Date Approved

1-27-2022

Embargo Period

1-27-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. Civil Engineering

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

College

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

Advisor

Sarah K. Bauer, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Kauser Jahan, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Cheng Zhu, Ph.D.

Keywords

wastewater treatment, grit removal systems, Atlantic County Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant

Subject(s)

Sewage disposal plants

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Abstract

Tailored solutions for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are becoming more prevalent for optimization of treatment process, based on the unique quality of the influent received by each facility. In-depth evaluation of the influent properties is necessary for design of the most appropriate treatment system. In this study, wastewater grit was evaluated in terms of its quantity, particle size distribution, total organic carbon (TOC) content, including fats, oils, and grease (FOG), and settling velocity of the particles, over the course of one year at the headworks, collection network, and through the treatment stages of the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) WWTP, located in New Jersey. Particles with diameter of 75 to 150 micrometers were the most prevalent, comprising 34.7% of the total suspended solids (TSS) received by the WWTP. The TOC fraction of the TSS ranged between 48 and 97%, with FOG comprising 2 to 34% of the TOC. Settling velocity of the mixed grit particles ranged between 1.49 and 3.72 mm/s. A significant seasonal variability and significant transport of grit through the treatment stages were observed. These results demonstrate that grit at ACUA WWTP is finer and slower to settle than the standard design assumptions. The ACUA WWTP would benefit from a tailored grit removal solution, design of which uses the results of this study.

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