AWWA RESEARCH FOUNDATION 6666 West Quincy Avenue Denver, Colorado 80235 HANDBOOK SUBJECT AREA: Water Treatment and Operations Water Treatment Plant Waste Management HANDBOOK OF PRACTICE WATER TREATMENT PLANT WASTE MANAGEMENT by David A. Cornwell Mark M. Bishop Randy G. Gould Carel Vandermeyden Environmental Engineering & Technology, Inc, Newport News, Virginia Prepared for: AWWA Research Foundation 6666 W. Quincy Avenue Denver, CO 80235 June 1987 Published by the American Water Works Association DISCLAIMER This study was funded by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AWWARF). AWWARF assumes no responsibil ity for the content of the research study reported in this publication, or for the opinions or statements of fact expressed in the report. The mention of tradenames for commercial products does not represent or imply the approval or endorsement of AWWARF. This report is presented solely for informational purposes. Although the research described in this document has been funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency through a Cooperative Agreement, CR-811335-01, to AWWARF, it has not been subjected to Agency review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred. Copyright 1987 by American Water Works Association Research Foundation American Water Works Association Printed in U.S. ISBN 0-89867-404-2 AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION RESEARCH FOUNDATION HANDBOOK OF PRACTICE WATER TREATMENT PLANT WASTE MANAGEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables ......................................... vil List of Figures Acknowledgements ....................................... Chapter 1 . Introduction ................................. 1 1.1. Overview ................................ 1 1.2. Water Treatment ......................... 2 1.2.1. Coagulation Waste Streams ....... 3 1.2.2. Softening Waste Streams ......... 6 1.2.3. Wastes from Inorganic Removal Plants ........................ 9 1.3. Use of This Handbook .................... 10 2 . Waste Disposal ............................... 14 2.1. Regulations ............................. 14 2.1.1. Direct Discharge Regulations .... 17 2.1.2. Land Disposal Regulations ....... 22 2.2. Direct Discharge to Receiving Streams ... 28 2.2.1. Determining Mass Changes ........ 30 2.2.2. Benthic Impacts ................. 34 2.2.3. Aluminum Toxicity ............... 37 2.2.4. Toxicity of Non-Aluminum Compounds ..................... 47 2.3. Discharge to the Wastewater Plant ....... 47 2.3.1. Equalization .................... 48 2.3.2. Effects on Biological Processes . 50 2.3.3. Sludge Handling Considerations .. 61 TABLE OP CONTENTS (con't) Page 2.4. Landfill ................................ 63 2.5. Land Application ........................ 73 3. Characteristics of Water Treatment Plant Wastes ............................... 83 3.1. Types of Wastes Generated ............... 84 3.2. Quantity of Wastes Generated ............ 86 3.2.1. Solid/jLiquid Wastes ............. 86 3.2.2. Liquid Phase Wastes ............. 102 3.2.3. Gas Phase Wastes ................ 107 3.3. Physical Characteristics ................ 107 3.3.1. Specific Resistance Test ......... 108 3.3.2. Filter Leaf Test ................. 115 3.3.3. Capillary Suction Time ........... 120 3.4. Chemical Characteristics ................ 124 3.4.1. Solid/Liquid Wastes .............. 124 3.4.2. Liquid Phase Wastes .............. 144 4. Solid/Liquid Waste Treatment ................. 161 4.1. Overview of Processes and Applications .. 161 4.2. Overview of Pilot Studies ............... 164 4.3. Sludge Thickening ....................... 170 4.3.1. Description ..................... 170 4.3.2. Design Considerations ........... 174 4.3.3. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 182 4.4. Sludge Conditioning ..................... 182 4.4.1. Description ..................... 182 4.4.2. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 189 4.5. Sludge Pumping .......................... 194 4.5.1. Description ..................... 194 4.5.2. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 194 IV TABLE OP CONTENTS (con't) Page 4.6. Centrifuges .............................. ^196 4.6.1. Description ..................... 196 4.6.2. Design Considerations ........... 206 4.6.3. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 208 4.6.4. Operating Considerations ........ 213 4.6.5. Past Performance ................ 214 4.6.6. Example Facility ................ 219 4.7. Pressure Filter Press ................... 229 4.7.1. Description ..................... 229 4.7.2. Design Considerations ........... 231 4.7.3. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 235 4.7.4. Operating Considerations ........ 239 4.7.5. Past Performance ................ 243 4.7.6. Example Facility ................ 252 4.8. Vacuum Filter ........................... 261 4.8.1. Description ..................... 261 4.8.2. Design Considerations ........... 266 4.8.3. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 273 4.8.4. Operating Considerations ........ 273 4.8.5. Past Performance ................ 276 4.9. Belt Filter Press ....................... 