Wastewater Treatment

Hierarchy of Waste Management Options

AVOID

MINIMIZE RECOVER/ RECYCLE/REUSE

Avoid what you cant treat, and treat what you cant avoid

TREAT

DISPOSE

Aims of Wastewater Treatment

To covert waste material into stable oxidized end products that can be safely disposed to inland waters To protect public health To ensure wastewater is effectively disposed of on a reliable basis without causing nuisance or offence To recover and recycle water To provide economical way of disposal To comply with legal standards

Objective of Waste Water Treatment

To remove or modify those contaminants detrimental to, or the environment
Objective Water Quality

The required quality of water depends on the purpose for which the water is to be used, and the environment into which it is disposed. Therefore, the degree and method of treatment depends very much on these.

Treated Waste Water May Be Used for

Irrigation Non consumptive uses such as cooling water Reused for drinking or for other consumptive uses

Or May Be Discharged into

Inland Surface Water, upstream or downstream of water intakes

Marine Coastal Water

The sea, via a long sea outfall

Water Quality Standards

Discharge Standards or Effluent Quality

Standards (CEA) Ambient Quality Standards for Designated Water Uses nature preservation, drinking water source, contact sports, non-contact sports etc.

Contaminants of Concern
Suspended Solids Lead to the development of sludge deposits, reduced transparency & anaerobic conditions Protein, carbohydrates and fats measured in terms of BOD and COD. Leads to reduced DO, Anaerobic conditions Communicable diseases can be transmitted by the pathogenic organisms in wastewater N, P, C are essential nutrients for growth, but leads to undesirable aquatic life and ground water pollution

Biodegradable Organics

Pathogens

Nutrients

Basic Unit Processes

Preliminary Treatment Primary Treatment Secondary Treatment Tertiary Treatment Sludge Treatment

Preliminary Treatment
Screening: coarse and fine

Grit separation Floatation Equalization

 The first stage, known as preliminary + primary treatment, does the same thing a septic tank does. It allows the solids to settle out of the water and the scum to rise. The system then collects the solids for disposal (either in a landfill or an incinerator). It usually involves a screen followed by a set of pools or ponds that let the water sit so that the solids can settle out. Primary treatment can remove about half of the solids, organic materials and bacteria from the water. If the plant does no more than primary treatment, then the water is chlorinated to kill the remaining bacteria and discharged.

PRELIMINARY TREATMENT
To screen out coarse solids To reduce the size of the solids To separate floating oils To equalize fluctuations in flow

Primary Treatment (Primary Sedimentation)

Overflow weir

Clarifies Wastewater OUT

Wastewater
IN

Sludge

Sludge Return

Design Parameters: The SOR required for a specific TSS removal (between 30-70%) SOR (m3 m-2 day-1) = 185 (2.5 TSS Removal (%)) The SOR required for a specific BOD removal (between 20-40%) SOR (m3 m-2 day-1) = 182 (4.6 BOD Removal (%))

==== Examples =====

Primary Sedimentation
Fine solids settle out of suspension under gravity Any scum formation (e.g. oil, grease etc.) will be removed using skimmers HRT is usually 2 hours at 3 DWF (i.e. maximum flow rate) At lower flow rates, septicity can occur in the sludge Primary treatment reduces BOD by 30-40% & SS by 40-70% Overflow is called settled sewage (contains colloids and dissolved solids) Surface Overflow Rates (SOR) vary between 20 50 m3 m-2 day-1 (for average flow rates) & 50 125 m3 m-2 day-1 for peak flows

Settling velocity
To achieve a particular degree of solids removal the time of detention of a parcel of sewage must be such that all particles below a certain size can fall to the bottom of the tank after entering at top water level:

The trajectory of the particle is shown in the simplified diagram above. Time of detention =

d bl d Q VS
VS =

which simplifies to: therefore VS =

Q bl

bl = area, A

Q A

Design Example
Design a circular primary sedimentation tank for a wastewater treatment plant serving a population equivalent (pe) of 30,000. If the influent TSS concentration is 350 mg l-1, what is the amount of sludge produced?

Secondary Treatment
The second stage, known as secondary treatment, removes organic materials and nutrients. This is done with the help of bacteria -- the water flows to large, aerated tanks where bacteria consume everything they can. The wastewater then flows to settling tanks where the bacteria settle out. Secondary treatment can remove approximately 90 percent of all solids and organic materials from the wastewater.

