Outline

Week 9
EP326/EE304 • Sources And Classification Of Water Pollutants
EP317/EG202 • Water Quality Parameter

Environmental Engineering • Physical

• Chemical
• Biological
• Water Quality Control Policy
Chapter 3c: Water Pollution & • Impact Of Pollutant To Environment And Human
Wastewater Treatment • Wastewater Treatment Technologies
• Pre-treatment
• Primary Treatment
• Secondary Treatment
• Tertiary Treatment

• Water 4.0
Prepared by: Dr. Thung Wei-Eng

Learning Outcome Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies

• Pre-treatment - Screening (Physical particles, oil, grease)

Week 9 ü
ü
Bar rack (Coarse particles)
Comminutor (Reduce size of particles)
ü Rotary Drum (Fine particles)

• You should understand the wide variety of

potential treatment processes
• Primary Treatment (Suspended solid/Organic matter)
ü Clarifier (Sedimentation)
ü Rapid mixing ( Coagulation by dosage of coagulant)

• You should know the key elements in the ü

ü
Flocculation
Softening
processing chain for water & wastewater systems
• Secondary Treatment (Biological Treatment/Organic matter)

• You should able to propose water & wastewater ü

ü
Suspended growth (activated sludge)
Attached growth (trickling filter)
treatment technologies
• Pre-treatment
• Tertiary Treatment (Pathogen, Nutrient)
ü Disinfection

• Primary Treatment ü
ü
Filtration
Membrane Process (Ultrafiltration / Reverse osmosis )
• Secondary Treatment ü Nitrogen removal
ü Phosphorus removal
• Tertiary Treatment
Flow Diagram of Typical Water Treatment Plant Flow Diagram of Typical Wastewater Treatment
Plant

• Pre-treatment - Screening (Physical particles)

ü Bar rack (Coarse particles)
ü Comminutor (Reduce size of particles)
ü Rotary Drum (Fine particles)

• Primary Treatment (Suspended solid/Organic matter)

ü Clarifier (Sedimentation)
ü Rapid mixing ( Coagulation by dosage of coagulant)
ü Flocculation

Secondary Treatment (Biological Treatment) Secondary Treatment (Biological Treatment)

• There are two (2) basic approaches to biological treatment, differing in the manner in
• The wastewater that exits the primary treatment has lost a significant of which the waste is brought into contact with the microorganisms.
the particulate matter it contained, but it still has a high demand of
oxygen due to an abundance of dissolved organic matter (BOD). 1. Suspended growth treatment – The microorganisms are suspended in and move with
the water.
• Secondary treatment (typically biological treatment) utilizes ü Activated Sludge
microorganisms convert/breakdown the organic wastes to harmless end ü Aerated Lagoon
products.
2. Attached growth treatment – The microorganisms are fixed on a stationary surface,
and the water flows pass the microorganisms.
• Generally 3 types of processes = Aerobic process, Anaerobic process and ü Trickling filters
Anoxic process (use nitrates as electron receptors) ü Aeration basin with submerged packing material
ü Packed bed reactor
 Secondary Treatment
Suspended Growth - Activated Sludge
• Microorganisms are thoroughly mixed, aerated and suspended in the
wastewater to remove BOD & dissolved solids (organic matter)

• Microorganisms use the organic matter as food and growth.

• Individual organisms clump together (flocculate) to form an active mass

of microbes (biological floc) called activated sludge.

Attached Growth – Trickling filter

Suspended Growth - Activated Sludge
Microorganisms remain fixed or attached to a surface while wastewater flows over
that surface to provide contact with the organics.

• Factors that affect the performance of an activated • Usually in circular shape (60 m).
• Consists of bed of coarse material, media (2m deep) – stones, slats, plastic
sludge treatment system: materials, over which wastewater is applied.
• Wastewater is distributed over the surface of the media by a rotating arm.
• Active biological growth (biofilm) on the media and breakdown the organic
• 1) Temperature matter
• 2) Return rates
The purpose of the media:
• 3) Aeration • To provide large amount of surface area for microorganisms to grow.
• 4) Organic matter • The large voids allow ample air circulation
• 5) pH • Not primarily a filtering or straining process.
• 6) Waste rates
• 7) Wastewater toxicity
Attached Growth – Trickling filter Attached Growth – Trickling filter

• Factors that affect the performance of trickling filter

treatment system:

• 1) Contact efficiency (distribution)

• 2) BOD Loading
• 3) Aeration (DO level)
• 4) Surface area of media
• 5) Recirculation

Tertiary Treatment Disinfection

The purpose of tertiary treatment is to provide a final treatment stage to
further improve the effluent quality before it is discharged to the receiving
environment (sea, river, lake, ground, etc.) or reuse.
• Tertiary Treatment (Pathogen, Nutrient)
ü Disinfection
ü Filtration
ü Membrane Process (Ultrafiltration / Reverse osmosis )
ü Nitrogen removal
ü Phosphorus removal
• The final operation unit in most of water treatment plant.
• Disinfection has to meet two objectives: primary disinfection, to kill
any pathogens in the water, and secondary disinfection to prevent
pathogen regrowth (or residual) in the water during the period before
it is used.
• The most common disinfection is chlorination because it is cheap,
reliable and easy to use. Dosing either chlorine gas, sodium
hypochlorite (NaOCl) or calcium hypochlorite (Ca(OCl2)).
• Excessive chlorination can have an adverse environmental impact, can
kill fish and other aquatic life.

• Other processes such as ultraviolet light and ozonation may be used in

place of chlorine.
Filtration (Granular) Membrane Processes
• Filtration is one of the most widely used and effective means of
Membrane can removed nearly all contaminants in water, including
removing small particles and pathogens from water.
pathogens, hardness and dissolved solids, organics and disinfectant
byproduct precursors, metals and suspended particles.
• The filter consists of a layer or layers of carefully sieved filter media,
such as sand, anthracite coal, activated carbon, on top of a bed of
graded gravel. All membranes can be consider semipermeable physical barriers.

• When the filter clogged with particles, the filter is shut down for a
short period of time and cleaned by forcing water backwards through
the media. After backwashing, the media settles back in place and
operation resumes.

Membrane Processes Phosphorus Removal

Phosphorus in wastewater is primarily in the form of organic phosphorus
and as phosphate (PO43-) compounds.

The removal phosphorus to prevent or reduce eutrophication is

accomplished by chemical precipitation using one of three compounds.
The precipitation reactions for each are shown below.
Nitrogen Removal
Biological nitrogen removal is a 2-step process:

1) Nitrification in aerobic environment

2) Denitrification in anoxic environment

N in any soluble form NH3, NH4+, NO2-, NO3- is a nutrient, need to be removed.

What have we learned?

• Propose Wastewater treatment technologies
• Secondary Treatment - (Dissolved solid/Organic matter)
ü Suspended growth (Activated Sludge)
ü Attached growth (Trickling Filter)

• Tertiary Treatment - (Suspended solid/Organic matter)

ü Disinfection
ü Filtration
ü Membrane Process (Ultrafiltration / Reverse osmosis )
ü Nitrogen removal
ü Phosphorus removal