ENVE 301

Environmental Engineering Unit Operations

CHAPTER: 1
Quality of untreated water and wastewater
Treatment methods for water and wastewater

Assist. Prof. Bilge Alpaslan Kocamemi

Marmara University
Department of Environmental Engineering
Istanbul, Turkey

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 Treatment Methods
For Water and Wastewater

Physical Unit Chemical Unit Biological

Operations Operations Unit
(Processes) Processes

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 Physical Unit Operations
Treatment operations in which the treatment is brought through the
application of physical forces.

Examples:
→ Screening
→ Communition
→ Aeration
→ Mixing chemicals and gases with water
→ Flocculation
→ Gravity sedimentation
→ Filtration
→ Adsorption
→ Gas Stripping
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→ Membrane processes (e.g. Reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, ultrafiltration)
Chemical Unit Operations (Processes)

Treatment operations(processes) in which the treatment of contaminants is

brought by the addiction of chemicals or by chemical reactions.

Examples:

→ Chemical precipitation
→ Coagulation
→ Disinfection
→ Ion exchange

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Biological Unit Processes

Treatment processes in which the treatment of contaminants is brought by

biological means.

Examples:

→ Aerobic processes
→ Anaerobic processes
→ Anoxic processes

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 Water Sources

Surface Water Ground Water

Sources Sources
Streams Wells
Lakes
Galleries
Impounding Reservoirs
Spring Water

Saline Water Brackish Water

Sea Water Well water high in TDS as a

result of salt water intrusion

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A) Surface Water Sources
(Streams, lakes, impounding reservoirs)

Streams or rivers

→ Rapid changes in water quality

→ Changes in turbidity and other constituents during heavy rains

and run off

→ Require flexible and reliable treatment processes

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Lakes and impounding reservoirs

→ Seasonal changes in water quality

Thermal stratification

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 Thermal Stratification

Heat transfer in reservoirs and lakes is controlled by a phenomenon known

as THERMAL STRATIFICATION.

Ref: http:/faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm

Thermal stratification
Changes in the temperature profile with depth

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within a lake system.
Ref: Peavy, McGraw-Hill, 1985
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 -Summer Stratification-

Ref: Peavy, McGraw-Hill, 1985

Ref: http:/faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm

→As air temperature rises in late spring,

heat from the sun begins to warm the lake

→As the amount of solar radiation absorbed decreases with depth

the lake heats from the surface down

→The warm water is less dense than the colder water below
resulting in a layer of warm water that floats over the cold water11
 Summer Stratification (continue)

Ref: http:/faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm

→ The warm water, abundant sunlight, and nutrients brought up from the
lake bottom during spring overturn
an ideal environment for algae growth within the epilimnion

→ Algal blooms tend to give the epilimnion a greenish hue

→ Wind circulates the surface water, but the warm water of the epilimnion
is unable to drive through the cold, dense water of the hypolimnion
the water is only mixed in the epilimnion
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 Summer Stratification (continue)

Ref: Peavy, McGraw-Hill, 1985

Ref: http:/faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm

→ Dead algae sink to the lake bottom and are decomposed by bacteria

anaerobic bacteria begin to decompose organic material

anaerobic bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas

the odor of “rotten egg”

Dead algae accumulation rate >> organic matter decomposition rate of bacteria
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sediment deposited in the lake will be rich in organics
 -Autumn Turnover-

Ref: Peavy, McGraw-Hill, 1985

Ref: http:/faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm

As autumn approaches and temperature decreases,

the epilimnion begins to decrease in depth
epilimnion gets so shallow, no longer be maintained as a separate layer
the lake loses its stratification

uniform temperature
wind can thoroughly mix the lake water

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Ref: http:/faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm
 -Winter Stratification-

Ref: Peavy, McGraw-Hill, 1985

Ref: http:/faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm

→ As winter approaches, the surface water is eventually cooled below 4°C.

water no longer sinks

→ As water temperatures at the surface reach 0°C,

ice begins to cover the surface of the lake
ice cover prevents wind from mixing the lake water
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-STRATIFICATION-
 -Spring Turnover-

Ref: http:/faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/stratification.htm Ref: Peavy, McGraw-Hill, 1985

→ After the ice melts on a lake,

lake water is at the same temperature from the surface to the bottom

wind allows circulation and mixing of the lake water

large amounts of oxygen reaches to the bottom of the lake

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Surface Water Contaminants

→Turbidity and Suspended Matter

→Color
→Taste and Odor
→Organic Matter
→Dissolved Gases
→Hardness Ions (Ca++, Mg++)
→Iron and Manganese
→Pathogenic Organism
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 Surface Water Contaminants and
Treatment Techniques Used (continue)
CONTAMINANT SOURCE TREATMENT

Turbidity and Suspended Matter Inorganic solids such as clay, silt → Screening
and other soil constituents
→ Coag/floc/sed./filt
Color Organic debris such as leaves,
needles of conifers and wood
→ Coag/floc/sed/filt
Tannin, humic acid, humates
derived from the decomposition → Adsorption
of plant matter

Suspended matter
Taste and Odor nonvolatile organic metabolic → Chemical oxidation
products of blue green algae (commonly ozonation) prior
to coagulation

dissolved gases (e.g H2S) → Adsorption

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some volatile organic chemicals → Aeration
 Surface Water Contaminants and
Treatment Techniques Used (continue)
CONTAMINANT SOURCE TREATMENT
Organic Matter from natural sources; → Chemical oxidation
decay products of organic solids,
decaying weeds, leaves, especially (e.g ozonation; alter and
humic acid derived from the polymerize metastable organics)
decomposition of plant matter followed by coag/floc/sed/filt

from human activities; → Adsorption

wastewater discharges
agricultural activities (e.g
pesticides)

