Case Study of Water Pollution

Biological Treatment: Aerobic and

Anaerobic Digestions

Presented by:
Mohd Raffandi bin Rolando
Lee Peoy Ying
Maziahtul Ashikin
Nabilah Hanim
Sangeetha A/P Chelladorai
Viesueida A/P Chit
 Water Pollution
• Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies such as rivers, lakes, oceans and groundwater.

• This occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies, without
adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.

• Humans are the cause of most of the pollution in our water ways, and polluted stormwater is a
major contributor to degradation of our water ways.
• According to The Department of Environment
(DOE) report, in Malaysia.
52% of the river were found to be clean

39% slightly contaminated

9% contaminated
 INWQS Class Definitions
Table 1: INWQS Class Definitions, (Zainuddin, 2010)
CLASS DEFINITION
I • Conservation of natural environment.
• Water supply I - Practically no treatment necessary
• Fishery I - Very sensitive aquatic species.

IIA Water supply II – Conventional treatment required.

• Fishery II - Sensitive aquatic species.

IIB Recreational use with body contact.

III Water supply III – Extensive treatment required.

• Fishery III - Common of economic value, and tolerant species

IV Irrigation

V None of the above.

CURRENT STATUS OF WATER QUALITY IN MALAYSIA
 Current status of water quality in Malaysia
400 Clean Slightly polluted polluted

338
368 • In 2014, 244 (52%) were
335 334
306
293
clean, 186 (39%) were
300

275 278 275

slightly contaminated, and
Number of rivers

244
197
217
203 43 (9%) were infected.
200

180 186
166 164 173 173
150

90
• Total contaminated rivers
100

74
58 48 48 54
39 43
(including the slightly
25 25
contaminated Class III river)
0

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 are declining by 10% of all
Clean 338 335 368 334 306 293 275 278 275 244
Slightly polluted 166 180 164 197 217 203 150 173 173 186
streams monitored in 2007,
polluted 90 58 48 48 54 74 39 25 25 43 approximately 5% in 2011.
Year

Figure 1: River Water Quality Trend in Malaysia from 2005 until 2014
 • Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and suspended solids (SS) continued to be significant
regarding river pollution.

• High BOD can be attributed to inadequate treatment of sewage or effluent from the agriculture and manufacturing
industries.

•The primary sources of NH3-N were livestock and domestic wastewater.

Figure 2: Percentage of Polluted River Based on Suspended Solid (SS), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Ammonia Nitrogen (NH3-N)
• Based on BOD-based river classes, the contaminated rivers (class III and IV) are rising 36.4% (in 2010) to 89.3% (in 2014) of
the total monitored river.

•Depending on the results of monitoring by the DOE in 2012, regarding the river basin formed, the Klang River Basin received
the highest BOD load (142 tons per day).

• The Klang River basin also received the highest SS load (360 tons per day) and the NH3-N load (37 tons per day) between the
Malaysian watersheds (Environmental quality Report, 2012).
 Source of River Water Pollution

Can be classified into:

• Point sources
• Non-point sources
• Point sources refer to sources with discharges that enter the
body of water at a particular location such as pipelines or
emissaries. Point sources include discharges from industries,
sewage treatment plants, and animal farms.
• Non-point sources are derived from diffuse sources that have no
examples of specific release points from which they come from
agricultural activities and surface runoff
 Table 2: River Water Pollution Sources in Malaysia in 2014 (Muyibi, Ambali, & Eissa, 2008).

No of Source Percentage Change

Type of source 2013 2014 2013 2014
Manufacturing industries 4595 3355 0.276 0.225 -0.051
Agro Based industries
Rubber Mill 72 80 0.004 0.005 0.001
Palm Oil Mill 436 451 0.026 0.0003 -0.026
Animal Pig 754 755 0.045
Sewage Treatment Plant
Public 5800 6201 0.349 0.416 0.068
Private 4083 4594 0.246 0.3 0.054
Individual septic tank 1449383 1276195 87.190 85.76 -1.430
Commercial septic tank 3631 3628 0.218 0.24 0.022
Food Services
Establishment 192710 192710 11.593 12.95 1.357
Wet Markets 865 879 0.052 0.11 0.058
1662329 1488848 100 100
 Food and beverage
industry
7.40%
Electricity and
electronics
8.80% 23.70%
Chemical industry

11.20% Paper industry

11.40%
Textile industry

Figure 3: Analysis of Manufacturing industries in 2000 ((Muyibi, Ambali, & Eissa, 2008).
 EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION

1. •Death of aquatic animals

2. •Disruption of food chains

3. •Diseases

4. •Destruction of ecosystem
 2
12.9

12.1
45.2

13.3

9.3
Diarrhea Hepatitis Dengue fever Typhoid Malaria Hair disease

Figure: 4 Disease caused by water pollution (Afroz et al., 2015 )

