Course Title: ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING II
Course code: ENCE4105

Presented by: Assistant professor. Mashair Anwar Saeed

Course outlines:
• Wastewater: sources – composition of sewage –waste water characteristics – sanitation systems –
septic tanks and disposal units – sewers and sewerage systems – sewage treatment plant – sludge
treatment and disposal – waste stabilization ponds – river pollution – algal studies .

• solid waste management – industrial waste.

• Laboratory: Nitrogen – dissolved oxygen – biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) - chemical

oxygen demand (COD) – examination of bacteria . Multiple tubes methods – membrane filtration.

• Field trip : Try to visit one of the wastewater treatment plants in the area.
References
• Sewage disposal and air pollution engineering by Santosh Kumar Garg.

• Problem solving in environmental engineering Prof. Dr. Eng. Isam Mohammed Abdel-Magid Ahmed .
Terminology
• Wastewater is any water that has been contaminated by human use.

• Blackwater: Human excreta (feces, urine, blood and other bodily fluids) often mixed with used toilet

paper or water.

• Graywater: Washing water (personal hygiene, clothes, floors, dishes, cars, etc.).

• Yellowwater: this is basically urine collected with specific channels and not contaminated with either

blackwaer or graywater.

• Brown water is any biodegradable waste that is predominantly carbon based.

• Sanitation: includes the management of wastewater, human excreta, solid waste and stormwater.

• Sewage: is the mixture of water and waste products of society including human excreta.

• Sewerage: refers to the physical infrastructure required to transport and treat wastewater.
Wastewater sources and composition
 Wastewater characteristics

• Analyzing the physical and chemical

characteristics of WW plays a critical

role in the wastewater treatment

process.

• The bacteriological analysis of WW

is done to determine the presence of

bacteria in water.
Wastewater Physical characteristics

Physical properties are subject to natural forces making it easier to measure & determine
their values & effects. They may determined by senses of touch, sight, and smell.

• Color - Fresh sewage is normally brown and yellowish in color but over time becomes
black in color.

• Odor – Wastewater that includes sewage typically develops a strong odor.

• Temperature - Due to more biological activity, wastewater will have a higher

temperature.

• Turbidity - Due to suspended solids in wastewater, wastewater will have a higher

turbidity, or cloudiness.
Wastewater Physical characteristics

• Turbidity is expressed in terms of parts of suspended matter per million parts of water or shortly written as

ppm. It may be noted that for water 1 ppm is approximately equal to 1 mg. per litre (or mg/l). The standard

unit of turbidity is the turbidity produced by one part of Fuller’s earth which is in the form of finely divided

silica in a million parts of distilled water. The measurement of turbidity may be done with the help of a

turbidity rod (field) and turbidimeters (lab).

• The commonly used turbidimeters are as indicated below.

(a) Jackson turbidimeter (or Jackson candle turbidtmeter).

(b) Baylis turbidimeters.

(c) Helige turbidimeter (or Aplab turbidimeter).

(d) Nephelometer
Wastewater Chemical Characteristics:

• Wastewater contains chemicals such as nitrogen, phosphorus and levels of dissolved

oxygen as well as others that may affect its composition and pH rating.

• Highly acidic or alkaline wastewater is probably trade waste and will require pre-
treatment before discharge to the sewer.

• pH is measured on a scale ranging from 0 to 14 with seven considered neutral using

pH meter. At a pH below 7, the WW is acidic; at a pH above 7, the WW is alkaline.

pH = log10 [H+]
PH meter
The determination of wastewater quality

• The laboratory tests focused on four major categories:

BOD (biochemical oxygen demand)(5days)

• BOD is the traditional, most widely used test to establish concentration of organic matter in wastewater samples (i.e., relative

strength).

• BOD is based on the principle that if sufficient oxygen is available, aerobic biological decomposition (i.e., stabilization of

organic waste) by microorganisms will continue until all waste is consumed.

• The BOD test is also known as "BOD5" since it is based on the accurate measure of DO (dissolved oxygen) at the beginning

and end of a five-day period in which the sample is held in dark, incubated conditions (i.e., 20°C or 68°F).

• The change in DO concentration over five days represents the "oxygen demand" for respiration by the aerobic biological

microorganisms in the sample.

• The five-day completion window is an inherent disadvantage of the test because wastewater treatment system personnel cannot

use it to make real-time operational adjustments.

• An extended UBOD (ultimate BOD) test that measures oxygen consumption after 60 days or more is sometimes required in

wastewater permits.
DO (dissolved oxygen)

• As the name implies, a DO test measures the concentration of oxygen

dissolved in a water or wastewater sample.

