Glossary
A
Corrective Action: action taken to eliminate the causes of a detected non-conformity, defect or other undesirable situation in order to prevent recurrence.
Preventive Action: Action taken to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformity, defect or other potential undesirable situation in order to prevent recurrence.
ADEME : the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, is a public agency created by law on 19 December 1990 and placed under the joint authority of the Ministry for Ecology, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Resarch. Its scope of work includes facilitation, research, technical consultancy, awareness building and financial incentives.
Aerobia : the micro-organisms that participate in water treatment are said to be aerobic if they obtain the oxygen they need from the air or from dissolved oxygen in water. These micro-organisms operate in an aerobic phase or in aerobiosis.
Modifications to the Aquatic Environment : detrimentally changing the state of the aquatic environment of a hydrosystem. Modifications are defined according to their nature (physical, ionic, organic, toxic, bacteriological, etc.) and their effect (eutrophisation, asphyxia, poisoning, altering the population, etc.)
Anaerobia : the micro-organisms are called anaerobic if they exercise their activities without air. In this situation, the oxygen they need is taken from matter that contains oxygen and is present in the water (organic substances, salts such as nitrates and sulfates, etc.). Micro-organisms are said to operate in an anaerobic phase or in anaerobiosis.
Bacterial Analysis : is used to identify fecal pollution in water.. According to WHO ESCHERICHIA COLI, a member of the heat-tolerant coliform bacteria population, is the most precise indicator for estimating fecal pollution.
TOTAL COLIFORMS, test germs for bacteriological contamination, are not all of fecal origin and therefore are not indicators of fecal pollution. They are worthwhile research to control the efficiency of the bacteriological treatment.
FECAL STREPTOCOCI are largely of human origin although certain bacteria that are classified in this group can also be found in animal feces or on plants. They are nonetheless considered as indicators of fecal pollution. Because of their resistance to dessiccation they provide additional information on a certain type of pollution.
Physico-chemical Analysis: the analytical criteria should make it possible to estimate their organic load and verify that their discharge into the environment, after purification, e.g. in a waste water treatment plant, will not affect the ecosystems or the wholesomeness of the environment.
Granulometric Analysis (particle size distribution analysis) : the assessment of the particle size distribution in a sample of sand, gravel and other materials allows to determine the main characteristics in order to validate those (fine-grained fractions, uniformity coefficient,…).
Life cycle Analysis : a compilation and evaluation of inputs and outputs and their potential burden on the environment of a products system during its life cycle.
Environmental Aspect : elements of activities, products and services of an organisation that is liable to interact with the environment.
ASQUAL: Watersealing certification.
Assimilation : certain gases (CO2) and nutritive mineral salts (phosphates, nitrates, etc.)removed from water by certain micro-organisms and plants.
Atmosphere : environment in which we live, composed of gases, mainly nitrogen (N2), oxygen, carbonic dioxide.
B
Bacteria : monocellular micro-organisms that reproduce after scission and generally do not have any chlorophyl.
Beneficiation: any appropriate treatment of part or all of a residue to add value by recycling material or recovering its energy potential Value can be recovered through recycling material or recovering energy potential .
Biomass : the total amount of non-fossil organic matter of plant or animal origin and products resulting from the transformation or degradation of this matter (organic waste).
Biodegradable : a term that refers to matter than can be decomposed (degraded) through biological action.
By-pass : canals that allow circumvention of all or part of the effluents entering the waste water treatment plant.
C
Venturi Canal : measurement of quantity of water that flows in an installation.
Continuous Improvements : a recurrent ameliorative process for a management system in order to obtain overall performance improvements that are concurrent with the organization’s policy.
D
BOD (Biochemical oxygen Demand): an expression of the quantity of oxygen required to degrade biodegradable organic matter in water by developing micro-organisms in specific conditions, usually for a period of 5 days (which means degradation will not be complete) at 20°C, away from light and air. BOD5 is often used to monitor waste from waste water treatment plants since it provides an approximate figure of the biodegradable organic matter loads. It is expressed in mg of O2 consumed.
COD (chemical oxygen Demand) expresses the quantity of oxygen required to oxydize organic matter (whether biodegradable or not) in water using an oxydant, potassium bichromate. This parameter provides a more or less complete idea of the oxidizable matter in the sample (certain hydrocarbons, for instance, cannot be oxidized in these conditions). The goals of COD and BOD, thus, are not the same.
Denitrification : the second stage in biological removal of nitrogen, usually done in the purification stations. Denitrification is a process to reduce nitrates NO3) into nitrogen gas (N2) using bacteria in an anoxia situation.
