Advanced Treatment
What is advanced treatment?
Advanced treatment is any treatment process that goes beyond conventional wastewater
treatment. In a conventional water reclamation facility the water undergoes a settling
step, which is simply allows solid particles to settle out of the water much the same as
mud settles to the bottom of a puddle of water if the puddle is not disturbed for a period
of time. The water also undergoes a biological process, which typically uses bacteria and
other micro-organisms to consume the organic matter in the water. This is similar to the
biological activity which takes place in the slime layer on a rock in a flowing stream, or
a coral reef in the ocean. Finally, in a conventional system the water will also go
through a disinfection step, which is typically Chlorine being added to the water to kill
any remaining micro-organisms.
Any treatment steps beyond these are considered advanced treatment. UAJA already has
several advanced treatment processes. First, there is a chemical precipitation step which
removes Phosphorus from the water using the same chemicals that are used in drinking water
treatment. Next, the water passes through a filtration process, which is identical to
filtration systems in drinking water treatment plants. Finally, since Chlorine is toxic to
fish, the Chlorine added in the disinfection stage is removed prior to discharge to Spring
Creek.
The Beneficial Reuse project will incorporate additional advanced water treatment systems
to clean up to 3 MGD of the water even further. The actual selection of processes will
occur after pilot testing of the equipment is completed in July 1999. Some examples of
these advanced treatment are:
- Chemical precipitation, where drinking water treatment chemicals are
added to react with matter in the water to form solids which can then be settled in a
stilling basin. This process is similar to the water softening process.
- Micro-filtration, where the water is passed through a membrane which
traps even the tiniest particles and allows only water through the membrane. This
technology has been available for more than ten years, however, recent improvements in the
membrane material has made these systems much more cost effective.
- Reverse Osmosis
- What regulations and/or goals does advanced treatment meet? In the
State of Pennsylvania, there are no standards specific to advanced treatment.
What is the reliability of these systems? (soon to be provided by Jason)