Innovative And Cost-Effective Solutions For Activated Sludge And Nutrient Removal Applications

By Ayman Shawwa, P.E., Ph.D., BCEE, PMP, Aeration Industries International

Municipalities across the nation grapple with the treatment challenges associated with escalating state and federal regulatory requirements on the heels of limited or declining budgets. U.S. municipalities have identified more than $100B of needs for capital spending for their wastewater treatments plants over the next 20 years just to meet the current regulations and population growth projections (WWEMA, 2011).

The funding issue is even more severe in smaller publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) due to economy of scale factors that make capital improvements more costly per gallon of water treated.

Tackling new regulations dealing with lower biological oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), and ammonia levels is incredibly expensive. Managing those regulations as well as biological nutrient removal (BNR) while controlling the cost of new designs, plant modifications, and new construction is extremely challenging.