The aim of this master thesis study was improvement of the required operational conditions for aerobic granulation in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). In the first part of the study, membrane bioreactor sludge (MBS) and conventional activated sludge (CAS), were used to investigate the effect of suspended seed sludge type on granulation in SBRs. The MBS granules were found to be advantageous in terms of size, resistance to toxic effects, stability and recovery compared to CAS granules. During non-inhibitory conditions, sCOD removal efficiencies were 70&plusmn / 13% and 67&plusmn / 11% for MBS and CAS, and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies were 38&plusmn / 8% and 26&plusmn / 8%, respectively. In the second part of the study, the effects of period sequence (anoxic-aerobic and aerobic-anoxic) on aerobic granulation from MBS, and sCOD, N removal efficiencies were investigated. Granules developed in anoxic-aerobic period sequence were more stable and larger (1.8-3.5 mm) than granules developed in aerobic-anoxic sequence. Under steady conditions, almost 95% sCOD, 90% Total Ammonia Nitrogen (TAN) and around 39-47 % of TN removal was achieved. Almost 100% denitrification in anoxic period was achieved in anoxic-aerobic period sequence and it was observed around 40% in aerobic-anoxic period sequence. The effects of influent sulfate (from 35.1 mg/L to 70.2 mg/L) on treatment efficiencies of aerobic granules were also investigated. The influent SO42- concentrations of 52.6 mg/L to 70.2 mg/L promoted sulfate reduction. The produced sulfide (0.24 mg/L to 0.62 mg/L) inhibited the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) performance by 10 to 50%.

Waste water containing high concentrations of dissolved metals were delivered to the environmental company SAKAB. After standard treatment procedure, involving regulation of pH and addition of flocculation agents, the water still contained nickel concentrations of 26 mg/l. Since SAKAB’s regulatory concentration limit value for nickel in outgoing water is 0.5 mg/l, further treatment was necessary. According to the supplier of the water, a complexing agent similar to EDTA had been added to the water. The aim of this study was to decrease concentrations of nickel, zinc and copper. One part of this study was the precipitation experiments as hydroxide, sulphide and adsorption to hydrous ferric oxide. The other part was adsorption to natural, organic materials such as peat, wood chips and one commercial bark compost. Adsorption to hydrous ferric oxide was the most efficient of the precipitation experiments. When 2000 mg FeCl3 was added to 100 ml waste water and pH of the solution was adjusted to pH 8, a decrease up to 74 % of total nickel concentrations was achieved. Most efficient of the adsorption experiments were the one with commercial bark compost which decreased nickel concentrations in solution up to 94 % after 20 hours of agitation.

The management of water resources and waste water varies between the countries of the EU. For many years, a large part of the water in Europe has been contaminated by, among other things, insufficiently treated waste water and emissions from agriculture. The EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC and the Urban Waste Water Directive 91/271/EEC are intended to harmonize fresh-water management and waste water management within the whole EU, aiming at safeguarding drinking water of good quality and a high quality of all water within the EU today and in the future. There are however some problems concerning the waste-water directive. One problem is the huge investment needed in Slovakia to fulfil the demands of the waste-water directive for waste-water management in larger communities (with more than 2000 inhabitants). Many waste-water treatment plants need to be upgraded or built, and in addition a large part of the households in eastern Slovakia are not yet connected to a municipal water-supply and waste-water collecting system (including waste-water treatment). Subsidies from the EU’s structural funds are needed for Slovakia to fulfil the requirements of the waste-water directive. Because this directive only applies to larger communities, smaller communities and private sewage are not affected by the directive and therefore, in general, not eligible for financial funding from EU. Financial funding, however, is needed for addressing inadequate sewage in small communities with poor socioeconomic and municipal financial resources. For water protection to be effective, it is important to take also private sewage emissions into consideration, even though they might appear insignificant. Point emissions from insufficient private sewage (private sewage systems with insufficient waste-water treatment or emission of untreated waste water), primarily in small, tightly clustered communities in Slovakia or for example in Sweden in areas where weekend houses are being converted into permanent dwellings, are potential sources of pollution