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W A S T E W A T E R - W A S T E
ATV STANDARD
ATV A 203E
April 1995
ISBN 3-934984-34-7
Marketing:
Gesellschaft zur Förderung der
Abwassertechnik e.V. (GFA)
Theodor-Heuß-Allee 17
D-53773 Hennef
Postfach 11 65 . 53758 Hennef
ATV A 203E
These principles have been elaborated by ATV Specialist Committee 2.8 "Methods of
Advanced Wastewater Treatment following Biological Treatment" which has the following
members:
All rights, in particular those of translation into other languages, are reserved. No part of this Standard may
be reproduced in any form by photocopy, microfilm or any other process or transferred or translated into a
language usable in machines, in particular data processing machines, without the written approval of the
publisher.
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Contents
1. Introduction 4
2. Fundamentals of filtration 4
3. Procedures 5
3.1 Downwards throughflowed filters 7
3.2 Upwards throughflowed filters 8
3.3 Dry filters 9
3.4 Special procedures 9
6. Dimensioning example 14
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1. Introduction
This Standard is concerned with communal wastewater.
Essentially, the procedures for wastewater filtration aim at the elimination of particular
wastewater content substances ( filterable substances) following biological treatment in
accordance with the recognised rules of technology. With regard to their function the
following well tried methods can be differentiated:
- wastewater filtration which is limited exclusively to the elimination of filterable
substances present in the wastewater;
- flocculation filtration by which additional filterable substances are produced by means
of the addition of precipitation/flocculation agents and/or flocculation aid agents,
preferably with the aim of advanced phosphorus elimination, and
- biologically intensified filtration which, with the aid of suitable filter materials and
sufficient oxygen supply aims additionally at the reduction of the organic residual
loading of the wastewater and, in certain cases, at a residual nitrification.
The possibility of denitrification in filters following addition of electron donors such as, for
example, carbon, is to be assessed case by case with regard to costs, performance and
environmental compatibility.
- Space filters: normal filter bed height 1 - 2.5 m (suspension retention in the
complete filter bed), (Table 1),
- Surface filters: cloth filters or fine grain filters with a filter layer height of up to 30 cm
(suspension retention on the filter surface; no intensified biological effect), (Table 2).
The tested procedures of space filtration are dealt with in this Standard. The following
versions are based on this. Surface filtration is not part of this Standard.
Due to the multiplicity of the systems on offer no details on operation are given in this
Standard.
2. Fundamentals of Filtration
The filtration effect is based on many different processes of a physical, chemical and
biological nature. To these belong:
- the retention of large particles through the sieve effect between the grains
- retention of small particles on the surface of the filter medium or on already deposited
particles as a result of, inter alia, sedimentation, capture, diffusion, van der Waal's
forces, sorption.
Particles and flocs already retained can, dependent on stability and adhesion, be again
redeposited deeper in the filter during the filtration process or, in unfavourable cases, can
be washed out due to the sheer forces exercised by the flow.
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With uniformly coarse filter grains and clean filters there are, at first, no or only few
particles retained through the sieve action. The total pressure loss (filter resistance)
increases while filtration increases at first slowly, linearly. If the pore channels have
narrowed sufficiently through the loading, individual and then more and more particles
are retained by the sieve effect and the pressure loss subsequently increases
exponentially.
With uniformly fine filter grains particles are removed mainly by sieving on the surface of
the filter bed. This effect represents a surface filtration.
The grading of the filter grain from coarse to fine in the direction of flow combines the
effects of the storage capacity of the coarse grains for the larger particles with the good
sieve effect of the fine grain for the fine particles. The flushing technique is also to be
taken into account with the selection of filter grain material in order to continue keeping
the desired grading (classification).
The biological effectiveness and with this, the removal of dissolved organic substances is
significantly influenced by the degree of oxygen supply of the total filter bed. With
downwards operated staged filtration aerobic conditions occur only in the upper filter
layer due to the small O2 concentration of the filter inlet and with this a slight elimination
of dissolved wastewater content substances. With appropriate boundary conditions NO3
oxygen can also slightly improve the biological effect. The desired O2 enrichment
improves the efficiency of the elimination of dissolved organic substances and
nitrification. With this there are the following possibilities for oxygen supply:
- enrichment of the inflow with the aid of a pre-aeration. Due to the unique O2
saturation of, for example, 10 mg/l only the nitrification of some 2 mg/l NH4+- N is
possible;
- overdam filtration with surface aeration of the filter body with the aid of an aeration
system in the filter bed;
- dry filtration, by which the wastewater trickles through the filter bed as in a biological
filter and is supplied with oxygen via an air flow, either in uniflow or contraflow.
