Date Prepared : Feb.

08, 2018
For : ChE 507E, 2'nd Sem SY2017-18
adapted from ChE 423 - Waste Management in Sugar Industry
DO Sag Curve, Streeter Phelps Model - Application to Wastewater Mngt in Sugar Mills

A.) Objective and expectations : deleted to save space

B.) Assumptions of the DO Sag Curve - Streeter Phelps Model

wastewater discharge

River flow flow flow

m continuous wastewater discharge at a given location on the river, and instantaneous

mixing with the river water.
m river or stream is an ideal plug flow reactor
m steady-state flow and BOD and DO reaction conditions
m reactions of interest are BOD exertion (deoxygenation) and transfer of oxygen from air
to water (reaeration)
m rate of deoxygenation at any point is proportional to the BOD remaining.

C.) Development of the model equation :

QwDOw+ QrDOr Where :
m Dissolved Oxygen balance : DO = Qw = wastewater vol. flowrate, m3/s
Qw + Q r
Qr = river vol. flowrate, m3/s
DOw = DO in wastewater, g/m3
DOr = DO in the river upstream, g/m3
QwLw+ QrLr
m Ultimate BOD balance : La = Lw = ultimate BOD in wastewater, mg/li.
Qw + Q r
Lr = ultimate BOD in the river, mg/li.
La = initial ultimate BOD after mixing,
mg/li.
m Heat balance : Temperature
Tw = wastewater temp., oC
(Qw)(r)(Cp)(Tf–Tw) = (Qr)(r)(Cp)(Tf–Tr)
Tr = river, water temp. oC
QwTw+ QrTr Tf = final temperature after mixing of river
Tf =
Qw + Q r water & wastewater

m As this element moves downstream with the general flow of water, it is deoxygenated (DO is
consumed by microorganism decomposition of organic wastes), and at the same time
reoxygenated due to atmospheric re-aeration

m The remaining DO in the element at any point downstream, depends both these two
competeing processes :

Page 1
 dC Where :
n the rate of deoxygenation : = (Rate of BOD decay) = - kD L
dt D L = ultimate BOD at any time t
C = DO concentration (DO)
dC Cs = DO concentration at saturation
n rate of reoxygenation or reaeration : = - kR (Cs - C )
dt R kD = deoxygenation rate constant.
kR = reaeration rate constant.

n Combining, and express (for convenience) everything in terms of the oxygen deficit, D = (C s - C), substituting
BOD decay equation for L, rearranging to standard form, integrating, and finally applying the boundary conditions :
where :
kD La – kR t
D= (e - kD t
- e ) + Do e - kR t D = DO deficit (of control vol. mix , at t = 0).
kR - kD
La = ultimate BOD (of control vol. mix , at t = 0).
D0 = DO deficit (of control vol. mix, at t = 0).
o This equation is known as the DO sag equation (for its distinctive shape) or the Streeter-Phelps equation.

n The dissolved oxygen concentration , C at any time t :

kD La
C = (Cs – D) = Cs - (e - kD t - e – kR t ) + Do e - kR t
kR - kD

Plotting this equation with typical values would generated this curve

n The DO sag equation can be used to find the concentration at any point downstream of a
waste discharge as long as the travel time is known to that point, which is easy to
calculate if the stream velocity is known.

n Environmental engineers often want to know the minimum oxygen concentration that can
be expected as a result of a waste discharge. This is called the critical point or the
lowest point in the sag. The travel time to the lowest point in the sag is the critical time. :

critical time, 1 kR Do ( kR – kD )
tc = ln
kR - kD kD 1 kD La
-
n Using the critical time (t c ), the critical deficit (D c ), and the minimum DO concentration can easily be calculated :

kD
Dc = La e - kD t Cmin = Cs - Dc
kR

Page 2
 Dc = a
kR

n Oxygen Solubility in Fresh Water Exposed to Air at Atmospheric Pressure

Temp, oC Sol.(mg/li) Temp, oC Sol.(mg/li) Temp, oC Sol.(mg/li)
0 14.6 11 11.0 22 8.7
1 14.2 12 10.8 23 8.6
2 13.8 13 10.5 24 8.4
3 13.5 14 10.3 25 8.3
4 13.1 15 10.1 26 8.1
5 12.8 16 9.9 27 8.0
6 12.5 17 9.7 28 7.8
7 12.1 18 9.5 29 7.7
8 11.9 19 9.3 30 7.6
9 11.6 20 9.1 31 7.4
10 11.3 21 8.9 32 7.3

D.) Deoxygenation rate constant : kD , /day

k D 20 = k + (u/h) h where :
u = the stream ave. speed, m/s For temperature other than 20 o C, a correction
h = the stream ave. depth, m factor q (T-20) has to has to be applied.
h = the stream bed activity coefficient

k D = k D 20 q q = 1.056 for T > 20 o C.

