C 605.18 & 19 28
2. Grab sampling means the collection of samples

a) At any intervals

b) After mixing

c) Taken randomly from lower depths where

turbulence is more

d) At the end of day

9C 605.18 & 19 29
3. Presence of odd colours in sewage are due to

a) Turbidity

b) Total Solids

c) Dyes

d) Chlorides

9C 605.18 & 19 30
4. The offensive odour of stale sewage is due to

a) Carbon monoxide

b) Hydrogen Sulphide

c) Dissolved Oxygen

d) Carbon dioxide

9C 605.18 & 19 31
 Frequently asked questions :

1. What is meant by strength of sewage ?

2. Explain the method of preparing a composite sample of

sewage

3. List various precautions to be observed in sampling of

sewage

9C 605.18 & 19 32