Control of odour emission in wastewater treatment plants by direct and undirected measurement of odour emission capacity

Odour emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered to be the main causes of disturbance noticed by the exposed population and have relevant impacts on both tourism economy and land costs. Odour impact from WWTPs is generated by primary and secondary odour emissions. Primary odour emissions are related especially to the wastewater type and variability discharged into the sewer and directed to the WWTP, and to the wastewater collection and sewage system. Secondary odours are related to the treatment units of the plant. Several studies describe the key role of primary odour emissions and how they are strongly related to odour impacts of WWTPs. In this way, a opportune characterization of the emission capacity of primary odour could be an effective way to control odour emission in the WWTPs. In this study the odour emission capacity (OEC) of different domestic sewers was described and investigated; a correlation between the OEC and the main physical-chemical parameters of wastewater quality was also carried out. Results of this study identify the optimum conditions for sampling and measuring OEC in wastewaters and define its dependence by wastewater quality. These results can contribute to setting the standards for the maximum odourant content of wastewater that are discharged into the publicly owned sewage system.     

Potentials of real time control, stormwater infiltration and urine separation to minimize river impacts: dynamic long term simulation of sewer network, pumping stations, pressure pipes and waste water treatment plant.

River Panke (Berlin, Germany) suffers from hydraulic peak loads and pollutant loads from separate sewers and combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Pumping the wastewater through long pressure pipes causes extreme peak loads to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) during stormwater events. In order to find a good solution, it is essential not to decide on one approach at the beginning, but to evaluate a number of different approaches. For this reason, an integrated simulation study is carried out, assessing the potentials of real time control (RTC), stormwater infiltration, storage and urine separation. Criteria for the assessment are derived and multi-criteria analysis is applied. Despite spatial limitations, infiltration has the highest potential and is very effective with respect to both overflows and the WWTP. Due to a high percentage of separate systems, urine separation has a similar potential and causes the strongest benefits at the WWTP. Unconventional control strategies can lead to significant improvement (comparable to infiltrating the water from approximately 10% of the sealed area).     

Model-based evaluation of nitrogen removal in a tannery wastewater treatment plant.

Computer modelling has been used in the last 15 years as a powerful tool for understanding the behaviour of activated sludge wastewater treatment systems. However, computer models are mainly applied for domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Application of these types of models to industrial wastewater treatment plants requires a different model structure and an accurate estimation of the kinetics and stoichiometry of the model parameters, which may be different from the ones used for domestic wastewater. Most of these parameters are strongly dependent on the wastewater composition. In this study a modified version of the activated sludge model No. 1 (ASM 1) was used to describe a tannery WWTP. Several biological tests and complementary physical-chemical analyses were performed to characterise the wastewater and sludge composition in the context of activated sludge modelling. The proposed model was calibrated under steady-state conditions and validated under dynamic flow conditions. The model was successfully used to obtain insight into the existing plant performance, possible extension and options for process optimisation. The model illustrated the potential capacity of the plant to achieve full denitrification and to handle a higher hydraulic load. Moreover, the use of a mathematical model as an effective tool in decision making was demonstrated.     

An integrated approach for improving the wastewater discharge and treatment systems

Since treatment plants have been built all over Germany during the last decades, the water quality of receiving streams has been improved remarkably. But there are still a lot of quality problems left, which are caused e.g. by combined sewer overflows (CSO), treatment plant effluents or rainwater discharges from separate sewer systems. At present different efforts are undertaken to control sewer systems in order to improve the operation of urban drainage systems or more generally, design processes. The Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband (EG/LV) are carrying out research studies, which are focusing on a minimization of total emissions from sewer systems both from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and from CSO. They consider dynamic interactions between rainfall, resultant wastewater, combined sewers, WWTP and receiving streams. Therefore, in an advanced wastewater treatment, a model-based improvement of WWTP operation becomes more and more essential, and consequently a highly qualified operational staff is needed. Some aspects of the current research studies are presented in this report. The need and the use of an integrated approach to combine existing model components in order to optimize dynamic management of combined sewer systems (CSS) with a benefit for nature are outlined.     