that can cause health or/and environmental problems. Inadequate private sewage can thus reduce the quality of both surface and ground water and have a negative impact on aquatic ecosystems, which in turn makes it more difficult to reach the quality standards of the Water Framework Directive and its daughter directives. This applies to both Slovakia and Sweden. The private sewage solutions that are recommended today are often satisfactory but not without problems. To give an example, miniature waste water treatment plants are expensive to put in place, require technological knowledge on the part of the property owner and they also require a daily flow of waste water to function properly. Improper handling of the miniature water treatment plant may cause inefficient or no water treatment at all, in some cases the bacterial content of the waste water may increase instead of being reduced. To address the problem concerning private sewage it is important that (1) waste-water solutions are adapted to local circumstances and financial funding are given to economically week municipalities (2) the property owner (owner of the private sewage) regularly controls the quality of the out-going treated wastewater (if it is possible) and (3) that efficient inspections with injunctions (from authorities) are carried out to discover faulty private sewage. Unfortunately financial funding, in general, is not given to small municipalities and/or inappropriate private sewage and inspections, both in Slovakia and Sweden, are generally slow.

Effect of ionic strength on the efficiency of heavy metal removal and recovery from aqueous solutions via continuous mode polymer enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF) method was examined. Application of PEUF to divalent ions of cadmium, nickel and zinc after their prior linking with polyethylenimine (PEI) results in complete removal of metal ions from single component aqueous solutions at high pHs. Binding ability and hence the extent of metal retention in high ionic strength medium exhibits differences between solutions containing single and multicomponent metal mixtures. In single component metal solutions, extent of retention decreases but binding order of metals remains unaffected both in low and high ionic strength medium. But, in binary component metal mixtures, with increase in ionic strength the binding order of metals changes. Fractional separation of Cd, Ni and Zn ions from equimolar binary and ternary mixtures of these metals and effect of ionic strength on fractional separation efficiency were investigated. Depending on pH and salt concentration and metal pairs present in the solution fractional separation can be achieved.Dynamic and static light scattering experiments were performed in order to gain insight about the conformational changes in PEI structure due to the pH and ionic strength alternations in solution. It was found that, the increase in ionic strength reduces the size of the macromolecules. A chemical equilibrium model was developed in order to estimate the apparent binding constants of metal-PEI complexes. Based on the data obtained from continuous and batch mode PEUF experiments apparent binding constants were estimated and compared to reveal the performance differences between these operational modes.

This study aims to investigate the possibility of using calcium-alginate as a coagulant in low turbidity waters. Jar tests were initially performed with synthetically prepared turbid waters to investigate the effect of alginate and calcium concentrations, alginate&rsquo / s molecular weight, rapid mixing time and speed (schedule), initial pH and alkalinity of synthetic water on turbidity removal efficiency of calcium-alginate system step by step. Alum as a coagulant was then used in jar tests conducted with synthetic water to compare with calcium-alginate in terms of its turbidity removal efficiency and produced sludge properties. Finally, raw water acquired from water treatment plant was tested for treatability by using calcium-alginate based on previously determined optimum parameters via jar tests. Experiments of calcium-alginate system with synthetic water showed that calcium was a key parameter in coagulation and high molecular weight alginate performed better in turbidity removal. Significant improvements in turbidity removal were observed when mixing schedules were rearranged / especially in case of increasing rapid mixing time following calcium dosing. Calcium-alginate system neither was notably affected by pH or alkalinity nor did significantly change the pH or alkalinity of the medium. Alum worked well in turbidity removal with additional adjustments of pH and alkalinity, however / alum produced higher quantities of sludge than calcium-alginate system. &ldquo / Raw water&ldquo / experiments with calcium-alginate did not result in desired level of turbidity removals due to the excessively different characteristics of this water compared to the synthetically prepared turbid water.

