Wastewater treatment

Attached growth systems: sewage farms

Morestead sewage farm
Berlin sewage farm layout
Sewage farm
Overland flow designs
Improved attached growth:
early biobed
Large-scale wastewater treatment
Rotating disc arrangement
Simple treatment: septic tank
Leach field after septic tank
 Suspended growth systems
So far, we have studied systems where treatment is
effected by bacteria, and other organisms, which are
attached to a solid medium, i.e. soil, rocks, etc.
There are also systems where the microbial growth
occurs in suspension. The bacteria then aggregate
into flocs, which are barely visible to the naked eye,
but each consists of millions of bacteria and often
protozoa attached to the floc.
Systems range from the simple facultative lagoon or pond, with no
aeration, to aerated ponds and to sophisticated activated sludge systems,
where the biomass is separated from the effluent and recycled to treatment
and excess production treated separately.
The simple lagoon or pond systems purify the water quite well, but since
there is no provision to separate the biomass production, the effluent is
quite turbid and still contains much organic material, but stabilized to a
non-smelling and not rapidly degrading form.
 Facultative lagoons
Facultative lagoons or stabilization ponds use only natural phenomena and
almost no mechanical action. Oxygenation for bacterial oxidation of
organics comes from photosynthesis by algae and a bit from wind.
CO2 released by bacteria is used by the algae. Excess biomass and other
settleables are treated by anaerobic bacteria at the bottom.
Facultative lagoon interactions

http://www2.bren.ucsb.edu/~keller/courses/esm223/esm223_15.pdf
 Design approaches to pond
treatment systems
Ponds usually require lengthy treatment periods, weeks for facultative
systems and days for aerated systems. Although facultative systems have
very little mixing other than inflow, gas bubbles and wind effects, the long
retention periods ensures some homogeneity except with respect to depth, as
there is much stratification.
As in any mixed system, the contents have the same concentration as the
overflow. This means that the organisms in the pond continuously experience
a low level of substrate to feed on, which slows down the treatment
considerably, as the typical first-order reactions are directly proportional to the
BOD. Therefore, significant improvement in treatment rate can be achieved
by approaching a channel (tube) flow, or using multiple ponds.
Multiple pond system analysis can be performed by assuming that each is a
completely mixed system, operating on a first-order degradation and a mass
balance around each provides one equation. Intermediate values can be
eliminated as of no interest, so the solution will provide final effluent quality for
given retention times, or more importantly, retention times to achieve a
necessary effluent quality.
Activated sludge process
 Activated sludge flocs

Note filamentous bacteria

Note Vorticella and

other protozoa
 Activated sludge model

L0 L
L
L

L
 Activated sludge plants

Hyperion, Playa del Rey, CA)

Primary aeration tank
 Oxygenated systems

Cryogenic air separation facility, Hyperion, Playa del Rey, CA)

 Settling tanks

Secondary settling tank, Hyperion, Playa del Rey, CA)

 Aerobic suspended systems –
activated sludge

Volumetric loading = QL0/V

QL0
 Nitrogen removal
❑ Nitrification (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter)
NH3 + O2 ➔ NO2- ➔ NO3-

❑ Denitrification
NO3- + organics ➔ CO2 + N2

❑ Process adaptations

Air

Anoxic Aerobic
 Phosphate removal
❑ BNR plants

❑ Discarding phosphate anaerobically

❑ Luxury aerobic uptake of P in aerobic stage

❑ Process adaptations for N and P removal

Air
Wastewater

Anaerobic Anoxic Aerobic

 Excess biomass disposal
❑ Production
❑ Separation
❑ Further biological treatment – (an)aerobic
❑ Dewatering
❑ Drying – solar or gas heated
❑ Disposal/ beneficial use – soil amender/fertilizer
or fuel
The cost of biomass disposal amount to about half the cost
of wastewater treatment. Aeration, if used, almost up to
half of the rest of the cost. If no aeration, the capital cost ,
including the cost of land, could be very high.
Typical steps in modern wastewater treatment
How are living beings classified?

