The biological treatment is one of the commonly methods of wastewater treatment plant in wastewater treatment processes. The biological treatment can meet water quality standards required by the plant in response to different sewage conditions and qualities. It can purify high pollution loading sewage through the use of microbial metabolic transformation. Through effectively protecting and using water resources, the ecological balance of ocean and river can be maintained and environmental quality can be improved in consequence. This study analyzes the operations of a wastewater treatment plant, which is part of an urban sewage system. The major sources of inflow to the plant are domestic sewage, followed by rainfall runoff and industrial wastewater. The biological treatment system adopted in the plant is "Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR)". The reason for using BNR is to prevent eutrophication of downstream water bodies due to untreated nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrient substances in discharged sewages. The design of BNR, which is called "A2O activated sludge method", would increase the anaerobic-anaerobic mixing process for simultaneous removal of the sewage of organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and BOD. The study collected the data to analyze the impacts of extreme weather event, i.e. Typhoon Morakot, and the effects of newly developed industrial, i.e. polysilicon industry. Water quality data of inflow and outflow sewages starting from January 2009 to December 2011 were compiled to perform statistical analyses. By plotting various time series figures, the study can effectively explore the variations of pollutant removal under the two designated situations in the biological treatment system. The results show the abnormal increase in conductivity of effluent which has decreased pollutant removal since August 2010. Besides, the confluence of rainwater and sewage has severely affected the efficiency and quality of the biological treatment process during a typhoon or heavy rain event. This study has identified the potential impacts on a BNR plant which can provide the administration to enhance the effectiveness of the biological treatment plant and the function of sewage purification stability control.

Domestic wastewater is the most abundant type of wastewater. Direct discharge of untreated domestic wastewater has environmental and public health risks due to the presence of organics, nutrients and pathogens. Application of anaerobic processes for the treatment of domestic sewage, which at present is largely treated by aerobic processes, has drawn considerable attention recently. Anaerobic processes can be applied for the removal of organic matter (methanogenesis) and nitrogen (anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox)).The toxicity of fluoride to methanogenesis was investigated. The results indicate that acetoclastic were more susceptible to fluoride than hydrogenotrophic methanogens. The concentration of fluoride causing 50% inhibition (IC50) to acetoclastic ranged from 18.1 to 155.7 mg L-1 while for hydrogenotrophic methanogens was > 400.0 mg L-1.The feasibility of a combined system consisting of anaerobic up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) followed by aerobic activated sludge (AS) reactor for removal of carbonaceous and nitrogenous contaminants from strong synthetic sewage (2.5 g chemical oxygen demand (COD) L-1) was also studied. The average combined removal of total COD, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and protein was higher than 89.0%, 99.0% and 97.0%; respectively. Extensive nitrification (96.0%) was observed when dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration was > 2.0 mg L-1. In contrast, only partial nitrification occurred when the AS received high organic loads and/or the DO level was below 2.0 mg L-1.The inhibitory effect of nitrite and nitrate on methanogenesis was evaluated. Methanogenic activity was inhibited by the presence of NOx- compounds (i.e., nitrite and nitrate). The inhibition imparted by nitrate was not due to the nitrate itself, but rather to its reduced intermediate, nitrite. The toxicity of NOx- to methanogens was found to be reversible after all the NOx- were reduced during denitrification.Moreover, the development of Anammox enrichment cultures was evaluated. Anammox cultures were successfully developed using sludge samples collected from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as inocula but not from methanogenic granular sludges. Return activated sludge (RAS) collected from WWTP operating for biological nitrogen removal had the highest intrinsic level of Anammox activity. RAS Anammox culture was developed rapidly within 40 days with a doubling time of 6.8 days.

