Basic Principle of Wastewater

Treatment
Water and Industrial Waste Treatment Course

Lisendra Marbelia, PhD

Danang Tri Hartanto, MEng

Department of Chemical Engineering

Universitas Gadjah Mada
This materials is compiled from various sources and is for private use only, not for public.
Content
1. Preliminary Treatment
2. Primary Treatment
3. Secondary / Biological Treatment
4. Tertiary / Advanced Treatment
Classification of wastewater treatment
Wastewater Treatment Train

Secondary wastewater treatment:

Primary wastewater treatment:
wastewater
screens and sieves;
grit basin; grease trap;
chemical and coagulant aids
Tertiary wastewater treatment: effluent
Biological Treatment, Anaerobic,
Aerobic or Anoxic Processes sand filtration; electrodialysis;
gas striping: disinfection; etc
recirculation

settling
tank

waste
waste
return sludge
sludge
activated sludge
Primary clarifier Anaerobic Anoxic Aerobic Secondary clarifier

When choosing process and technology, important to consider:

• The wastewater characteristics and required effluent quality.
• The flowrate / quantity of the wastewater.
Wastewater constituent removed

Treatment level Wastewater constituent removed

Preliminary Rags, sticks, floatables, grit, grease etc.
A portion of suspended solids and organic
Primary
matters
Enhanced removal of SS & organic matters,
Advanced primary
usually by chemical addition or filtration
Secondary BOD & SS
Secondary with
BOD, SS and nutrients (N & P)
nutrients removal
Tertiary Residual SS & disinfection
Advanced Residual TDS & TSS.
Particle size and treatment process
(Crittenden et al., 2005).
 Preliminary Treatment
Primary Treatment
Secondary / Biological Treatment
Tertiary / Advanced Treatment
Preliminary treatment

• The objective of preliminary treatment is the removal of

coarse solids and other large materials often found in raw
wastewater.
• Preliminary treatment operations typically include:
• coarse screening,
• comminution of large objects (only in some cases),
• grit removal.
Screening
A screen: a device with opening (uniform size) that is used to
retain solids found in wastewater.
Screening removed solid materials that may:
• Damage subsequent process equipment
• Reduce overall process reliability & effectiveness
• Contaminate waterways
Screening equipment
Bar screener
Cleaned
coarse screen
Size reduction of coarse solid
Alternative to coarse bar screens to eliminate screening
handling & disposal
The solids after being grinded then are returned to the
wastewater stream for subsequent removal.
Equipment:
• Comminutors
• Macerators
• Grinders
Comminutor
Macerators Grinders
Sand and grit removal
Preliminary treatment typically includes a sand or grit channel
or chamber where the velocity of the incoming wastewater is
carefully controlled to allow sand grit and stones to settle, while
keeping the majority of the suspended organic material in the
water column.

Why:
• Protect moving mechanical from abrasion
• Reduce formation of heavy deposit (in pipelines etc)
 Example

IPAL Sewon, Bantul

Example
 Preliminary Treatment
Primary Treatment
Secondary / Biological Treatment
Tertiary / Advanced Treatment
Primary Treatment
The objective of primary treatment is the removal of settleable
organic and inorganic solids by sedimentation, and the removal
of materials that will float (scum) by skimming.
Removal capacity:
• Approximately 25 to 50% of the incoming BOD5,
• 50 to 70% of the TSS,
• 65% of the oil and grease
• Some organic nitrogen, organic phosphorus, and heavy metals
associated with solids are also removed

Colloidal and dissolved constituents are not affected.

Primary Treatment
Before Primary Treatment:
• Screening & Grit Removal
• Flow Equalization Particle Type Size, mm Treatment
• Giving steady state flow to the process

