Earth Science 11

Earth Science – Grade 11

Quarter 1 – Module 15: Liquid Wastes
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

Writer: Mariel C. Villamor

Editor: Ronald C. Dumapias
Reviewers: Ronald C. Dumapias
Illustrator:
Layout Artist: Mark Kihm G. Lara
Management Team: Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin
OIC-Schools Division Superintendent
Aurelio G. Alfonso EdD
OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Victor M. Javeña EdD
Chief, School Governance and Operations Division and
OIC-Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division

Education Program Supervisors

Librada L. Agon EdD (EPP/TLE/TVL/TVE)

Liza A. Alvarez (Science/STEM/SSP)
Bernard R. Balitao (AP/HUMSS)
Joselito E. Calios (English/SPFL/GAS)
Norlyn D. Conde EdD (MAPEH/SPA/SPS/HOPE/A&D/Sports)
Wilma Q. Del Rosario (LRMS/ADM)
Ma. Teresita E. Herrera EdD (Filipino/GAS/Piling Larang)
Perlita M. Ignacio PhD (EsP)
Dulce O. Santos PhD (Kindergarten/MTB-MLE)
Teresita P. Tagulao EdD (Mathematics/ABM)

Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education – Schools Division of

Pasig City
Earth Science 11
Quarter 1
Self-Learning Module 15

Liquid Wastes
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Earth Science Self-Learning Module 15 on Liquid Wastes

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication,
Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the Earth Science Self-Learning Module 15 on Liquid Wastes

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest – This measures how much you have learned from the
entire module.
 EXPECTATIONS

The module is about liquid wastes.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. describe how people generate liquid waste as they make use of various
materials and resources in everyday life;
2. identify the sources of liquid wastes and their management; and
3. cite ways of reducing the production of liquid waste at home and around
the community.

PRETEST

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. In a filtration plant water is filtered using layers of
a. sand and clay b. clay and fine gravel
c. sand and fine gravel d. sand, fine gravel and medium gravel

2. The remaining sewage after it has passed through the sludge tank is known as
a. Clinker b. Distillate c. Effluent d. Treated sewage

3. Which of the following is/are products of wastewater treatment?

a. Aerator b. Biogas
c. Sludge d. Both biogas and sludge
4. The system of a network of pipes used for taking away wastewater from homes or
public buildings to the treatment plant is known as ----
a. Sewerage b. Sewers
c. Transport system d. Treatment plant
5. Which of the following is a part of inorganic impurities of the sewage?
a. Pesticides b. Phosphates
c. Urea d. Vegetable waste

RECAP
Solid Waste (SW) is a generic term used to describe the things we through
away that include garbage, refuse, trash, and others. The municipal solid waste
consists of solid waste from houses, streets and public places, shops, offices, and
hospitals. Management of these types of waste is most often the responsibility of
municipal or other governmental authorities. Although solid waste from industrial
processes is generally not considered municipal waste, it nevertheless needs to be
taken into account when dealing with solid waste because it often ends up in the
MSW stream.

In urban areas, it is generated by domestic households, commercial and

industrial enterprises, and health care and institutional activities, as well as on the
streets. Solid wastes are all the wastes arising from human and animal activities that
are normally solid in nature and its management associated with all activities
pertaining to the control, collection, transportation, processing and disposal in
accordance with the best principles of public health, economics, engineering,
conservation, aesthetics and other environmental considerations. Hence, it includes
all the procedures from the source and final disposal which have least environmental
effect that could be integrated by any physical or technical or social activities. In
other words, its management includes all attendant administrative, financial, legal
and engineering functions.

Though waste management is one of the important obligatory functions of the

urban local authority, lack of financial resources, institutional weakness, improper
selection of technology, transportation systems and disposal options, public’s apathy
towards environmental cleanliness and sanitation made this service unsatisfactory.

LESSON

Liquid Wastes: is any form of liquid residue that is hazardous for people or the
environment.

Examples: domestic washings, chemicals, oils, waste water from ponds,

manufacturing industries and other sources

Sewage is a wastewater from a community, containing solid and liquid excreta,

derived from houses, street and yard washing, factories and industries.

Sullage – is applied to wastewater which does not contain excreta.

Sewers - an underground conduit for carrying off drainage water and waste matter

Example: wastewater from kitchen and bathrooms.

Sources of Liquid Wastes.

In urban areas, the liquid wastes from residential areas are often referred to as
domestic wastewaters. These wastewaters come from our day-to-day living and
include those from food preparation, washing, bathing and toilet usage.

