REACTIONS AND REACTORS

Basic features of all

reactions

Completely Mixed
Types of reactions
Batch Reactor

Types of reactors Reaction rates

Temperature effect
Enzyme Reactions on biological
reaction rate
 Basic features of all reactions

Some basic features of these reactions include;

Oxidation-Reduction (Red ox) Reactions

Biological Reactions

Chemical Precipitation

Adsorption

pH Adjustment

Disinfection
Cont’

.These reactions collectively contribute to the

overall purification of wastewater by breaking
down, transforming, or removing
contaminants, making the effluent safer for
discharge back into the environment or for
reuse in certain application
 Types of reactions

A.HOMOGENOUS REACTION
.Refers to the reaction which is potential of
carrying out the reaction at any point within
the wastewater by the reactants is the same.
Such reaction may be reversible or irreversible.

B.HETERGENEOUS REACTION
.Is the reaction that occur between one or more
reactant that have identifiable specific sites.
Such reactions involve a number of interrelated
steps and more difficult to analyze and study.
Continued
Reaction rates
.Is the speed at which the chemical reaction takes
place, as it depends on concentration of the
reactant in waste water treatment. It has been
observed that the rate of many reactions is
proportional to a small integral power.
R=KCn
Where; - R- Rate of reaction
C- Concentration
n-order of reaction
Cont’
There are three most commonly occurring
reaction rates in wastewater treatment, these
includes;
A. ZERO ORDER REACTION
 Zero-order reactions are those in which the

reaction rate is independent of the

 reagent concentration. In these conditions, the

rate of change of the reagent concentration (C)

is constant.
Cont’
The rate of change is given by Equation.

 sign the minus sign in the term on the right-

hand side of the equation indicates removal of
the reagent, whereas a plus would indicate
production of the constituent.
 Where; -
 dc/dt-rate of change, k-constant
Cont’
 By integrating the Equation
C=Co-Kt
 C= concentration of reactant remaining at any
time t.
 Co=initial concentration of reactant (at time to).
 K=reaction rate constant.
 t= time
Cont’
 In zero order reaction the slope is linear as
shown below; -

Concentration
K-Slope

Times
Cont’
B. ORDER REACTION FIRST
 First-order reactions are those in which the
reaction rate is proportional to the concentration
of the reagent or a single reactant concentration.
Assuming a reaction in which the constituent is
being removed, the associated equation is
dc/dt=-Kc
 By integrating
lnC=lnCo-kt

 C=Co e^-kt
 Where;
Cont’
 C= concentration of reactant remaining at any
time t.
 Co=initial concentration of reactant (at time to).
 K=reaction rate constant.
 t = time
 Graph presentation on first order reaction is
linear and is plotted by ln [c]versus time.
ln[C]o
Slope=-k

Ln[c]
Cont’
C. SECOND ORDER REACTION
 Is the order of reaction in which the rate of
reaction is proportional to the second power of a
single reactant. the order is given by the equation-
dc/dt=kc^2
 By integrating the equation; -
1/C-1/Co=kt
 Where; -
 C= concentration of reactant remaining at any
time t.
 Co=initial concentration of reactant (at time to).
 K=reaction rate constant.
Cont’
 The slope presentation of the second order is liner and is
plotted as a reciprocal of remaining concentration of the
reactant against time.

1/c
Slope=k
Co

Time
 Where; -
 C= concentration of reactant remaining at any time t.
 Co= initial concentration of reactant (at time to).
 K= reaction rate constant.
 T= time
Temperature effect on biological reaction rate

 Temperature directly affects the rate of a

chemical reaction, as raising of temperature
causes the molecules in the biological reactor to
gain energy (kinetic energy) in which the
molecules move faster and collides more often,
which in turns increases the reaction rate
 The effect of temperature on most of the
biological reaction rate is derived by van’t Hoff
Arrhenius equation as shown below; -
d(lnK)/dt=Ea/R X 1/T^2
 By integrating
K2/k1=e^(T2-T1)=Q(T2-T1)
Cont’
 Where; -
 K2= substrate utilization reaction rate constant at
temperature T2 ºC
 K1= substrate utilization reaction rate constant at
temperature T1 ºC
 C= Constant, C=
 =  = coefficient of temperature activity but normally,
=1.01 to 1.04 for active sludge system.
 Ea = energy of activation, Cal/mole
 R =Ideal gas constant ,1.98 Cal/mole
 T = reaction temperature (k)
 K1 and k2 = reaction rate constant at temperature T1 and
T (K)
 Enzyme Reactions