Nitrogen pollution is a growing problem that is detrimental to the environment and the economy. Traditional treatment of nitrogen is a multi-stage process, expensive, operationally intensive, and requires large land areas. This research studied the effects of BiOWiSH® Aqua (Aqua), a biological enhancement product, on the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process in a membrane aerated bioreactor (MABR) to determine if it is a feasible application for wastewater treatment. The MABR used during experimentation was a small-scale batch reactor with a continuous flow of air through a silicone membrane. The effect of carbon source and concentration on nitrogen removal rates and biomass growth/behavior were determined through a series of laboratory experiments with Aqua and wastewater. With glucose and solely Aqua cultures, average reduction rates in nitrogen concentrations were 1.2 mg-N/L/hour for all C:N ratios investigated. When wastewater was used as the main carbon source, creating a mix of wastewater and Aqua bacteria in the MABR, average reduction rates were 10.9 mg-N/L/hour. A maximum reduction rate of 21.3 mg-N/L/hour occurred at a 2:1 C:N ratio. This research concluded that pure Aqua cultures are not efficient at removing nitrogen or greatly augment the nitrogen reduction process. MABRs can use the biochemical oxygen demand in wastewater as a useful/viable carbon source. High carbon to nitrogen ratios (C:N ratio of 30:1) did not result in faster nitrogen reduction rates but did experience rapid biofilm growth and death. This shows that high C:N ratios are not an efficient operationally for MABRs due to the excess sludge created. C:N ratios of v approximately 3:1 provided the most consistent nitrogen reduction for both glucose and wastewater. This research concluded that C:N ratios, pH, and oxygen diffusion heavily affect the MABR’s performance. In addition, MABRs can utilize low C:N ratios during treatment, particularly during the treatment of high-strength wastewater.

The objective of this dissertation was to provide a controlled comparison of identical continuous flow BNR processes both with and without prefermentation in order to provide a stronger, more quantitative, technical basis for design engineers to evaluate the potential benefits of prefermentation to EBPR in treating domestic wastewater. In addition, the even less understood effect of prefermentation on denitrification kinetics and anoxic phosphorus (P) uptake was studied and quantified. Other aspects of BNR performance, which might change due to use of prefermentation, will also be addressed, including anaerobic stabilization. Potential benefits to BNR processes derived from prefermentation are compared and contrasted with the more well-known benefits of primary clarification. Finally, some biokinetic parameters necessary to successfully model both the activated sludge systems and the prefermenter were determined and compared for the prefermented versus the non-prefermented system. Important findings developed during the course of this dissertation regarding the impact of prefermentation upon the performance of activated sludge treatment systems are summarized below: • For a septic COD-limited (TCOD:TP < 40:1) wastewater, prefermentation was found to enhance EPBR by 27.7% at a statistical significance level of alpha=0.05 (95% confidence level). • For septic P-limited (TCOD:TP > 40:1) wastewaters, prefermentation was not found to improve EBPR at a statistical significance level of alpha=0.05 (95% confidence level). • The increased anaerobic P release and aerobic P uptakes due to prefermentation correlated with greater PHA formation and glycogen consumption during anaerobiosis of prefermented influent. • Improvements in biological P removal of septic, non-P limited wastewater occurred even when all additional VFA production exceeded VFA requirements using typical design criteria (e.g. 6 g VFA per 1 g P removal). • Prefermentation increased RBCOD content by an average of 28.8% and VFA content by an average of 18.8%, even for a septic domestic wastewater. • Prefermentation increased specific anoxic denitrification rates for both COD-limited (14.6%) and P-limited (5.4%) influent wastewaters. This increase was statistically significant at alpha=0.05 for COD-limited wastewater, but not for P-limited wastewater.