Nitrogen and phosphorus removal is often required before discharge of treated wastewater to sensitive water bodies. Kayseri Wastewater Treatment Plant (KWWTP) is a biological wastewater treatment plant that includes nitrogen and phosphorus removal along with carbon removal. The KWWTP receives both municipal wastewater and industrial wastewaters. In this study, KWWTP was modeled by using a software called GPS-X, which is developed for modeling municipal and industrial wastewaters. The Activated Sludge Model No.2d (ASM2d) developed by the International Association on Water Quality (IAWQ) was used for the simulation of the treatment plant. In this model, carbon oxidation, nitrification, denitrification and biological phosphorus removal are simulated at the same time. During the calibration of the model, initially, sensitivities of the model parameters were analyzed. After sensitivity analysis, dynamic parameter estimation (DPE) was carried out for the optimization of the sensitive parameters. Real plant data obtained from KWWTP were used for DPE. The calibrated model was validated by using different sets of data taken from various seasons after necessary temperature adjustments made on the model. Considerably good fits were obtained for removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and nitrogen related compounds. However, the results for phosphorus removal were not satisfactory, probably due to lack of information on volatile fatty acids concentration and alkalinity of the influent wastewater.

Biological nitrogen removal was simulated for a Vacuum Rotating Membrane (VRM) type membrane bioreactor (MBR) operated in METU campus. In order to simulate the biological MBR plant, a dynamic model that describes the process is needed. In this thesis, the Activated Sludge Model No.1 (ASM1), which still is the most widely used model developed by the International Association on Water Quality (IAWQ), has been used to simulate the carbon oxidation, nitrification and denitrification processes occurring in the plant using AQUASIM software package. Once the model was established, sensitivities of the model parameters were analyzed. Then, parameter estimation was carried out for the optimization of the sensitive parameters. As we have several distinct data sets available two parallel modeling study was carried out for the calibration of the model. Finally, the calibrated model by different data sets was validated by using the remaining data sets. The model results were consistent with the measured data especially in terms of MLSS concentration in the system. However model results for the nitrogen removal were not extremely successful / the reason for this might be the inadequate available data on nitrification-denitrification process occurring in the system.

In ariden Gebieten tritt Schwefelwasserstoff häufig im Grundwasser auf, wodurch dessen Nutzung für die Trinkwassergewinnung aufgrund des störenden Geruchs und Geschmacks stark beeinträchtigt wird. Die in der Praxis oft eingesetzte Belüftung erweist sich zumeist als ineffizient und führt zu Geruchsbelästigungen in der Umgebungsluft. Das Ziel der Arbeit, die im Rahmen eines deutsch-israelischen Forschungsprojekts angefertigt wurde, bestand darin, einen wirksamen und für den praktischen Einsatz bei der Wasseraufbereitung geeigneten Katalysator zur Entfernung von Schwefelwasserstoff zu entwickeln, hinsichtlich verschiedener Verfahrensparameter und relevanter Randbedingungen durch systematische Batch- und Säulenversuche zu erproben und zu optimieren. Wichtige Kriterien zur Charakterisierung der Katalysatoren waren die Kinetik des Sulfidumsatzes, die Langzeitstabilität und die Zusammensetzung der Reaktionsprodukte. Die Nachahmung natürlich vorkommender Strukturen (z. B. Häm-Gruppe) und deren Anpassung an eine katalytische Sulfidoxidation war der Grundgedanke am Anfang der Arbeit. Entsprechende Materialien, organische Metallkomplexe (Porphyrine) auf Kohlenstoffträgern (Acetylen Black), wurden bereits erfolgreich bei der Sauerstoffreduktion in Brennstoffzellen eingesetzt. Cobalttetraphenylporphyrin (CoTPP) zeigte von allen getesteten Materialien die beste katalytische Wirksamkeit zur Sulfidoxidation. Die Sulfidumsetzung lief sowohl bei höheren pH-Werten als auch mit zunehmender Temperatur schneller ab. Anhand von Untersuchungen zum Einfluss des pH-Werts konnte