Dept. of Civil Engineering course

This course aims to introduce master's level students to modern municipal wastewater treatment from the perspective of it being a water and resource recovery facility (WRRF). Technical but nonspecialist, it can be taken by any postgraduate science and engineering graduate who is admitted to master's level (NQF9). It aims to give instruction on the tests and measurement methods used for design and operation of WWTPs. By following a virtual tour of a modern WWTP, the purpose, principles, processes (physical, chemical, and biological) and performance of the different unit operations involved in primary, secondary and sludge treatment that make up a WRRF are described. This will give qualitative insight into the implications of primary settling, biological N and P removal and different sludge treatment options on WWTP size, power consumption, effluent water quality, energy and phosphorus recovery and operational complexity.