• DO measurement most often takes place using an electronic meter fitted

with a specialized DO probe.

• The concentration of DO in a water sample is significantly influenced by:

• Temperature: As water temperature increases, DO decreases (i.e., as water gets
warmer, it holds less oxygen).
• Salinity: As water salinity increases, DO decreases (i.e., as water gets saltier, it
holds less oxygen).
• Atmospheric Pressure: As pressure increases, DO also increases (i.e., water
holds less oxygen as you increase altitude).
COD (chemical oxygen demand) (2Hrs)

• COD is the most popular alternative test to BOD for establishing the concentration of organic matter in wastewater samples.

• The COD test only takes a few hours to complete, giving it a major advantage over the 5-day BOD test. Wastewater treatment system

personnel can use COD as an almost real-time operational adjustment parameter.

• COD can test wastewater that is too toxic for the BOD test.

• The COD test should be considered an independent measure of the organic matter in a wastewater sample rather than

a substitute for the BOD test.

• The COD test uses a chemical (potassium dichromate in a 50% sulfuric acid solution) that “oxidizes” both organic (predominate) and

inorganic substances in a wastewater sample, which results in a higher COD concentration than BOD concentration for the same

wastewater sample since only organic compounds are consumed during BOD testing, (COD/BOD is constant for WW).

• The most popular current testing method for COD involves using sealed and heated (i.e., closed reflux) low-range (3-150 ppm) or

high-range (20-1500 ppm) pre-prepared bottles that change color from orange to green based on the amount of oxidation and that are

read using a laboratory colorimeter

TOC (total organic carbon)

• The TOC test is gaining popularity because it only takes 5-10 minutes to
complete.

• Like COD, the TOC test can be used to rapidly estimate BOD concentration once
a consistent TOC to BOD ratio is established on a particular wastewater stream.

• Various heat and oxygen, ultraviolet radiation and chemical oxidant-based

methods are available to measure TOC that are specific to the carbon analyzing
instrument utilized.

• In the TOC test, organic carbon is converted to carbon dioxide (CO2) and
typically measured with an infrared analyzer.
O&G (oil and grease)

• O&G consists of a group of related constituents that are of special concern in wastewater treatment due to their

unique physical properties and highly concentrated energy content.

• The term O&G (oil and grease) has become the popular term replacing the term FOG (fat, oil and grease),

although both terms refer to the same wastewater constituents.

• O&G constituents in wastewater can come from plants and animals (e.g, lard, butter, vegetable oils and fats) as

well as petroleum sources (e.g., kerosene, lubricating oils).

• O&G are generally hydrophobic (i.e., “water-hating”) and thus have low solubility in wastewater, resulting in

relatively low biodegradability by microorganisms.

• O&G becomes more soluble (i.e., more easily dissolved) in wastewater at high temperatures and will form

emulsions (i.e., oil-water mixtures) that will often separate back out of wastewater as temperatures become

cooler; thus, O&G are notorious for causing sewer collection system problems (e.g., blockages, pump failures).
TS (Total solids)
• Total Solids (TS) = Total Suspended Solids (TSS) + Total
Dissolved Solids (TDS)

• As the formula above shows, TS in a wastewater sample can be

separated based on particulate size into TSS and TDS fractions.

• To accomplish this separation, a laboratory bench-scale

filtration system is utilized under pressure to pull a measured
volume of wastewater through a filter disc. SOLIDS that remain
on the disc are TSS, while SOLIDS that pass thru the disc and
end up in the capture flask below are TDS.
Instruments for TS &TVS

TS is performed using an evaporative oven of 103-105 oC.

TVS is performed in a muffle furnace set at 500 ± 50 oC.
TFS is known as ash.

Evaporative oven A muffle furnace

Nutrients in Wastewater

• Phosphorus is essential to the growth of algae and other biological organisms.

• nitrogen is an essential building block in the synthesis of protein, nitrogen data

will be required to evaluate the treatability of wastewater by biological
processes.

• TN as a commonly used parameter, consists of many numerous compounds such

as; NH3, NH4-N, NO3-N, NO2-N, urea, organic-N (amines, amino acids, ...etc).

