Nitrogen Removal from Yamuna River (India) using MBBR – Pilot Summary IPN-ISRAEL WATER WEEK Nitrogen Removal from Yamuna River (India) using MBBR – Pilot Summary Keren Nof Presented by: Ramiro Garza September 2014

Introduction Aqwise Technology Material and Methods Results and Discussion Summary and Conclusions Questions

Introduction

River Water Pollution River Water Pollution – How? The problem Due to fast urbanization and industrial growth – without appropriate infrastructure for wastewater treatment The problem Threat to Natural Environment and human health Odor problems High Nitrate – Blue baby syndrome Agriculture sewage Industrial sewage Domestic sewage Drinking Water Algae Bloom

Case Study: Surface Water Treatment Municipality of Agra Yamuna River, Agra, India 163,000 m3/d Need to provide safe drinking water for population of 2 million people Cost-efficient surface water treatment AGAR® MBBR and UF membrane polishing Adaptive to variable loads River Water Treatment - Agra, India Secondary effluent from WWTP’s was discharged into the river for years resulting in elevated levels of soluble pollutants (BOD, TAN and NO3)

Nitrogen Compounds Removal Technologies Physico-chemical methods Ion-Exchange (IX) Reverse Osmosis (RO) Electrodialysis (ED) Biological methods Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR) Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) Moving Bed Bio-Reactor (MBBR) Main Disadvantages: Product brine Membrane: Scaling & Fouling Advantages: Cost effective Environmental friendly Nitrogen gas, N2 → Harmless

Pilot Plant After the technology was selected a scaled down pilot (100m3/day) was operated for a year

Aqwise Technology

Moving Bed Biological Reactor MBBR Technology Free-Floating polyethylene media (Aqwise Biomass Carriers) Moving Bed Biological Reactor AGAR® MBBR Solutions Simple, single-through process Reduces soluble pollutants with minimal process complexity Requires a significantly smaller footprint

Effective surface area Innovation That Works Aqwise Biomass Carriers protect biofilm against abrasion and ensure mass transfer efficiency Recycled, high-density polyethylene Highly open external design > 650 m2/m3 Effective surface area Optimal oxygen and nutrients transfer Applicable for various biological processes

Customer Benefits SMALL FOOTPRINT COST EFFICIENT SCALABLE & FLEXIBLE / SMALL FOOTPRINT Suitable for both new applications and existing plant upgrades. COST EFFICIENT Requires minimal civil works, short project life cycle and lower Capex/Opex. SCALABLE & FLEXIBLE Smooth upgrade or gradual expansion based on just-in-time investment. DURBLE & STABLE Highly resistant to hydraulic shock loads with short recovery time after toxic loads. LOW MAINTENANCE Simple maintenance and low operational costs. ECO FRIENDLY Recycled materials, less land usage, no scenery obstruction and less sludge.

Materials and Methods

Schematic pilot plant flow diagram System Description The system consists the following treatment units Pretreatment units: fine screen (5mm) and tube settler Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR) Ultrafiltration for solids separation Chlorination Schematic pilot plant flow diagram

Design Data Influent Characteristics Effluent Requirements Parameter Unit Inlet to the MBBR Design Temperature °C 15/30 COD mg/l 99 BOD5 29 TSS 34 TAN 17.95 Nitrate as N 5.1 Nitrite as N 0.7 Effluent Requirements Parameter Unit Value TAN mg/l 1.65 Nitrate as N 9.0

Sampling Procedure Grab samples were taken daily from each of the following sampling points: raw river water, tube-settler, MBBR stages, membrane filtration effluent and final effluent following chlorination. Each of the sampling point was analyzed for pH, temperature, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), TAN, nitrate (NO3), nitrite (NO2), soluble COD, TSS and alkalinity

Results

Water Characteristics Water temperature Average 31.9°C Max. 34.6°C Average 14°C Min. 13°C

Temperature Effect Average TAN effluent: 0.1±0.04 to 1.5±1.5mg/l TAN removal Average TAN effluent: 0.1±0.04 to 1.5±1.5mg/l 91 - 94% removal 97 - 99% removal

Temperature Effect Nitrate removal Average Nitrate influent: 2.2 mg/l; after stages 1&2: 6.7 mg/l Average Nitrate effluent: 4.3 mg/l < 9 mg/l

Evaluation of each stage MBBR stage 1 & 2 (Aerobic ) Removal Rates (RR) across the aerobic stages ranged between 0.45 to 2.6 gNH4/m2/d Relatively high removal rates in both aerobic stages emphasize the importance and the need of two aerobic stages in sequence TAN effluent still above the required value  Additional aerobic stage is required Although nitrification was the major mechanism for ammonia removal, about 0.04-0.96 mg/l TAN was assimilated to bacteria cells in each aerobic stage (about 1% to 14%).

Evaluation of each stage MBBR stage 3 (Deox ) For reduction of DO concentration

Evaluation of each stage MBBR stage 3 (Deox ) In order to ensure anoxic conditions, the addition of ethanol was required The Deox stage was not suitable for denitrification but allowed good conditions for the following anoxic stage 0.5-1.0 mg/l Ammonia was assimilated in to the cells

Evaluation of each stage MBBR stage 4 (Anoxic ) Removal Rates (RR) across the anoxic stage are below 1 gNO3/m2/d, despite: Low DO concentration High C:N ratio Nitrite may disturb nitrate measurements (influent 0.1-5.0 mg/l) In order to prove this assumption, the denitrification was calculated based on the change in the Alkalinity values

Evaluation of each stage MBBR stage 4 (Anoxic ) Higher nitrate removal should be obtained

Evaluation of each stage MBBR stage 5 (Aerobic ) Stage 5 was designed in order to reduce the residual carbon source and ensure final removal of ammonia Relatively low COD and TAN removal ; during the warmer months COD and ammonia inlet concentrations were lower due to high activity in the previous stages Assimilation was the main mechanism for TAN removal

Summary & Conclusions

Aqwise – Clear and Simple The system can consistently produce high drinking water quality, reducing pollutants levels to below the required concentrations The nitrification- denitrification processes were able to cope very well with the changes in the contaminants concentration in the water (temperature range between 13.0 to 34.6°C)

Questions ? Anoxic stage Aerobic stage

Contact Information Contact us for further information about Aqwise solutions Email keren@aqwise.com Keren Nof Senior Process Engineer Website www.aqwise.com Telephone +972-9-9591901