BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL PROCESS SELECTION, DESIGN, AND OPERATION OF THE LICUNHE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, QINGDAO CITY, CHINA

摘要

This paper summarizes the planning, design, and initial operation of the 80,000 m3/day (first stage, ultimate capacity of 170,000 m3/day) Licunhe Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which is one of five WWTP’s planned for the Qingdao, a community of nearly two million people located on the Northeast Coast of China on the Yellow Sea across from Korea. The wastewater to be treated is high strength due to the low water usage by the community residents (it is a water short area) and since a variety of industrial wastewaters (including those from textile, chemical processing, papermaking, meat processing, winery, and printing-dyeing industries) are served by the plant. Discharge standards are expected to vary through the life of the facility, so it was designed to accommodate the removal of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Plant unit processes include coarse screening, influent pumping, fine screening, grit removal, primary clarification, air activated sludge incorporating biological nutrient removal, and chlorination. Plant effluent is also reclaimed for in-plant uses. Sludges are gravity thickened and dewatered. Anaerobic digesters are planned for later addition. Plant performance data demonstrate that, even though the influent wastewater strength is much higher than originally projected (due to increased industrial wastewater discharges), plant performance exceeds performance expectations. These results demonstrate the successful of a modern wastewater treatment plant, incorporating nutrient removal, in China.