Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) : BOD is an important measure of water quality. It is a measure of the amount of oxygen needed by microorganisms to oxidize the organic matter in water over a period of 5 days. The BOD of drinking water should be less than 1. Raw sewage will produce a BOD value of several hundered parts per million.
Primary Treatment of Water :
The simplest method of treatment is to allow the solids in raw sewage to settle out. THis forms a sludge. Primary treatment removes only a small portion of BOD and virtually none of the dissolved minerals and chemicals.
Secondary Treatment :
Many treatment plants then pass the wastewater from primary treatment to secondary treatment. Here the wastewater is brought in contact with oxygen and microorganisms. They break down much of the organic matter.
Primary and secondary treatment together can remove up to 90% of the BOD. Chlorination is then used to remove the content of bacteria, then the sample from secondary treatment is returned to the local surface water.
Advanced Waste Treatment:
The combination of primary and secondary treatment removes most of the organic matter in sewage and lowers the BOD. But even after that, most of the nitrogen and phosphorus in sewage remains in the wastewater from secondary treatment. These inorganic nutrients can cause algae. A third stage of treatment called tertiary or advanced waste treatment is used to dissolve slats and these chemicals from the sample.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Water for Power, HydroPower Plant
Hydropower plants are sustainable forms of energy that produce electricity from flowing water. The amount of energy is determined by the head and flow of the water. The head of the water is the change in elevation of the water and flow is the volume of the water. The moving water is used to turn a turbine or waterwheel which spins a shaft to power an alternator or generator to produce electricity. This is why hyrdoplants are a great resource for power and a great alternative to fossil fuel burning, as long as theres water available to produce power. This diagram an short explaination shows how the whole sytem works.
Waterless Toilet
This product is a waterless toilet that turns human waste into compost. Composting toilets use nature's decomposition process to reduce waste and convert it into nutrient rich compost. They use oxygen loving bacteria that is naturally present in human waste to do all the work. These toilets are not an "indoor outhouses". They are used like a normal toilet, toilet paper and all. You just toss in compost mix after each fecal use instead of flushing. The air flow inside the toilet pulls all odors up the 'chimney' and out of your home.
Here are some pictures of a toilet made my Biolet :
Wastewater & Contaminated DIVING
I thought this was a cool site. It diplicts how some of the maintance and inspection of wastewater treatment plants is done. Most of these inspections and maintances are done in very toxic waste liquids. The company is called Seaview Diving Contractors, check it out.
WasteWater Lagoon at Paper MillSince :
This wastewater lagoon was having difficulty maintaining proper bod's. Seaview devised a method to clean out plugged nozzles for the paper mill which restored proper operating levels.
Seaview's experience saves industry millions of dollars each year, by providing solutions that would otherwise shut the industry or paper mill down for repair. Seaview has been able to complete maintenance and repairs while the mills continue to operate, saving otherwise lost production days and man hours.EPA Recovery Act Funds For Wastewater Infastructure Projects in Iowa & U.S.
EPA Announces $53M Recovery Act Funds For Wastewater Infrastructure Projects In Iowa
April 22, 2009
In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water infrastructure and protect human health and the environment for the people in the State of Iowa, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $53,040,000 to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. This money will be provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This gives states money towards fixing out-of-date water systems around the country.
"This funding will go a long way toward fixing aging infrastructure in urban and rural communities in Iowa," said William Rice, Acting Regional Administrator. "Clean water is essential for both healthy communities and healthy local economies. These funds will help fix aging infrastructure and provide good-paying jobs."
The Recovery Act funds will go to the state's Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund program provides low interest loans for water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, pollution control, and watershed management. An unprecedented $4B dollars will be awarded to fund wastewater infrastructure projects across the country under the Recovery Act.
Since the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program began in 1987, EPA has awarded more than $26B in grants, which states have turned into $69B of financial assistance for water quality projects. The revolving nature of the program ensures water quality projects will be funded for generations to come.
President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) on February 17, 2009 and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability.
For more information, visit http://www.recovery.gov.
