School of Chemical Engineering

Wastewater Characterization
•  Reasons
–  design treatment plant
–  monitor & control operations
–  meet legal requirements
–  detect long-term trends

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 1

 Classification
School of Chemical Engineering

•  Test Groups
–  gross pollution measures:
•  BOD, COD, grease, suspended solids SS & NH3
–  tests for aesthetic appeal:
•  colour, turbidity, taste, odour
–  microbiological tests:
•  indicator organisms (coliforms)
–  tests for toxins
•  pesticides, heavy metals, radioactive
–  tests for health-risk materials:
•  flouride, nitrate
–  tests to determine suitability for other incidental uses:
•  corrosion effects Fe, Mn & hardness salts Ca & Mg
–  operational tests:
•  monitor plant performance (e.g. blue-green algae)

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 2

 School of Chemical Engineering

Nature of Impurities

Impurities

Physical Chemical Biological

Form Nature Characteristics

Suspended Dissolved Inorganic Organic

Living

Coarse Fine Colloidal Dead

Plants Protista Animals

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 3

 School of Chemical Engineering

Pollution Measures
1.  Gross pollution measures
2.  Aesthetic appeal
3.  Microbiological
4.  Toxins
5.  Incidental use - suitability
6.  determine process suitability

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 4

 School of Chemical Engineering

Dissolved O2 [DO]
DO
–  essential to aquatic life
–  Minimum
•  ~5 mg/L needed to sustain a balanced population of
aquatic flora & fauna
–  Saturation
•  at 15 ºC ⇒ 10.2 mg/L (~ 10 ppm)

•  Pollutant Addition
•  decreases available DO ⇒ may render life unsustainable

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 5

 Gross Pollution Measures
School of Chemical Engineering

•  DO
•  Temperature
–  limited range ~ 10-21 ºC

BOD (mg/L)
•  pH BODu
BOD5

–  tight range for living organisms ~6-7 BOD(t)

•  BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand)

(
1 st order : BOD(t) = BODultimate 1 − e −Kt ) 5 Time (days)

implies
⎯⎯⎯→ (
BOD5 = BODultimate 1 − e −5K )
•  COD
–  Strong chemical oxidant KMnO4 or K2Cr2O7
–  non-biodegradable material (e.g. plastics) may oxidize
–  ~ 2 hours

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 6

 Total Organic Carbon - TOC
School of Chemical Engineering

Determines:
•  total concentration of C as organics
•  Process ⇒ combustion in 2 furnaces

Gas to
High temperature furnace waste
Purified
Air CO2 Detector/
Gas cleaning
Recorder
Sample Low temperature furnace

–  High T
•  organics + inorganics (carbonates) decompose ⇒ CO2
–  Low T
•  acid packing - only inorganics decompose
–  Difference = TOC (organic C content)
•  Problem:
–  plastic (non-biodegradable) will register on TOC test
–  useful for industrial wastewaters (nutrient deficient or contains
toxics)
Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 7
 Solids Measures
School of Chemical Engineering

•  Suspended Solids SS
–  dry weight retained on 1 µm filter
–  classified as fixed & volatile (organic)

•  Dissolved Solids
–  remains after SS test
–  salinity indicator; can be measured by conductivity (EC)
(µSm/cm)

•  Settleable Solids
–  volume of settleable solids
–  Imhoff cone

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 8

 Nutrients (N & P)
School of Chemical Engineering

Organic nitrogen
Proteolysis or Deamination
(aerobic & anaerobic)

Ammonia
Nitrification
(aerobic)
Nitrite
Nitrification
(aerobic)
Nitrate
Denitrification (anaerobic)

Nitrogen
•  NH3-N
–  most reduced form;
–  composed of NH3 & NH−4 ; unionized form most toxic
•  NO3-N
–  promotes excess growth
–  nitrite combines with hemoglobin ⇒ methemoglobin - “blue
baby” in humans & “brown blood” disease in fish
Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 9
 School of Chemical Engineering
cont’d
detrius
particulate
organic
nitrogen phytoplankton
dissolved
h
gr owt
le for
Total ammonia inorganic vail
ab
a
Nitrogen nitrogen nitrogen

NO2 & NO3

nitrogen

•  TKN (Total Kjedahl Nitrogen)

–  combination of ammonia & organic N

•  Total P
–  phosphorus is not toxic but is often limiting nutrient for growth
–  excess - leads to algal blooms & eutrophication

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 10

 Aesthetic Parameters
School of Chemical Engineering

Taste & Odour

–  quantified by semi-subjective human responses
•  “Odour & taste panels”
–  mainly volatile organics (VOCs):
•  Disinfection by-products [DPBs]
•  algae (may produce toxins)
•  ammonia odours
•  anaerobic odours (sulfides, phenols, VFAs, amines)

2. Colour
–  2 types - ‘true’ &’apparent’
•  apparent - observed colour
•  true - water colour in absence of turbidity (reflected, refracted &
adsorbed light)
–  measured by comparison to unit colour standards
•  commonly used - platinum (chloroplatinate ion) Hazen units °H

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 11

 Microbial Measures & Toxins
School of Chemical Engineering

•  Microorganisms
–  Indicator bacteria
•  fecal coliforms
–  indicator of fecal contamination
»  must live in intestines of mammals
–  should be present if pathogens are present
–  viruses
–  algae
–  protozoa, ameoba, occocysts
•  Toxins
–  heavy metals
–  organics (pesticides)
–  other inorganics (cyanide, boron, etc)
Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 12
School of Chemical Engineering

Characteristics

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 13

 School of Chemical Engineering

Legal Requirements
•  Wastewater Discharge Standards (SA)
–  Marine or Freshwaters - EPA
–  Sewers (Metropolitan) - SA Water
–  Septics/STEDS (septic tank effluent systems) - Local Councils/
SAHC/EPA

•  Winery Specific
–  EPA Guidelines - wastewater monitoring programs
–  EPA: Wineries & Environment - audit of environmental
management performance
–  Code of Practice (Consultation Draft)

Life Impact The University of Adelaide Slide 14