Wastewater Treatment
Processes
CEL212 Environmental Engineering
(2nd Semester 2010-2011)
Dr. Arun Kumar
([email protected])
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi)
Courtesy: Dr. Irene Xagoraraki (USA)
and Dr. Arvind K. Nema (India)
Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater Management
www.oconomowocusa.com/ wastewater.gif
April 6, 2011 [email protected] 3
Municipal Wastewater
Treatment Systems
• Preliminary treatment (removes
materials that can cause operational
problems, equalization basins are
optional)
• Primary treatment (remove ~60% of
solids and ~35% of BOD)
• Secondary treatment (remove ~85% of
BOD and solids)
• Advanced treatment (varies: 95+ % of
BOD and solids, N, P)
• Final Treatment (disinfection)
• Solids Processing (sludge management)
April 6, 2011 [email protected] 4
Pre-Treatment of Industrial
Wastewaters
• Industrial wastewaters must be pretreated prior
to being discharged to municipal sewer system
• Pretreatment requirements set by regulatory
bodies
• Why: remove materials that will not be treated
by municipal system, remove materials that
inhibit the biological processes in secondary
treatment
3 stages of water treatment
• Primary
– solids are separated
• Secondary
– dissolved biological matter is converted into a solid
mass by using water-borne bacteria
– 95% of the suspended molecules should be removed
• Tertiary
– biological solids are neutralized then disposed, and
treated water may be disinfected chemically or
physically
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 6
Bar racks
• Purpose: remove
larger objects
• Solid material stored
in hopper and sent to
landfill
• Mechanically or
manually cleaned
Grit Chambers
• Purpose: remove inert
dense material, such
as sand, broken
glass, silt and pebbles
• Avoid abrasion of
pumps and other
mechanical devices
• Material is called “grit”
– Wastewater flow has daily
Equalization fluctuations
– Purpose: To dampen the variation
Basins in wastewater flow into a WWTP
– Flow equalization is not a treatment
process
– Improves effectiveness of primary
& secondary treatment
– Usually achieved by large basins to
collect wastewater and pumped to
treatment plant at a constant rate
– Adequate aeration and mixing need
to be provided to prevent odors and
deposition of solids
Source: Davis and Cornwall, Introduction to Environmental Engineering, 2008
Treatment stages - Primary
treatment
• typical materials that are removed during
primary treatment include
– fats, oils, and greases (aka FOG)
– sand, gravels and rocks (aka grit)
– larger settleable solids including human
waste, and
– floating materials
Settling/Sedimentation
• Solid liquid separation process in which a
suspension is separated into two phases –
– Clarified supernatant leaving the top of the
sedimentation tank (overflow).
– Concentrated sludge leaving the bottom of the
sedimentation tank (underflow).
• Purpose of Settling
– To remove coarse dispersed phase.
– To remove coagulated and flocculated impurities.
– To remove precipitated impurities after chemical
treatment.
– To settle the sludge (biomass) after activated sludge
process / tricking filters
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 11
Some basic definitions
• Sedimentation, also known as settling, may be defined as the
removal of solid particles from a suspension by settling under
gravity.
• Clarification is a similar term, which usually refers specifically to the
function of a sedimentation tank in removing suspended matter from
the water to give a clarified effluent. In a broader sense, clarification
could include flotation and filtration.
• Thickening in sedimentation tanks is the process whereby the
settled impurities are concentrated and compacted on the floor of
the tank and in the sludge-collecting hoppers.
• Concentrated impurities withdrawn from the bottom of sedimentation
tanks are called sludge, while material that floats to the top of the
tank is called scum.
• Primary
Sedimentation Tank
– Remove grease, oil
– Fecal solid settle,
floating material rise to
the surface
– Produce a
homologous liquid for
later biological
treatment
– Fecal sludge are
pumped to sludge
treatment plant
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 13
Primary Settling
Basins
Secondary Treatment
(Biological)
Secondary Treatment
• Secondary treatment is a biological
treatment process that removes dissolved
organic matter from wastewater.