(T-20)
, where : q = 1.135 for T < 20 o C,

E.) Rate of Deoxygenation : r D = k D (L t ), mg/li-day where : L t = BOD remaining at time t, mg/day

r D = k D (L o ) e - k D t
The deoxygenation rate can be written as :

F.) Re-aeration constant, kR /day

k R, 20 =
3.9 u1/2 if the river temperature is other than 20 o C, a temperature correction factor of q (T-20)
has to be
h 3/2 applied, where q = 1.024, T = temperature, o C

(T-20) (T-20)
k R = k R 20 q = k R 20 (1.024) where : k R = re-aeration time constant at temp T. , /day
u = ave. river or stream velocity, m/s
h = ave. river or stream depth, m

Table 3-2 Reaeration constants

Water body . Ranges of kR at 20°C This table is convenient to
Small ponds and backwaters 0.1 - 0:23 use if there are no available
Sluggish streams and large lakes 0.23 - 0.35 data of the river's flowrate/
Large streams of low velocity 0.35 - 0.46 speed, depth, etc.
Large streams of normal velocity 0.46 - 0.69
Swift streams 0.69 - 1.15
Rapids and waterfalls Greater than 1.15
Source: Peavy, Rowe and Tchobanoglous, 1985

G.) Re-aeration rate, r R = - k R (DO s - DO) = - k R (D) , mg/li-day

Page 3
 D = dissolved oxygen deficit = (D s - DO) , mg/li

H.) Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

m Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a measure of the amount of oxygen used by microorganisms to decompose
this waste. As the waste is consumed or dispersed through the water, BOD levels will begin to decline.
m The so called 5-day BOD (BOD5) measures the amount of oxygen consumed by the aerobic microorganisms in the

decomposition of organic waste contaminants in a 5-day period.

m The total amount of oxygen consumed when the biochemical reaction is allowed to proceed to completion is called
the Ultimate BOD .
m The Ultimate BOD is too time consuming, so the 5-day BOD has almost universally been adopted as a measure of
relative pollution effect.
m The rate of “BOD” oxidation can be described based on the assumption that the amount of organic material
remaining at time t is a first order function:

d (BOD) = - k BOD
r
dt
Integrating this equation from time t = 0 to t = t yields:
Where : BOD t = BOD at time t (typically 5 days)
BODt = BODu(1- e-kt)
k = reaction rate constant ( /day)
BOD u = ultimate BOD concentration (mg/li)
I.) Exercises
Exercise 1 :
17,360 m3/day of treated wastewater effluent is discharged into a river. The effluent has a BOD 5 of 12 mg/li, and a BOD
decay constant, k = 0.12/day at 20oC. The river has an average flowrate of 0.43 m 3/s, and an ultimate BOD, Lr = 5 mg/li.
The DO of the river is 6.5 mg/li, and the DO of the wastewater is 1.0 mg/li.

After mixing at the wastewater discharge outfall, determine :

a.) the DO, b.) the (river water & effluent) mixture initial ultimate BOD, La

Solution :
a.) Convert first Qw to m3/s = 17,360 m3/day/(60 x 60 x 24 s) = 0.20 m3/s

DO (after mixing) = [(Qw)(DOw) + (Qr)(DOr)]/(Qw + Qr)

= [(0.20 m /s)(1.0 mg/li) + (0.43 m3/s)(6.5 mg/li) ] / (0.20 m3/s + 0.43 m3/s) = 4.75 mg/li
3

b.) Before determining mixture ultimate BOD, La , find out first the ultimate
BOD of the wastewater : Lw = BODt /(1 - e - k t) = (12 mg/li)/(1 - e –(0.12/day)(5 days) ) = 26.6 mg/li

After mixing, the ultimate BOD, La = [ (Qw)(Lw) + (Qr)(Lr) ]/(Qw + Qr) =

La = [(0.20 m3/s)(26.6 mg/li) + (0.43 m3/s)(5.0 mg/li)] / ( 0.20 m 3/s + 0.43 m3/s) = 11.86 mg/li.

Exercise 2 :
Calculate the initial DO deficit of the river in Exercise 1, after mixing at the discharge outfall.
The river water temp = 25 oC, and the wastewater temp = 30 oC.

Solution :
T (after mixing ) =
T (after mixing) = [(Qw)(Tw) + Qr)(Tr)] / (Qw + Qr) = [(0.20m3/s)( 30oC)) + (0.43 m3/s)(25oC)]/
(0.20 m3/s + 0.43 m3/s) = 26.6 oC

Page 4
 ~ round-off to 27oC

From the Table, Oxygen Solubility in Water, DOs at 27oC = 8 mg/li

The actual DO after mixing (calculated in Example 1) = 4.75 mg/li
DO deficit, D = Ds – Cmix = 8 - 4.75 = 3.25 mg/li

Exercise 3 :
Using Exercises 1 and 2, determine a.) the deoxygenation rate constant, k D, b.) the rate of deoxygenation, rD

Ave. speed of river flow, u = 0.03 m/s Ave. river depth, h = 5.0 m Bed activity coefficient, h = 0.35

Solution :
From Exercise 1, k = 0.12/day at 20oC
kD = k + (u/h)h = 0.12 + (0.03/5)(0.35) = 0.1221/day (this is still at 20oC)
Apply temperature correction : from Exercise 2, T after mixing ~ 27oC
a.) kD (at 27oC) = k q (T-20) = (0.1221)(1.135)(27-20) = 0.296
After mixing (still at t = 0 ), Lt = La = 11.86 mg/li
b.) rate of deoxygenation, rD = ko(Lt) = (0.296)(11.86) = 3.51 mg/li-day

Exercise 4 :
A stream has a DO = 5.0 mg/li, an ave. flow velocity, u = 0.174 m/s, depth, h = 5 m, and T = 18oC. Determine:
a.) the reaeration constant, kR, b.) the rate of reaeration, rR.

