UNEPGPA PILOT PROJECT PROPOSAL APPLICATION OF INNOVATIVE LOW COST WASTEWATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY WI

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UNEP/GPA PILOT PROJECT PROPOSAL APPLICATION OF
INNOVATIVE LOW COST WASTEWATER TREATMENT
TECHNOLOGY WITH NUTRIENT REMOVAL 

• Second Regional Workshop on Municipal Wastewater
  Management for Latin America and the Caribbean
  June 10 11, 2003, Mexico City

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Contact Institutions

• Dr. Lorna Inniss
• Director (Ag.)
• Coastal Zone Management Unit
• Ministry of Housing, Lands the Environment
• Government of Barbados
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• Mr. Stan Harvey
• Project Director (Ag.)
• Sewerage Solid Waste Project Unit
• Ministry of Health
• Government of Barbados

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Contact Institutions

• Dr. Hugh Sealy
• Vice-President
• Caribbean Water Wastewater Association
• C/O Stantec Consulting International Ltd.
• Winslow House, Black Rock, St. Michael,
• Barbados.

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Overview of Domestic Wastewater Systems in
Caribbean Countries 

• The majority of the Caribbean population resides
  on the coasts of the islands.
• There is clear evidence that nearshore waters are
  severely stressed by nutrient and sediment loads
  from inadequate treatment and disposal of
  municipal wastewater.
• Less than 20 of the populations of the islands
  have access to a sewerage system.

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Overview of Domestic Wastewater Systems in
Caribbean Countries

• The majority of the existing sewerage systems
  throughout the Caribbean are not in compliance
  with the LBS Protocol.
• New sewerage systems either recently constructed
  or designed in some islands (e.g. Barbados) are
  not in compliance with the LBS Protocol (for
  either Class 1 or 2 Waters)
• To achieve compliance will be prohibitively
  expensive for these Small Island Developing
  States (SIDS).

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Wastewater Reuse

• In addition to stressed coastal ecosystems, a
  number of countries in the sub-region suffer from
  a lack of adequate freshwater resources.
• For example, Barbados is one of the most water
  scarce countries in the world with only
  approximately 170 m3 of available freshwater per
  capita per year.

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Pilot Project Objectives

• The overall objective of this pilot project is to
  investigate the feasibility of using innovative
  low cost (capital operating) treatment
  technology to upgrade existing treatment plants
  or for use in new plants to produce municipal
  wastewater effluent of a quality that will be in
  compliance with the LBS Protocol for Class 1
  waters.
• Recognizing the importance of removing nutrients
  prior to discharge in sensitive tropical waters,
  the technology must also be capable of removing
  nitrogen and phosphorus at a rate equivalent to
  that achievable by conventional Biological
  Nutrient Removal (BNR) technology.
• Further, recognising the benefits that would
  accrue from wastewater reuse, the evaluated
  technology must be capable of producing an
  effluent suitable for Urban Wastewater Reuse.

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Proposed Pilot Project

• It is proposed that the following innovative low
  cost technology is evaluated at a pilot scale
• Anaerobic treatment BNR aerobic second-stage

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UASB Technology

• The Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB)
  Technology was previously thought to be limited
  in its application to only high strength
  Industrial wastewaters. However, in the recent
  past, both in Colombia and Brazil, a slightly
  modified form of the basic technology has been
  proven repeatedly for many full-scale city sewage
  treatment plants.

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UASB Technology

• The key benefits of this anaerobic UASB
  Technology are to achieve basic biological
  wastewater treatment with a very low capital and
  operating cost, low energy consumption, and low
  waste sludge to be disposed.
• This new style of anaerobic UASB Technology has
  now been proven and the technology can be applied
  for many international applications.

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UASB Technology

• However, the degree of treatment for conventional
  parameters (BOD5 and TSS) is substantially less
  than conventional activated sludge processes. In
  addition, the anaerobic UASB Technology does not
  remove nutrients such as Total Nitrogen (TN)
  Total Phosphorus (TP), such as is possible with
  BNR technology.

