4 Major Operational Challenges Facing Wastewater Treatment Plants
- Energy Consumption. What is the challenge? Energy consumption is one of the largest expenses in operating a wastewater treatment plant.
- Staff. What is the challenge? Operators of wastewater treatment facilities must be adequately trained and certified individuals.
- Sludge Production. What is the challenge? Sludge is the residue generated during physical, chemical and biological treatment.
- Footprint. What is the challenge? Activated sludge treatment has many challenges - one of the biggest being the footprint it demands.
- Overheating of blowers and lack of air in the system.
- Exceeding prescribed drainage limits.
- Sludge leakage from the settling tank.
- Low dry matter content of drained sludge.
What are the biggest problems in wastewater treatment?
An estimated $180 billion is needed to repair many U.S. wastewater plants across the country. Here are some of the biggest problems in wastewater treatment and the potential solutions that could fix them. Energy consumption is one of the biggest issues confronting wastewater plants.
Why is it important to deal with wastewater problems?
But, it’s an important job, because wastewater problems can quickly turn into a very expensive and unsanitary mess. Below is advice from our engineers about the ten most common wastewater treatment problems you may encounter at your facility and how you can fix them.
What happens if you don’t control the pH in your wastewater treatment system?
You may even have your plant shut down if you’re discharging to a creek or a river, and you have excess pollutants in your effluent because you’re not controlling the pH. These issues can have a big impact on your biological wastewater treatment system, so how do you avoid them?
What are the biggest challenges facing the water industry?
Not surprisingly, aging infrastructure ranked as the No. 1 issue, with related problems such as capital and operational costs following right on its heels. Below is a summary of the report, which compiled answers from 397 qualified water industry participants.
What are some of the current issues with our wastewater treatment plants?
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?
What are the challenges in the treatment of a waste water?
There are four major challenges facing operators of wastewater treatment plant and these can be split into four broad categories which are energy consumption, people skills and competence, dealing with sludge, and footprint and facilities.
What are the three major problems with wastewater?
3 Most Common Problems of Sewage Treatment Plant in IndiaFailing of Downstream Equipment. Downstream equipment is used in the very first step of the sewage treatment process. ... Treated Effluent Not Meeting the Total Phosphorous Target. ... Odour Issues in the Sewage Treatment Plant in India.
What are the factors affecting the selection of wastewater treatment methods?
7.2. Factors Influencing Process SelectionContaminant Removal. Contaminant removal is the principal purpose of treatment for many source waters, particularly surface waters. ... Source Water Quality. ... Reliability. ... Existing Conditions. ... Process Flexibility. ... Utility Capabilities. ... Costs. ... Environmental Compatibility.More items...
How can wastewater 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.
Why is wastewater an issue?
What makes wastewater so dangerous? Feces and urine from both humans and animals carry many disease-causing organisms. Wastewater also may contain harmful chemicals and heavy metals known to cause a variety of environmental and health problems.
How does wastewater treatment affect the environment?
Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) clean wastewater and minimize water pollution; but, while doing so, they also contribute to air pollution and need energy/material input with associated emissions.
What are the effects of water waste?
Wasting water may limit its availability to other communities, especially in areas where water shortage is common. An arid ecosystem may suffer when water is wasted. This wasted water could have been better used elsewhere. Excess energy will be used in sewage treatment plants to treat wasted water.
What is the common error of sewage treatment plant on board?
The most common errors are the inadequate usage or non-functioning of sewage treatment plants, and unauthorised modifications of sewage treatment systems.
What factors affect the selection of industrial wastewater treatment configuration?
The factors have been classified according to 7 categories, namely: influent-related, technological, economic/financial, internal socio-cultural, external socio-cultural, regulation, site characteristics.
What are the factors to be considered while selecting the site for the water treatment plant?
Most recent answerAt a distance from the place which people live.Large enough at the future.the source of water and the best location at deep point far from the soil.study the degree of contamination at the point.
What factors influence the cost of wastewater treatment?
The main factors that influence the costs of operation and maintenance are: energy costs (power demand); labour costs (winch should include the personnel for operation, maintenance and administrative services); materials costs; cost of chemicals (sometimes included in the previous item); and cost of transportation of ...
What are the concerns of wastewater treatment plants?
Primary Wastewater Treatment Plant Concerns. Public health and safety are the primary concern of wastewater treatment plants, as well as consideration for the environment. Fortunately, the two go hand-in-hand. The water being processed has to enter back into the environment in a form that is safe to humans, animals, and plants.
Is there water scarcity in Virginia?
