ENGS‐37 Fall 2013

INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Mid‐Term Exam

SOLUTIONS

1. (10 points) Environmental engineering is problem focused and brings to bear on

those problems all science and engineering disciplines that can be useful. Taking
wastewater treatment as an example, cite one application of each of the following:

- Physics ‐ Civil Engineering

- Chemistry ‐ Mechanical Engineering
‐ Biology

Note: For the purpose of this question, civil engineering is understood as that discipline
of engineering that erects structures capable of withstanding gravity and side pressure
forces from water and wind, and mechanical engineering as that discipline of
engineering that designs machinery in which something moves in a controlled way (as
opposed to physics that establishes the principles relating motion and forces).

Physics:
‐ Expression of the material flux as the product of flowrate and concentration
‐ Use of mass conservation to formulate a budget equation
‐ Formulation of the drag force on a particle settling in a fluid
‐ Balance of forces on settling particles

Chemistry:
‐ Use of chlorine gas to make HOCl in water for disinfection
 (We covered disinfection by HOCl in the context of water treatment for drinking,
but the same process is used in wastewater treatment as well as indicated in the
lectures as the finishing step of wastewater treatment.)

Biology:
‐ Use of chlorine (or chlorinated compound) or ozone to kill pathogens
(now seen from the perspective of the pathogens)
‐ Using plants in a wetland to remove unwanted nutrients from water
‐ Using micro‐organism (cells) to reduce BOD of sewage

Civil engineering:
‐ Design of sewer system to collect and convey the wastewater to a treatment
facility
‐ Design of outdoor basins as clarifiers and reactors for wastewater treatment plants
(these need to withstand large water pressures)
‐ Construction of support buildings (ex. lab space & offices) at the treatment facility

Mechanical engineering:
‐ Conveyor belt at bottom of a rectangular settling tank
‐ Arms and other rotating components in circular clarifiers
‐ All pumps and blowers needed to push liquids or gases into treating equipment
‐ Squeezing mechanism to squeeze water of residual sludge.
2. (6 points) Consider the bourbon spill into the Kentucky River that took place in early
May 2000. The EPA pumped oxygen in the water in areas where the dissolved oxygen
had fallen to less than 0.5 parts per million of oxygen.

(a) (3 points) Convert the 0.5 ppm of dissolved oxygen in mg/L.

(b) (3 points) Approximately how much oxygen (in kilograms) should the EPA have
pumped in the water to restore a dissolved oxygen concentration of 8 mg/L if the
effected area amounted to a length of 3 miles where the river is about 80 ft wide
and 11 ft deep?

(a) (3 points) DO in mg/L

In water, ppm is defined on a mass basis (not molar or volume basis as for air!). Thus,
DO = 0.5 ppm means that there are 0.5 mg of oxygen in 106 mg of water.

Now 106 mg of water = 103 g = 1 kg of water, which occupies 1 Liter. It follows that

0.5 ppm = 0.5 mg/L .

Note: If one chooses 997 kg/m3 = 997 g/L for water density, the answer is

(0.5 mg of O2 )(997 g / L)
 0.499 mg / L.
(10 6 mg of water )(10 3 g / mg )

(b) (3 points) Amount of oxygen pumped by the EPA (in kg)

We need to supply only the missing oxygen, that is, DO = 8 – 0.5 = 7.5 mg/L.

The mass of oxygen to be injected into the water is that amount times the volume (in L)
of the water effected. This volume of water is

V  (3 miles )(1609 m / mile)(80 ft )(11 ft )(0.3048 m / ft ) 2

 394,630 m 3  3.946  10 8 L .

Thus the required mass of oxygen is:

m  DO  V  (7.5 mg / L)(10 6 kg / mg )(3.946  10 8 L)  2,960 kg.

This is almost 2 metric tons, a fairly large number but within the realm of possibilities.
3. (4 points) Dr. Marta Ceroni mentioned several aspects of wetlands and made some
useful distinctions. Explain what she meant by structures vs. processes and by goods vs.
services. Give two examples of each.

According to Dr. Ceroni’s, “structures” in wetlands are existing elements whereas

“processes” are transformations undegone by elements. Examples are:

Structures: Biomass, soils, plants, and animals

Processes: Photosynthesis, water filtering, decomposition of organic material, nutrient
cycling.

