University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Before 19th century in London, Paris and Boston:

waste were excluded from the sewerage systems

Prior to 19th century: city residents placed “night

soil” in buckets along the streets and workers emptied
the waste into “honeywagon” tanks

- the waste was transported to rural areas for disposal

over agricultural lands

19th century: invention of the flush toilet

University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

1842 in Hamburg, Germany: Lindley, English

engineer, built the first “modern” sewerage system
for wastewater carriage
1800s and 1900s: various treatment processes were
tried

1920s: wastewater treatment had evolved to those

processes in common use today
 Wastewater Characteristics
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Classification
Industrial Wastewater
- discharge to the municipal sewer if characteristics are compatible
with municipal wastewater
- require pretreatment to remove non-compatible substances prior
to discharge into the municipal system
- characteristics and treatment processes vary greatly from industry
to industry

Municipal Wastewater
- contains a wide variety of contaminants
- constituents of wastewater may vary quantitatively
- composition of wastewater may change slightly on a seasonal basis
 Table 1. Important wastewater contaminants
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering
Source
Contaminants
Domestic use, industrial
Suspended solids waste, erosion by
infiltration/inflow
Biodegradable organics Domestic and industrial waste
Pathogens Domestic waste
Nutrients Domestic and industrial waste
Refractory organics Industrial waste
Heavy metals Industrial waste, mining, etc.
Increases above level in water
Dissolved inorganic
supply by domestic and/or
solids
industrial use
Environmental
Significance
Cause sludge deposits and
anaerobic conditions in
aquatic environment
Cause biological
degradation, which may
use up oxygen in receiving
water and result in
undesirable conditions
Transmit communicable
diseases
May cause eutrophication
May cause taste and odor
problems, may be toxic or
carcinogenic
Are toxic, may interfere
with effluent reuse
May interfere with effluent
reuse
 Table 2. Typical analysis of municipal wastewater
Concentration
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Constituent, mg/L Strong Medium Weak

Solids, total: 1200 720 350
Dissolved, total 850 500 250
Fixed 525 300 145
Volatile 325 200 105
Suspended, total 350 220 100
Fixed 75 55 20
Volatile 275 165 80
Settleable solids, mL/L 20 10 5
Biochemical oxygen demand, 5-day, 200C 400 220 110
(BOD5)
Total organic carbon (TOC) 290 160 80
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) 1000 500 250
Nitrogen (Total as N): 85 40 20
Organic 35 15 8
Free ammonia 50 25 12
Nitrites 0 0 0
Nitrates 0 0 0
Phosphorus (total as P): 15 8 4
Organic 5 3 1
Inorganic 10 5 3
Chlorides 100 50 30
Alkalinity (ass CaCO3) 200 100 50
Grease 150 100 50
 Terminology in Wastewater Treatment
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Unit operations – involve contaminant removal by physical forces

Unit processes – involve biological and/or chemical reaction

Reactor – vessel, or containment structure, along with all of its

appurtenances, in which the unit operation or unit process takes place

Wastewater – treatment system – composed of a combination of

unit operations and unit processes designed to reduce certain constituent
of wastewater to an acceptable level
 Table 3. Unit operations, unit processes and systems for wastewater treatment
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Unit operation, unit process or treatment system

Contaminant
Suspended solids Sedimentation
Screening and comminution
Filtration variations
Flotation
Chemical-polymer addition
Coagulation/sedimentation
Land treatment system
Biodegradable organics Activated – sludge variation
Fixed – film: trickling filters
Fixed – film: rotating biological contactors
Lagoon and oxidation pond variation
Intemittent san filtration
Land treatment systems
Physical – chemical systems
Pathogens Chlorination
Hydrochlorination
Ozonation
Land treatment systems
 Contaminant Unit operation, unit process or treatment system
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Nutrients:
Nitrogen Suspended – growth nitrification and denitrification
variations
Fixed – film nitrification and denitrification variation
Ammonia stripping
Ion exchange
Breakpoint chlorination
Land treatment systems
Phosphorus Metal – salt addition
Lime coagulation/sedimentation
Biological – chemical phosphorus removal
Land treatment systems
Refractory organics Carbon adsorption
Tertiary ozonation
Land treatment system
Heavy metals Chemical precipitation
Ion exchange
Land treatment systems
Dissolved inorganic solids Ion exchange
Reverse osmosis
Electrodialysis
 Municipal wastewater – treatment systems
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Primary treatment – removal of solid materials from the

