Treatment of Effluent and Its Disposal

Typical wastes may include

• Industrial cooling waters (biocides, heat, slimes, silt);
• Industrial process waters;
• Organic or bio-degradable waste
• Organic or non bio-degradable/difficult-to-treat waste
(pharmaceutical or pesticide manufacturing);
• Extreme pH waste (from acid/alkali manufacturing, metal plating);
• Toxic waste (metal plating, cyanide production, pesticide
manufacturing, etc.);
• Solids and Emulsions (paper manufacturing, foodstuffs, lubricating
and hydraulic oil manufacturing, etc.);
• Agricultural drainage, direct and diffuse
Treatment processes may also be described in the following
manner:
1. Primary treatment: physical and chemical methods, e.g.
sedimentation, coagulation etc.
2. Secondary treatment: biological methods (e.g. activated sludge)
conducted after primary treatment.
3. Tertiary treatment: physical, chemical or biological methods
(e.g. microstrainers, sand filters and grass plot irrigation) used to
improve the quality of liquor from previous stages (Forster,
1985).
4. Sludge conditioning and disposal: physical, chemical and
biological methods. Anaerobic digestion is often used to
condition the sludge produced in previous stages. Following
dewatering (e.g. by centrifugation using a decanter centrifuge)
the sludge can then be disposed of by incineration, landfilling,
etc.
 Methods of treatment

Physical Chemical Biological

 Physical Treatment

Physical processes installed for primary effluent treatment may

include the following stages:

Screens: remove large solids such as

rags, sticks, plastics and similar
materials from the wastewater.

Comminutors (to reduce particle size):

are devices that act both as a cutter
and a screen. In this device all of the
wastewater flow passes through the
grinder assembly.
Grit Removal:
• Grit is the heavier mineral matter that is found in wastewater
and will not decompose or "break down".
• Grit includes sand, clay, egg shells, metal filings, seeds and
other similar materials.
• The purpose of grit removal is to remove the heavy inorganic
solids, which could cause excessive mechanical wear.
• All of the processes are based on the fact that grit is heavier
than the organic solids that should be kept in suspension for
subsequent treatment.
• Grit removal processes use gravity/velocity, aeration or
centrifugal force to separate the solids from the wastewater.
Gravity/Velocity Controlled Grit Removal:
• Gravity/velocity grit removal uses a channel or tank to reduce
the velocity or speed of the wastewater to approximately 1
foot per second (fps).

Aerated Systems:
• Aerated grit removal systems use aeration to keep the lighter
organic solids in suspension while allowing the heavier grit
particles to settle out.
• Aerated grit chambers are most frequently found at activated
sludge plants where there is a readily available air supply.

Cyclone Degritter:
• The cyclone degritter uses a rapid spinning motion to
separate the heavy inorganic solids or grit from the light
organic solids and discharge them directly to a storage
container.
 Chemical Treatment
• Chemicals are used during wastewater treatment in an array of
processes to expedite disinfection. These chemical processes,
which induce chemical reactions, are called chemical unit
processes.
• There are several distinct chemical unit processes, including
chemical coagulation, chemical precipitation, chemical
oxidation, and advanced oxidation, ion exchange, and chemical
neutralization and stabilization, which can be applied to
wastewater during cleaning.
Neutralization
• Neutralization involves the addition of chemicals for the purpose
of adjusting the pH of the wastewater.
• It involves the addition of acids (to lower pH) or alkalis (to raise
pH) depending on the initial pH of the influent.
Chemical Precipitation
• It is the most common method for removing dissolved metals
from wastewater solution containing toxic metals.
• A precipitation reagent is added to the mixture to convert the
dissolved metals into solid particle form.
• Filtration can then be used to remove the particles from the
mixture.
Coagulation and flocculation
• Coagulation in chemical wastewater treatment means adding
chemical substances that combine with the smaller waste
particles to form larger, heavier particles.
• The chemical coagulants are often aluminum-based substances
such as alum and polyaluminum chloride.
• Flocculation occurs when the smaller, suspended particles come
out of suspension to form large, solid clumps the plant can easily
remove.
 Biological Treatment
• Most organic-waste materials may be degraded
biologically.
• This process may be achieved aerobically or
anaerobically in a number of ways.
• The most widely used aerobic processes are trickling
filters, rotating disc contactors, activated sludge
processes and their modifications.
• The anaerobic processes (digestion, filtration and
sludge blankets) are used both in the treatment of
specific wastewaters and in sludge conditioning.
 Aerobic Digestion
Advantages
• Effective for “secondary” sludge
• Simple operation
• No hazardous gas production

