Overview of Units

(environmental unit processes and

operations – physico-chemical)
 Treatment for pollution control
• Wastes (liquid, solid and gaseous) pollute environment
• Environmental pollution prevention, control and abatement
– Source reduction, recycling and reuse, byproduct and resource
recovery, treatment, disposal, and abatement programs
• Pollution control involves treatment of wastes
– Remove polluting constituents of the waste
– Destroy (oxidize – biological, chemical and thermal)
– Transform to reduce the polluting potential
– Physical separation including phase change
– Concentrate the contaminant
• Deals with the treatment water and waste water
– Primary, secondary and tertiary (preliminary treatment, pre-
treatment)
– Physical, chemical and biological
– Operations (physical) and processes (chemical and biological)
 Physico-chemical Unit Processes and
Operations
Activities involving transformation of materials are processes
• Can be chemical and biochemical/biological
• Change of state is not a process
• Chemical processes
– Neutralization, coagulation and Precipitation
– Oxidation (chlorination, ozonation, UV radiation treatment)
– Adsorption and ion-exchange process
Activities involving no material transformations (excepting
change of state) are unit operations
• Physical operations
– Change of state (aeration, solubilization, stripping,
distillation)
– Removal/separation (screening, filtration, membrane
filtration, flotation, settling, scrubbing)
– Mixing, flocculation, storing, equalization, etc.
 Physico-chemical Unit Processes and
Operations
Unit processes and operations is very important for
chemical engineers and biotechnologists
This paper deals with only chemical processes
Physical operations and chemical processes are used
• For water and wastewater treatment
– Primary treatment
– Advanced wastewater treatment
– Handling and management of sludge
• For air pollution control
– Removal of particulate matter from an air stream
– Removal of gaseous pollutants from an air stream
 Biological Unit Processes and
Operations
Concerned with the use of life forms (microorganisms,
plants and animals) in environmental pollution control
– Water and wastewater pollution control
– Handling solid and hazardous wastes
– Air pollution control
Water and wastewater pollution control
– to remove mainly biodegradable organic matter
(and nutrients)
– Sometimes to remove also pesticides and other
toxic organic compounds and heavy metals
Removal of pollutants can be by design or coincidental
Primary, secondary and tertiary treatment
• Primary treatment
– Makes wastewater (w/w) compatible for secondary treatment
– Employes physical operations and chemical processes
• Secondary treatment
– Employs biological processes mainly for biodegradable organic
matter removal
• Tertiary treatment
– make secondary effluent fit for reuse (agric., ind. or mun. reuse)
– Employ physical operations and chemical/biological processes
• Preliminary treatment
– Making water/wastewater compatible for pumping and passing
through the (water/wastewater/sewage) treatment plant
• Pretreatment – treatment of segregated streams w/w for
– Improving the wastes’ recycling and reuse potential
– Recovering byproducts, residual inputs and products and resources
– Making the wastewater compatible for mixing with other
wastewaters and enhancing overall treatability of the wastewater
 Units of Water Treatment Plants
Conventional water treatment plant
– Pumping
– Storage
– Coagulation and flocculation (electroflocculation)
– Settling – with facility for water recovery from sludge
– Filtration – provides process water
– Chlorination – provides drinking water
Soft water plant – from process water
– Pressure filter
– Activated carbon column
– Cation exchange resin bed –soft water with relatively low pH
– Neutralization – neutralized soft water
 Raw water lime water

Water Lime
alum Intake well prep.tank

Lime
Alum tank grit
dosing tank
Flash
mixing tank

underflow Clari-
sludge flocculator

Rapid sand
filter
for
back backwash water
wash
Treat. water
reservoir

seepage
chlorine in Chlorinator losses
storage bullet

Treated water
Conventional water treatment plant
 process water

backwash water Pressure common salt

to drain sand filter

Salt tank process

regeneration chemical water
wastewater to drain

Water Salt dose

rinse water softner
to drain (resin bed) tank

backwash water
to drain

soft water

Soft water plant (ion-exchange resin based)