• Sewage microorganisms are cultivated and
added to the wastewater. The microorganisms
use organic matter from sewage as their food
supply. This process leads to decomposition or
biodegradation of organic wastes.
• Two approaches are used to accomplish
secondary treatment; fixed film, and suspended
film systems.
Secondary Treatment
• Basic approach is to use aerobic biological degradation:
microorganisms
organic carbon + O2 CO2 + new cells
• Objective is to allow the BOD to be exerted in the treatment
plant rather than in the stream
How is this accomplished?
Create a very rich
environment for growth
of a diverse microbial
community
Basic Ingredients
• High density of microorganisms (keep
organisms in system)
• Good contact between organisms and wastes
(provide mixing)
• Provide high levels of oxygen (aeration)
• Favorable temperature, pH, nutrients (design
and operation)
• No toxic chemicals present (control industrial
inputs)
Activated sludge
• mixed community of microorganisms
• Both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria may
exist
• Biological floc is formed
Activated Sludge
• Process in which a mixture of wastewater and
microorganisms is agitated and aerated
• Leads to oxidation of dissolved organics
• After oxidation, separate sludge (mostly microbial cells,
water, and other contaminants) from wastewater
• Induce microbial growth
– Need food, oxygen
– Want Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) of
3,000 to 6,000 mg/L
Activated Sludge Process
raw
Return wastew
Activated ater
Sludge
(RAS) Mixed
Air Liquor Ai
r
treated
wastewa Discharge to
Waste Secondary River or Land
ter
Activated clarifier Application
Sludge
(WAS)
April 6, 2011 [email protected] 22
Biological Treatment
Microorganism
Gravity
Soluble and colloidal organics
+ = For further treatment
Physical components of activated
sludge process
• aeration tank
– oxygen is introduced into the system
• aeration source
– ensure that adequate oxygen is fed into the tank
– provided pure oxygen or compressed air
• secondary clarifiers
– activated-sludge solids separate from the
surrounding wastewater
• Activated sludge
outflow line
– Pump activated sludge
back to the aeration
tank
• Effluent outflow line
– discharged effluent
into bay or tertiary
treatment plant
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 28
• Lagoon Systems
– hold the waste-water for several months
– natural degradation of sewage
– Usually reeds are preferred
Dispersed Growth vs Fixed Growth
Systems
Dispersed growth (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 a sludge. Some of the
sludge is pumped back into the incoming
wastewater to provide "seed" microorganisms. The
remainder is wasted and sent on to a sludge
treatment process.
Dispersed Growth vs Fixed Growth
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.
Dispersed (suspended) growth
vs Fixed growth
• Dispersed Growth (suspended organisms)
– Activated sludge
– Oxidation ditches/ponds
– Aerated lagoons, stabilization ponds
• Fixed Growth (attached organisms)
– Trickling filters
– Rotating Biological Contactors
Advanced Wastewater
Treatment
Nutrients Removal
• Nitrogen removal
– Ammonia (NH3) → nitrite (NO2-)→ nitrate
(NO3-)
• Phosphorous removal
– Precipitation with iron or aluminums salt
• Lead to eutrophication
• May cause algae bloom
Disinfection Processes (refer
Notes from Water Treatment)
• remove disease-causing organisms from
wastewater
• 3 different disinfection process
– Chlorination
– UV light radiation
– Ozonation
What can effluent use for?
• discharged into a stream, river, bay,
lagoon or wetland
• used for the irrigation of a golf course,
green way or park
• If it’s sufficiently clean, it can be used
for groundwater recharge
Summary
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 38
Sludge Treatment
and Disposal
CEL212 Environmental Engineering
(2nd Semester 2010-2011)
Dr. Arun Kumar
(
[email protected])
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi)
Courtesy: Dr. Irene Xagoraraki (USA)
and Dr. Arvind K. Nema (India)
Sludge Treatment and Disposal
Sludge Types
Not true sludge, not a fluid.
Bar screens
Since it can be drained easily
and is relatively stable, it can be
• Primary sludge Grit chambers disposed of directly in a municipal
landfill.
