WASTEWATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES

MEDAWARE
Prof. George Ayoub Faculty of Engineering and Architecture American University of Beirut

OUTLINE

Overview of the Conventional Wastewater Treatment Process Discussion of Existing Biological Treatment Technologies Examples from the Mediterranean Region

Examples from the Lebanese Context

Conventional Wastewater Treatment Process

Pretreatment involves: Screening Grit Removal Oil separation Flow equalization Chemical Treatment is used in conjunction with the physical and chemical processes: Chemical precipitation Adsorption

Disinfection can use: Chlorine compounds Bromine Chloride Ozone UV Radiation

Sludge Treatment and Disposal involves:

grinding, degritting, blending, thickening, stabilization, conditioning, disinfection, dewatering, heat drying, thermal reduction, ultimate disposal

Biological Treatment

In the case of domestic wastewater treatment, the objective of biological treatment is:
To stabilize the organic content To remove nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus

Types: Aerobic Processes Anoxic Processes Anaerobic Processes Combined Aerobic-AnoxicAnaerobic Processes Pond Processes Attached Growth Suspended Growth Combined Systems

Aerobic Maturation Facultative Anaerobic

Major Aerobic Biological Processes

Type of Growth
Suspended Growth
Attached Growth

Common Name
Activated Sludge (AS)
Aerated Lagoons Trickling Filters Roughing Filters (trickling filters with high hydraulic loading rates) Rotating Biological Contactors Packed-bed reactors

Use
Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification)
Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification) Carbonaceous BOD removal. nitrification Carbonaceous BOD removal

Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification) Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification)

Combined Suspended & Attached Growth

Activated Biofilter Process Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification)

Trickling filter-solids contact

process Biofilter-AS process Series trickling filter-AS process

Activated Sludge Process

The aeration tank contains a suspension of the wastewater and microorganisms, the mixed liquor. The liquor is mixed by aeration devices (supplying also oxygen) A portion of the biological sludge separated from the secondary effluent by sedimentation is recycled to the aeration tank Types of AS Systems: Conventional, Complete-Mix, Sequencing Batch Reactor, Extended Aeration, Deep Tank, Deep Shaft

Advantages/Disadvantages
Advantages

Disadvantages

Flexible, can adapt to minor pH, organic and temperature changes Small area required Degree of nitrification is controllable Relatively minor odor problems

High operating costs (skilled labor, electricity, etc.) Generates solids requiring sludge disposal Some process alternatives are sensitive to shock loads and metallic or other poisons Requires continuous air supply

Trickling Filters

The trickling filter or biofilter consists of a bed of permeable medium of either rock or plastic Microorganisms become attached to the media and form a biological layer or fixed film. Organic matter in the wastewater diffuses into the film, where it is metabolized. Periodically, portions of the film slough off the media

Advantages/Disadvantages
Advantages

Disadvantages

Good quality (80-90% BOD5 removal) for 2stage efficiency could reach 95% Moderate operating costs (lower than activated sludge) Withstands shock loads better than other biological processes

High capital costs Clogging of distributors or beds Snail, mosquito and insect problems

Rotating Biological Contactors

It consists of a series of circular disks of polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride that are submerged in wastewater and rotated slowly through it The disk rotation alternately contacts the biomass with the organic material and then with atmosphere for adsorption of oxygen

Excess solids are removed by shearing forces created by the rotation mechanism

Advantages/Disdvantages
Advantages

Disadvantages

Short contact periods Handles a wide range of flows Easily separates biomass from waste stream Low operating costs Short retention time Low sludge production Excellent process control

Need for covering units installed in cold climate to protect against freezing Shaft bearings and mechanical drive units require frequent maintenance

Major Anaerobic Biological Processes

Type of Growth
Suspended Growth

Common Name
Anaerobic Contact Process Upflow Anaerobic SludgeBlanket (UASB) Anaerobic Filter Process

Use
Carbonaceous BOD removal Carbonaceous BOD removal Carbonaceous BOD removal, waste stabilization (denitrification) Carbonaceous BOD removal, waste stabilization

Attached Growth

Expanded Bed

Anaerobic Contact Process

Untreated wastewater is mixed with recycled sludge solids and then digested in a sealed reactor The mixture is separated in a clarifier The supernatant is discharged as effluent, and settled sludge is recycled

Advantages/Disadvantages
Advantages

Disadvantages

Methane recovery Small area required Volatile solids destruction

Heat required Effluent in reduced chemical form requires further treatment Requires skilled operation Sludge to be disposed off is minimal

Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket

Wastewater flows upward through a sludge blanket composed of biological granules that decompose organic matter Some of the generated gas attaches to granules that rise and strike degassing baffles releasing the gas

Free gas is collected by special domes

The effluent passes into a settling chamber

Advantages/Disadvantages
Advantages

Disadvantages

Low energy demand Low land requirement Low sludge production Less expensive than other anaerobic processes High organic removal eficiency

Long start-up period Requires sufficient amount of granular seed sludge for faster start-up Significant wash out of sludge during initial phase of process Lower gas yield than other anaerobic processes

Major Anoxic and Combined Biological Processes

Type of Process
Anoxic

Type of Growth
Suspended Growth
Attached Growth

Common Name
Suspended Growth Denitrification
Fixed-film Denitrification Single- or multi-stage processes, various proprietary processes

Use
Denitrification
Denitrification Carbonaceous BOD removal, nitrification, denitrification, phosphorus removal