“Goods” are elements that are taken out of wetlands whereas “services” are processes
that wetlands perform and from which we obtain a free benefit. Examples are:

Goods: Water, fish, sand, hay

Services: Nutrient and toxics removal, wildlife habitat (for fish and fowl), recreation
opportunities for people.

See Slide #18 (bottom of page 9 in pdf) of Dr. Ceroni’s lecture.

4. (10 points) Incineration of municipal solid waste almost always implies the burning of
some Polypropylene (PP), a common form of plastic found in many household goods,
including yogurt containers; microwaveable disposable take‐away containers and
disposable cups. Polypropylene is a polymeric chain repeating the monomer C3H6
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypropylene for details and useful numbers). The
following reaction describes the high‐temperature combustion of the PP monomer:

C3H6 + a O2  b CO2 + c H2O

(a) (1 point) Determine the values of the stoichiometric coefficients for this reaction.
(b) (3 points) Calculate the volume of oxygen at T = 20oC and P = 1 atm required to
incinerate one mole of the monomer. Express your answer in liters.
(c) (2 points) Calculate the volume of air at T = 20oC and P = 1 atm required to
incinerate 10 kg of polypropylene. Express your answer in liters.
(d) (4 points) If the fumes exit the stack at 240oC and 1 atm, how many m3 of CO2 and
H2O (vapor) are being released for every 10 kg of polypropylene burned?

(a) (1 point) Stoichiometric coefficients

C3H6 + 4.5 O2  3 CO2 + 3 H2O

or
2 C3H6 + 9 O2  6 CO2 + 6 H2O

(b) (3 points) Volume of oxygen at T = 20oC and P = 1 atm required to incinerate 1 mole
of the monomer (in L)
From this reaction, we see that 1 mole of PP takes 9/2 = 4.5 moles of oxygen to
combust. Since oxygen behaves as an ideal gas, pV = nRT , and we can solve for the
volume V of oxygen:

nRT (4.5)(8.205 10 5 atm  m 3 / mol  K )(273.15  20 K )

V 
p (1 atm)
 0.1082 m 3 108.2 L.

(c) (2 points) Volume of air at T = 20oC and P = 1 atm required to incinerate 10 kg of PP

(in L)

The molecular weight of C3H6 is

MW = (3 x 12) + (6 x 1) = 42 g/mol.

Thus, 10 kg = 10,000 g amounts to 10,000/42 = 238.1 moles of PP and requires

(238.1 moles)(108.20 L/mole) = 25,771 L

of oxygen for combustion.

Since oxygen is only 21% of air, the required volume of air is

(25,771 L)/(0.21) = 122,719 L .

(d) (4 points) Volumes of CO2 and H2O in the fumes at 240oC and 1 atm (in m3)

As calculated above, 10 kg of PP contains (10,000 g)/(42 g/mole) = 238.1 moles of C3H6

and each mole of it burns into:

3 moles of CO2 → 714.3 moles of CO2

and 3 moles of H2O → 714.3 moles of H2O
---------------------- --------------------------
6 moles total → 1,428.6 moles in total

These gases (yes, water is in the vapor phase because of the heat of combustion)
behave as ideal gases, for which V = nRT/p. Thus,

RT (8.205  10 5 atm  m 3 / mol  K )(273.15  240 K ) m3

  0.04210 .
p (1 atm) mole

This leads to 30.07 m3 of CO2 and 30.07 m3 of H2O.

5. (10 points) A company is using an outdoor pond to get rid of some organic material in
a 500 gallons/hour wastewater stream. In the current situation, the pond, which has a
surface area of 1.00 acre (= 43,560 ft2) and an average depth of 6 ft, removes 62% of the
organic material, but the company is not satisfied with this rate of removal and plans on
digging a second pond to provide additional treatment of the effluent so that a total of
95% of the organics are removed from the wastewater. The company’s data indicates
that, being outdoors, the existing pond is subject to evaporation at the rate of 25
gallons/hour. For geological reasons, the additional pond cannot be dug deeper than
the existing pond and must therefore have a depth of no more than 6 ft.

