Effluent Treatment Method

Course name: Environmental Studies

Course Code: WPE 407

Course Teacher:
Tabassum Ferdous Jenny
Assistant Professor, Department of Wet Process Engineering
Bangladesh University of Textiles
Types of effluent treatment :

Generally three types of effluent treatment method are available.

1. Physical Method

2. Chemical method

3. Biological method
1.Physical waste water treatment method
1.1 Screening:

Screening is the f ir st step at any waste water treatment system. This system essentially
involves the removal of large non-biodegradable and f loating solids such as paper, rags,
plastics, tin, containers and woods. Ef ficient removal of these waste will protect the
downstream plant and equipment from any possible damage and pipe blockage.

1.2 Grit chamber:

Grit chamber is a sedimentation basin that is used to remove sand or any other non-
putrescible materials that may clog channels or abrasive wear of pumps or other devices.
1.3 Fat and grease removal:

In some larger plants, fat and greases are removed by passing the sewage through a small tank
where skimmers collect the fat f loating on the surface. Air blowers may also be used to help
recover the fat. Many plants, however, use primary clarif ie rs with mechanical surface skimmers
for fat and grease removal.

1.4 Flotation:

The f lotation process is widely used in industrial waste water treatment plants, where it removes
fats, oils, grease and suspended solids from waste water. These units are called Dissolved Air
Flotation (DAF) units. In particular, DAF units are used in removing oil from waste water ef fluents
of oil ref ineries, petrochemicals and chemical plants, natural gas processing plants and similar
industrial facilities.
1.5 Equalization Basin:

Flow equalization is not a treatment process but a technique that improves the effectiveness of
secondary and advanced waste water treatment processes. Flow equalization levels out
operations parameters such as f low, pollutants levels and temperature over a time frame
(usually 24 hrs.).

1.6 Wastewater clarifier/sedimentation tank:

• Wastewater clarif ie r or sedimentation tank plays an important role either after or before
biological treatment processes to remove heavier sludge solids by means of settlings and
separation from liquid phase.

• Clarif ie rs are settling tanks built with mechanical means for continuous removal of solids
being deposited by sedimentation.
• A clarif ier is generally used to remove solid particulates
or suspended solids from liquid for clarif ication and (or)
thickening.

• Concentrated impurities, discharged from the bottom

of the tank are known as sludge, while the particles that
float to the surface of the liquid are called scum.

• When it is used ahead of biological treatment, the main

advantage is that it could help towards signif icant
reduction in BOD levels and thus reducing the load feed
into aeration. This type of primary sedimentation tank is
designed to deal with higher rate of loading.
2.Chemical waste water treatment Method

2.1 Neutralization:

The purpose of neutralization is to adjust the pH value to meet the requirements of the
different processing unit in the wastewater treatment system. Neutralization may be used in
order to treat acid waste waters containing metals, the method comprising increasing the
pH of the acid waste by addition of an alkaline reagent, to form a precipitate and collecting
the precipitate. In this way, the incoming solution is pH adjusted to the optimum range for
precipitating metals as hydroxides. This step is conducted before the main step of waste
water treatment to fulfill the overall waste water treatment.
2.2 Coagulation and Flocculation:

• Coagulation and f locculation treatment chemicals are used in ef flu ent water treatment
process for solid removals, water clarif ication, lime softening, sludge thickening and solids
dewatering.

• Naturally occurring silt particles suspended in water are dif ficult to remove because they are
very small, often colloidal in size, and possess negative charges; thus they are prevented
from coming together to form large particles that can more readily be settled out. The
removal of these particles by settling requires neutralizing the electric charges and
encouraging the particles to collide with each other. The charge neutralization is called
coagulation, and the building of larger flocs from smaller particles is called flocculation.
2.2 Coagulation and Flocculation (Cont..)

• One means of accomplishing this end is to

add trivalent cations to the water. The usual
source of trivalent cations in water treatment
is alum (aluminum sulfate).

• The effect of this would be to reduce the net

negative charge and thus lower the repulsive
force. In this condition, the particles will not
repel each other and, upon colliding, will stick
together.
2.3 Oxidation:

• Industrial wastewaters or contaminated ground waters often contain non-biodegradable

organic substances. These include, for example, chlorinated hydrocarbons. These
substances can be chemically oxidized and so removed from the water.

• There are always two components involved in oxidation: the substance being oxidized and
the oxidant. The oxidant absorbs electrons and is reduced. The substance being oxidized
gives off electrons in return.

