Precipitation of substances of high mol wt. contained in waste water. To precipitate such substances which contain basic proups and are of animal, vegetable or microbic origin, waste water or solns. contg. these are mixed with a 1-20% soln of a mono- or oligo-saccharide whose hydroxyl groups are wholly or partly esterified with sulphuric acid. Pref. a saccharide esterified with sulphuric acid is used which is obtained by converting saccharide with twice the amount of conc. sulphuric acid at 0-15 degrees C.