Wastewater Glossary
Explore a glossary of wastewater treatment terms.
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
BOD is similar in function to chemical oxygen demand (COD), in that both measure the amount of organic compounds in water.
BOD Reduction - Activated Sludge Process
The activated sludge (AS) biological treatment process is the most common process for reducing five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) in wastewater, for both industrial and municipal applications.
Capillary Flow Porometry
Capillary Flow Porometry or Bubble Point Method is used to determine q required pore size for filtration media.
Clarifiers
Clarifiers are settling tanks built with mechanical means for continuous removal of solids being deposited by sedimentation.
Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF)
Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a water treatment process that clarifies wastewater (or other waters) by the removal of suspended matter such as oil or solids.
Electrodialysis (ED)
Electrodialysis (ED) is a membrane process used to transport salt ions from one solution to another.
Equalization (EQ)
Equalization (EQ) is a means of buffering or equalizing the characteristics of wastewater prior to entering a wastewater treatment system.
Fine Particle Filtration
Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of water or other liquid.
Flocculation
Flocculation, in the field of chemistry, is a process wherein colloids come out of suspension in the form of floc or flake; either spontaneously or due to the addition of a clarifying agent.
Flow Monitoring
The measurement of flow is one of the primary functions in water treatment processes.
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange (IE) is a water treatment method used to remove unwanted dissolved impurities from water and other liquid solutions.
Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Technology
Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are systems that are highly effective in removal of organic, inorganic and biological contaminants from a wastewater stream.
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)
An MBBR system is a continuously operating, non-clogging biofilm reactor with low head loss, a high specific biofilm surface area, and no requirement for periodic backwashing.
pH Adjustment
pH is a measure of the how acidic or basic water is, with a range from 0 to 14.
Recommended Allowable Limits for Flowback/Produced Water
The recommended allowable limits for the treated flowback and produced water.
Reverse Osmosis explained and usage
The phenomenon of water molecules spontaneously migrating through a permeable membrane being used to separate a dilute solution from a concentrated solution until the concentration in both is uniform is called osmosis.
Sewage Sludge Treatment
Sewage sludge treatment describes the processes used to manage and dispose of the sludges produced during sewage treatment.
Ultrafiltration (UF)
Ultrafiltration is used for the separation of suspended solids, bacteria, virus and other solutes of high molecular weight.
Wastewater Terms and Definitions
Wastewater treatment related terms explained.
Water Purification
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids and gases from contaminated water.
BOD is similar in function to chemical oxygen demand (COD), in that both measure the amount of organic compounds in water.
BOD Reduction - Activated Sludge Process
The activated sludge (AS) biological treatment process is the most common process for reducing five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) in wastewater, for both industrial and municipal applications.
Capillary Flow Porometry
Capillary Flow Porometry or Bubble Point Method is used to determine q required pore size for filtration media.
Clarifiers
Clarifiers are settling tanks built with mechanical means for continuous removal of solids being deposited by sedimentation.
Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF)
Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a water treatment process that clarifies wastewater (or other waters) by the removal of suspended matter such as oil or solids.
Electrodialysis (ED)
Electrodialysis (ED) is a membrane process used to transport salt ions from one solution to another.
Equalization (EQ)
Equalization (EQ) is a means of buffering or equalizing the characteristics of wastewater prior to entering a wastewater treatment system.
Fine Particle Filtration
Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of water or other liquid.
Flocculation
Flocculation, in the field of chemistry, is a process wherein colloids come out of suspension in the form of floc or flake; either spontaneously or due to the addition of a clarifying agent.
Flow Monitoring
The measurement of flow is one of the primary functions in water treatment processes.
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange (IE) is a water treatment method used to remove unwanted dissolved impurities from water and other liquid solutions.
Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Technology
Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are systems that are highly effective in removal of organic, inorganic and biological contaminants from a wastewater stream.
Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)
An MBBR system is a continuously operating, non-clogging biofilm reactor with low head loss, a high specific biofilm surface area, and no requirement for periodic backwashing.
pH Adjustment
pH is a measure of the how acidic or basic water is, with a range from 0 to 14.
Recommended Allowable Limits for Flowback/Produced Water
The recommended allowable limits for the treated flowback and produced water.
Reverse Osmosis explained and usage
The phenomenon of water molecules spontaneously migrating through a permeable membrane being used to separate a dilute solution from a concentrated solution until the concentration in both is uniform is called osmosis.
Sewage Sludge Treatment
Sewage sludge treatment describes the processes used to manage and dispose of the sludges produced during sewage treatment.
Ultrafiltration (UF)
Ultrafiltration is used for the separation of suspended solids, bacteria, virus and other solutes of high molecular weight.
Wastewater Terms and Definitions
Wastewater treatment related terms explained.
Water Purification
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids and gases from contaminated water.