Disadvantages
• Higher operating costs
• High energy demands
• No burnable gas
• Higher organic content
 Activated Sludge Process
• During the activated sludge process primary effluent flows into an
aeration tank, where it is mixed with microorganisms.
• The aeration tank injects a steady supply of oxygen or air into the
wastewater, ensuring that the organisms have an adequate
supply of oxygen needed to breakdown the organic matter that
remains in the effluent.
• The effluent then flows into secondary settling tanks. At this point
the sludge goes in one of two directions;
1) back to the aeration tank, this is because the return sludge
contains a large amount of microorganisms that will rapidly
breakdown organic matter, or
2) to the sludge digester.
• The treated water will enter the tertiary treatment stage; here it
will go through the final treatment stage before it is released into
a natural water system.
Pros: Cons:
• Low construction cost • High operating cost (air
• Occupies small area pumps)
• Relatively low odor • High energy expenses for
oxygen demand
• Removes a high percent of BOD
 Trickling Filter Process
The treatment of sewage or other wastewater with trickling filters is among
the oldest and most well characterized treatment technologies.
The components of a complete trickling
filter system are:
• A bed of filter medium upon which a
layer of microbial slime is promoted
and developed.
• An enclosure or a container which
houses the bed of filter medium.
• A system for distributing the flow of
wastewater over the filter medium.
• A system for removing and disposing
of any sludge from the treated
effluent.
Pros:
1. Low construction cost
2. Cheap oxygen delivery
3. Non-electric systems available

Cons:
1. Temperature Dependent
2. Vulnerable to congestion, which can lead to flooding and
system failure, low oxygen supply, and restricted water flow
3. Can occupy a larger area than activated sludge
4. High Maintenance on some older types
 Rotating Biological Contactors

Contactors
Primary Secondary
Treatment Clarifier

Influent Effluent

Solids Removal
INFLUENT

Primary
Treatment
Rotating
Biological
Pretreatment
Contactors

Disinfection

Secondary
Clarifiers EFFLUENT
Solids Handling
Advantages:
Rotating biological contactars are:
• compact,
• easily covered for health and aesthetic reasons,
• available as packaged units,
• simpler to operate under varying loads than trickling
filters
• are easily added onto existing treatment processes.
• also provide a cost effective method of on-site
treatment.
 Anaerobic Treatment
• The use of microbes in the absence of oxygen for the
stabilization of organic material by conversion to methane,
carbon dioxide, new biomass and inorganic products.
• Anaerobic treatment is most suitable for wastewaters with COD
concentrations in the high strength range (>2000 mg/l)

Organic acids
Complex
and CH4 & CO2
Organics
H2
Acid producing Methane producing
bacteria bacteria
(acidogens) (methanogenics)
Three Mechanisms Occurring:

Hydrolysis Process – conversion of insoluble high molecular

compounds (lignin, carbohydrates, fats) to lower molecular
compounds

Acidogenesis Process – conversion of soluble lower molecular

components of fatty acids, amino acids and sugars
(monosaccharides) to lower molecular intermediate products
(volatile acids, alcohol, ammonia, H2 and CO2)

Methanogenesis Process – conversion of volatile acids &

intermediate products to final product of methane and CO2
Anaerobic processes for waste treatment is required due to
following reasons:
• Higher loading rates can be achieved than are possible for aerobic
treatment techniques.
• Lower power requirements may be needed per unit of BOD
treated.
• Useful end-products such as digested sludge and/or combustible
gases may be produced.
• Organic matter is metabolized to a stable form.
• There is an alteration of water-binding characteristics to permit
rapid sludge dewatering.
• The reduced amount of microbial biomass leads to easier
handling of sludge.
• Low levels of microbial growth will decrease the possible need for
supplementary nutrients with nutritionally unbalanced wastes.
 Disposal of Effluent
The range of effluent-disposal methods which can be considered is:

1. The effluent is discharged to land, river or sea in an untreated state.

2. The effluent is removed and disposed of in a landfill site or is

incinerated.

3. The effluent is partially treated on site (e.g. by lagooning) prior to

further treatment or disposal by one of the other routes indicated.

4. Part of the effluent is untreated and discharged as in 1 or 2, the

remainder is treated at a sewage works or at the site before discharge.

5. All of the effluent is sent to the sewage works for treatment, although
there might be reluctance by the sewage works to accept it, possibly
resulting in some preliminary on-site treatment being required, and
discharge rates and effluent composition defined.

