Municipal wastewater treatment involves treating sanitary wastewater, which can include a substantial portion of industrial wastewater, to make it acceptable for discharge into a receiving river, stream, lake, ocean, etc. The treatment of municipal wastewater involves the use of various processes and performance chemicals to remove impurities from the wastewater by coagulation, precipitation, sedimentation, filtration, biological oxidation, chemical oxidation, etc.

• Total Suspended Solids (TSS) removal
• Phosphorus removal
• Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) reduction
• Total Organic Carbon (TOC) removal
• Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) reduction
• Sludge Dewatering
• Hydrogen sulfide odor control
• Improve operational consistency

By clicking onto one of the above you will learn more about the specific products that are used in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Applications.

Municipal Wastewater Treatment:
Suspended Solids Removal

In both municipal and industrial wastewater treatment applications there are many types of materials that need to be removed. They can be organic solids, inorganic solids, oils, fats, etc. To remove these solids generally requires product that has both good coagulating and flocculating capabilities.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Each different solid present in wastewater has its unique characteristics. Gulbrandsen carries a line of specialty products specifically designed to remove wastewater solids. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist you in solids removal are:

Aluminum Chloride Solution
Ferric Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution

Municipal Wastewater Treatment:
Phosphorus Removal

Phosphorus is present in water in one of three forms: orthophosphate, polyphosphate and organic phosphate. Generally, a wastewater stream will have some combination of all three forms of phosphate present. More importantly, the phosphorus can be in either soluble or insoluble forms. Soluble phosphorus can be removed by complexing with a positively charged ion such as aluminum or iron. For example, aluminum phosphate (AlPO4) will be formed when a metal salt like aluminum chloride is introduced to a water source containing phosphates. The aluminum phosphate is insoluble at typical pH ranges, and, therefore, the phosphate is removed through sedimentation. In the insoluble form phosphate is coagulated just as any other particulate solid and is also removed through sedimentation.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Different coagulants have different abilities to remove soluble versus insoluble phosphorus. Gulbrandsen has a wide range of products that will allow you to meet your phosphorus removal targets, depending on the characteristics of your wastewater source:

Aluminum Chloride Solution
Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Ferric Chloride Solution
Ferrous Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution

Municipal Wastewater Treatment:
TOC, COD and BOD Removal

TOC is the measure of the Total Organic Carbon, COD is the measure of the Chemical Oxygen Demand and BOD is the measure of the Biological Oxygen Demand in wastewater. These three parameters are used to characterize both municipal and industrial wastewater. BOD tends to be used more frequently in municipal wastewater treatment, and COD is used more often in industrial wastewater treatment.

In both municipal and industrial wastewater treatment applications there are many types of materials that contribute to TOC, BOD and COD. They can be organics, inorganics, oils, fats, etc. TOC, BOD and COD can be removed by coagulation and/or filtration when they are in the form of suspended solids. If they are soluble, then adsorption, biological oxidation or chemical oxidation processes are needed to remove them. To remove suspended TOC, BOD and COD generally requires product that has both good coagulating and flocculating capabilities.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Each different solid present in wastewater has its unique characteristics. Gulbrandsen carries a line of specialty products specifically designed to remove wastewater solids. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist you in solids removal are:

Aluminum Chloride Solution
Ferric Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution

Municipal Wastewater Treatment:
Sludge Dewatering

In municipal water and wastewater and industrial water and wastewater treatment there is a substantial amount of sludge generated. Inorganics like ferric chloride and lime used to be the products of choice for dewatering various sludges. Organic polyelectrolytes have replaced many of these applications. But today many municipal and industrial accounts are using combinations of organics and inorganics.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen offers several products that can be used alone, in combinations with lime or in combination with organic polyelectrolytes. They are:

Aluminum Chloride Solution
Ferric Chloride Solution
Organic Polyelectrolytes

Municipal Wastewater Treatment:
Hydrogen Sulfide Odor Control

In both municipal and industrial wastewater distribution systems and treatment plants hydrogen sulfide gas can form. This gas, above threshold levels, can cause severe odor problems.

Irons salts in solution will react with the hydrogen sulfide dissolved in water and precipitate a fine suspension of iron sulfide.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen offers several iron salts that readily react with hydrogen sulfide to form iron sulfides. They are:

Ferric Chloride Solution
Ferrous Chloride Solution

Municipal Wastewater Treatment:
Improved Operational Consistency

When looking at the use of chemicals for treating water and wastewater one must look at the entire system. This includes clarification, filtration, disinfection and sludge dewatering. The products used in the coagulation process have an impact on the operating efficiency of subsequent treatment processes. A product may work well in one process but cause major problems in another. As an example you may find a product works well to clarify water but it generates a sludge that is very difficult to dewater.

Gulbrandsen Solution:
Gulbrandsen offers a range of polyaluminum chemicals that are strongly cationic and prehydrolyzed, making them more reactive at lower dosages than conventional coagulants. Lower dosages generally mean less solids carryover and less sludge generated. The solids generated when using these polyaluminum chemicals are less voluminous and easier to filter and dewater. These product attributes translate into a more constant and uniform operation with all interrelated processes. The Gulbrandsen products that will best assist you in filtration are:

Aluminum Chlorohydrate Solution
Polyaluminum Chloride Solution
Polyaluminum Chlorosulfate Solution