A UNIQUE APPROACH FOR ASSESSING THE CAPACITY OF A BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL FACILITY

摘要

We performed a process audit of a biological nutrient removal wastewater treatmentrnplant (WWTP) using a novel suite of in situ, on-line instruments. These instrumentsrnmeasure the times required to complete the nitrification and denitrification processesrnwithin the bioreactor. We subsequently compared these times with the hydraulicrnretention times for the oxic and anoxic zones under a range of current and projectedrnhydraulic loadings. We found that at a flow of 5.0 MGD (167% of permitted capacity),rnthere is adequate detention time within the bioreactor to safely complete the criticalrnnitrogen removal processes. As a confirmation of our in situ measurements, we ran arncomputer simulation of the facility, which also revealed bioreactor capacity in excess ofrn5.0 MGD. As a result of this audit, we are now working with the WWTP staff to developrnoperational protocols that will be useful for "high capacity" operations.