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Performance Assessment of Oxidation Ditch Systems for Municipal Wastewater Treatment in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The oxidation ditch technology has been increasingly implemented in Saudi Arabia for the treatment of municipal wastewater and some industrial wastewater. Wastewater treated by an oxidation ditch represents about 63% of the total quantities of wastewater discharged to treatment plants. The present study is aimed at examining and assessing the performance of the oxidation ditch systems for the treatment of municipal wastewater in Saudi Arabia. The study presents survey data from 15 oxidation ditch plants distributed in different cities at KSA to demonstrate its compliance with regulations of the Ministry of Water and Electricity (MWE) for secondary treated effluent. Two methods were followed to examine and assess the performance of the oxidation ditch. The first method depends on collecting historical data from plants records for influent and effluent from secondary treatment over two years. The second method is to set up a demonstration laboratory sampling program to collect samples from oxidation ditch plants and analyze them in the King Saud University laboratory.
The work done as a part of a research project “Evaluation of the Oxidation-Ditch Process for the Biological Treatment of Municipal Wastewater in Saudi Arabia". The project is financed by the Long-Term Comprehensive National Plan for Science, Technology, and Innovation, KACST.
Historical effluent means ranged between 3–25 mg/L for BOD, 15–233 mg/L for COD, 5-28 mg/L for SS, and 4–20 mg/L for TKN. All the oxidation ditch plants, with a percentage of 100%, satisfy the Saudi secondary limits, which are 40:40 for BOD and TSS, respectively. Removal percentages for BOD ranged from 83% to 99%; for COD, it ranged from 41% to 97%; for TSS, it ranged from 82% to 99%; and for TKN, it ranged from 32% to 95%.
For the water sampling program, effluent means ranged between 3-112 mg/L for BOD, 14-196 mg/L for COD, 3-163 mg/L for SS, and 2-42 mg/L for TKN. Only 12 oxidation ditch plants out of 15 satisfy the Saudi secondary limit, which represent 80% of oxidation ditch plants, satisfy the secondary limits.
By investigating the three plants that did not satisfy the secondary limits, it appears that these plants are overloaded and highly exceed the design limits. Also, the plants suffer from industrial wastewater and high shock loads from septage trucks.
Keywords: Oxidation Ditch, Treatment, Performance, Evaluation, Survey, Saudi Arabia
References
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