Vertical flow constructed wetlands efficiency with varying surface loading rates

Factors Affecting Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic Levels in House Dust in a Smelter Town in Eastern Germany

Three lamella settlers were monitored over a period of 4 years. The main objective was to determine removal efficiencies for total suspended solids and associated pollutants. For this purpose a new sampling method based on large volume solid samplers was developed allowing a detailed analysis of solids. With regard to total suspended solids the average removal efficiency of the plants range from 49 to 68%. Similar values could be achieved for phosphorus and heavy metals mainly because of the high portion of fine particles in treatment plants' influent. A clear dependency between solid removal efficiency and the parameters maximum surface load and influent concentration could be observed on a single event basis. The aggregation of all findings result in a recommended maximum design surface loading rate (SLR) of 4 m/h. A solid removal rate of 50%, which is defined as minimum long-term efficiency, can be achieved safely at this SLR. In addition to the definition of the maximum SLR, a proper dissipation of the inflow energy and an equal collection of the clear water above the lamellas turn out to be essential.

The retention of suspended solids, particles and heavy metals in different grassed swales during rain events and snowmelt is discussed. The experimental results derived from investigations performed in existing grassed swales in the Luleå region, Northern Sweden. During high pollutant loading rates, grassed swales retain significant amounts of pollutants, mainly due to sedimentation of particulate matter. Low to moderate removal efficiencies could be expected for heavy metals, especially metals in solution (i.e. the dissolved phase). When grassed swales receive urban runoff with low pollutant concentrations, they may release rather than retain pollutants. Swales are important snow deposit areas in the city and particle bound pollutants do to a large extent remain in the swale after snowmelt. However, dissolved pollutants (i.e. dissolved heavy metals) are likely to escape the swale with the melt water. Grassed swales may be regarded as facilities that even out the peaks in pollutant loads without being capable of producing consistent high removal rates. This suggests that swales should be considered as primary treatment devices. Possible design parameters for grassed swales are mean hydraulic detention time, surface loading rate or specific swale area.

Effect of plants and surface loading rate on the treatment efficiency of shallow subsurface constructed wetlands

In this study, the formation characteristics of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) mainly composed of nitrifying bacteria (referred to as nitrifying granules) in a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) were investigated at several surface loading rates (equal to the liquid linear velocity at the sludge settling zone). The surface loading rate strongly affected the selection of larger granular sludge similarly to the sludge settling time in a sequencing batch reactor. By setting an appropriate surface loading rate (1.4 m3/m2/d), small particles were effectively washed out, and larger granular sludge selectively remained in the reactor. As a result, nitrifying granules were effectively formed even with keeping an identical flow condition from the startup. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has succeeded in forming nitrifying granules with keeping an identical flow condition from the startup using a continuous-flow reactor. These findings will contribute to the dissemination of AGS technology because information on the formation of AGS in a continuous-flow reactor is limited.

There are two types of rectangular secondary clarifier at biological nutrient removal (BNR) facility to settle MLSS; conventional activated sludge secondary clarifier and Gould Type I clarifier. In this study, the performances of two types at respective biological nutrient removal facility are compared using weekly operational data. Surface Overflow Rate (SOR), Surface Loading Rate (SLR), Sludge Volume Index (SVI), secondary effluent SS concentration are studied. It has found that Gould Type I has 3.5 times less average secondary effluent SS concentration that is 2.4 mg/L than that of conventional activated sludge secondary clarifier. Both SOR and SLR have shown little effect on secondary effluent SS concentrations at Gould Type I clarifier in contrary that SOR affects the secondary effluent SS concentrations at conventional activated sludge rectangular secondary clarifier. From this study, it is recommended that Gould Type I must be considered for secondary clarifier when BNR plant is designed.

