CEE40004 PROCESS PLANT DESIGN 2

Section VII:
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION

Ir. Dr. Ngu Lock Hei

 Section VII: Environmental Protection
Waste Identification
Environmental regulation and compliance
Pollutant control and treatment
Environmental Impact Assessment

This section summarises how all forms of discharge (gas, wastewater and
solid) from the plant into the environment (air, water and land), arising either
continuously or intermittently, will be handled. Attention should be paid to
pollutants with steady discharge rate. Systems for handling or treatment should
be identified and discussed thoroughly for any discharge that is not in
compliance with the Malaysian Environmental Quality Act (EQA) 1974 (USEPA
guidelines should be used for toxic chemical emissions) with preliminary design
and sizing. The scope of some projects may also include identification and
design of pollution abatement/minimization and prevention schemes. An
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be conducted to identify,
assess and propose mitigation measures for all possible impacts throughout
the project life cycle. The scope may include an Environmental Management
Plan to demonstrate how the effluents can be monitored and controlled to
foster a consistent and good environmental management.
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 Part I: Waste Identification and Environmental Compliance

Criteria:
• All waste streams identified and flow, composition and conditions characterised.
• Environmental requirement and compliance identified for all waste streams.

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Example for ‘Gas waste streams’

Comments:
Combine in same table
Identified waste streams that do not comply
hence requiring treatment

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 Part II: Pollutant Control and Treatment
Criteria:
• Proposal for pollutant control and treatment (gas, solid, sewage) with
justification
• Preliminary design and sizing of industrial wastewater treatment,
treatment system presented in a process flow diagram, design calculation
(Appendix)
• Proposal for waste minimization in the waste streams.
Example for ‘Hazardous Waste treatment (with the subsequent gas emission
control)’

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 Example for ‘Preliminary design and sizing of wastewater treatment’

Comments:
All tanks are circular ??
(Issues:
construction/fabrication
material, planning,
performance)

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 Example for ‘Wastewater treatment process flow diagram’

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 Wastewater Treatment Guideline

Discharge Limit:
Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009

Design Guideline:
Malaysian Sewerage Industry Guidelines, Vol. 4, Sewage Treatment Plants, 3rd
Ed., National Water Services Commission (SPAN), 2009

[Link]
msig

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Design Requirement to Achieve Environmental Quality Effluent Standard
The purpose of the design requirements is to ensure that the effluent standards can
be met under the normal operations of a WWTP
Design Effluent values
Parameter Effluent Discharge to Rivers/Stream Effluent Discharge to Stagnant Water Bodies*
Standard A Standard B Standard A Standard B
Absolute Design Absolute Design Absolute Design Absolute Design
BOD5 20 10 50 20 20 10 50 20
SS 50 20 100 40 50 20 100 40
COD 120 60 200 100 120 60 200 100
AMN 10 5 20 10 5 2 5 2
Nitrate 20 10 50 20 10 5 10 5
Nitrogen
TP N/A N/A N/A N/A 5 2 10 5
O&G 51 2 10 5 51 2 10 5

(Malaysian Sewerage Industry Guidelines, 2009)

Notes:
N/A = Not Applicable
All value in mg/L unless otherwise stated.
* Stagnant Water Bodies refer to enclosed water bodies such as lakes, ponds and slow
9 moving watercourses where dead zone occur.
1 EQA 1974 Standard A
 Unit Operations/Processes

Screen
Located upstream of pumps or treatment facilities to protect it from debris

Design criteria:
W ≥ 0.5m
D ≥ 0.5m
Slope of screen = 30° - 45°
Approach velocity at feed, v ≤ 1.0 m/s

Approach velocity, v = Qpeak / area of approach channel

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Screen

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Grit and Grease Chambers [TYPE I SEDIMENTATION]
In the grit/grease chamber, velocity of flow is reduced slightly to allow grit (larger,
heavier particles) to settle out and then be removed. Oil and grease are also
removed from the top surface of the chamber.

Grit must be removed at an early stage because

• the particles cannot be broken down by any biological treatment
• the particles are abrasive and wear down equipment
• reduce formation of heavy deposits in pipelines
• biological treatment in sewage treatment works is not designed to degrade
grease

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Grit and Grease Chambers

Design criteria:
Detention time ≥ 3 min
D:W = 1:2
L:W = 2:1
Flow through velocity, v ≤ 0.2 m/s

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Balancing Tank
A technique to improve effectiveness of secondary and tertiary treatment.
WW constantly change in amount and strength – this make efficient process operation
difficult and oversized of process.

Purpose of flow equalization is to dampen these variations so that the wastewater can be
treated at a nearly constant flow rate.

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Coagulation and Flocculation

Coagulation –destabilization and initial coalescing of colloidal particles

Flocculation – formation of larger particles (flocs) from smaller particles

Achieved using Mixing Tank

Design criteria:
Coagulation detention time, t = 0.5-10 s (depend on type of coagulation and G
selection)
Flocculation detention time, t ≥ 20 min (depend on type of water and G
selection) separated into 3 equal tank.
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Primary Sedimentation Tank [TYPE II SEDIMENTATION]

Purposes: to remove maximum amount of pollutants such as settleable solids and organic loading
quickly and economically.