Residential septic systems provide reliable wastewater treatment for over 26 million homes and facilities in the United States, and many more worldwide. When properly maintained, these systems are reliable, low-cost, and long-term treatments for residential wastewater. When neglected, septic systems can fail and lead to health concerns and ecological harm to soil and groundwater contamination through the improperly treated wastewater effluent. This study tested the effect of the bio-augmentation product BiOWiSH® Septic Rescue of BiOWiSH® Technologies International, Inc. (hereafter referred to as BiOWiSH) on the biological treatment of residential septic tanks. BiOWiSH is meant to act as a bio-augmentation product through the addition of a proprietary blend of Bacillus and Lactic Acid producing bacteria. These microbes act as a biocatalyst to enhance and encourage a range of hydrolytic, oxidative, and reductive biochemical reaction and promote digestion of bio solids and ammonification within the septic tanks. To test the effect of BiOWiSH on the treatment of residential septic tanks, four 32-gallon tanks were constructed and filled with water and primary sludge from the primary clarifier at the San Luis Obispo Water Resource Recovery Facility. Two tanks were dosed with the recommended amount of BiOWiSH; one tank had no additive biological treatment and served as the control; one tank was dosed with RID-X® Septic Maintenance, a leading competitive product (hereafter referred to as RID-X). Each tank functioned as a plug-flow reactor. Primary sludge and tap water was added daily and effluent was sampled on a daily or weekly basis, based on the parameters being tested. Effluent water samples were tested for removal of ammonia, nitrates, total suspended solids, and biological oxygen demand. Temperature and pH were also recorded. v These analyses indicated no significant advantage from the addition of BiOWiSH in the reduction of ammonia, total suspended solids, or biological oxygen demand over the control tank or the tank dosed with the RID-X competitive product. Nitrates (in the form of nitrate and nitrite) did not form in any of the tanks. Future studies are needed to validate these results. Additional studies should include an analysis of experimental time frames, sampling frequency, and testing additional products designed to rescue failed or failing septic systems. BiOWiSH should also be tested further in its potential ability to enhance the biological treatment of septic tank effluent once the wastewater has entered aerobic leach fields.

One of the major water quality issues affecting waterways is eutrophication. Controlling the input of nutrients from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WTP’s) is a significant step in reducing eutrophication. Tertiary wastewater treatment for water quality improvement in particular Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) is often expensive to construct with high maintenance costs. Constructed wetlands (CWs) offer an alternative wastewater treatment and have been used successfully worldwide to treat various types of wastewater. This study investigated the effectiveness of the Oxley Creek horizontal subsurface flow (SSF) CW for tertiary municipal wastewater treatment and the suitability of four native macrophyte species, Baumea articulata, Carex fascicularis, Philydrum lanuginosum and Schoenoplectus mucronatus. The investigation consisted of four main components: 1) Plants: monitoring plant establishment, growth, impact of cropping, gravel size, nutrient content and storage for the four macrophyte species trialed; 2) Water quality - effluent treatment: monitoring water quality and quantity entering and leaving the wetland to determine wastewater treatment; 3) Organic matter: accumulation of organic carbon within the wetland cells for the different gravel sizes (5mm and 20mm) and 4) Mass balance: combining nutrient storage by macrophytes with wastewater nutrient removal to determine proportion of nutrient removal by plant uptake. The Oxley horizontal SSF CW is situated at the Oxley Creek WTP in Brisbane (South- East), Queensland, Australia which has a sub-tropical climate. The experimental design involved four different substrate treatments: Cell A new 5mm gravel, Cells B and C old 20mm gravel and Cell D old 5mm gravel. Cells B, C and D had been operational since 1995 whereas Cell A had been in use since 2000. The wetland received secondary treated effluent direct from the Oxley Creek WTP at an average flow rate of 8L/min with a median hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 0.12m/day and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2 to 3 days. Each cell consisted of three gravel sections (Section 1 to 3) separated by 1m wide open water sections. Gravel Sections 2 and 3 were planted out with the four macrophyte species in October 2000, Section 1 remained unplanted. Plant health and leaf height was monitored to assess plant establishment and growth. Investigations into plant establishment and growth demonstrated that Carex was most suitable. Carex achieved the highest maximum leaf height and was not