Colour and turbidity removal with reusable magnetite particles—V: Process development

A process design has been developed for a continuous process to clarify turbid and coloured waters with alkali treated magnetite. Critical parts of the process have been investigated in small bench scale equipment, and criteria determined for the proper selection of equipment. A continuous pilot plant which appears to be both technically and economically feasible has been specified from the process design, and will be the subject of further investigations.     

Colour and turbidity removal with reusable magnetite particles—IV: Alkali activated magnetite—A new solid. Reusable coagulant-adsorbent

Alkali treated magnetite (Fe₃O₄) is shown to be an excellent solid coagulant-adsorbent which is regenerable and reusable. It is effective for the removal of colour and turbidity from water. Alkali treated magnetite can be used alone or in conjunction with another primary inorganic coagulant or organic flocculant. Because of the accelerated kinetics of coagulation and particularly of sedimentation, this new technique is 3–6 times faster than the conventional coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation process. It also appears that filtration of the product water may not be necessary. Regeneration of the spent magnetite is achieved by contacting the used magnetite with 0.1 M sodium hydroxide. The development of the process on the laboratory scale using a jar test technique is discussed.     

Colour and turbidity removal with reusable magnetic particles—III immobilized metal hydroxide gels

A novel, reusable, magnetic coagulant-adsorbent was prepared and used for removing colour and turbidity from surface water. The adsorbent was made by deposition of ferric hydroxide gel onto fine magnetite. The surface charge of such a composite particle is pH dependent, and the amphoteric properties of the ferric hydroxide gel coating can be exploited in the clarification process. At pH < 6, the surface is positively charged and adsorption of negatively charged particles occurs. Conversely, the adsorbed impurities can be released by increasing the pH to above pH 10. The reactivated particles can then be reused. The particles have high sedimentation rates and are easy to handle magnetically.The magnetic gel was successfully employed to treat a number of waters. It was especially effective in treating a highly coloured reservoir water. It was possible to reuse the gel after regeneration for many cycles with a gradual deterioration in performance.     

Colour and turbidity removal with reusable magnetic particles—II. coagulation with magnetic polymer composites

Composite particles containing magnetic iron oxides in an insoluble polymeric matrix were used to enhance the coagulation of a turbid, coloured river water. Uncharged magnetic particles increased the turbidity removal at a given alum dose, or alternatively achieved a desired level of turbidity removal at a lower alum dose. Rates of floc formation and settling were approximately double those obtained with alum alone. Grafting linear polymers to the magnetic particles increased their effectiveness. The uncharged particles could be reused after simply washing with water. Magnetic particles with grafted chains of cationic polymers, when used in conjunction with alum, gave excellent removal of colour and turbidity and rapid settling, but required brine for regeneration. These materials were also effective in coagulating algae. When used in high doses without alum, the cationic magnetic particles initially gave good turbidity and colour removal from river water, but could not be completely regenerated     

Colour and turbidity removal with reusable magnetite particles—VII: A colloid chemistry study of the effect of inorganic ions on the efficiency of clarification

The removal of colour and turbidity from natural waters by the addition of magnetite is an interfacial process. Furthermore the components of this system are either of colloidal dimensions or of a surface active nature and thus this method of water clarification is very much in the realm of surface and colloid chemistry. Electrokinetic techniques have been used to examine the influence of a number of inorganic species, commonly encountered in the practical situation, on the surface properties of magnetite and consequently on the efficiency of the process.     

Colour and turbidity removal with reusable magnetic particles—I. Use of magnetic cation exchange resins to introduce aluminium ions

Clarification of hard, turbid surface water by Al³⁺ ions introduced on a sulphonic acid ion exchanger is described. If the resin beads are sufficiently fine, they act as nuclei for floc formation and accelerate the subsequent settling of the flocs. Incorporation of magnetic iron oxide in the resin beads enables them to be conveniently separated from the clarified water. Acidification of the resin-containing sludge then results in partial reloading of the resin with Al³⁺ ions. However, the regenerated resin proved ineffective as a coagulant, a result attributed chiefly to hydrolysis of Al³⁺ ions within the resin. The findings of this work are significant for the theory of coagulation and also suggested the possibility of enhancing clarification by adding fine particles with an absorbing surface.     

