In fact, there is a distinction between wastewater and sewage themselves, so domestic sewage and domestic wastewater are also different. But what exactly is the difference? Let’s take a brief look in this article!
The main difference lies in their sources. Domestic sewage refers to the water discharged from toilets, which must be treated through septic tanks or sewage treatment facilities before being discharged. Recycling it also incurs a relatively high cost. Domestic wastewater, by contrast, is much less polluted; it includes water from hand washing, laundry, bathing, and other similar uses. Recycling this type of water is far easier compared to sewage. After treatment, it can be reused for toilet flushing, miscellaneous water use, and other purposes. In some buildings, a combined sewage and wastewater system is adopted in the water supply and drainage design, meaning water from toilets and hand washing is discharged together through vertical pipes. However, separation is required for water reuse systems.
In reality, much domestic wastewater around us is discharged directly into rivers, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. Domestic sewage containing feces is collected and treated before discharge. The pollutant composition in wastewater is rather complex, making it difficult to achieve purification with a single treatment method. Therefore, technicians combine several methods into an integrated treatment system to meet treatment requirements. Treatment can also be classified into three stages based on the treatment level: primary treatment, secondary treatment, and advanced treatment.
What Are the Difficulties in Domestic Sewage Treatment?
The concentration of pollutants in domestic sewage is lower than that in industrial wastewater. Meanwhile, the composition and quality of sewage vary across different domestic water facilities, leading to several challenges in treatment, as analyzed below:
1.With improving living standards, domestic water demand has increased significantly, making urban domestic water pollution a major concern. Currently, urban domestic sewage pollution and its seasonal variations are difficult to control, complicating sewage treatment.
2.The practical operation of water pollution treatment technologies is affected by the external environment. Regional differences, economic development levels, and changing natural conditions also impact treatment technologies, often resulting in unsatisfactory urban sewage treatment outcomes.
Nevertheless, relevant authorities are continuously working to improve domestic sewage treatment. An important step in the process is sewage Monitoring: water quality detectors are used to measure various indicators in sewage, assessing its actual condition and verifying compliance with discharge standards.