Combined Aerobic, Anoxic, and anaerobic Processes

Suspended Growth

Attached Growth

Single- or multi-stage processes

Carbonaceous BOD removal, nitrification, denitrification, phosphorus removal

Pond Treatment Processes

Common Name
Aerobic Stabilization Ponds
Maturation (tertiary) Ponds Facultative Ponds

Comments
Treatment with aerobic bacteria; oxygen is supplied by algal photosynthesis and natural surface reaeration; depth of 0.15 to 1.5 m

Use
Carbonaceous BOD removal

Use aerobic treatment; applied Secondary effluent loadings are low to preserve aerobic polishing and seasonal conditions nitrification Treatment with aerobic, anaerobic Carbonaceous BOD and facultative bacteria; the pond removal has 3 zones: a surface aerobic zone, a bottom anaerobic zone, and an intermediate zone partly aerobicanaerobic Treatment with anaerobic bacteria; depths of up to 9.1 m to conserve anaerobic conditions Carbonaceous BOD removal (waste stabilization)

Anaerobic Ponds

Examples from the Mediterranean Region (1)

Country
Spain

Name of Capacity Treatment the Plant m3/day Technology

Vitoria 55,000
Secondary treatment (screening, sedimentation, nitrificationdenitrification) + tertiary treatment (coagulationflocculation, sand filters, chlorine disinfection)

Reuse Application
Irrigation of orchards

Spain

Tenerife

90,000

Secondary treatment (activated sludge), tertiary treatment Pretreatment, clarification, aeration tanks, final clarifiers, advanced treatment

Irrigation of banana, potatoes, and tomatoes Irrigation of trees and bushes

Greece

Chalkis

9,000

Examples from the Mediterranean Region (2)

Country
Palestine

Name of Capacity Treatment the Plant m3/day Technology

Dan Region Project
Grammich -elle

Reuse Application
Irrigation of field crops, fruit plantations, vegetables, flowers
Irrigation of orange, olive trees, crops for caning industry, and vegetables to be eaten cooked Irrigation of orange, olive trees, crops for caning industry, and vegetables to be eaten cooked Irrigation of corn, alfalfa, in addition to gardens, parks and fields

330,000

Secondary treatment (activated sludge, or stabilization lagoons), soil aquifer treatment

Activated sludge, chlorine contact tank, tank storage Activated sludge, sand filtration, reservoir storage Oxidation ditches, sand filtration, chlorination

Italy

1,500

Italy

Clatagiron -e

5,200

Cyprus

Larnaca

8,500

Examples from the Mediterranean Region (3)

Country
Jordan

Name of Capacity Treatment the Plant m3/day Technology

Al Samra 150,000 3 trains of ponds: 2 anaerobic, 4 facultative, 4 maturation

Reuse Application
Irrigation of olive trees, forest area, fodder crops and non-restricted vegetables for experiments

Morocco

City of Drargua

600

Primary treatment (anaerobic basins), secondary treatment (sand filters), tertiary treatment Primary treatment, secondary treatment (Activated Sludge)

Irrigation of alfalfa, tomatoes, zucchini, corn and grass

Turkey

Gaziantep

200,000

Irrigation of edible crops, vegetables and nearby fields

Examples from Lebanon

Lebanon has been rebuilding its water and wastewater infrastructure since 1992; in this context, the Government initiated the construction of large-scale WWTPs employing AS and Biofilter treatment systems mainly

Except for the Ghadir pre-treatment station, no single large-scale plant achieving secondary treatment has started to operate
Some community-based plants funded by NGOs are achieving secondary treatment; however, these are small-scale plants and rarely function properly

Coarse Screening

Fine Screening Pumping

Grit and Grease Removal Tank

Technology to be used inside WWTPs proposed by the Government

Degassing Tank

Aeration Tank or Biofilter

Pumping

Primary Settling Tank

Distribution Structure

Secondary Settling Tank

Venturi Flume

Treated Water Pumping Station

Ghadir Preliminary Treatment Station

Serves the Greater Beirut Southern Wastewater Collection Basin (population of 977,000) Maximum instantaneous flow: 2.6 m3/s; average: 1.6 m3/s; expected minimum: 1.1 m3/s Accepts also septic tank septage and leachate from the Naameh landfill Effluent is discharged into the sea at a distance of 2.6 km away from the shore and at a depth of 60 m
GHADIR STATION

In periods of overflow, the plant partially or completely shuts down, and the effluent is discharged into the sea at a distance of 500 m from the shore

Treatment Steps At Ghadir

LIFTING SCREENING

DEGRITTING

Baalbeck WWTP

Completed in summer 2000 Not yet functional because the collection network is not yet finished Serves a population of 130,600, and has a daily capacity of 19,600 m3/day Will achieve secondary treatment

Treatment Technologies in Community-based WWTPs

There are 42 plants as shown by the table
Process CHF CAI 5 17 NGO MCI YMCA PM

Extended Aeration Activated Sludge Anaerobic Digestion Aerobic Digestion Mixed Treatment Total

2 6 1 1 10

7 1 1 1 8

18

EXTENDED AERATION

ACTIVATED SLUDGE

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

AEROBIC DIGESTION

MIXED TREATMENT

EXTENDED AERATION KAWS AKKAR YMCA

ACTIVATED SLUDGE KFEIR YMCA

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION HASBAYA MCI

AEROBIC DIGESTION MARJ EL ZOUHOUR YMCA

MIXED TREATMENT ADVANCED INTEGRATED WASTEWATER PONDS SYSTEM AIN HARSHA YMCA

THANK YOU