bestätigt werden, dass eine katalytische Wirksamkeit nur für die Oxidation der Sulfid-Spezies HS- und S2- besteht. Mit Aktivkohle konnte ebenfalls eine katalytische Sulfidumsetzung erzielt werden, jedoch lag die Aktivität hier im Vergleich zum CoTPP deutlich niedriger. Bei allen getesteten katalytisch wirksamen Materialien entstand als vorrangiges Reaktionsprodukt Schwefel, gebildete Schwefel-Sauerstoff-Verbindungen wie Sulfat und Thiosulfat waren von untergeordneter Bedeutung. Die Untersuchungen zeigten, dass Acetylen Black aufgrund der sehr geringen Teilchengröße technisch kaum einsetzbar ist, weshalb weitere Trägermaterialien erprobt wurden. Im Gegensatz zu Aktivkohle oder Anthrazit erwiesen sich Weichfilze, insbesondere der Sigratherm Kohlenstoff-Weichfilz (KFA-Filz), als sehr gut geeignete Trägermaterialien. Beim Einsatz von Aktivkohle lagerte sich der gebildete Schwefel in den Porenräumen ab, was zu einer erheblichen Verringerung der katalytischen Aktivität führte. Dagegen wurde unter Verwendung des modifizierten Filzmaterials auch bei sehr langen Laufzeiten (bis 3000 Stunden) keine Abnahme der katalytischen Wirksamkeit beobachtet. Durch diese Katalysatormatrix konnte somit die Deaktivierung des Katalysators durch elementaren Schwefel verhindert werden. Bei abschließenden Versuchen unter Verwendung einer kleintechnischen Versuchsanlage konnte gezeigt werden, dass der Katalysator für den großtechnischen Einsatz geeignet ist. Im Vergleich zur Aktivkohle sind zwar größere Investitionskosten notwendig, andererseits können mit dem CoTPP-Material deutlich längere Laufzeiten realisiert werden. Aufgrund seiner guten technischen Handhabbarkeit ist der modifizierte KFA-Filz sowohl in kleinen dezentralen Anlagen (ländliche Siedlungen) als auch in größeren Wasserwerken einsetzbar. Zusätzliche Chemikalien sind für den Betrieb eines solchen Filters nicht erforderlich. Eine weitere Verbesserung der Sulfidentfernung wird bei langen Filterlaufzeiten durch sulfidoxidierende Bakterien bewirkt. Das Ziel, einen effizienten, technisch einsetzbaren Katalysator zur oxidativen Sulfidentfernung aus Wässern zu entwickeln, wurde somit erreicht. / Hydrogen sulfide often occurs in groundwater of arid areas. Because of its malodour, H2S containing water cannot be used as drinking water without treatment. Aeration as the most common treatment technique is less effective and leads to nasty odour of ambient air. Catalytic oxidation could be an alternative. The aim of this work was to develop and to optimize a technically applicable oxidation catalyst as well as to test its applicability under practical conditions. Various N4-chelates (e. g. porphyrins), which are frequently used for the reduction of oxygen in fuel cells, were evaluated for catalytic oxidation of sulfide at selected boundary conditions and process parameters using batch and column experiments. The new catalysts should be characterized in comparison with other materials. The oxidation kinetics, the long-time stability of the catalyst and the composition of oxidation products were the main criteria used for catalyst assessment. Cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin (CoTPP) showed the highest catalytic activity of all tested materials. The rate of sulfide transformation increased significantly with increasing temperature and at pH values higher than 6. A catalyst suitable for technical use in fixed-bed reactors was obtained by coating of a supporting material (carbon felt KFA) with the active substance. For all investigated materials, sulfur was found to be the main reaction product of the sulfide oxidation. In contrast to activated carbon, which showed catalytic activity for sulfide oxidation too, modified KFA felt materials were not blocked and deactivated by formed sulfur, even after long-term use. The new catalyst is well qualified for a stable oxidation of sulfide in water. In comparison to activated carbon, higher investment costs are required, but the carbon felt supported porphyrin has a significant longer lifetime. Because of its easy use, modified KFA felt is applicable both in small local plants and in large waterworks. There is no necessity to add chemicals or to install complex control equipment. As a positive side-effect, further improvement of sulfide elimination caused by sulfide-oxidizing bacteria was found during long filter run times.

