Any wastewater plant’s capacity can be increased in one of two ways: Optimization Extension Increasing Efficiency Increasing volume of wastewater and introducing tougher effluent requirements would only increase inefficiency as the current system is unable to handle such load.
- If you have a septic system, pump it out to remove solids every two to three years.
- Never dump oils or grease down your drains.
- Never wash chemicals down your drains; using non-toxic household cleaners will keep more chemicals out of your wastewater.
How to increase the capacity of wastewater treatment plant?
New treatment technologies which reduce the required footprint can be the solution to ensure an upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant capacity is possible in the limited space.
How can water treatment plant operators improve their performance?
Water treatment plant operators should begin by taking the Water Resource Foundation’s (WRF) self-assessment, which is part of the Performance Benchmarking for Effectively Managed Water Utilities report. The self-assessment is a useful asset for utilities to identify gaps in performance and develop strategies to reduce those gaps.
Why do wastewater treatment plants need to be upgraded?
Increased Effluent Standards An increased discharge standard is the number one driver for upgrading a wastewater treatment plant. Regulators throughout the world are placing stricter discharge limits on industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants in a bid to improve the standard of effluent which enters the environment.
How to solve the problem of overloaded wastewater treatment plants?
An increase in population and urban development create higher volumes of wastewater which result in overloaded wastewater treatment plants. The solution is a plant expansion, however this is not always possible because of a lack of available land for construction.
How can water treatment plants be improved?
The five steps outlined below can help water treatment plants to achieve better water efficiency and realize potential cost savings by reducing water waste.Conduct a self-assessment. ... Evaluate technology. ... Perform a pump audit. ... Install smart technology. ... Review the data.
What can people do to help maximize the efficiency of wastewater treatment plant?
Even if your plant is operating at peak efficiency, you might benefit now or in the future from the following suggestions for reducing your plant's carbon footprint.Upgrade Pump Stations. ... Optimize Aeration. ... Improve Sludge Management. ... Recover/Recycle Essential Nutrients. ... Go Light on Disinfection.More items...•
How do you increase your wastewater?
While raw wastewater often contains some amounts of oxygen, aeration systems can increase dissolved oxygen (DO), mixing, and the suspension of microbes through mechanical agitation or diffused aeration. Aerobic microorganisms use this oxygen to breakdown organic waste into inorganic byproducts.
What are the biggest problems in wastewater treatment?
What are the Biggest Problems in Wastewater Treatment Plants?Energy consumption. Energy consumption is one of the biggest issues confronting wastewater plants. ... Staffing shortages. ... Environmental footprint. ... Looking for new water treatment systems?
How can we reduce energy consumption in wastewater treatment?
Noting that aeration of activated sludge can account for 30 to 80% of total plant electricity demand, NYSERDA says energy use can be reduced by either using fine-pore diffused air systems and aeration process controls or lowering the sludge treatment age from 10 to 12 days to three to four days.
How efficient are wastewater treatment plants?
Most of the wastewater treatments plants investigated reported a microplastics removal efficiency greater than 90%, but despite this, millions of microplastics continue to be released every day into the aquatic environment.
Why urea added in aeration tank?
Biological Treatment Urea and DAP will be added in the aeration tank in calculated amount daily for proper bacterial growth. A constant feed rate will be maintained in the aeration tank. A sludge percentage of around 25 to 30 % by volume will be maintained in the aeration tank.
How do I increase my aeration tank?
Increase aeration efficiency by converting from course bubble diffusers to full floor fine bubble aeration diffusers. Add fixed-film media to the aeration tank environment to increase the biomass concentration. Place additional aeration tanks into service to adequately process organic loadings.
What is BOD in wastewater treatment?
BOD is a measure of the amount of oxygen required to remove waste organic matter from water in the process of decomposition by aerobic bacteria (those bacteria that live only in an environment containing oxygen).
How can we solve the problem of waste water?
Four common ways to treat wastewater include physical water treatment, biological water treatment, chemical treatment, and sludge treatment.
What are some problems with water treatment?
The most common problems in water treatment that employees are likely to encounter are:Scaling.Membrane fouling.Bacteria.Mechanical failure.Instrument failure.
What are the steps of wastewater treatment?
The Wastewater Treatment ProcessStage One — Bar Screening. ... Stage Two — Screening. ... Stage Three — Primary Clarifier. ... Stage Four — Aeration. ... Stage Five — Secondary Clarifier. ... Stage Six — Chlorination (Disinfection) ... Stage Seven — Water Analysis & Testing. ... Stage Eight — Effluent Disposal.
Why do wastewater treatment plants ignore smart technologies?
Employ Smart Technology: It is often seen that wastewater treatment plant operators tend to ignore smart technologies due to misconceptions such as high operational costs and lack of technical knowledge. However, in reality, these smart technologies are easy to use.
Why is there an increase in effluents?
This is done to improve the quality of effluents released into the environment.
Why is water management fatal?
Here is how you can achieve better efficiency and improve your cost savings.
Why is aging equipment so expensive?
Against this, working with aging equipment can be expensive as they require regular repairs, maintenance, and may experience downtimes, too. High Chemical Costs: Chemicals are being used in large amounts of treat the wastewater.
Do oversized pumps use more water?
Most times, these pumps operate at variable flow, based on the demand. So, it is common to see oversized pumps in action. Then there are pumps that work at a constant speed and may use more water and demand more energy.
