What is Sludge

Conventional water treatments have several successive processes in series to produce potable water. This chapter talks about the conventional water treatment processes which are mainly used to treat water originated from freshwater sources. Besides, the discussion covers some typical water quality, both raw and treated, as well as the standards of water quality. One of the highlighted topics in this chapter is the common issues that are frequently happening in the conventional water treatment facilities around the rural regions experiencing tropical climate, which is centred on the issues affecting the raw water quality and treatment processes. The major issue during post-treatment which is on sludge management is also discussed by underlining some alternative to the traditional way of using sludge lagoons. Topics in this chapter provide a better perspective to the water treatment operators and students who are interested in this topic of major processes used in conventional water treatment plants as well as the common issues encountered.