Chapter 6: Wastewater Treatment

Contents
1. Introduction
2. Wastewater treatment standard
3. Degree of treatment
4. Pretreatment
5. Primary treatment
6. Secondary treatment
7. Tertiary treatment
8. Land treatment for sustainability
1. Introduction

Characteristic of
wastewater

Physical Chemical
characteristics characteristics Industrial
of domestic of domestic wastewater
wastewater wastewater
Physical characteristic of wastewater
Chemical characteristic of wastewater

Chemical waste usually characterized based on:

 BOD5
 COD- chemical oxygen demand
 Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN)- to measure nitrogen
and nitrogenous oxygen demand
 Phosphorus (many forms- orthophosphates, organic
phosphate, etc)
Typical compositions of untreated domestic wastewater
Characteristic of industrial wastewater
Short term generally used in wastewater treatment field

WWTP: Wastewater Treatment Plant

TKN : Total Kjeldhal Nitrogen – total organic and ammonia nitrogen
EPA : Environmental Protection Agency
TOC: Total organic contents
TDS: Total dissolved solids
FC: Fecal coliform bacteria
NPDES: National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
CBOD: Carbonaceous Biochemical Oxygen Demand
2.Wastewater treatment standard
Example 8-1

Demonstrate that the specification of the BOD5 limit of 30 mg/L and

the mass discharge limit of 43 kg/d of BOD5 fixes the allowable
monthly flow rate.

Solution: The average monthly flow rate of wastewater (Qww) is:

43kg / d
Qww 
(30mg / L)(106 kg / mg )(103 L / m3 )
 1433 or 1400m3 / d
3.Degree of treatment
4.Pretreatment of Industrial waste
• To prevent the introduction of pollutants into wwtps that
Objective will interfere with their operation, including interference
with their use or with disposal of municipal sludge.
1

• To prevent the introduction of pollutants to WWTPs that

Objective will pass through the treatment works or otherwise be
incompatible with such works.
2

• To improve opportunities to recycle and reclaim municipal

Objective and industrial waste-waters and sludge.
3
Pretreatment process

Raw sewage Bar Racks (1st stage)

Bar rack Grit Chamber (2nd stage)

Grit Chamber Equalization basin (3rd stage)

 Bar rack (on right)
in service

Comminuter (on left) out of service.

Primary function is to remove large objects that could damage

or foul the equipment i.e. valve, pump etc
 Right
chamber out
Left of service.
chamber in
service.

Velocity controlled grit chamber

Main function is used to remove inert dense material such as sand,
broken glass, silt, pebbles etc by letting the grit settle into a grit
sump so that it will not flow into the effluent flow.
Example of grit settled as a sump of grit at the bottom of grit
chamber.
Equalization

• It is not a treatment itself but a technique that can be used to

improve the effectiveness of both secondary and tertiary wastewater
treatment processes.

• Purpose of flow equalization: to dampen the flow rate variation so

that wastewater can be treated at a nearly constant flow rate.
5.PRIMARY TREATMENT

Primary settling tank.

Primary settling tank
Example 8.2: Evaluate the following primary tank design with respect to
detention time, overflow rate, and weir loading.

Design data:  40m 10m  2m

Flow= 0.150 m3/s to  
Q 0.150m3 / s
Influent SS = 280 mg/L
Sludge concentration = 6.0%
Efficiency = 60%
Length = 40.0 m (effective)
width = 10.0 m
Liquid depth = 2 m 0.150 𝑚3 Τ𝑠
𝜐𝑜 =
Weir length =75 m 40𝑚 × 10𝑚
= 3.75 × 10−4 𝑚Τ𝑠 × 86,400 𝑠Τ𝑑
• Detention time: 5333.33s or 1.5 h
• Overflow rate : 32 m/d
• Weir loading : 172.8 or 1773 m3/d.m
0.150m3 / s
WL 
75m
 0.002m3 / s  86, 400 s / d
 6.Secondary Treatment