Adsorption of viruses on magnetic particles—II. Degradation of MS2 bacteriophage by adsorption to magnetite

Washed samples of finely-divided magnetite are found, after alkali treatment, to adsorb MS2 bacteriophage very efficiently, from suspension in 100 mg 1⁻¹ NaCl at pH 6.Suspended material, such as clay, components of sewage effluent and ions interfere with virus adsorption, but this interference can be largely overcome by the addition of suitable polyelectrolyte in low concentration.     

高浊度原水水厂预沉池工艺设计及运行管理研究

以西南地区某净水厂为例,介绍了使用预沉池应对高浊度水时,工艺的设计参数选取和设备配置情况,并对现有预沉池应对突发高浊度原水情况进行了分析介绍,提出了预沉池在高浊度原水进水情况下的具体运行管理措施,以供参考。     

Batch Cr(VI) removal by polyacrylamide-grafted sawdust: Kinetics and thermodynamics

Batch sorption studies have been carried out to determine the effect of adsorbent dose, initial sorbate concentration and pH on the adsorption of Cr(VI) on polymer-grafted sawdust. The process was found to be pH, temperature and concentration dependent. An empirical relationship has been obtained to predict the percentage Cr(VI) removal at any time for known values of sorbent and initial sorbate concentration under observed test conditions. The effect of diverse ions has been studied and it is found that there is very little effect on the sorption of Cr(VI). The process was found to be exothermic with a maximum adsorption of 91.0% at 30°C for an initial concentration of 100 mg l⁻¹ at pH 3. The process follows first-order kinetics and the data fits the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamic parameters were also evaluated. Desorption studies confirmed that adsorbent can be effectively regenerated using 0.2 M NaOH and 0.5 M NaCl and can then be reused.     

Recovery of chromium(VI) from wastewaters with iron(III) hydroxide—I: Adsorption mechanism of chromium(VI) on iron(III) hydroxide

Chromium(VI) [Cr(VI)] is adsorbed as HCrO⁻₄ on iron(III) hydroxide at pH below 8.5. The Cr(VI) adsorption is suppressed by the presence of other anions such as SO²⁻₄ and SCN⁻, and enhanced by the presence of metal ions such as Cd(II) and Pb(II). The suppression is due to the competitive adsorption of other anions, depending upon the stability of their iron complexes. The enhancement is probably due to the increase in adsorption sites as a result of coprecipitation of metal ion with iron(III) hydroxide.     

The removal of colour from effluent using various adsorbents—IV. Silica: Equilibria and column studies

The rate of adsorption of Astrazone Blue, a basic dye, on Sorbsil Silica has been studied. The parameters studied include particle size, initial dye concentration, agitation and dye solution temperature. The rate controlling step is mainly intraparticle diffusion, although a small boundary layer resistance is experienced. The activation energy for the adsorption of Astrazone Blue on silica is 13.2 ± 0.6 kJ kg⁻¹. The diffusion coefficients vary from 9 × 10⁻⁹ cm² s⁻¹ at 20°C to 10 × 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹ at 82°C.     

Bacterial, viral and turbidity removal by intermittent slow sand filtration for household use in developing countries: experimental investigation and modeling