 Enzyme are biological catalysts that speed up

chemical reaction in living organisms by
lowering the activation energy required for a
reaction to occur. In waste water treatment,
enzyme’s reaction results to break down organic
matter present, facilitating its decomposition
Rmax
Rate of reaction R

Rmax/2

Substrate concetration
Cont’
 Enzymes catalyzed reaction in a batch reaction
can be used to predict the reduction of substrate
concentration as expressed below; -
 RC= kc/km+c
 Where; -
 R c = reaction rate
 K=maximum reaction rate mg/l
 C=substrate concentration mg/l
 Km=substrate concentrationat half the
maximum reaction rate mg/l
 By intergrading the above equation gives an
equation of detention time, t
Cont’

 t=1/k[Km ln Co/Ce + (Co-Ce )]

 where; -
 Co=influent substrate concentration
 Ce=effluent substate concentration
 Types of reactors

 Continuous flow stirred tank reactor

It is assumed that complete mixing occurs
instantaneously and uniform throughout the
reactor as fluid particle enter the reactor.
 Plug flow reactor

Is a type of reactor where the context of waste

water follows the principle of first in first out
where fluid particle pass through the reactor
with little or no longitudinal mixing and exit
from the reactor in the same sequence in which
they entered.
 Completely mixed batch reactor
Cont’
A complete mixed batch reactor is closed system where no
flow is added or allowed to go out during designed
reaction time (detention time).
 Arbitrary flow reactor
Refers to reactor which designed with dispersion of flow.
In practical some intermediate amount of intermixing
will always occur, the equation developed by whener
and wilhem for such intermediate mixing occurring in
an arbitrary Flow Reactor is given as follows
Co/Ce=(4a^1/2d)/(1+a)^2 e^a/2d-(1-a)^2 e^-a/2d
a=(1+4ktd)^0.5 and d=D/vL=Dt/L^2
Cont’
 K=Reaction rate constant
 t= hydraulic retention time
 d= Dispersion number or diffusivity Constant
 d= 0 for PFR
 d= ∞ (infinity) for complete mixed system
 D= Axial dispersion coefficient (area/time)
 v= Fluid velocity (length/time)
 L= characteristics length of the travel path of a
particles
Cont’
 Fluidized bed reactor
Refers to the reactor in which filled with packing
material expand and gets fluidized when the
waste water to be treated moves upward in the
reactor. Normally air introduced along with the
influent flow from the inlet
 Packed bed reactor

Packed reactor refers to the reactor in which filled

inert packing material for the growth of
biomass is kept packed or fixed.
Cont’
 Sequencing batch reactor
This is a fill and draw type of reactor working on
the principle of an active sludge in this process
where reaction for aeration and waste
conversion and clarification of effluent occur at
the same time.
 COMPLETELY MIXED BATCH
REACTOR (CMBR)

 Is the closed system where no flow is added or

allowed to go out during design reaction time
(detention period). the reactant is added to the
reactor when it is empty and the content are
withdrawn after the reaction period is over.
 In a CMBR, it is assumed that the reaction
kinetic is of first order and at a given instant of
time the reactant concentration is uniform
throughout the reactor.
Cont’
Thus, the rate of
change in mass
of the reactant
within the
reactor is equal
to the rate of
reaction of the
reactant within
the reactor
Cont’
 The working principles of a complete mixed
batch reactor in wastewater treatment involve
several key steps:
 Loading
 Mixing
 Treatment
 Monitoring
 Reaction Time
 post-treatment
Cont’
Advantages Disadvantages

 Time-Dependent
 Flexibility Processing
 Controlled  Labor Intensive
Conditions  Inconsistent Effluent Flow
 Limited Scale-up Potential
 Efficient Mixing  Higher Energy
 Easier of Monitoring Consumption
 Adaptability  Complex Control Strategies
 Lower Initial
 Space Requirements
Investment
 REFFERENCE

 Karia.G, L and Christian.R. A (2006) Wastewater

treatment concept and design approach, prentice-
hall of india private limited
 Metcalf and Eddy (2003) Wastewater
Engineering: Treatment and reuse, McGraw Hill
Companies
 Marcos von sperling (2007) Basic principles of
wastewater treatment, New Delhi