GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Biochemical Oxygen demand (BOD): The strength of the wastewater is often determined
by
measuring the amount of oxygen consumed by microorganism like bacteria in
biodegrading the
organic matter. The measurement is known as the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).
Microorganisms such as bacteria are responsible for decomposing organic waste. When organic
matter such as dead plants, leaves, grass clippings, cellulose components, manure, sewage, organic
waste like dyes, fats and oils, or even food waste is present in a water supply, the bacteria will begin
the process of breaking down this waste. When this happens, bacteria in aerobic process, robbing
other aquatic organisms of the oxygen they need to live, consume much of the available dissolved
oxygen.
If there is a large quantity of organic waste in the water supply, there will also be a lot of bacteria
present working to decompose this waste. In this case, the demand for oxygen will be high (due to all
the bacteria) so the BOD level will be high. As the waste is consumed or dispersed through the water,
BOD levels will begin to decline.
Nitrogen and phosphates in a body of water can also contribute to high BOD levels. Nitrates and
phosphates are plant nutrients and can cause plant life and algae to grow quickly. When plants grow
quickly, they also die quickly. This contributes to the organic waste in the water, which is then
decomposed by bacteria. This results in a high BOD level. The temperature of the water can also
contribute to high BOD levels. For example, warmer water usually will have a higher BOD level than
colder water. As water temperature increases, the rate of photosynthesis by algae and other plant life
in the water also increases. When this happens, plants grow faster and also die faster. When the
plants die, they fall to the bottom where they are decomposed by bacteria. The bacteria require
oxygen for this process so the BOD is high at this location. Therefore, increased water temperatures
will speed up bacterial decomposition and result in higher BOD levels.

When BOD levels are high, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels decrease because the bacteria are
consuming the oxygen that is available in the water. Since less dissolved oxygen is available in the
water, fish and other aquatic organisms may not survive. Textile Denim plant wastewater possesses a
very high BOD like 800 – 2500 mg/l. It is necessary to reduce this BOD value up to a level less than
30 mg/l before discharging them into the environment like canals or rivers. If a water body of high
BOD is discharged into the sea or very large river then off course the concentration of BOD
decreases due to dilution and have little or no harmful effect on the aquatic life or environment.
Therefore if it is possible to discharge a highly toxic effluent in sea or large river no treatment is
necessary.
Though it was not mentioned, the dissolved oxygen (DO) is a highly significant parameter to define
the BOD or COD of a wastewater. The amount of oxygen present in a certain amount of water in
dissolved state is known as DO. It is normally expressed as mg/l. Water may contain DO ranging from
0 to 18 mg/l but in most cases of normal waters, DO lies between 7-9 mg/l. Aquatic lives require
certain level of DO to survive in the water. In case of wastewater the microorganisms require oxygen
to consume the organic wastes. As a result the DO of water decreases tremendously and becomes a
threat to the life of aquatic species. Textile effluents possess very low
DO, which is unsuitable for discharging to the environment. During treatment of wastewater air is
blown through the effluent when oxygen is dissolved in the effluent as a result DO level raises and as
the DO increases the BOD/COD decreases.
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD): This is a means of measuring the ability of wastewater
to
sustain aquatic life, essential for the preservation of the environment. It also enables proper
assessment of treatment plant performance. Aquatic organisms and animals require dissolved oxygen
to flourish. The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) test gives an indication of the impact of discharge
waters on aquatic life by measuring the oxygen depleting nature of the discharge water.
COD is based on the fact that nearly all-organic compounds can be fully oxidized to carbon dioxide
with a strong oxidizing agent under acidic condition. COD is another common measure of water-borne
organic substances — the process of measuring COD causes the conversion of all organic matter into
carbon dioxide. For this reason, one limitation of COD is that it cannot differentiate between
biologically active and those which biologically inactive. One major advantage of COD over BOD is
that COD can be measured in just three hours where as BOD measurement takes at least five days.
The value of COD is always higher than BOD, this is because BOD accounts for only biodegradable
organic compounds while COD accounts for all organic compounds e.g. biodegradable as well as no
biodegradable but chemically oxidisable.