Historic development of classification

Linnaeus Haeckel Chatton Copeland Whittaker Woese
(1735) (1866) (1925) (1938) (1969) (1977,1990)
2 kingdoms 3 kingdoms 2 groups 4 kingdoms 5 kingdoms 3 domains

Animalia Animalia Animalia Animalia

Plantae Plantae
Vegetabilia Plantae Eukaryote Eukarya
Fungi
Protoctista
Protista
(not Archaea
Protista
treated) Procaryote Monera Monera
Bacteria
 How are living beings classified?
Two super-
Three domains Six kingdoms
.kingdoms

Mineralia non-life
Acytota / Aphanobionta
(Viruses, Viroids, Prions?, ...)
non-cellular life

Prokaryota Bacteria Eubacteria

Biota/ / Procarya
Vitae (Monera) Archaea Archaebacteria
life Cytota
cellular life Protista
Fungi
Eukaryota / Eucarya
Plantae
Animalia
Carl Woese’s Tree of Life
 Waste Water Treatment
Usually refer to sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater
treatment

process of removing contaminants from wastewater, both

runoff and domestic

SOURCE OF WASTE WATER

❖Residences (kitchen, bathroom)
❖Commercial institution
❖Industrial institution (usually require specialized treatment
process)
 ❖Purpose:
▪To manage water discharged from homes, businesses
, industries & to reduce the threat of water pollution.
▪To produce waste stream (effluent)

▪To produce solid waste (sludge)

▪To discharge or reuse them back into the

environment
Collected and transported via a network of pipes and
pump stations to a municipal treatment plant
❖Primary
solids are separated
❖Secondary
dissolved biological matter is converted into a
solid mass by using water-borne bacteria
95% of the suspended molecules should be
removed
❖Tertiary
biological solids are neutralized then disposed,
and treated water may be disinfected chemically
or physically
 Types of Treatment
❑Mechanical treatment
•Influx (Influent)
•Removal of large objects
•Removal of sand and grit
•Primary Sedimentation
❑Biological treatment
•Trickling bed filter
•Activated sludge
❑Chemical treatment
•Disinfection
 Preliminary Treatment
- removes large objects and non-degradable materials
- protects pumps and equipment from damage
- bar screen and grit chamber
❖Bar Screen
- catches large objects that have
gotten into sewer system such as bricks,
bottles, pieces of wood, etc

❖Grit Chamber
-removes rocks, gravel, broken glass, etc.

❖Mesh Screen
- removes diapers, combs, towels, plastic bags,
syringes, etc.
 Treatment stages - Primary Treatment
typical materials that are removed during primary treatment include
fats, oils, and greases (eg. FOG)
sand, gravels and rocks (eg. grit)
larger settleable solids including human waste, and floating
materials
 Wastewater Treatment
❖Primary treatment reduces the suspended solids and the B.O.D.
of the wastewater.
❖From the primary treatment tanks water is pumped to the
trickling filter for secondary treatment.
❖Secondary treatment will further reduce the suspended solids
and B.O.D. of the wastewater.
 Treatment stages - Secondary Treatment or
Biological Treatment
Degrade biological content (dissolved organic matter) of the
sewage
Ex: human waste, food waste, soaps, detergent
Added bacteria and protozoa into sewage.3 different approaches
Fixed film system
Suspended film system
Lagoon system
 Three approaches
❑ Fixed Film Systems
grow microorganisms on substrates such as rocks, sand or plastic
wastewater is spread over the substrate
Ex: Trickling filters, rotating biological contactors

❑Trickling filters bed

Spread wastewater over
microorganism
made of coke (carbonised coal),
limestone chips or specially
fabricated plastic media
Optimize their thickness by insect
or worm grazing
 Secondary Treatment or Biological Treatment
& Role of Microorganisms

Suspended Film Systems

stir and suspend microorganisms in wastewater settled out as a sludge
pumped back into the incoming wastewater Ex: Activated sludge,
extended aeration
Activated sludge
Mixed community of microorganisms .Both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria
may exist. Biological floc is formed
 5 physical components of Activated
Sludge process
➢Aeration tank
oxygen is introduced into the system
➢Aeration source
ensure that adequate oxygen is fed into the tank
provided pure oxygen or compressed air
➢Secondary clarifiers
activated-sludge solids separate from the
surrounding wastewater
 Activated sludge