( U.S. EPA)
April 22, 2009
In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water infrastructure and protect human health and the environment for the people in the State of Iowa, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $53,040,000 to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. This money will be provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This gives states money towards fixing out-of-date water systems around the country.
"This funding will go a long way toward fixing aging infrastructure in urban and rural communities in Iowa," said William Rice, Acting Regional Administrator. "Clean water is essential for both healthy communities and healthy local economies. These funds will help fix aging infrastructure and provide good-paying jobs."
The Recovery Act funds will go to the state's Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund program provides low interest loans for water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, pollution control, and watershed management. An unprecedented $4B dollars will be awarded to fund wastewater infrastructure projects across the country under the Recovery Act.
Since the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program began in 1987, EPA has awarded more than $26B in grants, which states have turned into $69B of financial assistance for water quality projects. The revolving nature of the program ensures water quality projects will be funded for generations to come.
President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) on February 17, 2009 and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability.
For more information, visit http://www.recovery.gov.
( U.S. EPA)
Rainwater Catchment
An inexpensive and fairly common system that is being used to manage storm water runoff are rain catchments.
Heres a picture of rainwater harvesting used in a residential home :
Its simple and affordable to collect and use the abundant supply of naturally pure and soft rainwater that falls on your roof every time it rains. From 50 gallon rain barrels to 50,000 gallon tanks, rain barrels can provide the technology needed to assemble a nearly maintenance-free rainwater harvesting system suitable for most household uses.
SIMPLE & RESOURCEFUL
Heres a picture of rainwater harvesting used in a residential home :
Its simple and affordable to collect and use the abundant supply of naturally pure and soft rainwater that falls on your roof every time it rains. From 50 gallon rain barrels to 50,000 gallon tanks, rain barrels can provide the technology needed to assemble a nearly maintenance-free rainwater harvesting system suitable for most household uses.
SIMPLE & RESOURCEFUL
Solar Water Heater
Solar hot water systems can be a cost effective way to generate hot water for your home. They can be used in any climate, and the fuel they use, sunshine, is free.
Solar water heating systems include storage tanks and solar collectors. Most solar water heaters require a well-insulated storage tank. There are three different types of solar collectors used to heat the water in the system :
Heres a diagram of the system
Solar water heating systems include storage tanks and solar collectors. Most solar water heaters require a well-insulated storage tank. There are three different types of solar collectors used to heat the water in the system :
Flat-plate collector
Glazed flat-plate collectors are insulated, weatherproofed boxes that contain a dark absorber plate under one or more glass or plastic (polymer) covers. Unglazed flat-plate collectors—typically used for solar pool heating—have a dark absorber plate, made of metal or polymer, without a cover or enclosure.
Integral collector-storage systems
Also known as ICS or batch systems, they feature one or more black tanks or tubes in an insulated, glazed box. Cold water first passes through the solar collector, which preheats the water. The water then continues on to the conventional backup water heater, providing a reliable source of hot water. They should be installed only in mild-freeze climates because the outdoor pipes could freeze in severe, cold weather.
Evacuated-tube solar collectors
They feature parallel rows of transparent glass tubes. Each tube contains a glass outer tube and metal absorber tube attached to a fin. The fin's coating absorbs solar energy but inhibits radiative heat loss. These collectors are used more frequently for U.S. commercial applications.
Heres a diagram of the system
Aerated Basin
The purpose of the aeration basin is to mix and aerate the wastewater. This process keeps solids in suspension and provides oxygen for the microorganisms that are instrumental in the treatment of wastewater
Sunday, April 12, 2009
pigs for power
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that a tiny aquatic plant can be used to clean up animal waste at industrial hog farms and potentially be part of the answer for the global energy crisis.
Their research shows that growing duckweed on hog wastewater can produce five to six times more starch per acre than corn, according to researcher Dr. Jay Cheng. This means that ethanol production using duckweed could be "faster and cheaper than from corn," says fellow researcher Dr. Anne-Marie Stomp.
"We can kill two birds – biofuel production and wastewater treatment – with one stone – duckweed," Cheng says. Starch from duckweed can be readily converted into ethanol using the same facilities currently used for corn, Cheng adds.
Corn is currently the primary crop used for ethanol production in the United States. However, its use has come under fire in recent years because of concerns about the amount of energy used to grow corn and commodity price disruptions resulting from competition for corn between ethanol manufacturers and the food and feed industries.
Duckweed presents an attractive, non-food alternative that has the potential to produce significantly more ethanol feedstock per acre than corn; exploit existing corn-based ethanol production processes for faster scale-up; and turn pollutants into a fuel production system.
The duckweed system consists of shallow ponds that can be built on land unsuitable for conventional crops, and is so efficient it generates water clean enough for re-use. The technology can utilize any nutrient-rich wastewater, from livestock production to municipal wastewater.
Large-scale hog farms manage their animal waste by storing it in large "lagoons" for biological treatment. Duckweed utilizes the nutrients in the wastewater for growth, thus capturing these nutrients and preventing their release into the environment. In other words, Cheng says, "Duckweed could be an environmentally friendly, economically viable feedstock for ethanol."
"There's a bias in agriculture that all the crops that could be discovered have been discovered," Stomp says, "but duckweed could be the first of the new, 21st century crops. In the spirit of George Washington Carver, who turned peanuts into a major crop, Jay and I are on a mission to turn duckweed into a new industrial crop, providing an innovative approach to alternative fuel production."
Cheng, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering, co-authored the research with Stomp, associate professor of forestry, and post-doctoral research associate, Mike Yablonski. The research, which is funded by the North Carolina Biofuels Center, was presented March 21 at the annual conference of the Institute of Biological Engineering in Santa Carla, Calif.
Cheng and Stomp are currently establishing a pilot-scale project to further investigate the best way to establish a large-scale system for growing duckweed on animal wastewater, and then harvesting and drying the duckweed.
Their research shows that growing duckweed on hog wastewater can produce five to six times more starch per acre than corn, according to researcher Dr. Jay Cheng. This means that ethanol production using duckweed could be "faster and cheaper than from corn," says fellow researcher Dr. Anne-Marie Stomp.
"We can kill two birds – biofuel production and wastewater treatment – with one stone – duckweed," Cheng says. Starch from duckweed can be readily converted into ethanol using the same facilities currently used for corn, Cheng adds.
Corn is currently the primary crop used for ethanol production in the United States. However, its use has come under fire in recent years because of concerns about the amount of energy used to grow corn and commodity price disruptions resulting from competition for corn between ethanol manufacturers and the food and feed industries.
Duckweed presents an attractive, non-food alternative that has the potential to produce significantly more ethanol feedstock per acre than corn; exploit existing corn-based ethanol production processes for faster scale-up; and turn pollutants into a fuel production system.
The duckweed system consists of shallow ponds that can be built on land unsuitable for conventional crops, and is so efficient it generates water clean enough for re-use. The technology can utilize any nutrient-rich wastewater, from livestock production to municipal wastewater.
Large-scale hog farms manage their animal waste by storing it in large "lagoons" for biological treatment. Duckweed utilizes the nutrients in the wastewater for growth, thus capturing these nutrients and preventing their release into the environment. In other words, Cheng says, "Duckweed could be an environmentally friendly, economically viable feedstock for ethanol."
"There's a bias in agriculture that all the crops that could be discovered have been discovered," Stomp says, "but duckweed could be the first of the new, 21st century crops. In the spirit of George Washington Carver, who turned peanuts into a major crop, Jay and I are on a mission to turn duckweed into a new industrial crop, providing an innovative approach to alternative fuel production."
Cheng, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering, co-authored the research with Stomp, associate professor of forestry, and post-doctoral research associate, Mike Yablonski. The research, which is funded by the North Carolina Biofuels Center, was presented March 21 at the annual conference of the Institute of Biological Engineering in Santa Carla, Calif.
Cheng and Stomp are currently establishing a pilot-scale project to further investigate the best way to establish a large-scale system for growing duckweed on animal wastewater, and then harvesting and drying the duckweed.
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