Date of Award
Fall 1970
Document Type
Thesis - Restricted
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
Abstract
The accelerated fertilization or eutrophication of waters receiving sewage plant effluents is resulting in the frequent occurrence of algal blooms and their associated problems. These growing problems are receiving increasing attention from the public as well as many government agencies. There are three key elements generally considered to be responsible for eutrophication - carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Conventional secondary biological treatment of waste water does not reduce the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus to the extent it is effective in removing carbon. The secondary effluent is, therefore, still rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. It has been established that the control of living organisms can be accomplished by limiting the supply of a single essential nutritional element. In the case of algae, the removal of nitrogen from the environment is not practical because blue-green and other species of algae can thrive in a nitrogen poor environment by fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere. Therefore, phosphorus has been widely considered as the key element in limiting eutrophication. The conventional secondary treatment processes removes far less total phosphorus than the 80 to 85% which is being enforced by many states, but laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that 80% or more phosphorus removal can be achieved with the use of chemical precipitation. Alum, lime, or iron salts have been successfully used in these studies to remove soluble phosphorus from raw, or conventionally treated, waste water. One of the most economical methods of achieving enhanced phosphorus removal is by iron precipitation of phosphates by the addition of waste pickle liquor to the aeration tanks. This addition is being investigated on a plant scale at the Milwaukee Jones Island Sewage Treatment Plant under a FWQA Grant. In this study unneutralized waste pickle liquor from the A. O. Smith Corporation is being added to the East Plant (115 MGD) at a Fe++ dose of 12 to 15 mg/L, while the West Plant (85 MGD) serves as the control. This study began in January 1970 and has been very successful...
Recommended Citation
Hartenstein, Alan Gene, "Anaerobic Digestion of Thickened Waste Activated Sludge Containing Iron Phosphates" (1970). Master's Theses (1922-2009) Access restricted to Marquette Campus. 4775.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/theses/4775