• To remove soluble BOD that escapes primary treatment and

to provide further removal of suspended solids
• Basic ingredients needed for conventional aerobic secondary
biologic treatment are the availability of microorganisms,
good contact between these organisms and the organic
materials.
 Basic ingredient needed for conventional aerobic
secondary biologic treatment are:

Availability of many
microorganisms (bacteria, Good contact between
archaea, fungi, protozoa, organism and organic materials
algae, and viruses)

Maintenance of other
Oxygen favorable environmental
conditions (i.e T, t)

• Various approaches have been used in the fast to meet the

required conditions
These approaches are:

Trickling filter Activated sludge tank

Lagoon
Rotating Biological Contactor
Introduction to wastewater microbiology

Wastewater microbiology
Heterogeneous microorganism population employed in
wastewater treatment
Issue Parameter
Role of microorganisms Convert the colloidal and dissolved carbonaceous
organic matter into various gases and into
protoplasm

Protoplasm can be removed from treated liquid by

gravity settling
Classification of Five broad groups (kingdoms)
microorganism - Animals
- Protozoa
- Fungi
- Protista
- Bacteria
Energy and carbon To convert carbon and energy source in wastewater
source into the cell of microorganisms so that it can be
removed by settling
Aerobic decomposition Decomposition of bacteria in the presents of oxygen
Anaerobic Oxygen and nitrate must absence from the process.
decomposition
General Scheme of bacterial metabolism.
Types of Decomposition
• Aerobic
• Anoxic
• Anaerobic
 Aerobic Decomposition
• Electron Acceptor = O2
• End Products = CO2 and H2O and Bacterial
Cells
• Odor Potential = Low
• Ecosystem = Healthy Systems
• WWT = Dilute Wastes

WWT = Wastewater Treatment

 Anoxic Decomposition
• Electron Acceptor = NO3-
• End Products = N2 and CO2 and H2O
and Bacterial Cells
• Odor Potential = Low
• Ecosystem = Upper Hypolimnion
• WWT = Denitrification
Anaerobic Decomposition
• Electron Acceptor = CO2 and organic
compounds
• End Products = CH4 and CO2 and H2O and
bacterial cells
• Odor Potential = High
• Ecosystem = Sediments
• WWT = Sludge Stabilization
Microorganisms reproduce by binary fission
Bacterial growth in a pure culture “log-growth curve”
Example 8.3
The town of Gatesville has been directed to upgrade its primary WWTP to a
secondary plant that can meet an effluent standard of 30.0 mg/L BOD5 and
30.0 mg/L suspended solid (SS). They have selected a completely mixed
activated sludge system.
Assuming that the BOD5 of the SS may be estimated as equal to 63% of the
SS concentration, estimate the required volume of the aeration tank. The
following data are available from the existing primary plant.

Existing plant effluent characteristics

Flow= 0.15 m3/s
BOD5=84 mg/L
assuming the following values for the growth constants: Ks = 100 mg/L
BOD5; um=2.5 d-1;kd = 0.05 d-1;Y=0.5 mg VSS/mg BOD5 removed.
S = BOD5 allowed - BOD5 in suspended solid

K s (1  kdc )
S=
 c (  m  kd )  1

c (Y )(So  S )
X=
to (1  kdc )


to =
Q
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems
• Trickling Filter
Function of TF

• Used to remove organic matter

• Aerobic treatment system that utilizes
microorganisms attached to a medium to remove
organic matter from wastewater.
• AKA attached-growth processes.
• In contrast, systems in which microorganisms are
sustained in a liquid are known as suspended-
growth processes.
Trickling filter plant
Slime growth on rocks in trickling filter
 Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems

• Activated Sludge

Activated sludge aeration tank

Function of Activated Sludge
Activated sludge refers to a mass of microorganisms
cultivated in the treatment process to break down organic
matter into carbon dioxide, water, and other inorganic
compounds.

