WASTEWATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES MEDAWARE

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WASTEWATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES MEDAWARE

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

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OUTLINE

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

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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

Sludge Treatment and Disposal involves grinding,
degritting, blending, thickening, stabilization,
conditioning, disinfection, dewatering, heat
drying, thermal reduction, ultimate disposal

• Disinfection can use
• Chlorine compounds
• Bromine Chloride
• Ozone
• UV Radiation

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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-Anoxic-Anaerobic Processes
• Pond Processes

• Attached Growth
• Suspended Growth
• Combined Systems

• Aerobic
• Maturation
• Facultative
• Anaerobic

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Major Aerobic Biological Processes
Type of Growth Common Name Use
Suspended Growth Activated Sludge (AS) Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification)
Suspended Growth Aerated Lagoons Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification)
Attached Growth Trickling Filters Carbonaceous BOD removal. nitrification
Attached Growth Roughing Filters (trickling filters with high hydraulic loading rates) Carbonaceous BOD removal
Attached Growth Rotating Biological Contactors Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification)
Attached Growth Packed-bed reactors Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification)
Combined Suspended Attached Growth Activated Biofilter Process Trickling filter-solids contact process Biofilter-AS process Series trickling filter-AS process Carbonaceous BOD removal (nitrification)
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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

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Advantages/Disadvantages

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

• Disadvantages
• 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

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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

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Advantages/Disadvantages

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

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

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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

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Advantages/Disdvantages

• Advantages
• 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

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

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Major Anaerobic Biological Processes
Type of Growth Common Name Use
Suspended Growth Anaerobic Contact Process Carbonaceous BOD removal
Suspended Growth Upflow Anaerobic Sludge-Blanket (UASB) Carbonaceous BOD removal
Attached Growth Anaerobic Filter Process Carbonaceous BOD removal, waste stabilization (denitrification)
Attached Growth Expanded Bed Carbonaceous BOD removal, waste stabilization
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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

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Advantages/Disadvantages

• Advantages
• Methane recovery
• Small area required
• Volatile solids destruction

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

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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

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Advantages/Disadvantages

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

• Disadvantages
• 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

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Major Anoxic and Combined Biological Processes
Type of Process Type of Growth Common Name Use
Anoxic Suspended Growth Suspended Growth Denitrification Denitrification
Anoxic Attached Growth Fixed-film Denitrification Denitrification
Combined Aerobic, Anoxic, and anaerobic Processes Suspended Growth Single- or multi-stage processes, various proprietary processes Carbonaceous BOD removal, nitrification, denitrification, phosphorus removal
Combined Aerobic, Anoxic, and anaerobic Processes Attached Growth Single- or multi-stage processes Carbonaceous BOD removal, nitrification, denitrification, phosphorus removal
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Pond Treatment Processes
Common Name Comments Use
Aerobic Stabilization Ponds Treatment with aerobic bacteria oxygen is supplied by algal photosynthesis and natural surface reaeration depth of 0.15 to 1.5 m Carbonaceous BOD removal
Maturation (tertiary) Ponds Use aerobic treatment applied loadings are low to preserve aerobic conditions Secondary effluent polishing and seasonal nitrification
Facultative Ponds Treatment with aerobic, anaerobic and facultative bacteria the pond has 3 zones a surface aerobic zone, a bottom anaerobic zone, and an intermediate zone partly aerobic-anaerobic Carbonaceous BOD removal
Anaerobic Ponds Treatment with anaerobic bacteria depths of up to 9.1 m to conserve anaerobic conditions Carbonaceous BOD removal (waste stabilization)
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Examples from the Mediterranean Region (1)
Country Name of the Plant Capacity m3/day Treatment Technology Reuse Application
Spain Vitoria 55,000 Secondary treatment (screening, sedimentation, nitrification-denitrification) tertiary treatment (coagulation-flocculation, sand filters, chlorine disinfection) Irrigation of orchards
Spain Tenerife 90,000 Secondary treatment (activated sludge), tertiary treatment Irrigation of banana, potatoes, and tomatoes
Greece Chalkis 9,000 Pretreatment, clarification, aeration tanks, final clarifiers, advanced treatment Irrigation of trees and bushes
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Examples from the Mediterranean Region (2)
Country Name of the Plant Capacity m3/day Treatment Technology Reuse Application
Palestine Dan Region Project 330,000 Secondary treatment (activated sludge, or stabilization lagoons), soil aquifer treatment Irrigation of field crops, fruit plantations, vegetables, flowers
Italy Grammich-elle 1,500 Activated sludge, chlorine contact tank, tank storage Irrigation of orange, olive trees, crops for caning industry, and vegetables to be eaten cooked
Italy Clatagiron-e 5,200 Activated sludge, sand filtration, reservoir storage Irrigation of orange, olive trees, crops for caning industry, and vegetables to be eaten cooked
Cyprus Larnaca 8,500 Oxidation ditches, sand filtration, chlorination Irrigation of corn, alfalfa, in addition to gardens, parks and fields
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Examples from the Mediterranean Region (3)
Country Name of the Plant Capacity m3/day Treatment Technology Reuse Application
Jordan Al Samra 150,000 3 trains of ponds 2 anaerobic, 4 facultative, 4 maturation 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 Irrigation of alfalfa, tomatoes, zucchini, corn and grass
Turkey Gaziantep 200,000 Primary treatment, secondary treatment (Activated Sludge) Irrigation of edible crops, vegetables and nearby fields
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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

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Technology to be used inside WWTPs proposed by
the Government
Coarse Screening
Fine Screening
Grit and Grease Removal Tank
Pumping
Primary Settling Tank
Pumping
Degassing Tank
Aeration Tank or Biofilter
Treated Water Pumping Station
Venturi Flume
Distribution Structure
Secondary Settling Tank
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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
• 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

GHADIR STATION
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Treatment Steps At Ghadir
SCREENING
LIFTING
DEGRITTING
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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

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Treatment Technologies in Community-based WWTPs

• There are 42 plants as shown by the table

Process NGO NGO NGO NGO NGO
Process CHF CAI MCI YMCA PM
Extended Aeration 1 2 7
Activated Sludge 5 6 1
Anaerobic Digestion 17
Aerobic Digestion 1 1
Mixed Treatment 1 1
Total 1 5 18 10 8
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EXTENDED AERATION
ACTIVATED SLUDGE
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ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
AEROBIC DIGESTION
MIXED TREATMENT
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EXTENDED AERATION KAWS AKKAR YMCA
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ACTIVATED SLUDGE KFEIR YMCA
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ANAEROBIC DIGESTION HASBAYA MCI
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AEROBIC DIGESTION MARJ EL ZOUHOUR YMCA
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MIXED TREATMENT ADVANCED INTEGRATED WASTEWATER
PONDS SYSTEM AIN HARSHA YMCA
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THANK YOU