 Units of Water Treatment Plants
RO water plant – from process water
– Metal removal
– Filtration
– RO units
Demineralized water plant – from process water
– Pressure filter
– Activated carbon column
– Cation exchange resin bed
– Degassifier
– Anion exchange resin bed
– Mixed ion exchange resin bed
Deminieralized water plant – from RO water
– Mixed ion exchange resin beds
 Process water

Chlorinating chemical Chlorination

Water for backwashing Iron removal Backwash water

dechlorinating agents Dechlorination

Cleaning chemicals RO process Wastewater from cleaning

Reject water

RO water

RO water plant
 Raw water from
Rawwater pump at ETP A

Backwash water

Raw water Soft water

(1) WBA
tank Resin bed Regeneration waste*

Rinse wastewater
Regeneration
solution
Backwash water
Rawwater Activated
for backwash SBA
Carbon filter Backwash water Caustic Resin bed Regeneration waste
solution

Water for Soft water Rinse wastewater

regeneration Backwash water (1)
DI water Backwash water
SAC Regeneration Mixed
Resin bed chemcial waste Caustic & HCl Regeneration waste
solutions Resin bed
Rinse
30% HCl wastewater Blower Rinse wastewater

Air & stripped Air

Blower Degassifier DI water
Carbon dioxide tank

Soft water for

Air Regeneration (1)
A DI water
to the boiler
as feed water

Demineralized Water Plant

 Units of Wastewater Treatment Plants
Conventional Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)
– Screening
– Grit removal
– Storage sump and equalization
– Pumping
– Primary treatment (primary clarifier)
– Secondary treatment (ASP, WSP, UASB, TF, etc.)
– Tertiary treatment (chlorination, filtration, etc.)
• Sludge handling facilities
– Sludge thickening
– Sludge stabilization (chemical, thermal including incineration
and biological)
– Sludge dewatering
– Sludge drying
 Raw sewage Bar
screen Screenings

Sewage
Sump &
pumping

Grit Exhaust gases

chamber Grit (CO 2 and H 2 O)

air Equalization Biogas

Tank flaring unit

Primary Biogas
scum clarifier if not flared
(supplied as fuel or emitted)

air Aeration Stabilization Sludge Dried sludge

tank tank drying beds for disposal

Treated effluent Secondary

clarifier Clarified effluent
to sewage sump
Filtrate
to sewage sump

Sewage Treatment Plant Incorporating Activated Sludge Process

 Units of Wastewater Treatment Plants
• Units used and the sequence in which used can not be
generalized
– Depends on wastewater quantity and charateristics
– Scheme of disposal and effluent standards applicable
– To be decided on case by case basis
• Selection of the scheme of treatment is the real challenge for
an environmental engineer
– Segregation, pre-treatment and wastewater recycling and reuse are
important
– A combination of preliminary, primary, secondary and tertiary
treatment units are used.
– Sludge generation and disposal also play a role
– Physical and chemical operations and processes usually have greater
role to play
 Medium strength
effluent
High strength
Equalizaqtion dye effluent
Tank-1A
pump
Equalization Equalization
Tank-1B Tank-2

Clarifflocculator
Filtrate to
Equalization tank-2 pump

Prim. Effl.
Filter Sludge Sump-1 Coag.-floc.
press sump Settling tank
Treated effl. pump
from sump-2A
Dewatered SBR-2
sludge Sand filter-1
To boiler house
for ash quenching
or scrubbing
BackwashTreated effluent
Filtered treated effluent SBR-1 water to Sump-2B
for backwash tank -1A/1B
Treated effluent for
Treated effluent Treated
Sand filter-2 pump disposal on land
for reuse Eff. sump-2A
Effluent from
Backwash water to tank -1A/1B water softner and boiler

Effluent treatment plant for a textile dyeing unit

 supernatant
polyelectrolyte filtrate

raw- Bar Vibratory Sludge

effluent screen screen thickener

supernatant
alum Primary underflow poly
screenings screenings
clarifier electrolyte

milk of Lime DAP Sludge

DAP tank Belt press
lime stalibilization
process
Aeration water
sludge
waste

tank Dewatered
Sludge for sale
Sludge urea
poly Urea tank
thickener electrolyte process
secondary sludge

Secondary water
clarifier

Clari-
flocculator

overflows Flow treated

measurement effluent

Effluent treatment plant for pulp and paper industry wastewater

 screened
raw effluent

Equalization
tank

filtrate & supernantant

underflow sludge Primary process water

clarifier

DAP-Urea DAP
air Compressor
tank
urea

Sludge wasted Aeration

thickener sludge tank
recycled
sludge

treated prehydrolysate
from aerated lagoon

Press Secondary
process filter clarifier
water

dewatered sludge treated

for disposal by sale effluent

ETP of a rayon grade pulp mill

high strength Equalization Homoze-
effluent tanks nization tank

recycled effluent
milk of lime Neutrali
zation tank
emissions

underflows Sludge
Flare Clarifier lagoons

biogas to nutrient
limekiln solution sludge
for disposal
Biogas biogas Biopaq
holder reactors

to secondary
Anaerobic Aerated clarifier of the low
lagoon lagoon strength ETP

Effluent Treatment Plant for Prehydrolysate Liquor

 Units of Wastewater Treatment Plants
Advanced treatment
• Filtration and membrane filtration
• Reverse osmosis
• Electrodialysis
• Adsorption
• Air stripping
• Ion-exchange
• Chemical oxidation
• Advanced oxidation
• Chemical precipitation
• Distillation
• Biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal
 Units of Wastewater Treatment Plants
Industrial wastewater treatment plants
Pre-treatment units
– Cooling towers
– Settling
– Filtration
– Stripping
– Neutralization
– Flotation
Primary treatment units
– Equalization
– Neutralization
– Coagulation/precipitation-flocculation
– Settling
– Electrochemical treatment
– Flotation
– Stripping (air and stream)
Units of Wastewater Treatment Plants
Secondary treatment (wait till next semester for details)
Tertiary treatment unit
– Filtration, membrane filtration and RO process
– Air stripping and steam stripping
– Chemical precipitation
– Adsorption
– Chemical oxidation and advanced oxidation
– Photo-catalysis
– Chlorination
– Ion exchange
– Biological treatment units (wait till next semester for details)
 Pollutants removed
• Oil and grease and floating materials
• Suspended (TSS), colloidal (turbidity) and dissolved
(TDS) solids
• Soluble, colloidal and particulate biodegradable organics
• Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus)
• Constituents making water highly acidic or alkaline
• Heavy metals, cyanides and toxic organics
• Colour imparting substances
• Trace organics (taste and odour causing)
• Refractory substances
• Volatile materials
• Pathogens
 Physico-chemical treatment units and
water pollution control
Pumping, storage, equalization (flow and strength)
Neutralization (pH adjustment)
Suspended solids: Settling, filtration, flotation and screening
– Grit chambers, primary clarifiers and secondary clarifiers
– Rapid sand filters, slow sand filters and pressure filters
Colloidal solids: Coagulation-flocculation-settling/ flotation/
filtration
– Flash mixing tanks, flocculation tanks and settling tanks
– Clariflocculators (combines flocculation and settling)
– Sludge blanket unit (combines coagulation, flocculation and
settling)
Disinfection: filtration/chlorination/ozonation/UV radiation
 Physico-chemical treatment units and
water pollution control
Dissolved solids:
– Bivalent cations: lime-soda and ion-exchange processes
– Dissolved salts (cations and anions): Ion exchange process,
RO process and vacuum evaporation process
– Heavy metals: Neutralization and precipitation (hydroxide
and/or sulfides), and settling/filtration – chromium require
prior reduction
– Nutrients: Chemical precipitation-filtration/ settling/
flotation
 Physico-chemical treatment units and
water pollution control
Dissolved solids:
– Fluorides:
– Arsenic:
– Cyanides:
– Toxic organics and refractory organics: chemical oxidation
(ozone, hydrogen peroxide), adsorption (activated carbon)
– Volatile materials and dissolved gases (ammonia, oxygen,
carbon dioxide): air stripping and steam stripping
(degassifiers and deaerators)
– Dissolved biodegradable organics: biological treatment
Sludge stabilization (chemical and thermal), dewatering and
drying units