• Organic substances are oxidized in stages, with intermediate products being formed along
the way. Where organic substances are fully oxidized, they are converted into the inorganic
end products, water and carbon dioxide.
Advanced oxidation processes:

• Oxidation processes are termed advanced when hydroxyl radicals (OH radicals) are used as

the oxidants. The basic feature of radicals is the presence of a single free electron in place of

an electron pair. This is indicated in the formula by a dot (·OH). This electron provides the OH

radical with a very high reactivity. OH radicals are very strong oxidants, and are capable of

oxidizing virtually any organic substance.

• One method of producing OH radicals is to irradiate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with UV light.

Hydrogen peroxide absorbs the UV radiation, splitting into two OH radicals (photolysis). In this

way, two OH radicals can be obtained from one hydrogen peroxide molecule.
Fig: Advanced Oxidation Process
2.4 Ion exchange:

• Ion exchange is a water treatment method where one or more undesirable ionic contaminants
are removed from water by exchange with another non-objectionable, or less objectionable ionic
substance.

• A typical example of ion exchange is a process called “water softening” aiming to reduce
calcium and magnesium content.

• Ion exchange processes can also remove various charged atoms or molecules (ions) such as
nitrates, f lu oride, sulphates, perchlorate, iron and manganese ions as well as toxic metals
(radium, uranium, chromium, etc.) from water.

• The most typical application of ion exchange is the preparation of high purity water for industrial
applications, water softening, recovery or removal of metals in the chemical industry.
2.5 Ozonation:

Ozone is an unstable gas comprising of three oxygen atoms, the gas will readily degrade
back to oxygen, and during this transition a free oxygen atom, or free radical form.
Ozonation (Cont..):

• Ozone has a greater disinfection effectiveness against bacteria and viruses compared to
chlorination.

• In addition, the oxidizing properties can also reduce the concentration of iron, manganese,
sulfur and reduce or eliminate taste and odor problems.

• Ozone oxidizes the iron, manganese, and sulfur in the water to form insoluble metal oxides or
elemental sulfur. These insoluble particles are then removed by post-f il tration. Organic
particles and chemicals will be eliminated through either coagulation or chemical oxidation.
2.6 Disinfection:

• Disinfectants are antimicrobial agents that are applied to the surface of non-living
objects to destroy microorganisms that are living on the object.

• The purpose of disinfection in the treatment of wastewater is to substantially reduce the

number of microorganism in the water to be discharged back into the environment.

• In wastewater treatment, a disinfection step with chlorine, ultraviolet (UV) radiation or

ozonation can be included as tertiary treatment to remove pathogens from wastewater.
 3. Biological Treatment of Waste Water
• Biological wastewater treatment is an important and integral step of wastewater treatment
system and it treats wastewater coming from either residential buildings or industries etc. It
is often called as Secondary Treatment process which is used to remove any contaminants
that left over after primary treatment.

• Biological treatment uses microorganisms to degrade wastewater contaminants. This

treatment rely on bacteria, algae, fungi, protozoa etc. to break down unstable organic wastes
using normal cellular processes to stable inorganic forms. Based on the process, biological
treatment of waste water methods are majorly classified into two types and are as follows:

1. Biological Aerobic Treatment (in presence of oxygen)

2. Biological Anaerobic Treatment (in absence of oxygen)

3.1 Biological Aerobic Treatment:

Aerobic wastewater treatment is a biological process that takes place in the presence of oxygen.
It is the rapid and the most ef ficient biological waste treatment which remove up to 98% of
organic contaminants. This process causes effective breakdown of organic pollutants and yields
a cleaner water ef flu ent than anaerobic treatment. Aerobic biological treatment processes
include many processes such as -

a. Activated sludge process,

b. Trickling filter,

c. Aerated lagoons and

d. Oxidation ponds etc.

a. Activated Sludge Process:

• The activated sludge process is the most widely used biological waste treatment in secondary
stage of wastewater treatment. An activated sludge process refers to a multi-chamber reactor
unit that makes use of highly concentrated microorganisms to degrade organics and remove
nutrients from wastewater to produce a high-quality effluent.

• In this method, the sewage containing organic matter with the microorganisms is aerated (by
a mechanical aerator) in an aeration tank. This process speeds up waste decomposition.

