Sustainable Water Engineering: Theory and Practice

Glossary

Acidity:

The capacity of wastewater or water to neutralize bases.

Activated sludge:

Sludge generated in wastewater by the growth of microbes in aeration tanks. In other words it is flocculated sludge of micro-organisms.

Advanced primary treatment:

Primary treatment using additives before treatment to augment settling.

Aeration:

The process of adding air to water.

Aerobic processes:

Biological treatment processes in the presence of oxygen.

Aqua-privy:

Watertight tank placed immediately below the latrine floor where excreta drop directly into the water tank through a pipe.

Algae:

Variety of plant without distinct functional plant tissue.

Algal bloom:

Increase in algae population in water.

Alkalinity:

A measure of a substance's ability to neutralize acid.

Alumina:

Synthetically produced aluminium oxide that is used as a starting material for the production of aluminium metal.

Anaerobic processes:

Biological treatment processes that occur in the absence of oxygen.

Anoxic denitrification:

This process is also known as anaerobic denitrification. In this process nitrate nitrogen is converted to nitrogen gas biologically in the absence of oxygen.

Aquifer:

Water stored in the saturated zone below the water table.

Attached-growth processes:

The biological treatment processes in which the microbes are attached to media.

Autotroph:

Organism that uses carbon dioxide as the only carbon source.

Backflow prevention:

Preventing the reverse flow of water in water supply ...