M.Sc. (Eng.), Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, 2012 / The aim of this research project was to test the response of ultra fine coal sourced at Klipspruit Colliery to froth flotation and the response of the froth flotation products to dewatering using two different types of filter presses, namely the Tecnicas Hidraulicas (TH) and the Ishigakhi presses. During test work, some difficulty was experienced with coarse material feeding the froth flotation pilot plant. This led to pilot plant modifications. Further process complexities necessitated laboratory scale flotation test work on the Klipspruit coal to be carried out. The results for both the laboratory scale and pilot plant test work for froth flotation indicated that froth flotation as applied to the Klipspruit fines was not economically feasible because neither the required quality of the product (calorific value of 27.80 MJ/kg) nor the product yield of 50% could be achieved when subjected to a primary and secondary stage of froth flotation. The coarse material, which fed the pilot plant and the Ishigakhi filter press, gave low moisture values (12.3%) not typical of ultra fine coal moisture values. However when fed with very fine particle size distributions, prior test work with the Ishigakhi showed that moisture values below 20% could be achieved. The moisture values obtained for very fine particles using the TH filter press on product thickener underflow material sourced at Goedehoop colliery reached values below 20%. Thus both of the two dewatering options, i.e. the Ishigakhi filter press equipment or TH filter press equipment for the ultra fine coal dewatering, can be utilized. Since the filter rate is the determining factor specifying filter press size, it was determined that a larger TH filter area is required in 1 comparison with the Ishigakhi press. Based upon the pilot and laboratory scale test work undertaken and the assessment of the results, it appears that both dewatering options could be successfully employed on a technical basis for the dewatering of coal flotation products, tailings and the arising raw ultra fine fraction. Froth flotation for Klipspruit ultra fine coal was deemed unfeasible for both pilot plant and laboratory scale tests conducted. For this reason a capital expenditure for the construction of a froth flotation plant at the Western Coal Complex Phola plant was not considered feasible since Klipspruit coal forms part of the feed that will feed the Phola plant. In conclusion, following dewatering using either the TH filter press or the Ishigakhi filter press, it was established that both froth flotation concentrate and unbeneficiated ultra fines gave acceptable total moisture results (below 20%). These dewatered raw ultra fines may therefore be blended into inland product as thermal coal to be utilised by Eskom for power generation. Based upon this premise, it is estimated that profits of 76.5 million Rand could be generated by blending Klipspruit ultra fine coal into thermal coal production at the new Phola plant.

Este estudo procurou investigar a utilização de polímeros para condicionamento de lodo de ETE para desidratação em filtro prensa de placa e verificar as eventuais vantagens em relação ao condicionamento com cal e cloreto férrico. Para isso foram realizadas pesquisa bibliográfica, consulta a fornecedores de polímeros e de equipamentos e trabalhos experimentais em laboratório e em escala piloto com lodo gerado nos digestores anaeróbios da ETE Barueri da SABESP que mostrava interesse em fazer o condicionamento do lodo com polímeros. Atualmente, na ETE Barueri o condicionamento de lodo é feito com cal e cloreto férrico, com dosagens em torno de 25% e 10% respectivamente e a desidratação em filtro prensa de placas, com tempo de ciclo de 4 horas, produz tortas com 40% de teor de sólidos e densidade de 1,20 kg/L. Nos experimentos foram utilizados polímeros catiônicos de alto peso molecular. O equipamento piloto utilizado foi um filtro prensa de placa do tipo membrana diafragma com dez placas de 800 x 800 mm. Nos ensaios do filtro prensa piloto, com a utilização de polímero em pó para o condicionamento de lodo, indicou-se uma redução nos custos de produtos químicos consumidos em relação ao condicionamento com cal e cloreto férrico. O condicionamento com polímero em pó e cloreto férrico, com dosagens respectivamente de 4,83 kg/ton e 