In an anoxia situation, dissolved oxygen is not present. This phenomenon is not the same as nitrate uptake by plants.
Discharge level: discharge standards for urban residual waters, in other words, waters from waste water treatment plants or lagoons through sanitation units are described in a French ministerial order dated 22 June 2007 on regulations for individual on-site sanitation units that receive loads of raw organic pollution in excess of 1.2 kg/day of BOD5. They are summarised in the table below.
Biological Disk : a biological treatment for a culture medium on a mobile support. These disks are usually made of polystryrene and measure 2-3 m diam. They revolve around an axis and are partly immerged.
E
Effluents : this terms usually refers to fluid emitted by a source of pollution, such as residential zones or industrial areas. Wastewaters discharged into the marine environment.
Environmental Danger : a situation in which special circumstances can lead to direct or indirect degradation of the quality of the environment in the short term or the long term.
Environmental Statement : claims relating to the environmental aspects of a product or a service (according to ISO 14020). The environmental statement can be an environmental declaration, a label or graph indicating the environmental aspects of a product, component or packaging (ISO 14021).
Environment : atmosphere where organisms live, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, human beings and their interrelations (according to ISO 14050).
G
Gabion: a steel wire-mesh basket or cage filled on site with stones ; generally available in a standard size 1 m high or a 0.50 m high format (“semelle”), the length being about 2 to 5 m. It is often used in building dams to protect the banks, and to divert the course of waterways, etc.
Geomembrane : artifical waterproofing membrane composed of a thick bituminous membrane (woven, asphalt soaked, or not) and composite membranes composed of elastomers, thermoplastics (EPDM Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomere, polyethylene, polypropylene) in rolled strips, welded or stuck together. They are used, inter alia, to make the basins watertight.
H
Halogens (from Greek : salt generator) : elements of Group VII in the periodic system of elements : florine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine.
I
ICPE : Installation Classée pour la Protection de l’Environnement.
installation managed or owned by an individual person or a company, (private or public) that presents a risk for health, safety or the environment.
Impact: any change to the environment, be it negative or positive, resulting totally or partly from the activities, products or services of an organisation.
Spray Irrigation (according to an Order of 2 August 2010 on the use of treated residual urban waters, for irrigating crops and green areas) the water is supplied as articiel rain through pressure-driven sprinkler and irrigation systems.
Gravitational Irrigation : water is provided for the plants by filling small ponds, by boards and buckets, in streams, and irrigation canals and furrows.
Site Irrigation :
a) underground : water is supplied through perforated tubes, micro-irrigation tricklers or underground drains.
b) surface: water is distributed through tricklers or perforated ramps placed near the plants.
N
Nitrate, (NO3 ‾ ) : the unstable oxidised form of nitrogen, and nitrite (NO2‾ ) the stable oxidised form of nitrogen. These are natural ions found everywhere in the environment. Nitrate and Nitrite are natural chemical substances that are part of the nitrogen cycle.
Total Nitrogen: this parameter quantifies nitrogenous pollution from an effluents and is obtain by adding Nitrogen Total Kjeldhal (NTK) and nitrogen oxide: nitrous nitrogen (nitrite / N-NO2) + Nitric nitrogen (nitrate / N-NO3).
Kjeldahl Nitrogen: organic nitrogen, ammonium and nitrite; does not include the nitrates.
Nuisance : usually describes a perceivable situation (a source) that causes suffering (experienced or subjected to) but which is difficult to measure because partly measured subjectively by the person exposed to it.
Non-conformity : non-fulfilment of an internal or external requirement.
O
Environmental objective : the overall environmental goal arising from an environmental policy that an organisations sets itself to achieve.
P
PE = People Equivalent : a unit to describe average daily pollution by one person. It can be used to compare household pollution with industrial pollution of equivalent composition (mainly organic pollution like that produced by agro-food industries, for instance) and to easily estimate the raw pollution produced in the municipality.
In France the daily quantity of pollution produced by one person through household activities is usually described as follows :
150 l /day wastewater
90 g/day SS (Suspended Solids)
60 g/day BOD5 (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)
120 g/day COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)
15 g/day NTK (Nitrogen Total Kjeldahl)
10 g/day NH4 (Ammonium)
3 to 4 g/day TP (Total Phosphorus)
Percolation effect : is applied to percolated waters and infiltrations that have a rapid reaction to the inflow of effluents. Its time frame is between one day and one week. It can range between non-negligible flows and considerable volumes. Its mechanisms are closer to the ones that govern the functioning of classical groundwater tables, except that these water tables are very close to the surface (overlying or perched water tables).
