Upgrading Plants Using IFAS, MBBR and Membrane Technologies: Process Selection and Operation
Sunday, October 19, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
1 day, 0.6 CEUs
The focus of this workshop shifts from design in WEFTEC 2007 to process operations in 2008. The goal is to help optimize the processes and understand the differences in footprint, energy, sludge production and effluent quality between IFAS, MBBR and MBR systems. This is important when one has to select the technology based on effluent requirements for water reuse. High levels of nutrient, suspended solids and trace organics removal are components within water reuse.
The workshop is operations focused, very interactive and hands-on. It does NOT duplicate other IFAS, MBBR or MBR design workshops. It is best offered on Sunday following design workshops. Attending a design workshop is not a prerequisite. However, some knowledge of compact systems is necessary.
The workshop will offer insights into the following:
1. Differences in the process design as related to operation of different types of compact solutions. This includes IFAS, MBBRs and Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs). It will explain which technology fits where, based on differences in resources available (such as in resources in developed versus emerging economies; in rural versus urban markets); differences in wet weather peaking factors; demand for water reuse.
2. Comparison of performance of IFAS/MBBR and MBR solutions, with an unbiased discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies for different applications. Also, the workshop looks at the entire realm of IFAS, from fixed bed to sponge to moving bed plastic media without predisposition.
3. Operating experience from real life plants (where process optimization has been undertaken) to the interactive exercises. The attendees will develop schematics and work with speakers to optimize the operations of IFAS, MBBR and MBR. They will work in groups of four and use a list of process parameters to compare the energy, sludge and effluent quality. The prior verification and testing of models (IFAS to Broomfield, MBBR to South Adams, MBR to Redlands, CA) will insure that answers obtained are unbiased and reflect what has been observed in real life facilities.
For the IFAS and MBBR systems, the workshop will provide attendees with operational techniques and a hands-on tool to evaluate process configurations, various types of media and media quantities. They will be provided with an IFAS and a MBBR plant that are not nitrifying satisfactorily. They will change the DO setpoints, quantity of media, evaluate various types of media and specific surface areas, and determine how each of change affects the performance, energy consumption, chemical consumption (supplemental C for ENR) and sludge production. All process changes will be based on real life optimizations completed at various reference facilities. Examples of how such changes have been implemented will be discussed prior to the interactive session. While each reference facility may have implemented one of these optimizations, this session will start combining the optimization routines.
For the MBR systems, the workshop will provide attendees similar tools to optimize the energy consumption, chemical usage and sludge production. They ramp up MLSS MCRT from those in a CAS (2500 to 3500 mg/L) to achieve levels typical of MBRs (7500 to 8500 mg/L), size the membrane tank, then optimize the DO in both the main aeration tank and the membrane tank to bring down total energy consumption and methanol consumption, and duplicate what is being done at Redlands, CA, and Traverse City, Michigan. They will be given the flexibility to select the operating MLSS, rearrange the recycles as is being done at Henderson, Nevada, where the MBR recycle is coming back to the aerobic zone. They will be challenged to bring down the total aeration energy consumption (including air scour) in MBRs to within 10 percent of CAS and IFAS operating for ENR, while striving to achieve similar effluent total nitrogen and phosphorus levels – this is similar to Redlands, CA, which will be used as a reference; they will be asked to reduce supplemental carbon dosage to the same levels as in CAS.
The attendees will also be provided with a CAS system where the volume has been increased by 50 percent over the compact systems and the process configuration has been upgraded for nitrification, denitrification and BEPR, as typical of an ENR configuration. This will be the benchmark.
At the end, there will be a discussion of what the strategies should be to move from secondary treatment for BOD removal to nutrient removal to water reuse.
Co-chairs
Rhodes R. Copithorn, Stearns & Wheler
Dipankar Sen, Santa Clara Valley Water District
George Crawford, CH2M HILL
Val Frenkel, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants
Speakers and Facilitators
Thomas Welander, Anox-Kaldnes-Veolia
Heather Phillips, Black & Veatch
Leonard Ripley, Freese Nichols
Dave Commons, San Bernadino County
Markku Huhtamaki, Finland
James McQuarrie, CH2M HILL
Joshua Boltz, CH2M HILL