Waste water treatment application

Coarse (dP = 50-100 pm) porous disks are the most frequently applied diffusers in large-scale drinking water treatment systems (Masschelein, 1994). They are seldom used in industrial waste water treatment applications. The reason is that blocking or clogging can easily occur, e. g. by means of precipitation of chemicals, like carbonates, aluminum or ferrous oxides, manganese oxides, calcium oxalate or organic polymers. This is also valid for ceramic filter tubes, which are sometimes used as mass transfer systems in drinking water applications. 

Membrane-based separation processes are recognized as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional separation techniques such as distillation or extraction. The field of large-scale applications covers the range of drinking water processing, potable water production, waste-water treatment, application in the food and pharmaceutical industries, recovery of aroma and active substances as well as sterile filtration of pharmaceuticals and clarification of beverages. 

There are several waste water treatment applications which involve electrochemically generated oxidants. Suitable oxidants include ozone, hydrogen peroxide and notably hypochlorite, which is widely used. 

Most water and waste water treatment applications use polymers that are cationic in character that are predominantly prepared by copolymerisation of acrylamide with varying proportions of amino derivatives of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid esters. The most commonly used monomers in this class are dimethyl amino ethyl (meth) acrylate quater-nised with methyl chloride or other quaternising agents. Polymerisation is conducted under acidic conditions to prevent base catalysed hydrolysis of the ester linkage. Copolymers with allyl monomers, such as DADMAC are also manufactured however the molecular weight of these polymers is limited by the relative stability of the intermediate radical. 

Electro-coagulation (EC) is the process where an electrical current is introduced into an aqueous medium in an electrochemical cell, usually with an A1 or Fe anode. Aluminium is commonly the best anode material, as it is the most afibrdable material that provides trivalent cations and can be used in almost all kinds of waste water treatment application. 

Other types of selective systems employ multiple final control elements or multiple controllers. In some applications, several manipulated variables are used to control a single process variable (also called split-range control). Typical examples include the adjustment of both inflow and outflow from a chemic reactor in order to control reactor pressure or the use of both acid and base to control pH in waste-water treatment. In this approach, the selector chooses from several controller outputs which final control element should be adjusted (Marlin, Process Control, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1995). 

Selected physical properties of oxygen are included in Table 9.24. It is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas which is essential for life and considered to be non-toxic at atmospheric pressure. It is somewhat soluble in water and is slightly heavier than air. Important uses are in the steel and glass industries, oxyacetylene welding, as a chemical intermediate, waste-water treatment, fuel cells, underwater operations and medical applications. 

Polyacrylamide (pAM) and copolymers of acrylamide are used on a large scale in waste water treatment and other industrial applications. All of these reasons show that the production and use of polyacrylamide (pAM) and copolymers of acrylamide are a material objective. 

Fluidized bed when packed beds are operated in upflow mode, the bed expands at high flow rates channelling and clogging of the bed are avoided. Normal application is waste-water treatment and the production of vinegar. 

The most widespread biological application of three-phase fluidization at a commercial scale is in wastewater treatment. Several large scale applications exist for fermentation processes, as well, and, recently, applications in cell culture have been developed. Each of these areas have particular features that make three-phase fluidization particularly well-suited for them Wastewater Treatment. As can be seen in Tables 14a to 14d, numerous examples of the application of three-phase fluidization to waste-water treatment exist. Laboratory studies in the 1970 s were followed by large scale commercial units in the early 1980 s, with aerobic applications preceding anaerobic systems (Heijnen et al., 1989). The technique is well accepted as a viable tool for wastewater treatment for municipal sewage, food process waste streams, and other industrial effluents. Though pure cultures known to degrade a particular waste component are occasionally used (Sreekrishnan et al., 1991 Austermann-Haun et al., 1994 Lazarova et al., 1994), most applications use a mixed culture enriched from a similar waste stream or treatment facility or no inoculation at all (Sanz and Fdez-Polanco, 1990). 

Heijnen, J. J., Mulder, A., Enger, W., and Hoeks, F., Review on the Application of Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactors in Waste-Water Treatment, Chem. Eng. J., 41 B37 (1989)... 

The electrochemical generator is designed for both small (0.136-4.5 kg C102/day) and larger scale (0.5-27 kg/h range and more) chlorine dioxide production rates. The chlorine dioxide solution from this system is suitable for sanitizing and disinfection applications as well as waste water treatment. 

Environmental applications of HRP include immunoassays for pesticide detection and the development of methods for waste water treatment and detoxification. Examples of the latter include removal of aromatic amines and phenols from waste water (280-282), and phenols from coal-conversion waters (283). A method for the removal of chlorinated phenols from waste water using immobilised HRP has been reported (284). Additives such as polyethylene glycol can increase the efficiency of peroxidase-catalyzed polymerization and precipitation of substituted phenols and amines in waste or drinking water (285). The enzyme can also be used in biobleaching reactions, for example, in the decolorization of bleach plant effluent (286). 

