characterization of household wastewater
TRANSCRIPT
CHARACTERIZATION OF HOUSEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norhashibah Bt Ismail
Bachelor of Science with Honours TD (Resource Chemistry) 495
2006N839 2006
1 +lo t ~ tltow ~arJ1r~h-rl
CHARACTERI7ATlON or IIOUSEHOLD WASTEWATER
NORHASHIBAH BINTI ISMAIL
This project is submitted in panial fulfllLlllcnt of the requirements for the deTce of Bachelor of Science with Honours
(Resource Chemistry)
Faculty of Resourcc Scicncc and Tcchnology UNIVERSITY MALA YSI A SARAWAK
2006
DECLARATION
No portion of the work referred ill this dissertation has been ~uhmitled in support of an
applicaliol1 for another degree ofqualification of this or allY Olher Ulllvcrsiry or instillition
of higher learning
ORHASHIBAlIISMAIL ProTIIIll of Resource Chemistry (2003-2006) Faculty of Resource SCItnce and Technology University Malaysia Sarawak
I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Illy supervisor Dr I larwant Singh fo r
Ills support guidance and advice throughout this project and ensuring the comp lelion of
Ulis thesis and to Mr Scnd for helplIIg me during the sampling process My gratitude also
goes 10 Illy be loved fami ly CSpecially for my mOlhr PJ1 Noriah Ht Don who gave me full
support and spirillo finish this research sludy also would like to thank my houscmates
and classmates for their help and opinions
III
TABLE OF O-1TENTS
Acknowledgement rable of Content List of Figures Lit of Tables Abstract Absfrak
CHAPTER IINTROOllCTIO
11 Wastewater 12 Scope of study IJ Objectives ofSilld)
CHAPTER 2 LITERAlllRE RIVIEW
2 I Domestic Wastewater 1 1 Domestic Water Uttlization
2 12 inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater 213 Factors Affecting Wastewatel Discharge
12 Domestic Sewerage System Wastewater and their Discharge 221 Septic Tauks 222 ImhoffTanks 223 Nature of Discharge
23 Wagttewater Characterlslics 231 Physical Characteristic
231 1 Colour 2312 Oduur 2311 Total solid 23 Il Turbidity 2315 Temperalure
23 2 Chemical Characteristics 23 21 Organ ic Matter 2J 22 Inurga II ie Matter
NllnenL~
nl~solved ()x) gell
[If
23 3 Biological Characteristics 24 ~nvirollmenta l l mpacl and Prevention
2 4 1 Introductioll 242 Contammaills ofConcem
421 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 2422 Nitrogell 2423 Phosphorus
IV
jusut Khidmal M i-II IVERSn J ~ a IUIlIal AkadelI~
fAIYSIA SARAWAIl LllflO 1ltrHl Saftl-hln
111
1
VIJ
VIII
Xl
II
2
3
3 l
4 6 7 7 9 9 10 10 10 1 I 1 II 12 12 12 12 I~
13 11 14 14 I~
15 15 16 16
2414 Coliform organisms 16 243 Emuent Discharge Standard and Legi lalive Requirements 17
CHAPTER 3 MATERIAL AND METHODS 19
31 Description of Study Area 19 32 Data collcction 19
322 Watcr Sample Cullection 20 ~ 23 Samplc Analysis 20
(i) [I -sllu parameters 20
(ii) Laboratory analysIs 21
CHAPTER 4 RES LTS 22
4 1 Wastewater par-dI1leters measured III -illi n 4 11 Sampling site Taman MaJihah 22 4 12 Sampli og s ite Tabuan Jaya 22 4 13 Samplmg site Taman Satria laya 23 414 Sampltng site Village Grove 2J
42 Wastewater parameters aoalYLcd in the laboratory 24 4 2 1 Samplillg site Taman Malihah 24 422 Sampling site Tabuan Jaya 24 4 23 Sampling si te Taman Satria Jaya 24 4 24 Sampling site Village Grove 25
CHAPTER 5 DISCliSSIONS ~6
5 I Physical Characteristics 26 51 I Temperature 26 5 I 2 Color ~ I 5 13 Odor 31
52 Chemica l Characteristics 32 521 pH value 32 522 Dissolved Oxygen 37 524 Phosphate concentration 42 52 5 Nllrntc concentration 50
53 Water Quality obtained compared to tile Effiuent Discharge Stalldard lor 56 Malaysian Inland Waters
v
CHAPT R 6 CONCLLlSIONS A D RECO1MpoundNDATIO S 58
REFERENCES 59
PPEIDlX I PRrBmeter measured in-situ
APPfIIDLX 2 PRrllmeter measured in the laboratory
VI
LIST OF TABLES
Table I Fraction of water consumption J Table 2Typical dLstnbution of resldentia I interior water use 4 Table 3 Effluent Discharge Standard tor Malaysian Inland Watcrs 17 Table Wastewater parameters measured in-situ for raman Maliha h 22 Table 5 Wa~tewater parametcrs measurcd ill-SII for Tabllnn Jaya 22 Table 6 Wastewater paramcters measured ill-Stili for Taman Satriu Jaya 2J Table 7 Wastewater parameters measured ill- iIl tor Villagc Grove 23 Table 8 Wastewater parameters measured In the laboratory for Taman Malihah 24 Table 9 Wastewakr parameters lllcasured UI the laboratory for Tablan Jaya 24 Table 10 Wastewater paramcters measured in the laboratory tor Taman Satria 24
Jaya Table II Wastewater parameters measured ill the laboratory for Village Grove 25 Table 2 One-way ANOVA for phosphate concentration betwecn housing area~ 47 Table 13 Post-Hoc Tcst for phosphate concentrdtlon 48 Table 14 One-way ANOVA fo r nitrate concentration between housing areas 54 Table 15 Post-Hoc Test for nitrate concentration S5 Table 16 Water quality at Taman Malihuh 56 Table 17 Water quality at Tabuan Jaya 56 Table 18 Water quality at Taman Satria laya 57 Table 19 Watcr quality at Village Groe 57
VII
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
1 +lo t ~ tltow ~arJ1r~h-rl
CHARACTERI7ATlON or IIOUSEHOLD WASTEWATER
NORHASHIBAH BINTI ISMAIL
This project is submitted in panial fulfllLlllcnt of the requirements for the deTce of Bachelor of Science with Honours
(Resource Chemistry)
Faculty of Resourcc Scicncc and Tcchnology UNIVERSITY MALA YSI A SARAWAK
2006
DECLARATION
No portion of the work referred ill this dissertation has been ~uhmitled in support of an
applicaliol1 for another degree ofqualification of this or allY Olher Ulllvcrsiry or instillition
of higher learning
ORHASHIBAlIISMAIL ProTIIIll of Resource Chemistry (2003-2006) Faculty of Resource SCItnce and Technology University Malaysia Sarawak
I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Illy supervisor Dr I larwant Singh fo r
Ills support guidance and advice throughout this project and ensuring the comp lelion of
Ulis thesis and to Mr Scnd for helplIIg me during the sampling process My gratitude also
goes 10 Illy be loved fami ly CSpecially for my mOlhr PJ1 Noriah Ht Don who gave me full
support and spirillo finish this research sludy also would like to thank my houscmates