Is wastewater management a bad investment?
Increasing Operational Costs: Many plant operators perceive wastewater management systems as a bad investment. Although they spend huge amounts to ensure that discharge limits are met, they think of replacement or upgrade of systems as added costs. Against this, working with aging equipment can be expensive as they require regular repairs, maintenance, and may experience downtimes, too.
How does introducing tougher effluent requirements increase inefficiency?
Increasing volume of wastewater and introducing tougher effluent requirements would only increase inefficiency as the current system is unable to handle such load. On the other hand, by eliminating some of the unnecessary infrastructure, the capacity can be increased and a stream of innovations can also be created.
How many tons of sewage are discharged every year?
Every year, the world discharges 2 million tons of sewage, industrial and agricultural waste, polluting waterways and directly killing 1.8 million children from waterborne diseases. This statement alone should be enough to encourage an effective framework for increasing a country’s capacity to treat wastewater for a healthier environment.
How to remove bacteria and color from water?
Coagulation, flocculation and clarification can also remove bacteria and color from the water. First, coagulating chemicals are mixed with water in a rapid-mix step for even distribution. The chemicals cause particles in the water to clump together. In the flocculation step, the water and chemicals are gently mixed, ...
What is clarified water?
The clarified water passes on to downstream processes such as filtration and disinfection. Like most water treatment processes, coagulation, flocculation and clarification sound simple but are subject to many variables that affect the efficiency and success of the operation.
What is the purpose of flocculation and clarification?
The general purpose of this sequence is to remove solids and turbidity from the water to produce clear product water and meet turbidity standards, expressed as NTUs (nephelometric turbidity units). Coagulation, flocculation and clarification can ...
What is the ideal situation for flocculation?
The ideal situation, according to Zurcher, is “tapered flocculation,” where the velocity gradient slowly decreases through the basin.
Why are wastewater treatment plants overloaded?
As a result of increased urban development and the rising population, there are many wastewater treatment plants today experiencing difficulties in meeting capacity for wastewater treatment. An increase in population and urban development create higher volumes of wastewater which result in overloaded wastewater treatment plants.
Why is plant expansion not possible?
The solution is a plant expansion, however this is not always possible because of a lack of available land for construction. New treatment technologies which reduce the required footprint can be the solution to ensure an upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant capacity is possible in the limited space. Wayne Byrne.
Why is there an increased discharge standard?
An increased discharge standard is the number one driver for upgrading a wastewater treatment plant. Regulators throughout the world are placing stricter discharge limits on industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants in a bid to improve the standard of effluent which enters the environment. There is also an increasing demand ...
Does wastewater treatment cause air pollution?
Higher energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions and a changing climate have focused attention on the fact that while wastewater treatment plants are preventing water pollution they should not result in air pollution. Energy comprises a significant fraction of the operating costs of a wastewater treatment plant.
Is wastewater treatment plant cost effective?
Meaning that they are using old equipment and technology which may no longer be cost efficient. In these situations it is more cost effective to take the holistic approach to a wastewater treatment plant upgrade and replace existing systems with new efficient equipment and technology. This results in reduced maintenance, reduced running costs, improved process outcomes and a very short ROI.
What are the three main options for alkalinity treatment?
With so many options for treating alkalinity, there are three main options that are typically represented in the marketplace for Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) when faced with this question: magnesium hydroxide, lime slurry, and caustic soda. The following outlines the good and the bad of each, hopefully providing needed guidance for decision-making at WWTPs. Ultimately, the choice lies within the final requirements of the plant and driven by the discharge permit at the facility.
What is hydrated lime?
A very common product, also known as hydrated lime or CaO quicklime, lime can be ‘slurry-ized’ through the addition of water to dry lime powder. This slurry can be used to treat wastewater to increase pH and alkalinity and is commonly used in potable water to “soften,” or remove hardness minerals, such as calcium and magnesium from drinking water.
Why use lime slurries?
Lime slurries minimize the effects of potential scaling in the water distribution system. It is also the most commonly used product to maintain alkalinity levels because of its low cost and multiple treatment benefits, such as assisting in the removal of manganese and iron from water.
Does caustic soda raise pH?
Caustic Soda and Lime Slurry are definitely go to chemistries for the WWTP industry and they do provide the needed pH adjustments required. But on a pound to pound basis there is a fundamental difference between those two and magnesium hydroxide to also consider that does not have much to do with pH or alkalinity, but rather the true amount required to treat. For example, a given water sample may require 100 mg/L of magnesium hydroxide to raise the pH to 8.8. For the same sample, 138 mg/L of caustic soda and 135 mg/L of lime would be required.
Is magnesium hydroxide good for microbial wastewater?
So, comparing magnesium hydroxide, caustic soda, and lime slurry, while all can supply the required benefits, the whole treatment process should be reviewed and determine the best overall solution based on some of the side effects for each. Magnesium hydroxide can be difficult to store when not done properly but can supply significantly more alkalinity in a bio-available form to a microbial wastewater system without advers ely affecting pH . This creates a more suitable environment for bioremediation of BOD and nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. Moreover, because magnesium hydroxide supplies a lightweight, divalent cation, unlike the monovalent sodium in caustic and heavier calcium in lime, magnesium hydroxide helps to generate a denser, more easily dewatered sludge, with a higher percentage of cake solids – reducing waste disposal costs.
