ODORS Troubleshooting Inside Outside Special Problems: Applying the Scientific Process Tank Start-up [New Systems] Seals Filters Toxic Waste First time on septic- Education on use Understanding the need for maintenance Corrosion in the Tank Toxic tank Cleaning Chemicals Construction Chemicals Other Outcomes Venting Hydrogen Sulfide Lack of Venting Maintenance
Corroded Tanks Water Softener What causes corrosion When does the tank get replaced Freezing Salt- Concrete Scum- Separation Additional water Traffic Drip Use Venting Drainage Parking Snowmobiles Extra traffic Pets Extra Water Extras USE EXTRAS OTHER SOURCES Garbage disposal RV Higher organic loading Higher hydraulic loading Slower to breakdown Slower to settle Jacuzzi or the like Additions onto the house or other add-ons
Other water sources Clean Mixing in the Tank Problems Peak use Energy inputs Pumping to tank Elevation difference Solutions Capacity Eff. Screen Loading Timer control Drains Sump pumps Roof leaders Additional water Upstairs use Temperature Drainage Surface In the house Lawn watering Blockage Roots Symptom of problem Replace leaky component Soil treatment area? Family cat Building sewer Settling Septic tank Distribution box, drop box Frozen pipes Animals getting into the system High Strength
What is IT? BOD5 Biochemical oxygen demand Total suspended solids Organic Amount of oxygen used by bacteria CBOD is different FOG Fats, oil and grease Fats > 60 mg/l Inorganic Paper- Dirt 20 restaurants Sample 4 times BOD FOG Animal Solid Veg. Liquid Grease Restaurant Waste Strength - MN > 20 mg/l Oils 5 days > 175 mg/l Tougher Restaurant Result Type of Restaurant # of Restaurants BOD5 mg/l mg/l FOG mg/l Fast Food 8 1286 202 282 Service 5 1130 213 219 Golf Club 4 1010 142 200 Bar 3 874 184 132
How do you figure it out? Use Maintenance Testing Sampling Average- 18 hours of peak BOD/ FOG How does it impact the system? Glass Use Maintenance Pretreatment FOG Typical amount Physical plugging Fixable? Plastic Typical amount Biomat development Recoverable Fix Worst case BOD Mixed location Avoid Effluent Screen Maintenance Typical amount What happens? Use Degreasers Temperature Pretreatment Clogged
Alternative On-site Wastewater Treatment Systems Questions? What are the choices? Conventional Septic System Why use alternative systems? New idea Sizing Additional treatment Septic Tank Separation Increased cost Increased maintenance Clay Caliche Fill What are the choices? Aerobic treatment units Soil Treatment Concerns Keys Records Proper application Management Natural Tank Soil Problems House Conventional systems have proven themselves Re-circulating Filters Sand Peat Etc Textile Filters Constructed Wetland Drip Distribution Separation technologies Others Aerobic Tank
Alternative System Advanced Treatment Septic House Septic Tank ~ ATU Advanced Treatment STA Purdue University How does it work? DO, microorganisms and food must be in contact The effluent is aerated via one of several means. Aerobic organisms digest food Generates high quality effluents with variety of oxidized end products - little odor, stable effluent not requiring further breakdown 10-20 times faster than anaerobic Suspended growth Sequencing batch reactors or Periodic processes Intermittent inflow USEPA Manual, 2002 Continuous inflow USEPA Manual, 1980
Attached growth Packed bed media Rotating biological contactor RBC Attached growth media s What is it? A container or lined excavation containing a specific media through which wastewater flows Media Choices Washed, graded sand Gravel Bottom ash from coal-fired plants Peat Synthetic textile materials Foam chips and cubes Crushed glass Wetlands Other Single pass Re-circulating Unsaturated flow An aerobic, fixedfilm bioreactor Single-pass option
Peat Other Nibbler NSFC Flow Path in RMF Textile Filter Sheet Foam cubes Expected treatment efficiencies Single-pass BOD5 Fecal coliform - <10mg/l <10mg/l 99-99.99% reduction - <10mg/l <10 mg/l 99 99.9 % reduction Multiple-pass BOD5 Fecal coliform
Advanced Treatment Options Constructed Wetland Constructed wetlands subsurface flow Effluent flows horizontally past roots of plants Aquatic plants filter nutrients and pathogens Anaerobic and aerobic organisms help NSFC Disinfection Advanced Treatment Options Disinfection What is it? A process of destroying pathogens in the wastewater stream by killing them or preventing their replication Disinfection can be accomplished by : For small flows chlorination and ultraviolet light are usually used Disinfection Chlorination Most widely used disinfectant For individual systems, calcium hypochlorite is usually used. Chemical agents Physical agents Irradiation Disinfection Ultraviolet radiation Currently, for small wastewater flows most UV units have bulb vertically oriented.
Composting Toilet Separation Technology i.e. separate kinds of wastewater Dual systems: Toilet - composting, incinerating, low-flow to holding tank (black water) All other water: Downsized typical tank/soil treatment Downsized tank/pre-treatment/soil treatment Reuse Drip Dispersal Adding water to a large area Adding water slowly Adding water shallowly Recycling System Drip System Key Points Questions?