Total suspended Solids (TSS): TSS is mainly organic in nature, are visible and can be
removed
from the wastewater by physical/ mechanical means e.g. screening and sedimentation. TSS is
measured by filtering a certain quantity of effluent and then drying the filtrate at certain temperature
e.g. 1050C followed by weighing. TSS is expressed as parts per million or in milligram/litre. The pore
size of the filter paper is very important in estimating the TSS, the nominal pore size 1.58 micro metre.
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): TDS are the solids that are actually in solution, similar for
example to mix sugar into hot coffee. Dissolved solids generally pass through the system unaffected.
TDS is the sum total of all of the dissolved things in a given body of water. It is everything in the water
that's not actually water. It includes hardness, alkalinity, cyanuric acid, chlorides, bromides, sulfates,
silicates, and all manner of organic compounds. Every time we add anything to the water, we are
increasing its TDS. This includes not only sanitizing and pH adjusting chemicals, but also conditioner,
algaecides, and tile and surface cleaners. TDS also includes airborne pollutants and bather waste as
well as dissolved minerals in the fill water. TDS is referred to as the total amount of mobile charged
ions, including minerals, salts or metals dissolved in a given volume of water, and is expressed in
units of mg per unit volume of water (mg/L), or as parts per million (ppm).
Where do Dissolved Solids come from?
Some dissolved solids come from organic sources such as leaves, silt, plankton, and dyes and
chemicals used in processing, sewage. Other sources come from runoff from urban areas, road salts
used on street during the winter, and fertilizers and pesticides used on lawns and farms.

Dissolved solids also come from inorganic materials such as rocks and air that may contain calcium
bicarbonate, nitrogen, iron phosphorous, sulfur, and other minerals. Many of these materials form
salts, which are compounds that contain both a metal and a nonmetal. Salts usually dissolve in water
forming ions. Ions are particles that have a positive or negative charge.
Water may also pick up metals such as lead or copper as they travel through pipes used
to
distribute water to consumers.
The effectiveness of water purification systems in removing total dissolved solids will be reduced over
time, so it is highly recommended to monitor the quality of a filter or membrane and replace them
when required.
TDS may be the most misunderstood factor in the whole field of chemical processing and public
health. In most cases it is misunderstood because no one knows exactly what effect it is going to
have on any particular body of water. TDS is directly related to the purity of water and the quality of
water purification systems and affects everything that consumes, lives in, or uses water, whether
organic or inorganic, whether for better or for worse.

Different standards advise a maximum contamination level (MCL) of 500mg/liter (500 parts per million
(ppm)) for TDS, however for domestic water suppliers maintain the TDS within 150 ppm. Off course
some water supplies exceed this level. When TDS levels exceed 1000mg/L it is generally considered
unfit for human consumption. Most often, high levels of TDS are caused by the presence of
potassium, chlorides and sodium. These ions have little or no short-term effects, but toxic ions (lead
arsenic, cadmium, nitrate and others) may also be dissolved in the water.
At low levels, TDS does not present a problem. In fact, a certain amount of TDS is necessary for
water balance. Hardness and Total Alkalinity are both part of TDS. For textile processing the
acceptable value of TDS is around 65-150 mg/l. The standards for bath and swimming pool are
between 1,000 and 2,000 ppm, with a maximum of 3,000 ppm. For irrigation the acceptable values of
TDS are around 1500 ppm. Use of fertilizers increases TDS of the environment.
When the water evaporates, it leaves behind all of the solids that had been dissolved in it. This
principle is used widely to measure the TDS of a particular body of water. When everything else
seems to be all right, and the water still acts unlawfully, check the TDS.
High TDS can result in corrosion of metal equipment and accessories, even though the
water is
balanced.
High TDS can cause eye and skin irritation, even though the pH is right and there are no chloramines
in the water. High TDS can permit an algae bloom, even with 2-3 ppm chlorine residual.
If we drink water of high TDS some of this will stay in the body, causing stiffness in the joints,
hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, gall stones and blockages of arteries, microscopic capillaries
and other passages in which liquids flow through our entire body.

Microorganisms - Microscopic living objects, which require energy, carbon and small
amounts of
inorganic elements to grow and multiply. They get these requirements from the
wastewater and the
sun, and in doing so help to remove the pollutants.
pH – A term used to express the intensity of the acid or alkalinity source. pH represents
the
effective concentration (activity) of hydrogen ions (H+) in water. This concentration could be
expressed in the same kind of units as other dissolved species, but H+ concentrations are much
smaller than other species in most waters. The activity of hydrogen ions can be expressed most
conveniently in logarithmic units. pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the activity of H+ ions:
pH = -log [H+]
where [H+] is the concentration of H+ ions in moles per liter (a mole is a unit of measurement, equal to
6.022 x 1023 atoms). Because H+ ions associate with water molecules to form hydronium (H3O+) ions,
pH is often expressed in terms of the concentration of hydronium ions. In pure water at 22O C (72O F),
H3O+ and hydroxyl (OH-) ions exist in equal quantities; the concentration of each is 1.0 x 10-7 moles
per liter (mol/L). Therefore, pH of pure water = -log (1.0 x 10 -7) = -(-7.00) = 7.00. Because pH is
defined as –log [H+], pH decreases as [H+] increases (which will happen if acid is added to the water).
Since pH is a log scale based on 10, the pH changes by 1 for every power of 10 change in [H+]. A
solution of pH 3 has an H+ concentration 10 times that of a solution of pH 4. The pH scale ranges from
0 to 14. However, pH values less than 0 and greater than 14 have been observed in very rare
concentrated solutions.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) sets a secondary standard for pH
levels in
drinking water: the water should be between pH 6.5 and 8.5.
Very high (greater than 9.5) or very low (less than 4.5) pH values are unsuitable for most aquatic
organisms. Young fish and immature stages of aquatic insects are extremely sensitive to pH levels
below 5 and may die at these low pH values. High pH levels (9-14) can harm fish by denaturing
cellular membranes.

