Course Title
Lecturer / Professor
Degree Course
ECTS
e-mail
Sanitary and Environmental Engineering
Arnaldo Pierleoni
Civil Engineering
9
arnaldo.pierleoni@unicusano.it
Main textbook:
Title: Trattamenti delle acque reflue
Author: L. Bonomo
Editor: Mc Graw Hill
Reference Book
Alternative textbook in English:
Title: Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse
Authors: Metcalf & Eddy
Editor: Mc Graw Hill
Other resources:
Lecturer’s notes available on the multimedia platform;
or
Title: Depurazione delle acque di piccole comunità
Authors: L. Masotti, P. Verlicchi
Editor: Hoepli
Method of
examination
Written exam and (optional) oral discussion
Topics Covered
This course describes engineering approaches to protecting water quality with an emphasis on
fundamental principles. Theory and conceptual design of systems for treating municipal
wastewater and drinking water are discussed, as well as reactor theory, process kinetics, and
models. Physical, chemical, and biological processes are presented, including sedimentation,
filtration, biological treatment, disinfection, and sludge processing. Finally, there is
discussion of engineered and natural processes for wastewater treatment. A detailed
description of covered topics follows.
Treatment of municipal wastewater:
Typical system diagrams and flowcharts (primary, secondary and tertiary treatments).
Estimate of waste flows:
i) dry season flow; wet season flow;
ii) coefficients and peaks of flow rates.
VIA DON CARLO GNOCCHI, 3 – 00166 ROMA
TEL. 06.45678350 – FAX 06.45678379 – www.unicusano.it - info@unicusano.it
P.IVA 09073721004
Characteristics of wastewater:
i) general principles of treatment and main design parameters (TS, VS, TSS, VSS,
BOD, COD, TOC, ThOD, TKN);
ii) correlations between BOD, COD and TOC;
iii) loads and concentrations of the pollutants.
Pumping systems: typical pumping schemes; turbo centrifugal pumps for sewage, installation
in wells, pumps in parallel and characteristic curves; intermittent operation of pumps and
work sequences; civil engineering works; screws, air ejectors, volumetric pumps, dispensers.
Physical treatments:
i) coarse screening, fine screening, sifting, equalization of pollutants, homogenization
of the flow, grit removal, mixing, flocculation and oil extraction;
ii) static sedimentation, Netwon formula, Stokes formula, hydraulic surface loading,
hydraulic retention time, mass sedimentation;
iii) design criteria for the primary and secondary clarifiers, efficiency of sedimentation,
flotation, aeration systems.
Chemical treatment processes: fundamentals of chemical coagulation, fundamentals of
chemical removal of phosphorus, chemical precipitation of heavy metals, chemical oxidation
of BOD / COD removal of ammonia.
Biological treatment processes:
i) the role of microorganisms, adherent and suspended mass reactors;
ii) bacterial growth, biomass production, oxygen demand;
iii) biological kinetics (Monod law and Michaelis Menten ): terminology, utilization rate
of soluble substrate, the growth rate of biomass, effect of temperature;
iv) biological removal of organic substances, biological nitrification, de- nitrification,
biological requirements of O2 and ventilation systems;
v) overview of biological phosphorus removal.
Tertiary treatments (overview): filtration and disinfection (chlorine, chlorine dioxide,
peracetic acid, UV).
Sludge treatment:
Anaerobic processes: hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, methanogenesis, reaction speed,
sizing criteria for combined and separate reactors, biogas production and energy balance.
Sludge nature: dry production, moisture, unit weight, particle size and granulometry.
VIA DON CARLO GNOCCHI, 3 – 00166 ROMA
TEL. 06.45678350 – FAX 06.45678379 – www.unicusano.it - info@unicusano.it
P.IVA 09073721004
Sludge thickening: gravity, flotation, centrifugation, drainage.
Sludge stabilization: aerobic stabilization; psychrophilic and mesophilic anaerobic
stabilization, structural characteristics of the reactors; conditioning and dewatering.
Natural treatments:
Phytodepuration, lagooning and storage in tanks.
Course Objectives
Course objectives are to provide theoretical knowledge, methodological, technological and
regulatory frameworks for the design and management of municipal wastewater treatment
plants.
Expected Results
The Student who successfully finishes the course will have a wide knowledge about the
collection, treatment and disposal of municipal wastewater and sludge together with a deep
knowledge of the treatment processes. The Student will also be able to design and/or manage
a wastewater treatment plant for small community.
VIA DON CARLO GNOCCHI, 3 – 00166 ROMA
TEL. 06.45678350 – FAX 06.45678379 – www.unicusano.it - info@unicusano.it
P.IVA 09073721004