Bei der Aufbereitung von Rohwässern zu Trinkwasser fallen in der Regel unvermeidbare Rückstände an, die den gesetzlichen Bestimmungen entsprechend entsorgt werden müssen. Schlammhaltige Wässer, die den größten Anteil an Wasserwerksrückständen einnehmen, entstehen bei der Spülung von Filtern und enthalten nahezu alle aus dem Rohwasser entfernten Stoffe und nicht im Trinkwasser verbleibende Aufbereitungschemikalien. Während früher in vielen Wasserwerken Teile des schlammhaltigen Filterspülwassers nach einem Sedimentationsvorgang wieder in den Aufbereitungsprozess zurückgeführt wurden, ist dies in Deutschland auf Grund einer möglichen Beeinträchtigung der Trinkwasserqualität bei mikrobiologisch belasteten Wässern (z. B. Oberflächenwasser) ohne eine adäquate Behandlung (z. B. Ultrafiltration) nicht mehr erlaubt. Somit müssen schlammhaltige Filterspülwässer anderweitig entsorgt werden, z. B. durch eine Einleitung in die Kanalisation. Die dabei auftretenden Auswirkungen auf Abwasserbehandlungsanlagen sind noch nicht ausreichend bekannt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden unterschiedliche Ultrafiltrationsmodule (Kapillarmembranmodul und getauchtes Modul) hinsichtlich ihrer Eignung zur Aufbereitung aluminiumhaltiger schlammhaltiger Filterspülwässer und damit zur Rückführung des entstehenden Filtrates in den Aufbereitungsprozess untersucht. Die grundsätzliche Eignung beider Modulsysteme wird nachgewiesen. Bei Verwendung von getauchten Modulen kann auf eine vorangehende Sedimentationsanlage verzichtet werden. Als kritisch muss unabhängig vom gewählten Modulkonzept die Entsorgung des anfallenden Retentates angesehen werden, da die gesetzlich vorgeschriebenen Grenzwerte der Indirekteinleitung für mehrere Parameter nicht eingehalten werden. Bilanzierungen der relevanten Schadstoffe ergeben, dass der Schadstoffeintrag überwiegend diffus mit dem Rohwasser in das Wasserwerk erfolgt. Zur Untersuchung von Auswirkungen der Einleitung aluminiumhaltiger schlammhaltiger Filterspülwässer aus der Oberflächenwasseraufbereitung auf die Abwasserbehandlung wurden labortechnische Versuche zur Ermittlung des Phosphatadsorptionspotenzials durchgeführt. Neben der Abhängigkeit der Phosphatadsorptionskapazität vom pH-Wert wurde der Einfluss der Feststoffkonzentration des schlammhaltigen Filterspülwassers in Versuchen mit Modellwasser nachgewiesen. Eine Erhöhung der Feststoffkonzentration wirkt einer möglichst hohen Ausnutzung des Adsorptionspotenzials entgegen. Während für die Ultrafiltrationsbehandlung gegenüber der Indirekteinleitung ein Kostenvorteil ermittelt wird, ist die für die Nutzung des Phosphatadsorptionsanteils verfügbare Schlammmenge für einen alleinigen Einsatz in der Kläranlage bei gleichen Einzugsgebieten nicht ausreichend. / In most water treatment plants (WTPs), during the water purification process, residuals are generated that have to be disposed according to current regulations. Most of the residuals are derived from filter backwash processes (i. e. spent filter backwash water, SFBW) and contain substances that are removed from the raw water. In addition, in the spent filter backwash water, chemicals can be found that are required for the operation of the water treatment process and do not remain in the drinking water. Over recent decades, SFBW has been returned to the beginning of the water treatment plant (WTP) after a sedimentation process in order to reduce the amount of water being discharged. Concerns over the recycling of microorganisms, of heavy metals or precursors for disinfection by-products, have led to a significant reduction of the number of WTPs that directly return filter backwash water to the water treatment process. According to German technical standards, the reuse of SFBW might only be possible after the application of groundwater infiltration or an equivalent technique. Because of an almost complete recovery of particles and microorganisms, ultrafiltration treatment is a proven alternative to groundwater recharge of SFBW. In this