The activated sludge process has three basic components:

A reactor in which the microorganisms are kept in

suspension, aerated, and in contact with the waste they
are treating;
Liquid-solid separation; and
A sludge recycling system for returning activated sludge
back to the beginning of the process.

There are many variants of activated sludge processes,

including variations in the aeration method and the way the
sludge is returned to the process.
Primary settling tanks in foreground followed by aeration
tanks and circular secondary settling tanks.
Aeration tanks
Dewatered aeration tanks. Aeration diffusers on right.
Flow control weir at end of tank.
 Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems
• Lagoons

Schematic diagram of facultative lagoon pond relationships

Function of lagoon
• In this treatment method, wastes are degraded by various microbiological
populations and pathogens can be effectively removed by aeration or exposure
to sunlight.
• Lagoon systems are usually classified into four types: anaerobic, facultative,
maturation and aerated lagoons.
• Anaerobic lagoons are usually used for treatment of distillery and industrial wastes; for
example, for the treatment of distillery wastewater in India.

• Facultative lagoons are usually used for removing toxic wastes. They utilize a relationship
between bacteria and algae, and a balance between aerobic and anaerobic conditions to
promote uptake of such chemicals.

• Maturation lagoons use micro algae and/or aquatic plants for wastewater treatment,
especially for nitrogen removal.

• Aerated lagoons are an extended aeration, activated sludge process without sludge recycling.

• These systems usually require deeper stabilization ponds than the other types of
lagoons with depths varying from 3 m to 5 m. This process is usually used for
treating wastewater from both agricultural and industrial sources. It is also used
for removal of nitrogen from chemically contaminated wastewaters.
 Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems
• Rotating Biological Contactor

Rotating biological contactor (RBC) and process arrangement

Function of RBC
• The RBC process involves allowing the wastewater to come
in contact with a biological medium in order to
remove pollutants before discharge to the environment.
• A rotating biological contactor is a type of secondary
treatment process.
• It consists of a series of:
• closely spaced
• parallel discs mounted on a rotating shaft
• Microorganisms grow on the surface of the discs
where biological degradation of the wastewater pollutants
takes place.
Laboratory scale batch activated sludge aeration tanks
 Decanting half of liquid volume with air on
to remove half of MLSS (Mixed Liquor Volatile
Suspended Solids)
Replacing half of liquid volume with settled sewage feed
Filling to original volume
Settled activated sludge MLSS before decanting
Decanting half of liquid while removing ‘no’ MLSS
Replacing half of liquid with settled sewage feed
Bringing volume back up to original volume
7. Tertiary Wastewater treatment

Tertiary is required id one or more of the following occurs:

1. Increasing population pressure result in increasing loads of
organic matter and suspended solid
2. The need to increase the removal of suspended solids
3. The need to remove nutrients
4. The need to remove constituents
 Methods
• Filtration
• Carbon Adsorption
• Phosphorus Removal
• Nitrogen Control
Phosphorus Removal
• Ferric Chloride
• Alum
• Lime
 Nitrogen Control
• Nitrification - Denitrification
• Ammonia Stripping
Sludge Treatment
• Thickening
• Stabilization
• Dewatering
• Reduction
Why Stabilization?

• To Reduce Putrescibility
• To Reduce Solids Quantity
Methods of Stabilization

• Aerobic Digestion
• Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digesters on left
Figure 8-37: Cross section of a high rate anaerobic digester with
floating cover
Dewatering
Rotary vacuum filter
Dewatered sludge discharge from rotary vacuum filter.
Incineration = Reduction
Ash lagoon
 Sludge Disposal
• Land Spreading
• Land Filling
• Dedicated Land Disposal
(DLD)
8. Land treatment for sustainability

Three basis approaches uses:

• Slow rate
• Overland flow
• Rapid infiltration
Thank you