ADVANCED WASTEWATER

ENGINEERING
INTRODUCTION
WATER TREATMENT

What is the purpose of

water treatment???
WATER TREATMENT
Q: What is the purpose of water treatment?

 The purpose of water treatment is to

provide potable water that is palatable.
WATER TREATMENT
Q: What is the purpose of water treatment?

POTABLE WATER refers to water that is

healthy for human consumption and free of
harmful microorganisms and organic and
inorganic compounds that either cause
adverse physiological effects or do not
taste good.
WATER TREATMENT
Q: What is the purpose of water treatment?

PALATABLE describes water that is

aesthetically acceptable to drink or free
from turbidity, color, odor, and
objectionable taste.

NOTE: Water that is palatable may not be

safe.
CHARACTERISTIC OF UNTREATED
WATER
Typical
General
Specific Constituents Concentration
Classification
Range
Major Inorganic Calcium (Ca2+), Chloride (Cl-), 1 – 1000 mg/L
Constituents Fluoride (F-), Iron (Fe2+),
Manganese (Mn2+), Nitrate (NO3-),
Sodium(Na+), Sulfur (SO42-, HS-)
Minor Inorganic Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, 0.1 – 10 µg/L
Constituents Mercury, Nickel, Zinc, Arsenic
Naturally Occurring Naturally occurring organic matter 0.1 – 20 mg/L
Organic Compounds (NOM) that is measured as total
organic carbon (TOC)
Anthropogenic Organic Synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs) Below 1 µg/L
Constituents and emerging chemicals of concern and up to tens
used in industry, households, and of mg/L
agriculture (e.g. benzene, vinyl
chloride, alachor)
Living Organisms Bacteria, Algae, Viruses Millions
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
NATURAL WATER
Physical Characteristics
TURBIDITY Turbidity measures the optical clarity of water. It is caused by
the scattering and absorbance of light by suspended particles in
the water.

A turbidimeter is used to measure the interference of the light

passage through water. Turbidity is reported in terms of
nephelometric turbidity units (NTU).

WHO reports that a turbidity of <5NTU is usually acceptable but

may vary depending upon the availability and resources for
treatment. In US, many water utilities aim to treat water to
<0.1NTU.
COLOR Color is categorized as apparent or true color. Apparent color
is measured on unfiltered samples, so it includes the color
imparted by turbidity. True color is measured on a water sample
passed through a 40 µm filter.

Color is imparted to water by dissolved organic matter, natural

metallic ions such as iron and manganese, and turbidity.

Most people can detect color at greater than 15 true color units
in a glass.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
NATURAL WATER
Physical Characteristics
PARTICLES Particles in natural waters are solids larger than molecules
but are generally not distinguished by the unaided eye. They
may adsorb toxic metals or synthetic organic chemicals.

Water treatment considers particles in the size range 0.001 –

100 µm. Particles larger than 1 µm are called suspended
solids, while particles between 0.001 and 1 µm can be
considered colloidal particles. Constituents smaller than
0.001 µm are called dissolved particles.

NOM comprises colloidal particles and dissolved organic carbon

(DOC). The DOC is the portion of NOM that can be filtered
through a 0.45 µm filter. It is not classified in terms of
size.
TASTE AND Taste and odor can originate from dissolved natural organic or
ODOR inorganic constituents and biological sources present in raw
waters. They can also be an outcome of the water treatment
process.
TEMPERATURE Surface water temperatures may vary from 0.5 - 3°C in the
winter and 23 - 27°C in the summer. Groundwater can vary from
2 - 25°C depending upon location and well depth.
MAJOR AND MINOR INORGANIC
CONSTITUENTS
Problem in Water Range in
Constituent Source
Supply Natural Waters
Calcium and Surface water Above 60 mg/L can be For Ca2+, less
magnesium and groundwater considered nuisance than 1 mg/L to
as hardness. more than 500
mg/L.

