the feasibility and impact of implementing anaerobic ammonium oxidation for sidestream nitrogen ...

70 Pages·2016·6.33 MB·English

by  Microsoft Office User

THE FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF IMPLEMENTING ANAEROBIC
AMMONIUM OXIDATION FOR SIDESTREAM NITROGEN REMOVAL
FROM DEWATERED SLUDGE SUPERNATANT AT ORANGE WATER
AND SEWER AUTHORITY’S MASON FARM WASTEWATER
TREATMENT PLANT

Bhargavi Golluru

A Technical Report submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in
the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental
Engineering in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering in the UNC Gillings
School of Global Public Health.

Chapel Hill
2016
Approved by:
Michael D. Aitken
Glenn W. Walters
Stephen C. Whalen
© 2016
Bhargavi Golluru
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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ABSTRACT
Bhargavi Golluru: The Feasibility and Impact of Implementing Anaerobic Ammonium
Oxidation for Sidestream Nitrogen Removal from Dewatered Sludge
Supernatant at the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant.
(Under the direction of Michael D. Aitken)

The Orange Water and Sewer Authority’s Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant
(WWTP) uses conventional nitrification to remove ammonium-nitrogen. The plant complies
with its permit for total nitrogen discharge of 409,448 lbs/year. Starting in 2021 the limit will be
reduced to 134,375 lbs /year, necessitating total nitrogen removal. One approach would be to
remove nitrogen from the sidestreams resulting from sludge processing, such as dewatering
supernatant. These sidestreams are combined with the mainstream influent of the WWTP,
recirculating an estimated 15-20% of the nutrient load. Separate treatment of this nutrient-rich
sidestream would significantly reduce the nitrogen load to the activated sludge system,
ultimately reducing the energy and costs associated with mainstream nitrogen removal. To meet
the future total nitrogen limitations, a sidestream nitrogen removal technology named
ANITATMMox, which uses nitritation (oxidation of ammonium to nitrite) and anaerobic
ammonium oxidation (anammox) processes, is proposed. Preliminary engineering design, costs
and implementation methods are presented.

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To my mom, dad, and sister, I could not have done this without you.
Thank you for your never ending love and support!

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge my immeasurable gratitude for the advice and support of
everyone who one way or the other contributed to make this Masters Technical Report possible.
Firstly, to my advisor, Dr. Michael Aitken, I sincerely appreciate all that you have done
for me. Thank you for constantly inspiring me, challenging me, and guiding me for the past year.
Thank you to my committee members Dr. Glenn Walters and Dr. Stephen Whalen for your
advice and feedback in making this report possible.
To the Orange Water and Sewer Authority officials Ronnie Weed, and John Kivinemi,
my deepest gratitude for your hospitality and your patience for providing me with the data I
needed for this project. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Charlie Cocker for
allowing me to tour your facility. To the engineers at Kruger Inc., Chris Thomson, and Meg
Hollowed, thank you for offering your time and assistance in making this report a success.
To my family and friends, thank you for believing in me and making this journey a
pleasant one. Thank you for being you.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1
Background ............................................................................................................................................... 1
Mason Farm WWTP Treatment Process .................................................................................................. 2
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 7
Conventional WWTP Nitrogen Removal Processes ................................................................................ 7
Nitrification .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Denitrification ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation ............................................................................................................ 8
Anammox Biology ............................................................................................................................... 9
Sidestream Nutrient Removal ................................................................................................................. 11
De-ammonification for Sidestreams ....................................................................................................... 13
PROBLEM STATEMENT ........................................................................................................... 14
DEAMMONIFICATION TECHNOLOGY ALTERNATIVES .................................................. 16
DEMON® Sequencing Batch Reactor ................................................................................................... 17
ANITATMMox Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) ......................................................................... 19
Deammonification Technology for OWASA ......................................................................................... 22
PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING DESIGN ............................................................................... 24
Equalization Tank Design ...................................................................................................................... 24
ANITATMMox Design ............................................................................................................................ 25
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PROCESS DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION ....................................................................... 27
Alternative 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 27
Alternative 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 27
COST ESTIMATE........................................................................................................................ 30
IMPACT OF ANITATMMOX AT MASON FARM WWTP ....................................................... 32
RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................. 33
APPENDIX I: NPDES Permit NC0025241 ................................................................................. 34
APPENDIX II: Formulae .............................................................................................................. 41
APPENDIX III: OWASA Sidestream Volume Data .................................................................... 42
APPENDIX IV: Dewatered Filtrate Loads and Concentrations ................................................... 43
APPENDIX V: ANITATMMox Process and Budgetary Proposal ................................................ 44
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 60

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. OWASA Treatment Standards (owasa.org)...................................................................... 3
Table 2. Comparing ANITATM Mox and DEMON® Technologies ............................................ 22
Table 3. Sidestream Volume for the years 2010 to 2015 .............................................................. 25
Table 4. Equalization design parameters ...................................................................................... 25
Table 5. Design Criteria for ANITATMMox Process .................................................................. 26
Table 6. ANITATMMox Process Design Summary ...................................................................... 29
Table 7 . Sidestream Vs. Existing Technology ............................................................................. 30

viii
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant in Chapel Hill, NC (owasa.org) ................... 1
Figure 2. Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Process (owasa.org) .............................................. 3
Figure 3. Biosolids treatment process schematic during non-dewatering months.......................... 5
Figure 4. Biosolids process schematic during dewatering months ................................................. 5
Figure 5. Nitrogen transformation pathways, including anammox (Staunton 2014) ................... 10
Figure 6. Sludge Liquor Treatment Options (Bilyk et al., 2011) .................................................. 12
Figure 7. Anammox granules (worldwaterworks.com) ................................................................ 18
Figure 8. Hydrocyclone at HRSD (worldwaterworks.com) ......................................................... 18
Figure 9. Biofilm layers of ANITATMMox (krugerusa.com) ..................................................... 20
Figure 10. AnoxKaldnes K5 Media (krugerusa.com) ................................................................... 21
Figure 11. Alternative 1 “Mobile” system .................................................................................... 28
Figure 12. Alternative 2 “Stationary” system ............................................................................... 28
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INTRODUCTION
Background
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) is a public, non-profit agency that
provides water, sewer, and reclaimed water services to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community.
The domestic sewage collected through a series of pipes and pump stations is treated at the
Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The
Mason Farm WWTP has a capacity of treating 14.5 million gallons a day (MGD) and treats an
average of 8 MGD (owasa.org). This plant uses physical, chemical and biological processes to
remove the suspended solids, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), organic matter, and
pathogenic bacteria before releasing it to Morgan Creek.

Figure 1. Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant in Chapel Hill, NC (owasa.org)
1