ABSTRACT: Information is lacking on the watershed scale effects of mining and reclaiming originally undisturbed watersheds for coal on surface water chemical concentrations and load rates for a variety of constituents. These effects were evaluated on three small, geologically dissimilar watersheds subjected to surface mining in Ohio. Comparisons were made between phases of land disturbances using ratios of average concentrations and load rates: Phase 1 (natural), subphases of Phase 2 (mining and reclamation), and subphases of Phase 3 (partial reclamation and final condition) using 4,485 laboratory analyses of 34 constituents. Average concentration and load rate ratios were categorized into three classes—minor, moderate, and substantial. Mining and reclamation (M/R) affected flow duration curves in different ways‐baseflow changes were variable, but high flows generally increased. The average concentration ratios for all sites were classified as 15 percent “minor,” 36 percent “moderate,” and 49 percent “substantial” (average ratio of 2.4.) Generally load rate ratios increased due to mining and reclamation activities (average ratio of 3.3). Minor, moderate, and substantial impacts were found on average for 7 percent, 23 percent, and 70 percent, respectively, of load rate ratios. The impact of M/R on average load rates was not necessarily the same as on average concentrations due to changed hydrology and can be opposite in effect. The evaluation of the impacts of M/R requires knowledge of changing hydrologic conditions and changing supplies and rates of release of chemicals into streams. Median sediment concentration ratio is an indicator of average constituent load rate ratio of a wide variety of chemical constituents and is useful for development of best management practices to reduce chemical loads. The site at which diversion ditches were not removed during final reclamation sustained large chemical load rates, and removal of diversions at the other mined site reduced load rates. Revegetation of poorly reclaimed areas decreased chemical load rates. Chemical load rates were sensitive to geology, mining, and reclamation methods, diversions, and changing hydrology, concentration flow rate regressions, and watershed areas.

Organic matter removal and nitrification using a woven hollow fiber tube as biological media

This research was part of a study of filamentous growth and control in an ultracompact biofilm reactor (UCBR). Morphologies of biofilm and filamentous bacteria in the UCBR were investigated. Ethanol was used as a substrate and sodium hypochlorite was applied as a toxicant to control filamentous growth. The results indicated that factors such as chemical oxygen demand, surface loading rate, pH, and dissolved oxygen could initiate filamentous overgrowth in the UCBR. Different biofilm and filamentous morphologies in the UCBR were observed under different operational conditions. Chlorination was an effective approach to control filamentous growth during and after biofilm formation. Proper chlorine dosing had no effect on biofilm, but killed filaments. Overdose of chlorine damaged biofilm and caused adverse effects such as low treatment efficiency, media clogging and washout, and biofilm color change in the reactor. Frequent monitoring of the morphologies of filaments and biofilm was needed during chlorination to prevent chlorine overdose.

Four novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), i.e., decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), and hexabromobenzene (HBB) were studied in 377 liquid samples and 288 solid samples collected from 20 wastewater treatment plants. Lagoon, primary, secondary, and advanced treatment processes were included, in order to investigate NBFR occurrence and the effects of WWTP operational conditions on NBFR removal. Median influent and effluent levels were 14 to 3,700 and 1.0 to 180 pg/L respectively, with DBDPE being the highest in both. Overall median removal efficiencies for DBDPE, BTBPE, HBB, and PBEB across all process types were 81 to 93, 76 to 98, 61 to 97, and 54 to 97 %, respectively with advanced treatment processes obtaining the best removals. NBFRs removal was related to retention time, surface loading rate, and biomass concentration. Median NBFR levels in treated biosolids were 80 to 32,000 pg/g, influenced by solids treatment processes.

In two pilot-scale experiments, fingerlings and juvenile of tilapia were reared in high rate algal pond (HRAP) effluent. The combination of three different total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) surface loading rates (SLR1 = 0.6, SLR2 = 1.2; SLR3 = 2.4 kg TAN·ha-1·d-1) and two fish stocking densities (D1 = 4 and D2 = 8 fish per tank) was evaluated during two 12-week experiments. Fingerlings total weight gain varied from 4.9 to 18.9 g, with the highest value (equivalent to 0.225 g·d-1) being recorded in SLR2-D1 treatment; however, high mortality (up to 67%) was recorded, probably due to sensitivity to ammonia and wide daily temperature variations. At lower water temperatures, juvenile tilapia showed no mortality, but very low weight gain. The fish rearing tanks worked as wastewater polishing units, adding the following approximate average removal figures on top of those achieved at the HRAP: 63% of total Kjeldahl nitrogen; 54% of ammonia nitrogen; 42% of total phosphorus; 37% of chemical oxygen demand; 1.1 log units of Escherichia coli.