work, different ultrafiltration modules for the treatment and reuse of SFBW are compared. Capillary as well as submerged membrane modules are suitable for the treatment of SFBW. If submerged membrane modules are used, no sedimentation period prior to ultrafiltration treatment is necessary. As a consequence of the accumulation of particulate matter including heavy metals and other compounds in the retentate during ultrafiltration treatment, threshold values of several regulations cannot be met, and either the discharge of retentate into the sewer will be charged or alternative disposal options must be considered. Mass balances for an entire WTP showed most of these contaminants to originate from non-point sources in the watershed. Lab-scale experiments are performed for the examination of the phosphate adsorption potential of SFBW derived from surface water treatment using aluminum-based coagulants. Besides a strong influence of the pH-value present in the SFBW, an influence of the TSS-concentration of SFBW on phosphate adsorption capacity could be demonstrated. Elevated TSS-concentrations resulted in a lower phosphate adsorption capacity of the investigated SFBW. While ultrafiltration treatment with subsequent reuse of SFBW might be cheaper than the discharge to the sewer system, the amount of SFBW required for a complete phosphate removal in the wastewater treatment plant is to large and therefore, no economic advantage of phosphate adsorption could be demonstrated

<p>Increased levels of nitrate in ground water have made many wells unsuitable as sources for drinking water. In this thesis an ion-exchang eassisted electromembrane process, suitable for nitrate removal, is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. An ion-exchange textile material is introduced as a conducting spacer in the feed compartment of an electropermutation cell. The sheet shaped structure of the textile makes it easy to incorporate into the cell. High permeability and fast ion-exchange kinetics, compared to ion-exchange resins, are other attractive features of the ion-exchange textile.</p><p>A steady-state model based on the conservation of the ionic species is developed. The governing equations on the microscopic level are volume averaged to give macro-homogeneous equations. The model equations are analyzed and relevant simplifications are motivated and introduced. Dimensionless parameters governing the continuous electropermutation process are identified and their influence on the process are discussed. The mathematical model can be used as a tool when optimising the process parameters and designing equipment.</p><p>An experimental study that aimed to show the positive influence of using the ion-exchange textile in the feed compartment of an continuous electropermutation process is presented. The incorporation of the ion-exchange textile significantly improves the nitrate removal rate at the same time as the power consumption is decreased. A superficial solution of sodium nitrate with a initial nitrate concentration of 105 ppm was treated. A product stream with less than 20 ppm nitrate could be obtained, in a single pass mode of operation. Its concluded from these experiments that continuous electropermutation using ion-exchange textile provides an interesting alternative for nitrate removal, in drinking water production. The predictions of the mathematical model are compared with experimental results and a good agreement is obtained.</p><p>Enhanced water dissociation is known to take place at the surface of ion-exchange membranes in electromembrane processes operated above the limiting current density. A model for this enhanced water dissociation in presented in the thesis. The model makes it possible to incorporate the effect of water dissociation as a heterogeneous surface reaction. Results from simulations of electropermutation with and without ion-exchange textile incorporated are presented. The influence of the water dissociation is investigated with the developed model.</p>