Unit 1 : Water treatment

July, 2016

Dr. Shihabudheen. M. Maliyekkal, PhD

Associate Professor, School of Mechanical and
Building Sciences, VIT Chennai, Campus, Chennai, Tel: +91-44-3993-1266
India shihabudheen.m@vit.ac.in
 Water/Wastewater Treatment
Fundamental objectives:
To prevent pollution and thereby protect the environment
More importantly, protecting public health by safeguarding
supplies and preventing the spread of water-born diseases

Safe disposal of human excreta is a prerequisite for the

supply of safe drinking water
 Treatment Methods
Unit operations
Methods of treatment in which the
application of physical forces are
involved
Examples : Grit chamber;
sedimentation tank
Removal of floatables, rags, grit
and grease from wastewater
Unit Processes
Methods of treatment in which the
application of biological and
chemical reactions are involved
Examples: activated sludge
processes; ion exchange,
coagulation-flocculation
 Important Milestones in the History Of Water
Purification (18002007)
Year Milestone

1804 Setup of world's first city-wide municipal water treatment plant

(Scotland, sand-filter technology)
1810 Discovery of chlorine as a disinfectant (H. Davy)
1879 Formulation of Germ Theory (L. Pasteur)
1902 Use of chlorine as a disinfectant in drinking water supply
(calcium hypochlorite, Belgium)
1906 Use of ozone as a disinfectant (France)
1908 Use of chlorine as a disinfectant in municipal supply, New Jersey
1914 Federal regulation of drinking water quality (USPHS)
1916 Use of UV treatment in municipal supplies
1935 Discovery of synthetic ion exchange resin (B. A. Adams, E. L. Holmes)
1948 Nobel Prize to Paul Hermann Muller (insecticidal properties of DDT)
1959 Discovery of synthetic reverse osmosis membrane
(S. Yuster, S. Loeb, S. Sourirajan)
Constituents Unit operations or processes

Suspended solids Sedimentation; chemical precipitation;

Hardness
Iron and manganese
Arsenic, fluoride and heavy metals
Pesticides
Pathogens
Colloidal and dissolved solids
Undesirable gases/Odors
filtration
Softening; ion exchange; membrane filtration
Aeration; adsorption; membrane filtration;
advanced oxidation
Adsorption; ion exchange; membrane
filtration, chemical precipitations
Adsorption; membrane filtration; photo-
catalysis
Disinfection chlorination, ozonation, UV
treatment
Chemical precipitation; adsorption,
membrane filtration; ion-exchange
Aeration; advanced oxidation

Unit operations and process used to remove constituents found in

water
1962 Silent Spring published, first report on harmful effects of DDT (R. Carson)
1965 World's first commercial RO plant launched
1974 Reports on carcinogenic by-products of disinfection with chlorine
Formulation of Safe Drinking Water Act (USEPA)
1975 Development of carbon block for drinking water purification
1994 Report on use of zerovalent iron for degradation of halogenated organics
(R. W. Gillham, S. F. O'Hannesin)
1997 Report on use of zerovalent iron nanoparticles for degradation of
halogenated organics (C-B. Wang, W.-X. Zhang)
1998 Drinking Water Directive applied in EU
2000 Adoption of Millennium Declaration during the UN Millennium
Summit(UN Millennium Development Goals)
2003 Report on use of noble metal nanoparticles for the degradation of
pesticides
(A.S. Nair, R. T. Tom, T. Pradeep)
2004 Stockholm Convention, banning the use of persistent organic pollutants
2007 Launch of noble metal nanoparticles-based domestic water purifier
(IIT Madras, Eureka Forbes Limited)
2013 Developed nanotechnology enabled low cost water purifier

Source: Thin Solid Films 517 (2009) 64416478

7
 Typical Process Flow Sheet for Conventional Water
Treatment

Chlorine
Lime Soda ash Chlorine addition
addition

Influent
Aeration Softening Filtration Disinfection

sludge Backwash water, To distribution

sludge system

Typical flow diagram showing the treatment of

groundwater
 Chlorine addition alum polymers Chlorine addition

Raw
water Presedimenta Coagulation Filtration Adsorption-
-tion GAC
sludge Backwash water
decanted, sludge Disinfection
sludge

Chlorine storage
addition

To distribution
system

Typical flow diagram showing the treatment of turbid

surface water with organics
 Solids in water
General size classification of solids in water
Dissolved ( <1 nm)
Colloidal (>1 nm and < 1000 nm)
-Nano ( 1- 100 nm)
Suspended (> 1m and < 100 m)

Classification of particles:

Coarse gravel > 2 mm

Coarse sand - 1 to 0.5 mm
Silt 0.05 to 0 .1 mm
Clay - 0 .01 to 0 .001 mm
Fine clay, algae, fungus - 0.001 to 0.0001 mm
Colloidal clay finer then 0.0001 mm
Bacteria 0.001 mm and less
Virus < 20 nm
 Sedimentation contd.
Classification based on the conc. and
characteristics of the S.S
Type1
Discrete particles particles whose

Depth
size, shape, specific gravity do not
change with time
Type II
Flocculent particles particles whose Time
size, shape, specific gravity do change
with time
Type III
Tend to settle as a blanket with
individual particle remains in same
position with respect to other
particles
Type IV
Here the particles settle because of 11
the compression of the structure
 Types of Sedimentation

