Energy conservation and scale-up studies for a wastewater treatment system based on a fixed-film, anaerobic bioreactor
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is developing an energy-conserving wastewater treatment system based on a fixed-film anaerobic bioreactor. The treatment process is based on passing wastewaters upward through the bioreactor for continuous treatment by gravitational settling, biophysical filtration, and biological decomposition. A 2-year pilot plant project using a bioreactor designed to treat 5000 gallons per day (gpd) has been conducted using raw wastewater on a municipal site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. From analyses of data obtained for the performance of this bioreactor it was estimated that hydraulic loading rates of 0.2 gpm/ft/sup 2/ and hydraulic residence times of 10 hr could be used in designing such bioreactors for the secondary treatment of municipal wastewaters. Conceptual designs for total treatment systems processing up to 1.0 million gallons of wastewater per day (mgd of wastewater) were developed. These systems were compared to activated sludge treatment systems also operating under secondary treatment requirements and were found to consume as little as 30% of the energy required by the activated sludge systems. The economic advantages of the process result from the elimination of operating energy requirements associated with the aeration of aerobic-based processes and with the significant decrease of sludge-handling costs required with conventional activated-sludge treatment systems. Methane produced by anaerobic fermentation processes occurring during the biological decomposition of carbonaceous wastes also represented a significant and recoverable energy production term as wastewater flow rates approached 1.0 mgd. A 50,000-gpd wastewater treatment system is being developed for demonstration purposes.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA); Associated Water and Air Resources Engineers, Inc., Nashville, TN (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Division of Buildings and Community Systems
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 5132838
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-791072-5
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. symposium on biotechnology in energy production and conservation, Gatlinburg, TN, USA, 3 Oct 1979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
OPERATION
WASTE WATER
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BIODEGRADATION
DESIGN
METHANE
MUNICIPAL WASTES
PRODUCTION
TENNESSEE
ALKANES
BIOCONVERSION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DIGESTION
ECONOMICS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
SOUTHEAST REGION
USA
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
WATER
320604* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Municipalities & Community Systems- Municipal Waste Management- (1980-)
420900 - Engineering- Waste Processing Plants & Equipment- (-1989)