Surface water
concentrations of
Mg2+ are less than
10 up to 20 mg/L.
Groundwater
concentrations
are less than 30
up to 40 mg/L.
Chloride Surface water Above 250 mg/L can Typical surface
and groundwater; impart salty taste. water is usually
saltwater Below 50 mg/L can be less than 10
intrusion corrosive to some mg/L.
metals.
MAJOR AND MINOR INORGANIC
CONSTITUENTS
Problem in Water Range in
Constituent Source
Supply Natural Waters
Fluoride Surface water Toxic to humans at For surface water
and groundwater concentrations of 250 with total
– 450 mg/L; fatal at dissolved solids
Some water concentrations above (TDS)
utilities add 4 g/L. concentrations
fluoride in the less than 1000
form of sodium mg/L, fluoride is
fluoride or usually less than
hydrofluorosilic 1 mg/L.
acid at doses of
about 1 mg/L.
Nitrate Surface water Very high nitrate
and groundwater concentrations may
can contain high produce infant
concentrations methemoglobinemia.
of nitrate from
runoff from
fertilizers
found in urban
and agricultural
watersheds.
MAJOR AND MINOR INORGANIC
CONSTITUENTS
Problem in Water Range in
Constituent Source
Supply Natural Waters
Iron and Surface water Taste threshold of In oxygenated
manganese and groundwater iron for many surface waters,
consumers is around the concentration
0.01 mg/L. Iron can of total iron is
impart a brownish usually less than
color to laundry and 0.5 mg/L. In
bathroom fixtures. groundwater that
has low
Manganese ion can bicarbonate and
impart a dark brown dissolved oxygen,
color. At iron
concentrations around concentrations
0.4 mg/L, manganese can range from 1
can impart an – 10 mg/L.
unpleasant taste to
the water and can The concentration
stain laundry and of manganese ion
fixtures. in surface water
and groundwater
may be less than
1 mg/L.
MAJOR AND MINOR INORGANIC
CONSTITUENTS
Problem in Water Range in
Constituent Source
Supply Natural Waters
Sulfur Surface water Groundwater low in Sulfate
and groundwater dissolved oxygen can concentrations in
contain reduced freshwater can
sulfur compounds, approach 10 mg/L.
which impart
objectionable odors
such as that of
rotten eggs. Sulfates
are also corrosive in
concrete structures
and pipes.
MAJOR ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS
Organic constituents found in water can either be naturally
occurring or associated with human activities.

 NOM in water is the result of the complexation of soluble

organic material derived from biochemical degradation of
vegetation in the surrounding environment.
 SOCs are anthropogenic organic constituents found in water
that are associated with industrial activity, land use by
agriculture, urban runoff, and municipal effluents from
wastewater treatment plants.
MAJOR ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS
Water Treatment
Effect
Process
Disinfection NOM reacts with, and consumes, disinfectants,
which increases required dose to achieve
effective disinfection.
Coagulation NOM reacts with, and consumes, coagulants, which
increases required dose to achieve effective
turbidity removal.
Adsorption NOM adsorbs to activated carbon , which depletes
adsorption capacity of the carbon.
Membranes NOM adsorbs to membranes, clogging membrane pores
and fouling surfaces. This leads to decline in
water passed through the membrane.
Distribution NOM may lead to corrosion and slime growth in
system distribution systems (especially when oxidants
are used during treatment).
MICROBIAL CONSTITUENTS
WHO reports that diarrhea contributed 4.3 percent of the global
burden of disease in 2002. Of that 4.3 percent, 88 percent was
caused by unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene.

 Pathogens are microorganisms that cause sickness and disease.

Pathogens include many classes of microorganisms, among them
viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths.
 Indicator organisms (such as coliforms) have been identified and
are used to monitor the microbial water quality.
 At present, EPA requires water utilities to monitor their water
distribution system monthly for total coliforms. The total coliform
rule maximum contaminant level is based on frequency of
detection (no more than 5 percent for systems collecting at least
40 samples per month) or the combination of a positive E. coli.
Sample (or fecal coliforms) with a positive total coliform sample.
ADVANCED WASTEWATER
ENGINEERING
WATER TREATMENT PROCESSES
OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
 Design and operation of a wastewater treatment facility require an
understanding of unit operations that employ fundamental
physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove specific
water quality constituents.
 Assembly of the correct process removal train requires the
accomplishment of four tasks:
(a) identifying the characteristics of the untreated wastewater,
(b)identifying treatment objectives and assessing community
involvement,
(c) integrating unit operations into a complete process that
recognizes the appropriateness and limits of each unit process
and how they complement each other,
(d) integrating concepts of green engineering, life cycle thinking,
and sustainability to incorporate issues beyond end-of-pipe
treatment standards and capital and operating costs.
OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
STEPS INVOLVED
1. Pretreatment
2. Primary treatment
3. Secondary treatment
4. Tertiary treatment to remove nutrients (N, P)
5. Disinfection
OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
PRETREATMENT
- Preliminary treatment prepares the wastewater for further
treatment. It is used to remove oily scum, floating debris, and grit,
which may inhibit biological processes and/or damage mechanical
equipment. Equalization tanks are employed to balance the flows or
organic loading.