Water Scarcity: While it’s not as common to have severe water scarcity problems in our home town in Southwest Virginia, other parts of the country like California experience periods of extreme drought, which can create a host of problems for the water industry.
Is water treatment a cyber attack?
Water treatment facilities could also become a cyber-attack target, so it’s important for these facilities to stay up-to-date with their computers and data security. Aging Workforce: Aside from other operational issues, the water industry is widely regarded as one with an aging population of technical professionals.
Is aging infrastructure a problem?
But if aging infrastructure is one of those concerns, you’re not alone. According to a Black & Veatch study and interviews with professionals in the industry, aging infrastructure is considered the most important issue facing the water industry. Few people realize that wastewater treatment facilities are the one thing that stands between our waste ...
What is the number 7 spot in wastewater treatment?
In the No. 7 spot was treatment technologies such as energy recovery . Energy recovery is becoming much more important for wastewater treatment, which means those entities are shifting in function. What was once only considered a waste disposal organization might now be considered a resource recovery organization.
Why is non-revenue water important?
However, non-revenue water could play a more important role as it relates to operational and capital funding challenges. Many of these concerns are interrelated. Infrastructure updates require funding, which requires consumer value and support.
What is aging infrastructure?
Aging infrastructure, which includes pipelines, tunnels, dams, pumping, storage and treatment facilities, ranked No. 1 in a study on the top issues facing the wastewater industry. (Photo by Vincent Scarano)
Why is wastewater management important?
But, it’s an important job, because wastewater problems can quickly turn into a very expensive and unsanitary mess.
What to do if sludge blanket is too deep?
Check the collector’s sprocket, chain link, flight, and shear pin. Repair these parts if they are damaged.#N#If the sludge blanket is too deep, you may need to pump it out. This can be done manually if necessary.
How does a smaller wastewater treatment plant help?
This measure can help reduce the area required for a wastewater treatment plant and its buildings. A smaller treatment plant obviously reduces the land costs, however, it also reduces the costs of related to items such as steel, concrete and equipment . These are just four of the main challenges facing operators of wastewater treatment plants.
What are the challenges of activated sludge?
A further major challenge in dealing with activated sludge is the cost of construction and the size of site which is needed to accommodate the wastewater treatment plant and buildings.
Does wastewater take a lot of energy?
You might be surprised to learn that it takes a lot of energy to treat wastewater, and that these energy costs are one of the largest expenses a water treatment company will incur.
GWT Treatment Solutions Can Assist A Wastewater Treatment Plant to Conquer 4 Critical Issues
Clean water is a necessary resource for life, business, and the environment in which we live throughout the world.
1. Personnel
Treatment Operators in wastewater treatment facilities must be adequately trained and certified for these positions. These individuals are kept on alert throughout the day and night. They are responsible for coordinating and managing everything from valves to pipe leaks as well as instrumentation and electrical systems.
2. Energy Consumption
Energy consumption is one of the biggest expenses in operating a wastewater treatment plant for an industrial or water utility client. The generation and subsequent treatment of wastewater is estimated to deplete around 3% of a modern nation’s electrical power supply, or on average an anticipated 61 tWh (terawatt hours) of power each year.
3. Sludge Generation
Sludge is the residual solid particles generated during the phases of the wastewater treatment process. This process includes mechanical, biological and chemical treatment.
4. Footprint
Conventional activated sludge treatment has many issues – one of the largest is its land footprint. Activated sludge wastewater treatment plants are more costly to construct due to the extensive civil works construction involved.
What are the problems with biological wastewater treatment systems?
Common engineering and design issues. Most problems with biological wastewater treatment systems occur at the engineering and design stages. When studies aren’t completed for long enough periods of time over vast-enough amounts of data, it’s common for a system to fall short in some way. Here are some of the engineering ...
Can you meet your effluent limits?
This means you won’t meet your effluent limits and could encounter surcharges or fines. You may even have your plant shut down if you’re discharging to a creek or a river, and you have excess pollutants in your effluent because you’re not controlling the pH.
Is biological wastewater treatment a good investment?
Biological wastewater treatment systems can be a big investment for your facility . When implemented correctly, these systems will provide your process with a long list of benefits, but there can be some challenges with purchasing these systems, too. If your facility is considering biological wastewater treatment, ...
Is oxidation a biodegradable waste?
It’s important for your water treatment specialists to look at the ratio of BOD to COD to ensure the waste is, in fact, biodegradable and there is not much toxicity. Dairy products, cheese, and whey, etc., produce highly biodegradable waste, ...
