Table of Content

Rohan Wood
University of technology sydney | 13917760

Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility

48350 Environmental and Sanitation Engineering - Autumn 2023
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DEGREE OF WATER/WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND TREATMENT EFFICACY..........................- 2 -
PRIMARY TREATMENT............................................................................................................................................- 3 -
Automated Screens............................................................................................................................................- 3 -
Grit Tanks..........................................................................................................................................................- 3 -
Sedimentation Tanks.........................................................................................................................................- 3 -
SECONDARY TREATMENT.......................................................................................................................................- 4 -
Bioreactor.........................................................................................................................................................- 4 -
Secondary Clarifier...........................................................................................................................................- 5 -
TERTIARY TREATMENT...........................................................................................................................................- 5 -
Dual Media Filters............................................................................................................................................- 5 -
UV Disinfection.................................................................................................................................................- 5 -
IMPORTANT WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS & DISCHARGE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES - 6 -
PHYSICAL................................................................................................................................................................- 6 -
CHEMICAL...............................................................................................................................................................- 7 -
INORGANIC..............................................................................................................................................................- 7 -
FINAL DISCHARGE PARAMETERS............................................................................................................................- 7 -
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ASPECTS OR UNIT PROCESSES AT THE PLANT THAT ARE NEW TO
YOU?..........................................................................................................................................................................- 8 -
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DESIGN, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE
SUSTAINABLE TREATMENT, IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AS WELL AS MITIGATE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TREATMENT SYSTEMS THROUGH RESOURCE RECOVERY
STRATEGIES...........................................................................................................................................................- 9 -
REFERENCE LIST..................................................................................................................................................- 9 -

Introduction

Water is one of the most vital resources for human existence, and as such,
the quality and accessibility of fresh water are absolutely paramount.
However, the limited availability of freshwater resources presents a
significant challenge. Only a fraction of a percent of the world's freshwater is
suitable for human use (Castelo, 2021). This means that water treatment is a
critical process that helps to eliminate pollutants from the water and make it
safe for people and their
environment. Wastewater includes
both greywater from showers,
sinks and washing appliances as
well as blackwater from toilets
and urinals (Queensland
Government, 2019). In Sydney,
Australia, Sydney Water operates
thirty wastewater treatment and

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recycling plants, with the Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility (CWRRF)
being a very significant one.
The CWRRF was established in 1999 and services the wastewater of over
250,000 people throughout homes and businesses in the Southerland Shire
(Sydney Water, 2020). This water is treated to where it is safe to be used for
non-potable purposes such as irrigation and toilet water or be released back
into the environment via an outlet in Potter Point, Kurnell (Sydney Water,
2020). This research report will provide an in-depth analysis of the three
levels of water treatment, including primary, secondary, and tertiary, as well
as significant parameters and standards that the Cronulla Water Resource
Recovery Facility must obey. Additionally, the report will thoroughly review
the facilities operations, maintenance, and design aspects to provide
recommendations for improvement.

Degree of Water/Wastewater Treatment and Treatment

Efficacy

All of Sydney Water’s treatment facilities are designed to remove impurities

and contaminants such as dirt, chemicals, bacteria and viruses from the
water in order to create a constant recycling producing water that is safe for
humans and their environment (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention,
2022). In saying that, each facilities process’ can vary slightly depending on
the source of the water and its intended use. Each process will include some
type of physical, chemical and biological processes that fall under the
categories of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary treatment, each refining the
water quality continually as its passes through each step. An illustration of

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the process used by the Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility is shown
below:
(Sydney Water, 2020)
Primary Treatment

Primary treatment is the process of physically removing solid matter from the
wastewater. The result of this treatment alone cannot be discharged into the
environment. Primary treatment can be carried out using a range of
techniques, but typically involves processes such as flotation, sieving, or
gravity settling. At the Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility, a three-
phase primary treatment process is applied, which includes a step screen
followed by a longitudinal aerated grit chamber and then a conventional
sedimentation tank.
Automated Screens
This area of the plant is equipped with six individual step screens designed to
capture and eliminate large solid waste from incoming wastewater. The
screens are specifically intended to intercept and remove debris such as food
scraps, cosmetic products and plastics commonly found in grey and
blackwater.

