Feasibility Study of a Barge Mounted System for Treatment of Sewage from Army Watercraft Holding Tank

摘要

The objective of this study was to determine the technical feasibility of using a barge mounted treatment system for handling blackwater wastes from U.S. Army watercraft. This would replace the current practice of pumping out the blackwater storage tanks on watercraft into tank trucks and transporting the materials to a sewage treatment plant. In order to develop a barge mounted blackwater treatment system a body of information was gathered and analyzed. Initially an extensive literature search was conducted to determine the state-of-the-art in marine waste treatment. This included shipboard waste characterization (in terms of quantity and pollutant concentrations) and investigation of applicable legislation. Commercial and developmental marine sanitation devices (MSD's) were studied, as well as conventional wastewater treatment methodologies which appeared feasible for barge mounting. Specific design requirements involved in barge mounting of a treatment system were also identified. Based on this information, feasible barge locations and specific design wasteloads were determined. Once the nature and quantity of the waste and basic design requirements were established, a preliminary screening of the spectrum of wastewater treatment unit processes was conducted to isolate a number of pertinent alternative systems. Suitability of these systems was based on capability to meet discharge requirements, adaptability to barge mounting and operational simplicity. These systems were then compared at each location from a cost and technical standpoint and the most feasible system(s) determined.