6,3%, resultou numa torta com teor de sólidos de 31% e densidade de 1,13 kg/L. Já o condicionamento feito somente com polímero em pó, com dosagem de 5,38 kg/ton, resultou numa torta com teor de sólidos de 30% e densidade de 1,08 kg/L, porém apresentou problemas na soltura das tortas. A utilização de polímeros permitiu trabalhar em taxas iniciais de filtração mais altas, resultando num tempo de filtração em torno de 120 minutos, implicando em tempos de ciclo mais curtos. / This study investigated the utilization of polymers for the conditioning of the sludge generated at Wastewater Treatment Plants (WTP) for dewatering at filter presses, verifying the eventual advantages in comparison with the conditioning with lime and ferric chloride. Specific bibliography was researched, polymer and equipment suppliers were consulted and experimental studies were carried out at the laboratory and in a pilot scale. The sludge was generated at the anaerobic digesters of Barueri WTP operated by SABESP which has shown interest in this method. Currently, at Barueri WTP the sludge conditioning is performed with lime and ferric chloride at dosages around 25% and 10%, respectively. The dewatering is processed by filter presses during a cycle period of 4 hours, producing cakes with 40% of solids and a density of 1,20 kg/L. The experimental studies were carried out with high molecular weight cationic polymers. The pilot equipment consisted of a filter press with a diaphragm membrane with 10 plates measuring 800 x 800 mm each. During the tests at the pilot filter press, when dry polymers for sludge conditioning were utilized, it was verified that the cost of chemical products consumed was reduced in comparison with the conditioning with lime and ferric chloride. The sludge conditioning with dry polymers and ferric chloride at respective dosages of 4,83 kg/ton and 6,3% resulted in cakes with 31% of solids and density of 1,38 kg/L. On the other hand, the sludge conditioned only with dry polymers at a dosage of 5,38 kg/ton resulted in cakes with 30% of solids and density of 1,08 kg/L, but the cake release from the plates was difficult. The utilization of polymers allowed higher initial filtration rates resulting in a 120 minute filtration period with a consequent reduction of the cycle time.

This thesis reports on investigations that have contributed to an advancement in the applied and fundamental understanding on how the nature, related storage and processing of digested sewage sludge can influence polymer conditioning and dewatering. The work concentrated more specifically on evaluating the impact of thermal hydrolysis as a pre-treatment to anaerobic digestion (AD) of mainly secondary sewage sludges (Advanced AD, AAD plants) in comparison with conventional mesophilic AD (CMAD) on conditioning and dewatering of the digestate, as this knowledge seemed to be lacking for an AAD technology that is increasingly being implemented. An additional contribution to knowledge from this study relates to the evaluation of how polymer conditioning and dewatering of digested sludges could be monitored using rheometric measurements. It was concluded that digested sludge biofloc characteristics (size, shear viscosity and organic matter composition) affected the most the conditioning and dewatering results but these varied depending on the process conditions i.e. AAD versus CMAD and digestate handling conditions. The reduction in particle size and shear viscosity (η[0.1 s-1]) per g Total Solids as well as the increased solubilization of protein, organically bound nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand of the digestates which contributed to the increased conditioning requirements affected also the dewatering rate and the strength of the flocs produced after conditioning. The changes in the digested sludge biofloc characteristics were detected by rheometric measurements which were well correlated with changes in organic matter composition and polymer conditioning requirements (r of 0.9 and 0.8). It was proposed that the variations in η[0.1 s-1] and organic matter content such as soluble protein could be used to predict polymer dose requirements to achieve good filterability (R2 of 0.7; significance F and p < 0.05). Future work is however required in order to consolidate these findings by monitoring conditioning, dewatering and η[0.1 s-1] of the digestate at full scale.