• Wastewater may contain high levels of ammonia and phosphorus. Releasing

these nutrients to a receiving stream may lead to eutrophication.
Selected solved problems
1. Solids analysis were conducted on the meat-processing wastewater. Samples
were taken in 300 mL bottles. The tests were conducted in triplicate as shown in
the table below:

Total Solids Test Data

Dish Number 1 2 3
Weight of empty dish, g 51.494 51.999 50.326
Weight of dish + dry solids, g 51.587 52.081 50.437
Weight of dish + ignited solids, g 51.541 52.042 50.383

i] Determine the concentration of total solids in mg/L.

ii] Find the total volatile solids content.
Selected solved problems
Solution

• Weight of solids (mg) = {Weight of dish + dry solids} (g) – {Weight of empty
dish} (g)

• Volume used = 300×10-3 = 0.3L

• Concentration of solids= Weight of solids (mg)/volume

• Weight of volatile solids (mg)= [Weight of dish + dry solids, g]-[ Weight of dish
+ ignited solids, g]

• Concentration of volatile solids, mg/l= Weight of volatile solids (mg)/ volume

Selected solved problems
Solution

Dish Number 1 2 3
Weight of solids, mg 93 82 111
Concentration of solids, mg/l 310 293 370

Weight of volatile solids (mg) 46 39 54

Concentration of volatile solids, mg/l 153 130 180

Average concentration of solids= (310+293+370)/3=324mg/l

Average concentration of volatile solids= (153+130+180)/3=154mg/l

Selected solved problems

2. Compare the degree of acidity of the following solutions: First solution of pH = 3.5; Second solution

of [H+] = 3. 2×10-4 mg/Li and third solution of Hydrogen ion concentration, [H+] = 2.5×10-3 mole/L.

Solution

pH = log10 [H+]

First solution: pH1 = 3.5

Second solution: pH2 = - log3.2×10-4×10-3 = -log 3.2×10-7 = 6.5

Third solution: pH3 = - log 2.5×10-3 = 2.6

Comparison: Solution 3, solution 1, solution 2

Selected solved problems

3. Calculate the OH- concentration in grams of OH- per litre, of a

solution containing 1×10-10 mole of H+ per litre.

Solution

[OH- ][H+ ] = 10-14 [OH- ] = 10-14 ÷ 10-10 = 10-4 mole/L

MW[OH-] = 16 + 1 = 17

Concentration of OH- = 10-4×17 = 1.7×10-3 g/L = 1.7 mg/L

4. A BOD test is carried out on a sample of sewage which has a rate constant (k1) value of 0.15 /day. Compute the value of the BOD5 as

compared to the ultimate BOD.

Solution

The first order re-aeration equation may be used, i.e.

BOD5 20= Lo(1 - 10-k1*t) where:

BOD5 20= Amount of biochemical oxygen demand removed over 5 days at 20oC.

Lo = Initial BOD at zero time = ultimate BOD.

k1 = Rate constant (per day).

t = Time, days.

Substituting given values in the above mentioned equation, it gives:

BOD5 20 = Lo(1 - 10-k1*t) = Lo(1 - 10-0.15x5) = 0.82

Thus, the 5-day BOD amounts to about 82 percent of the ultimate BOD
Theoretical exercises 1
1. Write briefly about sources and composition of wastewater?
2. What are the most important quality parameters of wastewater?
3. What are the significances of the BOD test?
4. Why is the BOD test adopted as a standard one used to determine the pollution strength of sewage?
5. Mention types of solids presence in wastewater?
6. Discuss the difference between BOD, COD, and TOC?
7. Define these terms:
i. Black water. ii. Sewage. iii. Gray water.
8. The polluted water is one which
A. Contains pathogenic bacteria.
B. Consists of undesirable substances rendering it unfit for drinking and domestic use.
C. Is safe and suitable for drinking and domestic use.
D. Is contaminated
Practical exercises 1
1. An industrial waste has a 5-day BOD of 600 ppm and the k1 value at 20o C is 0.2 per day. Find the ultimate BOD of the
waste. What would be the 5-day BOD if the value of k1 dropped to 0.1 per day? (Ans. 456 ppm).

2. The pH of a solution changes from 6.5 to 2.5. By what factor did the strength of its acidic condition increase?

3. Arrange the following solutions in order of decreasing acidity (i.e. highest [H+] first, lowest last): Solution A, pH = 8;
Solution B, pH = 4; Solution C, [H+] = 10-6; Solution A, [OH-] = 10.

4. A wastewater treatment plant receives 4000 m3 /d with a COD of 400 mg/L. What is the plant loading in kg/d COD? If
COD to BOD ratio is 2:1, find BOD. (Ans. 1600 kg COD/d).

5. The following data are from total solids and total volatile solids tests on a wastewater. Calculate the total and volatile
solids concentrations in mg/L.

• Weight of empty dish = 68.942 g

• Weight of dish + dry solids = 69.049 g

• Weight of dish + ignited solids = 69.003 g

• Volume of wastewater sample = 100 mL.