Liquid waste comes from almost all sector of the society. People produce tons of liquid
wastes every day, liquid waste is divided into waste types depending on its nature
and risks that it can give to humans. However, here are some types of liquid waste:
– Wastewater – Hazardous household liquids
– Fats, oil, or grease (FOG) – Inorganic wastewater
– Used oil – Organic wastewater and the others.
– Sludge’s
Often, liquid wastes come from:

Residential areas – this waste is also known as domestic wastewaters. People

produce it from their daily lives like in the toilet, kitchen, washing, and bathing.
Basically, every liquid that you use and dispose of inside your homes are considered
domestic wastewater.
Commercial areas – commercial areas like buildings, establishments, shops,
markets, restaurants, cafes, etc. conduct human-related activities. The liquid wastes
that come from these places are kind of similar to domestic wastewater, only, it is
from commercial production and effluents that come from these places may
sometimes contain high levels of oils, fats, and grease – that you don’t usually
produce at home.
Blackwater - can contain feces, urine, water and toilet paper from flush toilets
Greywater - comes from sinks, baths, washing machines, and other kitchen
appliances apart from toilets. Greywater results from washing food, clothing, dishes,
as well as from showering or bathing.

Industrial areas – the wastes that come from industrial areas are generated from
the manufacturing or processing of different industries. Most wastewater from these
places may contain chemical compounds that are harmful to humans and this
requires hazardous wastewater management in order to be treated properly.

• Inorganic wastewater - compounds have no carbon, impurities present in

sewage water are nitrates and phosphorus.
• Organic wastewater – compounds containing carbon, impurities present in
sewage water are human feces and animal wastes like animal dung

Stormwater – evidently different from residential, commercial, and industrial liquid

wastes, stormwater is still a kind of wastewater because it can be contaminated with
different pollutants that come from our surroundings.
What is Wastewater Treatment?

a process used to remove contaminants from wastewater or sewage and convert it

into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle with minimum impact on the
environment, or directly reused. The latter is called water reclamation because
treated wastewater can be used for other purposes.

Goals of wastewater treatment

- to produce waste stream (effluent) - to produce solid waste (sludge)
- To discharge or reuse them back in the environment

Why treat wastewater?

- causes a demand for dissolved oxygen (lower DO of levels of streams)
- add nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) to cause excessive growth
- increases suspended solids or sediments in streams (turbidity increase)
Why do we have to manage our liquid wastes?

Under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, businesses that
generate liquid waste are required to manage it in a way that protects the
environment and the community. Appropriate management of liquid wastes
will reduce the risk of harm to the environment and human health.

Effects of Liquid Waste to the Environment

A few examples of environmental impacts include: Surface Water Pollution: Liquid

waste has the ability to alter water's chemical composition. In turn, drinking water
can be contaminated, and aquatic ecosystems can be disrupted. Soil
Contamination: Liquid waste can quickly seep into the earth.

The impacts of improper disposal are both financial and environmental, and most
frequently, the impacts fall into both categories. For example, a business would have
to pay for clean-up of a liquid waste spill and may potentially lose business. A few
examples of environmental impacts include:

Surface Water Pollution: Liquid waste has the ability to alter water’s chemical
composition. It can happen slowly – i.e. a slow leak at a chemicals processing plant
– or all at once from a large-scale oil spill. In turn, drinking water can be
contaminated, and aquatic ecosystems can be disrupted.

Water Contamination: Hazardous wastes in the environment leech into the ground,
and ultimately, into ground water. This water is used for many things, from watering
the local fields to drinking. Toxic liquid chemicals from waste can also seep into water
streams and bodies of water.

Untreated sewage can threaten marine life that comes into contact with the
contaminated water. It can destroy and suffocate marine habitats, such as corals.
Contaminated water is also dangerous and harmful to humans who consume fish
and other marine life.

Soil Contamination: Liquid waste can quickly seep into the earth. This pollution
can cause harm to plants growing in the soil, as well as to animals or people who
consume foods that were created in contaminated soil.

Air Pollution: Although air pollution is more commonly associated with dust, gas
and fine particle contamination, liquid wastes can also impact air quality. For
example, foul smells are common with liquid waste pollution, particularly with
sewage systems

How to Reduce Liquid Waste at Home?

• Scrape all food scraps and grease solids into the garbage, not down the sink,
drain or toilet
• Never pour solvents/gasoline down the drains, sewers or onto the ground
outside
• Clean up grease spills using an absorbent material (e.g. cat litter, paper
towels) and place it in the dry trash bin
• Train your family members in good environmental practices
How to Reduce Waste around the Community?

Commonly Used Methods for Disposing Liquid Waste

1. Sedimentation and Dewatering - this one method that is used to separate the
water out of solid waste in non-hazardous liquid waste.
2. Incineration - hazardous liquid wastes are best disposed of using incineration.
3. Composting – liquid organic waste can be composted.

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1
Answer the following question briefly.

1. The terms sewage, sewers and sewerage are interlinked with each other. Can you
explain, how?
2. Think and suggest some ways to minimize waste and pollutants at their source,
taking your home as an example.

Activity 2
Match the items of Column I with the items of Column II with reference to
sewage.

Answer Column A Column B

1. Inorganic impurities a. phosphorus and nitrogen
2. Organic impurities b. nitrates and phosphates
3. Nutrients c. cholera and typhoid
4. Bacteria d. pesticides and herbicides
5. Sewage e. wastewater
Activity 3
The letters in the message will be hidden between the words below. Solve the
puzzle finds all the words, the hidden message will be revealed.

