Gerald M.

Lim BSChE-4

Waste Water Treatment

Wastewater treatment is closely related to the standards and/or expectations set for the effluent quality. Wastewater treatment processes are designed to achieve improvements in the quality of the wastewater. The various treatment processes may reduce: Although there are many variations of wastewater treatment plants, most will have the following steps: preliminary treatment, primary treatment, secondary treatment, tertiary treatment, disinfection, and solids handling.

Process

1. Preliminary Treatment During Preliminary Treatment, the incoming raw sewage, or influent, is strained to removed all large objects that make their way into the sewer system. These objects can be anything from rags and sticks to toys, cans and even snakes. Generally bar screens, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are used to remove the items. The influent flows across these screens, objects catch on

the screens, are raised out of the water and are then raked (either mechanically or manually) off the screens. Another component of Preliminary Treatment is the grit channel where the velocity of the incoming wastewater is carefully controlled to allow sand, grit, and stones to settle to the bottom of the channel while keeping the majority of the suspended organic material in the water column. The grit is removed from the channel, added to the larger objects removed by the bar screens, and taken to the landfill for disposal. Preliminary Treatment is vital for preventing damage to pumps and other equipment in the remaining treatment stages.

2. Primary Treatment Many plants have a sedimentation stage where the sewage is allowed to pass slowly through large tanks, commonly called primary clarifiers or primary sedimentation tanks. The tanks are large enough that sludge can settle and floating material such as grease and oils can rise to the surface and be skimmed off. The main purpose of primary treatment is to produce both a generally homogeneous liquid capable of being treated biologically and a sludge that can be separately treated or processed. Primary clarifiers are usually equipped with mechanically driven scrapers that continually drive the collected sludge towards a hopper in the base of the tank from where it can be pumped to further sludge treatment stages. The clarified water flows on to the next step of treatment.

3. Secondary Treatment Secondary treatment processes can remove up to 90% of the organic matter in wastewater by using biological treatment processes. The two most common conventional methods used to achieve secondary treatment are attached growth processes and suspended growth processes. a. Attached Growth Processes. In attached growth (or fixed film) precesses, bacteria, algae, fungi and other microorganisms grow and multiply on the surface of stone or plastic media, forming a microbial growth or slime layer (biomass) on the media. Wastewater passes over the media along with air to provide oxygen, and the bacteria consume most of the organic matter in the

wastewater as food. Attached growth process units include trickling filters, biotowers, and rotating biological contactors.

Trickling filters

biotower

biological contactors

b. Suspended Growth Processes. In suspended growth processes, the microbial growth is suspended in an aerated water mixture where the air is pumped in, or the water is agitated sufficiently to allow oxygen transfer. The suspended growth process speeds up the work of aerobic bacteria and other microorganisms that break down the organic matter in the sewage by providing a rich aerobic environment where the microorganisms suspended in the wastewater can work more efficiently. In the aeration tank, wastewater is vigorously mixed with air and microorganisms acclimated to the wastewater in a suspension for several hours. This allows the bacteria and other microorganisms to break down the organic matter in the wastewater. Suspended growth process units include variations of activated sludge, oxidation ditches and sequencing batch reactors. After biological treatment, the water is pumped to secondary clarifiers where any leftover solids and the microorganisms sink to the bottom. These solids are handled separately from the supernatant which continues on to disinfection.

4. Tertiary Treatment The purpose of tertiary treatment is to provide a final treatment stage to raise the effluent quality to the desired level. This advanced treatment can be accomplished by a variety of methods such as coagulation sedimentation, filtration, reverse osmosis, and extending secondary biological treatment to further stabilize oxygen-demanding substances or remove nutrients. In various combinations, these processes can achieve any degree of pollution control desired. As wastewater is purified to higher and higher degrees by such advanced treatment processes, the treated effluent can then be reused for urban, landscape, and agricultural irrigaton, industrial cooling and processing, reacreational uses and water recharge, and even indirect and direct augmentation of drinking water supplies. a. Coagulation sedimentation Chemical coagulation sedimentation is used to increase the removal of solids from effluent after primary and secondary treatment. Solids heavier than water settle out of wastewater by gravity. With the addition of specific chemicals, solids can become heavier than water and will settle. Alum, lime, or iron salts are chemicals added to the wastewater to remove phosphorus. With the chemicals, the smaller particles clump or 'floc' together into large masses. The larger masses of particles will settle out in the sedimentation tank reducing the concentration of phosphorus by more than 95%. b. Filtration A variety of filtration methods are available to ensure high quality water. Sand filtration, which consists of simply directing the flow of water through a sand bed, is used to remove residual suspended matter. Filtration over activated carbon results in the removal of the following types of contaminants: non-biodegradable organic compounds, adsorbable organic halogens, toxins, color compounds and dyestuffs, aromatic compounds including phenol and bis-phenol A (BPA), chlorinated/halogenated organic compounds, and pesticides. Although there are a number of different methods of membrane filtration, the most mature is pressure driven membrane filtration. This relies on a liquid being forced through a filter membrane with a high surface area. Membrane filtration is designed to remove bacteria,

viruses, pathogens, metals, and suspended solids.

