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Analysis, optimization, and improvement strategy of existing technologies for

water treatment for sustainable development

Research · August 2020

DOI: 10.29322/IJSRP.10.08.2020.p10402

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International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2020
ISSN 2250-3153
Analysis, optimization, and improvement strategy of existing
technologies for water treatment for sustainable development
Picasso Kumar Debnath
Department of Civil Engineering
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Email: picassokumardebnath@ug.ce.buet.ac.bd
DOI: 10.29322/IJSRP.10.08.2020.p10402
Abstract
In this paper, I propose to make an overview of existing
technologies of sewage sludge treatment of water and
improvement of this process and analyze the system for an
effective and economic sustainability. Satisfactory effluent
characteristics are indispensable to evaluate the
performance of any wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)
design for sludge removal. The development of new
technologies for nitrogen removal, pharmaceutical
residues removal and the possibility of using membrane
processes in wastewater treatment will be presented.
These technologies can allow the application of new,
economical and environmentally friendly wastewater
treatment processes based on biological, chemical and
physical methods. In Bangladesh, the water quality
parameters tend to satisfy quite 20-30% water as a safe
source. For that purpose, various WWTP has been
proposed to set up. This requires large investments in the
reconstruction of municipal wastewater treatment plants
and the introduction of new treatment processes. Using
the modern techniques, this problem can be solved in a
more sophisticated way.
Keywords
sludge, pharmaceutical, water quality parameters,
sophisticated, indispensable;
Introduction
Water is a vital resource for human beings. But with the
increase of population and rapid development, acquiring
safe, portable water is becoming a major issue. Currently,
over 10 million people are lacking safe water in
Bangladesh. Fecal contamination of water continues to be
a major public health concern, with new challenges
necessitating a renewed urgency in developing rapid and
reliable methods to detect contamination and prevent
human exposures. The number of extreme weather events
including flooding events is forecast to increase with
climate change and has been associated with
contamination of water resources. Also, the increasing
threat of antimicrobial resistance is making it all the more
important to lower the rates of infections across the globe,
especially infections that require antibiotic treatment, and
to identify environments contaminated with antibiotic
resistant pathogens. In this paper, we review recent
progress in the quest for improved indicators of fecal
contamination in water. We summarize recent advances in
alternative indicators with a focus on microbial source
tracking markers. We also recognize the advances in
molecular methods that are increasingly being used to
detect fecal contamination of water and to identify sources
of contamination. Improvements in detection capabilities,
analytical sensitivity, and data quality are discussed along
with barriers that must be overcome for wider adoption.
We review efforts to characterize health hazards
associated with fecal contamination, and we distinguish
the timing and conditions when indicators appear best
suited to identify risks to human health. Their
implementation will allow for more efficient removal of
pollutants and will improve the economic aspects of
treatment aimed at an energy self-sufficient municipal
wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). According to the
parameters of the water, the amount of treatment required
is determined and most common treatment methods used
for surface water are screening, aeration, chlorination,
sedimentation, flocculation and filtration. The wastewater
treatment technology is a very complex succession of unit
processes, each of them designed to remove a specific
pollutant from wastewater. The possible use of modern
techniques for water treatment can suddenly create a new
dimension with ease to reflect the sustainability of the
environment of Bangladesh to a great extent.
Methods used in water Treatment Plants (WTPs)
Drinking water sources are subject to contamination and
require appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing
agents. Public drinking water systems use various
methods of water treatment to provide safe drinking water
for their communities. Today, the most common steps in
water treatment used by community water systems
(mainly surface water treatment) include:
 Coagulation and flocculation are often the first
steps in water treatment. Chemicals with a
positive charge are added to the water. The
positive charge of these chemicals neutralizes the
negative charge of dirt and other dissolved
particles in the water. When this occurs, the
particles bind with the chemicals and form larger
particles, called floc.
 During sedimentation, floc settles to the bottom of
the water supply, due to its weight. This settling
process is called sedimentation.
International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2020
ISSN 2250-3153
 Once the floc has settled to the bottom of the
water supply, the clear water on top will pass
through filters of varying compositions (sand,
gravel, and charcoal) and pore sizes, in order to
remove dissolved particles, such as dust,
parasites, bacteria, viruses, and chemicals.
