Industrial Wastewater Treatment Example

This design case analyzes an industrial wastewater treatment plant and demonstrates how to track
the fate of multiple chemical components (constituents) in an integrated facility.
A design case file is provided with this example and may be found in the EXAMPLES /
INDWATER directory under the name IWWT8_5.
1. Chemical Components and Chemistry
The flowrate and composition of the influent stream is shown below:
Component kg/h g/l
Water 156,600.00 995.99
Glucose 783.00 4.980
en!ene 100.00 0.63
iomass 15.66 0.10
This corresponds to a relatively small plant with an average throughput of million gallons per
day (!"#). "lucose represents the easily biodegradable components while benzene represents the
recalcitrant (not easily biodegradable) and volatile components.
$lease visit the component registration dialog (Tasks \ Edit Pure Co!o"e"ts) to view the
physical and environmental properties of the various components. %ome of the environmental
properties of "lucose are shown below.
Property Value Units
C"# 1.066 $ "%&$
'h"# 1.066 $ "%&$
"#u & C"# 1.000 $&$
"#5 & "#u 0.650 $&$
'"C 0.400 $ C&$
'( 0.000 $ (&$
')* 0.000 $ *&$
*+3,* 0.000 $ *&$
*"3,* 0.000 $ *&$
$lease note that the above values are displayed when you select the "lucose component by clicking
on its line number (& ') on the left hand side of the ()egistered $ure *omponents+ table and then
click on the Pro!erties button. ,alues for these types of properties are available in the component
database for many components. -henever you enter a new component. you should visit its
$roperties dialog box to enter appropriate values for the important properties. /ote that these
values along with the composition of streams are used to calculate the lumped environmental
stream properties (01#. *1#. T2/. T%%. etc.). !ore information on component and
environmental stream properties can be found in the manual (*hapters 3 and 4) and the on5line
help facility.
6ou may view the stoichiometry and kinetics of the various reactions by visiting the )eactions tab
of the aeration basin (A057) dialog window. %elect a reaction and click on the 8)9 button to
view its kinetics. *lick on the stoichiometry button (the icon that looks like a shake flask) to view
and modify the stoichiometry of a reaction. The following stoichiometry and kinetic constants in the
aeration basin were assumed:
A. Mai" Su#strate $%&u'ose( De)radatio" $t*e stoi'*ioetr+ is o" a ass #asis(
"lucose :::; 0iomass < =>1 < *1>
g 7.4 g 7.3 g 7.3 g
?or those of you who are used to thinking in terms of yield coefficients. the above stoichiometry is
e@uivalent to the following yield coefficient.
6 : 7.4 mg 0iomass A mg "lucose
N,TE- Bn %uper$ro5#esigner the user never specifies yield coefficients since that information can
be extracted from the reaction stoichiometry.
kmaxo : 7.7C Ah at T : >7 deg *
theta : .74 (to account for the impact of temperature variations).
2s : ' mg "lucoseA D
N,TE- 2inetic constants are expressed in terms of "lucose concentration and not 01#' because
01#' is not a component in %uper$ro5#esigner but a stream property. -e treat 01#' as a stream
property and not as a component because many different components (e.g.. "lucose. 0enzene. etc.)
may contribute to 01#'.
.. Benzene egradation !the stoi"hiometry is on a mass #asis$
0enzene :::; 0iomass < =>1 < *1>
g 7.3 g 7.4g 7.3 g
kmaxo : 7.7E Ah at T : >7 deg *
theta : .74 (to account for the impact of temperature variations).
2s : 3.'F mg 0enzene A D
C. .ioass De'a+
0iomass :::; #ead0iomass
g g
k : 7.77' Ah
N,TE: Bn %uper$ro5#esigner biomass decay is handled through a separate reaction. Bn other
words. you do not specify a decay coefficient but instead you specify a decay reaction with its own
kinetic constants. This is a richer representation compared to the traditional way because it enables
the user to distinguish between active and inert biomass.
Bn the above reactions we ignored the consumption of oxygen and nitrogen for the sake of
simplicity. Bf you wish to consider it. simply modify the stoichiometry of the reactions and make
sure that those components are available in the feed streams of the reactors.