affected by pests and disease unlike Schoenoplectus and Philydrum. Above ground biomass was cropped in May and August 2001, with biomass of cropped material measured on both occasions. Plant health and re-growth following cropping of above ground biomass in May and August 2001 demonstrated that cropping retarded regrowth of Schoenoplectus and Philydrum. Carex and Baumea recovered quickest following cropping, with Carex achieving leaf height prior to cropping within 6 months. Proportion of biomass contained above and below ground was measured by collecting biomass samples three times over 9 months and dividing into plant components (roots, rhizomes, leaves, flowers and stems). Investigations into the proportion of above and below ground components indicated that >80% of biomass is contained above ground. Therefore cropping above ground biomass would potentially remove a significant proportion of nutrient storage from the CW. The results indicated that the ideal time for cropping was in spring/summer when plants are flowering particularly for Philydrum, whose flowering stems comprised 40% of total plant biomass. Flowering stems of Philydrum could potentially have a commercial use as a cut flower. Nutrient content of the four species in each cell was measured for individual plant components when first planted and after three (summer) and six (autumn) months growth. This was combined with biomass data to quantify nutrient bioaccumulation (nitrogen and phosphorus) by the four species in each cell. In terms of ability to bioaccumulate nitrogen and phosphorus, measurements of nutrient content and storage indicated that all four species were suitable. Nutrient storage was highest for Baumea and Carex. However high nutrient content may make the macrophytes more susceptible to pest and disease attack as found in this study for Philydrum and Schoenoplectus. Nutrient storage was highest in Cell A (new 5mm gravel) as a result of higher biomass achieved in this cell. The cropping and nutrient storage experiments indicated that Carex was the most suitable species for use in SSF CWs. Carex achieved the highest nutrient storage and had the fastest regrowth following cropping. Organic carbon accumulation between gravel particles measured as the proportion of material lost at 500oC was determined for gravel samples collected from each section for all four cells at 10cm depth increments (0-10cm, 10-20cm and 20-30cm). Investigations into organic carbon accumulation within the gravel substrate showed that organic accumulation was higher in the planted sections particularly for cells that had previously been planted with Phragmites australis. Organic accumulation was highest in the top 20cm of the gravel, which can be attributed to litter fall and root material. The effect of gravel size on plant growth, biomass, root depth and organic accumulation was assessed throughout the study. Investigations indicated that gravel size did not appear to affect biomass, maximum root penetration, re-growth following cropping and organic accumulation. Water quality from the inlet and outlet of each cell was measured fortnightly over 12 months (May 2001 to May 2002). Water quantity (HLR) was measured weekly using tipping buckets located at the inlet and outlet of each cell. Water quality and quantity were combined to investigate the nutrient removal efficiency of the wetland. The Oxley wetland was highly effective in reduction of TSS (<2mg/L) and COD (<30mg/L). Principal TSS and COD removal mechanism was physical with the first gravel section acting as a filter removing the majority of particulate material. Average loading rates to the wetland were 7.1 kg/ha/d PO4-P, 14 kg/ha/d NH4-N and 5.4 kg/ha/d NOx-N. Average daily mass removal rates ranged from 7.3 kg/ha NH4-N in Cell D to 4.6 kg/ha in Cell C (i.e. 37%-22% removal efficiency respectively); 5.2 kg/ha NOx-N in Cell C to 1.3 kg/ha in Cell A (i.e. 75%-22% removal efficiency) and 0.8 kg/ha PO4-P in Cell A to 0.1 kg/ha in Cell C (i.e. 10%-1% removal efficiency). Removal efficiency was calculated on a loads basis. Insufficient retention times (2-3 days based on tracer study) and anaerobic conditions (<1mg/L) limited further nitrogen removal. Negligible phosphorus removal for all cells was attributed to short retention time and likelihood of phosphorus adsorption being close to capacity. Investigation into the proportion of nutrient removal attributed to plant uptake demonstrated that nutrient uptake and storage in plant biomass accounted for <12% TN and <5% TP. This research project has provided several useful outcomes that can assist in future guidelines for designing effective SSF CWs in the subtropics/tropics. Outcomes include the importance of maintaining an adequate water level during the initial establishment phase. Maximising effluent treatment by pre-treatment of wastewater prior to entering SSF CWs to enable ammonia to be converted to nitrate and ensuring adequate hydraulic retention time. Carex fascicularis was the most suitable species particularly where harvesting regimes are employed. Philydrum flowering stems could be used as a cut flower in the florist trade.