Changes in pH can also affect aquatic life indirectly by altering other aspects of water chemistry. Low
pH levels accelerate the release of metals from rocks or sediments in the stream. These metals can
affect a fish’s metabolism and the fish’s ability to take water in through the gills, and can kill fish fry.
The term "pH" was originally derived from the French term "pouvoir hydrogène," in
English, this
means "hydrogen power." The term pH is always written with a lower case p and an
upper case H.
Sludge-The settable solids separated from the liquid during sedimentation (clarification).
The
sludge is very toxic in nature and needs to be dealt with very carefully. Under no
circumstances it
should be mix with the environment again.

1. INTRODUCTION
Aquatech Engineering Services, Dhaka, have prepared this operating and maintenance manual for the
Effluent treatment plant installed at……………………., Chandora, Kaliakoir, Gazipur. It represents the
methodology of process operation of the effluent treatment plant and maintenance of the plant
equipments. The manual will be helpful to run the effluent plant effectively and efficiently.
Every effluent treatment plant is unique with respect to its process flow sheet. This is because the
treatment scheme is adopted on the basis of design and input characteristics of the effluent as well as
the stipulated pollution level of the treatment. This in turn depends on the type of process, type of
generated waste, whether the treated waste will be discharged or recycled, the nature of water
receiving body where the treated waste will be discharged (if any) and the pollution laws of the
concerned pollution authority. It must therefore be appreciated that effluent treatment plants are tailor-
made, and hence the mode of operation would be specific for the treatment envisaged.
The operating manual serves as an important guideline for the operating personnel responsible for the
start- up and maintenance of the equipment and facilities provided in the plant. The instruction presents
in this manual are based on the experience in operation of such plants. However, due to variable nature
of the effluents encountered in each plant, certain modification of process operation may be necessary
depending on the degree of variation in the raw effluent quality and quantity.
This manual includes a brief description of the basis of design of the ETP, the adopted treatment
philosophy and the principles of treatment involved. The plant was designed to treat effluents
generated from the various sections of the knit fabric dyeing and finishing plant. The scheme
envisages treatment of two separate wastewater streams namely the less contaminated water and
more contaminated water. The less contaminated effluents are allowed to bypass many stages before
uniting together again with mainstream and finally discharged to the environment. This has been done
deliberately to reduce the treatment time and operating cost.

2. Basics of effluent treatment

Environmental problems of the textile industry are mainly caused by discharges of wastewater. Textile
processing employs a variety of chemicals, depending on the nature of the raw material and end
product. Some of these chemicals are different enzymes, detergents, dyes, acids, sodas and salts.
Industrial processes generate wastewater containing heavy metal contaminants. Since most of the
heavy metals are non-degradable into non-toxic end products, their concentrations must be reduced
to acceptable levels before discharging them into the environment. Other wise these could pose
threats to public health and/or affect the aesthetic quality of portable water. According to World Health
Organization (WHO) the metals of most immediate concern are chromium, zinc, iron, mercury and
lead. Various types of treatment processes are adopted to dye or print or finish the textile materials.
Different types of textile process could generate different types of effluent. Table 1.1 shows the
Characteristics of wastewater produced by a typical knit dyeing industry.
Table 1.1: Characteristics of Process Waste Streams of typical Denim plants..

The above table shows the detail discharges at various stages of processing, however
the
overall discharges of a Knit Dye house are as follows;
Color (organic substance), Na2 SO4 (inorganic), NaOH, NaHOCl (Sodium hypochlorite), Na2 SO3,
Surfactant (LAS, BIAS, CIAS), (NH)3 SO4, H2O2,CH3COOH (Organic), paraffin (organic),
Cellulose, Oil (Organic), Soap (Organic); all these things are COD and BOD.
The fate of the above mentioned pollutant chemicals vary, ranging from 100% retention on the fabric
to 100% discharge with the effluent. Generally, a wet processing industry generates wastewater
possessing various level of toxicity. Textile finishing industry uses large amounts of water, mainly
because of washing operations. If these wastewaters are discharged into the environment they will
cause serious and harmful impact not only on under ground and surface water bodies and land in the
surrounding area but also will have an adverse effect on the aquatic