Wastewater process intensification (or wastewater treatment intensification) is the use of new technologies or modifications to existing processes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the treatment of wastewater. It can lead to several benefits, including:
There are a number of different technologies that can be used for process intensification in the treatment of wastewater. Some of the most common technologies include:
Membrane bioreactors use membranes to separate solids from wastewater. This allows for more efficient treatment of wastewater and can lead to reduced energy consumption and chemical use.
Anaerobic digesters use microorganisms to break down organic matter in wastewater. This can help to improve the quality of the effluent and can also produce biogas, which can be used to generate energy.
Advanced oxidation processes use chemicals or electricity to break down pollutants in wastewater. This can help to improve the quality of the effluent and can also make it more suitable for reuse.
Nanoscopic bubbles act like clean chemistry to improve biological process performance by removing inhibitory contaminants, allowing plants to reduce energy and chemical usage, eliminate odors, foams and scum and increase process intensification and capacity.
The unique properties of nano-sized bubbles allow for a new process step in wastewater treatment plants, which results in increased plant capacity and resiliency while reducing costs and carbon footprint.
Moleaer’s technology uses air and water to generate in-situ clean chemistry, which selectively targets contaminants that cause inefficiencies and odors in wastewater treatment.
“Surface-active-agents,” also known as surfactants or tensides are among these contaminants that negatively impact wastewater treatment processes when found in high concentrations. While surfactants help to clean, they can also stabilize emulsions of oil and water, making them more difficult to break down. This can lead to a fatberg, a hard mass of waste matter that collects and clogs sewer systems, formation. In literature, it has been shown that concentrations exceeding 15 mg/L of SLS reduce oxygen transfer efficiency by 50%, compared to clean water.
In low concentrations, surfactants can be treated using traditional aerobic biological systems. However, in most wastewater facilities, these concentrations exceed design limits, causing many of the issues highlighted earlier.
Nanobubbles, when deployed in the right locations, have unique characteristics that can break down and remove surfactants. This reduces their concentrations, enhancing the treatment ability of wastewater plants, without any drawbacks.
Nanobubble technology delivers a multi-pronged approach to improve the performance and efficiency of wastewater treatment by removing these inhibitory contaminants to make wastewater easier to treat. Pretreating wastewater with air nanobubbles upstream of an activated sludge process:
Instead of investing in expensive construction projects or continuing to increase operations and maintenance (O&M) budgets to cover uncontrolled costs, wastewater treatment plants are improving their existing processes with nanobubble treatment. These benefits include:
At a water resource recovery facility in Goleta, California, nanobubbles pretreat 4.2 million gallons per day (662 m3/hr) average annual dry weather flow (AADWF) of raw, screened wastewater downstream of grit removal and upstream of primary clarification. This nanobubble pretreatment has enabled process intensification at Goleta by increasing treatment capacity and efficiency.
The Year Over Year Results:
Results During the Pilot Period:
Another wastewater treatment plant was able to solve its odor issues and improve efficiency. Stavnsholt, a 0.7 MGD (110 m3/hr) plant located in Denmark, faced significant odor issues that weren’t fixed with typical treatments. They installed Moleaer’s nanobubble generator to mitigate these problems, resulting in additional process intensification.
The Results:
Process intensification is a growing field of research and development. As new technologies are developed, process intensification is becoming an increasingly viable option for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants.
Here are some additional benefits of process intensification in wastewater treatment:
Overall, process intensification is a promising approach to improving the sustainability and efficiency of wastewater treatment. It has the potential to reduce costs, improve environmental performance, and protect public health. To learn more about Moleaer’s nanobubble technology, visit our website at www.Moleaer.com.