%. (rocess #escription
The influent stream is combined with the sludge return stream (%ludge )ecycle) and is sent to a
se@uence of two aeration basins (A057 and A057>) for biological oxidation of the organic
material. Gach aeration basin operates at an average hydraulic residence time of H hours and an
average sludge residence time of F5E hours. A surface aeration system is used to maintain a
minimum dissolved oxygen (#1) concentration of > mgAl. A clarifier (*D57) is used to remove
the biomass and thicken it to around I wtAwt solids content. The li@uid effluent from the clarifier
is further treated using a granular media filter ("!?57) to remove particulate components. The
withdrawn sludge (%5H) is concentrated to a 'I (wtAwt) solids content using a belt filter press
(0?57). The removed water. which contains small amounts of biomass and dissolved solids. is
sent back to the aeration basin. The concentrated sludge stream is dewatered to a final solids
concentration of 3'I (wtAwt) using a sludge dryer (%D#57).
3. -"C .missions
,olatile organic compounds (,1*s) when present in influent streams tend to volatilize from open
tanks and end up in the atmosphere. *urrent J% G$A regulations limit ,1* emissions from
treatment plants to no more than >' tons per year (,an #urme. EE3). %uper$ro5#esigner can be
used to predict ,1* emissions using models that are accepted by the G$A. ?or a detailed
description of the models. visit the ,!eratio"s section of the help facility and search for the
following unit procedures:
) *larification 5 for a detailed description of models for emissions from @uiescent tanks.
>) Aerobic 0io1xidation 5 for a detailed description of models for emissions from agitated
tanks.
Bn this example. emissions occur from the two aeration basins and the clarifier. $lease double5click
on the emission streams to see the amount of benzene that is emitted. Around F.>I of the total
incoming benzene is emitted from the first aeration basin. A smaller fraction (around 3I of the
total incoming) is emitted from the second aeration basin and a minute amount (7.7E'I) is emitted
from the clarifier.
4. /lo0sheet 1ections
A flowsheet section is a group of unit procedures that have something in common. ?or instance. the
flowsheet of this example has been divided into two sections: ) 0io1xidation and >) %ludge
Treatment. All the procedures of the %ludge Treatment section are displayed in green. ?or
information on how to specify flowsheet sections and edit their properties. please see *hapter F..
5. .conomic .2aluation
The table below provides a breakdown of the annual operating cost. The facility5dependent cost is
the most important item even when depreciation is ignored. #epreciation can be ignored for old
plants or for plants that were built with public funding. The facility5dependent cost includes the
cost of #epreciation. !aintenance. Bnsurance. Docal Taxes. and ?actory Gxpense (see *hapter F of
the manual for more detailed information). To estimate the labor cost. it was assumed that a total of
' operators (3 in the 0io1xidation section and > in the %ludge Treatment section) are re@uired to
run the plant on a >4 hour basis. The unit labor cost was assumed to be KCAhour. #epending on
plant location. this cost may re@uire adLustment. The sludge disposal cost was assumed to be
K'7Aton. Again this may vary considerably depending on plant location.
ANNUAL OPERATING COST (2010
prices)
Including Depreci!i"n E#cluding Depreci!i"n
C"s! I!e$ % & % &
Raw Materials 14,000 0.15 14,000 0.27
Labor-Dependent 414,000 4.46 414,000 8.02
Facilit-Dependent 8,!44,000 8".82 4,214,000 81.67
Laborator#$%#$& 62,000 0.67 62,000 1.20
%ons'(ables 0 0.00 0 0.00
)aste
*reat(ent#Disposal
450,000 4.85 450,000 8.7!
+tilities 5,000 0.05 5,000 0.10
*ransportation 0 0.00 0 0.00
Miscellaneo's 0 0.00 0 0.00
&d,ertisin-#.ellin- 0 0.00 0 0.00
R'nnin- Roalties 0 0.00 0 0.00
Failed /rod'ct Disposal 0 0.00 0 0.00
TOTAL '(2'0(000 100)00 *(1+0(000 100)00
To eliminate the cost of depreciation. the value of M$ortion of $urchase *ost Already #epreciatedM
for all the e@uipment items was set to 77I. The above variable is displayed on the Ad/uste"ts
tab of the E0ui!e"t Data dialog of a unit procedure (right click on a procedure icon and select
G@uipment #ata...). The material for the above table was extracted from the Gconomic Gvaluation
)eport (GG)) of the base case and the case that excluded depreciation.
Bf we had to build a plant of this size. the capital investment would be around K4'.F million. 1ther
relevant economic results for this case appear below.
