Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Amanora Park Town Pune, Maharashtra ... P... · Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Amanora Park Town Pune, Maharashtra, India Fig. 8: General overview

1 Last updated: 24 November 2015

Case study of NaWaTech Project

Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Amanora Park Town Pune, Maharashtra, India

Fig. 1: Project location

Fig. 2: Applied sanitation components in this project

1 General data

2 Objective and motivation of the project The following objectives have been defined:

• To explore, assess and enhance the potential of compact wastewater treatment systems (sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and membrane bioreactor (MBR)) in order to improve their performance and reliability to deal with water shortages in India

• To optimise the combination of SBR and MBR (SMBR) into a robust system to cope with the needs of the Indian urban population

• To minimise the urban water footprint and enhance the water security of the area

The main motivation for this project is the necessity to provide adequate water supply and sanitation in urban areas, a challenging task for governments.

Fig. 3: Combined wastewater treatment system (SBR and MBR) for wastewater reuse in Amanora Park Town (source: BIOAZUL, 2014)

3 Location and conditions The selected site is a residential area within Amanora Park Town, a sprawling 400 acre township located in Pune (the second largest city of the state of Maharashtra). The surrounding area consists of several towers for apartments, buildings, school, hospital, fire station, parks, and power and water supply stations. The township has been awarded with many recognitions/awards in categories such as urban design, green projects and women empowerment.

Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) and Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)

biowaste rainwater greywater urine faeces/manure

colle

ctio

n tre

atm

ent

reus

e

Reuse for toilet flushing and gardening irrigation

Type of project: Treatment and reuse of mixed domestic wastewater from residential buildings in an existing urban area - pilot scale Project period: Start of construction: May 2014 End of construction: June 2014 Start of operation: June 2014 Ongoing monitoring period planned for: Not defined Project end: December 2015 Project scale: Number of people covered: 200-300 population equivalent Water flow: 30 m3/day Size of treatment plant: 52 m2 of land footprint (including housing for the equipment) Total investment (in EUR): 73,200.58 EUR Address of project location: Sector R-3, Amanora Park Town, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra 411028 India Planning institution: BIOAZUL S. L. (Spain) ESF (Ecosan Services Foundation) (India) Executing institution: BIOAZUL S. L. (Spain) ESF (Ecosan Services Foundation) (India) Supporting agency: Amanora Town Authority (India)




Furthermore, Amanora Park Town has a local sewage treatment plant (STP) treating 3.5 million litres per day (MLD) at present.

Fig. 4: Sky view of Amanora Park Town (source: Amanora Park Town, 2015)

Fig. 5: Surrounding buildings of selected test site in Amanora Park Town (source: BIOAZUL, 2014)

The region has a hot semi-arid climate, bordering tropical wet and dry climatic features, offering an average temperature ranging between 20 to 28 ºC. Three seasons take place in the region: summer (March-May), monsoon (June-October) and winter (November-February). Most of the 722 mm of annual rainfall in the city of Pune falls during the monsoon period. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Maharashtra is the state of India with the highest risk related to floods. Amanora Park Town is part of the Hadapsar suburb, an IT, manufacturing and entertainment hub of Pune city, which has emerged as the cultural capital of the state of Maharashtra. Moreover, Pune city represents the sixth highest income per capita in the country. However, the city is also an example of the water crisis suffered in urban areas of India, as a result of the increasing automobile and IT industry, the rapidly increasing population, and the growing demand for drinking water. It is estimated that 17 million inhabitants in the state of Maharashtra have no or unsafe access to water. In addition to this, only 68% of the wastewater generated in Pune is treated, contributing to water pollution in the Mula and Mutha Rivers.

4 Project history

The execution of this project is part of the NaWaTech collaborative project, and it is one of the selected six case studies in urban sites of India.

BIOAZUL, partner in charge of designing this particular wastewater treatment plant, visited the site in April 2013. The construction of the treatment system started in May 2014 and was finalised in June 2014, starting to operate straight afterwards. The systems used for wastewater treatment were first delivered in Spain and tested by BIOAZUL, and then shipped to India for installation. Currently, the project is running and treated wastewater is stored prior entering the reuse network.

Some obstacles encountered prior implementation of the system were related to local conditions, including features such as wastewater pollution load, power supply or area availability. These issues were tackled by researching and implementing adapted technology to the region, demanding less energy and adjusting equipment to be financially feasible. For the near future, trained personnel is required for operation and maintenance of the treatment systems.

