Limiting the emissions of micro-pollutants: what efficiency can we expect from wastewater treatment plants?

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Choubert ◽  
S. Martin Ruel ◽  
M. Esperanza ◽  
H. Budzinski ◽  
C. Miège ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Removal Efficiencies ◽  
Micro Pollutants

The next challenge of wastewater treatment is to reliably remove micro-pollutants at the microgram per litre range in order to meet the environmental quality standards set by new regulations like the Water Framework Directive. The present work assessed the efficiency of different types of primary, secondary and tertiary processes for the removal of more than 100 priority substances and other relevant emerging pollutants through on-site mass balances over 19 municipal wastewater treatment lines. Secondary biological processes proved to be in average 30% more efficient than primary settling processes. The activated sludge (AS) process led to a significant reduction of pollution loads (more than 50% removal for 70% of the substances detected). Biofilm processes led to equivalent removal efficiencies compared to AS, except for some pharmaceuticals. The membrane bioreactor (MBR) process allowed to upgrade removal efficiencies of some substances only partially degraded during conventional AS processes. Preliminary tertiary processes like tertiary settling and sand filtration could achieve significant removal for adsorbable substances. Advanced tertiary processes, like ozonation, activated carbon and reverse osmosis were all very efficient (close to 100%) to complete the removal of polar pesticides and pharmaceuticals; less polar substances being better retained by reverse osmosis.

Experience from 10 Years Advanced Wastewater Treatment – Technology and Results

1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 121-133
Author(s):  
C Forsberg ◽  
B Hawerman ◽  
B Hultman
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Treatment Technology ◽  
Removal Efficiencies ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Operational Modes ◽  
Polluted Waters

Experience from advanced municipal wastewater treatment plants and recovery of polluted waters are described for the last ten years in Sweden. Except in municipalities with large recipients, the urban population is served by treatment plants with combined biological and chemical treatment. Most of these plants are post-precipitation plants. Several modified operational modes have been developed in order to improve the removal efficiencies of pollutants and to reduce the costs. Results are presented on the recovery of specially investigated lakes with a lowered supply of total phosphorus and organic matter.

Performance of a combined eco-system of ponds and constructed wetlands for wastewater reclamation and reuse

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 315-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Wang ◽  
J. Peng ◽  
B. Wang ◽  
R. Cao
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Reclamation ◽  
Effluent Quality ◽  
Major Mechanism ◽  
Removal Efficiencies ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

An on-site study on the operational performance of a combined eco-system of ponds and SF constructed wetland for municipal wastewater treatment and reclamation/reuse in Donging City, Shandong, China was carried out from January 2001 through October 2003. The removal efficiencies for various main parameters were: TSS 84.8±7.3%, BOD5 87.2±5.3%, CODCr 70.2±18.6%, TP 52.3±23.1%, and NH3-N 54.8±23.9% with effluent concentration of TSS 9.12±5.12 mg/l, BOD5 6.44±4.58 mg/l, CODCr 42.8±6.7 mg/l, TP 0.94±0.27 mg/l and NH3-N 7.95±2.36 mg/l. In addition, the removal efficiencies for faecal coliforms and total bacteria were >99.97% and >99.998% respectively, which well meet Chinese National standards for effluent quality of municipal wastewater treatment plants. The composition of TSS was closely related to CODCr and BOD5 variations, and nitrification-denitrification is the major mechanism of nitrogen removal both in ponds and in wetlands. In addition, sedimentation also played an important role in the removal of TSS, nitrogen, phosphorus and BOD5. The removal efficiencies of various parameters, the number of species and biomass of biological community in the system increased gradually with the ecological maturation.

scholarly journals LCA of a Membrane Bioreactor Compared to Activated Sludge System for Municipal Wastewater Treatment

Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 421
Author(s):  
Dimitra C. Banti ◽  
Michail Tsangas ◽  
Petros Samaras ◽  
Antonis Zorpas
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems are connected to several advantages compared to the conventional activated sludge (CAS) units. This work aims to the examination of the life cycle environmental impact of an MBR against a CAS unit when treating municipal wastewater with similar influent loading (BOD = 400 mg/L) and giving similar high-quality effluent (BOD < 5 mg/L). The MBR unit contained a denitrification, an aeration and a membrane tank, whereas the CAS unit included an equalization, a denitrification, a nitrification, a sedimentation, a mixing, a flocculation tank and a drum filter. Several impact categories factors were calculated by implementing the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, including acidification potential, eutrophication potential, global warming potential (GWP), ozone depletion potential and photochemical ozone creation potential of the plants throughout their life cycle. Real data from two wastewater treatment plants were used. The research focused on two parameters which constitute the main differences between the two treatment plants: The excess sludge removal life cycle contribution—where GWPMBR = 0.50 kg CO2-eq*FU−1 and GWPCAS = 2.67 kg CO2-eq*FU−1 without sludge removal—and the wastewater treatment plant life cycle contribution—where GWPMBR = 0.002 kg CO2-eq*FU−1 and GWPCAS = 0.14 kg CO2-eq*FU−1 without land area contribution. Finally, in all the examined cases the environmental superiority of the MBR process was found.

On-site evaluation of the efficiency of conventional and advanced secondary processes for the removal of 60 organic micropollutants

2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 2970-2978 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Martin Ruel ◽  
M. Esperanza ◽  
J.-M. Choubert ◽  
I. Valor ◽  
H. Budzinski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Priority Substances ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Source Reduction ◽  
Environmental Quality Standards ◽  
Removal Efficiencies

The next challenge of wastewater treatment is to reliably remove micropollutants at the microgram per litre range in order to reduce the discharge for priority substances and to meet the environmental quality standards set by the European Water Framework Directive. The present work assessed the occurrence of 60 organic substances (priority substances and other relevant pollutants) in municipal wastewater and sludge. Their fate in the treatment processes and their removal efficiencies were quantified. Thorough on-site mass balances were carried out at 8 municipal wastewater treatment plants chosen among conventional and advanced secondary processes. It was found that 70% of the substances were quantified in raw wastewater and 50% in effluent, with a transfer without a limited degradation for most of them. Low loaded activated sludge (AS) process reduced the emission of more than half of micropollutants. At low sludge retention time (AS under high load), lower removal efficiencies were measured compared to low loaded AS. No influence of temperature of the biological reactor was shown. The membrane bioreactor process increased the removal efficiencies for one third of the substances that were partially removed with AS. Still, five substances were measured at concentrations exceeding the environmental quality standards at the outlet of the studied plants. In addition to efforts for source-reduction, complementary treatments need to be set-up.

On-site evaluation of the removal of 100 micro-pollutants through advanced wastewater treatment processes for reuse applications

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 2486-2497 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Martin Ruel ◽  
J. M. Choubert ◽  
M. Esperanza ◽  
C. Miège ◽  
P. Navalón Madrigal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Reverse Osmosis ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Site Evaluation ◽  
Removal Efficiencies ◽  
Micro Pollutants ◽  
Emerging Substances ◽  
Bioreactor Process

The next challenge of wastewater treatment is to reliably remove micro-pollutants at the microgram per litre range in order to meet reuse applications and contribute to reach the good status of the water bodies. A hundred priority and relevant emerging substances were measured to evaluate at full-scale the removal efficiencies of seven advanced treatment lines (one membrane bioreactor process and six tertiary treatment lines) that were designed for reuse applications. To reliably compare the processes, specific procedures for micro-pollutants were applied for sampling, analysis and calculation of removal efficiencies. The membrane bioreactor process allowed to upgrade the removal efficiencies of about 20% of the substances measured, especially those that were partially degraded during conventional processes. Conventional tertiary processes like high rate clarification, sand filtration and polishing pond achieved significant removal for some micro-pollutants, especially for adsorbable substances. Advanced tertiary processes, like ozonation, activated carbon and reverse osmosis were all very efficient to complete the removal of polar pesticides and pharmaceuticals; metals and less polar substances were better retained by reverse osmosis.

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