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SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2018/19

Mid-term Test Solution

Open notes, in-class (2.5 hours), 18 March 2019
Total = 90 points

Name:
SID:

1. Wastewater treatment plant A has a permit to discharge to a river at a flowrate of 25 m3/s

with a concentration of 400 mg COD/L. Wastewater treatment plant B’s permit allows it
to charge to the same river at a concentration of 2000 mg COD/L and a flowrate of 5
m3/s. Both streams combine and mix completely and then travel downstream to a factory
where the water is used. No reaction and evaporation occur along the river. The water that
is used at the factory cannot exceed 500 mg COD/L. To satisfy the COD requirement,
engineers have decided to blend the river water with distilled water at the inlet to the
factory. What should be the mixture ratio (F) of pure water to river water? (10 points)

Solution:

Mass balance to calculate the concentration upstream after the two streams are mixed
25 𝑚3 𝑚𝑔 𝑚3 𝑚𝑔
× 400 +5 × 2000 𝑚𝑔
𝑠 𝐿 𝑠 𝐿
C= 𝑚 3 = 667
(25 + 5) 𝐿
𝑠

Mass balance considering blending with distilled water

𝑄𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑
F= 𝑄𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟

Qriver × 667 mg/L = (Qriver + Qdistilled) 500 mg/L

Qriver × 667 mg/L = (Qriver + F × Qriver) 500 mg/L
667 = (1 + F) 500
667
F = 500 − 1 = 0.333

Therefore, need to blend about 1/3 of distilled water with the river water.
 City University of Hong Kong Page 2 of 7
SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2018/19

2. An activated sludge process with recycle is used to treat wastewater. The influent to the
aeration tank contains waste that is totally biodegradable and there are substantial amount
TSS-VSS of inert inorganics. The SRT is 10 days. The organic loading rate of the activated sludge
process can be expressed using the different units as shown in the table below (even
though they are all describing the same parameter).

Rank the units in order from the largest to smallest numeric value (i.e., largest numeric
value ranks #1, smallest ranks #3). Explain your answer. (10 points)

Solution:

Unit Rank
mg COD/mg MLSS/d #2
mg UBOD/mg MLVSS/d #1
mg BOD3/mg MLSS/d #3

UBOD = COD (since all materials are biodegradable)

MLVSS is a fraction of MLSS (since there are some inert inorganics)
Assume MLVSS/MLSS = 0.8
𝑚𝑔 𝐶𝑂𝐷
Express all the units in term of 𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆∙𝑑
𝑚𝑔 𝑈𝐵𝑂𝐷 𝑚𝑔 𝑈𝐵𝑂𝐷 1.25 𝑚𝑔 𝐶𝑂𝐷
= 0.8 𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆∙𝑑 =
𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑉𝑆𝑆∙𝑑 𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆∙𝑑

BOD3 must be a fraction of UBOD

𝐵𝑂𝐷
Assume 𝑈𝐵𝑂𝐷3 = 0.5
𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷3 0.5 𝑚𝑔 𝑈𝐵𝑂𝐷 0.5 𝑚𝑔 𝐶𝑂𝐷
= =
𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆∙𝑑 𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆∙𝑑 𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆∙𝑑
City University of Hong Kong Page 3 of 7
SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2018/19

3. A rectangular primary sedimentation tank has the following dimensions: 55 m (length),

10.7 m (width) and 3.0 m (depth). The influent flowrate is 0.4 m3/s and it contains
spherical particles with a density of 2.65 g/cm3. Flow in the tank is considered laminar.