5 Technologies applied

The selected treatment system – Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) and Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) - is currently treating mixed domestic wastewater (black water and grey water) collected for the existing STP, and it is designed to generate an effluent to be reused in toilet flushing and gardening. SBR and MBR systems represent intensive water treatment systems, allowing the effective treatment of heavily contaminated municipal wastewater, as stand-alone systems or in combination with natural extensive systems.

SBRs are a variation of the well-known activated sludge system, but undertaking carbon degradation, conversion of ammonia to nitrate (nitrification) and conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas (denitrification) in a single reactor tank. All steps occur along a specified sequence of aerobic and anoxic periods, followed by settling and decanting to separate treated water from active biomass. Phosphorus removal is possible as well. The entire cycle ends when treated water is pumped to a treated water tank passing through a sand filter, which removes remaining suspended solids. Then the plant is ready for starting a new treatment cycle. The system is easy to control; it has a small land footprint, and a reliable performance for various raw wastewater qualities.

Fig. 6: Overview of SBR system (source: BIOAZUL, 2014)




The MBR is a combination of biological treatment (normally aerobic, although anaerobic is also possible) with membrane filtration. The retention of biomass is not achieved by settling, but by using a membrane as a physical barrier. Not only biomass is retained but also viruses and bacteria (depending on pore size). The permeate pump drives water from the MBR tank to the treated water tank through the membrane, achieving a water quality good enough for reuse, considering that the treated water tank is equipped with an UV lamp working in continuous recirculation to assure a good disinfection rate. Very small footprints and stringent treatment requirements can be achieved with this system.

Fig. 7: Overview of MBR system (source: BIOAZUL, 2014)

Both systems share a buffer tank since they are placed at the same location. Inside the buffer tank, pre-treated wastewater is collected and stored before undergoing the selected treatment. The buffer tank is used in order to reduce space, to ensure the continuous availability of wastewater and to facilitate a previous oxidation of the organic matter before undergoing the main treatment in each reactor. All these systems were installed close to an existing wastewater treatment plant, from where the pre-treated water is being pumped to the buffer tank. A rotary screen is installed at the beginning of the treatment so that large particulate matter such as toilet paper and other solids are removed. Waste sludge removed from SBR and MBR systems is sent to the existing STP for further treatment.

The MBR and SBR systems were selected and adjusted considering characteristics of the area such as amount of wastewater to be treated, wastewater pollution, area available and effluent requirements.

Table 1: Average contaminant load of untreated wastewater and expected results after treatment for certain parameters.

Contaminant load [mg/l]

Expected results [mg/l]

Performance [%]

SS 198.00 35.00 94.62 BOD5 210.00 25.00 95.59 COD 470.00 125.00 90.07 Grease 10 1.00 90 N 12.30 2.00 83.33

The reason for the inclusion of this combined system is the demand for water re-use at high quality requirements in the urban context as well as the targeted removal of trace contaminants (micro pollutants) that would pass other stages. Furthermore, both systems are also seen as complementary components of the natural systems applied in the NaWaTech project to enlarge the modular flexibility.

6 Design information

General data provided for the design of the treatment system corresponded to the following aspects:

- water resources: 120 l/p.e.day & 30 gBOD/p.e.day - people equivalent: 205 PE - flow: 30 m3/day - type of reuse: gardening and flushing - energy supply: 380/3/50 V/Phases/Hz

The adaptation of the technology was essential to enhance its applicability. Research and development for designing both systems was concentrated on reduced energy demands and lower maintenance requirements. Therefore, low energy membranes, hydrostatic filtration and simplified reactor designs were considered in this project.

For the design of the MBR, the following data has been considered: - water resources: 120 L/p.e.d & 30 gBOD/p.e.d - people equivalent: 250 - flow: 30 m3/d

Considering the capacity of the MBR in terms of daily flow (30 m3), at least 25% of this volume (7.5 m3) is needed in order to store enough water during low sewage production periods. In order to avoid nitrogen level of treated effluent exceeding allowed values recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), a denitrification tank was considered and installed.

For the design of the SBR, the information considered is the following: - water resources: 120 L/p.e.d & 30 gBOD/p.e.d - people equivalent: 85 - flow: 10 m3/d

Taking into account the capacity of the SBR in terms of daily flow (10 m3), at least 25% of this (2.5 m3) is needed in order to store enough water during low sewage production periods. Since denitrification step occurs in the same tank, an additional tank for nitrogen removal is not necessary.

