Improving the Performance of a Coastal Atlantic Wastewater Treatment Facility: Use of a Novel Adenosine Triphosphate Monitoring Tool and Investigation of Polymer Dosage

Abstract

In response to increasingly stringent federal regulations on wastewater effluent quality, municipalities are exploring optimization strategies for existing treatment facilities. This research project was conducted at the Lunenburg Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF), which utilized a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) followed by a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) system in series. The objectives of this research were to establish a novel monitoring program for the MBBR using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a biomass indicator and determine the optimum polymer dose for the DAF process to improve effluent quality. Baseline ATP data was collected from October 2020 to November 2021. The ATP testing kits were adapted for application in the MBBR system, with weekly sampling capturing seasonal variation in biomass. Results indicated that ATP concentrations were lower than those reported for other biological treatment systems, consistent with the expected lower biomass concentration in an MBBR-DAF configuration due to the absence of return activated sludge. There was also indication of a correlation between the presence of filamentous bacteria and stress of the bioreactors, supporting the use of ATP as an early warning tool for process upsets. In parallel, a bench-scale study was conducted to test polymer dosing in the DAF system. Findings demonstrated that the WWTF could achieve the target effluent total suspended solids (TSS) concentration of 25 mg/L without polymer addition. Furthermore, excessive polymer dosing was shown to hinder solids removal, contributing to aesthetic issues in the effluent. These results suggest that significant cost savings and process improvements could be achieved by minimizing polymer use. Overall, this research highlights the potential of ATP-based monitoring for MBBR systems and emphasizes the importance of dosage selection in chemical treatment at wastewater treatment facilities in order to enhance performance and meet evolving regulatory and community expectations.