A performance investigation of small-bore sewers.

This paper describes a full-scale physical model and its application to investigate the effectiveness/performance of small-bore sewers for a range of operational and design parameters. The implementation methodology involves observing the movement of synthetic gross solids in three small bore sewers (150, 100 and 75 mm diameter) for different volumes of simulated flush waves and gradients. The simulated flush waves were generated, using an automated wave sequencer, for three different flush volumes (3, 4.5 and 6 litres). To investigate the impact of solid shape factor, a number of tests were carried out using synthetic solids in combination with toilet tissue paper. In total, more than 1,000 tests were performed for different operational and design parameter combinations. Results obtained to date have confirmed earlier studies, particularly with respect to the role of flush volume in solids transport, and identified the impact of gradient variation and its significance particularly in small-bore sewers receiving low flush volume. Results from the physical model application exercise will be used to propose new design guidelines for wastewater collection systems with specific consideration to new developments and inform the decision support system, currently being developed as part of a research project on water cycle management for new developments (WaND).     

Integrated modelling of sewer system and wastewater treatment plant for investigating the impacts of chemical dosing in sewers

Chemicals are often dosed to control the production and accumulation of hydrogen sulfide in sewers. The biological and/or chemical actions of these chemicals have profound impacts on the composition of wastewater entering a WWTP, thereby affecting its performance. In this paper, an integrated modelling methodology for simultaneously investigating the effects of dosing of chemicals in sewer network and N and P removal at the downstream WWTP is reported. The sewer system is modelled using a sewer model (SeweX), and the WWTP is modelled using ASM2d model with some modifications. The importance of integrated modelling in sewer management is also demonstrated.     

A knowledge management methodology for the integrated assessment of WWTP configurations during conceptual design

The current complexity involved in wastewater management projects is arising as the XXI century sets new challenges leading towards a more integrated plant design. In this context, the growing number of innovative technologies, stricter legislation and the development of new methodological approaches make it difficult to design appropriate flow schemes for new wastewater projects. Thus, new tools are needed for the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) conceptual design using integrated assessment methods in order to include different types of objectives at the same time i.e. environmental, economical, technical, and legal. Previous experiences used the decision support system (DSS) methodology to handle the specific issues related to wastewater management, for example, the design of treatment facilities for small communities. However, tools developed for addressing the whole treatment process independently of the plant size, capable of integrating knowledge from many different areas, including both conventional and innovative technologies are not available. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present and describe an innovative knowledge-based methodology that handles the conceptual design of WWTP process flow-diagrams (PFDs), satisfying a vast number of different criteria. This global approach is based on a hierarchy of decisions that uses the information contained in knowledge bases (KBs) with the aim of automating the generation of suitable WWTP configurations for a specific scenario. Expert interviews, legislation, specialized literature and engineering experience have been integrated within the different KBs, which indeed constitute one of the main highlights of this work. Therefore, the methodology is presented as a valuable tool which provides customized PFD for each specific case, taking into account process unit interactions and the user specified requirements and objectives.     

Comparison of activated sludge microbial communities using Biolog™ MicroPlates

Laboratory models of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) provide controlled systems for studying chemical biodegradability and removal as well as WWTP microbial ecology and engineering. In this study, Continuous Activated Sludge (CAS, 3-L) and Semi-Continuous Activated Sludge (SCAS, 2.5-L) units were maintained for up to 17 weeks using feedstocks of either fresh WWTP sewage, a complex synthetic wastewater, or a simple glucose/peptone feed (SCAS only). The goal of this research was to evaluate the microbial communities of the WWTP and the CAS and SCAS units to determine which laboratory models, and which feedstocks, were able to maintain the complexity of the WWTP microbial communities in the laboratory. One endpoint evaluated to this study was microbial community metabolic profiles, as measured using Biolog MicroPlates. Biolog Microplates contain 95 different pre-dried carbon sources and a tetrazolium dye used to spectrophotometrically measure oxidation of carbon sources. The Biolog carbon source utilization patterns of the CAS communities were similar to the SCAS communities when both were fed WWTP sewage. In addition, the profiles for these laboratory models remained similar to the WWTP microbial communities, even over an extended cultivation time (l6 weeks) in the CAS systems. Amendment with a complex synthetic wastewater (25% by chemical oxygen demand) did not affect microbial metabolic response in the CAS systems, but amendment (100% by chemical oxygen demand) with a simple glucosepeptone wastewater in the SCAS system resulted m a measurable shift in microbial metabolic response.     

