Physico-Chemical Waste Water Treatment Technologies: An Overview

Waste-water treatment is becoming even more important in the light of diminishing water resources, increasing industrial, domestic and agriculture water usage and consequently waste-water disposal and its costs along with stricter discharge regulations that have lowered permissible contaminant levels in waste streams. The treatment of waste-water for reuse and disposal is particularly important for water scarce states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and other states in India where water availability is highly critical. The municipal sector consumes significant volumes of water, and consequently generates considerable amounts of waste-water discharge. Municipal waste-water is a combination of water and water-carried wastes originating from homes, commercial and industrial facilities, and institutions. The present paper comprises of the various Physico-Chemical methods and technologies currently used in waste-water treatment, with emphasis on municipal waste-water.