(a) (4 points) Estimate the decay coefficient of the organics in the existing pond.
(b) (6 points) Determine the area (in acres) that the planned second pond needs to
have to enable the company to achieve its goal of 95% removal of the organics.
For this assume that the second pond is placed in series from the first (that is,
the effluent of the first pond feeds the second pond), that the decay constant
will be the same in the second pond as it presently is in the first pond, and that
water loss by evaporation is proportional to the surface area of the pond.

Before getting started with this question, it is helpful to make a sketch and to use this
sketch to define some notation.

(a) (4 points) Decay coefficient in the existing pond

The volume V1 of the existing pond is its depth times area,

 V1  H A1  (6 ft )(43,560 ft 2 )
 261,360 ft 3  7,401 m 3

The water budget for the existing pond is

Q0  Qe1  Q1  Q1  Q0  Qe1  500  25  475 gallons / hr.

In other units, we have

Q0  1,893 L / hr  66.84 ft 3 / hr
Qe1  94.64 L / hr  3.342 ft 3 / hr
Q1  1,798 L / hr  63.50 ft 3 / hr

The mass balance for the organic material in the existing pond is, in steady state (that is,
with the time derivative set to zero) and in the absence of any internal source:

0  Q0 C 0  Qe1C e1  Q1C1  KV1C1 .

Because evaporation only takes pure water out of the pond, the evaporated
concentration Ce1 is nil, and the budget reduces to

(Q1  KV1 ) C1  Q0 C 0 .

Since 62% of the organics are removed, 38% remain in the water and the exiting
concentration is 38% that of the entering concentration, that is: C1 = 0.38 C0 . The
budget reduces to

0.38 (Q1  KV1 )  Q0 .

We can solve this for the decay constant K, which is the sole unknown in this equation:

Q0 / 0.38  Q1 (1,893 L / hr ) /(0.38)  (1,798 L / hr )

K 
V1 (7,401 m 3 )(1000 L / m 3 )
 1.19  10 7 / sec  4.300  10  4 / hr  0.01032 / day  3.77 / year.

(b) (6 points) Area (in acres) needed for the planned second pond

Let us denote by A2 the unknown surface area of the second pond. Then the volume
and evaporation rate of the second pond are
 V2  H A2
A2
Qe 2  Qe1 .
A1

The water budget for this second pond yields

A2
Q1  Qe 2  Q2  Q2  Q1  Qe1 .
A1

The mass balance for the organic material, again in steady state, with no loss of
substance by evaporation and with no internal source, is:

0  Q1C1  Q2 C 2  KV2 C 2 .

Replacing Q2 and V2 by their respective expressions in terms of A2, we obtain:

 A 
 Q1  2 Qe1  KHA2  C 2  Q1C1 .
 A1 

Since the overall efficiency is to be 95%, the exiting concentration is the remaining 5% of
the entering concentration (C2 = 0.05 C0 while C1 = 0.38 C0 still), we have

 A 
 Q1  2 Qe1  KHA2  (0.05)  (0.38) Q1 .
 A1 

Grouping the terms with the unknown A2, we have

 Q   0.38 
 KH  e1  A2    1 Q1
 A1   0.05 

Then, plugging in the numerical values of the known quantities and minding the units,
we obtain:

 4 (3.34 ft 3 / hr ) 
(4.30  10 / hr )(6 ft )  2 
A2  (7.6  1)(63.50 ft 3 / hr )
 (43,560 ft ) 
 A2  167,397 ft 2  15,552 m 2  3.84 acres.
6. (10 points) Design an activated sludge reactor to handle a sewage flow rate of 8.5
million gallons per day with incoming BOD of 150 mg/L. Design parameters are:
hydraulic residence time of 4 hours, solid retention time of 9 days, and wastage ratio of
0.0040. For biological parameters, use the typical values listed in the lecture slides.

(a) (1 point) Calculate the volume of the aerator (in m3).