Este estudo procurou investigar a utilização de polímeros para condicionamento de lodo de ETE para desidratação em filtro prensa de placa e verificar as eventuais vantagens em relação ao condicionamento com cal e cloreto férrico. Para isso foram realizadas pesquisa bibliográfica, consulta a fornecedores de polímeros e de equipamentos e trabalhos experimentais em laboratório e em escala piloto com lodo gerado nos digestores anaeróbios da ETE Barueri da SABESP que mostrava interesse em fazer o condicionamento do lodo com polímeros. Atualmente, na ETE Barueri o condicionamento de lodo é feito com cal e cloreto férrico, com dosagens em torno de 25% e 10% respectivamente e a desidratação em filtro prensa de placas, com tempo de ciclo de 4 horas, produz tortas com 40% de teor de sólidos e densidade de 1,20 kg/L. Nos experimentos foram utilizados polímeros catiônicos de alto peso molecular. O equipamento piloto utilizado foi um filtro prensa de placa do tipo membrana diafragma com dez placas de 800 x 800 mm. Nos ensaios do filtro prensa piloto, com a utilização de polímero em pó para o condicionamento de lodo, indicou-se uma redução nos custos de produtos químicos consumidos em relação ao condicionamento com cal e cloreto férrico. O condicionamento com polímero em pó e cloreto férrico, com dosagens respectivamente de 4,83 kg/ton e 6,3%, resultou numa torta com teor de sólidos de 31% e densidade de 1,13 kg/L. Já o condicionamento feito somente com polímero em pó, com dosagem de 5,38 kg/ton, resultou numa torta com teor de sólidos de 30% e densidade de 1,08 kg/L, porém apresentou problemas na soltura das tortas. A utilização de polímeros permitiu trabalhar em taxas iniciais de filtração mais altas, resultando num tempo de filtração em torno de 120 minutos, implicando em tempos de ciclo mais curtos. / This study investigated the utilization of polymers for the conditioning of the sludge generated at Wastewater Treatment Plants (WTP) for dewatering at filter presses, verifying the eventual advantages in comparison with the conditioning with lime and ferric chloride. Specific bibliography was researched, polymer and equipment suppliers were consulted and experimental studies were carried out at the laboratory and in a pilot scale. The sludge was generated at the anaerobic digesters of Barueri WTP operated by SABESP which has shown interest in this method. Currently, at Barueri WTP the sludge conditioning is performed with lime and ferric chloride at dosages around 25% and 10%, respectively. The dewatering is processed by filter presses during a cycle period of 4 hours, producing cakes with 40% of solids and a density of 1,20 kg/L. The experimental studies were carried out with high molecular weight cationic polymers. The pilot equipment consisted of a filter press with a diaphragm membrane with 10 plates measuring 800 x 800 mm each. During the tests at the pilot filter press, when dry polymers for sludge conditioning were utilized, it was verified that the cost of chemical products consumed was reduced in comparison with the conditioning with lime and ferric chloride. The sludge conditioning with dry polymers and ferric chloride at respective dosages of 4,83 kg/ton and 6,3% resulted in cakes with 31% of solids and density of 1,38 kg/L. On the other hand, the sludge conditioned only with dry polymers at a dosage of 5,38 kg/ton resulted in cakes with 30% of solids and density of 1,08 kg/L, but the cake release from the plates was difficult. The utilization of polymers allowed higher initial filtration rates resulting in a 120 minute filtration period with a consequent reduction of the cycle time.