1. Screening
2. Grit chambers
3. Flotation
4. Equalization
OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
PRIMARY TREATMENT
- The goal of primary treatment is to remove solids through
quiescent, gravity settling. Typically, domestic wastewater is held for
a period of approximately 2 hours.

- Primary treatment removes about 60 percent of the

suspended solids (TSS), 30 percent of the BOD, and 20 percent of
the phosphorus.

1. Settling tanks/Sedimentation tanks/Clarifiers

OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
SECONDARY TREATMENT
- The wastewater that exits the primary clarifier has lost a
significant amount of the particulate matter it contained, but it still
has a high demand for oxygen due to an abundance of dissolved
organic matter (measured as BOD). Secondary treatment (which is a
form of biological treatment) utilizes microorganisms to decompose
these high-energy molecules.

1. Suspended-growth reactors: Activated sludge

2. Attached-growth reactors
OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
TERTIARY TREATMENT
- Additional removal of pollutants, especially nitrogen and
phosphorus, is accomplished through a variety of physical, chemical,
and biological processes collectively termed advanced or tertiary
wastewater treatment.

1. Coagulation and Flocculation

2. Membrane Processes
3. Adsorption
4. Advanced Oxidation Processes
OVERVIEW OF WATER TREATMENT
PROCESSES
DISINFECTION
- The final step before flow measurement and discharge to
the receiving water is disinfection. The purpose of disinfection is to
ensure removal of pathogenic organisms. This is most commonly
accomplished by the addition of liquid sodium hypochlorite, chlorine
dioxide, or chlorine gas; on-site hypochlorite generation; ozonation;
or exposure to UV light.
ADVANCED WASTEWATER
ENGINEERING
PHYSICAL PROCESSES
MASS BALANCES
Law of Conservation of Mass
- mass can neither be created nor destroyed

 The principle of conservation of mass means that if the amount of

a chemical increases somewhere, then that increase cannot be the
result of some “magical” formation. The chemical must have been
either carried into the lake from elsewhere or produced via
chemical or biological reaction from other compounds that were
already present in the system. Similarly, if reactions produced the
mass increase of this chemical, they must also have caused a
corresponding decrease in the mass of some other compound(s).
MASS BALANCES
𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕 + ∆𝒕
= 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡 + 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡 → 𝑡 + ∆𝑡
− 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡 → 𝑡 + ∆𝑡
+ (𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑕𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑡𝑕𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠
𝑏𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡 + ∆𝑡)

 In environmental problems, it usually is more convenient to work with values

of mass flux – the rate at which mass enters or leaves a system.

𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡 + ∆𝑡 − (𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡)

∆𝑡
(𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡 → 𝑡 + ∆𝑡)
=
∆𝑡
(𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡 → 𝑡 + ∆𝑡)
−
∆𝑡
(𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝑐𝑕𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡 → 𝑡 + ∆𝑡𝑡)
−
∆𝑡
MASS BALANCES

MASS BALANCE EQUATION:

𝑑𝑚
= 𝑚𝑖𝑛 − 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑡 + 𝑚𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑑𝑡
MASS BALANCES
CONTROL VOLUME
 A mass balance is meaningful only in terms of a specific region of
space, which has boundaries across which the terms 𝑚𝑖𝑛 and
𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑡 are determined.
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR
CSTR (CONTINUOUSLY STIRRED TANK REACTOR)

𝑑𝑚
A. Mass Accumulation Rate
𝑑𝑡
- the rate of change of mass within the control volume

 To directly measure the mass accumulation rate would require

determining the total mass within the control volume of the
compound for which the mass balance is being conducted. If the
control volume is well-mixed, then the concentration of the
compound is the same throughout the control volume.

