Book excerpt: Practical techniques for handling industrial waste and designing treatment facilities Practical Wastewater Treatment is designed as a teaching and training tool for chemical, civil, and environmental engineers. Based on an AIChE training course, developed and taught by the author, this manual equips readers with the skills and knowledge needed to design a wastewater treatment plant and handle various types of industrial wastes. With its emphasis on design issues and practical considerations, the manual enables readers to master treatment techniques for managing a wide range of industrial wastes, including oil, blood and protein, milk, plating, refinery, and phenolic and chemical plant wastes. A key topic presented in the manual is biological modeling for designing wastewater treatment plants. The author demonstrates how these models lead to both more efficient and more economical plants. As a practical training tool, this manual contains a number of features to assist readers in tackling complex, real-world problems, including: * Examples and worked problems throughout the manual demonstrate how various treatment plants and treatment techniques work * Figures and diagrams help readers visualize and understand complex design issues * References as well as links to online resources serve as a gateway to additional information * Practical design hints, stemming from the author's extensive experience, help readers save time and avoid unwanted and expensive pitfalls * Clear and logically organized presentation has been developed and refined based on an AIChE course taught by the author in the United States, Mexico, and Venezuela Whether a novice or experienced practitioner, any engineer who deals with the treatment of industrial waste will find a myriad of practical advice and useful techniques that they can immediately apply to solve problems in wastewater treatment.