A comparison of BNR activated sludge systems with membrane and settling tank solid-liquid separation.

Installing membranes for solid-liquid separation into biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated sludge (AS) systems makes a profound difference not only to the design of the membrane bio-reactor (MBR) BNR system itself, but also to the design approach for the whole wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In multi-zone BNR systems with membranes in the aerobic reactor and fixed volumes for the anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic zones (i.e. fixed volume fractions), the mass fractions can be controlled (within a range) with the inter-reactor recycle ratios. This zone mass fraction flexibility is a significant advantage of MBR BNR systems over BNR systems with secondary settling tanks (SSTs), because it allows changing the mass fractions to optimise biological N and P removal in conformity with influent wastewater characteristics and the effluent N and P concentrations required. For PWWF/ADWF ratios (fq) in the upper range (fq approximately 2.0), aerobic mass fractions in the lower range (f(maer) < 0.60) and high (usually raw) wastewater strengths, the indicated mode of operation of MBR BNR systems is as extended aeration WWTPs (no primary settling and long sludge age). However, the volume reduction compared with equivalent BNR systems with SSTs will not be large (40-60%), but the cost of the membranes can be offset against sludge thickening and stabilisation costs. Moving from a flow unbalanced raw wastewater system to a flow balanced (fq = 1) low (usually settled) wastewater strength system can double the ADWF capacity of the biological reactor, but the design approach of the WWTP changes away from extended aeration to include primary sludge stabilisation. The cost of primary sludge treatment then has to be offset against the savings of the increased WWTP capacity.     

Performance Evaluation of Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System for Sediment Transport in Sewers

The application of models capable of estimating sediment transport in sewers has been a frequent practice in the past years. Considering the fact that predicting sediment transport within the sewer is a complex phenomenon, the existing equations used for predicting densimetric Froude number do not present similar results. Using Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) this article studies sediment transport in sewers. For this purpose, five different dimensionless groups including motion, transport, sediment, transport mode and flow resistance are introduced first and then the effects of various parameters in different groups on the estimation of the densimetric Froude number in the motion group are presented as six different models. To present the models, two states of grid partitioning and sub-clustering were used in Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) generation. Moreover, the training algorithms applied in this article include back propagation and hybrid. The results of the proposed models are compared with the experimental data and the existing equations. The results show that ANFIS models have greater accuracy than the existing sediment transport equations.     

The effect of sulphide and organic matter on the nitrification activity in a biofilm process

Septic wastewater, characterised by the appearance of sulphide, is known to cause problems in sewage systems (corrosion and odour), at treatment plants (e.g. inhibition, sludge bulking) and for human beings (toxicity). Sulphide formation in sewers may be prevented by increasing the redox potential, either by oxygen/air injection (aerobic conditions) or dosage of nitrate (anoxic conditions). The effect on the nitrification capacity in a biofilm process of an anoxic wastewater as compared to a septic wastewater has been studied. The main change in wastewater quality as a result of nitrate dosage is reduced concentrations of organic matter and insignificant sulphide concentrations. The results show that a sulphide concentration of 0.5 mg/1 had a considerable negative effect on the nitrification activity. The sulphide and the higher concentrations of organic matter in the septic wastewater caused together a 30–40% reduction of the nitrification capacity as compared to the anoxic wastewater, even with pre-aeration and pre-precipitation with Fe³⁺. The removal of organic matter in the sewer as a result of the anoxic conditions created by the addition of nitrate, resulted in a maximum nitrification capacity when particulate organic matter was removed by pre-precipitation.     

Dynamic optimisation of WWTP inflow to reduce total emission.