0% solids
Type 1 Type -2

zone settling

Compression zone

100 % solids
Discrete Very flocculent
particle particle
1
 Clear water region

Dilute suspension
Discrete settling region

Flocculent settling region

Depth

Conc. suspension
Zone settling region

Compression settling region

Time
Schematic drawing of settling regions for conc. suspension
 Stokes equation
Type 1 settling
f b = wV p g

f net = ( p w )V p g

f g = M p g = pV p g

1 14
 2
vp
f d = C D Ap w
At steady state condition: 2
f d = f net
4 ( p w )d
vp = g
3 CD w
24
CD =
Re
Re = w vd /
f net = ( p w )V p g
v p = [ g ( p w )d / 18 ]
1
2
 Re < l (laminar flow)
Re > 104 (turbulent flow)

In the region of higher Reynolds number

24 3
CD = + + 0.34 Re 2 < Re < 500 1000
Re Re
C D = 0.44 Re 500 1000 < Re < 200000

Re > 200000 CD reduces substantially (0.1) and no settling

occurs

where,
CD drag coefficient
Ap = cross-sectional area of the particle (m2)
Vp = volume of the particle (m3)
1 16
 Problem: Estimate the terminal settling velocity of a
silicon particle with specific gravity 2.4 (assume
spherical shape) in water at a temperature of 15 0C.
The average diameter of the particle is 0.05 mm.
Repeat the above problem for an avg. particle
diameter of 1 mm.
= 0.00113 Ns/m2
= 999 kg/m3

1 17
 Sedimentation tank design concept
v0 = depth/detention time = Zo/to--------------------------1
vp =Zp/t0------------------------------2
Zo
vp/ v0 =Zp/Zo --------------------3 =do

1. All particles with dia do, such that their

settling velocity equal or exceeds vo, will arrive
or pass the SP in time to
2. All particles with dia dp < do and settling
velocity vp < vo will arrive or pass the SP in
time to, provided its original position was at or
below Zp
3. If the suspension is uniformly mixed, then the =dp
fraction of the particle with dia dp and settling Zp
velocity vp will arrive or pass sampling port in
time to will be according to eq.3. Thus, the
removal efficiency of the particle of any size
from the suspension is the ratio of the settling
velocity of that particle to the settling velocity, SP
vo
1 18
 1 xo
vi
X = 1 xo + dx
Mass fraction of particles with settling velocity vt vo =zo/to
v
0 o
0.75

xo
0.5
x =C1/Co

V1< Z0/t1
dx

0.25

Vo =Z0/to

settling velocity vt =Zo/ti

1 19
 1
vt
X = 1 xo + x
Vo
0.75
Mass fraction of particles remaining ( Ci/C0)

xo
0.54
x1

x2

dx

0.25

Vo = 25/day

settling velocity ,vt =Zo/ti

1 20
 Example 4.2 (P&R): A settling analysis is run on a type 1
suspension. The column is 2 m deep, and data are shown
below. What will be the theoretical removal efficiency in a
settling basin with a loading rate of 25 m3/m2/day
Time, min Conc., mg/L Mass fraction Velocity,vt x x.Vt
remaining [depth/ti ]

0 300 ? ? ? ?
60 189
80 180
100 168
130 156
200 111
240 78
420 27
1 21
 Sedimentation tank design Rectangular basin

settling zone
Vh

Z0 Vo

Outlet zone
Vh
Inlet zone

Zp Vt

Sludge zone
L

v h = Q / Ac
A c= W x D 1
 All particle with settling velocity > Vo removed
Particle with settling velocity < Vo will be removed in the ratio
Vt
Xr =
V0

WZ 0 L
t0 = V / Q =
Q
WZ 0 L
t 0 = Z 0 / v0 =
Q
v0 = Q / LW
v 0 = Q / As Over flow rate main design factor

Removal efficiency independent of depth of the settling zone

1 23
 Sedimentation tank design (Discrete particles) Practical
Approach
Step 1. Assume a overflow rate - 1-2.5 m/h
Step 2. Design the basin such that all particles that have a
terminal settling velocity Vo will be removed
Detention time = 2 to 4 h
Typical dimensions ( Long rectangular basin)
Width = W ( < 12 m)
Length, L = 2-4 times W ( < 48 m)
Depth = L/10 to20 ( typical values 2 3 m)
Conditions
Horizontal velocity <= 36 m/h
Weir over flow rate = 14 m3/h times W ( < 48 m)

1 24
 Problem2 : Design a long rectangular basin for type 1
settling . A city must treat about 1500 m3/d of water. The
batch column analysis indicate that a overflow rate of 2.5
m3/m2/h will produce satisfactory removal. Determine the
size of the required settling tank.
Problem 3: Determine the removal efficiency for a primary
sedimentation tank with a critical overflow velocity of 2
m3/m2/h in treating a water containing particles whose
settling velocities are distributed as given in the table
below (next slide). Plot the particle histogram for the
influent and effluent water.

1 25
 Problem 3 cond.

Settling velocity Conc., mg/L

0 0.5 30

0.5-1 50

1-1.5 90

1.5-2 110

2-2.5 100

2.5-3 70

3-3.5 30

3.5 -4 20

1 26