Materials

Both systems share a buffer tank as they are placed in the same area. The total volume of the buffer tank is 10 m3, which is enough for feeding 30 m3/day to the MBR and 10 m3/day to the SBR. The total footprint of the combined treatment system (including housing for the equipment) has resulted in 52 m2 (1.3 m2/m3 of treated water).

All construction materials and most of the equipment used for this treatment system (e.g. pumps, motors, blowers, probes, etc.) are available in India. Only specific parts such as tailor made membranes (for the MBR) may be shipped from Europe, if not provided in India.




Fig. 8: General overview of the systems (source: BIOAZUL, 2014)

7 Type and level of reuse

For this project, domestic grey water and black water are mixed and treated for direct reuse applications. After wastewater is collected and treated, effluents are stored in a separated tank and are fully available to feed the reuse network. The two different types of reuse chosen in this project are irrigation and urban reuse. Specifically, the activities considered for reuse are garden irrigation and toilet flushing, taking place in the proximities of the treatment plant and residential buildings.

8 Further project components

This project will produce knowledge, technologies, guidelines and tools for skilled service providers, SMEs, research partnerships and enabled institutional environments for the application of SBR and MBR systems (implementation and operation) to cope with water shortages in urban areas of India. Likewise, it will bring stakeholders together sharing an interest in urban water management, creating learning alliances (institutionalised in the NaWaTech community of practice, CoP) in order to achieve an impact beyond the project on the implementation of research and dissemination activities, by taking into account local problems and needs. This will contribute to a reduction of the vulnerability of Indian cities and their capacity to cope with water shortages. Social and institutional aspects will be studied in order to include the approach in an integrated urban (water) management plan and to ensure the enabling institutional framework to prepare for up-scaling. For dissemination, take-up and mainstreaming of the project outcomes, a framework for design, implementation and operation regarding local conditions will be developed to transfer gained knowledge into the practical activities of local SMEs. End-user acceptance for reuse activities and awareness will be stimulated in order to enhance business opportunities. A decision support tool part of this project (i.e. the NaWaKit) will incorporate all actors relevant to support SMEs, end-users and decision makers in selecting the best technology combination for a given setting.

The impact on reduction of fresh water consumption will also be assessed as a result of treated wastewater being used for toilet flushing.

9 Costs and economics

Detailed information regarding investment, operation and maintenance costs is illustrated in the following table.

Table 2. Investment, O&M and total treated water costs (in EUR) per treatment system in Amanora Park Town project

COST MBR SBR Investment (equipment) 49,944.44 EUR 23,256.14 EUR

Operation & maintenance*

3.5 – 0.1 EUR/p.e.year

2 – 0.065 EUR/p.e.year

Total treated water *



(*) Estimated costs in Europe

10 Operation and maintenance

SBR and MBR systems require trained personnel for operation and maintenance. For this purpose, BIOAZUL S.L. has trained Amanora staff to be fully responsible for operation and maintenance of the systems, following the “NAWATECH O&M Manual MBR + SBR systems” specifically tailored to the treatment plant components provided by BIOAZUL S.L.

Maintenance works for the MBR are relatively similar to other secondary treatment systems, with the exception of membrane cleaning, which should take place one/twice per year. Normal maintenance of pumps and motors following manufacturer instructions is required as well. A remote control of the system is highly recommended as then the maintenance staff can monitor and manage the plant from anywhere.

As for the SBR, despite the system being fully automatised, some maintenance activities are necessary, mainly related to solve problems with flow meter, the level transmitter or pressure sensors.

The institutions responsible for the coordination of the safety planning process (planning, implementation, revision) are ESF and SERI (during the project duration), and Amanora staff (after hand-over). Furthermore, ESF is responsible for the performance of foreseen analyses.

11 Practical experience and lessons learnt

Although the project is still running and in the monitoring phase, some valuable experiences can already be described.

In order to facilitate the implementation of the selected technologies, local site conditions must be identified and analysed from the early stages. In this sense, surface area availability, volume of wastewater to be treated, reuse activities expected, or power supply are just some of the local features to be considered.

MBR and SBR systems are suitable for most urban settings, only power supply and hydraulic connections must be carefully considered. Short electrical power cuts may cause some problems, especially in the SBR, as it may mean that the process is stopped in the middle of a concrete stage.




