Tag: waste generation

Biochemical oxygen demand is the measure of oxygen required by aerobic decomposers for biochemical degradation of the organic materials. BOD indicates the degree of organic pollutants present in water.

The sources of phosphate pollution are sewage treatment plants, phosphate fertilisers used in agricultural fields, etc.

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) also called as "terror of Bengal" is the plant that sometimes chokes ponds, lakes, and rivers resulting in an imbalance of ecosystem dynamics of water bodies. It is the world's most problematic aquatic weed. It accelerates eutrophication.

Sewage is a water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as domestic or municipal wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical and toxic constituents and its bacteriologic status (which organisms it contains and in what quantities). It consists mostly of grey water (from sinks, tubs, showers, dishwashers, and clothes washers), black water (the water used to flush toilets, combined with the human waste that it flushes away); soaps and detergents; and toilet paper (less so in regions where bidets are widely used instead of paper). Whether it also contains surface runoff depends on the design of sewer system.

Organic matter in sewage consists of biological materials like food waste and human waste, which can be broken down by microorganisms, making it biodegradable.

Point sources of pollution are identifiable, localized sources such as pipes or specific treatment plant outlets. In contrast, diffused or non-point sources are spread out over a large area.

A low pH in sewage indicates acidic conditions, which are often the result of the fermentation of organic matter, commonly referred to as septic conditions.

Anaerobic bacteria are organisms that thrive in environments lacking free dissolved oxygen, utilizing other compounds for respiration.

Suspended solids are particles that remain floating or suspended in the water column because they are not heavy enough to settle out quickly.

Turbidity is the cloudiness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles, specifically suspended and colloidal solids that scatter light.