c. Reverse osmosis In the reverse osmosis process, pressure is used to force effluent through a membrane that retains contaminants on one side and allows the clean water to pass to the other side. Reverse osmosis is actually a type of membrane filtration called microfiltration because it is capable of removing much smaller particles including dissolved solids such as salt. This process is also effective at removing biological contaminants, metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and endocrine disruptors. d. Nutrient Removal Nitrogen control. Ammonia in wastewater effluent can be toxic to aquatic life in certain instances. By providing additional biological treatment beyond the secondary stage, nitrifying bacteria present in wastewater can biologically convert ammonia to the non-toxic nitrate through a process known as nitrification. The nitrification process is normally sufficient to remove the toxicity associated with ammonia in the effluent. Since nitrate is a nutrient, excess amounts can contribute to eutrophication in the receiving waters. In situations where nitrogen must be completely removed from effleunt, an additional biological process can be added to the system to convert the nitrate to nitrogen gas. The conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas is accomplished by bacteria in a process known as denitrification. Effluent with nitrogen in the form of nitrate is placed into a tank devoid of oxygen, where carbon-containing chemicals, such as methanol, are added. In this oxygen-free environment, bacteria use the oxygen attached to the nitrogen in the nitrate form releasing nitrogen gas. Because nitrogen comprises almost 80% of the air in the earth's atmophere, the release of nitrogen into the atmosphere does not cause any environmental harm. Phosphorus control Like nitrogen, phosphorus is a necessary nutrient for the growth of algae. Phosphorus reduction is often needed to prevent eutrophication before discharging effluent into lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries. Phosphorus can be removed biologically in a process called enhanced biological phosphorus removal. In this process, specific bacteria, called polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs), are selectively enriched and accumulate large quantities of phosphorus within their cells (up to 20% of their mass). When the biomass enriched in these bacteria is separated from the treated water, these biosolids have a high fertilizer value. Phosphorus removal can also be achieved by chemical precipitation, usually with salts or iron, alum, or lime. This may lead to excessive sludge productions as hydroxides precipitates and the added chemicals can be expensive. Despite this, chemical phosphorus removal requires a significantly smaller equipment footprint than biological removal, is easier to operate, and is often more reliable thatn biological phosphorus removal.

5. Disinfection The purpose of disinfection in the treatment of wastewater is to substantially reduce the number of microorganisms in the water to be discharged back into the environment and is almost always the final step in the treatment process regardless of the level or type of treatment used. The effectiveness of disinfection depends on the quality of the water beign treated (e.g., cloudiness, pH, ammonia content, etc.), the type of disinfection being used, the disinfectant dosage (concentration and time), and other environmental variables. Cloudy water will be treated less successfully since solid matter can shield organisms. Generally, short contact times, low doses, and high flows all prevent effective disinfection. Common methods of disinfection include ozonation, chlorine, and ultraviolet light. Chlorination remains the most common form of wastewater disinfection due to its low cost and long-term history of effectiveness. One disadvantage is that chlorination of residual organic material can generate chlorinated-organic compounds that may be carcinogenic or harmful to the environment. Residual chlorine or chloramines (formed by the combination of chlorine and ammonia) may also be capable of chlorinating organic material in the natural aquatic environment. Further, because residual chlorine is toxic to aquatic species, the treated effluent must also be chemically dechlorinated adding to the complexity and cost of treatment. Ultraviolet (UV) light can be used instead of chlorine. Because no chemicals are used, the treated water has no adverse effect on organisms that later consume it. UV radiation causes damage to the genetic structure of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens making them incapable of reproduction. The key disadvantages of UV disinfection are the need for frequent lamp maintenance and replacement, and the need for a highly treated effluent to ensure that the target microorganisms are not shielded from the UV radiation. Ozonation is also becoming a popular alternative to chlorine. Ozone (O3) is generated by passing oxygen (O2) through a high voltage potential resulting in a third oxygen atom becoming attached and forming O3. Ozone is very unstable and reactive and oxidizes most organic material it comes in contact with thereby destroying many pathogenic microorganisms. Ozone is considered to be safer than chlorine because it is generated onsite as needed and does not have to be stored. Ozonation also produces fewer disinfection by-products. A disadvantage of ozone disinfection is the high cost of the ozone generation equipment and the requirements for special operators. Ozone is also useful at reducing the concentrations of iron, manganese, and sulfur by oxidizing these metals in water to form insoluble metal oxides or elemental sulfur. The insoluble particles are then removed by filtration. Ozonation is also effective at reducing or eliminating most taste and odor problems.

6. Solids Handling Primary treatment and secondary biological processes concentrate waste organics into a sludge. Methods for processing raw sludge include anaerobic digestion and mechanical dewatering by either belt-filter pressing or centrifugation. Conventional methods of disposal are apllication as a fertilizer or soil conditioner on agricultural land, landfilling in a dedicated disposal site, or codisposal with municipal solid waste. . 2. Biochemical Oxygen Demand