Grit Tanks
Following the initial screening process, the water is directed into one of four
longitudinal aerated grit chambers with a capacity of over 160 meters cubed.
Here, the wastewater is aerated and rapidly rotated within the tank, causing
fine grits such as sand, dirt, and finer food particles to be forced towards the
perimeter. The gritty solids are then gathered at the bottom of the tank via a
mechanical arm.

Sedimentation Tanks
Once the water has been aerated for two minutes, it is held for roughly two
hours in one of the four massive tanks. During this time, gravity causes any
remaining solids to settle on the bottom of the tank, while oils rise to the top
due to relative density differences. Chain and Launder scrapers located at the
top and bottom of the tank then remove the sediment, preparing the
wastewater for secondary treatment.

Secondary Treatment

The secondary treatment process aims to eliminate unwanted chemicals such

as phosphorous or nitrogen. These nutrients can lead to eutrophication within
the environment when present in high concentrations. This condition
increases algae growth and depletes oxygen levels in the water and
detrimentally affecting the aquatic ecosystem. Furthermore, the algae

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produce toxins and encourages bacterial growth, which can cause severe
illness in humans who are exposed to the contaminated water (Government
of Western Australia, 2020). The Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility
implements a dual step approach which involves Modified Ludzack Ettinger
Bioreactors and Circular Secondary Clarifiers.

Bioreactor

The bioreactor portion of Cronulla’s water treatment is comprised of five

modified Ludzack tanks. These tanks contain concentrated microorganisms
that control the amount of oxygen present throughout different parts of the
tank to facilitate both aerobic and anaerobic reactions. The aerobic processes
require high oxygen levels to enable microorganisms to consume
phosphates, reducing the phosphorus levels whilst anaerobic reactions occur
in the absence of oxygen, allowing microorganisms to consume nitrous oxide,
thus reducing nitrogen levels.

(University of Technology Sydney, 2023)

Secondary Clarifier

The secondary clarifier contains four circular tanks that operate quite
similarly to the sedimentation tanks. Sludge is allowed to settle so that the
treated water can be directed through to the tertiary stage of treatment.
However, the sludge collected from the secondary clarifier is recycled back
through the bioreactor, extracting biosolids in three steps. Firstly, the sludge
is thickened in order to reduce moisture content. Then, the sludge is
stabilised using aerobic and anaerobic digestion. Finally, high-speed
centrifuges are used to remove any remaining water from the biosolids,
diminishing the amount of waste and creating a valuable fertiliser for
agricultural use in the process.

Tertiary Treatment

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The last phase of Cronulla’s treatment process is the tertiary treatment. This
is where persistent pollutants that were undeterred by the previous
processes are targeted and eliminated. The Cronulla Water Resource
Recovery Facility implements physical techniques throughout their tertiary
treatment to extract the remaining fine particles and disinfect the treated
water. This is conducted in two steps consisting of Dual Media Filters and UV
Disinfection Channels.

Dual Media Filters

This section of the treatment utilises 8 deep bed dual media filters consisting
of sand and coal layers for the filtration of any remaining particles. These
filters employ gravity to direct water through the 1000mm thick anthracite,
300mm thick sand, and 225mm thick gravel/garnet layers, ideally resulting in
completely particle free water.

UV Disinfection

The last step in the entire water treatment process conducted by the Cronulla
Water Resource Recovery Facility is disinfection. The plant uses 4 channels
consisting of 2 banks of 8 UV modules to achieve this disinfection. The
ultraviolet light kills any lingering microorganisms that have the potential to
be harmful to the environment. The UV light achieves this by penetrating the
microorganisms and damaging the DNA strands to where they become
inactive and die.