A two-factor three-block experimental design was developed to permit rigorous evaluation and modeling of the main effects and interactions of sand size (d₁₀ of 0.17 and 0.52 mm) and hydraulic head (10, 20, and 30 cm) on removal of fecal coliform (FC) bacteria, MS2 bacteriophage virus, and turbidity, under two batch operating modes (‘long’ and ‘short’) in intermittent slow sand filters (ISSFs). Long operation involved an overnight pause time between feeding of two successive 20 L batches (16 h average batch residence time (RT)). Short operation involved no pause between two 20 L batch feeds (5 h average batch RT). Conditions tested were representative of those encountered in developing country field settings. Over a ten week period, the 18 experimental filters were fed river water augmented with wastewater (influent turbidity of 5.4-58.6 NTU) and maintained with the wet harrowing method. Linear mixed modeling allowed systematic estimates of the independent marginal effects of each independent variable on each performance outcome of interest while controlling for the effects of variations in a batch’s actual residence time, days since maintenance, and influent turbidity. This is the first study in which simultaneous measurement of bacteria, viruses and turbidity removal at the batch level over an extended duration has been undertaken with a large number of replicate units to permit rigorous modeling of ISSF performance variability within and across a range of likely filter design configurations and operating conditions.On average, the experimental filters removed 1.40 log fecal coliform CFU (SD 0.40 log, N = 249), 0.54 log MS2 PFU (SD 0.42 log, N = 245) and 89.0 percent turbidity (SD 6.9 percent, N = 263). Effluent turbidity averaged 1.24 NTU (SD 0.53 NTU, N = 263) and always remained below 3 NTU. Under the best performing design configuration and operating mode (fine sand, 10 cm head, long operation, initial HLR of 0.01-0.03 m/h), mean 1.82 log removal of bacteria (98.5%) and mean 0.94 log removal of MS2 viruses (88.5%) were achieved.Results point to new recommendations regarding filter design, manufacture, and operation for implementing ISSFs in local settings in developing countries. Sand size emerged as a critical design factor on performance. A single layer of river sand used in this investigation demonstrated removals comparable to those reported for 2 layers of crushed sand. Pause time and increased residence time each emerged as highly beneficial for improving removal performance on all four outcomes. A relatively large and significant negative effect of influent turbidity on MS2 viral removal in the ISSF was measured in parallel with a much smaller weaker positive effect of influent turbidity on FC bacterial removal. Disturbance of the schmutzdecke by wet harrowing showed no effect on virus removal and a modest reductive effect on the bacterial and turbidity removal as measured 7 days or more after the disturbance. For existing coarse sand ISSFs, this research indicates that a reduction in batch feed volume, effectively reducing the operating head and increasing the pore:batch volume ratio, could improve their removal performance by increasing batch residence time.     

Biological Cr(VI) removal coupled with biomass growth, biomass decay, and multiple substrate limitation

In this work, a mathematical model for the biological reduction of Cr(VI), carbon and nitrogen sources consumption, and biomass growth under fully aerobic conditions was developed. The model comprises three types of aerobic heterotrophic cells (non-growing cells, growing cells with chromate reductase activity, and growing cells that have lost the chromate reductase activity), and five soluble compounds (organic substrate, ammonia nitrogen, non-metabolizable soluble products, dissolved oxygen, and hexavalent chromium). Two processes are considered responsible for the reduction of Cr(VI). The first one is the reduction of Cr(VI) coupled with growth, the second process is coupled with the endogenous decay of the biomass. The model was calibrated using the results obtained in batch cultures in the absence of carbon and nitrogen sources, using different initial Cr(VI) concentrations (0-100 mgCr L⁻¹), two carbon sources (cheese whey and lactose), and different initial nitrogen to carbon ratio (0-50 mgN gCOD⁻¹). The calibrated model was used to calculate steady-state values of TSS, soluble COD, TAN and Cr(VI) in continuous systems, obtaining a good agreement with the experimental data. The model also accurately predicted the transient concentration of Cr(VI) as a function of time in response to step changes of the inlet Cr(VI) concentration in continuous systems.     

Stream productivity analysis with dorm—II: Parameter estimation and sensitivity

The dissolved oxygen routing model DORM, which determines productivity and respiration of a stream biological community, requires in addition to stream geometry and stream flow, parameter values for reaeration coefficients and temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) limitations on respiration. Illustrated are the methods used to obtain numerical values in a field study at the U.S. EPA Monticello Ecological Research Station. The calculated community productivity and respiration rates are sensitive to certain input parameters and assumptions. Analysis showed that, among the many parameters needed, hydraulic residence time and reaeration coefficients should be determined with utmost care. Other sensitivity tests included temperature effects, half-saturation values and longitudinal dispersion.     

