Tech 110:

Pretreatment Technologies
Between the tank and the soil
 Outline
 Introductions  Media Filters
 Overview of pretreatment  Processes
 Definitions  Types
 General description of  Siting
processes  O&M
 Aerobic Treatment Units  Field visits
(ATUs)
 Processes
 Types
 Siting
 O&M
Overview of Pretreatment

Adapted from The University Curriculum for

Decentralized Wastewater Management
Prepared by: John R. Buchanan, Univ. of TN;
Robert W. Seabloom, Univ. of WA;
Dave Lenning, Alternatives Northwest
Edited by: David Lindbo and Nancy Deal, NCSU
 NDWRCDP Disclaimer
This work was supported by the National Decentralized Water
Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP) with
funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
through a Cooperative Agreement (EPA No. CR827881-01-0)
with Washington University in St. Louis. These materials have
not been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. These materials have been reviewed by
representatives of the NDWRCDP. The contents
of these materials do not necessarily reflect the views and
policies of the NDWRCDP, Washington University, or the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the mention of trade
names or commercial products constitute their endorsement or
recommendation for use.
 CIDWT/University Disclaimer
These materials are the collective effort of individuals from
academic, regulatory, and private sectors of the
onsite/decentralized wastewater industry. These materials have
been peer-reviewed and represent the current state of
knowledge/science in this field. They were developed through a
series of writing and review meetings with the goal of formulating
a consensus on the materials presented. These materials do not
necessarily reflect the views and policies of University of
Arkansas, and/or the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized
Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT). The mention of trade names or
commercial products does not constitute an endorsement or
recommendation for use from these individuals or entities, nor
does it constitute criticism for similar ones not mentioned.
 CIDWT/University Disclaimer
These materials are the collective effort of individuals from
academic, regulatory, and private sectors of the
onsite/decentralized wastewater industry. These materials have
been peer-reviewed and represent the current state of
knowledge/science in this field. They were developed through a
series of writing and review meetings with the goal of
formulating a consensus on the materials presented. These
materials do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of
North Carolina State University, and/or the Consortium of
Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT).
The mention of trade names or commercial products does not
constitute an endorsement or recommendation for use from
these individuals or entities, nor does it constitute criticism for
similar ones not mentioned.
 Why Pretreat?

“Pretreat” wastewater so downstream

component(s) can function more reliably
for longer terms
 Pretreatment Options
 Traditionally, have been categorized as:
 Primary – solids removal
 Secondary –organics and BOD removal
 Tertiary – generally, nutrient removal
 Microbes typically used to assist
 Aerobic
 Anaerobic
 Facultative
 Aerobic and anaerobic processes are
compatible
 So where does
pretreatment begin?

In general, the septic tank

 Septic Tank
 Functions
 Separate solids
from liquid
 Anaerobic
decomposition
 Attenuate
surges
 Ventilation
 Septic Tank
 Primary treatment
 Most common unit for OWTS
 Used alone or with other pretreatment units
 Simple and generally inexpensive ($100s)
 30-50% reduction BOD5, 60-80% reduction
TSS
 Additional Pretreatment
 Grease interceptor
 Function – remove grease and oils
 Used where greases/oils expected (usually
commercial sites like restaurants)
 Should not contain blackwater
 Grease Interceptor
 Grease trap
 Uses flotation, usually no mechanical parts
 Typically want to cool wastewater before it
reaches the tank
 Grease Interceptor
 Grease separator
 Typically, proprietary products
 High maintenance products
 Historically, not good performance
 Advanced Pretreatment
 Secondary –organics and BOD removal
 Tertiary – generally, nutrient removal
 Microbes typically used to assist
 Aerobic
 Anaerobic
 Facultative
 Aerobic Treatment Process
 Objectives
 review of how aerobic microorganisms can
biochemically oxidize soluble and colloidal
organic compounds, and how nitrogenous
compounds are oxidizes into nitrate.
 review the processes that create an oxygen
demand and how aeration can be used to
meet the oxygen demand
 Primary Goal
 Use aerobic microorganisms to provide
secondary treatment to domestic
wastewater
 secondary treatment focuses on the removal
of biodegradable organics and suspended
solids
 usually accomplished with biological reactors
 Biodegradable organics must be removed
from wastewater stream to minimize the
impact on the subsequent processes
 Respiration