6. All the effluent is treated at the factory before discharge.

 Seas and Rivers
• The simplest way of disposal will be on a sea coast or in a large
estuary where the effluent is discharged through a pipeline
extending below the low-water mark.
• In such a case there may be little preliminary treatment and one
relies solely on the degree of dilution in the sea water.
• If effluents are to be discharged into a river they must meet the
requirements of the local river or drainage authorities.
• In Britain, there is a Royal Commission standard requiring a
maximum BOD (5 days) of 20 mg dm-3 and 30 mg dm-3 of
suspended solid matter (the 20:30 standard).
• There are also stringent upper limits for toxic metals and
chemicals which might kill the fauna (particularly fish) and flora,
e.g. sulphites, cyanides, phenols, copper, cadmium, arsenic, etc.
• It is highly unlikely that one would be able to discharge an
industrial waste today without some form of pretreatment.
 Lagoons
• Lagoons, holding ponds, oxidation ponds, etc., may be used by a
number of industries if land is available at a reasonable cost.
• It is a method often used in seasonal industries where capital
investment in effluent plant is difficult to justify.
• Oxidation ponds are large and shallow; a typical depth would
range from 1-2.5m. The ponds are composed of microorganisms,
which feed on the organic matter received from primary effluent.

• Algae are a key feature in the

oxidation pond system. Algae
are much like the aeration tank
in the activated sludge system;
they deliver a steady flow of
oxygen to the bacteria.
• The algae require sunlight to produce oxygen via
photosynthesis, reaeration created by wind delivers air flow
when sunlight is not available.
• 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.
Pros:
1. Small energy input
2. Degrades nitrogen and phosphorus
Cons:
1. Occupies a large area
2. Possible odors
3. Slow process
4. Long retention times
5. Climate dependent
 Spray Irrigation
• Liquid wastes can be applied directly to land as irrigation water
and fertilizer when they are claimed to have a number of
beneficial effects on the soil and plants.
• If this method of disposal is to be used, then it is necessary to
have a large area of land near to a manufacturing plant in an area
of low to medium rainfall.
• Pipeline costs will often restrict use of this technique.
 Well Disposal
• Disused wells, boreholes or mine shafts may provide an ideal,
cheap method for disposal when the volume of waste is
limited, the underground layers are suitable and the chances of
contamination of water supplies utilized by water authorities
are negligible.

• In 1962, Melcher has described the use of wells 500-m deep for
the daily disposal of:
Acetic acid 900 kg
Ammonium acetate 900 kg
Sodium acetate 760 kg
Sodium chloride 450 kg
Sodium and ammonium bromide 225 kg
Methanol, xylene, tars and organic compounds
 Landfilling
• Landfilling is a disposal method for municipal solid waste (MSW)
and industrial waste.
• It utilizes natural or man made voids (e.g. disused clay pits) into
which the waste is deposited.
• Both solid and liquid wastes can be deposited depending on
restrictions imposed by the site license.
• Strict controls exist on the amount of liquid and toxic materials
which can be accepted because of the threat of groundwater
pollution if leachate (a liquid having BOD levels up to 30,000 mg
dm- 3) escapes from the site.
• Leachate is generated from liquid deposited in the site, water
entering the site naturally via precipitation or surface run-off and
by anaerobic microbial action as organic matter in the landfill is
degraded.
 Incineration
• A waste treatment technology, which includes the combustion
of waste for recovering energy, is called as “incineration”.
• Incineration coupled with high temperature waste treatments
are recognized as thermal treatments.
• During the process of incineration, the waste material that is
treated is converted in to IBM, gases, particles and heat. These
products are later used for generation of electricity.
• A number of designs exist for the incineration of solid and/or
liquid wastes either on site or at a commercial incinerator,
including rotary kilns, fluidized beds and multiple hearth
furnaces.
• Waste disposal by incineration is currently significantly more
expensive than landfilling.
 Disposal of Effluents to Sewers
Municipal authorities and water treatment companies which accept
trade effluents into their sewage systems will want to be sure that:
1) The sewage works has the capacity to cope with the estimated
volume of effluent.
2) The effluent will not interfere with the treatment processes used
at the sewage works.
3) There are no compounds present in the effluent which will pass
through the sewage works unchanged and then cause problems
when discharged into a watercourse.
It is common practice for local authorities to demand preliminary
on-site pretreatment before discharge into sewers to minimize the
effects of industrial wastes. The actual pretreatment required will
depend on the precise nature of the waste and may range from
simple sedimentation to complex chemical and biological processes.