Maximizing total nitrogen removal from onsite-generated wastewater.

Steven I Safferman; Marianna I Novellino; Bennette D Burks; Robert A Parker

PubMed · 16483082

Maximizing total nitrogen removal from onsite-generated wastewater.

Steven I Safferman·Marianna I Novellino·Bennette D Burks·Robert A Parker

Abstract

The research reported here examined the use of hydraulic loading strategies to maximize nitrogen removal from onsite-generated wastewater. These strategies are made practical by the inherently intermittent flow of onsite-generated wastewater. Experimentation was conducted at the Western Regional Wastewater Pretreatment Facility in Montgomery County, Ohio, with an established, full-scale onsite wastewater treatment system rated at 500 gallons per day. The onsite wastewater treatment unit was fed primarily with domestic wastewater that had passed through fine screens and grit removal. The dosing schedule was intermittent, representing what would be expected from onsite-generated wastewater. Oxidation occurred in the aeration tank and potentially on the solid-liquid filtration socks within the aeration tank. All major wastewater characterization parameters were monitored during the approximately one-year study, including five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD;), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrate, total nitrogen, pH, and alkalinity. Excellent removal of BOD5 and TSS resulted, with the effluent concentration of each parameter substantially and consistently below 10 mg/L for all operating conditions. Excellent total nitrogen removal occurred, typically to below 10 mg/L of nitrogen when the instantaneous flow of wastewater was low, even when the daily hydraulic loading was high. The removal of nitrogen was attributed to microbial biodegradation. This result indicates that the onsite wastewater treatment unit has an inherent denitrification capacity that can be matched with an equalized-hydraulic-loading strategy. The practical ability to equalize and reduce instantaneous loading results from the inherently intermittent nature of the flow associated with onsite wastewater treatment.

Explore related subjects

Filtration Nitrogen Oxidation-Reduction Waste Disposal, Fluid Water Movements Water Supply Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Steven I Safferman, Marianna I Novellino, Bennette D Burks, Robert A Parker. Maximizing total nitrogen removal from onsite-generated wastewater.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16483082/

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2007

Effects of filtration and pH perturbation on freshwater organic matter fluorescence.

Fluorescence of organic matter from six contrasting freshwaters was analysed after filtration (1.2 microm and 0.2 microm filter sizes) and pH perturbation (+/-2 pH units from ambient conditions). Two fluorophores were compared in detail: tryptophan-like fluorescence, whose filtration and pH characteristics are relatively poorly understood, and humic-like fluorescence, which is better characterised. Although there was some variability in both fluorophores, the tryptophan-like fluorescence showed the most significant decrease in fluorescence intensity between raw and 1.2 microm filter samples, and a much smaller decrease between 1.2 and 0.2 microm, demonstrating a significant source associated with particulate material as well as a significant <0.2 microm fraction. In contrast, humic-like fluorescence shows little change with filtration, suggesting that the majority of this fluorescence is associated with truly dissolved material. The pH perturbation experiments demonstrate that tryptophan-like fluorescence is less impacted by pH than with filter fraction. For humic-like fluorescence, pH effects are weak and are not as consistent as those reported in the literature for extracted humic substances. pH perturbation of the freshwaters shows a wide range of sample specific pH responses, significantly more variable than that observed in experiments using extracted humic substances and tryptophan standards, demonstrating the natural variability of freshwater dissolved organic matter.

Filtration↗

PubMed2006

[Approximation of collimator scatter factor Sc by a saturation model].

To more easily estimate accurate values of collimator scatter facor, S(c), we suggest a two-component saturation model that accounts for scatter from the primary collimator and flattening filter and from the collimator jaws. This model, which assumes an exponential distribution of scatter intensity, was tested by in-air measurements using a mini-phantom for 4 MV and 10 MV X-rays of a Clinac 2100 C/D linear accelerator. The results showed a good fit of this model to our measured data (R(2)>0.9993). When the measured value was divided into the primary collimator/flattening filter component and the collimator jaw component, as expected, the former component showed a rapid and full saturation curve with increased field size, while the latter showed an almost linearly increasing curve. Therefore, we think that this saturation model is useful for the estimation of S(c) and is applicable to monitor unit calculation for an asymmetric field.

Filtration↗

PubMed2006

Examination of beam profile measurement using an imaging plate by the light exposure fading method for quality assurance of external radiation therapy.

High-resolution film dosimetry has been used for several decades to check and to measure two-dimensional dose distributions. However, in recent years, the automatic processor has been replaced by the spread of computed radiography, or has been little used hospitals. In this study, we measured the off-center ratio (OCR) of the open field, after an irradiating radiation beam was delivered to the imaging plate (IP) under conditions in which the IP was exposed to a fixed amount of light with fading, and compared these data with the OCR measured by an ionization-chamber dosimeter, which is the standard method used for measuring radiation dose. Profile measurement using IP could be achieved by performing light fading, even at a range of more than 100 MU. Further, by using a metallic filter, we succeeded in demonstrating that the profile measurement of IP in an open irradiation field could approximate the values of those obtained by an ionization chamber dosimeter. This method can serve as a simple, easy-to-use method for evaluating the QA of dose distribution in radiation therapy.

Filtration↗