Emerging Water Pollutants and Wastewater Treatments
15
Water environment
Agricultural activities
• Runoff from animal and
slaughter houses.
• Runoff from manure
treated vegetation.
• Direct discharge of
animal faeces and urine
Wastewater from various activities
• Hospital effluents
• Pharmaceutical effluents
• Domestic effluents
• Municipal effluents
Wastewater treatment plants
• Biosolids
• Runoff from soil irrigated
with treated wastewater
• Discharge from wastewater
treatment plant
Others
• Leaching from septic tanks
• Direct discharge of human
faeces and urine
• Runoff from dump sites
• Careless solid wastes disposal
Fig. 1 Possible source for antibiotics in the water environment
2 Classical Water Pollutants
Pollutants are agents of pollution. The range of pollutants entering the water body
is enormous and these come from various sources. A broad division is the biological pollutants and the chemical pollutants. Classical chemical pollutants have been
grouped into two distinct categories; the macro pollutants which occur in very minute
concentration and the natural organic pollutants [8]. Here, common water pollutants
will be discussed with a focus on nutrients and inorganic pollutants.
2.1 Nutrient as Water Pollutants: Sources, Effects and Clean
Up
Ecological systems greatly depend on nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for healthy survival. However, great deterioration has been seen due to
the excessive discharge of nutrients into water bodies [9]. A high concentration of
nutrients may be discharged into water bodies from identifiable or discrete sources,
such as animal houses and farmyards or municipal wastewater treatment plants. Other
sources discharging low concentrations of nutrient into water bodies may be forest
plantations, pastures and arable lands [10]. Another significant source of nutrient
into water bodies is from desert dust. Dust from deserts travels long distance and are
mostly deposited on water shores hence enriching water bodies with nutrients [11].
15
Water environment
Agricultural activities
• Runoff from animal and
slaughter houses.
• Runoff from manure
treated vegetation.
• Direct discharge of
animal faeces and urine
Wastewater from various activities
• Hospital effluents
• Pharmaceutical effluents
• Domestic effluents
• Municipal effluents
Wastewater treatment plants
• Biosolids
• Runoff from soil irrigated
with treated wastewater
• Discharge from wastewater
treatment plant
Others
• Leaching from septic tanks
• Direct discharge of human
faeces and urine
• Runoff from dump sites
• Careless solid wastes disposal
Fig. 1 Possible source for antibiotics in the water environment
2 Classical Water Pollutants
Pollutants are agents of pollution. The range of pollutants entering the water body
is enormous and these come from various sources. A broad division is the biological pollutants and the chemical pollutants. Classical chemical pollutants have been
grouped into two distinct categories; the macro pollutants which occur in very minute
concentration and the natural organic pollutants [8]. Here, common water pollutants
will be discussed with a focus on nutrients and inorganic pollutants.
2.1 Nutrient as Water Pollutants: Sources, Effects and Clean
Up
Ecological systems greatly depend on nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for healthy survival. However, great deterioration has been seen due to
the excessive discharge of nutrients into water bodies [9]. A high concentration of
nutrients may be discharged into water bodies from identifiable or discrete sources,
such as animal houses and farmyards or municipal wastewater treatment plants. Other
sources discharging low concentrations of nutrient into water bodies may be forest
plantations, pastures and arable lands [10]. Another significant source of nutrient
into water bodies is from desert dust. Dust from deserts travels long distance and are
mostly deposited on water shores hence enriching water bodies with nutrients [11].