Environmental performance : measurable results of an organization’s environmental management that can be measured against the organization’s environmental policy, objectives, targets and other environmental performance requirements.
Phreatic zone : first water table encountered when digging a well. The water table is usually free-flowing, in other words, the surface is at atmospheric pressure. It may also be charging (under pressure) if the covering terrain is not very permeable. When unimpeded, these waters circulate in an aquifer composed of an unsaturated zone near the level of the soils.
Pollution : the unfavorable alteration of our surrounding, wholly or largely as byproducts of man's action through direct and indirect effects of changes in energy patterns, radiation levels, the physico-chemical constitution of the natural environment and the abundance of living species.
Pumping discharge Station : facilities composed of a receiving tank and pumps installed on a sanitation system to reverse the flow of the water into a conduit under pressure from pumping.
Pumping Station : facilities composed of a water receiving tank and pumps installed on a sanitation system to lift the water into a conduit where gravitation causes the water to circulate on a slope in the unit, without filling the whole section of the conduit.
Pouzzolane : the word “poussolane” comes from Pouzzole, a town near Naples, Italy with abundant volcanic rock. Natural pouzzolana is a light silica rock derived from basaltic volcanic projections. It is composed of silica, alumina, iron oxyde (which gives it a red color) lime and manganese. It is used in cimentaries. Artificial pouzzolana is obtained from calcined clayey, basaltic or schistic soils. Its properties are equivalent to those of natural pouzzolana.
Pollution prevention : used of processes, practices, materials, products, services and energy to prevent, reduce or control the creation, emission or discharge of all types of pollutants and waste in order to reduce harmful effects on the environment.
R
Environmental risk: is defined as the potential harm to the environment by combining the probability that a given situation will cause environmental degradation, with the gravity of such degradation. The risk, thus, is determined as a function of the gravity of a given environmental danger and the probability that it will occur.
S
Screening : passing wastewaters through a screen with varying space sizes, to restrain the coarsest elements. After cleaning the grid by mechanical, manual or automated methods, the waste is evacuated with the household refuse. The equipment can be included in the feeding unit or be located in backward linkage.
Self-purification : complete biological processes (degradation, organic material consumption, photosynthesis, animal and plant respiration, etc.), chemical processes (oxydoreduction, etc.), physical processes (dilution dispersion, adsorption, etc.) that allows a balanced aquatic ecosystem to transform or eliminated inflowing (polluting) substances (mainly organic). A distinction is made between real purification (pollution elimination) and apparent self-purification (transformation, transfer in space or in time of the pollution).
Living organisms (bacteria, fungi, algae, etc.) play a vital role in this process. The effectiveness is increased by temperature and duration. An ecosystem has a limited self-purification capacity that can be inhibited, e.g. by toxic matter.
Self-surveillance : waste (flows, concentrations) from an organisation or its sanitation system is monitored by the organisation itself or by the sanitation system managers. The terms and conditions are set out in a French ministerial order of 22 December 1994 on the collective waste water treatment plants.
Settlement : physical process for separating suspended solids in a liquid, using the effects of weight for total or partial settlement and then collection at the bottom of the settlement tank. In the case of waters heavily laden with suspended matter, the settlement process is often applied prior to filtration.
Flushing system or self-priming Siphon : the self-priming siphon that Epur Nature uses has been patented by AQUASAF. When the siphon is put into the effluent, it empties out the water (and does not merely displace it) which means that the bottom of the tank can be properly clearned. Further, the screen placed before the siphon does not need to be fine (4 cm) since the diameter of the siphon tubing has been sized to prevent clogging. Reports indicate that this system is reliable and robust (the one in Roussillon has been operating for over ten years). There are different types of siphons. The choice depends on the quantity of wastewater to be sent to the waste water treatment plant.
see Aquasaf website
Activated Sludge : a biological purification process essentially composed of a contact phase between the water to be treated and the biomass, the latter being kept in suspension through agitation either by aeration (aerobic process) or by mechanical stirring or by both together. This phase eliminates the biodegradable pollutants by transforming them into CO2, H2O ... and more biomass. This phase has to be followed by a separation (clarification) phase to separate the bacterial floc from the treated water.
Purification Sludge : mixture of water and solid matter separated through biological and physical processes used on the various types of water content.
Physico-chemical sludge are produced in the physico-chemical “activated sludge” type waste water treatment plants. The addition of mineral flocs is important to the quantity of sludge produced.
Sludge called primary sludge results from the settlement of suspended matter content of raw wastewaters. This sludge is not stabilised. In France, the stations that only treat this particular type of pollution are fast declining in numbers; the tendency is to add complementary types of treatments.