Design criteria:
No of tank ≥ 2
L ≤ 100 m

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Conventional Activated Sludge System

Biological wastewater treatment

technique in which mixed liquor
(mixture of wastewater and biological
sludge (microorganisms)) is agitated
and aerated. (to provide contact,
suspension and air)

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Completely Mixed Activated Sludge Process

V = volume of aeration tank, m3

Q = wastewater flow rate into the aeration tank, m3/d
Qw = flow rate of liquid containing microorganisms to be wasted, m3/d
Qr = flow rate of liquid containing microorganisms returned to aeration tank, m3/d
Xo = microorganism concentration (volatile suspended solids or VSS) entering
aeration tank, mg/L
X = microorganism concentration (mixed-liquor volatile suspended solids or
MLVSS) in the aeration tank, mg/L
Xe = microorganism concentration (VSS) in effluent from secondary settling tank, mg/L
Xr = microorganism concentration (VSS) in sludge being wasted, mg/L
So = soluble BOD5 entering aeration tank, mg/L
S = soluble BOD5 in aeration tank and effluent, mg/L
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Volume of aeration tank, V

θ = Sludge age,
Y = sludge yield coefficient
kd = decay rate of microorganisms, d-1

Total volume of tank

Hydraulic retention time, HRT
Q

BOD loading QS
Volumetric loading
Tank Volume V

BOD loading QS
F/M ratio
MLSS in tank VX

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Secondary Clarifier [TYPE III SEDIMENTATION]

Secondary clarifiers settle microorganism

(MLSS) from biological processes.
Clear supernatant is discharged as the
effluent, while some of the settled
microorganisms are returned (RAS) to the
biological treatment system to maintain the
MLSS concentration and excess
microorganisms (WAS) are removed as
biosolid to the sludge treatment facility.

Q
Surface overflow rate
surface area, A

Weir loading

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Filtration
Water filtration is a process for separating suspended or colloidal impurities from water
by passage through a porous medium, usually a bed of sand or other medium.

Filtration rate or loading rate [flow rate of water, Q applied per unit area of the filter, As
(m³/d.m²) or velocity of the water approaching the face of the filter (m/d)], va

Items Slow Sand Filter Rapid Sand Filter

Filtration rate (m³/d.m²) 2.9-7.6 >350
Area (m²) 50 - 2000 <100 per filter box
Distribution of medium Not stratum Stratum (Dual medium)
size
Washing method Replace the upper layer of sand Backwash

Requirement:
• va must be met with one filter out of service
• even number of filter box
• L:W = 3:1 – 6:1
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 Disinfection

Disinfection refers to the selective destruction of disease causing organisms

in effluent.

Methods of disinfection can be physical, chemical or radiation.

The common forms of disinfection that are available for wastewater applications are:
a) Chlorination
b) Ultra-violet (UV)
c) Others

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 Chlorination

Clear distance between baffle and compartment wall

= 1.5 DBB
DBB = distance between baffles
Length of baffle = effective length, Pe

Plan view of round-the-end baffle

flocculation tank/
Rectangular serpentine chamber

Chlorine Contact Basin

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 Chlorination

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 Wastewater Treatment Guideline

Discharge Limit:
Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009

Design Guideline:

TECHNICAL GUIDANCE DOCUMENT ON THE DESIGN AND OPERATION OF

INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT TREATMENT SYSTEMS SPECIFIED IN
REGULATION 5, ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT)
REGULATIONS 2009

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 Common Industrial Effluent Treatment System used in
industries in Malaysia

1. Physcio-Chemical Treatment Processes:

• Chemical Precipitation
• Oxidation/reduction
• Dissolved Air Floatation (DAF)

2. Biological Treatment Processes

• Activated Sludge
• Sequential Batch Reactor
• Oxidation Ponds
• Trickling filters
• Anaerobic Upflow Sludge Blanket (AUSB)

3. Advanced Treatment Processes

• Ion Exchange
• Activated Carbon Adsorption
• Filtration

4. Treatment of Sludge
• Sludge drying bed
• Filter Press
• Belt press
• Centrifugal separation
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 Part III: Environmental Impact Assessment
Criteria:
• Identify and assess significant environmental impacts throughout project life
cycle
• Propose mitigation measures with justification
• Develop an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to monitor and control
effluent

Example:
Project Phase
Residual Impact and
Monitoring Program

Residual Impact:
Emission of particulate, SO2,
HF at acceptable level.

Monitoring:
• Weekly monitoring/
measurement of plant
plant condition
• Quarterly monitoring/
measurement of plant
surrounding 5km radius
condition

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Screening: Activities Subject to EIA
Nineteen categories of Activities are prescribed under the Environmental Quality
Act, 1974 (Amendment 1985). These include activities related to:

1. agriculture, 10. ports, 17. wastewater treatment

2. airport, 11. mining, and disposal
3. drainage and irrigation, 12. petroleum, 18. water supply.
4. land reclamation, 11. power generation,
5. fisheries, 13. quarries,
6. forestry, 14. railways,
7. housing, 15. transportation,
8. industry, 16. resort and recreational
9. infrastructure, development,

LIST OF GUIDELINES (DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT)

A Handbook of EIA Guidelines
EIA Guidelines for Industrial Projects

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