<p>Hedesunda reningsverk är beläget i södra delen av Gävle kommun och hanterar avloppsvatten från Hedesunda samhälle och ett fåtal närbelägna byar. Antalet anslutna personer är strax över 1500. Reningsverket byggdes på 1960-talet och byggdes om i slutet av 1990-talet. Vid ombyggnaden anlades torkbäddar för avvattning av det slam som produceras vid reningsverket. Inledningsvis fungerade dessa torkbäddar bra men sedan 2005 har slammet i bäddarna inte avvattnats i önskad omfattning.</p><p> </p><p>Syftet med detta examensarbete var att utreda hur slamavvattningen i Hedesunda ska se ut i framtiden. Utgångspunkten var att den nuvarande lösningen är otillräcklig och att en förändring är nödvändig. Inledningsvis delades frågeställningen upp i två separata delar: avvattning av slammet och avsättning för avvattnat slam. Fokus låg på ekonomiska och miljömässiga aspekter av slamhantering och en sammanvägning av dessa gjordes där så var möjligt.</p><p> </p><p>Frågan om hur avvattningen bör se ut undersöktes genom att en enkät skickades ut till nio olika företag som levererar avvattningsutrustning. Dessa fick svara på 17 frågor om vilken lösning de ansåg vara bäst lämpad för reningsverket i Hedesunda. Sammanlagt samlades sex olika svar in. Utöver dessa undersöktes även alternativet att restaurera de befintliga torkbäddarna närmare. Detta skedde bland annat genom provtagning och analys av slammet i bäddarna. De olika alternativen för slamavvattning sammanställdes och jämfördes genom att varje undersökt parameter delades in i intervall som gav olika betyg. De tre alternativ som enligt denna undersökning ansågs bäst lämpade var att restaurera de befintliga bäddarna, att anlägga vassbäddar eller att installera en mindre silbandpress.</p><p> </p><p>Då slammet avvattnats återstår frågan kring hur det avvattnade slammet ska hanteras. Detta undersöktes genom att två alternativ studerades närmare. Dessa var att fortsätta med den nuvarande hanteringen som är kompostering och tillverkning av anläggningsjord eller att certifiera slammet genom REVAQ och sprida det på åkermark. Ett försök till att skatta kostnaden för de båda alternativen gjordes, bland annat genom att frågor ställdes till de kommuner/driftbolag som idag är certifierade enligt REVAQ. Kostnaden för certifiering och spridning på jordbruksmark är betydligt mycket högre än kostnaden för kompostering. Certifieringsalternativet innebär dock en större måluppfyllelse i och med att fosfor återförs till produktiv mark.   </p><p> </p><p>Resultatet av studien är ett konkret förslag på hur slamavvattning och avsättning för slam vid Hedesunda reningsverk kan skötas i framtiden. Detta förslag innebär att de nuvarande torkbäddarna restaureras och att möjligheterna att certifiera flera delar av Gästrike Vatten AB:s verksamhet utreds närmare. Att enbart certifiera slam från Hedesunda reningsverk anses ekonomiskt orimligt.</p> / <p>Hedesunda wastewater treatment plant (wwtp) is located in the southern part of Gävle municipality in Sweden. The wwtp treats wastewater from Hedesunda community and a few nearby villages. All in all there are approximately 1500 persons connected to the plant. Hedesunda wwtp was originally built in the 1960’s and was restored in the late 1990’s. At the restoration sludge drying beds were built on the site for sludge dewatering. Initially, these beds worked fine but since 2005 the dewatering result has not been satisfactory.</p><p> </p><p>The objective of this master thesis has been to investigate different alternatives for a more effective sludge handling at Hedesunda wwtp in the future. Initially the sludge handling process was divided into two different parts: sludge dewatering and management of dewatered sludge. The focus has been on economical and environmental aspects of sludge handling and where it’s been possible these factors have been weight together.</p><p> </p><p>The question of how a more effective dewatering of sludge could be achieved was answered by a questionnaire that was sent to different companies that supply dewatering equipment to the Swedish market. Altogether six answers were collected. Besides these answers the option of restoring the existing sludge drying beds was also considered. The latter was done by sampling and analyzing sludge in the existing beds, among other things. The different options for dewatering were compiled and compared in a matrix where every parameter was split up in intervals and assigned grades. Three options that received the highest total grade were considered the best options. These were: restoring the sludge drying beds, reed beds and a small belt filter press.</p><p> </p><p>The matter of how to handle the dewatered sludge was simplified to a study of only two alternatives. These were to continue the present handling or to certify the sludge according to REVAQ and use it as fertilizer. Attempts to estimate the cost for the two alternatives were made. The cost for certification is higher than the cost for composting, but to certify the sludge will lead to a higher target achievement.</p><p> </p><p>The study resulted in concrete suggestions for how the sludge at Hedesunda wwtp can be handled in the future. This suggestion states that the existing sludge drying beds should be restored and that the possibility to certify several wwtp:s within Gästrike Vatten AB should be investigated. It is not considered economically plausible to certify sludge from Hedesunda wwtp alone.</p>

