Performance evaluation and parameter estimation of the advanced primary filtration (APF) process in wastewater treatment plants

Conventional technologies employed in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) demand significant energy consumption. Concurrently, the wastewater infrastructure is experiencing a heavy strain as a result of the increased influent loads and pollutants. Advanced primary filtration (APF) is an emerging wastewater treatment process for early removal of suspended solids from raw wastewater. In this work, the APF process comprises of a two-stage filtration system, consisting of a proprietary rotating belt filter (RBF) (collectively known as microsieve) followed by a proprietary continuous backwash upflow media filter (CBUMF). The principal focus of this study is the assessment of the APF process performance, and the prediction of the total suspended solids (TSS) effluent concentrations of the APF process, using a parameter estimation method. According to pilot scale experimental results, the percentages of TSS (average TSS removal rate of 51 %) and biological oxygen demand (BOD₅) (average BOD₅ removal rate of 30 %), removed by the microsieve were notably higher compared to conventional primary treatment (sedimentation). The removal efficiency of the APF process during stable operation, varied from 69 to 86 % for TSS, as compared to 50–70 % typically achieved with primary sedimentation. The removal performance of BOD₅ varied from 44 to 82 %, as compared to 25 to 40 % typically achieved with primary sedimentation. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates for the APF process ranged between 62 and 90%, as compared to 25–40 % typically achieved with primary sedimentation. The early removal of TSS prior to aeration tank has the potential to significantly enhance the capacity of the WWTP and decrease the energy requirements of the aeration tank. A high degree of concordance between model predictions and experimental data was observed. This study demonstrated the potential of using the APF process for the early removal of TSS from raw municipal wastewater just upstream of the aeration tank.