𝑑𝑚 𝑑(𝑉𝐶) 𝑑𝐶
= =𝑉
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR

𝑑𝑚 𝑑(𝑉𝐶) 𝑑𝐶
= =𝑉
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡

 In any mass balance situation, once a sufficient amount of time has

passed, conditions will approach steady state, meaning that
𝑑𝑚
conditions no longer change with time. This means that = 0.
𝑑𝑡

 If, however, insufficient time has passed since a flow, inlet

concentration, reaction term, or other problem condition has
changed, the mass in the control volume will vary with time, and
the mass balance will be nonsteady state.
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR
CSTR (CONTINUOUSLY STIRRED TANK REACTOR)

B. Mass Flux In 𝑚𝑖𝑛

 Often, the volumetric flow rate, Q, of each input stream entering

the control volume is known.

𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑄𝑖𝑛 𝑥 𝐶𝑖𝑛

C. Mass Flux Out 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑡

𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑄𝑖𝑛 𝑥 𝐶
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR
CSTR (CONTINUOUSLY STIRRED TANK REACTOR)

D. Net Rate of Chemical Reaction 𝑚𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

- the net rate of production of a compound from chemical or
biological reactions.

 If other compounds react to form the compound, 𝑚𝑟𝑥𝑛 will be

greater than zero; if the compound reacts to form some other
compound(s), resulting in a loss, 𝑚𝑟𝑥𝑛 will be negative.

𝑑𝐶
𝑚𝑟𝑥𝑛 = 𝑉 𝑥
𝑑𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR
CSTR (CONTINUOUSLY STIRRED TANK REACTOR)

D. Net Rate of Chemical Reaction 𝑚𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

 Mass flux due to reaction may take various forms. The following are the
most common:
1. Conservative compound. Compounds with no chemical formation or loss
within the control volume are termed conservative compounds. They are
not affected by chemical or biological reactions; thus, 𝑚𝑟𝑥𝑛 = 0.
2. Zero-order decay. The rate of loss of the compounds is constant.
𝑚𝑟𝑥𝑛 = −𝑉𝑘.
3. First-order decay. The rate of loss of the compound is directly proportional
to its concentration. 𝑚𝑟𝑥𝑛 = −𝑉𝑘𝐶.
4. Production at a rate dependent on the concentration of other compounds
in the CSTR. The chemical is produced by reactions involving other
compounds in the CSTR, and 𝑚𝑟𝑥𝑛 is greater than zero.
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR
CSTR (CONTINUOUSLY STIRRED TANK REACTOR)

STEPS IN MASS BALANCE PROBLEMS

1. Draw a schematic diagram of the situation, and identify the control
volume and all influent and effluent flows. All mass flows that are
known or to be calculated must cross the control volume boundaries,
and it should be reasonable to assume that the control volume is well-
mixed.
2. Write the mass balance equation.
3. Determine whether the problem is steady-state or nonstaedy state.
4. Determine whether the compound being balanced is conservative or
nonconservative.
5. Replace 𝑚𝑖𝑛 and 𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑡 with known or required values.
6. Solve the problem.
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR
EXAMPLE:
A pipe from a municipal wastewater treatment plant discharges 1.0
𝑚3 /𝑠 of poorly treated effluent containing 5.0 mg/L of phosphorus
compounds (reported as mg P/L) into a river with an upstream
flowrate of 25 𝑚3 /𝑠 and a background phosphorus concentration
of 0.010 mg P/L. What is the resulting concentration of phosphorus
(in mg/L) in the river just downstream of the plant outflow?
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR
EXAMPLE:
The CSTR used to treat an industrial waste has a reaction that
destroys the pollutant according to first-order kinetics, with k =
0.216/day. The reactor volume is 500 𝑚3 , the volumetric flowrate is
50 𝑚3 /day, and the inlet pollutant concentration is 100 mg/L. What
is the outlet concentration after treatment?
TERMS OF THE MASS BALANCE
EQUATION FOR A CSTR
EXAMPLE:
A certain CSTR is filled with clean water prior to being started.
After start-up, a waste stream containing 100 mg/L of a conservative
pollutant is added to the reactor at a flowrate of 50 𝑚3 /𝑑𝑎𝑦. The
volume of the reactor is 500 𝑚3 . What is the concentration exiting
the reactor as a function of time after it is started?