The constituents of concern found in wastewater are removed by physical, chemical, and biological methods. The individual methods usually are classified as physical unit operations, chemical unit processes, and biological unit processes. Treatment methods in which the application of physical forces predominate are known as physical unit operations

Determining wastewater flowrates and constituent mass loadings is a fundamental step in initiating the conceptual process design of wastewater treatment facilities. Reliable data for existing and projected flowrates affect the hydraulic characteristics, sizing, and operational considerations of the treatment system components

An understanding of the nature of wastewater is essential in the design and operation of collection, treatment, and reuse facilities, and in the engineering management of environmental quality. To promote this understanding, the information in this chapter is presented in eight sections dealing with (1) an introduction to the constituents found in wastewater

The safe and reliable long-term disposal of solid waste residues is an important component of integrated waste management. Solid waste residues are waste components that are not recycled, that remain after processing at a materials recovery facility, or that remain after the recovery of conversion products and/or energy. Historically, solid waste has been placed in the soil in the earth's surface or deposited in the oceans

Solid wastes include all solid or semisolid materials that the possessor no longer considers of sufficient value to retain. The management of these waste materials is the fundamental concern of all the activities encompassed in solid waste management—whether the planning level is local, regional or subregional, or state and federal. For this reason, it is important to know as much about municipal solid waste (MSW) as possible. The purpose of this chapter is to identify the sources, types, and composition of solid wastes

Solid wastes include all solid or semisolid materials that the possessor no longer considers of sufficient value to retain. The management of these waste materials is the fundamental concern of all the activities encompassed in solid waste management—whether the planning level is local, regional or subregional, or state and federal. For this reason, it is important to know as much about municipal solid waste (MSW) as possible. The purpose of this chapter is to identify the sources, types, and composition of solid wastes

The safe and reliable long-term disposal of solid waste residues is an important component of integrated waste management. Solid waste residues are waste components that are not recycled, that remain after processing at a materials recovery facility, or that remain after the recovery of conversion products and/or energy. Historically, solid waste has been placed in the soil in the earth's surface or deposited in the oceans. Although ocean dumping of municipal solid waste was officially abandoned in the United States in 1933, it is now argued that many of the wastes now placed in landfills or on land could be used

Important physical characteristics of MSW include specific weight, moisture content, particle size and size distribution, field capacity, and compacted waste porosity. The discussion is limited to an analysis of residential, commercial, and some industrial solid wastes. Note, however, that the fundamentals of analysis presented in this and the following chapter are applicable to all types of solid wastes

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are liquids or solids that contain organic carbon (carbon bonded to carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, or sulfur, but not carbonate carbon as in CaCO3 nor carbide carbon as in CaC2 or CO or CO2), which vaporize at significant rates. VOCs are probably the second-most widespread and diverse class of emissions after particulates

The first three types of control devices we consider--gravity settlers, cyclone separators, and electrostatic precipitators--all function by driving the particles to a solid wall, where they adhere to each other to form agglomerates that can be removed from the collection device and disposed of. Although these devices look different from one another, they all use the same general idea and are described by the same general design equations