(a) What is the smallest diameter particle (in µm) that can be removed with 100%
efficiency? (10 points)

Solution:
𝑚3
𝑄 𝑄 0.4 𝑚
𝑠
Overflow rate (vc) = 𝐴 = 𝐿 𝑊 = (55 × 10.7) 𝑚2 = 0.00068
𝑠 𝑠
𝑉𝑝
For 100% removal, Xr = = 1 so vp = vc
𝑉𝑐

Since laminar flow so Stoke’s law holds

2 (𝜌 −𝜌 ) 𝑔 2 (2.65−1) 𝑔 𝑐𝑚
𝑑𝑝 𝑑𝑝 (980 2 ) 𝑚
𝑝 𝑓 𝑐𝑚3 𝑠
vp = = 𝑔 = 0.00068
18 𝜇 18 (0.01 ) 𝑠
𝑐𝑚 𝑠

dp = 27.5 𝜇𝑚

(b) In order to improve performance of the primary sedimentation tank, an engineer

decides to build a metal plate in the tank so that the depth of the tank is now 2.0 m
(the other dimensions remain the same). With this modification, what is the removal
efficiency of particle with a diameter of 5 µm? The influent flowrate remains the
same. (10 points)

Solution:

Volume = 55 m × 10.7 m × 2m = 1177 𝑚3

𝑉 1177 𝑚3
Hydraulic retention time = 𝑄 = 0.4 𝑚3 /𝑠 = 2942.5 𝑠
𝐷𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ 2.0 𝑚
vc = 𝑅𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 = 2942.5 𝑠 = 0.00068 𝑚/𝑠

𝑔 980 𝑐𝑚
2 (𝜌 −𝜌 ) 𝑔
𝑑𝑝 (5 𝜇𝑚)2 (2.65−1) ( 2 )
𝑝 𝑓 𝑐𝑚3 𝑠
vp = = 𝑔
18 𝜇 18 (0.01 )
𝑐𝑚∙𝑠
2 𝑔 980𝑐𝑚
(5×10−4 𝑐𝑚) (2.65−1) ( 2 )
𝑐𝑚3 𝑠
vp = 𝑔
18 (0.01 )
𝑐𝑚∙𝑠

vp = 0.00225 cm/s

𝑉𝑝 2.25×10−5 𝑚/𝑠
Therefore, Xr = 𝑉 = = 3.3%
𝑐 0.00068 𝑚/𝑠
City University of Hong Kong Page 4 of 7
SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2018/19

4. A consultant has been hired to improve the performance of an activated sludge process
with recycle. The system operates with a recycle ratio of 2.0 and no solids are in the
effluent of the secondary clarifier (i.e., Xe = 0). The wastewater treatment plant wants to
further lower the concentration of BOD5 by 10 times in the effluent from the secondary
clarifier. The proposed solution is to add a chemical agent to further increase the density
of sludge in the clarifier. Laboratory test has shown that the chemical agent is very
effective to increase the density of sludge. There is no other operational change (i.e. no
change in flowrate) except adding the chemical agent. The consultant is charging HK$10
million for this solution. As the Chief Engineer of the plant, do you agree that this
solution can lower the effluent concentration of BOD5? (20 points)

Explain your answer by:

(a) Illustrating what is occurring in the secondary clarifier.
(b) Illustrating what is occurring in the aeration tank.

[Hint: You can sketch figures and write equations to help explain your answer]

Solution:

(a) Considering the secondary clarifier

The gravity flux will increase because after adding the chemical agent since the
settling velocity of the sludge will increase. With no operational change, Ub remains
the same. From the graph, we can see that XR increases. That is, the sludge becomes
more concentrated. This is expected as the chemical agent is effective to increase
sludge density.
City University of Hong Kong Page 5 of 7
SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2018/19

(b) Considering the aeration tank

If the chemical agent is effective to lower the effluent BOD5, the concentration of
substrate (S) must decrease (Xe is already zero).

Substrate is a function of SRT

𝐾 [1+𝑘 (𝑆𝑅𝑇)]
𝑠 𝑑
S = 𝑆𝑅𝑇(𝑌𝑘−𝑘
𝑑 )−1

Now consider whether XR increases will change SRT

𝑄𝑅
= 2.0
𝑄
Mass balance of biomass around aeration basin
QXo + QRXR = (Q + QR)X
With Xo = 0 and considering the recycle ratio
2QXR = (Q + 2Q)X
2XR = 3X
2
X = 3 𝑋𝑅

This is the relationship between X and XR. If XR increases, X proportionally increases.