incoming wastewater

Secondary treatment – consists of biological conversion of dissolved

and colloidal organics into biomass

Tertiary treatment – involves further removal of suspended solids

and/or the removal of nutrients
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Typical primary treatment system.

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Secondary treatment system (activated sludge system).

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Secondary treatment system (trickling filter system).

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Sludge treatment system.

 Primary Treatment
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Preliminary treatment – operations to eliminate large objects and grit,

along with flow measurement

Screening
- normally the first operation performed on the incoming wastewater

Screening Devices

- used to remove coarse solids from wastewater

- protect pumps and other mechanical equipment
- prevent clogging of valves and other appurtenances
 Classification of Wastewater Screens
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FINE

- consist of woven-wire cloth or perforated plates mounted on a rotating disk

partially submerge in the flow or on a traveling belt
- should be mechanically cleaned on a continual basis

COARSE

- consist of vertical bars spaced 1 or more centimeters apart

- cleaned by manual raking for small plant and mechanically cleaned

units for larger plants
 Things to Remember………
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

• Manually cleaned devices should be readily accessible for cleaning.

• Mechanically cleaned systems should be enclosed in suitable housing.
• Proper ventilation must be provided to prevent accumulation of
explosive gases.
• A straight channel section should be provided a few meters ahead
of the screen.
• Flow velocity should not exceed 1.0 m/s in the channel with 0.3 m/s
considered good design.
• Head loss across the screen will depend on the degree of clogging.
• Clean bars and screens result in a head loss of less than 0.1 m.
 Comminuting
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Comminutor is located across the flow path and intercepts the coarse
solids and shreds them to approximately 8mm in size.

Barminutor uses a vertical bar screen with a cutting head that travels
up and down the rack of bars, shredding the intercepted material.

Grit Removal

Grit consists of inorganic solids such as pebbles, sand, silt, egg shells, glass,
and metal fragments. Also contain larger heavier organics such as bone
chips, seeds and coffee and tea grounds.

Grit chambers are hydraulically designed to remove discrete particles with

diameters of 0.2mm and specific gravity of 2.65.
 Table 4. Design parameter for aerated grit chambers.
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Value
Item Range Typical
Dimensions:

Depth, m 2–5

Length, m 7.5 – 20

Width, m 2.5- 7.0

Width-depth ratio 1:1–5:1 2:1

Detention time at peak flow, min 2–5 3
Air supply, m3/min m of length 0.15 – 0.45 0.3
Grit and scum quantities: Grit, m3/103 0.004 – 0.200 0.015
m3
 Primary Sedimentation
A unit operation designed to concentrate and remove suspended organic
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

solids from the wastewater.

Table 5. Design criteria for primary sedimentation tanks.
Value
Parameter Range Typical
Detention time, h 1.5 – 2.5 2.0
Overflow rate, m3/m2 d
Average flow 32 – 48
Peak flow 80 – 120 100
Weir loading, m3/m d 125 – 500 250
Dimensions, m
Rectangular
Depth 3 -5 3.6
Length 15 – 90 25 – 40
Width 3 – 24 6 – 10
Sludge scraper speed, m/min 0.6 – 1.2 1.0
Circular
Depth 3–5 4.5
Diameter 3.6- 60 12 – 45
Bottom slope, mm/m 60 – 160 80
Sludge scraper speed, r/min 0.02 – 0.05 0.03
 Secondary Treatment
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Organic removal treatment and may consist of chemical-physical processes

or biological processes.

Chemical-physical Operations

Coagulation, microscreening, filtration, chemical oxidation, carbon adsorption,

and other processes ca used to remove the solids and reduce the BOD to
acceptable levels.

Biological Treatment

Microorganisms use the organics in wastewater as a food supply and convert

them into biological cells.
 Bacterial Growth in Pure Cultures
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Characteristic growth curves of cultured micro-organisms (adapted from Monod, 1949).

 Kinetics of Bacterial Growth
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Biochemical equation for bacterial cell respiration

organic matter + O2 + nutrients bacteria

→CO2 + NH 3 + new biomass + other end products

For mixed culture

dX
= µX
dt
where dX
= growth rate of biomass, mg/L/day
dt
X = concentration of biomass, mg/L
µ = specific growth rate constant, d -1

By integration

X = X 0 • exp( µt )
 Monod Equation
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

S
µ = µm
Ks + S
where
S = concentration of limiting substrate, mg/L
µm = maximum growth rate, d -1
Ks = half-saturation constant

To take account of die-off

dX
= µX − K d X
dt

dX  µm S 
Biomass production: =   X − K d X
dt  K s + S 
 Rate of substrate utilization
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dS dX
Ideal: − =
dt dt

dS 1 dX
Real: − =
dt Y dt
where
Y = fraction of substrate converted to biomass,
mg/L of biomass/mg/L of substrate
= dX/dS

dS 1  µm SX 
Substrate utilization: − =  
dt Y  K s + S 
 Secondary treatment systems are categorized as:
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● Suspended growth
● Attached growth
● Dual biological suspended and attached growth

Suspended growth systems

Those aerobic processes that achieve a high micro-organism
concentration through the recycle of biological solids.

Attached growth systems

Other known as fixed film reactors, allow a microbial layer to grow
on the surface of the media while exposed to the atmosphere from
where it draws its oxygen.

Dual process systems

Utilize two stage arrangements of fixed film and suspended growth
processes with the objective of achieving very high quality effluent
Standards.
 Activated Sludge Systems
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The more common activated sludge systems are:

● Complete mix
● Plug flow
● Oxidation ditch
● Contact stabilization
● Sequencing batch reactors

Complete Mix Reactors

♦ have uniform characteristics throughout the entire reactor

♦ tend to be circular or square
♦ aeration can be provided
♦ has the ability to withstand shock loads
 University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Typical complete mix activated sludge system.

 Mass balance of biomass production
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Influent biomass + biomass production = effluent biomass + sludge wasted biomass

dX QwXw
QoXo V (Qo − Qw) Xe
dt

 µ m SX 
QoXo + V  − K d X  = ( Qo − Qw) Xe + QwXw
 Ks + S 
Mass balance of food substrate

Influent substrate + substrate consumed = effluent substrate + sludge wasted substrate

dS QwSw
QoSo V (Qo − Qw) Se
dt
 1  µ SX  
QoSo − V   m   = ( Qo − Qw) Se + QwSw
 Y  Ks + S  
University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Plug Flow Reactors

♦ satisfactory mixing occurs in the lateral direction
♦ characterized by a high organic loading at the influent end of the basin
♦ has the ability to treat fully all influent and allow no ‘plugs’ to go untreated

Plug
Influent Effluent

Schematic of plug flow system.

 University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering

Typical plug flow activated sludge system.

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Oxidation ditch

Typical layout of an oxidation ditch system.

 Contact Stabilization
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♦ a form of activated sludge where aeration is carried out in two phases

♦ aeration volume requirements are typically 50% lower than
conventional plug flow
♦ used for expansion of existing systems and also in package plants

Layout of contact stabilization system.

 Sequencing batch reactors (SBRs)
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Typical configuration for an SBR.

University of San Carlos - Department of Chemical Engineering