Dissolved Gases from atmosphere (CO2)

→ Aeration
from decomposition of organic
matter
Hardness Ions → Chemical precipitation
(Ca++, Mg++) contact of water with mineral (water softening)
deposits
for low flowrates;
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→ Ion exchange
 Surface Water Contaminants and
Treatment Techniques Used (continue)
→ Aeration will not provide
Soluble iron( Fe+2 )and oxidation and precip. within a
manganese (Mn+2 ) reasonable time, especially
for manganese
Iron and Manganese released from the bottom mads
in the waters of the Mn+2 Fe+2
Fe+2 , Fe+3 hypolomnion (reservoirs that Oxidation << Oxidation
Mn+2 ,Mn+4 stratify) until the fall turnover rate rate
occurs
→ Chemical oxid.(eg.
ozonation)/precip/filt.

→ Ion exchange

→ Chemical precipitation
Heavy Metals industrial discharge
→ Ion exchange

Pathogenic Organisms sewage discharge → Disinfection 20

FLOW DIAGRAM THE TREATMENT OF TURBID SURFACE WATER WITH ORGANICS
RAW WATER

SCREENS

AERATION

PRE-OZONATION

Adsorption (optional)
COAGULATION &
FLOCCULATION
(OR) removes dissolved
organics(e.g. pesticides)
SEDIMENTATION

Adsorption (optional)
FILTRATION

DISINFECTION
(chlorination)
B)Ground Water Sources (wells, galleries, spring water)
→ Relatively constant in quality from season to season

→ may be highly variable in quality from one well location to another due to changes in
hydrogeological conditions

→ superior in quality with respect to surface water

bacteriological content
LOW in turbidity DUE TO NATURAL
total organic concentration FILTRATION

→ mineral content (hardness ions (Ca++, Mg++), iron, manganese) may be inferior

→ trace concentrations of organic chemicals ( e.g pesticides, herbicides, solvents)

→ location of landfills, buried underground storage tanks etc. should be a part of groundwater
quality evaluation
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Ground Water Contaminants
→ Fe++, Mn++
→ Dissolved Gases
→ Hardness Ions (Ca++, Mg++)
→ Volatile Organics
→ Non-volatile Organics

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 Groundwater Contaminants and
Treatment Techniques Used
CONTAMINANT TREATMENT
Fe++, Mn++ → Aeration for Fe++ oxidation

→ To Fe+++ in some extent

→ Chemical oxidation for

complete oxidation of
Fe+2 to Fe+3
Mn+2 to Mn+4
Dissolved Gases → Aeration
Hardness Ions → Chemical Precipitation (water
(Ca++, Mg++) softening for high flowrates)

→ Ion exchange
→ Nanofiltration
Volatile Organics → Air stripping
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Non-volatile Organics → Adsorption
 Flow Diagram For The Treatment Of
Hard Ground Water

Chemical oxidant of oxidize

remaining Mn + 2

Raw AERATION SOFTENING FILTRATION DISINFECTION

water

Sludge Sludge
(Dewatering)

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Flow Diagram For The Treatment Of Groundwater
Contaminated With Volatile & Nonvolatile Organic Compounds

Gas FILTER

Raw AIR CARBON

water STRIPPING
Discharge
ADSORPTION

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C) Brackish And Saline Waters

Considerable interest in conversion of saline and brackish water as a

result of ;

increasing water consumption

depletion of existing water resources

Cost of potable water production

from brackish and saline water >> treating fresh water.

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C) Brackish And Saline Waters (Continue)
→ May be economical where adequate fresh water is not available

→ Treatment techniques used;

Evaporators

Ion exchange

Electrodialysis

Reverse osmosis

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 Wastewater

Domestic Industrial
Wastewater Wastewater

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 Untreated Wastewater Contaminants
→ Suspended Solids
→ Biodegredable Organics
→ Pathogens
→ Nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus)
→ Refractory Organics
→ Heavy Metals
→ Dissolved Inorganic Solids
→ Volatile Organics

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 Quality Of Untreated Wastewater
& Treatment Techniques Used
CONTAMINANT TREATMENT
Suspended Solids → Screening, communition
→ Sedimentation
→ Floatation
→ Filtration
→ Coagulation/sedimentation
→ Suspended growth aerobic
biological systems(e.g,
Biodegradable Organics activated sludge)
→ Attached growth aerobic
biological systems(e.g, RBC,
trickling filter)
→ Anaerobic biological systems
Pathogens → Disinfection

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 Quality Of Untreated Wastewater
& Treatment Techniques Used (Continue)
CONTAMINANT TREATMENT
Nutrients → Biological nitrification and
denitrification
a) Nitrogen in the form of NH3 → Ammonia stripping
→ Ion exchange
→ Breakpoint chlorination
b) Phosphorus → Chemical precipitation
→ Biological phosphorus
removal

Refractory Organics → Carbon adsorption

→ Ozonation
Heavy Metals → Chemical precipitation
→ Ion exchange
Dissolved Inorganic Solids → Ion exchange
→ Reverse osmosis
→ Electrodialysis
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Volatile Organics → Air stripping
 Typical Flow Diagram For The Treatment Of Domestic
(Municipal) Wastewater
(Optional) Optional

Raw Grit Primary Biological Secondary

Screens Filtration Disinfection Discharge
water chambers sedimentation C,N,P removal clarifiers

Waste Activated
Grit Primary Sludge (WAS)
Sludge

Thickening Thickening

(Stabilization) (Stabilization) Omitted in case of

extended aeration
Dewatering Dewatering 33