Which of the following is NOT a step in the wastewater treatment process?

Incineration is not a step in the wastewater treatment process. The primary goal of wastewater treatment is to remove contaminants from water before it is released back into the environment or reused. Key steps in this process include screening, which removes large solids and debris; sedimentation, which allows suspended particles to settle out of the water; and disinfection, which eliminates pathogens to ensure the treated water is safe for discharge or reuse.

While incineration is a method of waste disposal, it is typically associated with the thermal treatment of solid waste, such as sludge residuals from wastewater treatment, rather than being a direct part of the process that treats wastewater itself. Each of the other listed steps plays a specific and critical role in the treatment process, which is designed to maintain environmental and public health standards.