A prerequisite for an integrated control of sewer and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a capacity driven inflow control to WWTP. This requires reliable information about the current status of WWTP operation and its behaviour on varying hydraulic, COD and nutrient loads. So far most of the proposed control strategies are based on hypothetical modelling studies. In this paper the behaviour of three large WWTPs on increased storm water loads is analysed based on online measurements of several years. In all cases the main limiting factors for an increase of load were the sedimentation processes in the secondary clarifier and the nitrification capacity. In one case study predictive control strategies have been developed observing these processes which are backboned by effluent control. Tests using an integrated model of sewer and WWTP demonstrate that inflow control on emission load varies significantly with rain intensity.     

Direct precipitation on demand at large Scandinavian WWTPs reduces the effluent phosphorus load

On demand use of direct precipitation of wastewater has been successfully implemented at several large Scandinavian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as a cost-efficient method of treating wastewater bypassing secondary treatment. During wet weather situations or when the capacity of secondary treatment is reduced excess wastewater can be treated through efficient direct precipitation. This increases the total capacity of the WWTP to remove phosphorus during these periods. This treatment strategy allows the WWTPs to meet stringent effluent phosphorus limits without extending secondary treatment of the main plant, despite high wet weather flows. The gain in terms of reduced phosphorus emissions varies depending on local conditions such as climate, collection system and secondary treatment capacity. It also varies from year to year depending on the weather and reductions of capacity due to planned refurbishing or unplanned breakdown of equipment. Operating chemical precipitation on demand has proved to contain challenges to operation and organisation of the WWTP. These challenges include logistics of start-up, training of staff and maintaining the system between occasions of operation. Sufficient up-stream storage capacity, reliable weather forecasts and good contracts with suppliers of chemicals are keys of success.     

An integrated modelling concept for immission-based management of sewer system, wastewater treatment plant and river.

Today's planning standards deal with the individual urban drainage components (sewer system, wastewater treatment plant and receiving water) separately, i.e. they are often designed and operated as single components. As opposed to this, an integral handling considers the drainage components jointly. This novel approach allows a holistic and more sustainable planning of urban drainage systems. This paper presents an integrated modelling concept. The aim is to analyse fluxes through the total wastewater system and to integrate pollution-based control in the upstream direction, that is, e.g., managing the combined water retention tanks as a function of state variables in the WWTP or the receiving water. All models of the different subsystems are based on the Activated Sludge Model (ASM) concept of IWA, including River Water Quality Model No. 1 (RWOM). Simulations can be done in truly parallel mode using the simulation environment SIMBA. The integrated modelling concept is applied to the river Dhuenn and the urban wastewater system of the municipality of Odenthal (Germany). An optimised operation of the system using RTC proves to be a very effective measure.     

Integrated modelling for the evaluation of infiltration effects.

The objective of the present study is the estimation of the potential benefits of sewer pipe rehabilitation for the performance of the drainage system and the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) as well as for the receiving water quality. The relation of sewer system status and the infiltration rate is assessed based on statistical analysis of 470 km of CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) inspected sewers of the city of Dresden. The potential reduction of infiltration rates and the consequent performance improvements of the urban wastewater system are simulated as a function of rehabilitation activities in the network. The integrated model is applied to an artificial system with input from a real sewer network. In this paper, the general design of the integrated model and its data requirements are presented. For an exemplary study, the consequences of the simulations are discussed with respect to the prioritisation of rehabilitation activities in the network.     

Membrane bioreactor application in wastewater re-use from the effluent of Bali primary WWTP, northern Taiwan.

Two MBR pilot systems were constructed and tested in the Bali Primary WWTP. The pilot study shows that two MBR systems, i.e. the Green-MenBio system (MBR-1) and the Bio-MF system (MBR-2), can both fulfill the requirement of wastewater reclamation standard. The MBR-2 system is more economical compared with MBR-1 system. The cost of US dollars 0.10-0.16/m3 is estimated to reclaim the effluent of primary WWTP in Taiwan. The Bali Primary WWTP has the capacity of 1,320,000 cmd which is the biggest in Taiwan. The domestic wastewater of partial Taipei City and Taipei County are collected and transported to the Bali Primary WWTP. The effluent of the Bali Primary WWTP is then discharged into the ocean through two 3.8 m marine outfalls. The AO processes are installed in both MBR systems. More than 90% of the NH3-N can be removed through the AO and membrane processes. The outflow of the MBR systems (without RO) can reach the quality of COD <30 mg/l, BOD <10 mg/l, SS <5 mg/l, NH3-N <3 mg/L. The outflow of the MBR system is proposed to transport 40 km south to the Taoyuan County where four new industrial parks are to be constructed. Part of the reclaimed water is to be used on irrigation and another portion is to be sent to the industries after RO treatment.     

