WASTEWATER TREATMENT TERTIARY TREATMENT

PROCESS

SUDIPTA SARKAR

Bar Screens

Screenings

Grit Removal

PRIMARY

Filter Press

O2

Secondary Nutrient
Clarifier
Removal

Aeration
tank

Grit

PRELIMINARY

Dewatered
Sludge to
landfill

Primary Clarifier

Anaerobic
Digester

SECONDARY

D
I
S
P
O
Advanced
S
Treatments A
L
TERTIARY

Gravity Sludge
thickener

SLUDGE PROCESSING

Typical Process flow Diagram Different Treatment Blocks

Treated Wastewater Effluent Still Contains

A portion of initial organic load (residual BOD)
Carbon matter, depletes O2, causes biomat growth
TSS (total suspended solids)
Depletes O2
NH3 (ammonia)
Toxic to fish, depletes O2, a nutrient that promotes biological growth
NO3- (nitrate)
Toxic to babies, drinking water regulated, a nutrient
Total P (total phosphorus)
A nutrient
Pathogens (bacteria/viruses)
Disease causing
There is a need of tertiary treatment to tackle the contaminants still remaining
in the treated effluent
To better protect public health and environment from creating a potentially
hazardous condition such as eutrophication
To provide additional treatment when soils or receiving waters cannot
naturally degrade the small amount of contaminant released.

Nutrients Removal
Basic nutrients present in the domestic wastewater are
Nitrogen (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
Phosphorus (soluble and insoluble. Orthophosphate, polyphosphate. Organic P)
Sulfate
Other compounds of nitrogen & phosphorus
Problems associated with nutrients presence in wastewater are
accelerating the eutrophication
stimulating the growth of algae & rooted aquatic plants
aesthetic problems & nuisance
depleting D.O. concentration in receiving waters
Toxicity towards aquatic life
increasing chlorine demand
presenting a public health hazard
affecting the suitability of wastewater for reuse

Control and Removal of Nitrogen (Biologically):

Removal of Nitrogen by Nitrification/Denitrification Processes:

It is a two step processes
Conversion of Ammonia to Nitrite (Nitrosomonas)
NH4+ + 1.5 O2 Bacteria (Nitrosomonous) NO2- + 2 H+ + H2O
Conversion of Nitrite to Nitrate (Nitrobacter)
NO2- + 0.5 O2 (Nitrobactor) NO3-

Nitrification
Process

Denitrifying bacteria obtain energy from the conversion of NO3- to N2 gas,

but require a carbon source
NO3- + CH3OH + H2CO3 C5H7O2N + N2 + H2O + HCO3(organic matter)

(cell mass)

Denitrification
Process

There is another reaction, mediated by a special group of bacteria, known as ANAMMOX

(ANaerobic AMMonium OXidation) bacteria, recently discovered in the year 2000, which
directly produces nitrogen from nitrite as per the following reaction:
NH4+ + NO2- N2 + 2H2O

Nitrification Processes
The following factors affect nitrification:
a) Conc. of NH4+ and NO2-, b) BOD/TKN ratio (BOD should be gone/removed) ;
c) Dissolved oxygen conc. (need oxygen); d) Temperature; e) pH (7.5 to 8.6)

Suspended
Growth Separate
Stage Nitrification

Single State Nitrification

Denitrification

Need low (no) oxygen (< 1 mg/L)

Need carbon source (Methanol or alternative)
Neutral pH (pH 7)
Concentration of nitrate
Source of Organic
carbon (methanol or
Denitrification
Nitrification alternative
tank
Clarifier
Nitrification
Tank

Denitrification
Clarifier

Air

Effluent

Anoxic Zone
Return Sludge
Return Sludge

Waste Sludge

Waste Sludge

Separate-stage denitrification process using a separate carbon source

Combined Nitrification-Denitrification Process Oxidation Ditch

The influent stream is discharged into the upstream limit of the anoxic zone , organic
loading of the wastewater serves for the denitrification purpose. The wastewater at
the end of the anoxic zone has the organic load as well as ammonia source, it is put
into extended aerobic zone where nitrification occurs. Because there is no polishing
stage provided at the end of aerobic region for denitrification, the nitrogen removal
efficiency is low, about 50-60%. Effluent is taken just before the anoxic zone.
Controlling the Dissolved oxygen level is crucial to the efficiency of the system.

Four-stage Plug Flow Bardenpho Process

Separate reaction zones are used for carbon oxidation nitrification and anoxic denitrification. The influent
initially enters into anoxic denitrification zone where nitrified mixed liquor is recycled from subsequent
combined carbon oxidation nitrification compartment. The carbon in the wastewater is used to denitrify
the recycled nitrate. Organic loading is high, the process of denitrification proceeds rapidly. Ammonia
passes on unchanged to the next compartment.
In the 2nd compartment, ammonia of the wastewater gets nitrified, because of extended aeration.
In the 3rd compartment, denitrification need is rather low; it is carried out anoxically by the utilization of
endogenous carbon source still remaining.
In the 4th compartment, aeration is done to strip the nitrogen gas out of the system, so that the final
sludge is not fluffy and settles down well in the clarifier.

Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal

Phosphorous appears in the wastewater as orthophosphate (PO43-), Polyphosphate (P2O7)
and organically bound phosphorus. Polyphosphate and org-P account up to 70% of total P
in the wastewater. Microbes need P for cell synthesis and energy transport. 10-30 percent
of P is thus removed in the secondary treatment process where new cells are synthesized
and wasted. In order to attain even lower P concentration at the outlet, additional uptake
of P by the microbes is required.

When some aerobic microbes such as Acinetobactor is subjected to anaerobic situation,

phosphorus is released from the cells. If the microbes are then subjected to aerobic zone,
they tend to uptake more phosphorus than needed because they want to store more
phosphorus to counteract the future stressed situation.

Thus, microbes when subjected to alternate anaerobic and aerobic situations, tend to
extract more P from the wastewater.

Net Result:
Phosphorus
accumulation by the
microorganism. And,
removal as
Phosphate-rich
sludge

PAO- Phosphorus
accumulating
organism

A/O Process for P removal

Inorganic Phosphorus Removal

Chemical Precipitation
Calcium (lime) addition at high pH (>10)
Alum precipitation
Precipitation with ferric hydroxide

Combined Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal

Air
Wastewater
Anaerobic

Anoxic

Aerobic

A2/O Process