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7 Water and Wastewater Treatment
7.7 Wastewater Treatment Plants
Drinking water is a valuable commodity for all people in the world. Access to
drinking water in our homes is not an unusual thing. Have you ever asked or
wondered what happens to wastewater after you flush it down the toilets and drains?
Often, we think that it does not concern us. However, it is a pertinent concern that
should be addressed. As earlier defined, wastewater is water that has been used in
domestic, agricultural, medical as well as industrial activities, and becomes wastewater following alterations to its quality, temperature, and composition (Qasim 2017).
Wastewater plants deal with three major types of wastewater: sewage, agricultural,
and industrial wastewater. Sewage wastewater refers to all the wastewater utilized
within domestic dwellings, including from showers, sinks, or toilets.
What is your understanding of the term sewage wastewater?
On the other hand, industrial wastewater results from industrial, commercial, and
production activities and has a unique chemical composition compared to sewage
water. A crucial example in this section is the oil industry. It is crucial to identify
activities that promote the generation of waste in the oil and gas industry. From a
general perspective, there are six major stages in the industrial operations of oil. The
first stage is a seismic survey, which is the most appropriate geophysical method
utilized for locating petroleum oil as it facilitates subsurface imaging (Spellman
2013). Common wastes that emanate from seismic operations are explosive waste,
equipment maintenance waste, and domestic waste. The second process is called
exploratory drilling. It is carried out after the identification of a promising geological
structure (Chan et al. 2009). Some common wastes attributed to exploratory drilling
are drilling muds, cementing waste, production testing waste, domestic wastes,
drilling chemicals, and cuttings. The third stage, construction, produces wastes
such as lubricants, domestic waste, paints, and solvents (Gupta et al. 2012).
Furthermore, the production stage occurs after the installment of treatment
facilities. Typical forms of waste during this stage are production chemicals,
produced water, and sludge. The maintenance stage operations include drilling,
vehicle repair, and all equipment inspections (Spellman 2013). Some of the common
wastes generated during this stage are solvents, used parts, lubricants, filters,
and contaminated soil. The abandonment stage involves the decommissioning of
a production field. It entails abandoning wells, demolition of facilities, landfill
closure, site re-vegetation as well as site monitoring. Some of the common wastes
that are obtained from abandoning include plant equipment, contaminated soil, oil
sludge as well as construction materials.
Define exploratory drilling and site re-vegetation. What is the benefit of site
re-vegetation?
7 Water and Wastewater Treatment
7.7 Wastewater Treatment Plants
Drinking water is a valuable commodity for all people in the world. Access to
drinking water in our homes is not an unusual thing. Have you ever asked or
wondered what happens to wastewater after you flush it down the toilets and drains?
Often, we think that it does not concern us. However, it is a pertinent concern that
should be addressed. As earlier defined, wastewater is water that has been used in
domestic, agricultural, medical as well as industrial activities, and becomes wastewater following alterations to its quality, temperature, and composition (Qasim 2017).
Wastewater plants deal with three major types of wastewater: sewage, agricultural,
and industrial wastewater. Sewage wastewater refers to all the wastewater utilized
within domestic dwellings, including from showers, sinks, or toilets.
What is your understanding of the term sewage wastewater?
On the other hand, industrial wastewater results from industrial, commercial, and
production activities and has a unique chemical composition compared to sewage
water. A crucial example in this section is the oil industry. It is crucial to identify
activities that promote the generation of waste in the oil and gas industry. From a
general perspective, there are six major stages in the industrial operations of oil. The
first stage is a seismic survey, which is the most appropriate geophysical method
utilized for locating petroleum oil as it facilitates subsurface imaging (Spellman
2013). Common wastes that emanate from seismic operations are explosive waste,
equipment maintenance waste, and domestic waste. The second process is called
exploratory drilling. It is carried out after the identification of a promising geological
structure (Chan et al. 2009). Some common wastes attributed to exploratory drilling
are drilling muds, cementing waste, production testing waste, domestic wastes,
drilling chemicals, and cuttings. The third stage, construction, produces wastes
such as lubricants, domestic waste, paints, and solvents (Gupta et al. 2012).
Furthermore, the production stage occurs after the installment of treatment
facilities. Typical forms of waste during this stage are production chemicals,
produced water, and sludge. The maintenance stage operations include drilling,
vehicle repair, and all equipment inspections (Spellman 2013). Some of the common
wastes generated during this stage are solvents, used parts, lubricants, filters,
and contaminated soil. The abandonment stage involves the decommissioning of
a production field. It entails abandoning wells, demolition of facilities, landfill
closure, site re-vegetation as well as site monitoring. Some of the common wastes
that are obtained from abandoning include plant equipment, contaminated soil, oil
sludge as well as construction materials.
Define exploratory drilling and site re-vegetation. What is the benefit of site
re-vegetation?