 WASTEWATER
TREATMENT PLANT BY
ACTIVATED SLUDGE
PROCESS AND
ANAEROBIC
DIGESTION
 Contaminants in Wastewater
Table 3: Common Contaminants of Wastewater (Source: Modified from Metcalf and Eddy, Inc.
Wastewater Engineering, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2002)

Contaminant Problem caused by Contaminants

Suspended solids
Biodegradable organic compounds
Pathogenic microorganism
Priority pollutants
Refractory organic compound
Heavy metals
Dissolved inorganic constituents
Cause deposition of sludge leading to anoxic conditions
Proteins, fats, carbohydrates cause increased in heterotrophic
growth leading to anoxic conditions
Infectious disease
Organic or inorganic compounds that may be toxic, carcinogenic
Phenols, Surfactants, Agricultural pesticides that resists
conventional wastewater treatment
Usually discharged by industry
Calcium, Sodium, and Sulphate added to domestic water supplies
GENERAL PROCESS OF
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
Primary
Treatment

Secondary
Treatment

Tertiary
Treatment
Secondary Treatment:
Activated Sludge System

Suspended solids
and live bacteria
settle down

Send to
anaerobic
Sludge is kept in the Recycled digestor
aeration tank for Suspended Growth of Bacteria sludge to
certain amount of by consuming the organic maintain the
time. pollutants F/M ratio
 Biological Wastewater Treatment
Table 4: Biological Nature of Operation
Operations Brief Explanation
Activated Sludge Process An aerobic, continuous flow system that
uses microbes to degrade organic matter
Aerated Lagoon A basin 1-4m in depth (similar treatment
process of ASP)
Trickling Filters Aerobic attached-growth biological
treatment
Rotating Biological Contractors Attached growth process that features
large cylinders partially submerged in
wastewater
Anaerobic Digestion Treatment of sludge
 Aerobic and Anerobic Digestion

• Edward Ardern and W. T. Lockett invented

activated sludge in 1913
• Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plant
(WWTPs) is designed to remove organic matter in
water
• Ability of certain microorganisms to assimilate
organic matter and nutrients dissolved in water
for their own growth
 Aerobic Digestion

Process that can completely catabolize a reduced organic energy source to CO2 and
H2O

Uses natural microbial colonies and molecular oxygen to decompose organic

substances in the wastewater

“Free moving” microbes feeding on the organic contaminants and formed excess
microbial biomass (sewage sludge)

+
𝑂𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 + 𝑂2 → 𝐶𝑂2 𝑔 + 𝐻2𝑂 𝑙 + 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 + 𝑁𝐻4
 Production of digestion product: Production of ammonium
bicarbonate increases waste pH

Nitrification: 𝑁𝐻4 + 𝑎𝑞 + 2𝑂2 𝑔 → 𝑁𝑂3 − 𝑎𝑞 + 2𝐻 + (𝑎𝑞) + 𝐻2 𝑂(𝑙)

Denitrification process by anaerobes

 Anaerobic Digestion

Process whereby an exogeneous terminal electron acceptor other than O2 is used for
electron transport

Employed for the treatment of organic sludges and concentrated organic

industrial wastes

Occurs in large tanks designed to operate with continuous input of untreated

sludge and removal of the final, stabilized sludge product

𝑂𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 → 𝐶𝐻4 𝑔 + 𝐶𝑂2 𝑔 + 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠

 Anaerobic Digestion
Table 5: Sequential Reactions in the Anaerobic Digester
Process Step Substrates Products Major Microorganisms
Fermentation Organic polymers Butyrate, propionate, • Clostridium
lactate, succinate, • Bacteroides
ethanol, acetate, H2, CO2 • Peptostreptococcus
• Peptococcus
• Eubacterium
• Lactobacillus
Acetogenic Reactions Butyrate, propionate, Acetate, H2, CO2 • Syntrophomonas
lactate, succinate, ethanol • Syntrophobacter
Methanogenic Reactions Acetate, H2, HCO3- CH4, CO2, • Methanosarcina
• Methanothrix
Figure ?: Schematic Diagram of Biogas Production (BEEMS Module B7 -
Anaerobic Digestion)
 Aerobic and Anaerobic Principle

Figure ?: Aerobic Treatment Principle Figure ?: Anaerobic Treatment Principle

Source: Mittal, A. (2011) ‘Biological Wastewater Treatment’, Water Today, pg. 32-44
Advantages of Aerobic Digestion
Volume of water

Treatment time
Production of Sludge

Disadvantages of Eutrophication

Aerobic Digestion

Energy Consuming
Advantages of Anaerobic
Digestion
Lower Operating Cost
Production of Methane Gas
Anaerobic Digestion

Lower sludge Lower CO2

production
Disadvantages of Aerobic Digestion
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC