Removal of pollutants in wastewater treatment plants

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which operate due to the vital activity of microorganisms, often do not achieve high nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater. Nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in treated wastewater enter surface water bodies and cause their eutrophication. The effective treatment of wastewater is essential for creating a sustainable environment. Three WWTPs were selected with similar effluent discharges (10 m3/d) and the removal of pollutants was analyzed. Chemical analysis data of wastewater samples of WWTPs effluent was collected and evaluated for each quarter for 5 years (2017-2021). The results showed that 76.67% of the residual total phosphorus concentration, 1.67% of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD7), and 25% of total nitrogen from all analyzed samples did not meet the requirements for treated wastewater. In order to achieve a higher level of removal of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, additional tertiary treatment is recommended.