Wastewater Treatment Process

What is Wastewater Treatment ?

refers to the process of removing pollutants from water previously employed for industrial, agricultural, or municipal uses.

Where does wastewater come from?

Homes - human and household wastes from toilets, sinks, baths, dishwashers, garbage grinders, clothes washers and drains.

Where does wastewater come from?

Industry, Schools and Business chemical and other wastes from factories, foodservice operations, school activities, shopping centers, etc.

Where does wastewater come from?

Hospitals
Typical wastewater sources:

From Kitchen/Canteen

From Laundry

From urinals and toilets

From Patient-handling

Why treat wastewater?

Compliance with The Clean Water Act of 2004 (Republic Act 9275)
Stiff penalties:
Php 10,000 to Php 200,000 a day for every day of violation Imprisonment for not less than 2 years

Compliance with DENR Effluent Standard

Pollutants DENR-EMB Standard

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Color Oil & Grease

50 mg/l
100 mg/l 70 mg/l 150 5 mg/l

pH

6.5 9.0

Typical Wastewater Treatment Facility

Preliminary treatment in the Philippines is typically handled by septic tanks. Usually includes the removal of large solids from the wastewater via physical settling or filtration.

Scum

Typical Septic Tank Design

Why the need for Secondary Treatment?

Primary treatment may not be able to meet DENR prescribed parameters of effluent. Primary treatments failure to handle shock loads. Lack of monitoring and maintenance of Primary treatment

Types of Secondary Treatment

1. Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)
From Primary Treatment

Outflow

2. Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR)

From Primary Treatment Outflow

Secondary Treatment:
3. Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)
From Primary Treatment Outflow

4. Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC)

From Primary Treatment Clarifier Tank

Outflow

Sequencing Batch Reactor

Five Stages to Treatment:
From Primary Treatment Wastewater Wastewater coming into the tank

Seeding and waiting for the next batch

Aerobic bacteria eats organic matter in the wastewater Anaerobic bacteria flourish at the bottom of the tank.

Gradual release of treated water

Sequencing Batch Reactor

ADVANTAGES It maintains a consistent quality of the effluent which is possible due to the tranquil batch settling method It is suitable for use with low volume inflow in wastewater treatment plants where the flow level varies widely It allows flexible operational levels that allows you to control and filter out nutrients from the wastewater
DISADVANTAGES

Though it requires less attention, it needs a skilled operator The reactor needs regular maintenance and should be inspected periodically

Some users have faced problems during the release process

Sequencing Batch Reactor

ADVANTAGES
It is less operator-attention intensive when compared with some of the mechanical treatment methods
DISADVANTAGES

Needs large space requirement

It is a simple method of treatment Fixed volume capacity thus and also reliable at the same time difficult for upgrading Longer construction time(5-6 months) due to civil works and series of components

Sequencing Batch Reactor

ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES

Maybe difficult to effect maintenance on the pipes and fittings set-up as this is installed at the bottom of the tanks Foul smell during aeration

Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

Is an improved septic tank because of the series of baffles under which the wastewater is forced to flow. The increased contact time with the active biomass (sludge) results in improved treatment.

Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

The majority of settleable solids are removed in the sedimentation chamber at the beginning of the ABR, which typically represents 50 % of the total volume.
From Primary Treatment Outflow

Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

ADVANTAGES
No electrical energy required.
Can be built and repaired with locally available materials.
DISADVANTAGES

Requires constant source of water(maybe a bit costly)

Effluent may require further treatment due to shock loads.

Long service life.

Moderate capital costs, moderate operating costs depending on emptying; can be low cost depending on number of users.

Low reduction pathogens

Requires expert design and construction.

Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES Pre-treatment is required to prevent clogging. The ABR will not operate at full capacity for several months after installation because of the long start up time required for the anaerobic digestion of the sludge. Because the ABR must be emptied regularly, a vacuum truck should be able to access the location. Clogging may result to odor emission.

Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
Clogging may result to overflow and may not perform well due to poor treatment period. Fixed volume capacity and difficult for upgrading.
Outflow

From Primary Treatment

ABR Sample Design

Membrane Bioreactor
MBR is the combination of a membrane process (filtration) with a suspended growth bioreactor.

Membrane Bioreactor
ADVANTAGES Continuous removal of oil and grease from membrane operating environment DISADVANTAGES Fouling The MBR filtration performance inevitably decreases with filtration time. This is due to the deposition of soluble and particulate materials onto and into the membrane.

Automated, in-place membrane cleaning process means reduced labor Safe environment for plant operators Flexibility in biological process selection/optimization

Membrane Bioreactor
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
High Maintenance Cost Proprietary of anti-fouling products. In addition, different types/intensities of chemical cleaning may also be recommended: Chemically enhanced backwash(daily); Maintenance cleaning with higher chemical concentration (weekly); Intensive chemical cleaning (once or twice a year).

Consumables maybe costly

Require constant monitoring because of possible clogging of the membrane

Rotating Biological Contactor

Rotating biological contactors are fixed-film reactors. This technology involves allowing wastewater to come in contact with a biological medium in order to facilitate the removal of contaminants. The support media for microbial growth are the slowly rotating discs that are partially submerged in flowing wastewater in the reactor.

Rotating Biological Contactor

The RBC process consists of a large disc, usually plastic, slowly rotating in a tank. The large disc and periodic exposure to atmosphere shall allow quick growth of bacteria that will eat organic matters in wastewater.
Filter Media

Rotating Biological Contactor

During the rotation, about 40 percent of the media surface area is in the wastewater. The rotation and subsequent exposure to oxygen allows organisms to quickly multiply and form a thin layer of biomass in the media.
This large, active population causes faster biological degradation of organic pollutants.

Excess biomass shears off at a steady rate and is then carried through the RBC system for removal in a clarifier tanks.

Rotating Biological Contactor

ADVANTAGES Short contact periods are required because of the large active surface They are capable of handling a wide range of flows
Sloughed biomass generally has good settling characteristics and can easily be separated from waste stream Ability to handle shock load.
DISADVANTAGES

Requirement for covering RBC units against rain to prevent overflow. Shaft bearings and mechanical drive units require frequent lubrication

Rotating Biological Contactor

ADVANTAGES
Operating costs are low because little skill is required in plant operation
Cyclonic feature will readily separate grease and oil.
DISADVANTAGES

Short retention time

Low power requirements Low sludge production and excellent process control Simple mechanical structure.

Rotating Biological Contactor

ADVANTAGES Only need small space (Size of a van!) Modularity thus allowing to expand in the future as the capacity of effluent is increasing. For Fiber Reinforced type, the unit can be readily transferred to other desired location. Good track record
(DENR is using one, ADB financed one!) DISADVANTAGES

Rotating Biological Contactor

ADVANTAGES Consistent process results Stable operation without frequent supervision
DISADVANTAGES

Lower expansion and retrofit costs due to modular construction and reduced excavation Low energy consumption (3 kW per 3,000 people) The only maintenance required is simple drive and bearing lubrication

Rotating Biological Contactor

ADVANTAGES Operator friendly Easily modified for upgrades, retrofits and multiple applications
DISADVANTAGES

23 installed units all over the Philippines with 4 installed at hospitals.

Thank You!

Cleantech Innovations

Oliver F. Dumlao
Sr. Manager, Business Development 0922-867-5805

G/F Pacific Coast Plaza, Tambo, Paraaque City 879-83-81 / 879-81-03

www.cleantech.com.ph
admin@cleantech.com.ph