Simultaneous colour and DON removal from sewage treatment plant effluent: Alum coagulation of melanoidin

The aim of this study was to detect and characterise melanoidin in sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent, and to study the ability of alum coagulation to remove the colour and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) associated with melanoidin. The melanoidin is non-biodegradable due to the complex cyclic based structure and thus it directly contributes to effluent nitrogen concentrations from the sewage treatment plant (STP). Lowering of effluent total nitrogen limits and the link between colour and chlorinated disinfection by-products have therefore driven a need to understand the structure, properties and treatability of DON species found in STP effluent.The focus of this paper is the refractory coloured, organic nitrogen compound melanoidin. Wetalla STP effluent has relatively high colour (170 mg-PtCo L⁻¹) and DON (2.5 mg L⁻¹) for a biological nutrient removal STP, owing to an industrial supply of melanoidin containing molasses fermentation wastewater. Alum coagulation jar tests were performed on synthetic melanoidin solution, STP effluent containing melanoidin (Wetalla, Toowoomba, Australia) and STP effluent free of melanoidin (Merrimac, Gold Coast, Australia) to examine the treatability of melanoidin and its associated colour and DON content when present in STP effluent.The removal of melanoidin from STP effluent resulted in significant colour and DON reduction. An alum dose of 30 mg L⁻¹ as aluminium was sufficient to reach maximum removal of colour (75%), DON (42%) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (30%) present in melanoidin containing STP effluent. Alum was shown to preferentially remove DON with a molecular weight >10 kDa over small molecular weight DON. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix examination of the humic compounds present in the STP effluent indicated that melanoidin type humic compounds were more readily removed by alum coagulation than other humic compounds.     

A theoretical study of factors influencing the microbial population dynamics of the activated-sludge process—II. A computer simulation study to compare two methods of plant operation

The effects of operating a plant with a constant sludge-wastage rate and with a constant concentration of mixed-liquor solids have been investigated by computer simulations. From a theoretical point of view, if any sewage parameter is not completely stable then a slightly better quality effluent is likely to be achieved when the plant is operated with a constant specific wastage rate. In practice, however, the slight improvement is not likely to be measurable. The effects of a sudden stable increase or a “slug dose” of sewage substrate and bacterial content on the plants operated in the above two ways have been simulated together with diurnal variations in sewage flow, and in the concentrations of bacteria, debris, and substrate in the sewage.     

Influence of faulting on a mine shaft—a case study: part I—Background and instrumentation

The impact of geological structures on the stability of underground infrastructures is well recognised. Moreover, the influence of major geological structures such as faults, becomes critical when the stability of underground infrastructures which are essential for mine production, are threatened. The X41 shaft is the man and supply shaft at the Copper Mine, at Mount Isa, Australia. Here, there has been observed evidence of degradation manifested by the development of cracks in the shaft concrete lining since the early nineties. In addition, the shaft steel structure is being deformed and needs regular and meticulous maintenance. The shaft degradation has been attributed to the presence of two major geological structures, the W41 and W42 faults, which intersect the shaft in two distinct locations.This paper presents a case study whereby the causes of shaft degradation were examined. The influence of faulting and mining sequence on the stability of the main mine shaft were investigated by means of field investigations and numerical modelling. This paper concentrates on the field investigation performed as part I of this project. It provides a review of work done prior to this study and exposes the past field monitoring practices and those that were implemented to characterise the observed displacement in the X41 shaft.     

Stream productivity analysis with dorm—I: Development of computational model

A numerical dissolved oxygen routing model (DORM) is developed to determine total stream community photosynthesis (P) and community respiration rates (R) through iterative routing of two-station diel DO measurements. The model differs from existing procedures for diel curve productivity analysis; it uses the complete stream DO transport equation, including longitudinal dispersion, dependence of respiratory rate on water temperature and dissolved oxygen and wind dependent oxygen transfer through the water surface. The model, DORM, is more accurate than the traditional graphical procedures of diel curve analysis and is simple to apply. DORM is also valuable in an analysis of the results' sensitivity to the numerous coefficient and parametric assumptions required in diel curve analysis. The model is not a predictive DO model, but is designed for the interpretation of DO measurements in a stream, channel or river.