CO2
O2

H 2O
 Aerobic reactions
 If enough dissolved O2 is in the effluent
then the effluent is Aerobic
4e- + O2 + 4H+  2H2O
 If all O2 is removed effluent becomes
anoxic/anaerobic
 Denitrification
CO2
NO3
N2 gas
 Overall, the Result….
 If Dissolved Oxygen is Consumed Faster than
Aeration, then Anaerobic Conditions Occur
 anaerobic microbes will continue the degradation process
• but at a much slower rate than aerobic microbes
• aquatic species that depend on dissolved oxygen will either
move or perish
 aquatic species that cannot survive under anaerobic
conditions add to the excess organic matter in the system
 Thus,
 BOD can be used as a measure of
wastewater strength
 a high BOD suggests that the organic
compounds are easily biodegradable
 indicates the mass of dissolved oxygen that
could be removed by aerobic microbes
 Secondary-treatment devices reduce the
oxygen demand of a wastewater
 Providing Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
 Advanced treatment systems are designed
to provide lots of DO
 high-rate carbon removal and ammonification
 occupies a small-footprint
 requires energy to maximize oxygen transfer
 biological reactor
 It’s all about the microbes (bugs)
 Microorganisms are used
 to convert colloidal and dissolved
carbonaceous organic matter into various
gases and into cell tissue
• gases evolve (CO2, N2, and others)
• new cells can settle – thus carbon is removed
 break other nutrients out of organic
compounds
• nitrogenous compounds
• phosphorus species
 Microbes
Good or Bad?
(or just Ugly)
 Optimizing a natural process
 Bioreactors are built to maximize the
production of beneficial end-products
 alcohols (beer)
 insulin
 other medications
 And
 convert wastewater into secondary-quality
effluent
 Shallow system = Aerobic
treatment

Well

Aerobic soil needed for treatment

Groundwater
 Deep system = Less aerobic to
anaerobic system
Well

Low O2 results in less aerobic soil

Groundwater therefore treatment
 Wastewater Treatment
 Examples of Aerobic Bioreactors used for
Secondary Treatment
 activated sludge plants
 rotating biological contactors
 packed-bed media filters
 Highly-engineered systems that utilize
microbial metabolism to convert organic
compounds into cells and carbon dioxide
 Microbial Metabolism
 Chemical Activities Performed by Cells
 Catabolism
• biochemical process that degrades substrate
(food) down to end-products with the release of
energy
• energy is held in chemical form for future use
 Anabolism
• biochemical process that synthesizes new cells.
• energy from catabolism is used to drive the
process
 Catabolism
 Fermentation
 first step in biodegradation
• does not depend on presence of oxygen
 both aerobic and anaerobic microbes use this
step
• this is why methane and alcohol production must be
anaerobic
• however, anaerobic microbes cannot further oxidize the
VFA

 volatile 
COHNS heterotrophic
  fatty  + CO 2 + H2O + CH4 + energy + residuals
organic compounds microbes
 acids 
 Catabolism
 Respiration
 second step for aerobic microbes
• simple organic compounds can be oxidized to
carbon dioxide and water
 requires the presence of dissolved oxygen

 volatile 
aerobic
 fatty  + O 
  2  energy + CO 2 + H2O + residuals
microbes
 acids 
 Anabolism
 Building of cell protoplasm
 energy from fermentation and/or respiration is
used to assemble the characteristic chemical
components of cells from simple precursors
• precursors provide carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and
other elements found in cellular structure
• chemical energy in adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

simple microbes C60H87N12O 23P

 
precursors energy new cells
 Endogenous respiration
 Aerobic Degradation of Cellular Material
 microbes are organic compounds
 under substrate-limiting conditions, microbes
will feed on each other at a higher rate than
new microbes can be formed

C60H87N12O23P aerobic
+ O2   CO2 + H2O + PO 4 + NH3 + residuals
cellular material microbes
 Environmental Effects
 Microbes need more than organic carbon,
dissolved oxygen and water
 temperature must be life-sustaining
 need steady supply of food to maintain stable
microbial population
 pH needs to be monitored
• low alkalinity can cause large changes in pH
 Be careful with biocides
• acid drain cleaner
• antibiotics
 Temperature
 Overall, as temperature rises, microbial
activity increases (but not too hot)
 Microbes can be grouped by temperature
preference
 Psychrophilic microorganisms
• optimum temperature 12° to 18° C
 Mesophilic microorganisms
• optimum temperature 25° to 40° C
 Thermophilic microorganisms
• optimum temperature 55° to 65° C
 Summary
 Aerobic Treatment of Wastewater
 takes advantage of a natural process
 process can be easily engineered into a biological
reactor for high-rate wastewater treatment
 removes the oxygen demand from wastewater
before being discharged back into the hydrologic
cycle
 Carbon is transformed into cell mass and into
carbon dioxide
Questions?
N Cycle in Septic Systems

ion
zat
ali
ne r
Immobilization
Mi

Nitrification and Sorption

Denitrification ?