 After the water has been filtered, a disinfectant
(for example, chlorine, chloramine) may be added
in order to kill any remaining parasites, bacteria,
and viruses, and to protect the water from germs
when it is piped to homes and businesses.
In household water treatment, even though EPA regulates
and sets standards for public drinking water, people use a
home water treatment unit to:
 Remove specific contaminants
 Take extra precautions because a household
member has a compromised immune system
 Improve the taste of drinking water
Actually, Household water treatment systems
composed of two categories.
1. Point-of-entry systems are typically installed after
the water meter and treat most of the water
entering a residence.
2. Point-of-use systems are systems that treat water
in batches and deliver water to a tap, such as a
kitchen or bathroom sink or an auxiliary faucet
mounted next to a tap.
The most common types of household water treatment
systems consist of:
 A water filter is a device which removes
impurities from water by means of a physical
barrier, chemical, and/or biological process.
 A water softener is a device that reduces the
hardness of the water. A water softener typically
uses sodium or potassium ions to replace calcium
and magnesium ions, the ions that create
“hardness.”
 Distillation is a process in which impure water is
boiled and the steam is collected and condensed in
a separate container, leaving many of the solid
contaminants behind.
 Disinfection is a physical or chemical process in
which pathogenic microorganisms are deactivated
or killed. Examples of chemical disinfectants are
chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and ozone. Examples of
physical disinfectants include ultraviolet light,
electronic radiation, and heat.
Figure: Schematic of Wastewater Treatment System
Purpose of Advanced Water Treatment
Water makes the world go round and is a critical part of
life as we know it. Without water, very little could survive.
Water helps all living things grow and survive in their
are
natural environments. From serving up a pitcher of water
at a restaurant to watering crops on a massive farm, water
is used constantly. However, not all areas of the world are
abundant in clean water. Some places even face droughts.
All people need access to clean water in order to survive.
Dirty water can kill plants, animals and make people very
sick. People in this field determine the best water
treatments for safe water. They also establish best
processes for handling waste water. Without this role,
people would have a hard time extracting and using water
like they do today. While people can come from a variety of
backgrounds in this field, many have a base
in environmental engineering. They are proficient in math
and science, two subjects significant for water treatment
application. Environmental engineers directly help
investigate current processes, find flaws and improve the
system as a whole.
Process behind Advanced Water Treatment
i. Reverse osmosis involves taking water from the
ground and putting it through a process that
removes all of the water’s minerals and deionizes
it so that it is safe for people to drink. Without this
critical process, people would not be able to
extract the harmful materials found in natural
water and could become sick or die as a result.
This process is used in desalinization, which is
when ocean water is turned into clean, fresh
water. Reverse osmosis helps remove the salt
from ocean water leaving behind clean water. The
world is running out of fresh and natural
resources to use, and 97 percent of the water on
the planet is salt water. Reverse osmosis can also
help recycle water to make it clean and safe again,
and also is used in wastewater treatments.
International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2020
ISSN 2250-3153
ii. Membrane filtration is a streamlined process that
helps create clean drinking water. This process is
often used to improve food quality, as it helps
separate particles from water to create other
beverages such as beer, milk and juice. There are
four different types of membrane filtration,
including ultra-filtration, reverse osmosis and
microfiltration. A different type of filtration
process is used for different sized particles. The
particles found in salt water are the smallest, so
reverse osmosis is used. However, the particles in
river water might be larger, so microfiltration is
used. Though water filtration is used for a variety
of reasons, one is to help create beverages and
dairy products in the food industry. This process
helps concentrate and purify a variety of foods,
from beverages such as beer and vegetable juice
to dairy products such as yogurt and cheese. This
process is used in several stages of food and
beverage development so these products are safe
to be sold and used.
iii. Water oxidation is used to break down water into
two elements- hydrogen and oxygen. The process
separates the water back into its original elements
so that it can be used for other things. People and
other living organisms need oxygen to live, so this
process can be used anywhere where oxygen is
readily needed, such as filling up oxygen tanks.
Given that climate change and air pollution are
currently harming the environment, people are
looking for other sources of fuel, one of which is
hydrogen. This treatment process helps provide
water and hydrogen where it’s needed to improve
the environment as a whole.
New techniques, materials and methods
analysis
There are 4 techniques of making the process advanced. It
is well known that process monitoring systems and
automatic controllers play a very important role in
wastewater treatment plants.