and classmates for their help and opinions
III
TABLE OF O-1TENTS
Acknowledgement rable of Content List of Figures Lit of Tables Abstract Absfrak
CHAPTER IINTROOllCTIO
11 Wastewater 12 Scope of study IJ Objectives ofSilld)
CHAPTER 2 LITERAlllRE RIVIEW
2 I Domestic Wastewater 1 1 Domestic Water Uttlization
2 12 inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater 213 Factors Affecting Wastewatel Discharge
12 Domestic Sewerage System Wastewater and their Discharge 221 Septic Tauks 222 ImhoffTanks 223 Nature of Discharge
23 Wagttewater Characterlslics 231 Physical Characteristic
231 1 Colour 2312 Oduur 2311 Total solid 23 Il Turbidity 2315 Temperalure
23 2 Chemical Characteristics 23 21 Organ ic Matter 2J 22 Inurga II ie Matter
NllnenL~
nl~solved ()x) gell
[If
23 3 Biological Characteristics 24 ~nvirollmenta l l mpacl and Prevention
2 4 1 Introductioll 242 Contammaills ofConcem
421 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 2422 Nitrogell 2423 Phosphorus
IV
jusut Khidmal M i-II IVERSn J ~ a IUIlIal AkadelI~
fAIYSIA SARAWAIl LllflO 1ltrHl Saftl-hln
111
1
VIJ
VIII
Xl
II
2
3
3 l
4 6 7 7 9 9 10 10 10 1 I 1 II 12 12 12 12 I~
13 11 14 14 I~
15 15 16 16
2414 Coliform organisms 16 243 Emuent Discharge Standard and Legi lalive Requirements 17
CHAPTER 3 MATERIAL AND METHODS 19
31 Description of Study Area 19 32 Data collcction 19
322 Watcr Sample Cullection 20 ~ 23 Samplc Analysis 20
(i) [I -sllu parameters 20
(ii) Laboratory analysIs 21
CHAPTER 4 RES LTS 22
4 1 Wastewater par-dI1leters measured III -illi n 4 11 Sampling site Taman MaJihah 22 4 12 Sampli og s ite Tabuan Jaya 22 4 13 Samplmg site Taman Satria laya 23 414 Sampltng site Village Grove 2J
42 Wastewater parameters aoalYLcd in the laboratory 24 4 2 1 Samplillg site Taman Malihah 24 422 Sampling site Tabuan Jaya 24 4 23 Sampling si te Taman Satria Jaya 24 4 24 Sampling site Village Grove 25
CHAPTER 5 DISCliSSIONS ~6
5 I Physical Characteristics 26 51 I Temperature 26 5 I 2 Color ~ I 5 13 Odor 31
52 Chemica l Characteristics 32 521 pH value 32 522 Dissolved Oxygen 37 524 Phosphate concentration 42 52 5 Nllrntc concentration 50
53 Water Quality obtained compared to tile Effiuent Discharge Stalldard lor 56 Malaysian Inland Waters
v
CHAPT R 6 CONCLLlSIONS A D RECO1MpoundNDATIO S 58
REFERENCES 59
PPEIDlX I PRrBmeter measured in-situ
APPfIIDLX 2 PRrllmeter measured in the laboratory
VI
LIST OF TABLES
Table I Fraction of water consumption J Table 2Typical dLstnbution of resldentia I interior water use 4 Table 3 Effluent Discharge Standard tor Malaysian Inland Watcrs 17 Table Wastewater parameters measured in-situ for raman Maliha h 22 Table 5 Wa~tewater parametcrs measurcd ill-SII for Tabllnn Jaya 22 Table 6 Wastewater paramcters measured ill-Stili for Taman Satriu Jaya 2J Table 7 Wastewater parameters measured ill- iIl tor Villagc Grove 23 Table 8 Wastewater parameters measured In the laboratory for Taman Malihah 24 Table 9 Wastewakr parameters lllcasured UI the laboratory for Tablan Jaya 24 Table 10 Wastewater paramcters measured in the laboratory tor Taman Satria 24
Jaya Table II Wastewater parameters measured ill the laboratory for Village Grove 25 Table 2 One-way ANOVA for phosphate concentration betwecn housing area~ 47 Table 13 Post-Hoc Tcst for phosphate concentrdtlon 48 Table 14 One-way ANOVA fo r nitrate concentration between housing areas 54 Table 15 Post-Hoc Test for nitrate concentration S5 Table 16 Water quality at Taman Malihuh 56 Table 17 Water quality at Tabuan Jaya 56 Table 18 Water quality at Taman Satria laya 57 Table 19 Watcr quality at Village Groe 57
VII
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
DECLARATION
No portion of the work referred ill this dissertation has been ~uhmitled in support of an
applicaliol1 for another degree ofqualification of this or allY Olher Ulllvcrsiry or instillition
of higher learning
ORHASHIBAlIISMAIL ProTIIIll of Resource Chemistry (2003-2006) Faculty of Resource SCItnce and Technology University Malaysia Sarawak
I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Illy supervisor Dr I larwant Singh fo r
Ills support guidance and advice throughout this project and ensuring the comp lelion of
Ulis thesis and to Mr Scnd for helplIIg me during the sampling process My gratitude also
goes 10 Illy be loved fami ly CSpecially for my mOlhr PJ1 Noriah Ht Don who gave me full
support and spirillo finish this research sludy also would like to thank my houscmates
and classmates for their help and opinions
III
TABLE OF O-1TENTS
Acknowledgement rable of Content List of Figures Lit of Tables Abstract Absfrak
CHAPTER IINTROOllCTIO
11 Wastewater 12 Scope of study IJ Objectives ofSilld)
CHAPTER 2 LITERAlllRE RIVIEW
2 I Domestic Wastewater 1 1 Domestic Water Uttlization
2 12 inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater 213 Factors Affecting Wastewatel Discharge
12 Domestic Sewerage System Wastewater and their Discharge 221 Septic Tauks 222 ImhoffTanks 223 Nature of Discharge
23 Wagttewater Characterlslics 231 Physical Characteristic
231 1 Colour 2312 Oduur 2311 Total solid 23 Il Turbidity 2315 Temperalure
23 2 Chemical Characteristics 23 21 Organ ic Matter 2J 22 Inurga II ie Matter
NllnenL~
nl~solved ()x) gell
[If
23 3 Biological Characteristics 24 ~nvirollmenta l l mpacl and Prevention
2 4 1 Introductioll 242 Contammaills ofConcem
421 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 2422 Nitrogell 2423 Phosphorus
IV
jusut Khidmal M i-II IVERSn J ~ a IUIlIal AkadelI~
fAIYSIA SARAWAIl LllflO 1ltrHl Saftl-hln
111
1
VIJ
VIII
Xl
II
2
3
3 l
4 6 7 7 9 9 10 10 10 1 I 1 II 12 12 12 12 I~
13 11 14 14 I~
15 15 16 16
2414 Coliform organisms 16 243 Emuent Discharge Standard and Legi lalive Requirements 17
CHAPTER 3 MATERIAL AND METHODS 19
31 Description of Study Area 19 32 Data collcction 19
322 Watcr Sample Cullection 20 ~ 23 Samplc Analysis 20
(i) [I -sllu parameters 20
(ii) Laboratory analysIs 21
CHAPTER 4 RES LTS 22
4 1 Wastewater par-dI1leters measured III -illi n 4 11 Sampling site Taman MaJihah 22 4 12 Sampli og s ite Tabuan Jaya 22 4 13 Samplmg site Taman Satria laya 23 414 Sampltng site Village Grove 2J