In natural waters, high concentrations of ammonia are toxic to fish, and the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate (NO₃-) consumes large quantities of dissolved oxygen. The influent to municipal wastewater treatment plants in the United States typically contains approximately 40 mg/L of ammonia nitrogen (NH₃₋ N). Almost all of this ammonia must be removed in a wastewater treatment process before the effluent is discharged to the natural environment. This dramatic decrease is accomplished by the aerobic biological process of nitrification, in which ammonia is oxidized to nitrate Biological denitrification is an anoxic biological process in which nitrate (NO₃-) is reduced to nitrogen gas (N₂). Denitrification can increase the alkalinity in activated sludge aeration basins and decrease the concentration of filamentous organisms. The staff at the City of Austin Water Utility decided to implement a denitrification system at Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant to control filamentous organisms and increase the alkalinity within the aeration basins. The denitrification configuration that the staff implemented was unconventional because no structural changes were made to the aeration basins to encourage denitrification. However, the system functioned well and allowed operators to turn off one of the two air blowers, which saves the plant a significant amount of energy. The current operation has occasional problems, where the alkalinity in the aeration basin decreases or the effluent ammonia increases. When the alkalinity decreases to the point where the pH drops to near 6.0, operators are forced to add chemicals to increase the alkalinity. When the effluent ammonia increases to near the permitted concentration (2.0 mg NH₃-N/L),operators are forced to turn back on the second blower which eliminates the anoxic zone. These problems occur most often during the winter, when the wastewater is the coldest. The wastewater temperature at Walnut Creek varies from a high of 30°C during the summer to a low of 18°C during the winter. The goal of this research was the identification of ways to make the operation more robust which would prevent the need for chemical addition and minimize the use of the second blower. Laboratory-scale reactors were operated to assess possible improvements that could be made to the operation and configuration of the denitrification system at Walnut Creek. The data observed in the laboratory scale experiments showed that the population of denitrifying bacteria limits denitrification and is especially important during the winter. Increasing the solids retention time to 20 days appeared to be the best way to increase the population of denitrifying bacteria and improve denitrification. Improvements can also be made by increasing the volume of the anoxic zone. Increasing the volume of wastewater and biomass recycled will most likely not benefit denitrification until other improvements have been made. Recommendations to the City of Austin Water Utility include the following: 1) increase the solids retention time at Walnut Creek, 2) Increase the volume of the anoxic zone, 3) Separate the anoxic zone from the aerobic section of each aeration basin, 4) During the winter, operate the flow equalization basins to reduce the dissolved oxygen entering the anoxic zone, 5) Continually mix some of the effluent from the aeration basins with the primary effluent in the flow equalization basins. / text

A fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of a wastewater bioreactor is presented. The FLC is developed and tested based on simulations using first order plus dead time models obtained from experiments with an actual wastewater bioreactor. The FLC uses feedback of the error in DO concentration and rate of change of the DO concentration and manipulates the stem position of the flow control valves (FCVs) supplying air to the bioreactor. The proposed FLC is tested for robustness across several process models, two of which include proposed worst-case process conditions. The performance of the proposed hand tuned FLC is compared to that of a similarly tuned proportional-integral-derivative controller. The FLC is implemented as a lookup table for speed and ease of deployment. The disturbances present in the experimental step testing data are characterized and used as the basis for disturbing the control loop during controller performance testing. A low-pass filter is then included to subsequently smooth the feedback signal. The nonlinear relationship between the FCV stem position and output flow is modelled and included in the controller performance testing. A genetic algorithm (GA) is developed that manipulates the membership functions of the FLC to yield an optimal controller for the ensemble of process models. The ability of the GA to converge on an optimal FLC is verified through repeated trials. The performance of the GA optimized FLC is observed under realistic process conditions and is benchmarked against a manually optimized PID controller.