The effectiveness of partial ozonation of return activated sludge for enhancing denitrification and waste sludge minimization were examined. A pair of nitrifying sequencing batch reactors was operated in either aerobic or alternating anoxic/aerobic conditions, with one control and one ozonated reactor in each set. The amount of solids decreased with the ozone dose. Biomass in the anoxic/aerobic reactor was easier to destroy than in the aerobic one, generating approximately twice as much soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) by cell lysis. Increased COD favoured production of extracellular polymers in ozonated reactors, enhancing flocculation and improving settling. Floc stability was also strengthened in prolonged operation in alternating treatment, resulting in declined solids destruction. Dewaterability was better in alternating reactors than in aerobic ones indicating that incorporation of an anoxic zone for biological nutrient removal leads to improvement in sludge dewatering. The negative impact of ozonation on dewaterability was minimal in terms of the long-term operation. Ozone successively destroyed indicator estrogenic compounds, contributing to total estrogen removal from wastewater. Denitrification rate improved up to 60% due to additional carbon released by ozonation. Nitrification rates deteriorated much more in the aerobic than in the alternating reactor, possibly as a result of competition created by growth of heterotrophs receiving the additional COD. Overall, ozonation provided the expected benefits and had less negative impacts on processes in the alternating treatment, although after prolonged operation, benefits could become less significant. The alternating anoxic/aerobic reactor achieved twice the nitrification rates of its aerobic counterpart. Higher removal rates of estrogens were associated with higher nitrification rates, supporting the contention that the nitrifying biomass was responsible for their removal. The alternating treatment offered the better estrogen biodegradation. Microbial populations in both reactors were examined with fluorescent in situ hybridization. Dominance of rapid nitrifiers like Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter (79.5%) in the alternating reactor, compared to a dominance of slower nitrifiers like Nitrosospira and Nitrospira (78.2%) in the aerobic reactor were found. The findings are important to design engineers, as reactors are typically designed based on nitrifiers’ growth rate determined in strictly aerobic conditions. / October 2008

Hedesunda reningsverk är beläget i södra delen av Gävle kommun och hanterar avloppsvatten från Hedesunda samhälle och ett fåtal närbelägna byar. Antalet anslutna personer är strax över 1500. Reningsverket byggdes på 1960-talet och byggdes om i slutet av 1990-talet. Vid ombyggnaden anlades torkbäddar för avvattning av det slam som produceras vid reningsverket. Inledningsvis fungerade dessa torkbäddar bra men sedan 2005 har slammet i bäddarna inte avvattnats i önskad omfattning.   Syftet med detta examensarbete var att utreda hur slamavvattningen i Hedesunda ska se ut i framtiden. Utgångspunkten var att den nuvarande lösningen är otillräcklig och att en förändring är nödvändig. Inledningsvis delades frågeställningen upp i två separata delar: avvattning av slammet och avsättning för avvattnat slam. Fokus låg på ekonomiska och miljömässiga aspekter av slamhantering och en sammanvägning av dessa gjordes där så var möjligt.   Frågan om hur avvattningen bör se ut undersöktes genom att en enkät skickades ut till nio olika företag som levererar avvattningsutrustning. Dessa fick svara på 17 frågor om vilken lösning de ansåg vara bäst lämpad för reningsverket i Hedesunda. Sammanlagt samlades sex olika svar in. Utöver dessa undersöktes även alternativet att restaurera de befintliga torkbäddarna närmare. Detta skedde bland annat genom provtagning och analys av slammet i bäddarna. De olika alternativen för slamavvattning sammanställdes och jämfördes genom att varje undersökt parameter delades in i intervall som gav olika betyg. De tre alternativ som enligt denna undersökning ansågs bäst lämpade var att restaurera de befintliga bäddarna, att anlägga vassbäddar eller att installera en mindre silbandpress.   