MONITORING OF AMMONIA, TOTAL PHOSPHORUS AND NITRATE IN UNIVERSITITEKNOLOGIPETRONAS SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

Malaysia does not regulate any standard limit for Total Phosphorus, Ammoniacal
Nitrogen and Nitrate yet. The objective of this project is to characterize the
concentration of Total Phosphorus, Ammoniacal Nitrogen and Nitrate in the wastewater
samples taken at different points in the sewage treatment plant before and after the
rectification of the sewage treatment plant. Whenever the sewage treatment plant was
closed for system upgrading, the samples were taken at the inlet and outlet of the
oxidation pond. Methodologically, the wastewater samples were collected by using
grab sample method and auto-sampler device. Continuous experiments and tests were
carried out to the wastewater samples to record the concentration of the
abovementioned substances. The project was divided into two phases, which are before
and after rectification of the sewage treatment plant. Overall, there were no significant
improvements observed after the facility had been rectified. This indicated that the
rectification works did not help in removing in the abovementioned contaminants. As a
conclusion, the concentration of Ammoniacal Nitrogen and Nitrate in the final effluent
met the standard limit set by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). However, the
concentration of Total Phosphorus in the final effluent was significantly and constantly
high. The existing sewage treatment plant must be upgraded so that it could function to
remove or reduce the concentration of Total Phosphorus to the accepted limit. The most
cost effective method to remove or reduce ammonia and nitrate in the sewage treatment
plant is by establishing nitrification and denitrification process within the system. Thus,
design and operating strategies for nitrification and denitrification had been briefly
discussed in Chapter 6. The design can be used by the future students to be applied to
the current treatment system. Nitrification was achieved twice during the second phase
of this project. During nitrification, the removal percentages of Ammoniacal Nitrogen
to Nitrate were 87% and 92% respectively. By combining the nitrification results with
the other team mates, it was concluded that, nitrification took place when the effluent is
equivalent to TSS - 50 mg/L, TCOD = 32 mg/L, SCOD = 18 mg/L, TOC - 18 mg/L
and MLSS - 1235 mg/L at 21/03/2007.