Wastewater contains many valuable constituents, including phosphorus, nitrogen and more energy than what is required to treat it. This, combined with increasingly more stringent effluent requirements and the desire for water reuse, creates a demand for a system capable of both nutrient and energy recovery. The main objective was to develop a new wastewater treatment process configuration capable of maximizing energy recovery while enhancing biological phosphorus removal. Three pilot membrane bioreactors were operated at SRTs ranging from 2 days to 8 days to evaluate membrane fouling, treatment performance, sludge production and sludge settleability. The results showed high organics removal and near complete nitrification at all SRTs. Membrane fouling was highest at lower SRTs. The collected data were then used to calibrate a series of model configurations. The best configuration consisted of two sludge systems in series, with a short SRT anaerobic-aerobic first stage and an extended SRT pre-anoxic second stage. / Canadian Water Network

Over recent decades, environmental regulations on wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) have trended towards increasingly stringent nutrient removal requirements for the protection of local waterways. However, such regulations ignore the other environmental impacts that might accompany the apparent improvements to the WWTP. This PhD thesis used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify these environmental trade-offs, and so better inform policy makers on the wider benefits and burdens associated with wastewater treatment. A particular focus was also given to the generation of methane and nitrous oxide in wastewater systems, since the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from WWTPs is presently a substantial area of uncertainty. Rapid changes to the GHG regulatory landscape mean that this level of uncertainty, now represents an unacceptable business risk for many water utilities. Specifically, there were three research objectives of this thesis: Research Objective No.1 – Environmental optimisation of wastewater treatment systems – For typical receiving environments, the optimum wastewater treatment system configuration is not necessarily at the limit of best practice for nutrient removal. The LCA approach to this research objective was divided into two stages. In stage I, a comprehensive desk-top life cycle inventory of ten different wastewater treatment scenarios was completed. The scenarios covered six process configurations and treatment standards ranging from raw sewage to advanced nutrient removal. It was shown that physical infrastructure, chemical usage and operational energy all increased with the level of nutrient removal. These trends represented a trade-off of negative environmental impacts against improved local receiving water quality. In stage II of the LCA, a quantitative life cycle impact assessment of the ten scenarios, referenced against Australian normalisation data, was completed. From a normalised perspective against Australian society, the contribution of WWTPs to headline issues such as global warming and energy consumption was found to be very small. The more prominent environmental impact categories were eutrophication due to nutrient discharge and toxicity issues, due to heavy metals in biosolids. There existed a broader environmental trade-off for nutrient removal, that could only be justified by society and regulators implicitly placing higher value on local water quality, than on other global environmental pressures. In light of this quantitative LCA, regulatory agencies should consider the broader environmental consequences of their policies such as the Queensland Water Quality Guidelines. It is suggested that the scope of WWTP licensing considerations should be widened from a singular focus on water quality objectives, to a more comprehensive LCA-based approach. Research Objective No. 2 – Quantification of nitrous oxide emissions from biological nutrient removal (BNR) wastewater treatment plants – Current GHG assessment methods for wastewater treatment plants are grossly inaccurate because of significant unaccounted N2O emissions. The research for objectives two and three was funded by the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA), which is the peak body of the Australian urban water industry. Thus, whilst the earlier LCA results suggested that GHG emissions from WWTPs were insignificant from a national perspective, the industry is actually very engaged on this issue from an environmental responsibility and business risk perspective. This PhD study adopted a rigorous mass balance approach to determine N2O-N generation at seven full-scale WWTPs. The results varied considerably in the range 0.006 – 0.253 kgN2O-N generated per kgNdenitrified (average: 0.035 +/- 0.027). These results were generally larger than the current default value assumed in the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Technical Guidelines (i.e. 0.01 kg N2O-N.kgN-1denitrified). High N2O-N generation was shown to correspond with elevated bulk NO2--N concentrations in the bioreactor. The results also suggested that WWTPs designed for low effluent TN have lower and less variable N2O generation than plants that only achieve partial denitrification. Research Objective No.3 – Quantification of methane emissions from low-strength wastewater collection systems – Current default GHG assessment methods for sewerage systems are grossly inaccurate because of significant unaccounted CH4 emissions from rising mains. Presently, international GHG guidelines state that “wastewater in closed underground sewers is not believed to be a significant source of methane” (IPCC, 2006). However, the results of this PhD research demonstrated that methane generation in rising main sewers is substantial. It was shown that dissolved methane concentrations were dependent upon pipeline geometry and sewage residence time. Consequently, it was possible to develop a simple, yet robust, theoretical model that predicted methane generation from these two independent parameters. This model provides a practical means for water authorities globally to make an estimate of the currently unaccounted methane emissions from pressurised sewerage systems.