Då slammet avvattnats återstår frågan kring hur det avvattnade slammet ska hanteras. Detta undersöktes genom att två alternativ studerades närmare. Dessa var att fortsätta med den nuvarande hanteringen som är kompostering och tillverkning av anläggningsjord eller att certifiera slammet genom REVAQ och sprida det på åkermark. Ett försök till att skatta kostnaden för de båda alternativen gjordes, bland annat genom att frågor ställdes till de kommuner/driftbolag som idag är certifierade enligt REVAQ. Kostnaden för certifiering och spridning på jordbruksmark är betydligt mycket högre än kostnaden för kompostering. Certifieringsalternativet innebär dock en större måluppfyllelse i och med att fosfor återförs till produktiv mark.      Resultatet av studien är ett konkret förslag på hur slamavvattning och avsättning för slam vid Hedesunda reningsverk kan skötas i framtiden. Detta förslag innebär att de nuvarande torkbäddarna restaureras och att möjligheterna att certifiera flera delar av Gästrike Vatten AB:s verksamhet utreds närmare. Att enbart certifiera slam från Hedesunda reningsverk anses ekonomiskt orimligt. / Hedesunda wastewater treatment plant (wwtp) is located in the southern part of Gävle municipality in Sweden. The wwtp treats wastewater from Hedesunda community and a few nearby villages. All in all there are approximately 1500 persons connected to the plant. Hedesunda wwtp was originally built in the 1960’s and was restored in the late 1990’s. At the restoration sludge drying beds were built on the site for sludge dewatering. Initially, these beds worked fine but since 2005 the dewatering result has not been satisfactory.   The objective of this master thesis has been to investigate different alternatives for a more effective sludge handling at Hedesunda wwtp in the future. Initially the sludge handling process was divided into two different parts: sludge dewatering and management of dewatered sludge. The focus has been on economical and environmental aspects of sludge handling and where it’s been possible these factors have been weight together.   The question of how a more effective dewatering of sludge could be achieved was answered by a questionnaire that was sent to different companies that supply dewatering equipment to the Swedish market. Altogether six answers were collected. Besides these answers the option of restoring the existing sludge drying beds was also considered. The latter was done by sampling and analyzing sludge in the existing beds, among other things. The different options for dewatering were compiled and compared in a matrix where every parameter was split up in intervals and assigned grades. Three options that received the highest total grade were considered the best options. These were: restoring the sludge drying beds, reed beds and a small belt filter press.   The matter of how to handle the dewatered sludge was simplified to a study of only two alternatives. These were to continue the present handling or to certify the sludge according to REVAQ and use it as fertilizer. Attempts to estimate the cost for the two alternatives were made. The cost for certification is higher than the cost for composting, but to certify the sludge will lead to a higher target achievement.   The study resulted in concrete suggestions for how the sludge at Hedesunda wwtp can be handled in the future. This suggestion states that the existing sludge drying beds should be restored and that the possibility to certify several wwtp:s within Gästrike Vatten AB should be investigated. It is not considered economically plausible to certify sludge from Hedesunda wwtp alone.

The purpose of this study is to assess the dewatering requirements of planned open pit nickel mining at &Ccedil / aldag Site in Western Turkey. Dewatering is required for safe and efficient working conditions and pit wall stability. With this scope, a groundwater model of the study area is developed and used to predict the dewatering rate. The methodology mainly involves data collection, site hydrogeologic characterization and development of conceptual model, followed by construction and use of a groundwater model to predict the dewatering requirements of the mine site. The groundwater flow modeling is carried out using MODFLOW software and the dewatering simulations are carried out using MODFLOW Drain package. The drain cell configuration is determined by pit boundaries and invert elevations of drains corresponded to the bench elevations that will be achieved with respect to the mining schedule. In the transient model runs, monthly time steps were used. Using the outflow from in-pit drain cells, the v monthly dewatering rates are calculated. In order to assess the impacts of the hydraulic conductivity of the laterite on the pit inflow rates, simulations were carried out for different values of hydraulic conductivity of laterites. The predicted flow rate using the calibrated model is 107.54 L/s. A tenfold reduction in the hydraulic conductivity of laterite resulted in three fourths of decrease in the flow rate (24.42 L/s). Consequently, a wide range of flow rates for different hydraulic conductivity values of laterite was calculated. In order to confirm the hydraulic conductivity of laterites in the area, and to obtain a realistic dewatering rate, further pumping tests are needed.