(b) (2 points) Determine the required recycle ratio.
(c) (1 point) Calculate the exiting BOD (in mg/L).
(d) (3 points) Determine the wash‐out time and the ratio of hydraulic time to the
wash‐out time. Is there sufficient safety margin? To answer this last sub‐
question, vary the biological parameters by 20% and see if the designed
hydraulic residence time of 4 hours remains longer than all variations on the
wash‐out time.
(e) (1 point) Estimate the biomass concentration at the reactor’s exit and at the
bottom of the secondary clarifier (each in mg/L).
(f) (2 points) Determine the food‐to‐microorganism ratio (in per day). Is it an
acceptable value?

(a) (1 point) Calculate the volume of the aerator (in m3)

The volume of the aerator is obtained by multiplying the hydraulic residence time  by
the incoming flow rate Q:

V
  V  Q
Q
(8.5  10 6 gallons / day )(0.00378 m 3 / gallon)
V  (4 hrs )
(24 hrs / day )
 5,355 m 3  1.417  10 6 gallons  189,110 ft 3 .

(b) (2 points) Required recycle ratio

We begin by comparing the solid retention time SRT with the hydraulic residence time
, because both of which are given:

W R
SRT  .
W (1  R)

This allows us to get a value for the fraction involving W and R:

W R SRT (9 days)(24 hrs / day )

   54.0 .
W (1  R)  (4 hrs )
Since we know that the wastage ratio W = 0.004, we can determine the recycle ratio R
from the previous fraction:

W R 0.004  R
 54.0   54.0  R  0.270.
W (1  R) (0.004)(1  R)

Thus, the recycle ration must be 27%.

(c) (1 point) Calculate the exiting BOD (in mg/L)

The exiting BOD concentration S is obtained first by using Equation (3) after division by
X, which is non‐zero in good working conditions, in which we recognize the inverse of
the fraction calculated above:

W (1  R) k S
 kd  Y m
 (W  R) KS  S
(24 hrs / day ) (5 / d ) S
  0.06 / day  (0.60)
(54.0)(4 hrs ) KS  S
S
 0.171 / day  (3.0 / day )
KS  S
S
  0.05704  S  3.63 mg / L .
60 mg / L  S

This is the value of the exiting BOD. [It is quite low and therefore good.]

(d) (3 points) Wash‐out time and ratio of hydraulic time to wash‐out time.
Safety margin.

The wash‐out time is obtained from the following equation, in which we know
everything:

W (1  R) K S  S0
 min  
W R (Yk m  k d ) S 0  k d K S
1 (60  150 mg / L)
 min  
(54.0) [(0.6)(5 / d )  0.06 / d ](150 mg / L)  (0.06 / d )(60 mg / L)
(210 mg / L)
 (0.0185)   0.00889 days  0.213 hours  12.8 min .
(437.4 mg / L  d )

To see whether there is sufficient safety margin, we form the ratio of the actual
residence time to the minimum residence time:
  4 hrs
  18.75 .
 min 0.213 hrs

This value is significantly larger than unity, and we conclude that the operating condition
is probably enough above the minimum required value to provide safe operation.

When we vary the biological parameters by ±20%, it is expected that the wash‐out time
will also vary by ±20% or perhaps slightly more, but it is clear that any increase in wash‐
out time will remain well below the hydraulic residence time.

(e) (1 point) Biomass concentration at the reactor’s exit and at the bottom of the
secondary clarifier (in mg/L)

The biomass concentration X at the exit of the reactor is obtained from Equation (1):

S0  S km S X S0  S KS  S
  X   .
 KS  S  km S

Plugging the known values for all variable son the right, we obtain:

(150  3.63 mg / L) (60  3.63 mg / L)

X    (24 hrs / day )
(4 hrs ) (5 / day )(3.63 mg / L)
 3,079 mg / L.

The biomass concentration at the bottom of the clarifier is obtained from the cell
budget performed over the clarifier:

1 R
Xu  X
W R
1  0.270
 (3,079 mg / L)  14,257 mg / L.
0.004  0.270

(f) (2 points) Food‐to‐microorganism ratio (in per day). Safe value?

The F/M ratio is determined by straightforward application of its definition:

S0 (150 mg / L)
F/M    0.0122 / hrs
 X (4 hrs)(3,079 mg / L)
 0.292 / day.

The inverse of this value is

 1 1
  3.42 days.
F / M 0.292 / days

This is a reasonable value because it indicates that there is enough “food” for the cells
to feed for more than 3 days, should an interruption occur.