42 Wastewater parameters aoalYLcd in the laboratory 24 4 2 1 Samplillg site Taman Malihah 24 422 Sampling site Tabuan Jaya 24 4 23 Sampling si te Taman Satria Jaya 24 4 24 Sampling site Village Grove 25
CHAPTER 5 DISCliSSIONS ~6
5 I Physical Characteristics 26 51 I Temperature 26 5 I 2 Color ~ I 5 13 Odor 31
52 Chemica l Characteristics 32 521 pH value 32 522 Dissolved Oxygen 37 524 Phosphate concentration 42 52 5 Nllrntc concentration 50
53 Water Quality obtained compared to tile Effiuent Discharge Stalldard lor 56 Malaysian Inland Waters
v
CHAPT R 6 CONCLLlSIONS A D RECO1MpoundNDATIO S 58
REFERENCES 59
PPEIDlX I PRrBmeter measured in-situ
APPfIIDLX 2 PRrllmeter measured in the laboratory
VI
LIST OF TABLES
Table I Fraction of water consumption J Table 2Typical dLstnbution of resldentia I interior water use 4 Table 3 Effluent Discharge Standard tor Malaysian Inland Watcrs 17 Table Wastewater parameters measured in-situ for raman Maliha h 22 Table 5 Wa~tewater parametcrs measurcd ill-SII for Tabllnn Jaya 22 Table 6 Wastewater paramcters measured ill-Stili for Taman Satriu Jaya 2J Table 7 Wastewater parameters measured ill- iIl tor Villagc Grove 23 Table 8 Wastewater parameters measured In the laboratory for Taman Malihah 24 Table 9 Wastewakr parameters lllcasured UI the laboratory for Tablan Jaya 24 Table 10 Wastewater paramcters measured in the laboratory tor Taman Satria 24
Jaya Table II Wastewater parameters measured ill the laboratory for Village Grove 25 Table 2 One-way ANOVA for phosphate concentration betwecn housing area~ 47 Table 13 Post-Hoc Tcst for phosphate concentrdtlon 48 Table 14 One-way ANOVA fo r nitrate concentration between housing areas 54 Table 15 Post-Hoc Test for nitrate concentration S5 Table 16 Water quality at Taman Malihuh 56 Table 17 Water quality at Tabuan Jaya 56 Table 18 Water quality at Taman Satria laya 57 Table 19 Watcr quality at Village Groe 57
VII
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Illy supervisor Dr I larwant Singh fo r
Ills support guidance and advice throughout this project and ensuring the comp lelion of
Ulis thesis and to Mr Scnd for helplIIg me during the sampling process My gratitude also
goes 10 Illy be loved fami ly CSpecially for my mOlhr PJ1 Noriah Ht Don who gave me full
support and spirillo finish this research sludy also would like to thank my houscmates
and classmates for their help and opinions
III
TABLE OF O-1TENTS
Acknowledgement rable of Content List of Figures Lit of Tables Abstract Absfrak
CHAPTER IINTROOllCTIO
11 Wastewater 12 Scope of study IJ Objectives ofSilld)
CHAPTER 2 LITERAlllRE RIVIEW
2 I Domestic Wastewater 1 1 Domestic Water Uttlization
2 12 inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater 213 Factors Affecting Wastewatel Discharge
12 Domestic Sewerage System Wastewater and their Discharge 221 Septic Tauks 222 ImhoffTanks 223 Nature of Discharge
23 Wagttewater Characterlslics 231 Physical Characteristic
231 1 Colour 2312 Oduur 2311 Total solid 23 Il Turbidity 2315 Temperalure
23 2 Chemical Characteristics 23 21 Organ ic Matter 2J 22 Inurga II ie Matter
NllnenL~
nl~solved ()x) gell
[If
23 3 Biological Characteristics 24 ~nvirollmenta l l mpacl and Prevention
2 4 1 Introductioll 242 Contammaills ofConcem
421 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 2422 Nitrogell 2423 Phosphorus
IV
jusut Khidmal M i-II IVERSn J ~ a IUIlIal AkadelI~
fAIYSIA SARAWAIl LllflO 1ltrHl Saftl-hln
111
1
VIJ
VIII
Xl
II
2
3
3 l
4 6 7 7 9 9 10 10 10 1 I 1 II 12 12 12 12 I~
13 11 14 14 I~
15 15 16 16
2414 Coliform organisms 16 243 Emuent Discharge Standard and Legi lalive Requirements 17
CHAPTER 3 MATERIAL AND METHODS 19
31 Description of Study Area 19 32 Data collcction 19
322 Watcr Sample Cullection 20 ~ 23 Samplc Analysis 20
(i) [I -sllu parameters 20
(ii) Laboratory analysIs 21
CHAPTER 4 RES LTS 22
4 1 Wastewater par-dI1leters measured III -illi n 4 11 Sampling site Taman MaJihah 22 4 12 Sampli og s ite Tabuan Jaya 22 4 13 Samplmg site Taman Satria laya 23 414 Sampltng site Village Grove 2J
42 Wastewater parameters aoalYLcd in the laboratory 24 4 2 1 Samplillg site Taman Malihah 24 422 Sampling site Tabuan Jaya 24 4 23 Sampling si te Taman Satria Jaya 24 4 24 Sampling site Village Grove 25
CHAPTER 5 DISCliSSIONS ~6
5 I Physical Characteristics 26 51 I Temperature 26 5 I 2 Color ~ I 5 13 Odor 31
52 Chemica l Characteristics 32 521 pH value 32 522 Dissolved Oxygen 37 524 Phosphate concentration 42 52 5 Nllrntc concentration 50
53 Water Quality obtained compared to tile Effiuent Discharge Stalldard lor 56 Malaysian Inland Waters
v
CHAPT R 6 CONCLLlSIONS A D RECO1MpoundNDATIO S 58
REFERENCES 59
PPEIDlX I PRrBmeter measured in-situ
APPfIIDLX 2 PRrllmeter measured in the laboratory
VI
LIST OF TABLES
Table I Fraction of water consumption J Table 2Typical dLstnbution of resldentia I interior water use 4 Table 3 Effluent Discharge Standard tor Malaysian Inland Watcrs 17 Table Wastewater parameters measured in-situ for raman Maliha h 22 Table 5 Wa~tewater parametcrs measurcd ill-SII for Tabllnn Jaya 22 Table 6 Wastewater paramcters measured ill-Stili for Taman Satriu Jaya 2J Table 7 Wastewater parameters measured ill- iIl tor Villagc Grove 23 Table 8 Wastewater parameters measured In the laboratory for Taman Malihah 24 Table 9 Wastewakr parameters lllcasured UI the laboratory for Tablan Jaya 24 Table 10 Wastewater paramcters measured in the laboratory tor Taman Satria 24
Jaya Table II Wastewater parameters measured ill the laboratory for Village Grove 25 Table 2 One-way ANOVA for phosphate concentration betwecn housing area~ 47 Table 13 Post-Hoc Tcst for phosphate concentrdtlon 48 Table 14 One-way ANOVA fo r nitrate concentration between housing areas 54 Table 15 Post-Hoc Test for nitrate concentration S5 Table 16 Water quality at Taman Malihuh 56 Table 17 Water quality at Tabuan Jaya 56 Table 18 Water quality at Taman Satria laya 57 Table 19 Watcr quality at Village Groe 57
VII