3. Procedures
The procedures of filtration applied in practice for advanced wastewater treatment can be
differentiated in accordance with Tables 1 and 2 by filter medium, filter layers, filtration
direction, flushing technique and application purpose. Comprehensive commercial scale
experience with space filtration up until now exist only for the filters underlined in Table 1.
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Both with the single layer filter and with the multilayer filter the grain material of each
layer is to have a very close grain spectrum
d60
U = ≤ 1.5.
d10
The smallest possible share of fine grain material is to be sought in order to avoid the
surface filtration effect.
With multilayer filters the upper layer, in comparison with the lower layers, is relatively
coarse, however, under operating conditions specifically lighter material (see Table 6 for
grain wet density) is selected so that the arrangement of layers is re-established after
flushing. Mainly anthracite, pumice stone, swelling shale or swelling clay are used as
upper layer materials, while the lower filter layer, as with single layer filters, is almost
always filter sand.
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The inflow in the overdam area is to be introduced gently so that the filter surface is not
disturbed.
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Arrangement of grain and flushing of dry filters corresponds with those of overdam filters.
The inflow on to the filter is to be such that the filter material is not disturbed, e.g. through
a protective layer made from plastic elements.
The removal of filterable substances can be impaired with wastewater filters with
deliberate biological effect using filter bed aeration. Here influencing variables are
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essentially the filter rate (impairment over 5 m/h), the air velocity (impairment over 2.5 - 5
m/h) and the grain size of the filter material employed as well as the filter layer height.
Most operational systems are dimensioned as multilayer filters for filtration rates of
maximum 15 m/h and between 6 to 8 m/h for dry weather. With an inflow of some 1.0
mg/l P such systems can achieve a mean Ptot runoff value of ca. 0.2 mg/l P. This does
not apply for wastewater with an increased non-filterable P component.
With biologically intensified filtration for residual nitrification and residual COD
elimination, the employment of porous or of at least slightly rough or slightly angular filter
material is, in addition to a sufficient oxygen supply, of significance. The material
structure ensures that the removal of the active biomass during one filter flushing
process remains within bounds. With residual nitrification with simultaneous flocculation
filtration a detrimental effect on the biological effect is possible due to the use of
chemicals.
In space filters and flocculation filters no elimination of AOX is to be expected. With the
aid of filter material with adsorptive effect or with the employment of adsorptive additives
there are, nevertheless, corresponding effects to be achieved.
In cases of wet weather the following rate, taking into account the units being flushed, it
is to be limited to 15 or 10 m/h. For operational-technical and economical reasons it is
recommended to plan, with discontinuously flushed filters, at least 6 filter units with a
filter surface area per unit < 80 m2.
With smaller plants (100,000 IPE) and very large plants (> 1M IPE) values deviating from
this can be economical.
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With discontinuously flushed filters an overdam height of at least 2.0 m is selected which
serves to balance the operationally based increased filter resistance and, at the same
time, makes a sufficient volume for the flocculation reaction available with flocculation
filtration.
Table 5 gives a summary of materials, grain sizes and layer heights which are employed
with space filtration (areas of employment and elimination effect see Table 1). With
downwards through-flowed multilayer filters the selection of material and the grading of
the grain must be oriented to the criteria of the filter flushing (see Sect. 5.2).
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Flushing consists of several phases by which it is flushed, from the bottom upwards, with
filtered wastewater and/or air. Pure water flushing has, in practice, not proved successful
as with this conglomerations of organic masses and filter material cannot be removed.
The flushing programme of multilayer filters must take care of both the cleaning of the
filter bed as well as the classifying of the individual filter layers, as otherwise the space
filter effect is lost.
With classifying the flushing rate is so increased that the filter bed is expanded by 20 - 30
%. rates, which can be expected to give corresponding bed expansions, are given in
Table 6.
Temperature [°C] 5 10 15 20 25 30
Correction factor [-] 0.87 0.92 0.96 1.0 1.04 1.12
The hydraulic material characteristic values such as loosening point (start of expansion)
and expansion ratio significantly determine the formation of the multilayer filters. It is only
with a good agreement of these characteristic values that it can be guaranteed that a
clean multilayer filter formation, even following a mixing of material using air flushing, can
be re-established with the subsequent flushing with clean water. Theoretically the
loosening rate of the upper filter material should be somewhat smaller than or equal to
the lower lying layer/material, whereby the expansion coefficient should be respectively
larger/the same.
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If, with a smaller number of filter chambers, the resultant filtrate is insufficient for the
flushing of a filter chamber, a large filtrate reservoir is to be provided. To reduce a
hydraulic overload of the sewage treatment plant through recirculated sludge water, a
sludge water reservoir is also to be provided. Otherwise the sludge water flow is to be
taken into account with the hydraulic dimensioning of the sewage treatment plant.