Solution :
a.) reaeration constant, kR (at 20oC) = 3.9(u)1/2/h3/2 = 3.9(0.174)1/2/(5)3/2 = 0.146/day

apply temperature correction :

kR(at18oC) = kR(at 20oC)(1.024)(18-20) = (0.146)(1.024)- 2 = 0.139/day

b.) from Table, oxygen solubility in water at 18oC, DOs = 9.5 mg/li D = 9.5 – 5.0 = 4.5 mg/li
rate of re-aeration, rR = kR(at 18oC) x D = (4.5)(0.30) = 0.63 mg/li-day

Exercise 5 :
A treated wastewater which still has an BODu = 28.0 mg/li, and DO = 1.8 mg/li is discharged into a river at
90,720 m3/day. Upstream from the discharge outfall, the river has an ave. flow of 7.08 m3/s, ave. velocity = 0.37 m/s,
BODu = 3.6 mg/li, DO = 7.6 mg/li. The temperature after mixing at the outfall is such that the DO S = 8.5 mg/li. The kD
and kR are 0.61/day and 0.76 respectively.

Determine : a.) the initial deficit, Do (right after mixing at the outfall),
b.) the ultimate BOD, Lo (just after mixing at the outfall),
c.) the DO 16 km downstream from the outfall.

Solution :
a.) DOo = [(Qw)(DOw) + (Qr)(DOr)] / (Qw + Qr)
= [(90,720 m3/day/86,400 s/day)(1.8 mg/li) +
(7.08 m3/s)(7.6 mg/li)] /[(90,720 m3/day/86,400 s/day)
+ (7.08 m3/s)] = 6.85 mg/li
Do (mix-initial deficit) = Ds - Ca = 8.5 – 6.85 = 1.65 mg/li.

b.) BODu or Lo(mix) =

= [(90,720 m3/day/86,400 s/day)(28 mg/li) +

Page 5
 (7.08 m3/s)(3.6 mg/li)] /[(90,720 m3/day/86,400 s/day)
+ (7.08 m3/s)] = 6.75 mg/li
c.) time (of river flow 16 km downstream) = distance / velocity
= (16,000 m)/(0.37 m/s) = 43,243 s
= 0.5 day.
kD Lo - kR t
D= (e - kD t
- e – kR t ) + Do e
kR - kD
(0.61)(6.75) – (0.76)(0.5)
D= (e – (0.61)( 0.5)
- e – (0.76)(0.5))+ 1.65 e
(0.76 - 0.61)
D = 2.59 mg/li

C = 8.5 - 2.59 = 5.91 mg/li

Exercise 6 :
Using Exercise 5, determine :
a.) the critical time, tc , and its distance,
b.) the minimum DO,
1 kR Do (kR - kD )
a.) Critical time, tc = ln 1-
kR - kD kD kD
Lo
1 0.76 (1.65(0.76 - 0.61)
= ln 1- = 1.05 days
(0.76 - 0.61) 0.61 (0.61) (6.75)

Critical distance = (1.05 days)(0.37 m/s)(86400 s/day) (1 km/1000 m) = 33.6 km

b.) DO min = [(0.61)(6.75)/(0.76 – 0.61)]{exp[-(0.61)(1.05) – exp[-(0.76)(1.05)]} = 2.85 mg/li

PROBLEM
A sugar mill is discharging effluent to a river
Effluent data : River data
Ave. effluent dischage = 3800 m 3/day Mean flowrate = 0.44 m3/s
BOD5 = 150 mg/li Mean flow velocity = 0.044 m/s
o
k ( 5-day BOD test, 20 C) = 0.23/day Mean depth = 2m
DO (assumed at worst case) = 0 mg/li. Mean water temp. = 23 oC
Mean effluent temp. = 27oC BOD5 (upstream of outfall) = 1.5 mg/li
DO (upstream of outfall) = 7.6 mg/li
o
k ( 5-day BOD test of mix at outfall, 20 C) = 0.23/day
bed activity coefficient, h = 0.35
Determine the following :
1.) the DO at the oufall (just after mixing at the outfall)
2.) the ultimate BOD (Lw) of the effluent
3.) the initial DO deficit (at the outfall), Do
4.) the deoxygenation constant, kD ,
5.) the re-aeration constant, kR ,
6.) the DO concentration, 15 km from the outfall
7.) the critical time, critical distance, and minimum DO concentration.

Page 6
8.) if the DENR water quality standard requires a minimum of 5 mg/L DO, what is the minimum percent removal of BOD
that the sugar mill must achieve before diischarging the effluent to the river?

Page 7