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It can be easy to confuse the terms ‘wastewater’ and ‘sewage’. For most people, both of them refer to the dirty water that is generated in a building, and that passes through a water sewage system that either cleans it or transports it to somewhere that it can be cleaned.
However, they aren’t strictly the same thing. Sewage is, in fact, a subset of wastewater – that is, sewage is in wastewater, but not all wastewater is sewage.
Technically speaking, sewage is only made up of waste that has come through the toilet. More generally, however, it can refer to used water, coming from domestic or industrial circumstances, such as toilet water and waste, shower water, kitchen waste, organic matter, and industrial chemicals. The lines can be blurred because often people will flush things down the toilet and into the wastewater system, that they shouldn’t.
Wastewater
The major part of ‘wastewater’ is actually water comprised of the wastewater that flows out of a building and into the mains sewage system, or a septic tank or sewage treatment plant if it is not possible to get it to the mains. This wastewater can contain anything from bacteria and pathogens to small organic particles, to larger items such as baby wipes.
Wastewater can come from both a domestic setting like a home to a commercial setting like offices and shops to industrial settings like factories. In fact, anywhere that uses and drains water.
Once the larger materials are removed from the wastewater, it can then be treated and cleaned to ensure that it is safe to use again.
Domestic Sewage
Domestic sewage originates from houses and consists of the wastewater that is generated within the house. It can include the water that is flushed down the toilet, used in a shower, washing machine, dishwasher, through sinks, and rubbish disposal. It will often consist of organic material, hair, shampoo, bits of food, soaps, the list goes on as well as water.
When domestic sewage passes through a water treatment plant, it is cleaned through a number of different processes, meaning that it comes out the other side in a way that is safe and hygienic to reuse or dispose of.
Industrial Sewage
Industrial sewage is generated through the processes that take place in industrial settings – such as factories and manufacturing plants. There are several industries that produce industrial sewage through their processing, including chemical manufacturing, those that are involved with metal finishes, the production of steel and iron, industrial-scale laundries, mining, fracking, food processing plants, and power plants.
These industries can produce wastewater that contains anything from organic waste from animals to metals, to waste acids and oil.
Laws and regulations stipulate that industries must manage their wastewater so that it is made safe and disposed of in the proper manner. Many of them use industrial filter presses, and this technology enables them to separate water from their industrial waste and dispose of it properly. This allows them to satisfy the laws and regulations and dispose of their waste, sewage, and wastewater in a safe and hygienic manner.