To calculate SRT
𝑉𝑋
SRT = 𝑄
𝑤 𝑋𝑅 + 𝑄𝑒 𝑋𝑒

With Xe = 0
𝑉𝑋
SRT = 𝑄
𝑤 𝑋𝑅

We see that there is no change to SRT when XR increases since X and XR remain to have
the same relationship. Also, V and Qw remain the same.

With no change to SRT, there is also no change to S.

Therefore, concentrating the sludge will not lower the BOD5 concentration in the
effluent.
City University of Hong Kong Page 6 of 7
SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2018/19

5. An activated sludge process with recycle is used to treat 7800 m3/day of wastewater at a
concentration of 650 mg UBOD/L. The volume of the aeration tank is 2200 m3 and SRT
is 6 days. The concentration of sludge at the bottom of the clarifier is 10,526 mg VSS/L.

Coefficients
Yk = 2.8 g VSS/g VSS/d
kd = 0.14 g VSS/g VSS/d
Ks = 120 mg UBOD/L
Y = 0.6 mg VSS/mg UBOD
fd = 0.15 g VSS/gVSS
Calculate the following:

(a) The biomass concentration (X) in the aeration tank (in mg VSS/L) (ignore cell debris
in the calculation). (16 points)

Solution:

Calculate the substrate concentration

𝐾𝑠 [1 + 𝑘𝑑 (𝑆𝑅𝑇)]
𝑆=
𝑆𝑅𝑇(𝑌𝑘 − 𝑘𝑑 ) − 1
(120 𝑚𝑔/𝐿)[1 + (0.14 𝑔/𝑔 ∙ 𝑑)(6 𝑑)]
𝑆=
(6 𝑑)[(2.8 𝑔/𝑔 ∙ 𝑑) − (0.14 𝑔/𝑔 ∙ 𝑑)] − 1
𝑆 = 14.7 𝑚𝑔 𝑈𝐵𝑂𝐷/𝐿

Calculate the hydraulic retention time

𝑉
τ=
𝑄

2200 𝑚3
τ=
7800 𝑚3 /𝑑

τ = 0.28 d

Calculate the biomass concentration

𝑆𝑅𝑇 𝑌(𝑆0 − 𝑆)
X= [ ]
𝜏 1 + 𝑘𝑑 𝑆𝑅𝑇

𝑚𝑔 𝑉𝑆𝑆 𝑚𝑔 𝑈𝐵𝑂𝐷 𝑚𝑔 𝑈𝐵𝑂𝐷

6 𝑑 0.6 𝑚𝑔 𝑈𝐵𝑂𝐷 (650 𝐿 − 14.7 𝐿 )
X= [ ]
0.28 𝑑 1
1 + (0.14 )(6 𝑑)
𝑑

𝑚𝑔 𝑉𝑆𝑆
X = 4439
𝐿
City University of Hong Kong Page 7 of 7
SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2018/19

(b) The recycle flow rate (QR) (in m3/d). (5 points)

Solution:

𝑄𝑅 𝑋
=𝑅=
𝑄 𝑋𝑅 − 𝑋
𝑚𝑔 𝑉𝑆𝑆
𝑄𝑅 4439
= 𝐿 = 0.729
𝑄 𝑚𝑔 𝑉𝑆𝑆 𝑚𝑔 𝑉𝑆𝑆
10526 − 4439
𝐿 𝐿

𝑄𝑅 = 0.729𝑄 = 0.729(7800) = 5686 𝑚3 /𝑑

(c) The amount of waste sludge being sent to landfills (in kg/d). (5 points)

Solution:
𝑉𝑋
SRT =
𝑄𝑤 𝑋𝑅 + 𝑄𝑒 𝑋𝑒

With Xe = 0

3 𝑚𝑔 𝑉𝑆𝑆
𝑉𝑋 (2200 𝑚 ) (4439 𝐿
)
𝑄𝑊 𝑋𝑅 = = = 1628 𝑘𝑔/𝑑
𝑆𝑅𝑇 6𝑑

(d) Sketch the steady-state concentration of UBOD in the effluent stream (time in days on
x-axis, concentration in mg/L on y-axis). (4 points)

Solution: