Energy Conservation in Aerobic Wastewater Treatment Units - Implementing Environmental and Resource Management - page 33

5 Energy Conservation in Aerobic Wastewater
TreatmentUnits
Paul Pinamang Kyei
Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus, Germany
5.1 Introduction
A study was conducted by the author on existing aerobic wastewater treatment
units to increase their energy efficiency while improving nutrient removal per-
formance. This chapter provides the results of an experimental design to investi-
gate the effect of two different aeration regimes on the nutrient removal perform-
ance of the treatment units. The paper was conceptualised and deemed relevant at
a time when there was so much global outcry to look out for an alternative source
of energy as a mechanism for climate change adaptation.
Section 5.2 describes what the system looks like and the requirements for
which it can successfully be applied. It also describes how the aerobic treatment
units work. Section 5.3 highlights the material and the methodological approach
employed for the study. In this section, emphasis was placed on the two different
experimental set-ups. Section 5.4 presents the results for each experimental set up
by determining the mean values for both influent and effluent qualities of the
measured parameters, and calculating for the actual percentage removal effi-
ciency. It also highlights the quantity of energy saved and how much this could be
quantified in monetary terms. This is followed by a discussion in Section 5.5.
The chapter ends with conclusions in Section 5.6, highlighting that sound aera-
tion control of the aeration regime promotes simultaneous nitrification and denitri-
fication in the aeration chamber. It also concludes that there is an appreciable en-
ergy saving that equates to monetary savings.
5.2 Aerobic Wastewater Treatment Units (ATUs)
These are small-scale systems for onsite wastewater treatment and disposal de-
signed principally for single dwellings and small community applications. They
are similar to the conventional septic system in the sense that both use natural
processes to treat wastewater. The difference is that the aerobic treatment system
requires oxygen to aid aerobic bacterial breakdown of the organic constituents in