roguejuror
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Atheist Robot
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Blitty
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Roguey, how do you sayy lone wolf in mexicann. Lupul solo or some shit? Anywaysz, that's youu and me we go where wwe want whin we wannt we blazer ouur own trailss.
rito
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whats the spray paint for?
FairWarning
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Betting womens hoops.
Atheist Robot
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Wastewater Treatment
The easiest way to explain to someone unfamiliar with wastewater treatment is to compare it to something they can relate it to. I have always found it best to associate the process to that of the digestive system of the human body. We take in food and our digestive tract breaks it down and without getting into great detail separates solids and liquids.
Much like the human body is subject to the good conditions in order to properly digest your food a treatment plant is equally reliant on quality conditions and the types of influent (raw sewage) it is treating.
There are sub-categories but basically we are dealing with domestic and industrial waste. Domestic waste include households and your basic business structures. Industrial waste are most commonly high in metals and oxygen demands as well as other chemicals which can seriously affect the biological process of a plant not designed to handle such strengths. Often industrial waste require a pre-treatment process and the effluent from that will be the influent for the secondary treatment.
Ok maybe we need to learn some terms first, itll help as we move forward.
Influent: That is the sewage coming into the treatment facility also known as the food source.
Effluent: The finished product post treatment.
Primary Treatment: Some facilities have primary and secondary treatment processes because the chemical, biological and oxygen demands are so great it requires additional treatment. In these cases the effluent from the primary treatment is actually the influent for the secondary treatment.
Micro-Organisms: Biological treatment plants essentially are reliant on its micro-organisms (bugs), these organism breakdown the food source (influent). There are good bugs and bad bugs and identifying them is essential for good operation. Much like the acids in your stomach breakdown the food you intake the bugs do that to the raw sewage.
BOD: Biological Oxygen Demand. Both influent and effluent have a BOD but the treatment process run properly will reduce the BOD from start to finish. The strength of the influent BOD determines greatly the type of process the plant must operate in.
TSS: Total Suspended Solids. Just like with the BOD there are TSS in both the influent and the effluent and treatment plants main job is to reduce from start to finish. There are regulated requirements that plants must meet for both.
MLSS: Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids are suspended solids that help an operator judge how effectively the plant is operating. Plants have an optimal range of MLSS in which they run most efficiently. While those ranges vary for plant to plant depending on the type of process and the environment they still need to be maintained for each plant to produce the best quality effluent possible. The MLSS serves as the food for the bugs. In order to run an MLSS you weigh a filter paper grab a mixed liquor sample from the plant and pour up 100mls. You run it through a vacuum to pull off the liquid and then bake it in an oven. I can promise you baking turd brownies is not a pleasant day in the lab.
MLVSS: Mixed Liquor Volatile Solids is basically the same as the MLSS with one very big difference, it includes the sources that cant be broke down like metals. When the MLVSS gets too high your average domestic treatment process starts having problems digesting the food source and the quality of the effluent suffers. In order to run an MLVSS you take the filter paper from the MLSS and throw it in a muffle furnace and burn off the remaining organics. This stinks up the lab even more.
SVI: Sludge Volume Index, is just a process control to help operators inventory the amount of solids in the treatment facility. It helps in determining and monitoring the sludge age of the plant.
Sludge Age: This formula helps the operator identify and control the age of the plant. Different plants run differently but my particular plant runs better with a slightly older sludge age. An older sludge is able to handle subtle changes better without upsetting the process. The problem though is when an older sludge gets sick it takes longer to recover.
F/M Ratio: A calculation that tells the operator the amount of food source to organisms the plant has. Too much food and not enough bugs and the process runs poorly. Too many bugs and not enough food source and the plant runs poorly. Proper F/M Ratio is vital for good operation.
D.O.: Dissolved Oxygen is a measurement that informs the operator how strong the BOD is. This is constantly adjusting and some plants have sensors to detect and adjust accordingly. Plants such as mine that arent equipped require manual monitoring and adjusting. Usually the plant requires more D.O. during the warmer months and less during the colder. Sometimes when the D.O. drops dramatically without a climate change it is an indicator that you have received a toxic load which could come from any number of sources and generally wouldnt upset a larger plant but a smaller plant such as mine will feel it and be affected by it.
Aeration: The process of forcing air into the mixing basins in the plants. There are different methods from blowers to mechanical aerators.
Anaerobic: When no D.O. is present. Some plants have Anaerobic Digesters which produce methane gas. The gas is used to help run some of the processes and lower energy cost to the plants. Obviously there is a huge risk involved and in several instances these digesters have had explosions caused by the igniting of the methane. Also the sludge produced from anaerobic digestion is much lower in pH which makes them far more acidic and require additional chemical treatment to raise the pH value.
Ok so there are just a few of the things and terms. There is much more and obviously everything listed is in the most basic of descriptions.
The sludge produced from treatment plants can be used for fertilizers and packaged commercially but it has to meet the highest of standards. Plants that are large enough can actually take the sludge from smaller plants that do not meet the commercial quality regulations and treat it to meet those standards.
The effluent from plants can be used for reclaimed projects from irrigation to actual recreation. The Army have small treatment systems that take the sewage and treat it to a level to produce drinking water. There is actually a plant in Denver that produces drinking water from wastewater. Convincing the public that the water is safe is obviously not easy but the simple fact is that this process will become more and more a reality in the future.
Ironically enough a Lime Softening Plant for drinking water runs and operates the exact same way as Activated Sewage Treatment Plant.