Secondary sludge is formed from the dissolved polluting load used by free or settled bacterial cultures in the presence of oxygen (surface aeration or air blown in).
Primary and secondary sludge together form fresh mixed sludge that will be given a biological stabilisation treatment. If primary settlement is not possible (activated sludge under extended aeration, which often occurs in France), aerobic stabilisation is obtained through extended holding times in purified units.
Lagoons produce “lagoon sludge”. The sludge that slowly accumulates in the tank bottom are removed once a year or every two years in the first zone of accumulated sludge and once every five or ten years in the other basins.
Sewage Sludge farm : field, usually farmland, onto which cattle excrement (manure, slurry) or sludge from waste water treatment plants are disposed. This process refers to field fertilisation.
Steel Slag: by-product of steel works and of combustion, composed mainly of a mixture of silica, sulfur, phosphorus and aluminium. The slag is used in building roads, railroad ballast and sources of phosphate fertilizers.
Sterilisation : stable operation, in a closed environment, to ensure total absence of revivable germs (disinfect).
Stormwater Overflow : a sanitation facility in an individual on-site installation used to evacuate surplus rainwaters into a storage tank or the surrounding environment and thereby protect the downstream part of the installation or a waste water treatment plant.
Super chloration: addition of chlorine to water to raise the chlorine level above the critical point.
Suspended solids - SS : very fine solid particles in water that are divided into precipitable matter which separates naturally without a reagent when the water is calm, and colloidal matter that is too fine to settle by gravity but can be eliminated through coagulation.
Sanitation system : total wastewater collection and treatment equipment, in other words, waters from collective water systems with the possible addition of waters from industry and agricultural installations.
T
Filtering Tank : polluted water trickling through a mass of granular matter. The tank is also called a “bed” or “filter” planted with reed.
Screening Tank : a sieve to separate solid substances, greases and oils from household wastewaters. A screening tank is only recommended if the distance between the house and the pretreatment installation is longer than 10 meters. This tank and the inflow and outflow facilities should be designed so that the suspended solids do return to the suspension state and that the greases and solid matter are not drawn into the separator.
Septic Tank : this installation is for purifying wastewaters from individual homes. It is completely watersealed, receives household wastewaters (kitchen, bathrooms) and septage (toilets). Through anaerobic fermentation (no oxygen) the purification is continued via a reed bed filter.
Settling Tank : facility to separate solid or suspended liquid from a lower density liquid through settlement resulting from gravity, the absence of movement, or speed reduction.
Active carbon Treatment : process for eliminating dissolved or colloidal organic matter and residual waters through active carbon absorption, the aim being to improve the taste, odor or color
Turbidity: property of non-transparent, murky waters. The degree of turbidity is expressed in mastic drops or Jackson Turbidity Units or NTUs.
U
Ultraviolets : rays emitted by mercury steam lamps with a wavelength close to 256 nm, acting on the DNA molecules of micro-organisms and used as a water disinfectant.
V
Valve : device to regulate the flow of fluids. Manual, pneumatic and hydraulic methods can be used to operate floodgates.
Valve manhole : facility (cement or polyester) to receive effluent from a valve-operated distribution system.
Viscosity : physical properties of water directly connected to its dissolved constiuent elements. The carbonates and sodium and potassium hydroxydes that, at equal concentrations, give water the highest viscosity. High viscosity water causes a reduction in heat transfers through heat exchangers. It favours the priming of steam boilers /power.
W
Fresh Water: water defined as the opposite of either saline water (in this case it has low dissolved mineral content) or hard water (in this case it has low calcium and magnesium content). So the term fresh water has two exceptions.
Infiltration Waters : waters that transit through a sanitation system that has not be designed to receive them. This term is used for clean water, (usually very little pollution) fed into an individual or separated sanitation system. One usually speaks of the intrusion of clear infiltrating waters.
Waste : any element from a production system that is eliminated and is of no value to the owner.
Water flow Rate : volume of water that runs through a cross-section of a water course in a given unit of time. Water flows are expressed in m3/s with at least three significant figures e.g., 1.92 m3/s, 19.2 m3/s, 192 m3/s.
Weed Cutting : cutting the reeds of a planted tank or filter. Term generally used for water weeding cutting in rivers and ponds.
Weir : this is one of the simplest and oldest devices for measuring flow. The height is generally kept stable thanks to a flat crest that is perpendicular to the flow. There are various types of weirs such as the triangular weir, the rectangular weir and the trapezoidal weir.