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
TABLE OF O-1TENTS
Acknowledgement rable of Content List of Figures Lit of Tables Abstract Absfrak
CHAPTER IINTROOllCTIO
11 Wastewater 12 Scope of study IJ Objectives ofSilld)
CHAPTER 2 LITERAlllRE RIVIEW
2 I Domestic Wastewater 1 1 Domestic Water Uttlization
2 12 inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater 213 Factors Affecting Wastewatel Discharge
12 Domestic Sewerage System Wastewater and their Discharge 221 Septic Tauks 222 ImhoffTanks 223 Nature of Discharge
23 Wagttewater Characterlslics 231 Physical Characteristic
231 1 Colour 2312 Oduur 2311 Total solid 23 Il Turbidity 2315 Temperalure
23 2 Chemical Characteristics 23 21 Organ ic Matter 2J 22 Inurga II ie Matter
NllnenL~
nl~solved ()x) gell
[If
23 3 Biological Characteristics 24 ~nvirollmenta l l mpacl and Prevention
2 4 1 Introductioll 242 Contammaills ofConcem
421 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 2422 Nitrogell 2423 Phosphorus
IV
jusut Khidmal M i-II IVERSn J ~ a IUIlIal AkadelI~
fAIYSIA SARAWAIl LllflO 1ltrHl Saftl-hln
111
1
VIJ
VIII
Xl
II
2
3
3 l
4 6 7 7 9 9 10 10 10 1 I 1 II 12 12 12 12 I~
13 11 14 14 I~
15 15 16 16
2414 Coliform organisms 16 243 Emuent Discharge Standard and Legi lalive Requirements 17
CHAPTER 3 MATERIAL AND METHODS 19
31 Description of Study Area 19 32 Data collcction 19
322 Watcr Sample Cullection 20 ~ 23 Samplc Analysis 20
(i) [I -sllu parameters 20
(ii) Laboratory analysIs 21
CHAPTER 4 RES LTS 22
4 1 Wastewater par-dI1leters measured III -illi n 4 11 Sampling site Taman MaJihah 22 4 12 Sampli og s ite Tabuan Jaya 22 4 13 Samplmg site Taman Satria laya 23 414 Sampltng site Village Grove 2J
42 Wastewater parameters aoalYLcd in the laboratory 24 4 2 1 Samplillg site Taman Malihah 24 422 Sampling site Tabuan Jaya 24 4 23 Sampling si te Taman Satria Jaya 24 4 24 Sampling site Village Grove 25
CHAPTER 5 DISCliSSIONS ~6
5 I Physical Characteristics 26 51 I Temperature 26 5 I 2 Color ~ I 5 13 Odor 31
52 Chemica l Characteristics 32 521 pH value 32 522 Dissolved Oxygen 37 524 Phosphate concentration 42 52 5 Nllrntc concentration 50
53 Water Quality obtained compared to tile Effiuent Discharge Stalldard lor 56 Malaysian Inland Waters
v
CHAPT R 6 CONCLLlSIONS A D RECO1MpoundNDATIO S 58
REFERENCES 59
PPEIDlX I PRrBmeter measured in-situ
APPfIIDLX 2 PRrllmeter measured in the laboratory
VI
LIST OF TABLES
Table I Fraction of water consumption J Table 2Typical dLstnbution of resldentia I interior water use 4 Table 3 Effluent Discharge Standard tor Malaysian Inland Watcrs 17 Table Wastewater parameters measured in-situ for raman Maliha h 22 Table 5 Wa~tewater parametcrs measurcd ill-SII for Tabllnn Jaya 22 Table 6 Wastewater paramcters measured ill-Stili for Taman Satriu Jaya 2J Table 7 Wastewater parameters measured ill- iIl tor Villagc Grove 23 Table 8 Wastewater parameters measured In the laboratory for Taman Malihah 24 Table 9 Wastewakr parameters lllcasured UI the laboratory for Tablan Jaya 24 Table 10 Wastewater paramcters measured in the laboratory tor Taman Satria 24
Jaya Table II Wastewater parameters measured ill the laboratory for Village Grove 25 Table 2 One-way ANOVA for phosphate concentration betwecn housing area~ 47 Table 13 Post-Hoc Tcst for phosphate concentrdtlon 48 Table 14 One-way ANOVA fo r nitrate concentration between housing areas 54 Table 15 Post-Hoc Test for nitrate concentration S5 Table 16 Water quality at Taman Malihuh 56 Table 17 Water quality at Tabuan Jaya 56 Table 18 Water quality at Taman Satria laya 57 Table 19 Watcr quality at Village Groe 57
VII
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
2414 Coliform organisms 16 243 Emuent Discharge Standard and Legi lalive Requirements 17
CHAPTER 3 MATERIAL AND METHODS 19
31 Description of Study Area 19 32 Data collcction 19
322 Watcr Sample Cullection 20 ~ 23 Samplc Analysis 20
(i) [I -sllu parameters 20
(ii) Laboratory analysIs 21
CHAPTER 4 RES LTS 22
4 1 Wastewater par-dI1leters measured III -illi n 4 11 Sampling site Taman MaJihah 22 4 12 Sampli og s ite Tabuan Jaya 22 4 13 Samplmg site Taman Satria laya 23 414 Sampltng site Village Grove 2J
42 Wastewater parameters aoalYLcd in the laboratory 24 4 2 1 Samplillg site Taman Malihah 24 422 Sampling site Tabuan Jaya 24 4 23 Sampling si te Taman Satria Jaya 24 4 24 Sampling site Village Grove 25
CHAPTER 5 DISCliSSIONS ~6
5 I Physical Characteristics 26 51 I Temperature 26 5 I 2 Color ~ I 5 13 Odor 31
52 Chemica l Characteristics 32 521 pH value 32 522 Dissolved Oxygen 37 524 Phosphate concentration 42 52 5 Nllrntc concentration 50
53 Water Quality obtained compared to tile Effiuent Discharge Stalldard lor 56 Malaysian Inland Waters
v
CHAPT R 6 CONCLLlSIONS A D RECO1MpoundNDATIO S 58
REFERENCES 59
PPEIDlX I PRrBmeter measured in-situ
APPfIIDLX 2 PRrllmeter measured in the laboratory
VI
LIST OF TABLES
Table I Fraction of water consumption J Table 2Typical dLstnbution of resldentia I interior water use 4 Table 3 Effluent Discharge Standard tor Malaysian Inland Watcrs 17 Table Wastewater parameters measured in-situ for raman Maliha h 22 Table 5 Wa~tewater parametcrs measurcd ill-SII for Tabllnn Jaya 22 Table 6 Wastewater paramcters measured ill-Stili for Taman Satriu Jaya 2J Table 7 Wastewater parameters measured ill- iIl tor Villagc Grove 23 Table 8 Wastewater parameters measured In the laboratory for Taman Malihah 24 Table 9 Wastewakr parameters lllcasured UI the laboratory for Tablan Jaya 24 Table 10 Wastewater paramcters measured in the laboratory tor Taman Satria 24
Jaya Table II Wastewater parameters measured ill the laboratory for Village Grove 25 Table 2 One-way ANOVA for phosphate concentration betwecn housing area~ 47 Table 13 Post-Hoc Tcst for phosphate concentrdtlon 48 Table 14 One-way ANOVA fo r nitrate concentration between housing areas 54 Table 15 Post-Hoc Test for nitrate concentration S5 Table 16 Water quality at Taman Malihuh 56 Table 17 Water quality at Tabuan Jaya 56 Table 18 Water quality at Taman Satria laya 57 Table 19 Watcr quality at Village Groe 57
VII
