Combined advanced photochemical technologies and biological processes for the treatment of multicomponent wastewater

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This proposal deals with modeling, optimization, and development of combined advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs) and biological processes for the treatment of multicomponent wastewaters such as municipal, slaughterhouse, petrochemical, and soluble polymeric wastewater. To date, there is a lack of information on the efficient treatment of actual wastewaters using cost effective integrated processes. Due to the limitations of individual chemical, physical or biological processes in their effectiveness or economical feasibility, almost none is sufficiently applicable on its own. Although the main advantages of AOTs are their destructive and nonselective nature as well as their high reaction rates, the treatment imposes high operating and capital costs. An alternative treatment is the biodegradability enhancement of wastewater by a photochemical pre-treatment. The development, optimization, engineering models, dynamics, synergetic effects, and eventually the design of combined processes for the treatment of actual wastewaters are the main objectives of this research proposal. In the first phase of this project, the hybrid and combined AOTs such as UV/ultrasound, UV/hydrogen peroxide, and UV/ultrasound/hydrogen peroxide are optimized in terms of economics, contact times, overall efficiency, synergetic effect, operating parameters, and the sequence of the processes. A pilot plant sonophotoreactor along with two other UV photoreactors, already designed and constructed, are used to examine these processes. In the next phase of this project, the optimized photochemical processes are integrated with the biological process using activated sludge as either pretreatment, post-treatment, or both. This research will provide information on how best to combine photochemical and biological processes for the treatment of an actual wastewater. To optimize these processes, the total cost, degradation rates, residence time in each reactor, overall efficiency, synergetic effects, and the concentrations of the parent and intermediate by-products are analyzed. Finally, to minimize the retention time and the total cost of combined processes, an optimization algorithm is developed and validated using experimental data.