Plant-wide (BSM2) evaluation of reject water treatment with a SHARON-Anammox process.

In wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) equipped with sludge digestion and dewatering systems, the reject water originating from these facilities contributes significantly to the nitrogen load of the activated sludge tanks, to which it is typically recycled. In this paper, the impact of reject water streams on the performance of a WWTP is assessed in a simulation study, using the Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2 (BSM2), that includes the processes describing sludge treatment and in this way allows for plant-wide evaluation. Comparison of performance of a WWTP without reject water with a WWTP where reject water is recycled to the primary clarifier, i.e. the BSM2 plant, shows that the ammonium load of the influent to the primary clarifier is 28% higher in the case of reject water recycling. This results in violation of the effluent total nitrogen limit. In order to relieve the main wastewater treatment plant, reject water treatment with a combined SHARON-Anammox process seems a promising option. The simulation results indicate that significant improvements of the effluent quality of the main wastewater treatment plant can be realized. An economic evaluation of the different scenarios is performed using an Operating Cost Index (OCI).     

Structural and functional design of WWTP operation decision support system with a case study.

This paper developes the WWTP operation decision support system (ODSS) to simulate the dynamic behavior of the WWTP treatment process based on ASMs (activated sludge models) and WWTP experiential knowledge. The novel structure and functions of ODSS can offer more flexible and general instructions to the WWTP operations. The three independent sub-systems, namely expert system, simulation system and training system, can cooperate to achieve many more functions such as operation alert, fault diagnosis, process simulation and so forth. The expert system based on the dynamic simulation, an essential part of WWTP ODSS, has been proved to be feasible and effective by the implementation at Fang Zhuang WWTP. Our results indicated that the WWTP ODSS has significant potential for improving plant performance and reducing treatment costs by assisting the operators at the decision-making level.     

Integrated operation of sewer system and WWTP by simulation-based control of the WWTP inflow.

In recent years numerical modelling became a standard procedure to optimise urban wastewater systems design and operation by integration. For dynamic control of the wastewater teatment plant (WWTP) inflow, a model-based predictive concept is introduced aiming at improving the receiving water quality. An on-line simulator running parallel to the real WWTP operation reflects the actual state of operation and provides this model information to a prognosis tool which determines the best option for the WWTP inflow. The investigations showed that it is possible to reduce the NH4-N peak concentrations in the receiving water by dynamic WWTP inflow control based on predictive scenario analysis.     

Impact assessment of odours emitted by a wastewater treatment plant

Complaints from the Domingos Martins population about sewage odours in the city made the district attorney order an impact assessment of the odours emitted by the city wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). This study comprised various techniques, models and population surveys. In 2007, an odour emission model proved that the main hydrogen sulphide emitter was the aeration tank of the WWTP (13.5 g h(-1)) and such emissions, according to CALPUFF model, should be perceived in the whole Domingos Martins city centre area. In this area, 58% of those interviewed were annoyed by the WWTP odours. However, in 2009, the odour monitoring panel recorded few odour occurrences. A second population survey showed that hereafter only 20% of those interviewed were annoyed by the WWTP emissions. Odour emission and dispersion models run with 2010 data proved a drastic reduction of the WWTP aeration tank emissions and consequently the city centre was not bothered by WWTP emissions anymore. The odour emission reduction was due to the modification of the WWTP aeration tank system. Despite the odour emission reduction, houses located southeast of the WWTP were still annoyed by sewage odours. However, in this part of the town, other sources of sewage odours have been found.