The sludge water is fed back to the inflow of the grit chamber, to the pre-treatment
storage or to the aeration tank. With the dimensioning and design of sludge water
pipelines and reservoirs the possibility of sludge and sand deposits as well as their
clearance and possible separate treatment are to be taken into account.
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6. Dimensioning Example
Below is a dimensioning example for a downwards throughflowed filter with constant
overdam height, in which values experienced in communal filter plants are applied.
Qd = 54000 m3/d
Q1 = 3000 m3/d
Qm = 5500 m3/h
Monitoring values:
COD = 60 mg/l
BOD5 = 10 mg/l
NH4-N = 5 mg/l at T > 12° C
Ptot = 0.5 mg/l
Ntot = 18 mg/l
20 mg/l filterable substances are expected in the runoff of the secondary sedimentation
stage (see ATV Standard A 131).
It is assumed that there is a phosphorus content of 1 mg/l Ptot in the runoff of the
secondary sedimentation stage.
Filter rates:
Dry weather: vf = 7.5 m/h
Combined wastewater inflow: vf = 15.0 m/h
3000 m 3 / h
A Filt = = 400 m 2 for Q t
7 .5 m / h
5500 m 3 / h
A Filt = = 367 m 2 forQ m
15 m / h
The following were taken into account with the selection of the number of filter units:
- minimum number of units: 6
- size of the filter surface according to the criteria Qflush ≈ Qt
- however, filter surface each unit < 80 m2.
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With regard to a free selection of filter material for the planning of the construction
maturity planning, a flushing rate of initially 80 m/h is laid down (see Tables 5 and 6).
3000 m 3 / h
Ai = = 37.5 m 2
80 m / h
400 m 2
Number of units: = 10.7
37.5 m 2
Verification of combined wastewater inflow, taking into account the concurrent flushing of
one filter unit.:
5500 m 3 / h
= 14.7 m / h < 15 m / h
(12 − 1) ⋅ 34 m 2
Overdam
Dosing of Precipitant
A dosing of iron chloride sulphate (FeClSO4) is foreseen. Should, for example, a mol
ratio ß = 2 be selected, there results an additional quantity of 3 - 4 mg/l Fe3+ with a
concentration in the wastewater of 1 mg/l P.
Precipitant is dosed into the input of the filter. An intensive mixing of the wastewater and
precipitant is ensured in the pipeline to the filter plant and in the feed pumps of the filter
plant.
Calculation:
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833
Fe = 3332 mg / s iron
4 mg / l
or
3332
= 18.1 ml / s diluted FeClSO 4 solution
184
Determination of retained solids
Flushing programme
A programme, in accordance with Table 7, is used for filter flushing. The complete
flushing programme, including switching pauses, lasts 21 min.
Filtrate water is used for flushing the filters. According to Table 7 the filtrate requirement
during the flushing of one filter unit is:
2 min
Phase 4 : 20 m / h ⋅ 34 m 2 ⋅ = 23 m 3
60 min/ h
5 min
Phase 5 : 50 m / h ⋅ 34 m 2 ⋅ = 142 m 3
60 min/ h
2 min
Phase 6 : 80 m / h ⋅ 34 m 2 ⋅ = 91 m 3
60 min/ h
Total 256 m3
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Assumption:
1
Night inf low = 54000 ⋅ = 1286 m 3 / h = 21.4 m 3 / min
42
1 min
80 m / h ⋅ 34 m 2 ⋅ = 45.5 m 3 / min > 21.4 m 3 / min
60 min/ h
142 m 3
= 28.4 m 3
5 min
If required, the reservoir volume is determined by the inlet chamber of the pump.
With the dimensioning of the sewage treatment plant, without a sludge water reservoir, a
short-term additional hydraulic surge loading of 80 m/h . 34 m2 =2720 m3/h. would also
have to be taken into account. In wet weather such an additional loading is not justifiable.
Also, with regard to the sludge water return pump, a reservoir is necessary in which the
total sludge water quantity plus a filter overdam can be stored.
The reservoir must, with this design, be emptied by the time of the next flushing of the
filter.
60 min/ h
⋅ 324 m 3 = 926 m 3 / h
21 min
Inter alia, with regard to the downstream series filtration, an enlargement of the
secondary sedimentation stage is not necessary. The possible short-term higher feeding
of the filter is acceptable.
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DIN 19605 Festbettfilter zur Wasseraufbereitung. Aufbau und Bestandteile (Entwurf) Oktober 1993
[Fixed Bed Filters for Water Processing. Design and Components (Draft) October 1993]
ATV Standard Dimensioning of Single Stage Activated Sludge Plants upwards from 5000
A131E Inhabitants and population equivalents, 1991
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