Water Quality Interpretation
Review a sample analysis and identify the parameters that drive treatment decisions.
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Course 4 of 8Applied Course
Applied Water and Wastewater Treatment
Build practical capability across water and wastewater treatment, from water-quality assessment and conventional processes to biological treatment, membranes, troubleshooting and reuse.
Category
Applied Course
Duration
~36 h
Modules
8
Key areas
Water qualityBiological treatmentMembranesTroubleshootingWater reuse
8 Modules
About the Course
Applied Water and Wastewater Treatment provides a practical and technically grounded understanding of the processes used to treat water and wastewater across industrial and utility environments.
Participants explore the treatment chain from water and wastewater characterisation through physical, chemical and biological treatment, membrane processes, disinfection, advanced treatment, reuse and performance optimisation.
The course places particular emphasis on treatment selection, operational performance, troubleshooting and fit-for-purpose reuse.
What You Will Learn
- Interpret key physical, chemical and biological water-quality parameters.
- Explain the operating principles of major treatment processes.
- Compare physical, chemical and biological treatment technologies.
- Assess coagulation, clarification and solids-separation approaches.
- Explain the fundamentals of biological wastewater treatment.
- Compare MF, UF, NF and RO membrane processes.
- Explain major disinfection and advanced-treatment approaches.
- Assess common industrial wastewater treatment challenges.
- Interpret treatment-process performance using relevant indicators.
- Identify common causes of treatment underperformance.
- Apply structured troubleshooting approaches.
- Evaluate opportunities for water reuse and recovery.
- Develop an appropriate treatment train for a defined scenario.
- Identify opportunities to improve chemical use, energy performance and overall treatment efficiency.
Course Curriculum
8 modules · ~36 h indicative total
Water Quality and Treatment Fundamentals~4 h8 topics
- Physical, chemical and biological characteristics
- Water-quality parameters
- Wastewater-quality parameters
- Treatment objectives
- Source-water variability
- Influent characterisation
- Treatment performance indicators
- Regulatory and operational considerations
Pre-Treatment and Primary Treatment Processes~4 h10 topics
- Screening
- Equalisation
- Sedimentation
- Clarification
- Coagulation
- Flocculation
- pH adjustment
- Chemical dosing
- Solids separation
- Primary-treatment performance
Biological Wastewater Treatment~4.5 h10 topics
- Biological-treatment principles
- Activated sludge
- Aeration
- Organic loading
- Microbial activity
- Sludge age
- Dissolved oxygen
- Nutrient removal
- Process-control variables
- Common biological-treatment problems
Filtration, Membranes and Advanced Separation~4.5 h10 topics
- Media filtration
- Microfiltration
- Ultrafiltration
- Nanofiltration
- Reverse osmosis
- Membrane recovery
- Fouling
- Scaling
- Pretreatment requirements
- Membrane-performance monitoring
Disinfection and Advanced Treatment Technologies~4 h10 topics
- Chlorination
- UV disinfection
- Ozone
- Advanced oxidation
- Adsorption
- Polishing processes
- Emerging treatment technologies
- Technology-selection considerations
- Treatment limitations
- Residual-risk management
Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Process Integration~4.5 h11 topics
- High-strength wastewater
- Variable loads
- Oil and grease
- Metals
- Difficult contaminants
- Production-process interactions
- Treatment pretreatment
- Segregation opportunities
- Waste minimisation
- Process-water integration
- Reuse considerations
Treatment Performance, Troubleshooting and Optimisation~5 h11 topics
- Process KPIs
- Flow and loading analysis
- Chemical-use performance
- Energy consumption
- Sludge production
- Treatment underperformance
- Root-cause analysis
- Process instability
- Operating adjustments
- Optimisation opportunities
- Performance monitoring
Water Reuse, Resource Recovery and Applied Treatment Design~5.5 h10 topics
- Water-reuse objectives
- Fit-for-purpose treatment
- Water-recovery strategies
- Reuse-quality requirements
- Resource recovery
- Waste minimisation
- Treatment-train selection
- Process integration
- Implementation considerations
- Applied treatment design
Who Should Attend
Water and wastewater engineersProcess and chemical engineersEnvironmental engineersPlant and operations engineersUtility engineersTreatment-plant operators and technical supervisorsSustainability and environmental professionalsProject engineers involved in water infrastructureConsultants working on water and wastewater projectsGraduate engineers entering water-related rolesTechnical managers responsible for water, wastewater or reuse systems
Prerequisites
- Basic familiarity with engineering, chemistry, environmental science or process operations
- Basic understanding of flow, concentration and process variables
- Basic numerical and problem-solving skills
Prior professional experience in water treatment is helpful but not required.
Practical Learning
Participants apply the course concepts through treatment-selection, process-analysis and troubleshooting exercises.
Treatment Train Selection
Compare process options and develop an appropriate sequence for a defined water-quality problem.
Biological Treatment Review
Assess operating data from a biological system and identify likely causes of poor performance.
Membrane Process Assessment
Compare membrane technologies for different separation and water-quality objectives.
Troubleshooting Exercise
Diagnose a declining treatment system using a structured root-cause approach.
Water Reuse Assessment
Match treated-water quality to potential fit-for-purpose reuse applications.
Applied Case Study
The course concludes with an integrated treatment scenario involving variable influent quality, elevated suspended solids, high organic loading, membrane fouling, excessive chemical consumption, inconsistent treated-water quality, increasing operating cost and pressure to increase water reuse.
Applied workflow
- Water characterisation
- Treatment objectives
- Treatment-train selection
- Performance assessment
- Troubleshooting
- Optimisation
- Reuse strategy
Resources Included
Representative resources for the website (the full internal toolkit may be broader):
Water Quality Assessment Worksheet
Wastewater Characterisation Template
Treatment Technology Selection Matrix
Treatment Train Development Worksheet
Biological Treatment Troubleshooting Checklist
Membrane Performance Assessment Template
Water Reuse Screening Matrix
Treatment Optimisation Opportunity Register
What You Will Gain
Develop the practical knowledge required to understand, assess and improve water and wastewater treatment systems, with emphasis on treatment selection, process performance, troubleshooting and reuse opportunities.
- Stronger understanding of treatment-system behaviour
- Greater confidence interpreting water-quality data
- Ability to compare major treatment technologies
- Practical understanding of biological and membrane systems
- Improved troubleshooting capability
- Framework for treatment-train selection
- Greater awareness of water-reuse and recovery opportunities
- Practical tools for treatment assessment and improvement planning
Industry Applications
Water utilitiesWastewater utilitiesManufacturingFood and beverageMining and mineral processingChemicalsPetrochemicalsPharmaceuticalsEnergyOil and gasEnvironmental consultingWater reuse projects
Delivery Options
Live Virtual Training
Interactive instructor-led delivery incorporating exercises, analysis and discussion.
Instructor-Led Classroom Training
Face-to-face delivery with practical activities, case work and direct instructor interaction.
Corporate Cohorts
Organisation-specific delivery with examples and scenarios adapted to relevant operational or technical contexts where appropriate.
Blended Delivery
A combination of instructor-led sessions and structured independent activities or applied project work.