A set of experiments were conducted in Brazil in a pilot-scale waste stabilization pond (WSP) system (a four-maturation-pond series) treating an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor effluent. Over a year and a half the pond series was monitored under two flow rate conditions, hence also different hydraulic retention times and surface loading rates. On-site and laboratory trials were carried out to assess: (i) ammonia losses by volatilization using acrylic capture chambers placed at the surface of the ponds; (ii) organic nitrogen sedimentation rates using metal buckets placed at the bottom of the ponds for collecting settled particulate matter; (iii) nitrogen removal by algal uptake based on the nitrogen content of the suspended particulate matter in samples from the ponds' water column. In addition, nitrification and denitrification rates were measured in laboratory-based experiments using pond water and sediment samples. The pond system achieved high nitrogen removal (69% total nitrogen and 92% ammonia removal). The average total nitrogen removal rates varied from 10,098 to 3,849 g N/ha·d in the first and the last ponds, respectively, with the following fractions associated with the various removal pathways: (i) 23.5-45.6% sedimentation of organic nitrogen; (ii) 13.1-27.8% algal uptake; (iii) 1.2-3.1% ammonia volatilization; and (iv) 0.15-0.34% nitrification-denitrification.

Settling tanks (clarifiers) are key wastewater treatment facilities used for gravity separation of settleable solids contained in the wastewater. Depending on their geometrical shape settling tanks could be rectangular or circular. Clarifier shape most suitable for a given application depends on a number of factors and has to be selected based on a cost‐benefit analysis. Depending on their function, settling tanks are classified in two general categories: primary and secondary. The main purpose of the primary settling tanks is to remove suspended solids from the wastewater treatment plant influent. Secondary clarifiers are located downstream of the plant's biological treatment facilities, such as aeration basins or tricking filters, and are used to separate the biomass generated during the secondary treatment process from the treated plant effluent. Key design criteria used for sizing primary settling tanks are surface overflow rate and hydraulic detention time, while secondary settling tanks are usually designed based on surface and solids loading rates. Recommended values for these design criteria according to various design guideline sources are presented in a table format.

Background: Water contamination by synthetic organic chemicals like antibiotics is a major environmental issue. Tetracycline (TC), an antibiotic in a wide family, is notable. A moving bed sequenced batch reactor (MBSBR) is tested for treating hospital raw wastewater containing TC. Methods: A 35-L pilot system was constructed, with 30 L usable. PVC suspended carriers (Kaldnes K3) with 584.3 m2 /m3 specific surface area made about 70% of the functional volume. The independent variables in this study were hydraulic retention duration (1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 hours) and starting TC concentration (5, 10, and 15 mg/L). Results: The findings of the study demonstrated satisfactory performance under the conditions of an initial TC concentration of 5 mg/L and an organic load of 350 mg/L. The overall removal efficiencies for TC, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and biological oxygen demand (BOD5 ) were 72.8%, 83%, and 93.9%, respectively. The optimal performance of the system was primarily observed during the initial phase, characterized by a TC concentration of 5 mg/L and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2.5 hours. The experimental results also indicated that the maximum removal efficiency was 1.8 kg COD/m2 .day, as determined by a fitted surface loading rate (SLR). Furthermore, the food-tomicroorganism (F/M) ratio decreased from 0.101 to 0.038 as the HRT increased from 1 to 2.5 hours. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that the MBSBR exhibits a high level of efficiency in removing TC from hospital wastewater.

Treatment of high-strength wastewater in tropical vertical flow constructed wetlands planted with Typha angustifolia and Cyperus involucratus