Ok Blitty I am tired of writing. I have left out so much that its not even funny but to be honest with you its not that glamorous of a profession regardless of how necessary it is.
The easiest way to explain to someone unfamiliar with wastewater treatment is to compare it to something they can relate it to. I have always found it best to associate the process to that of the digestive system of the human body. We take in food and our digestive tract breaks it down and without getting into great detail separates solids and liquids.
Much like the human body is subject to the good conditions in order to properly digest your food a treatment plant is equally reliant on quality conditions and the types of influent (raw sewage) it is treating.
There are sub-categories but basically we are dealing with domestic and industrial waste. Domestic waste include households and your basic business structures. Industrial waste are most commonly high in metals and oxygen demands as well as other chemicals which can seriously affect the biological process of a plant not designed to handle such strengths. Often industrial waste require a pre-treatment process and the effluent from that will be the influent for the secondary treatment.
Ok maybe we need to learn some terms first, itll help as we move forward.
Influent: That is the sewage coming into the treatment facility also known as the food source.
Effluent: The finished product post treatment.
Primary Treatment: Some facilities have primary and secondary treatment processes because the chemical, biological and oxygen demands are so great it requires additional treatment. In these cases the effluent from the primary treatment is actually the influent for the secondary treatment.
Micro-Organisms: Biological treatment plants essentially are reliant on its micro-organisms (bugs), these organism breakdown the food source (influent). There are good bugs and bad bugs and identifying them is essential for good operation. Much like the acids in your stomach breakdown the food you intake the bugs do that to the raw sewage.
BOD: Biological Oxygen Demand. Both influent and effluent have a BOD but the treatment process run properly will reduce the BOD from start to finish. The strength of the influent BOD determines greatly the type of process the plant must operate in.
TSS: Total Suspended Solids. Just like with the BOD there are TSS in both the influent and the effluent and treatment plants main job is to reduce from start to finish. There are regulated requirements that plants must meet for both.
MLSS: Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids are suspended solids that help an operator judge how effectively the plant is operating. Plants have an optimal range of MLSS in which they run most efficiently. While those ranges vary for plant to plant depending on the type of process and the environment they still need to be maintained for each plant to produce the best quality effluent possible. The MLSS serves as the food for the bugs. In order to run an MLSS you weigh a filter paper grab a mixed liquor sample from the plant and pour up 100mls. You run it through a vacuum to pull off the liquid and then bake it in an oven. I can promise you baking turd brownies is not a pleasant day in the lab.
MLVSS: Mixed Liquor Volatile Solids is basically the same as the MLSS with one very big difference, it includes the sources that cant be broke down like metals. When the MLVSS gets too high your average domestic treatment process starts having problems digesting the food source and the quality of the effluent suffers. In order to run an MLVSS you take the filter paper from the MLSS and throw it in a muffle furnace and burn off the remaining organics. This stinks up the lab even more.
SVI: Sludge Volume Index, is just a process control to help operators inventory the amount of solids in the treatment facility. It helps in determining and monitoring the sludge age of the plant.
Sludge Age: This formula helps the operator identify and control the age of the plant. Different plants run differently but my particular plant runs better with a slightly older sludge age. An older sludge is able to handle subtle changes better without upsetting the process. The problem though is when an older sludge gets sick it takes longer to recover.
F/M Ratio: A calculation that tells the operator the amount of food source to organisms the plant has. Too much food and not enough bugs and the process runs poorly. Too many bugs and not enough food source and the plant runs poorly. Proper F/M Ratio is vital for good operation.
D.O.: Dissolved Oxygen is a measurement that informs the operator how strong the BOD is. This is constantly adjusting and some plants have sensors to detect and adjust accordingly. Plants such as mine that arent equipped require manual monitoring and adjusting. Usually the plant requires more D.O. during the warmer months and less during the colder. Sometimes when the D.O. drops dramatically without a climate change it is an indicator that you have received a toxic load which could come from any number of sources and generally wouldnt upset a larger plant but a smaller plant such as mine will feel it and be affected by it.
Aeration: The process of forcing air into the mixing basins in the plants. There are different methods from blowers to mechanical aerators.
Anaerobic: When no D.O. is present. Some plants have Anaerobic Digesters which produce methane gas. The gas is used to help run some of the processes and lower energy cost to the plants. Obviously there is a huge risk involved and in several instances these digesters have had explosions caused by the igniting of the methane. Also the sludge produced from anaerobic digestion is much lower in pH which makes them far more acidic and require additional chemical treatment to raise the pH value.
Ok so there are just a few of the things and terms. There is much more and obviously everything listed is in the most basic of descriptions.
The sludge produced from treatment plants can be used for fertilizers and packaged commercially but it has to meet the highest of standards. Plants that are large enough can actually take the sludge from smaller plants that do not meet the commercial quality regulations and treat it to meet those standards.
The effluent from plants can be used for reclaimed projects from irrigation to actual recreation. The Army have small treatment systems that take the sewage and treat it to a level to produce drinking water. There is actually a plant in Denver that produces drinking water from wastewater. Convincing the public that the water is safe is obviously not easy but the simple fact is that this process will become more and more a reality in the future.
Ironically enough a Lime Softening Plant for drinking water runs and operates the exact same way as Activated Sewage Treatment Plant.
Ok Blitty I am tired of writing. I have left out so much that its not even funny but to be honest with you its not that glamorous of a profession regardless of how necessary it is.
