Project Info
Enhancement of Activated Sludge Settling through Hydraulic Selection
Tzahi Cath | tcath@mines.edu
In the U.S., 70-75% of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) use the conventional activated sludge (CAS) process. While this is an effective treatment method, the main problem of the process is sludge bulking due to the presence of filamentous bacteria that reduce the microbial floc settling rates. Research conducted at the Mines Park Water Reclamation Facility (MPWRF) utilizes methods to increase settling rates and reduce bulking in CAS systems. Three hydraulic selectors, developed at MPWRF, have been installed in the secondary clarifier to remove filamentous microorganisms in order to produce a denser floc that will settle faster and allow for faster influent flow rates. Faster wastewater processing would reduce the need for facility expansion and furthermore reduce operating cost.
Furthermore, preliminary research at Mines Park demonstrated that along with faster settling of biosolids, a new form of microorganism communities (granular sludge) was developed that treat/remove nutrients from wastewater much faster.
More Information
http://inside.mines.edu/~tcath/publications/index.html
Grand Engineering Challenge: Provide access to clean water
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Basic knowledge in water and wastewater treatment and analytical methods.
Time Commitment
60 hours/month
Skills/Techniques Gained
Advanced water quality analysis, operation of automated systems, applied math and statistics
Mentoring Plan
Weekly meeting, request preparation of weekly reports, participation in meeting with graduate students.