In"luding epre"iation%
E,ECUTI-E SU..AR/ (2010 prices)
*otal %apital 0n,est(ent 45,7!1,000 1
%apital 0n,est(ent %2ar-ed to *2is /ro3ect 45,7!1,000 1
4peratin- %ost ",2"0,000 1#r
Re,en'es 12,474,000 1#r
%ost 5asis &nn'al Rate 1,247,!"0,17
".20
6- M/#r
+nit /rocessin- %ost 7.45 1#1000 6-
M/
+nit /rocessin- Re,en'e 10.00 1#1000 6-
M/
7ross Mar-in 25.52 8
Ret'rn 4n 0n,est(ent 1!.21 8
/abac6 *i(e 7.57 ears
0RR 9&:ter *a;es< 6.17 8
=/> 9at 7.08 0nterest< - 2,!42,000 1
3( 4 'otal /lo0 o5 1tream 67n5luent 6
E1'&udi") De!re'iatio"
E,ECUTI-E SU..AR/ (2010 prices)
*otal %apital 0n,est(ent 45,7!1,000 1
%apital 0n,est(ent %2ar-ed to *2is /ro3ect 45,7!1,000 1
4peratin- %ost 5,160,000 1#r
Re,en'es 12,474,000 1#r
%ost 5asis &nn'al Rate 1,247,!"0,17
".20
6- M/#r
+nit /rocessin- %ost 4.14 1#1000 6-
M/
+nit /rocessin- Re,en'e 10.00 1#1000 6-
M/
7ross Mar-in 58.64 8
Ret'rn 4n 0n,est(ent ".60 8
/abac6 *i(e 10.42 ears
0RR 9&:ter *a;es< 2.27 8
=/> 9at 7.08 0nterest< - 11,744,000 1
3( 4 'otal /lo0 o5 1tream 67n5luent 6

The detailed results of the economic evaluation can be viewed by selecting E'o"oi' E2a&uatio"
from the Re!orts menu.
/ote that several multipliers are used to estimate the capital investment of a treatment plant and
perform its cost analysis and economic evaluation. $lease read *hapters > N C of the manual for
more information on how to access and modify those multipliers.
6. Where do 7 $o 5rom here8
This example can be used as a good starting point for modeling your own treatment plants. 6ou
may add more components andAor unit procedures to this flowsheet in order to better approximate
your own processes. ?or instance. you may add 1>. /=3. $14 and introduce appropriate
reactions for tracking the consumption and generation of those compounds. The example on
municipal wastewater treatment (in the E1a!&es\Mu"3ater directory) provides information on
modeling of nitrogen removal.
War"i")4 As you increase the number of components. reactions. process steps. and recycle loops.
%uper$ro5#esigner will take longer to converge. *onse@uently. you are strongly advised to
increase the complexity of your flowsheets in small steps so that you can be in a position to readily
identify the changes that slow down the convergence. ?or instance. reactions with very different
reaction rates specified in a single unit procedure slow down the calculations considerably and may
even cause convergence to fail. Bn such situations. it may be better to simplify your model by
ignoring a slow reaction. at least at the early stages of analysis. %imilarly. if you have a very fast
reaction. you may model it using a generic reaction box (you specify the stoichiometry and the
extent of conversion) and assume 77I conversion.
A Ne3 Wa+ o5 T*i"ki"). The use of %uper$ro5#esigner. like most other software tools. re@uires a
new way of thinking. This is particularly important for those of you who have little or no previous
experience in process simulation. )emember that with simulation we only attempt to approximate
the behavior of the real world. Bt is impossible to represent 77I the behavior of a treatment plant
on the computer. *onse@uently. your obLective should be to limit the analysis to those variables that
are of interest to you from a design (if the obLective is to design a new plant or retrofit an existing
one) or operations (if the goal is to improve the performance of an existing plant) point of view.
-e are here to support you. Bf you have difficulty using %uper$ro5#esigner to its full potential.
please do not hesitate to contact our tech5support office. 1ur staff will be happy to assist you and
provide you with guidance. Also. it may be a good idea to attend one of our training courses or
arrange for a training course at your companyOs site.
B/TGDDB"G/. B/*.
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RE6ERENCES
,an #urme. ".$.. M*apping Air Gmissions from -astewater.M $ollution Gngineering. pp. HH5F.
%eptember (EE3).