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ERTEP 2007 SHORT COURSE ON

MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT: THEORY and APPLICATIONS

This two-day short course is primarily aimed at practitioners engaged in the design, operation, and management of wastewater treatment facilities, as well as government officials responsible for the regulation and enforcement of environmental laws and policies pertaining to the management and treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters. The course will emphasize both the theory and design of conventional mechanical treatment systems including activated sludge plants and trickling filters as well as more passive systems such as aerated and facultative lagoons. The course will also provide an overview of wastewater treatment goals, various levels of treatment i.e. preliminary, primary, secondary, tertiary, and advanced as well as pertinent processes and unit operations. The course format will encompass both formal lectures and workshops to enhance the participants learning experience through the discussion and hands-on analysis of “real-life” problems. At the end of the course, the participants would gain insight into the development of conceptual designs and process schematics to meet specific criteria, be able to size various treatment processes, as well as familiarize themselves with operational requirements and challenges.

Course Outline:

  1. Lecture 1: Wastewater Characterization (1.5 hours)
  2. Particle size classification
  3. Organic & inorganic contaminants and environmental impacts
  4. Fractionation of organic matter
  5. Speciation of nitrogen and phosphorous
  1. Lecture 2: Overview of Water Pollution Control Processes (2.0 hours)
  • Levels of wastewater treatment
  • Typical quality of primary, secondary, and tertiary effluents
  • Wastewater treatment processes and residues
  • Development of conceptual designs
  1. Workshop 1: Development of treatment process designs (1.5 hours)
  1. Lecture 3: Grit Removal & Primary Clarification (1.5 hours)
  • Settling velocity calculations
  • Design of grit removal systems
  • Design and performance of primary clarifiers
  1. Lecture 4: Biological Wastewater Treatment (2.5 hours)
  • Principles of bioreactor design
  • Theory and design of activated sludge process
  • Activated sludge design based on conventional loading parameters
  • Activated sludge design based on kinetic parameters
  • Design of secondary clarifiers
  1. Workshop 2: Activated Sludge Process Design (1.5 hours)

7.Lecture 5: Design of Trickling Filters (1.5 hours)

  • Overview of various types of trickling filters
  • Trickling filters design models: NRC and Eckenfelder
  1. Workshop 3: Design of Trickling Filters (1.5 hours)

9.Lecture 6: Design of Aerated Lagoons and Stabilization Ponds (2.0 hours)

  • General overview of Natural Systems
  • Theory and design of aerated lagoons
  • Theory and design of stabilization ponds
  • Economics of waste stabilization ponds

10.Lecture 7: Disinfection (2.0 hours)

  • Principles of Chlorination
  • Design of Chlorine Contact Tanks
  • UV Disinfection: principles and practice

Cost: The registration fee for the course is US150 per participant

Instructor: Professor G.A. Nakhla

Spencer Engineering Building Room 3037
Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

The University of Western Ontario

London, Ontario, Canada

Tel: (519) 661-2111 Ext. 85470
Fax: (519) 850-2921
E-mail:

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