Liquid Wastes

W O R R O M O T W Y

W A S T E A S T A L

E W A T E R T D O I

T R E S E D O D A V

Y L I V E T I N A E

D E S E R T T O M O

W A T E R R R O W D

A V O K U C B H A T

DESERT LIVE TODAY

TOMORROW WASTE WATER

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
 WRAP-UP

The composition of liquid waste depends on its source. The three main sources are
residential, commercial, and industrial areas. Stormwater is also a source of liquid
waste.
Liquid waste from domestic sources can be classified as black water, which contains
excreta, and greywater, which does not.
Liquid waste from commercial areas is broadly similar to wastewater from residential
areas. Fats and oil from restaurants and cafes can be removed using a grease trap.
The characteristics of industrial wastewaters depend on the type of industry. Some
industrial wastewaters are hazardous.
The characteristics of wastewaters can be described in physical, chemical and
biological terms.
Human activities are the number one contributors to this liquid wastes in different
sources, it can also affect people’s health and the environment but there’s still ways
in reducing the production of liquid wastes at home and around the community.
State whether the following statements are True or False.
1. Used water is wastewater
2. Wastewater could be reused.
3. Industries have the highest percentage of waste.
4. Sewage is a solid waste which causes water pollution and soil pollution.
5. Under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1987, businesses that
generate liquid waste are required to manage it in a way that protects the
environment and the community.

VALUING

Liquid Waste: A Rising Concern Worldwide

Man has always generated waste materials which are either bye-product of
his activities, for which he could not find any use, or products which have reached
the end of useful life. Although this was going on throughout the ages, it was not a
problem until recent times because nature’s own waste treatment processes like
dispersion, dilution and degradation, which took care of these problems.

The situation today is not so simple. The problem is due to both quantitative
and qualitative nature of the wastes we are producing. The natural degradation
processes are slow and can take care of only a limited amounts and specific kinds of
wastes. The unpleasant fumes produced today by the so called civilized society are
too much for the atmosphere to get dispersed, especially in urban environment. In
our country wastewater are being pumped in septic tanks. The rivers are not able to
dilute and degrade sufficiently the vast amount of industrial effluents dumped every
day into them. And one would have to wait a long time for heaps of junk metallic
material dumped to blend in with the earth's crust again as ores. This will not happen
because we are dumping wastes faster than nature can degrade and absorb them.
Further, many of the modern waste materials like plastics and detergents are non-
biodegradable. All these are going to cause serious threat to our ecosystem.

The Importance of Proper Waste Disposal

Proper waste disposal is critical due to the fact that certain types of wastes can be
hazardous and can contaminate the environment if not handled properly. These
types of waste also have the potential to cause disease or get into water supplies.

The main objectives of waste management are:

- for the protection of environment through effective waste management
techniques.
- to protect health, well-being and environment.
- to prevent pollution.
- to reduce and reuse of waste.
- safe disposal of waste.
- to minimize the production of waste.

POSTTEST

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. Which of the following is not a source of waste water?
a. Homes b. Hospitals c. Industries d. Sewers

2. In country area, untreated sewage is pumped into tanks known as

a. Grit tanks b. Septic tanks
c. Sewage tanks d. Sludge tanks

3. This waste is also known as domestic wastewaters

a. Commercial areas b. Industrial areas
c. Municipal areas d. Residential areas

4. A process used to remove contaminants from wastewater or sewage and convert

it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle with minimum impact on
the environment, or directly reused.
a. Sewage treatment b. Wastewater treatment
c. Liquid waste treatment d. Primary sewage treatment

5. It comes from sinks, baths, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances
apart from toilets. This also may result from washing food, clothing, dishes, as well
as from showering or bathing.
a. Blackwater b. Green water
c. Greywater d. Yellow water
 KEY TO CORRECTION

5. B 5. E 5. C
tomorrow 5. False - 1997
4. A 4. C 4. B
in a desert 4. False - liquid
3. D 3. B water today, live 3. D
Message: Waste 3. True
2. C 2. A 2. B
Hidden 2. True
1. A 1. D 1. D
Activity 3 1. True
Pretest Activity 2 Posttest
Wrap Up

References
How Improper Liquid Waste Handling Can Impact a Business - Interfil. (2018, October 05).
Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://interfil.com.au/articles/how-improper-liquid-
waste-handling-can-negatively-impact-a-business/

How Improper Liquid Waste Handling Can Impact a Business - Interfil. (2018, October 05).
Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://interfil.com.au/articles/how-improper-liquid-
waste-handling-can-negatively-impact-a-business/

(n.d.). Retrieved June 30, 2020, from

https://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/environment/Pollution-Control/Pages/Disposal-
of-Household-Liquid-Waste.aspx

How Improper Liquid Waste Handling Can Impact a Business - Interfil. (2018, October 05).
Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://interfil.com.au/articles/how-improper-liquid-
waste-handling-can-negatively-impact-a-business/