281 4.9.1. Description ..................... 281 4.9.2. Design Considerations ........... 283 4.9.3. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 285 4.9.4. Operating Considerations ........ 288 4.9.5. Past Performance ................ 290 4.9.6. Example Facility ................ 291 4.10. Sand Drying Beds ........................ 295 4.10.1. Description ..................... 295 4.10.2. Design Considerations ........... 299 4.10.3. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 312 4.10.4. Operating Considerations ........ 314 4.10.5. Example Facility ................ 317 4.11. Dewatering Lagoons ...................... 321 4.11.1. Description ..................... 321 4.11.2. Design Considerations ........... 323 4.11.3. Capital and Operating Costs ..... 324 4.11.4. Freeze-Thaw Considerations ...... 324 TABLE OF CONTENTS (COtl't) Page 4 . 12 . Chemical Recovery ....................... 330 4.12.1. Lime Recovery ................... 331 4.12.2. Coagulant Recovery .............. 338 4.13. Design Examples ........................ 374 5. System Optimization For Solid/Liquid Waste Management ................................. 389 5.1. The Sludge Management Model ............. 391 5.1.1. Start Up Program ................ 391 5.1.2. Main Program .................... 391 5.1.3. Output Program .................. 393 5.1.4. Data Files ...................... 394 5.1.5. Cost Updating ................... 395 5.2. Program Items ........................... 396 5.2.1. Water Treatment Process ......... 396 5.2.2. Sludge Removal .................. 399 5.2.3.. Unthickened Sludge Pumping Station ....................... 400 5.2.4. Gravity Thickener ............... 401 5.2.5. Thickened Sludge Pump Station ... 402 5.2.6. Sludge Dewatering ............... 402 5.2.7. Sludge Conditioning .............. 405 5.2.8. Final Disposal .................. 406 5.3. Examples ................................ 407 References ............................................. 424 Appendices Development of Cost Curves ........................ 431 VI LIST OF TABLES Number Page 1- 1 Guide to Locating Information on Wastes Within this Handbook .............................. 13 2- 1 Regulatory Acts Governing Watar Plant Waste Disposal ................................... 15 2- 2 Example In-Stream Water Quality Guidelines and Standards .................................. 20 2-3 Maximum Concentration of Contaminants For Characteristic of EP Toxicity .............. 25 2-4 Maximum Amount of Metal (lb/a^re) Suggested For Agricultural Soils with Sewage Sludge ...... 29 2- 5 Plankton Productivity, Chlorophyll Concentra tion and Assimilation Ratio in the Poquoson and Warwick Rivers During March and June, 1985 ....................................... 38 2- 6 Estimated 50% Survival Times of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis, Mitchill) in Synthetic Soft Water Solutions Containing Aluminum and Aluminum Complexing Ligands ... 42 2- 7 Chronic Aluminum Intoxication and Recovery For Trout ...................................... 45 2- 8 Threshold Concentration For Various Metals in the Air Activated Sludge Process ........... 52 2- 9 Stimulatory and Inhibitory Concentrations of Alkali and Alkaline - Earth Cations ........ 55 2-10 Nutrient Content of Alum Sludge .............. 75 2-11 Physical Properties and Plant Growth in Potting Media Amended with Alum Sludge ............. 77 2-12 Analysis of Forrest Solids One Year After Application of Alum Sludge ................. 80 3- 1 Major Water Treatment Plant Wastes ........... 85 3- 2 Quantity of. Backwash Water F^om Iron and Manganese Removal Plants ................... 98 Vll LIST OF TABLES (con't) Number Page 3-3 Regeneration of Cation Exchange Resins ....... 106 3-4 Specific Resistance For Various Chemical Sludges .................................... 114 3-5 Reported Alum Sludge Characteristics ......... 127 3-6 Elemental Analysis of Alum Sludge From Oak Ridge, Tennessee ........................... 128 3- 7 Metal Concentrations in Durham, N.C. Alum Sludge and Their Source .................... 130 3-8 Metal Concentration in Tampa, Florida, Alum Sludge ..................................... 131 3-9 EP Toxicity Test Results For Alum Sludge ..... 133 3-10 Partial Chemical Composition of Lime Sludges . 134 3-11 Summary of Radium Concentrations in Lime Softening Sludges and Backwash Waters ...... 142 3-12 Theoretical Sludge Quantities and Theoretical and Measured Ra225 Concentrations .......... 143 3-13 Example Ranges of Chemical Constituents of Ion Exchange Wastewater ........................ 145 3-14 Ra226 Concentrations in Ion Exchange Treatment Plant Wastewater ........................... 148 3-15 Crystal Lake's Water and Wastewater Barium Concentrations ............................. 152 3-16 Wastewater Characteristics at Palo Verde, AZ . 155 3-17 Wastewater Characteristics at Gila Bend, AZ .. 156 3-18 Fluoride Removal by Reverse Osmosis .......... 158 3-19 Arsenic Removal by Reverse Osmosis ........... 159 3-20 Nitrate Removal by Reverse Osmosis ........... 160 4- 1 Range of Cake Solids Concentrations Obtainable ................................. 163 Vlll