– 3 to 8% solids
– About 70% organic material
– odor
• Secondary sludge
– Consists of wasted microorganisms and inert materials
– About 90% organic material
– WAS: 0.5 to 2% solids
– Trickling filter sludge: 2-5% solids
• Tertiary sludge
– If secondary clarifier is used to remove phosphate, this
sludge will also contain chemical precipitates (more
difficult to treat)
– Denitrification sludges - similar to WAS sludge
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 41
Goals of Sludge treatment
• Goals of treatments are:
– Reduce odors
– Remove water reduce volume
– Decompose organic matter
Sludge Treatment
Treatment processes include:
– Thickening – separates water from solids by gravity or
flotation
– Stabilization – converts organic solids to more
refractory forms through digestion
– Conditioning – treats sludge with chemicals or heat so
that the water can be readily separated
– Dewatering – separates water by vacuum, pressure or
drying
– Reduction – decreases the volume of sludge by
incineration
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 43
Sludge Treatment: 1) Thickening
• Flotation • Gravity thickening
– Especially effective – Best with primary
on activated sludge sludge
– Increases solids – Increases solids
content from 0.5 - content from 1-
1% to 3-6% 3% to 10%
Primary
Gravity Thickening
Sludge
Further processing
Secondary Flotation
Sludge
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 44
Thickening
Gravity Belt Thickener
Gravity Thickener
Flotation (From: http://www.thomasregister.com/olc/dorroliver/sedi.htm)
April 6, 2011 [email protected] 45
Sludge Treatment: 2)
Stabilization
• Aerobic Digestion • Anaerobic Digestion
– Extension of activated – 2 stage: acid fermentation
sludge followed by methane
– Accomplished by aeration production
of sludge then followed by – Advantages:
sedimentation • produce methane
– Supernatant goes back to • do not add oxygen
head of plant (high in – As with aerobic digestion,
BOD, TKN, total-P) supernatant goes to
– Treated sludge is 3% headworks
solids
Stabilization
Aerobic Digestion Anaerobic Digestion
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 47
Composting
• aerobic process
• requires the correct
mix of carbon,
nitrogen, oxygen
and water with
sludge
• Generate large
amount of heat
Sludge Treatment: 3)
Conditioning
• Chemical Conditioning • Heat Treatment
– Add lime, ferric – High temperatures (175-230
oC)
chloride, or alum
– Can also add polymers – High pressure (10 to 20
atmospheres)
– Chemicals are added
just prior to de- – Advantages
watering stage • bound water is released and
sludge is easily dewatered
– Disadvantages
• complex process
• highly concentrated liquid
stream
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 49
Sludge Treatment: 4) De-
watering
• Sludge Drying • Filtration
Beds – Apply vacuum to pull
– Most popular out water
method – Force out water by
– Simple essentially squeezing
– Low maintenance water between two
moving filter belts
– Effected by
climate
De-watering
Sludge Drying Beds Vacuum Filtration
(From: http://www.infilcodegremont.com/) (From: http://www.thomasregister.com/olc/dorroliver)
April 6, 2011
[email protected] 51
De-watering:
Belt Filter Press
Fairhaven, MA
(From: http://www.environline.com/fhwpcf.htm)
April 6, 2011 [email protected]
East Lansing, MI 52
Sludge Treatment: 6) Volume
Reduction
• Incineration • Wet Oxidation
– Complete evaporation – Treated sludge is
of water from sludge wet
– Requires fuel – Requires energy
– Solid material is – Solid material is
inert inert
– Exhaust air must be – Exhaust air must be
treated prior to treated prior to
discharge discharge
April 6, 2011 [email protected] 53
Volume Reduction:
High Temperature Fluidized Bed
Incineration
(From: http://www.infilcodegremont.com/)
(From: http://www.unep.or.jp/CTT_DATA/WATER/WATER_4/html/Water-173.html
April 6, 2011 [email protected] 54
Sludge Disposal
• Method depends on regulations
– Land Spreading
• lawns, gardens
• agricultural land
• forest land
• golf courses and other public recreational areas
– Municipal Solid Waste Landfill
– Utilization in other materials
Summary