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
CHAPT R 6 CONCLLlSIONS A D RECO1MpoundNDATIO S 58
REFERENCES 59
PPEIDlX I PRrBmeter measured in-situ
APPfIIDLX 2 PRrllmeter measured in the laboratory
VI
LIST OF TABLES
Table I Fraction of water consumption J Table 2Typical dLstnbution of resldentia I interior water use 4 Table 3 Effluent Discharge Standard tor Malaysian Inland Watcrs 17 Table Wastewater parameters measured in-situ for raman Maliha h 22 Table 5 Wa~tewater parametcrs measurcd ill-SII for Tabllnn Jaya 22 Table 6 Wastewater paramcters measured ill-Stili for Taman Satriu Jaya 2J Table 7 Wastewater parameters measured ill- iIl tor Villagc Grove 23 Table 8 Wastewater parameters measured In the laboratory for Taman Malihah 24 Table 9 Wastewakr parameters lllcasured UI the laboratory for Tablan Jaya 24 Table 10 Wastewater paramcters measured in the laboratory tor Taman Satria 24
Jaya Table II Wastewater parameters measured ill the laboratory for Village Grove 25 Table 2 One-way ANOVA for phosphate concentration betwecn housing area~ 47 Table 13 Post-Hoc Tcst for phosphate concentrdtlon 48 Table 14 One-way ANOVA fo r nitrate concentration between housing areas 54 Table 15 Post-Hoc Test for nitrate concentration S5 Table 16 Water quality at Taman Malihuh 56 Table 17 Water quality at Tabuan Jaya 56 Table 18 Water quality at Taman Satria laya 57 Table 19 Watcr quality at Village Groe 57
VII
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
LIST OF TABLES
Table I Fraction of water consumption J Table 2Typical dLstnbution of resldentia I interior water use 4 Table 3 Effluent Discharge Standard tor Malaysian Inland Watcrs 17 Table Wastewater parameters measured in-situ for raman Maliha h 22 Table 5 Wa~tewater parametcrs measurcd ill-SII for Tabllnn Jaya 22 Table 6 Wastewater paramcters measured ill-Stili for Taman Satriu Jaya 2J Table 7 Wastewater parameters measured ill- iIl tor Villagc Grove 23 Table 8 Wastewater parameters measured In the laboratory for Taman Malihah 24 Table 9 Wastewakr parameters lllcasured UI the laboratory for Tablan Jaya 24 Table 10 Wastewater paramcters measured in the laboratory tor Taman Satria 24
Jaya Table II Wastewater parameters measured ill the laboratory for Village Grove 25 Table 2 One-way ANOVA for phosphate concentration betwecn housing area~ 47 Table 13 Post-Hoc Tcst for phosphate concentrdtlon 48 Table 14 One-way ANOVA fo r nitrate concentration between housing areas 54 Table 15 Post-Hoc Test for nitrate concentration S5 Table 16 Water quality at Taman Malihuh 56 Table 17 Water quality at Tabuan Jaya 56 Table 18 Water quality at Taman Satria laya 57 Table 19 Watcr quality at Village Groe 57
VII
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kucbing 5
Figure -4b Temperature at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 27
Figu re -4d Temperature at Village Grove from October to February 28
Figure Sa Temperaturc of each houslIlg area ill October 28
Figure Sb Temperature ofeach housing area in November 29
Figu re Sc Temperature ofeach housing arca in December 29
Figure Sd Tempernture of each housing area III lalluary JO
Figu re ~c Temperature of each housing area III February 30
Figure 6 Temperature of four housing areas (rom October to February 31
Figure 73 pH value at Taman Mallhah from October to February 1
Figur( 7b pH value at Tabuan Jaya from Oclober 10 February 32
Figure 7c pH value at Taman Satria Jaya from Octob~r to February 33
Figur( 7d pH value al Village Grove from October to February 33
Figure 8a pH at four housing areas in October 34
Figure 8b pH at (our housing areas in November 34
Figure 8e pH at four bousllIg areas ill December 35
Figure 8d pH at fOUf housing areas in January 3
Figure 8e pH at four housing areas in February 36
Figur( lOa Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Mal ihah from October to 37
February
Figur( lOb Dlssolved oxygen concentration at Tabuan Jaya flOUl October to 37
Fcbruary
Figure 10e Dissolved oxygen concentration at Taman Sa tria Jaya from October 38
to February
Figure 2 middot1 yplcal household wastewater treatment systems with problems 8
Figure J The natural selfpurifieat ion cycle 14
Figure 4a Temperature at Taman Malibah from October to FebrUllI) 26
Figure 4c Temperature at Taman Satria Jaya from OClober to Febnl3ry 27
Figure 9 pH values of all the housing areas from October to Febnmry 36
VII
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
Figure t Od Dissolved oxygen concentration al Village Grove from OClober 10 38
February
Figure Ita Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Oclober 39
Figure ttc Dissolved oxygen at fOll r hOllsing areas ill December 40
Figure J Id Dissolved oxygcn at four housing areas ill January 40
Figure III Dissolved oxygen at four housing areas in February 41
Figure 12 Dissolved oxygen at tour housing areas from October to February 41
Figure II h Dissolved oxygen al four housing areas in Novcmbcr 39
Figure 13a Phosphate concenlrations al raman Malil1all from OClober 10 42
February
Figure lJh Phosphate concentrations al rabuan Jaya from October to 43
February
Figure 13c Pho phate concentrations at Taman atna Jaya from October 43
to February
Figure 13d Phosphate conccntrations at Village Grove from October to 44
February
Figure 14a Phosphate conccntralloll at four housing areas in October 44
Figure 14b Phosphate conccntration at four housing areas in November 45
Figure 14c Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in December 45
Figure 14d Phosphate concentration at four h using areas in January 46
Figure 141 Phosphate concentration at four housing areas in October 46
Figure 15 Phosphate concentrations of four residen tial areas from Octo her t 47
Febllary
Figurel6a Nitrate concenlration al Taman Malihah from October 10 February 50
Figure 16b Nitrate oncentration at Tabuan Jaya from October to February 50
Figure 16c Nitrate concentration al Taman MaJihah from October 10 February I
Figure 16d NItrate concentration at Taman Mahhah irom October to February 5 I
Figure 178 Nitrate concentration 8t all housing areas 10 October 52