Method 1:
Reducing electricity consumption of regional waste
water treatment plant can be carried out through
improvement of both the hardware and soft
technology (process and operation).Through
mechanical equipment and operation, there are
many parameters that can be controlled such as,
sludge characteristics, sludge volume and operation
cycle and there are many related equipment to be
operated with digestion facility. Some of these
parameters are observed and their laboratory
sample results will be taken to determine gas
production volume. Three steps are performed in
order to increase the concentration of the activated
sludge from Primary Clarifier Tank (PCT), to reduce
the volume of waste sludge from Secondary
Sedimentation Tank (SST) to Thickened Sludge
Holding Tank (TSHT) and finally to produce higher
concentration at gravity thickener. The major
indices that are measured consist of Biochemical
Oxygen Demand (BOD), Suspended Solids (SS). To
rationalize process design, mass flow and balance
are essential for in-depth understanding of a plant
process design and performance of individual unit.
In developing mass and balance for optimal process
selection, there are a few processes that should be
monitored and controlled. For starting, the solid
concentration from PCT until anaerobic digester
tank is measured and obtained from the calculation.
Further efforts needed to improve the sampling of
dewatering process and digested sludge storage
tank. After PCT, the gravity thickener should
produces the solid concentration up to
approximately 2.3% based on sampling observation.
Subsequently, Thickened Sludge Holding Tank
(TSHT) should gradually increase the volume of PCT
with sludge and reducing the Seconda ry Clarifier
Tank (SCT) accordingly. By increasing the wasting
sludge from PCT, the organic loading to aeration
tank will be reduced proportionally and resulting
less sludge wasting in SCT. After developing mass
and balance for optimal process selection, t he
alteration process concentrates on the sludge
treatment facilities since reduction of sludge cake
volume sewage is important to minimize impacts to
the environment and reducing the operation cost.
Sludge produced from treatment process is usually
in liquid form, which typically contains 0.25-4.0% of
solids, depending on the type of treatment process.
It also contains grease, fats, organic and inorganic
chemicals. Sludge shall be thickened, stabilized,
conditioned and dewatered before it is finally
disposed, following the requirement stipulated by
Department of Environment. The dried sludge must
attain a minimum of 20% dry solid content before
off-site disposal. The design and operation of the
PCT process has a direct impact on the amount of
sludge sent to anaerobic digesters for better
enhancement of biogas. The amount of primary
sludge depends on the removal efficiency of the
primary clarifiers, which varies from 40-60% for
TSS removal. Enhanced precipitation is employed in
EPT aiming to increase amount of primary solid
from PCT and sending it to anaerobic digesters to
increase biogas production, also to reduce oxygen
demand and biomass produced in the secondary
biological process (Aeration tank). Appropriate
optimal design process control and efficient
operation of anaerobic digester involves employing
proper feeding patterns, SRT, mixing and recycling
Also, the ticker the sludge from the primary clarifier
and secondary clarifier, the more biogas is
produced, as indicated by the correlation between
gas production and COD/BOD mass loading. Hence,
International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2020
ISSN 2250-3153
the sludge treatment process will be configured to
operate efficiently, thus reducing the active power
of the respective equipment at biomass process.

Method 2:

New technologies to increase the efficiency of nitrogen

removal, which are currently being tested both at pilot-
scale and on a full technical scale in Sweden, are based on
the application of anammox bacteria. Such processes are
used both for the treatment of reject water after the
dewatering of digested sludge and for mainstream
treatment [1]. Another tested technique for nitrogen
removal is based on an aerated membrane bioreactor with
a layer of biofilm, the so-called Membrane Aerated Biofilm
Reactor (MABR). The removal of pharmaceutical residues
from wastewater using ozone and activated carbon is a
challenge not only for Sweden, but also for many European
countries. Another technological innovation is the
introduction of membrane techniques for wastewater
treatment. Pilot studies are currently being carried out on
the implementation of Membrane Biological Reactor MBR.
It will be the largest membrane installation in the world on
a full technical scale. Research on increased biogas
production and nutrient recovery is also being carried out
extensively in many wastewater treatment plants. To meet
the nitrogen removal requirements, the treatment of reject
water after the dewatering of digested sludge using the
Anammox process is introduced. Reject water is
characterized by high concentrations of NH4-N (about
1000-1500 mg N/L) and high temperature (about 30oC).
