Characteristic of wastewater and drinking water treatment

According to the United Nations, 2.2 billion people lack safe managed drinking water, and 4.2 billion people lack access safety managed sanitation (clean water and sanitation goal). Wastewater and drinking water treatment plants play critical roles in the urban water cycle and access to the clean water. Characterization of the pollutants is essential for developing a more fundamental understanding of the unit operation's complex interactions and treatment processes. The treatment process involves applying engineering and science principles to remove or decrease pollutants to an acceptable level before reuse or discharge to the environment. This chapter aims to present an overview of wastewater and drinking water treatment infrastructure and the contaminants commonly found in sewage and drinking water (based on their size distribution) and introduce the current processes used to reduce their concentrations or remove them. This chapter identified some bottlenecks and limitations of drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities that can be removed using modular systems at the source of contaminants.