Figure 17b Nitrate concentration at all hOIL~ing areas in November 52
Figure 17c Nitrate c)ncentration at all housing areas in October 51
Figu re 17d Nitrate concentration at all housing areas in January 53
1)(
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
-----
Figure 17e Nitrate concentration at all housing areas In February 54
Figure 18 Nitrate concentrations of four residential areas [rom October to 54
february
x
---shy
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
CHARACfERIZATION OF HOLISEHOLD WASTEWATER
Norbosbibah BI Ismail
Re ource Chemistry Programme Faculty Resources Sciences and Technology
Univers ity Malaysia Sarawak
ABSTRACT
The objective of tillS study was to determine selected physIcal and chemIcal characteristics of
household wastcwater from four housmg areus at Kuchmg arawuk Thc quality of ille
household wustewater was obtained from illis study This study was earned out at dlfTerence
housing areas differentiated on illeir social-economy status degn is study was carried out at four
housmg areas at Kuchmg namely Taman Mahhah Tabuan Jaya Taman Satna Jaya and the
Vil lage Grove condOIUllUums ThiS housing areas were categ()ries into illree dIfference groups
that IS low medium and hIgh-income groups This study mvestigated into two types of
parameters whIch were In-1I11 parameters nnd laboratory parameters Wastewater samples wcre
taken at tile selected maUl drun once a month from October to Fehruary The In-si ll parameters
were temperature pH and dissolved oxygen wlule the parameters armlyzed in ille laboratory
were nItrate conoentration and phosphate conoentratiolls This study found that ille phosphate
concentratIon 125Olgll was highest at Taman M lihah compared (0 the other housing areaB The
higher concentration of phosphate 8t Taman Mahhah was caused by washlllg actIvities ihat used 3
lot of detergent The nitrate concentration wns hIgh 61 the lugh-income group ie atlhe Village
Grove condominIUms As a conclUSIon main factors affectIng this concentration ill the
wastewater from households was from illc daily actiVIties such as wlIShtng actiVItIes and ~allllamp
habits
Xl
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
AlJSTRAK
Oileklif kajiall illl adaail mlllk mlnenwkon beh~rupa Irl-clfl jizlko dUll em- trI kllllla
dartpatio sSa atr kllmbaFtulI rllmail dl bebcralo okasi Ierumultan dl KlleImg Surumiddotuk
Darlpada kajluft 1111 dapal memmmuill klla fltr ltIw kllmhawll Kajiun 1m jllga dijaankan
ulIllk mengkajl wlili air di kwasan )~mg berben dariegl sosiu-ekolloml pelldlldllk Kujiall
traft dtjatIIimn cli emal kuwasaft pemmalulII dl ltkllar Kllchmg Willi Tuman fuiltah Tahlluft
Jaya Taman Satrtu Jaya dall kOlldollllfltllm liIage Gr(JIe KUllusall-kuwasall pertlmahclII 1111
leah dlkalegortkuft kepada IlbgtrJ (lntplIun Willi kuwawm permaltall kus rendalt sedrhalla dan
IlIIggl KUjiall dlbhallkall pocla duo klllnpaft 101111 kajiall dl fNlIIglIIl dan kaitlll dl clalum
lIIurmal lumpe air ewmhll dart Inllgkong llama dl seliaI ka aall perllmahan Jail la
dijalallkun rkali dalam ~elman bemllla dari nilali Oktoiler Irlllgga billan Fehruarl Purameler
yang dlkoji dl apmgon adalalr SIIIII pH dall okslgfI Unl lerlartll IUnakulu 11lt1l1eler di
dalam makmal ialalr fosfaldan mll(1l Kajiall memmjldaoll fifar 1Jmg dl Tomall Malthah
udalal leMir Imggl hemondfiR darl IIga ATIMalall eMmohall ycmg 0111 Kepekalan Imaf yang
lillggi cI lamall ini jlga adaah dchankoll olelr lelllli[lIl1aall delugell tinEa aklTwIl harlfJlL
Manakala kepeimloll nllral adalalr lillggl dl k(Iliuan penmwhall herko 111188 willi dl
kodnmmlllm Vllluge Gruw Se~uru keSlmpIallllya kllalill air yang lereapdl dalam iltI1
Irllmbahall dart rllmalr bpRarllftl nleh heberapo faltlor II(Imu lOilll uKlivlli-uklliti harian
sepem cora pemaimlan menCII pakuun dQII ptnl$on flIQIllkllr c(I11 gO) hldllp
XII
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
CHAPTER I
INTROD CrTON
IJ Waste uter
Wastewater is water th at can contribute to water po ll ution Its enters streams rivers lakes and
seas via poim and non- po int sources A point source is when the poll utan ts are converged to a
singJe outlet beo re being discharged uno me sw-facc vater Non-poln t SULUce_ are cootribuung
sources most often asociated with surface nlno fT such as urban storm water runoff Non-point
sources contribute less then 50 of pollution load and al though the ir effect is slow it IS pe rsIstent
Household wa tewatcrs arc one of the examples of point source pOli li tion and are typically
generated as a resul t of household acti vi ties It is divided into 2 categor ies wltich is blacl ( faeces
aud urine) and grey (kitchen bath laundry etc) water As a matter of fact household wastewater
effi uent is very much re lated to waler con umptiOIl However not ali wlt~r lonsumerl is
discharged as wastewater
J2 SCO I)e of Study
This slUdy in o lves the charactcrtnuion and qua ntificatloll o f certain constituent) of W3)tew3tC(
from domestic ho useholds in certain areas in Kuchmg Ihese areas consist of dlfTerenl Iypes of
income group residences namely low-cost single storey terrace houses mtdium-cost oougtleshy
storey terrace houses and condominiu ms wh ich are categorized into low middle and high income
reSIdentia l fOUpS respeclive ly
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
13 Objectives of Study
l To dctennine the physical parameters aJtd water quality parameters ofhollschold
wastewater In low mIddle and high income rcsidelllial areas
2 To determine the watcr quality oCthe household wastewater
3 To compare the water quality of the wastewater between low middle and high income
residential areas
2
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
21 Domestic Wastewater
211 Domestic Water Utilization
Water fUOlished to hOllses hotels etc IS lIsed for sanitary culinary and other purposes Water
usage varies with the economic status of the consnmer the rang being 75 to 380 L (20-100 gal)
per capita per day These fillJres include water used for air containing and walering of lawns and