The main fields of application for directed crystallization as a purification (separation) technology are organic-chemical separation and purification (2), fruit juice or liquid food concentration (3.4, waste water treatment (1) ... 

Cresols may be disposed of by landfill, land applications, biological waste water treatment, or incineration. In an activated sludge system, cresols exhibit a 96% reduction of the chemical oxygen demand and a biodegradation rate of 55 mg of oxygen/g-hour. Cresols may be disposed of in a rotary kiln incinerator with a temperature range of 820-C-1600-C and a residence time of seconds. Cresols may also be disposed of in a fluidized bed incinerator with a temperature range of 450 C-980 C and a residence time of seconds (HSDB 1989). 

Reflectance measurements provided an excellent means for building an ammonium ion sensor involving immobilization of a colorimetric acid-base indicator in the flow-cell depicted schematically in Fig. 3.38.C. The cell was furnished with a microporous PTFE membrane supported on the inner surface of the light window. The detection limit achieved was found to depend on the constant of the immobilized acid-base indicator used it was lO M for /7-Xylenol Blue (pAT, = 2.0). The response time was related to the ammonium ion concentration and ranged from 1 to 60 min. The sensor remained stable for over 6 months and was used to determine the analyte in real samples consisting of purified waste water, which was taken from a tank where the water was collected for release into the mimicipal waste water treatment plant. Since no significant interference fi-om acid compounds such as carbon dioxide or acetic acid was encountered, the sensor proved to be applicable to real samples after pH adjustment. The ammonium concentrations provided by the sensor were consistent with those obtained by ion chromatography, a spectrophotometric assay and an ammonia-selective electrode [269]. 

Waste water treatment. Supercritical CO2 has been put to use in a variety of industrial waste treatment applications. Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Inc., has used SCCO2 in Baltimore since 1989 to treat wastewater from chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers. In the process the wastewater is pumped into the top of a 32-ft-high, 2-ft-diameter column, while the CO2 is pumped in from the bottom and percolates up. As the CO2 trowels up it dissolves the organics. CO2 contaminated with organics is at the top of the column, and clean water is at the bottom. The contaminants are incinerated off-site after separation from the CO2 which is recycled. 

This chapter provides an overview and guidance on the various applications of ozone in water and waste water treatment, where full-scale facilities exist and it has been demonstrated that ozonation is effective and economical. 

The subsequent parts on full-scale applications of ozone for water and waste water treatment are not arranged according to the water source, but describe the different and multiple tasks of ozone with regard to water constituents and treatment goals. Furthermore, attention is given to the appropriate combination of the ozonation process with preceding and subsequent treatment steps. 

For the experimenter in the laboratory, not only do materials have to be chosen on the basis of their corrosion-resistance, but also for their effect on ozone decay. Some metals (e. g. silver) or metal seals enhance ozone decay considerably. This can be especially detrimental in drinking water and high purity water (semiconductor) ozone applications, causing contamination of the water as well as additional ozone consumption. Moreover, the latter will cause trouble with a precise balance on the ozone consumption, especially in experiments on micropollutant removal during drinking water ozonation. With view to system cleanliness in laboratory experiments, use of PVC is only advisable in waste water treatment, whereas quartz glass is very appropriate for most laboratory purposes. 

The continuous-flow set-up can use either a reaction, similar to semi-batch, to remove the oxygen transferred or two reactors in series. The ozone or oxygen is removed from the liquid in the first reactor by stripping or vacuum degassing and then it flows into the absorber. After having passed through the absorber, the liquid can be recycled or discharged. More information on full-scale application of this method in municipal waste water treatment plants can be found in Redmon (1983) and ASCE (1991). 

Ozone is applied in three-phase systems where a selective ozone reaction, oxidation of residual compounds and/or enhancement of biodegradability is required. It can be used to treat drinking water and waste water, as well as gaseous or solid wastes. Especially in drinking water treatment full-scale applications are common, e. g. for particle removal and disinfection, while in waste water treatment sludge ozonation and the use of catalyst in AOP have been applied occasionally. Current research areas for three-phase ozonation include soil treatment and oxidative regeneration of adsorbers. Ozonation in water-solvent systems is seldom studied on the lab-scale and seems favorable only in special cases. In general, potential still exists for new developments and improvements in ozone applications for gas/watcr/solvent and gas/waler/solid systems. 

Intensive and extensive studies on photocatalysts over the past 20 years have demonstrated their applicability to water treatment and their limitations. A single application of a photocatalyst is not possible for all types of waste water. It can be used as secondary and tertiary treatment. An other possible way is to combine it with hydrogen peroxide, ozone or others materials. Development of other applications besides waste water treatment is also under way. 

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