• Aeration in an activated sludge process is based on pumping air into a tank, which promotes
the microbial growth in the wastewater. The ef fluent from the aeration tank containing the
f locculent microbial mass, known as sludge, is separated in a settling tank, sometimes called
a secondary settler or a clarifier.
• Conventional flow diagram for Activated Sludge Process is shown below:
b. Trickling filters:

• This is the second commonly using type of aerobic treatment which

is also called as percolating or sprinkling filters.

• It consists of a f ixed bed of rocks, coke, gravel, slag, polyurethane

foam, ceramic, or plastic media over which sewage or other
wastewater f lows downward and causes a layer of microbial slime
(biofilm) to grow, covering the bed of media.

• Aerobic conditions are maintained by splashing, diffusion, and either

by forced-air f lowing through the bed or natural convection of air if
the f ilter medium is porous. These f ilters are commonly used to
remove compounds such as ammonia from the water after primary
treatment.
c. Aerated Lagoons:

It is one of the aerobic biological wastewater or waste treatment process. An aerated lagoon is a
treatment pond that is provided with mechanical aeration that introduces oxygen into the pond
in order to promote the biological oxidation of the wastewater. The ef fluent of aerated ponds
may be reused or used for recharge, but settled sludge requires a further treatment.
d. Oxidation Pond:
• Oxidation ponds are large , shallow ponds designed to
treat waste water through the interaction of sunlight,
bacteria and algae.
• Algae grows within the pond and utilizes sunlight to
produce oxygen during photosynthesis.
• This oxygen is used by the aerobic bacteria in the
oxidation pond to breakdown the organic waste in the
waste water. The broken down solids, settled down in
the ponds, resulting in effluent that is well treated.
• Overall the process is slow and requires large areas
of land. Typically oxidation ponds are used in areas
with small populations where land is readily available.
3.2 Biological Anaerobic Treatment:

• Anaerobic digestion is a process in which microorganisms convert organic matter into biogas in
the absence of oxygen. It is an energy-ef ficient process that is typically utilized to treat high-
strength industrial wastewater that is warm and contains high concentrations of biodegradable
organic matter (measured as BOD, COD, and/or TSS).

• An anaerobic system can be used for pretreatment prior to discharging to a municipal

wastewater treatment plant or before polishing in an aerobic process. Anaerobic processes use
substantially less energy, require less chemicals, and incur lower sludge handling costs compared
to aerobic treatment options.

• In addition, the biogas produced in the anaerobic process is a source of renewable energy that
can be used to displace fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, or to generate electricity. Overall,
the process converts about 40% to 60% of the organic solids to methane (CH4) and carbon
dioxide (CO2).
Bioreactor

• A bioreactor refers to any manufactured device or system that supports a biologically

active environment.

• In one case, a bioreactor is a vessel in which a chemical process is carried out where
microorganisms or biochemically active substances derived from such organisms are
involved. This process can either be aerobic or anaerobic.

• The reactors can be open systems, or an enclosed chamber.

Types of bio-reactor that used in different biological treatment
process:
Advantages and Disadvantages of Aerobic waste water treatment

Advantages :
• Advantages of aeration can be reduced odor, nitrification of ammonia to nitrate.
• Reduction of greenhouse gases (especially methane) compared to anaerobic treatment.
• Process is very fast and more cleaner effluent than anaerobic process is possible to achieve.

Disadvantages :
• Aerobic digestion requires aeration which uses large amount of electrical energy.
• Electrical energy often generated by burning of fossil fuels, which produce green house gases.
• Aerobic digestion also results a large amount of bio-solids or sludge which requires disposal.
• Inappropriate release of nutrient rich sludge into rivers or ponds can cause algae overgrowth
which kills fish and other aquatic life.
Advantages and disadvantages of Anaerobic Treatment process

Advantages:

• Formation of biogas: The organic pollutant is converted into biogas with a high energetic
value. This, for example, allows the energy needed to operate the water purif ication system
to be fully or partly recovered.

• High loads : The volumetric load in an anaerobic reactor is typically 5 to 10 times higher than
aerobic wastewater purification.

• Very little sludge production.

• Sludge growth in an anaerobic reactor is 4-5 times lower than in an aerobic system.
Disadvantages:

• Incomplete break-down of organic compounds: Need for post purification via, for example,
aerobic purification;

• No thorough nutrient removal: Again, later aerobic purif ication with nutrient removal is
often needed;

• Most ef ficient purif ication in the mesophilic range, i.e. between 30-37°C, whereby the
influent must be heated in most cases;

• Risk of odour problems.

Any Question?
Thank You