1. PND –A Novel WasteWater Treatment Process Designed Around Biology Dr. Ralf Cord Ruwisch

2. PND - Wastewater Treatment Technology Adopted from Nature Dr. Ralf Cord Ruwisch

3. Background of Invention: 15 Years of R&D on Advanced Wastewater Treatment 4 PhD candidates (now working as engineers/scientists) Numerous publications Most promising outcome (PND) now a patent application in international phase Inventor team: Dr. Ralf Cord-Ruwisch, Dr. Leonie Hughes IP holder: Murdoch University

4. Objective of Waste Water Treatment Avoid: 1.Outbreaks of disease 2.Pollution by solids (Prim. Treatment) 3.Pollution by soluble organics (Sec. Treatment) 4.Pollution by nutrients, e.g. N (Tert. Treatment) The last two steps are biological and essential to minimise pollution and enable water reclamation

5. Pollution by Nitrogen N-pollution leads to algal blooms Key pollutants are: Ammonia Nitrate

6. Pollution by Nitrogen Algal blooms can be spectacular

7. Pollution by Nitrogen Also at “normal levels around cities” N pollution can turn toxic

8. Pollution by Nitrogen Evan at “low levels” N pollution can kill reefs and other ecosysmtems

9. Pollution by Nitrogen Legislation asks for lowest N-levels with best proven technology

10. N-Removal inWastewater Treatment In Wastewater Nitrogen is present as ammonia. Extremely high numbers of biodegrading bacteria are needed to remove it.

11. Arial view of Biological Wastewater Treatment in Perth “Challenge to keep up with expanding population”

12. Why is N removal difficult ? N removal requires 2 processes: Aerobic:Ammonia + O 2  nitrate (nitrification) Anoxic:Nitrate + Organics  N 2 (denitrification) Traditional plants can’t make both processes work  Residual N pollution in urban areas Reason: Traditional Design based on maximum O 2 supply

13. Problem of Traditional Approach O2O2 CO 2 Organics Nitrate Organics are converted to CO 2. Nitrogen is merely converted into another form. Additional nitrate removal is needed. Aerobic Ammonia

14. Problem of Traditional Approach O2O2 CO 2 Organics Nitrate Nitrate con only be removed by anoxic denitrification. However… N2N2 Aerobic Anoxic Ammonia

15. Problem of Traditional Approach O2O2 CO 2 Organics Nitrate To carry out Nitrate removal, organics are needed ! N2N2 Aerobic Anoxic Ammonia

16. Problem of Traditional Approach O2O2 CO 2 Organics Nitrate The organics needed for pollutant release as N 2 have been destroyed in the aerobic step. N2N2 Aerobic Anoxic Ammonia

17. Problem of Traditional Approach O2O2 CO 2 Organics Nitrate Current practice is to take a portion of the untreated organics from raw wastewater. Problem: Ammonia addition. N2N2 Aerobic Anoxic Ammonia

18. Problem of Traditional Approach O2O2 CO 2 Organics Nitrate Various add-on technologies have been developed: Multiple aerobic/anoxic steps Sophisticated O 2 control (SND) N2N2 Aerobic Anoxic Ammonia

19. Problem of Traditional Approach O2O2 CO 2 Organics Nitrate Problems of existing plants: Expensive, Incomplete N removal, High maintenance, N2N2 Aerobic Anoxic Ammonia

20. Learning from Biology (Nature) O2O2 CO 2 Organics Nitrate What happens in nature when highly polluted waste comes in contact with bio-degrading bacteria ? N2N2 Aerobic Anoxic Ammonia

21. AB C Continued over-supply with organics trains wastewater bacteria to store lipids (fat) PHB

22. Learning from Biology (Nature) Organics Ammonia In nature: No energy for excessive O2 supply. Organics removal by anoxic storage as lipid Anoxic Ammonia Lipid

23. Learning from Biology (Nature) Organics Ammonia Subsequent O 2 supply can initiate Nitrification Anoxic Aerobic Ammonia Lipid Nitrate O2O2

24. Learning from Biology (Nature) Organics Ammonia Needed: Organics for Nitrate removal. Oxidation of Lipids (either needs O 2 or Nitrate). Anoxic Aerobic Ammonia Lipid Nitrate O2O2

25. Learning from Biology (Nature) Ammonia By recycling Nitrate containing water back: N removal is completed Nitrification and Denitrification operate in parallel… Anoxic Aerobic Lipid O2O2 N2N2 Nitrate

26. Learning from Biology (Nature) Ammonia Anoxic Aerobic Lipid O2O2 N2N2 Nitrate … resulting in unrestricted N removal.

27. Parallel Nitrification and Denitrification (PND) Trad. Design: Heavy handed O 2 supply + Fixing up the consequences. PND: Building around the biology Anoxic Aerobic Lipid O2O2 N2N2 Nitrate Ammonia

28. Performance of PND Compared to state of art SBR technology: PND removed N more completely, faster, with less O 2 (direct competition between PhD students: “Beaten hands-down without even trying”) Anoxic Aerobic Lipid O2O2 N2N2 Nitrate Ammonia 0 100 Time (min) 400 32103210 SBR PND N (mM)

29. Performance of PND Theory (modelling) supports results: Nitrifying bacteria percentage: >80% in PND< 10% in SBR Hence 8 times faster rates expected Anoxic Aerobic Lipid O2O2 N2N2 Nitrate Ammonia 0 100 Time (min) 400 32103210 SBR PND N (mM)

30. Performance of PND Key disadvantage of PND: Separation of biomass from liquid required repeatedly: PND: (3-5) Trad. Systems (2) However, other advantages to users: Anoxic Aerobic Lipid O2O2 N2N2 Nitrate Ammonia 0 100 Time (min) 400 32103210 SBR PND N (mM)

31. Advantages for Users of the Technology Can meet lowest demands (>98%) for N removal  Barrier Reef  Water Re-use Less (about 20%) aeration energy Smaller footprint (  upgrading) Less process control ! No risk of the greenhouse gas N 2 O emission Enables P removal (insufficient time to explain)

32. Implementation Options New plants (however industry is very conservative) Retrofitting existing plants Step by Step implementation (pizza) Set to become The New Standard ?

33. Arial view of Biological Wastewater Treatment in Perth “Challenge to keep up with expanding population”

34. Development Stage Synthetic lab scale trials - R&D Lab trials on real Wastewater Pilot Plant Design & Cost Feasibility Pilot Plant Construction and Trials Licensing We are Here! Pilot or Demonstration Site required +$$$’s Licensee required Engineering & market input required

35. We are looking for… A potential demonstration site Engineering and Market expertise A potential licensee

36. Please Contact Samantha Dymond Email: s.dymond@murdoch.edu.au Phone: 08.9360.7481 Ralf Cord-Ruwisch Email: cord@murdoch.edu.au

37. Spare

38. Nitrif. De-nitrif. SND Reaction Rate Precise O 2 control needed  Skilled operators  Not always reliable  Slowing down  incr. footprint  Wasteful: COD and O2  Emerging evidence of N 2 O emission Current State of the Art: Simultaneous Nitrification and Denitrification Dissolved O2 (mg/L)