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SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2019/20

Mid-term Test Solution

Open notes, 2 hours, 1 April 2020
Total = 85 points
Please answer all FIVE questions in this test paper

Please upload the question paper together with your answers

Name:
SID:

1. As a consultant, you are asked to diagnose the performance of an activated-sludge process.

All three reactors shown in the table below are operating in parallel and treating wastewater
with a UBOD/COD ratio of 0.5 and the total solids in the aeration tank can be vaporized
when incubated at 550oC.

A reactor with a high food-to-microorganism ratio (F/M) is considered to be performing

well. Based on the reported data shown below, rank the performance of the three reactors
(#1 = Best, #2 = Medium, #3 = Poor). (10 points)

Note:
(i) If the performance is the same, please give the same rank.
(ii) Please show how you get the answers.

Reactor A Reactor B Reactor C

F/M
10 kg BOD5/kg MLSS 10 kg COD/kg MLVSS 10 kg UBOD/kg MLSS
ratio
Rank #1 #3 #2

Solution:

- Express 10 kg BOD5/kg MLSS in terms of UBOD/MLSS  Will be larger than 10

when expressed in UBOD because BOD5 is a fraction of UBOD

- Express 10 kg COD/kg MLVSS in term of UBOD/MLSS  there are only volatile

solids in the stream so MLVSS/MLSS = 1; 5 kg UBOD in 10 kg COD based on the
given ratio; therefore, 5 kg UBOD/kg MLSS

- Reactor C  10 kg UBOD/kg MLSS

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SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2019/20

2. A clever engineer wants to use a simple dilution strategy to meet the discharge limit at 5
mg COD/L. He proposes to build a tank with a volume of 1,200 m3 and direct the effluent
from the secondary clarifier at 10 mg COD/L into this tank. The effluent enters and leaves
the dilution tank at a flow rate of 100 m3/d and there is complete mixing.

Note: Use calculations to support your answers

(a) Assuming no reaction in the dilution tank and the system is at steady-state, will this
strategy meet the discharge limit? (5 points)

(b) Assuming no reaction in the dilution tank and the system is at steady-state, will
doubling the volume of the dilution tank to 2,400 m3 meet the discharge limit? (5 points)

(c) The engineer also proposes to add 10 kg/d of oxidants into the dilution tank with volume
1,200 m3 to oxidize the pollutants. The rate constant of the reaction is 0.2/d. At steady-
state, will this strategy meet the discharge limit? (5 points)

Solution:

Part (a)

Mass balance of COD at steady-state:

Input = Output

(100 m3/d)(10 mg/L) = (100 m3/d)(C)

C = 10 mg/L (Therefore, the strategy has no use)

Part (b)

See mass balance above, changing the volume will make no difference as volume is not part of
the mass balance.

Part (c)

Mass balance of COD at steady-state:

Input = Output + first-order reaction

QCo = QC + kCV

(100 m3/d)(10 mg/L) = (100 m3/d)(C) + (0.2/d)(C)(1,200 m3)

C = 2.94 mg/L (Therefore, the strategy will work)

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SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2019/20

3. A rectangular sedimentation basin is used in primary treatment of wastewater. Laminar

flow is achieved in the sedimentation basin. The sedimentation basin is designed to remove
90% of particles with a density of 2.6 g/cm3 and a diameter of 50 m.

(a) Due to the recent virus outbreak, wastewater could contain the dangerous SARS-CoV-
2 virus, which has a density of 1.3 g/cm3 and a diameter of 0.1 m. Without making
any changes to the design and operation of the sedimentation basin, can the existing
primary sedimentation basin effectively remove the virus? (15 points)

Note: Use calculations to support your answers

Solution:

Settling velocity for regular particles, applying Stokes’ Law:

980 𝑐𝑚 2.6−1 𝑔
( )(50∗10−4 )2 𝑐𝑚2 ( )
𝑠2 𝑐𝑚3
v𝑝 =( 𝑔 ) = 0.22 𝑐𝑚
18∗(0.01𝑐𝑚·𝑠) 𝑠

For 90% removal:

𝑉𝑝
𝜂 = 0.9 =
𝑉𝐶

𝑐𝑚
𝑉𝐶 = 0.24
𝑠

Settling velocity for virus, applying Stokes’ Law:

980 𝑐𝑚 1.3−1 𝑔
( 2 )(0.1∗10−4 )2 𝑐𝑚2 ( )
𝑐𝑚3
v𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑢𝑠 =( 𝑠
𝑔 ) = 1.6 × 10−7 𝑐𝑚
18∗(0.01𝑐𝑚·𝑠) 𝑠

Removal efficiency:

𝑉𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑢𝑠 1.6×10−7
𝜂 = × 100 = × 100 = 6.8 × 10−5 %
𝑉𝐶 0.24

The existing primary sedimentation basin definitely cannot remove any virus.
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SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2019/20

(b) Fearing that the removal efficiency of the virus is poor, the chief engineer has decided
to divert waste sludge from the secondary clarifier into the primary sedimentation tank.
Sketch the concentration of the virus (number of virus/L) in the effluent of primary
treatment from immediately after adding the sludge to 21 days later. The steady-state
effluent concentration profile before sludge addition is shown in the figure below. Note:
Only need to draw a rough profile, plotting exact numbers are not required. (5 points)

Solution:
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SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2019/20

4. An anoxic/aerobic process is used to remove carbon and nitrogen in wastewater. The total
flow rate entering the secondary clarifier is 50,000 m3/d and the solids retention time (SRT)
is 5 days. Due to emergency maintenance, engineers can only use one vertical half of the
volume of a circular secondary clarifier. Except the volume reduction, all other operating
conditions remain the same. (20 points)

Explain what will happen to the following parameters relative to before maintenance (i.e.,
full volume of the secondary clarifier is used).

