Oupa Nhambe

Student No: 587899

CHMT 4013: Wastewater Engineering
Assignment No: 2
Submission date: 28 April 2015

Table 1: Summary of results obtained using Microsoft excel

Time (min)

Concentration (mg/l)

0
10
15
20
22.5
25
27.5
30
32.5
35
37.5
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
90
105
120
140
160
180

0
0
0.9965
2.6676
3.5911
3.5052
3.1659
2.8652
2.5516
2.2895
1.9759
1.7096
1.2715
0.9708
0.7173
0.5111
0.3822
0.2877
0.3307
0.31
0.258
0.204
0.101
0.0059
0

Total

Citi
0
10
5
5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
15
15
15
20
20
20

E = Cpulse/Citi

0
0
4.9825
13.338
8.97775
8.763
7.91475
7.163
6.379
5.72375
4.93975
4.274
6.3575
4.854
3.5865
2.5555
1.911
1.4385
1.6535
4.65
3.87
3.06
2.02
0.118
0
108.53

0
0
0.009181793
0.024579379
0.033088547
0.032297061
0.029170736
0.026400074
0.02351055
0.02109555
0.018206026
0.015752327
0.011715655
0.008944992
0.006609232
0.004709297
0.003521607
0.00265088
0.003047084
0.002856353
0.002377223
0.001879665
0.000930618
5.43628E-05
0

tiCiti
0
0
74.7375
266.76
201.99938
219.075
217.65563
214.89
207.3175
200.33125
185.24063
170.96
286.0875
242.7
197.2575
153.33
124.215
100.695
124.0125
418.5
406.35
367.2
282.8
18.88
0
4680.9944

Mean of the residence time distribution tm (min)

Second Moment of the Distribution (^2) (min^2)
Number of Tanks, N

(ti-tm)^2 (ti-tm)^2(Citi)
1860.27278
0
1097.65519
0
791.346393
3942.883405
535.037596
7136.331458
425.633198
3821.22844
328.728799
2880.650466
244.324401
1933.766549
172.420002
1235.044474
113.015603
720.9265342
66.1112049
378.4040089
31.7068063
156.6236965
9.80240776
41.89549078
3.49361066
22.21062975
47.1848135
229.035085
140.876016
505.251833
284.567219
727.211529
478.258422
913.9518449
721.949625
1038.524536
1015.64083
1679.362109
2196.71444
10214.72213
3827.78805
14813.53974
5908.86165
18081.11666
9383.62647
18954.92546
13658.3913
1611.690171
18733.1561
0
91039.29625

43.13087971
838.8399175
2.217673177

Question 1

Concentration (mg/l) vs. time (min)

curve
4

Concentration (mg/l)

3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5 0

50

100
Time (min)

Figure 1: Concentration profile curve

150

200

Question 2

Normalised Age Distribution, E(t) (per min)

E vs time (min) curve

0.04
0.035
0.03
0.025
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0
-0.005

50

100

150

200

Time (min)

Figure 2: Residence Time Distribution (RTD) curve

To plot the RTD curve, the exit age distribution function, E(t), is determined by
normalizing the data such that the area under curve is unity, or

= 1
0

Area under the curve is given by:

= =
0

And the exit age distribution is given by:

Question 3
The mean residence time:

4690.994
=
= 43.131

108.53

Question 4
The second moment of distribution:

)2 91039.296
(

=
= 838.842

4680.994
2

Number of tanks, N for the tanks-in series reactor model:

2 43.1312
= 2=
= 2.218 3 ( )

838.84
Question 5
is the ideal residence time distribution and
:
= 72 min ;

= 43.131 43
The ideal residence time assumes that all fluid elements leaving the reactor have
been inside it for exactly the same amount of time. The Residence Time
distribution function describes in quantitative manner the length of time
different fluid elements have been inside the reactor. This function also takes

, is
into account the earliness or lateness of mixing. The mean residence time,

a representation of the average time a fluid element is most likely to spend

inside the reactor. This occurs since the flow channels are not ideal and have
different length of time and are orientated in different direction and thus the
.
difference in and

For example; in a CSTR reactor, the feed is introduced in the reactor at any
given time becomes completely mixed with material already inside the reactor.
Some of the atoms entering the reactor exit it almost immediately since material
is withdrawn continuously, other atoms are trapped in dead zones and remain
inside the reactor indefinitely, while most of the atoms leave the reactor after
spending a period of time within the vicinity of the mean residence time.

Question 6
Calculating the equivalent COD:
For glucose, the following combustion reaction occurs:

6 12 6 + 62 62 + 62
And the COD of glucose if:

(6 32) (
)
(2 )

=
=
(6 12 6 ) (12 6) + (1 12) + (16 6) ( )

192
(
)
2

=
= 1.07
180

(
)

= (1.07

2
63
67.41
)(
)=

Hence a solution with 63g/l of starch (glucose) has an equivalent COD of 64.41g/l

Question 7
For 1st order reactions in N tanks in series, the following equation applies:

1
=
=
(1 + )

(1 + )

This gives:

= (1 +
)

63
(43.131)

= (1 +
)
0.103
3

63

1 = (14.377)
0.103

= 0.5211

Question 8
Rate of COD removal:

= (1 +
)

(43.131)
40

1=

0.5
3

= 0.2301
= , = (0.2301 ) (

0.5
0.115
)=

Question 9
Rate of degradation of starch:

, = = (0.5211

0.103
0.054
)=

The degradation of COD was faster compared to that of starch. The reasons for
the sharp decrease of the COD value are a result of microbial activity and
sorption (absorption and adsorption) of organic matter on biomass surface, and
concentration equilibrium is reached between the water phase and the microbial
phase. Starch degrades slowly due to a possible starch hydrolysis process, which
initially increases the concentration of starch in the water phase; after some
time, the starch is then degraded almost completely.
The ratio of COD to glucose in the raw effluent to the discharge is greatly
different because the microorganisms degrade both the starch and the COD, but
after a lag time period, the starch is decomposed almost completely, while the
COD after initial sharp degradation is then degraded gradually.