Nevertheless, such kind of incidence has not occurred and is not expected at Amanora Park Town. In addition, internet connection has to be considered as an indispensable requirement and its availability should be checked at all potential installation sites right from the planning stage, as it is required for carrying out the remote control. Once more, this has never been a problem in Amanora, and it is not expected for the future either, due to the fact that the profile identified as typical customer for these kinds of technologies coincides with urban settlements similar to Amanora township. Other than these, no special requirements were needed since shape and size of the systems were adapted to land surface availability.

In general, spare parts needed for the construction of both technologies are locally available (providers can supply the needed equipment both in Europe and in India). Customs duty can be a problem, as costs of the materials sent can increase a lot (occasionally up to 150%). Therefore, local manufacturers should be preferred (for instance, there is a good membrane manufacturer close to Pune). For Amanora, critical parts such as the membrane or the control panel were brought from Spain, although they were available in India as well and providers are already known by BIOAZUL staff. Hence, they will be definitively bought there next time. Regarding the control panel, perhaps some specifications would be necessary when using an Indian provider, but this should nevertheless be possible. In addition, the existing local technical service is suitable for reparation and maintenance.

For the installation phase of the equipment, minor problems occurred due to certain delay of materials to be delivered (e.g. tanks and motors) and the construction of the basement. As a consequence, the construction process suffered some delay although it did not affect the inauguration date for the plant. Concluding, the time to be considered for design, land preparation, construction and commissioning, may have to be increased in comparison to the European context. Potential issues with providers, permits to be conceded by authorities, etc. may prolong the time needed for such tasks. Taking this into account, can help avoid delay when calculating the project delivery date.

Possible hazards with respect to technical components and their impacts are related to membrane clogging and puncturing, break-down of software/control panel, break-down of pumps, break-down of valves, and contamination of drinking water distribution pipes.

Local climate conditions are not expected to have any impact on the treatment performance, although specific parameters such as MLSS in reaction tanks must be carefully monitored during monsoon periods.

Due to the ongoing collaboration between international partners (Indian and EU), it is important to make sure all stakeholders use the same nomenclature regarding equipment, construction materials, etc. in order to avoid potential misunderstandings.

Regarding gender aspects, NaWaTech principles have been followed to contribute to an increased enrolment of women in the research and development sector in India.

Up to now, the acceptance of the technology implemented has not been an issue for any of the stakeholders involved. The operation of the SBR requires less technical skills to be operated than the MBR, what in principle makes it more suitable for India. However, the profiles of typical costumers for using these technologies are those from townships like

Amanora, where skilled operators can be hired, so in this case there is no need to object neither of the systems. Moreover, considering concretely the Amanora case study, the MBR is preferred by the local staff in comparison with the SBR as they can train already skilled personnel to operate the MBR, it takes less space and its efficiency is better.

Regarding operation and maintenance, it became clear that things become much easier and fluent when dealing directly with the client. Operators on site usually work on a memory basis, and not using extensive manuals where all answers can be found. These are of importance, nevertheless, but even more is to have the overall focus on teaching and learning besides providing and having all needed information available. Training is needed not on an academic basis, but interacting with the operators in their working environment (hands-on). Furthermore, it is important to always consider who your end user is.

Short reaction times for solving punctual problems with the systems are required, so appropriate responsibilities have to be established from the very beginning (it is needed to determine which operator is in charge of what).

Committing mistakes with the MBR can be much more serious than with the SBR; however, the MBR gives faster adaptation responses when the operation conditions have to be re-established (e.g. when the plant has to be restarted). This is another reason justifying Amanora’s preference for the MBR.

Decisions taken to solve any anomalous circumstances have to be in line with the manufacturers’ guidelines, which have to be known and frequently used by the operators.

Finally, regarding sampling, taking into account that in this case study the outflow from both systems ends in one common tank, the different parameters should be measured more strictly.

Fig. 9: Recognition from Indian partners to a member of BIOAZUL, after the treatment plant was successfully installed (source: BIOAZUL, 2014)

12 Sustainability assessment

and long-term impacts

A basic assessment (Table 3) was carried out to indicate in which of the five sustainability criteria for sanitation (according to the SuSanA Vision Document 1) this project has its strengths and which aspects were not emphasised (weaknesses).




