Environmental Engineering

22CE3235
ATI Colombo
2025 Semester II

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 Topic 5: Wastewater
treatment and disposal II
Tertiary treatment:
• Selection of appropriate technologies,
• Sludge disposal and water reclamation
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3 What is Tertiary Treatment?
Tertiary treatment is the advanced stage of wastewater treatment used to
remove:
 Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus)
 Suspended solids
 Dissolved organic matter
 Pathogens
 Toxic chemicals
4 Objectives of Tertiary Treatment

 Improve effluent quality

 Protect public health
 Enable water reuse
 Reduce environmental pollution
5 Need for Tertiary Treatment
Secondary treatment may still contain:
 Nutrients
 Microorganisms
 Dissolved solids
These pollutants can cause:
 Eutrophication
 Waterborne diseases
 Environmental degradation

Waterborne diseases are infections spread by

drinking or using water contaminated with human or
animal feces, containing pathogens like bacteria,
viruses, and parasites. Major diseases include
cholera, typhoid, and dysentery
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Tertiary Treatment Technologies
7 [Link]

Used to remove fine suspended particles.

 Types
 Sand filtration
 Multimedia filtration –Gravel ,sand, coal
 Membrane filtration
 8 [Link] Removal
I) Nitrogen Removal (Nitrification & Denitrification)
Nitrogen in raw wastewater is mostly in the form of ammonia (NH4+). Removing it is a two-
step biological process requiring distinct environments.
 Nitrification (Aerobic): Specialized autotrophic bacteria (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter)
convert ammonia to nitrate. This requires massive amounts of oxygen and consumes
alkalinity.
 Denitrification (Anoxic): The water is moved to a tank with no dissolved oxygen, but
abundant nitrate (NO3-). Heterotrophic bacteria strip the oxygen atoms from the nitrate
to "breathe," releasing harmless nitrogen gas (N2) into the atmosphere. This process
requires a carbon source (like methanol or raw influent).

Autotrophic bacteria are microorganisms

Heterotrophic bacteria are microorganisms that cannot
that produce their own food by
produce their own food and must obtain energy by
converting inorganic substances (like
consuming organic carbon, such as dead organic
carbon dioxide and water) into organic
matter, carbohydrates, or proteins
nutrients, eliminating the need to consume
other organisms.
 II) Phosphorus Removal
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 Phosphorus is removed by stressing a specific group of bacteria called Phosphorus
Accumulating Organisms (PAOs). By cycling these bacteria through an anaerobic zone
(no oxygen, no nitrate) and then an aerobic zone, they are tricked into taking up luxury
amounts of phosphorus—far more than they need for basic survival. This phosphorus is
then removed from the system when the bacteria are wasted as sludge.
Chemical Phosphorus Removal and Selection Criteria
When biological processes are insufficient or too complex for a specific facility, chemical
precipitation is used.
 Chemical Precipitation: Metal salts, typically Alum (aluminum sulfate) or Ferric Chloride,
are added to the wastewater. The metal ions react with the soluble phosphate to form
an insoluble precipitate that settles out in a clarifier.
10 Table: Selecting Tertiary Treatment
Technologies
Technology Target Pollutant Advantages Disadvantages

Large footprint, complex

Low chemical costs,
BNR (A2O Process) Nitrogen & Phosphorus to operate, sensitive to
sustainable.
temperature.

Highly reliable, easy to

retrofit-(new High chemical costs,
Chemical Precipitation Phosphorus
technologies), handles increase sludge volume.
flow spikes.

Extremely high quality High energy consumption,

Membrane Bioreactor
Extreme TSS & Organics effluent, compact membrane fouling,
(MBR)
footprint (small space). expensive.

Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) Membrane fouling is the process where contaminants—such as particles,
colloids, macromolecules, or microorganisms—deposit onto a membrane
Anaerobic-Anoxic-Oxic (A2O) surface or within its pores, degrading performance

Large footprint- high impact to the environment

 Selection of Appropriate
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Technologies
12 Factors Affecting Technology Selection

 Effluent Quality Requirements-Discharge standards, purpose (drinking)

 Cost Considerations- capital, operation, maintenance
 Land availability- placing filters
 Energy requirement- Reverse osmosis, ozonation
 Technical expertise- skilled operators
 Environmental impacts- chemicals, sludge
 Local conditions- climate, population, water demand
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Sludge Processing and Disposal
14 The Sludge Challenge and Thickening
 Treating wastewater creates a massive secondary problem: sludge (also
called biosolids).
 Sludge is the concentrated mixture of water, removed solids, and dead
bacteria.
 It is highly odorous, full of pathogens, and mostly water (often 98-99% water
by volume).
 The entire goal of sludge processing is volume reduction and stabilization.
 Primary Sludge: Comes from the primary clarifier (raw organics, dense, high
energy potential).
 Waste Activated Sludge (WAS): Comes from the secondary clarifier (mostly
water and dead bacterial cells, hard to dewater).
15 Sludge Thickening:
 The first step is separating the free water to reduce the volume.
 Gravity Thickeners: Look like small clarifiers; used for dense primary sludge.
 Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF): remove suspended solids, oils, algae by attaching fine
air bubbles to pollutants, causing them to float to the surface for skimming

A skimmer in wastewater treatment is a mechanical

device designed to remove floating contaminants—
such as oils, fats, grease (FOG), and scum—from the
surface of water
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17 Sludge Stabilization (Digestion)

 Thickened sludge will still putrefy and smell horrible. It must be stabilized to
reduce the organic content and kill pathogens.
 Anaerobic Digestion: The most common method for large plants. Sludge is
heated to ~35°C in a massive, sealed, oxygen-free tank for 15-20 days.
 The Benefit: Anaerobic bacteria break down the volatile organics and produce
biogas (roughly 60% methane, 40% carbon dioxide). This biogas is captured and
burned in combined heat and power (CHP) engines to generate electricity for
the plant, often making the facility energy-neutral.
 Aerobic Digestion: Used in smaller plants. Sludge is continuously aerated.
The bacteria consume all available food and then cannibalize each other.
It is simpler to operate but consumes a lot of electricity.

Cannibalism-In a group of bacteria, some stronger

bacteria produce substances that kill weaker
bacteria of the same type. The dead bacteria are
then broken down and used as food by the surviving
bacteria.
18 Dewatering and Final Disposal

 After stabilization, the sludge is still roughly 95% water. Mechanical

dewatering is required before disposal.
 Dewatering Technologies:
 Belt Filter Presses: Sludge is squeezed between two tensioned porous belts.
 Centrifuges: Spin at high speeds to separate water and solids via centrifugal
force. Produces a "cake" that is roughly 20-25% solid.
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 Final Disposal Options:
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 Land Application: If heavy metals are low and pathogens are destroyed,
the cake is an excellent agricultural fertilizer.
 Incineration: Burning the sludge. Reduces volume to 10% ash, but highly
expensive and requires strict air pollution control.
 Landfill: The least sustainable option, taking up valuable landfill space, but
often necessary if the sludge is contaminated with industrial chemicals.
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Water Reclamation and Reuse
 What is Water Reclamation?
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 Treatment of wastewater to make it reusable.
Benefits;
 Conserves freshwater
 Reduces pollution
 Supports sustainability
23 Applications of Reclaimed Water
 Irrigation- crops, landscaping
 Industrial use- cooling water, boiler feeder
 Groundwater recharge- replenished aquifers
 Toilet flushing
 Indirect potable reuse- treated wastewater enters reservoirs before reuse

Replenishing aquifers, or groundwater recharge, is the

process where water moves downward from the
surface to refill underground, porous rock layers
(aquifers).
24 Challenges of water reuse

 Public acceptance
 Health concerns
 High treatment cost
 Operational and maintenance difficulties
 Presence of emerging contaminants- pharmaceuticals, detergents
 Environmental concerns- groundwater contamination
 Infrastructure requirements
 High energy consumption
 Sludge disposal issues
 Seasonal variations- rainfall, industrial discharge, population changes
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