The removal of nitrogen from the side stream results in a
reduction of about 15-20% of the N load delivered to the
biological processes of the wastewater treatment plant. At
the Eskilstuna wastewater treatment plant, the hybrid
system based on MABR, where bacteria in biofilm on the
membrane work together with bacteria in the activated
sludge to remove organic compounds and nutrients was
tested at pilot-scale. This solution allows the WWTP to be
upgraded and adapted to the new requirements within the
existing reactors and with minimal additional energy. In
combination with energy recovery from sludge, this can be
a step towards achieving an energy neutral wastewater
treatment plant. In addition, a monitoring tool has been
created so that plant operators can monitor in a single
application overall plant status information, independently
from the source of the data. This chapter describes the
design, development, implementation and results of this
monitoring tool.
Figure: Urban Wastewater Treatment Status(method-2)
Method 3:
Smart technologies like Automated Meter Reading (AMR)
solutions and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
help utilities benchmark performance and optimize their
infrastructure. AMR automatically gathers consumption,
diagnostic and status information from water meters
without the need for a manual meter read, thus
streamlining and improving the accuracy of data
collection. The information, coupled with analytics, can
help utilities and their customers better manage water use.
AMI enables utilities to make decisions based on
performance and insights in near real time. It is a more
robust solution than AMR, which includes smart meters,
communication networks and data management systems
that enable two-way communication between utilities and
customers. Strategic deployment of AMR and AMI
technology is an effective way to optimize performance.
With the data collected from these systems, utilities can
account for every drop of water. Immediately following its
system deployment, one utility in the Northeast region of
the United States caught a leak that was hemorrhaging
200,000 gals of treated water per day. That equals the
amount of water used daily by 2,500 people.
According to Bevin, a former water utilities director for
Palm Beach County in Florida, smart water utilities will be
the new standard within 10 to 15 years and all use will be
tracked and optimized in real time. Essential efficiency
parameters include monitoring for leaks in the distribution
network, backwash water rates tied to filter quality output,
sludge thickening rates and smart pump operation using
International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2020
ISSN 2250-3153
VFDs. Water treatment plant operators should consistently
evaluate their water management practices to ensure that
the plant is operating efficiently, thus minimizing energy
costs and improving water conservation efforts.
Method 4:
In the basic technological scheme that was applied for the
reconstruction the goal is achieved during the biological
treatment of wastewater in the aeration tank, divided into
four successive anoxic and aerobic zones, which are
supplied with wastewater and active sludge in a certain
percentage. Next, the sludge mixture is sent to the
secondary clarifier for separation. Thus, the developed
method has the following advantages: it increases the
degree of treatment of wastewater from nitrogen of
ammonium salts, the concentrations of which in treated
water are below the determination limit; it increases the
oxidative capacity of the system; while according to
studies conducted, the organic contamination load on the
sludge can be increased 2.6 times. Based on the underlying
schema developed different parameters can be varied,
depending on the treatment quality requirements and
local conditions. For example, it is possible to change the
liquid waste processing time, number of zones and the
retention time in them.
Based on the underlying technology the constructions of
small treatment plants were also developed. So, the model
with capacity of 1-4 m 3/day has been developed. The
construction of this plant resembles a two-tiered clarifier.
The internal cylindrical tank contains the two-tiered
clarifier, sediment annular trough of which was in the
center of the tank, and at the end of its cone a hole was
provided for the sediment deposited in the septic chamber.
The bioreactor with anoxic and aerobic divisions and
secondary clarifier with highly porous filter are in the
external tank. The module with planar loading is mounted
in the aerobic zone. Aeration is done using a compressor
via pneumatic small-bubble aerators. Compared to some
models from other manufacturers, in the small plant Water
Lily hydraulic motion mode of wastewater and sludge
mixture in the bioreactor is close to the displacement
conditions, and channeling of untreated water in it is
practically excluded. In addition, the biological treatment
process is carried out in the mode of de-nitrification, which
allows reducing the concentration of ammonia nitrogen
salts in treated water. Purified water easily filters through
loading any device without its silting and environment
contamination. However, the presence of septic chamber
maintains the problem of disposal of sediments fermented
by anaerobic sludge (1-3 times a year). The disadvantages
of this installation also include the unfortunate location of
the secondary clarifier, on an inclined bottom of which the
activated sludge was periodically collected and putrefied
that reduced the overall efficiency of wastewater
treatment.