Note: Can use calculations and/or reasoning to support your answers

Increase, Decrease or
Parameter Explanation
No change
By solids flux analysis,
Mass of sludge send to
(a) Decrease XR decreases as Ub
landfills for disposal
increases
Aeration tank biomass By mass balance, XR
(b) Decrease
concentration decreases
Less biomass (or
Effluent NH4-N nitrifiers) in aeration
(c) Increase
concentration tank for the
transformation
(d) Recycle ratio No change No change to QR and Q
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SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2019/20

5. An organic chemicals plant is producing a wastewater stream at a flow rate of 300 m 3/d
with a soluble BOD5 concentration of 325 mg/L. There is no solid in the influent. The
biomass in the aeration tank has the properties shown in the table below. The SRT of the
process is 4 days and volume of the aeration tank is 65,000 L. From the secondary clarifier,
the sludge leaving the bottom has a concentration of 8,000 mg MLSS/L, while the effluent
at the top of the clarifier has a concentration of 18 mg MLSS/L.

Coefficients
Yk = 3.36 g VSS/g VSS/d
kd = 0.08 g VSS/g VSS/d
Ks = 115 mg BOD5/L
Y = 0.62 mg MLSS/mg BOD5
fd = 0.15 g VSS/gVSS
COD/BOD5 = 1.6
Calculate the following:

(a) The removal efficiency of soluble BOD5 (in %) (6 points)

(b) The recycle ratio (8 points)
(c) The oxygen requirement in the aeration tank (in kg/d) (6 points)

Solution:

Part (a)

𝐾𝑠 [1 + 𝑘𝑑 (𝑆𝑅𝑇)]
𝑆=
𝑆𝑅𝑇(𝑌𝑘 − 𝑘𝑑 ) − 1
(115 𝑚𝑔/𝐿)[1 + (0.08 𝑔/𝑔 ∙ 𝑑)(4 𝑑)]
𝑆=
(4 𝑑)[(3.36 𝑔/𝑔 ∙ 𝑑) − (0.08 𝑔/𝑔 ∙ 𝑑)] − 1
𝑆 = 12.5 𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷5 /𝐿

Removal efficiency:

𝑆0 −𝑆 325−12.5
× 100 = × 100 = 96%
𝑆0 325

Part (b)

Calculating the hydraulic retention time:

𝑉
τ=
𝑄

65 𝑚3
τ=
300 𝑚3 /𝑑

τ = 0.22 d
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SEE4217 Waste and Wastewater Treatment Engineering Semester (B) 2019/20

Calculating the concentration of X:

𝑆𝑅𝑇 𝑌(𝑆0 − 𝑆)
X= [ ]
𝜏 1 + 𝑘𝑑 𝑆𝑅𝑇

𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆 𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷5
4 𝑑 0.62 𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷5 (325 − 12.5) 𝐿
X= [ ]
0.22 𝑑 1
1 + (0.08 )(4 𝑑)
𝑑

𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆
X = 2668.7
𝐿

Calculating the recycle ratio:

𝑋
𝑅=
𝑋𝑅 − 𝑋

2668.7
𝑅= = 0.50
8000 − 2668.7

Part (c)

Calculating PX,bio:

𝑄𝑌(𝑆𝑜 −𝑆) (𝑓𝑑 )(𝑘𝑑 )𝑄𝑌(𝑆𝑜 −𝑆)𝑆𝑅𝑇

𝑃𝑋,𝑏𝑖𝑜 = [1+𝑘 + [1+𝑘𝑑 (𝑆𝑅𝑇)]
𝑑 (𝑆𝑅𝑇)]

𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆 𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷5
(300,000 𝐿/𝑑)(0.62 )(325 − 12.5)
𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷5 𝐿
𝑃𝑋,𝑏𝑖𝑜 =
1
1 + (0.08 )(4 𝑑)
𝑑
1 𝑚𝑔 𝑀𝐿𝑆𝑆 𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷5
(0.15) (0.08 ) (300,000 𝐿/𝑑)(0.62
𝑑 𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷5 )(325 − 12.5) 𝐿 (4 𝑑)
+
1
1 + (0.08 )(4 𝑑)
𝑑

𝑃𝑋,𝑏𝑖𝑜 = 46.1 kg MLSS/d

In terms of MLVSS: 𝑃𝑋,𝑏𝑖𝑜 = 46.1 kg MLSS/d × 0.85 MLVSS/MLSS = 39.2 kg MLVSS/d

Calculating oxygen requirement:

Ro = Q(So – S) – 1.42PX,bio

300,000 𝐿 𝑚𝑔 𝐵𝑂𝐷5
Ro = ( ) (325 − 12.5) (1.6) − 1.42(39.2 kg MLSS/d)
𝑑 𝐿

Ro = 94.3 kg/d
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