❑Activated sludge outflow

line
Pump activated sludge back
to the aeration tank
❑Effluent outflow line
discharged effluent into bay
or tertiary treatment plant
Lagoon Systems
hold the waste-water for several months
natural degradation of sewage
Usually reeds are preferred
 Role of Microorganisms….
A consortium of anaerobic microorganisms work together for degradation
Of sludge(or sewage) organic matter. They may be categorized into two types

1. Acid-Forming bacteria :Also known as acidogens or non-methanogenic

Bacteria. They bring out the hydrolysis of macromolecules (e.g.carbohydrate) to
simple substrates (e.g.monosaccharides), and the latter to acids e.g. Clostridium sp,
Lactobacillus sp, E.coli
1. a
2. Methanogenic Bacteria : These
bacteria, also refered to as
methanogens
Or methane formers are responsible for the
conversion of acetic acid and
Hydrogen to methane and
carbondioxide.The most important
methanogens
belong to the genera Methanobacterium,
Methanobacillus, Methanococcus
 Tertiary Treatment
Remove disease-causing organisms
from wastewater
There are four major processes
under the Tertiary Treatment
1. Solids removal
2. Biological nitrogen removal
3. Biological phosphorus removal
4. Disinfection
There are 3 different disinfection
process
1. Chlorination
2. UV light radiation
3. Ozonation
 BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN REMOVAL
NITRIFICATION: Ammonia(NH4+)
Nitrosomonas

Nitrite
Nitrobacter

Nitrate

DENITRIFICATION:
 Biological Phosphorous Removal

The phosphorus enriched supernatant that comes out of the

phosphorus Stripper is treated with lime to precipitate the
phosphorus .The resultant Liquid supernatant can be returned to
the aeration tank for further treatment.
 Chlorination

Most common
Advantages: low
cost & effective
Disadvantages:
chlorine residue
could be harmful to
environment
 UV light radiation

Damage the genetic

structure of bacteria,
viruses and other
pathogens.
Advantages: no
chemicals are used
water taste more
natural
Disadvantages: high
maintenance of the
UV-lamp
 Ozonation
Oxidized most pathogenic microorganisms
Advantages: safer than chlorination fewer disinfection
by-product
Disadvantage: high cost
Dairy facilities

Shed facilities
(washing of herd,
Milking, manure)

Anaerobic pond treatment

Aerobic Pond treatment

Treated
water
 Organic matter

Bacterial oxidation

Acids, Alcohols, New Bacterial cells

Aldehydes,ketones

Bacterial Oxidation

CO2,CH4,
NH3,H2S etc
 Biological Acidification

SLUDGE
NaHS Anaerobic sludge
Blanket reactor

SLUDGE
Processing of
sulfide

sulfur
Summary
Disposal of wastewaters from an industrial plant is a difficult and
costly problem. Most petroleum refineries, chemical and Nuclear
plants ,Dairy and Tannery plants have onsite facilities to treat their
wastewaters so that the pollutant concentrations in the treated
wastewater comply with the local and/or national regulations
regarding disposal of wastewaters into community treatment plants
or into rivers, lakes or oceans. Constructed wetlands are being used
in an increasing number of cases as they provided high quality and
productive on-site treatment. Other Industrial processes that
produce a lot of waste-waters such as paper and pulp production has
created environmental concern leading to development of processes
to recycle water use within plants before they have to be cleaned
and disposed of. Treated wastewater can be reused as drinking
water, in industry (cooling towers), in artificial recharge of aquifers,
in agriculture and in the rehabilitation of natural ecosystems.
 REFERENCE

✓Biotechnology by U.Satyanarayan

✓wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastewater

✓Standard Methods of the Examination of Water and Wastewater

✓ Beychok, Milton R. (1967). Aqueous Wastes from Petroleum

and Petrochemical Plants (1st ed.). John Wiley &
s. LCCN 67019834.

✓ Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F.L., and Stensel, H.D.

(2003). Wastewater Engineering (Treatment Disposal Reuse) /
Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Book
Company. ISBN 0-07-041878-0.
Acknowledgements

I would like to thank our

Principal sir Dr. Amit
Chakrabarty & also respected
faculties of our institution
and my classmates for helping
me to complete this project