At the end of the nitrification chamber wastewater with
active sludge on the pipe goes into the center tube of the
clarifier of vertical type. Being reflected from the dissector,
purified water rises up to the peripheral collecting tray
with a serrated overall, activated sludge under hydrostatic
pressure falls to a sump pit, creating a suspended layer,
through which wastewater is filtered and clarified. The
settling active sludge is constantly pumped from the sump
pit using the air lift into the de-nitrification chamber.
Periodically (frequency is determined empirically and
through calculation), a shut-off and control valve for
pumping the excess (with a high degree of mineralization)
of sludge into the container for excessive active sludge
equipped with filter cloth is enabled on the air lift in the
automatic mode. The filtrate is poured from the container
along with the recirculating sludge into the anoxic area.
When filling the container with the dehydrated sediment,
filter cloth (in the form of a bag) is removed, the sediment
can be used on planting or cultivation beds (approximately
1 time in 1-3 months).
Improving performance of Effluent Treatment
Plant
Improving effluent treatment plant performance to reduce
operating costs, comply with discharge consent conditions
and minimize environmental pollution is high on the
agenda of many industrial organizations. This informative
good practice guide deals with improving the performance
of effluent treatment plant to reduce operating costs and
reduce environmental pollution. Most companies operate
effluent treatment plants to reduce the potential for
pollution of receiving waters and to comply with discharge
consent conditions. The five steps to effective effluent
management are:
a) characterize all effluents produced on-site;
b) implement a waste minimization program to
reduce the volume and strengths of effluents;
c) incorporate in-process conditioning and
treatment, where appropriate;
d) determine and install segregation facilities to
tailor treatment options;
e) optimize performance of ETP
Another issue is that, Continuous Improvement Strategy
(CIS) is inspired Total Quality Management. It sets a new
approach of reducing the defects and variation in
wastewater treatment facility processes, by increasing the
information flow and decreasing the costs of poor quality.
To achieve this result, the continuous improvement
strategy requires an innovating management approach, by
using the best techniques, tools and practices inspired by
the previous existing models and adapting them to any
WWTP specificity. Unlike other continuous improvement
models, CIS is a way of doing business that focuses on
constant efforts to improve WWTP services quality to meet
beneficiaries (customers) requirements and long-term
objectives. CIS focuses on making both incremental
improvements and large process re-design processes with
the goal of increasing value to the final beneficiary. The
International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2020
ISSN 2250-3153
successful CIS implementation depends on an interaction
between the following principles:
 CIS is a primary tool for positive change used to
improve any process developed by a WWTP
 CIS is a disciplined methodology based on
deploying continuous improvement projects.
 Looking at WWTP activity from the customer’s
perspective.
 Highly visible top-down management that is
committed to the initiatives of continuous
improvement.
 Continuously improving all the processes in a
WWTP. This means empowering people to tackle
problems as soon as they arise in the process, it
will prevent the problem to escalate.
Improvements in the early steps of a process have
a positive effect on later steps in the process.
 Provision of CIS training (methods and tools) to all
wastewater treatment plant levels. Adapting the
WWTP's culture to enable the sharing of ideas
from everyone from everywhere in order to
decimate the bureaucracy and make border-less
behavior a reflexive and natural part of its culture.
 Different wastewater treatment plants have
different needs and abilities to implement CIS but
the need for continuous improvement depends on
the following common factors: business
environment; wastewater treatment processes;
organizational factors.
Summary:
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) deal today with
extremely large volumes of heterogeneous, redundant,
incorrect and sometimes incoherent data that come from
very different sources (online sensors and analyzers,
laboratory, manually collected, etc.), which makes it
difficult for operators to know the plant status, and to
close the loop with advanced controllers. This way, the
lack of appropriate data management is one of the main
bottlenecks for a more efficient use of sensors, monitoring
systems and process controllers in WWTPs. In this respect,
the new and more stringent quality requirements for
water treatment systems have led to major advances in
WWTPs: on the one hand, new treatment technologies
based on more and more complex plant configurations
have emerged; on the other hand, online instrumentation
has experienced significant improvement. In fact, the
above advances have brought about important changes
with respect to the availability of data in WWTPs. In
conclusion, in order to arrive at the optimum operation of
WWTPs, there is presently a clear and urgent need for
advanced data management. The following techniques can
be a solution for making the treatment process more
advanced and hustle free.
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