gardens a practice which may have a subslautial effect UpOIl total water use in some parts of the
country Domestic consumption is typically about 50 of the t tal but rltpreselllS n large fraction
where the tota l consnmption is small (McGhee 1991) Table I and Table 2 show the typical
distribution of residential interior water usc of European households The water consumption in
the household is an important part of waste generation It is agreed that 60-90 of the per capita
water con umpiion become wastewater (Metcalf and Eddy 1991)
Table 1 Fraction of water consUloptiol1 (Henze 1997) Usc Wate~ cOI1SumpUOIL lIenpday
Toilet 50 Bath 50
Kitchell 50 Wash 10
Inliltration 80 Total 2-1 0
3
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
Table 2 Typical dlslTibULion of res idential interior water use (llcnze 1997) Use of total Bath
Dishwa~htlrs Faucets Showers Toilel~
Todet leakage Wa~hin machines
89 31 1 17 2 1 2 284 55
212
212 Inputs Constituting Composition of Domestic Wastewater
Wastewater or water-born waste is water used by urban populat ion for drinking washing
cleanlng or by Industry for cooling washing processing (Welch 1992) It is discharged carrYlllg
unwan tcd and uncovered substances Henze (1997) defincd that waste production from
househo lds normally consist of liquid wa~te (wastewater) so lid waste and airborne wa~te He
said tbat hou ehold waste comprises wastewater and solid waste from households that origmated
from arious sources within the household Van der Wijst and Groot-Marcus (1999) said that
domestic wastewater is wastewater coming from houscholds and the amount of pollution is partly
defined by household charactenstlcs as well as development III cOliSumptlon or cousumpUol1
patterns Wastewaters are oficn classified accoroing lO their use The first of these i commonly
called anitary or domestic wastewater which is wastewater d ischarged from the residen tial
In tltutlonai and slm)lar faC ilities the second is Illdu tnal waste whtlt the thirJ includes
infiltration lnOow and torm water Wastewaters enter strelms rivers lakes and seas via point
and non-point sources Wastewater from households is one of the example of point source
I)()ilutlon It is categories into 2 groups which is black (faccal and urine) and grey watcr
(wastewater from bath kitchen etc) 1 hesc are showl) iu Figur I Grey water ontnbuted 185
4
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
of domestic wastewater m urban drainage while black water contnbllted 93 Ollt of a total of
540 VEd wastewate r in sewers Household wastewater discharged i ma inly contributed by water-
using faci lit ies and app l iance~ especially water c1oseL~toilets batllssbowers kitchen sinks
wash basins and washing machines
Drinking water
I
Bath LaundryKitchen Faecal Urine
~ Lshy
~ Black water Grey -ater
---------- ~ Dome~tjc wastewater I
1 Sewer
J
1 River I
Figure L Fluxes of pollution in urban drainage in Kuching (Adapted from Herman and Klaus 1997)
5
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
213 Factors Affecting Wastewater Oischarge
The average daily per capita water consumptioQ in America cities varies from 130 to 20001 (35
to 350 gal) Local use depcnds upon sllch factors as the size of the community presence oC
Industries quality of the water its co t its pressure tIle climale charactenstics of the populallon
whether slippites are mctered and thc efficiency with whic h the system is main lained tMcGhee
1991) Besides that behaviour oran individual also plays an important role in affecting water use
and hcuce wastewater gcneration 111C main fuctors of cOllcem in relation to wasttwater discharge
111 tenns of quality and quautity are the number of people In an area and the economic status of
the popu lation According to Metcal and Eddy (1991) in a small community the rate of lise
fluctuates over a wider range wlll1 higher peak flows (as compared to average use) and lower
minimull1 flow Types of housing development particularly affect extenor water use as the need
for landscaping watering is mlleh higher in thc houses with yards or garden compound~ Terrace
houses condominiums and apartments are the attributes of the deoslly of development It was
suggested that as the assessed val ue of property increase so does watcr lise and wastewater now
rate (Geycr and Lentz 1962) Economic status of a community also can affect the amount of
water use and thus tbe wastewater Dow rates Hlgller incomes have a higher abtltly to own watershy
USiJlg appliances such as washing machtrlcs that tncrcase water consumption of a hou (ho ld As
such growth ill water use fTom washing clothes is due to the higher frequency of washing and
the fac t that wash ing machine is also used when it is onl y panly filled wi th textiles (Van der
Wljst and Groot-Marcus 1999)
6
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
22 Domestic Sewerage System WlIsteWlIter aod their Discharge
The sewerage system is dividcd into septic tank and Imhoff tank In Malaysia most of the
sewerage systems lise septic tanks and ImhofT tanks are usually found only at condomllliums or
apartmclll$ hou in) areas (Malaysian Standard- MS 1228 ode of Practice for Design and
Installation of Sewerage Systems)
221 Septic T aoks
This tank is lIsually loc3tltd 10 the backyard of the house The septic tank provides parttal
treatment of sewage and it needs til be desludged at a regular basis to ensure it funet ions
efficiency Its usually comprises two chambers known as the settlement tanks The maximum
silidge that it can store is about a tbird of Its total volume That IS the reason why it requires
regular dcsludging When tlle sewage Oows into septic tanks Lhey produced 2 layers The scum
such as oil and grease from the sewage float to the top and fonn a layer at the surtace and the
solid matter or sludge fonns a seeond layer below An anaerobic process occurs as scum prevents
oxygen from dlssolv1I1 in the sewage As a mallcr of fact t breakdown the ~olid maller Lbe
selage bas to be retained for at least twenty-four hours to allow for anaerobic digestion The