Table 3: Qualitative indication of sustainability of system. A cross in the respective column shows assessment of the relative sustainability of project (+ means: strong point of project; o means: average strength for this aspect and – means: no emphasis on this aspect for this project).

collection and

transport

treatment transport and

reuse Sustainability criteria: + o - + o - + o - • health and

hygiene X X X

• environmental and natural resources X X X

• technology and operation X X X

• finance and economics X X X

• socio-cultural and institutional X X X

The main expected impact of this medium-scaled project is the development of tools and technologies for the implementation, monitoring and mainstreaming of technical wastewater treatment systems such as MBR and SBR systems, in order to cope with water shortages in urbanised areas of India.

Besides the positive impact of implementing this system in Amanora Park Town, the results from this project are also relevant for other Indian regions as well as for EU countries facing similar challenges (e.g. rapid urbanisation or failure of conventional water treatment systems).

In addition, expected and global impacts caused by this project are i) substantial reduction of freshwater abstraction and pollution, ii) more efficient use of limited water resources and iii) improved resilience to water shortages and climate change.

13 Available documents and references

The following websites and bibliography have been gathered and are related to the project:

• Official website of NaWaTech: o http://www.nawatech.net/

• NaWaTech Compendium of Technologies: o Available here.

• Mid-term meeting NaWaTech: o Available here.

• Hingorani, P. 2011. The Economics of Municipal Sewage Water Recycling and Reuse in India. India Infrastructure Report, pp 312-322.

• Lahnsteiner, J., Klegraf, F., Ryhiner, G. and Mittal, R. 2007. Membrane bioreactors for sustainable for sustainable water management (WABAG). Published in Everything about Water, Issue December 2007.

• Asano, T., Burton, F., Leverenz, H., Tsuchihashi, R. and Tchobanoglous, G. 2007. Water reuse: Issues, Technologies, and Applications. Metcalf & Eddy Inc. New York: McGraw Hills.

• UNEP & Murdoch University. 2004. Environmentally Sound Technologies in Wastewater Treatment for the Implementation of the UNEP/GPA. Guidelines on Municipal Wastewater Management. The Hague: United Nations Environment Programme Global Programme of Action (UNEP/GPA), Coordination Office.

14 Institutions, organisations and contact

persons

Contact details of partners involved in this project: BIOAZUL S.L. Avda. Manuel Agustín Heredia nº 18 1º4, 29001 Málaga (Spain) Phone +34 951047290 E-mail [email protected] Website: http://www.bioazul.com/en

ESF (Ecosan Services Foundation) First floor, Flat no 1.24 Prashant Nagar, 721/1, Sadashiv Peth, Pune.411030 Phone: +91 9820 441 979 Website: http://www.ecosanservices.org/esf

• Contact details related to the NaWaTech project:

Indian Coordinator: NEERI Dr. Pawan Labhasetwar Water Technology and Management Division – NEERI Nehru Marg, Nagpur - 440 020, India Phone: +91(0) 71 22 243 797 E-mail: [email protected]

European coordinator: ttz-Bremerhaven Ms. Lucía Doyle / Ms. Katie Meinhold Water, Energy and Landscape Management – ttz Bremerhaven Fischkai 1 - 27572 Bremerhaven - Germany Phone: +49 (0) 471 4832 204 / +49 (0)471 80934 192 Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Sustainability criteria for sanitation: Health and hygiene include the risk of exposure to pathogens and hazardous substances and improvement of livelihood achieved by the application of a certain sanitation system. Environment and natural resources involve the resources needed in the project as well as the degree of recycling and reuse practiced and the effects of these. Technology and operation relate to the functionality and ease of constructing, operating and monitoring the entire system as well as its robustness and adaptability to existing systems. Financial and economic issues include the capacity of households and communities to cover the costs for sanitation as well as the benefit, such as from fertiliser and the external impact on the economy. Socio-cultural and institutional aspects refer to the socio-cultural acceptance and appropriateness of the system, perceptions, gender issues and compliance with legal and institutional frameworks. For details on these criteria, please see www.susana.org: the SuSanA Vision document "Towards more sustainable solutions" (www.susana.org).




Case study of NaWaTech project NaWaTech – Natural water systems and treatment technologies to cope with water shortages in urbanized areas in India Author: Pilar Zapata Aranda (Bioazul S.L., [email protected]), Editing and reviewing: Gerardo González (Bioazul S.L., [email protected]), Alejandro Caballero (Bioazul S.L., [email protected]); Guenter Langergraber (BOKU Wien, [email protected]); Leonellha Barreto Dillon (SEECON gmbh, [email protected]) © NaWaTech

Documents

Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Amanora Park Town Pune, Maharashtra ... P... · Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Amanora Park Town Pune, Maharashtra, India Fig. 8: General overview