During the water treatment process, each processing unit releases the sludge from the sedimentation process, and the wastewater from the rapid sand wash and filtration process, to the wastewater pond followed by the wastewater sedimentation pond. The sediment sludge is allowed to enter the sludge thickening pond while the supernatant is recycled for further treatment. The sludge is released to the sludge pond where it is treated with certain chemicals and squeezed to form the sludge cake. The sludge cake is removed and transported by a legitimate cleaning service company to an authorized location. The present study is focused on the investigation of the feasibility of recycling the wastewater and the dewatering of the sludge from the water treatment plant. The analysis of the samples collected from the wastewater treatment plant showed that the recycled supernatant had a pH of 7.16~8.21, a conductivity of 371.1~769.1 £gmho/cm, a total dissolved solid (TDS) of 193.3~399.9 mg/L, and a turbidity of 0.901~54.3 NTU. The suspended solids (SS) of the recycled supernatant was found to be 0.4~45.6 mg/L, lower than the standard value in the Effluent Standards (50 mg/L). The ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) of the recycled supernatant were found to be 0.06~1.5 mg/L and 1.533~17.437 mg/L, respectively. The analysis of the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the wastewater treatment plant showed a concentration of 12.1~128.5 mg/L in the sample of the recycled supernatant. The COD in the Effluent Standards is required to be no more than 100 mg/L. For sludge conditioning and dewatering, a sludge conditioning experiment was conducted in the laboratory to plot the curve of the experimental result. The curve was used for the actual sludge conditioning and dewatering in the Fongshan Water Treatment Plant to verify the feasibility of the application for the actual process in the water treatment plant.

The effectiveness of partial ozonation of return activated sludge for enhancing denitrification and waste sludge minimization were examined. A pair of nitrifying sequencing batch reactors was operated in either aerobic or alternating anoxic/aerobic conditions, with one control and one ozonated reactor in each set. The amount of solids decreased with the ozone dose. Biomass in the anoxic/aerobic reactor was easier to destroy than in the aerobic one, generating approximately twice as much soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) by cell lysis. Increased COD favoured production of extracellular polymers in ozonated reactors, enhancing flocculation and improving settling. Floc stability was also strengthened in prolonged operation in alternating treatment, resulting in declined solids destruction. Dewaterability was better in alternating reactors than in aerobic ones indicating that incorporation of an anoxic zone for biological nutrient removal leads to improvement in sludge dewatering. The negative impact of ozonation on dewaterability was minimal in terms of the long-term operation. Ozone successively destroyed indicator estrogenic compounds, contributing to total estrogen removal from wastewater. Denitrification rate improved up to 60% due to additional carbon released by ozonation. Nitrification rates deteriorated much more in the aerobic than in the alternating reactor, possibly as a result of competition created by growth of heterotrophs receiving the additional COD. Overall, ozonation provided the expected benefits and had less negative impacts on processes in the alternating treatment, although after prolonged operation, benefits could become less significant. The alternating anoxic/aerobic reactor achieved twice the nitrification rates of its aerobic counterpart. Higher removal rates of estrogens were associated with higher nitrification rates, supporting the contention that the nitrifying biomass was responsible for their removal. The alternating treatment offered the better estrogen biodegradation. Microbial populations in both reactors were examined with fluorescent in situ hybridization. Dominance of rapid nitrifiers like Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter (79.5%) in the alternating reactor, compared to a dominance of slower nitrifiers like Nitrosospira and Nitrospira (78.2%) in the aerobic reactor were found. The findings are important to design engineers, as reactors are typically designed based on nitrifiers’ growth rate determined in strictly aerobic conditions.