Primary Treatment
Dissolved <10-6 Precipitation
• Mixing and Flocculation
• Coagulation – Flocculation
• Sedimentation
Colloid 10-6 s/d 10-3 Coagulation
• Precipitation
• Neutralization
• Flotation
Suspension 10-3 s/d 10-2 Flocculation
Physical Treatment : No Chemical added
• Sedimentation, Mixing, Floatation Sediment / Sedimentation
floats > 10-2
Chemical Treatment : When chemical is added / Flotation
• Coagulation, Precipitation, Neutralization
 Coagulation – Flocculation
• Definition:
• Coagulation and flocculation processes are used to facilitate the elimination
of suspended solids and colloids by gathering these together to form floc.
• Sedimentation, flotation and/or filtration systems are then used to separate
the floc.
• Cause:
• inert (silt, clay, colloids)
• living (plankton micro-algae;
micro-invertebrates and
parasitical protozoa cysts)
• particulate fractions
(amoeba, Giardia,
Cryptosporidium…; bacteria)

https://www.suezwaterhandbook.com/
Coagulation – Flocculation
• Coagulation:
• is the destabilisation of colloidal particles though addition of a chemical reagent
• the coagulant provides the medium with multivalent cations that are either free or bonded to an organic
macromolecule (cationic polyelectrolyte).
• Flocculation
• is when particles agglomerate (after having “been neutralised”) into micro-floc through bridging or assisted
by hydroxides produced as the mineral coagulant hydrolyses or by means of the macromolecules in the
cationic polyelectrolyte.
• Microfloc then comes together to form increasingly voluminous flakes that can settle, floc.
Coagulation – Flocculation
 Typical Reagents
• Coagulants:
• Aluminium Salts
• Simple Salts
• Aluminium Polymers
• Basic Aluminium Polychloride (BAPC)
• Iron Salts
• Ferric Chloride
• Ferrous Sulphate
• Flocculants:
• Mineral Flocculant
• Activated Silica
• Aluminosilicate
Other minerals (bentonite, kaolind,
calcium carbonate)
• Organic Flocculant (Natural Polymers)
• Alginates
• Starches
• Cellulose, Gums, Tannins
• Synthetic Organic Flocculant
• Melaminformaldehyde, etc
Clarifier
Circular Basin Rectangular Basin
Mixing and Clarification
Floatation
• Flotation is a solid-liquid or liquid-liquid separation process applied to aggregates that have
a lower density than the liquid containing them
• Type: natural floatation, and aided/induced floatation
Precipitation
Why it is important:
• Chemical precipitations are mainly used to eliminate, by insolubilisation to remove
• hardness (Ca2+ and Mg2+),
• metals,
• some anions such as SO42–, PO43–, F–…
How :
• Ca2+ and Mg2+ can be precipitated by adding NaOH, Na2CO3
• Metal is precipitated by adding
• hydroxides, or
• carbonate or rather hydroxycarbonate (e.g. Pb2+);
• phosphate or rather hydroxyapatite (e.g. PO4 (Ca, Zn);
• sulphides (case of bivalent metals)
• Anions
• F- , SO42– by adding hydroxide
• PO43– by adding Ca(OH)2, Fe 3+ and Al 3+
Neutralization
Why it is important:
• neutralising various types of effluent before they are discharged into the natural environment: acid or
alkaline industrial effluent, acid mine drainage water, etc…;
• pH correction before a biological or physical chemical treatment stage (e.g. flocculation pH adjustment);
• correcting the calcium-carbonate balance to protect structures and distribution pipelines against
corrosion (by encouraging the formation of a protective pipeline carbonaceous lining) or scaling.

How:
• Mixing acid and base wastewater
• Acid wastewater, treated by:
• CaCO3, NaOH, NaCO3
• Basic wastewater, treated by:
• H2SO4, CO2 gas
 Preliminary Treatment
Primary Treatment
Secondary / Biological Treatment
Tertiary / Advanced Treatment
Biological Treatment

• It uses of a wide range of micro-

organisms and, primarily, of bacteria
• These micro-organisms convert the
biodegradable organic matter found in
wastewater into simple products, such as
carbon dioxide and additional biomass.
• Depending of the environment,
biological processes can be divided into
aerobic, anaerobic or anoxic digestion
processes
• Mainly use for the removal of organic
matters, nitrogen, and phosphorous
Things to Consider
• Environmental Condition
• temperature, pH, presence or absence of dissolved O2
• this influences microbial growth
• Pollutant Characteristics
• Concentration
• Chemical structures/complexity (influencing biodegradability)
• Type of Microorganism
 Different Types of Microbes

Source of Carbon:
• Heterotrophic: Organic Matter (OM)
• Autotrophic: Non OM, i.e. CO2 CO3H-

Electron Acceptor:
• Aerobic : O2
• Facultative: NO3- and NO2-
• Anaerobic : No O2
Others than O2, NO3- and NO2-
Microorganism, SO42-, CO2
 Anaerobic Degradation

• Anaerobic electron receptor is

the organic matters
• It is normally put before
aerobic degradation.
 Aerobic Degradation

Substrate Properties:
• major elements: C, H, O and N;
• minor elements: P, K, S and Mg;
• vitamins and hormones;
• trace elements (Co, Fe, Ni…).
TSS menghilangkan pake gravimetri
Main characteristics : BOD, COD, Nitrogen, Phosphorous
COD menghilangkan pake spektro
 Biological Nitrogen Removal

Nitrification: Autotrophic; Aerobic

Denitrification: Heterotrophic; Facultative

 Phosphorous Removal

Phosphorous Removal:
• Anaerobic, Heterotrophic
• Aerobic

*PHB=polyhydroxybutyrate
Biological Treatment
Anaerob VS Aerob
 Aerobic Processes: Suspended Growth

Activated Sludge Process Sequenced Batch

bioreactor Reactor (SBR)
settling
tank
feed effluent

return
activated sludge
sludge
Membrane Bioreactor

feed feed
effluent
effluent

membrane
sludge module sludge
side-stream Membrane Bioreactor submerged Membrane Bioreactor
Aerobic Processes: Attached Growth

Rotating Biological Contactor

Tricking Filter

Packed Bed/Biofilter
Anaerobic Processes

UASB: Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket EGSB: Expanded Granular Sludge Bed
Anaerobic Processes

Anaerobic Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC)

Others:
• Anaerobic Lagoon / Digestion
• Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactor
 Preliminary Treatment
Primary Treatment
Secondary / Biological Treatment
Tertiary / Advanced Treatment
Tertiary Treatment
• Filtration
• Stripping
• Adsorption
• Advanced Oxidation Process
• Electrolysis
• Ion Exchange
Filtration
Filtration

Depth Surface Membrane

filtration filtration filtration

Slow sand
Lab. filter Microfiltration
filtration

Rapid Diatomaceous
Ultrafiltration
filtration earth filtration

Intermittent Cloth/Screen
Nanofiltration
filtration filtration

Recirculating Reverse
filtration osmosis
Filtration & Membrane Separation
Ionic Range Molecular Range Macro Molecular Range Micro Particle Range Macro Particle Range

Micrometers 0.001 0.01 0.1 1.0 10 100 1000

Approx. MW 200 20.000 500.000

in daltons
Virus Yeast Cells Beach
sands
Bacteria

Latex emulsion
Relative Small
size of organic Red
common monomers Colloids: blood
materials albumin protein; cells
Sugars Colloidal sillica
Algae cells
Dissolved
salts Human hair

Process Reverse Osmosis Ultrafiltration Depth / particle filtration

for separation
Nanofilration Microfiltration
Filtration
Stripping
• Stripping: to remove gases dissolved in water
• For example, Ammonia and VOC Treatment/Removal
Adsorption
Purpose:
• to improve the organoleptic qualities
of a water by removing the organic
matter responsible for taste, odour
and colour
• to the removal of many pollutants
and micro-pollutants such as
phenols, hydrocarbons, pesticides,
detergents and even some heavy
metals
Some Adsorbents:
• Activated Carbon
• Minerals adsorbents, aluminas, metal
oxides
• Organic adsorbents, resin
Adsorption

• Fix Bed

• Mobile Bed
Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP)
• for disinfection before household or industrial using in order to avoid any
danger of bacterial contamination;
• for precipitating dissolved compounds (iron, manganese, sulphides);
• for breaking down organic compounds and especially those responsible for
colour, odour and taste in water, those that are toxic and, more generally,
those that contribute to the water’s chemical oxygen demand;
• to eliminate ammonia nitrogen;
• to convert non-biodegradable pollution into substances that can be
assimilated by bacteria in a subsequent biological treatment.
AOP
Electrolysis
• The cations will move towards the cathode and the anions towards the
anode.
• Common application:
• Metal recovery
• Electrocoagulation
• Electrochlorination
Ion Exchange
• Ion exchangers are insoluble granular substances, known as
resin.
Thank you!