sewages can overflow if desludging is not carried out during a period of lime Retcnllon lime for
the ewage can decrca c when Lhe sludg achieves the maxllllum level of the tan] This will result
in an incomplete breakdown of sewage and thus untreated sewage and s udge will be released
into the drain from the septic tank Because of tJlis there is an efTeet on publiC health fn addItion
the accumulation rate of sludge sh(lUld be included m the calculation of sepllc tank Sillllg The
septic tank volume to be allocated to each user is 730 liters so a~ to maintain a 50 minimum
7
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
volume for the settlmg of the wastewater (PJlllip el uf 1993) The slIliabie sIze of tile tanks will
accommodate at least 24 hours of wastewater flows while allmting for sludge and scum retention
time This is because the design and cOJlstruction of septic tanks influence their water tightness
and effectiveness at retaining sludge and scum Figure 2 shows a typical household system for
Wdstew3ter generation coJlecuon treatment and dIsposal Willie such S) stems may be called by
various names such as septic tanks or sub urface treatment and disposa l systems they are similar
I )
-
r - I I I _~ ~~r f-~
Figure 2 Typical hou chold lasteW31er treatment systems II itll problems
bull
Illustration by Andy Hopfensperger lJniversity f Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural Engmcenng (httpl waterhomebrc tamuscduJiIldexhunl)
8
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
222 Imhoff Tanks
This type of tank is usually constructed at condomJOlums and apanmcnts An Imhoff lank
provides connected sewage servIce and consists of a sedimentation tank Sewage from the
counected premises flows to tlle sedimentatloll tank wbere seltlemcOl of solids occurs Sludge
forms as heavier solids sellie at the bottom of the tank On the other hand liqUId eflluent from the
sedimentation tank seeps through a rock filter bed that comprises of ditlCrcnt sizC5 of stOIlC and
rocks Organisms Jiving 011 the rock filter treats the sewage while the emuent is discharged into
the drain SimIlar to the mamtcnancc of sephc tanks the scdimentatlon tank of the Imhoff tank
also IIced to be desludged regularly
223 Nature of Discha rge
In Sarawak septic tauks typically di charged efllllen t into municipal storm water drains without
monitoring their effectiveness in treating effluents (Memon and Murteza 1999) Rivers and
drains act as combmed sewers collecting all types of wastewaters such as septic tank effluent
grey water as well as liqu id industrial waste The contaminated lows directly discharge to the
nearest surface water may become a source of pathogens to the downslream users as the
subsequent decomposition of wastewater creates 11I1isance conditions as well as disrupts th e
aquatic ecosystem The reduction of tbe effect of wastewater discharge has beclmc Impor1ant
Occause this shortcoming has come to the li melight and out of this concem it has been realiud
that the wastewater must rtfst be treated to remove the bulk of the contammants before It IS
discharged into the watercourses According to Hermann and Klaus (1997) the drainage system
is a dIluting system while the treatment plant is a concentrating machine As a measured towards
waste treatment the IOta I pollutalll load to receIving water bodies is often determined and
9
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
allocaled tor present and future discharges This wa te load allocation IS used I customize Ihe
treatment at each discharge point Total suspended solids (TS5) biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) nutrients (N ad P) and pathogen ic bacteria are the important constituents of domestic
wastewater that arc targeted to be removed during tit treatmenL Wastewuter treatmeol has been
sepanued into prdiminary primary secondary and advanced systems The preliminary system
includes measurement and regulation of the incoming now and removal of large floating solids
fll and perhaps grease Primary treatment processes were origmally deSigned to remove
suspended solids in wastewater prior 10 its discharge since these were the 1110st ob ious source of
pollution The secondary treatment system is intended to rel110ve the soluble and colloidal ()rganic
matter which remains after pr imary treatment
23 Wastealer Cbaracleristics
Wastewaler is characterized in terms of Its phYS ical chemical and biologica l composition
231 Ihys ical Characteristics
PhYSical charactenstics Include the colour odell( lotal soltds and temperature
2311 Colour
Wastewater is usually light brownish to grey in colour I he colour of the wastewater cbanges
from grey to dark grey and ultimately to black when anaerobic conditions deve lop AI this stage
the black co loured wastewater is lescribed as septic
10
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J
2312 Odour
Odours ill wlliitewater are caused by tll decomposition of tlle organic matter or b 5ubstrulCes
added to the wastewatcr Fresh wastewater has distinctive musty but not offensive odour which
is less objectionable than to the odour of the waSI~water Umt has undergcme anaerobIc
decomposition The stale sewage odour of hydrogen sulfide is pronounced This of1cnslVlt odour
of stale or septic wastewater is caused by the activity of anaerobic microorganisllI$ in reducing
sulfute to sulfide
2313 Total solids
Sewage contallls about 99 of water solid suspended 1D scwage composed of floatmg maller
settle able matter colloidal maller and matter ill solulion Fresh sewage contains recognizable
solid of considerable sizc As the waste ages its contains smaller but still occasionally
recognizable soilds Floatable soilds arc important when the sewage is dtsltbar)ed dtrectly into
rivers lakes or seas
2311 Turbidijy
Turbidity is the one of the indicators of the quality of waste discharges and natural walers with
rcs(XCt to colloidal and residual suspended matter There is the relationship between turbidity and
tile conceuUallol) of tbe suspended soltds in untreated wastewater Fresh wastewater is generally
turbid or cloudy
1J