This document provides an overview of water treatment engineering. It discusses the objectives of water treatment, which are to supply clean and safe drinking water. It outlines the typical stages in a water treatment system, including intake, aeration/air stripping, coagulation/flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. The document also discusses some of the 21st century challenges facing water treatment, such as disinfection byproducts, emerging pathogens, and trace contaminants. Coursework is graded through assignments, tests, and a final exam.

1. WATER TREATMENT ENGINEERING
INTRODUCTION
SKAA 2912
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2. Learning Outcomes
Students should be able to name the
different treatment stages in a water
treatment system.
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3. History of Water Treatment
4000 B.C. 1500 B.C. 1700s 1800s 1900s 1960s
Ancient Greek and Indians
treated drinking water
(charcoal filtration, sunlight
exposure, boiling, straining)
to improve taste & odor
Ancient Egyptians used
chemical alum to caused
suspended particles to
settle in water
Filtration widely used to
remove particles (turbidity)
but the degree of clarity
was not measured
•Sources and effects of
drinking water contaminants
were identified
•Identification of waterborne
disease (chlorela)
Discovered both turbidity
and pathogens in drinking
water in US - Filtration &
disinfection
Advancement in industrial
and agricultural sector –
man-made chemicals found
in water sources (pesticides,
volatile organic chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, etc)
OBJECTIVE:
To supply clean and safe water for public demand
Clean – colourless, odourless, tasteless and no suspended solids
Safe – no pathogen, no dangerous organic/inorganic and less
mineral substances 3

4. A Typical Wastewater Treatment Plant
Water Intake
(Lakes, rivers)
Aeration/Air Stripping
(optional)
•To remove volatile organic
chemicals, taste & odor
•To add O2 for oxidation of
iron, manganese & organic
matter
Coagulation/Flocculation
•To remove dirt and particles in
water
•Alum/chemicals are added in
water to form sticky particles
that can attached to other
particles – known as “floc”
Sedimentation
•The floc settles to the bottom
and the settable solids are
removed.
•Also known as clarification
process
Filtration
•To remove
suspended solids
•Made of layers of
sand, gravel, and
charcoal
Disinfection
•To remove waterborne
pathogens (bacteria, viruses,
etc)
•Types of disinfection:
Chlorine, chloramine,
monochloramine, UV, ozone
Water Distribution System 4

5. A Typical Wastewater Treatment Plant
Aeration
Water intake
Coagulation/Flocculation
Sedimentation
Filtration
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6. The 21st Century Challenges
(Is the conventional treatment sufficient?)
• Disinfection by-products (e.g. trihalomethanes, haloacetic
acids – due to reaction of chlorine with natural organic matter)
• Emerging and resurging pathogens (e.g. antibiotic resistance
microorganisms)
• Emerging trace contaminants (e.g. pharmaceutical and
personal care products, pesticides, endocrine disrupting
compounds, persistent organic pollutants)
• Waterborne disease (e.g. Giardia, Cryptosporidium -
chlorination is not enough!)
• Surface water issues (e.g. cyanobacteria toxin – due to algae
blooms/eutrophication)
• Toxic inorganic substances (e.g. lead, arsenic)
• Chemical residuals (e.g. Union Carbide (pesticide company)
gas leak in Bhopal, India, in 1984 contaminate groundwater)
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7. Coursework Grading Distribution
No Assessment Quantity Marks Total
1 Assignments 2 5 10
2 Tests 2 20 40
3 Final exam 1 50 50
100
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8. REFERENCES
• American Water Works Association (1990). Water Treatment
Plant Design 4th Edition, Edward E. Baruth (Ed.), McGraw-Hill:
USA
• Bursill, D. (2001). Drinking water treatment – understanding
the processes and meeting the challenges, Water Science &
Technology: Water Supply, 1(1), 1-7.
• Levin, R.B., Epstein, P.R., Ford, T.E., Harrington, W., Olson,
E., Reichard, E.G. (2002). U.S. Drinking Water Challenges in
the Twenty-First Century, Environmental Health Perspectives,
110(1), 43-52
• USEPA (2000). The History of Drinking Water Treatment,
EPA-816-F-00-006
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