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Brazil Piracicamirin, Sao Paulo State

• 47,000 m3/d (540 L/s) UASB reactors

H2S biofilters
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Brazil Piracicamirin, Sao Paulo State
Aerobic Sludge treatment Building

• Final 2ry Clarifiers (Lamella)

Lamella Style Clarifiers
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UASB reactorSection
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UASB BNR Second Stage

• Consultants have completed a process design
  concept using post-treatment BNR technology to
  not only have the UASB Technology benefits as
  listed above, but also TN TP treatment
  biologically using a low cost, low rate BNR
  system.
• It is this combination of the anaerobic UASB
  Technology PLUS TN TP treatment biologically
  using a low cost, low rate BNR system that has
  never been proven on an operating basis, which
  will be the focus of this proposed pilot plant
  testing program.

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UASB BNR

• This demonstration of the two technologies in
  combination has not been done before and if
  proven successful, could form the basis of
  appropriate BNR treatment and recycle and reuse
  of high quality, treated wastewater throughout
  the developing world.

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Description of the Process

• The Proposed Pilot Plant will consist of three
  main components
• Inlet headworks removal of large solids and
  heavy grit particles. This stage may be
  eliminated with existing preliminary plants.
• UASB Reactor
• Aerobic Activated Sludge Reactor

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Expected Outcomes And Outputs

• A pilot WWTP will be constructed and will be
  operated utilising effluent from the SCSP.
• Four (4) months of operational and engineering
  data will be collected from the pilot plant.
• Laboratory and field tests will be conducted to
  determine plant performance and effluent quality.
• Unit capital and operating cost estimates will be
  generated.
• A Final Report with recommendations, including a
  comparison with other technologies will be
  generated within six (6) months of mobilisation.

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Project Justification Replicability

• A number of Small Island Developing States in the
  Caribbean are faced with nutrient and sediment
  stressed coastal ecosystems caused by discharges
  of raw or poorly treated municipal wastewater.
  In addition, a number of these countries have
  scarce freshwater resources. Development of and
  proving the process feasibility of a low cost
  treatment technology that achieves compliance
  with the LBS Protocol and allows for wastewater
  reuse by BNR treatment would be very applicable
  in the sub-region.

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Major Project Components And Activities

• The expected major project components and
  activities will be as follows
• Project Process Design and Pilot Plant Design
• Construction of the Pilot Plant
• Pilot Plant Commissioning and Operator Training
• Operations and engineering troubleshooting,
  monitoring and reporting

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Major Project Components And Activities

• Laboratory and field tests
• Final report and recommendations
• Demobilisation
• It should be noted that as part of the study,
  local operators (designated by the Barbados Water
  Authority) will be trained to operate the Pilot
  Plant.

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Constraints

• No logistical constraints are anticipated. Land
  is available at the site of the WWTP for the SCSP
  to construct the pilot plant.
• Technical/operator support is available from the
  Barbados Water Authority.
• Laboratory support is available from the
  Government Analytical Services.

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Liaison With Other Projects And Initiatives

• If the results of the pilot project are
  successful, a full-scale plant will be built and
  the treated effluent used to irrigate existing
  and pending tourism-related developments in
  Barbados.
• It is further anticipated, that other countries
  in the region faced with similar issues will be
  interested in the results of the study. It is
  our intention to use fora such as the Annual
  Conference of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater
  Association to disseminate the results of the
  pilot project.

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Partners and Stakeholders

• Anticipated partners and stakeholders include
• The Barbados Government
• Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association
• Private consultants
• Private developers
• Funding agency

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Project Assessment For Success Or Failure

• Technical criteria will include
• Compliance with the LBS protocol for Class 1
  waters
• Nutrient removal efficiency equivalent to
  conventional BNR
• Effluent quality in compliance with USEPA
  requirement for Urban Reuse of wastewater

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Project Assessment For Success Or Failure

• Reliability and robustness of the technology
  The basic process components and technologies
  proposed for the pilot plant have all been used
  independently and proven for many years.
  Anaerobic technology for Municipal applications
  being proven in full scale for about 15 years.
  BNR treatment has been used and proven
  extensively throughout the world for almost 20
  years. But the combination of these 2
  technologies has yet to be proven on a pilot
  plant basis.

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Project Assessment For Success Or Failure

• Financial Criteria
• Capital and Operating costs to be compared to
  conventional technology and membrane filtration.

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Projected Capital Costs
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Projected Operating Costs
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Total Estimated Costs
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Thank youQuestions and Comments