Secondary Treatment (Biological Treatment)

What is biological wastewater treatment ?
Wastewater treatment with Bacteria & Other Microorganisms such as fungi

What can microorganisms do ? MOs do not eat the pollution MOs do wastewater treatment by conversions with enzymes S (Substrate) P (end products, CO2, N2, etc.) + Energy (which is used for growing surplus biomass !)

Degradation of Organic Matter

Processes that occur: Oxidation: COHNS (organic matter) + O2 CO2 + NH3 + other end products + Energy (b) Biosynthesis COHNS + O2 + Bacteria C5H7NO2 (new cells) (c) Auto-oxidation C5H7NO2 + 5 O2 5 CO2 + NH3 + 2 H2O + Energy

Anaerobic conditions:

Organic Pollutants:
(Hydrolysis) => fragments, diluted Pollutants
(Acidification) => H2 + CO2 + Organic Acids + Alcohol (Acetogene) => H2 + CO2 + Acetic Acid

(Methanogene) => CH4 + CO2

Degradation of Nitrogen
Organic Nitrogen NH3 NH3 + O2 NO3 + H2O

Organic Carbon + NO3 N2 + CO2 + H2O

Three approaches are used to accomplish secondary treatment: fixed film, suspended film and lagoon systems.

Fixed Film Systems Fixed film systems grow microorganisms on substrates such as rocks, sand or plastic. The wastewater is spread over the substrate, allowing the wastewater to flow past the film of microorganisms fixed to the substrate. As organic matter and nutrients are absorbed from the wastewater, the film of microorganisms grows and thickens. Trickling filters, rotating biological contactors, and sand filters are examples of fixed film systems.
Suspended Film Systems Suspended film systems stir and suspend microorganisms in wastewater. As the microorganisms absorb organic matter and nutrients from the wastewater they grow in size and number. After the microorganisms have been suspended in the wastewater for several hours, they are settled out as sludge. Some of the sludge is pumped back into the incoming wastewater to provide "seed" microorganisms. The remainder is waste and is sent on to a sludge treatment process. Activated sludge, extended aeration, oxidation ditch, and sequential batch reactor systems are all examples of suspended film systems. Lagoon Systems Lagoon systems are shallow basins, which hold the wastewater for several months to allow for the natural degradation of sewage. These systems take advantage of natural aeration and microorganisms in the wastewater to renovate sewage.

Fixed Film Systems

Suspended Film Systems

Fixed-film reactor Primary settled wastewater

Secondary settlement Final effluent

Sludge Mixed-film reactor Primary settled wastewater

Secondary settlement Final effluent

Recycled Sludge Wasted sludge

Aerobic Treatment Plants

Suspended Growth
Activated Sludge Oxidation Ditch Aerated Lagoons

Attached Growth
Trickling Filters Rotating Biological Contactors

Stabilization Ponds
Aerobic, Anaerobic and Facultative Processes

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ANAEROBIC TREATMENT
UASB REACTORS

ANAEROBIC LAGOONS

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ADVANCED TREATMENT
Polishes effluent from Secondary treatment plants for further removal of BOD, SS, FC, N, P, & Dissolved organic & inorganic impurities.

Principal processes: Coagulation Filtration, Ultra filtration Adsorption on activated Carbon Reverse Osmosis Electrodialysis

The third stage, known as tertiary treatment, varies depending on the community and the composition of the wastewater. Typically, the third stage will use chemicals to remove phosphorous and nitrogen from the water but may also include filter beds and other types of treatment. Chlorine added to the water kills any remaining bacteria, and the water is discharged.

Considerations in Selection of a Technology for Application

Substances to be removed suspended matter,
biodegradable organics, inorganic substances, refractive organics Degree of treatment needed reuse, discharge on to land, water, sea Regulatory needs Effluent Discharge Standards, Ambient Standards, Best Available Treatment, BPT, BATNEEC etc. Technical sophistication personnel, monitoring equipment, maintenance Economics power costs, reuse / cost of alternative water supplies, financing

GRAVITY THICKENER . . .

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BAR SCREENS

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GRIT CHANNELS

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BAR SCREENS AND GRIT CHANNELS

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PRIMARY SETTLING TANK

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