Impact of High Flow on Phosphorus Treatment Performance
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Infrastructure and environmental engineering (MPIEE), MSc
Publicerad
2024
Författare
Aboobacker Siddique, Mohammed Shareef
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
This thesis assesses the impact of high flow conditions on the performance of five
wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Sweden in terms of phosphorus (P) removal,
focusing specifically on effluent P mass flow. Predictive models were developed for
each WWTP using actual flow and effluent P concentration data to estimate the effluent
P mass flow outcomes under varying flow rates. These estimates provide stakeholders
with valuable insights into current performance and potential opportunities for
optimisation.
The research involved the collection and analysis of three years of flow, influent, and
effluent P concentration data for each plant. Statistical analyses were conducted to
identify flow rate patterns, and regression models were developed to predict effluent P
concentration which is then used to estimate effluent P mass flow under different flow
conditions.
Key findings indicate that as flow increases, effluent P mass flow also rises. When a
WWTP’s capacity is exceeded, bypass scenarios occur, resulting in a significant
increase in effluent P mass flow. The effectiveness of P removal at each WWTP is
closely related to the plant's overall treatment capacity and the inflow it receives.
The study also examined the performance of WWTPs under two scenarios: swapping
of catchments and swapping of WWTPs within municipalities, revealing additional
opportunities for optimisation. For most municipalities, improving catchment area
management could help reduce inflow peaks, and for all of them, upgrading design
capacities, techniques, or WWTP operations could significantly enhance P removal
performance.
In conclusion, this thesis provides important insights for optimising WWTP
performance in P treatment under high flow conditions, contributing to improved
environmental protection and regulatory compliance in Sweden.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
High Flow , Wastewater Treatment Plant , Phosphorus removal , Predictive Models , Process optimisation