Important water quality parameters & discharge

standards and guidelines

Laws that ensure the health and safety of people and their environment by
predetermining the standards wastewater must adhere to before it can be
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released is paramount in society. Without these, contamination and
subsequent diseases would be far more prevalent. The Cronulla Water
Resource Recovery Facility holds a licence distributed by the New South
Wales Environment Protection Agency that clearly outlines parameters that
must be met in order for the facility to remain operational. These parameters
are outlines below:

Physical

Physical water parameters are those aspects of water that can be observed
or perceived by humans including colour, smell and temperature. These
parameters are significant indicators of water safety. This is clearly illustrated
by sewage which is brown in colour with a strong unpleasant smell indicating
plentiful suspended solids, signifying a high probability of harmful chemicals
and diseases. Turbidity is a typical method of measuring a water samples
suspended solids and colour. Tests can be conducted where light is shone
through a sample, quantifying the amount of light scattered by the
suspended material.

Furthermore, the smell of the water gives an indication of the minerals and
salts as well as any biological reactions occurring within the sample. It is
specifically outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency that all water
discharged by the Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility must be without
colour or odour, ensured by the tertiary treatment of the wastewater.

Additionally, the waters temperature correlates to the

amount of dissolved oxygen that exists in a water
sample which will impact marine life. The higher the
water temperature, the lower the dissolved oxygen,
illustrated by the following equation (University of
Technology Sydney, 2023):

Chemical

One example of a chemical water parameter is the Biochemical Oxygen

Demand. This is the amount of oxygen that bacteria absorb whilst
decomposing the organic matter within a water sample under aerobic
conditions. Hence, the biochemical oxygen demand is also a subsequent
measure of the organic matter concentration within a sample.

(CalcVerter, 2013)

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Another example of a chemical parameter is the Chemical Oxygen Demand.
This aspect indicates the how many chemical reactions are occurring in a
water sample observed by the amount of oxygen being consumed. Chemical
Oxygen Demand can be conducted in a far shorter timeframe (3 hours) than
that of Biochemical Oxygen Demand testing (5 days) and although there is a
correlation between the outcomes of these tests, it differs between each
water sample (Clean TeQ Water, 2023).

Inorganic

Inorganic parameters related to the Cronulla Water Resource Recovery

Facility include the alkalinity as well as the potential hydrogen (pH) of the
water. The pH is found using the following formula (University of Technology
Sydney, 2023):

Alkalinity is a measurement of a water samples ability to offset and neutralise

acids without undergoing any major change in pH. What makes this
important is that it can determine how stable the water is and how it will
react when mixed to natural acids Alkalinity is determined most commonly
via titration experimentation. If pH and alkalinity levels are not monitored, it
can cause to significant damage to the environment due to how corrosive
and toxic highly concentrated acidic and basic solutions can be (Evans &
Sober, n.d.).

Final Discharge Parameters

The final discharge petametres as enforced by the Environmental Protection

agency for the release of wastewater in New South Wales is illustrated here.
If the water does not meet all criterion, it is considered unsafe for release and
must undergo further treatment (Owusu-Ansah, 2015).

What are some of the aspects or unit processes at the

plant that are new to you?

As the researcher and author of this report, I found it most intriguing how
water treatment plants are powered. Since the plant's operations consume
such significant amounts of electricity, it seems as if it would be incredibly
expensive to power the wastewater treatment cycle on such a large scale.
However, my research revealed that wastewater treatment plants like the
Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility generate their own electricity
whilst treating the water. This particular plant, for instance, employs

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cogeneration to produce nearly 20% of the facility's total energy
requirements (Sydney Water, 2020).

Cogeneration refers to the simultaneous generation of both electricity and

heat. Cronulla is one of the eight out of thirty Sydney Water treatment plants
that utilise this technique to power their own treatment (Sydney Water,
2020). Throughout the secondary treatment process, the anaerobic digestion
creates gasses that are predominantly methane and can be used to power
combustion engines in a generator (Sydney Water, 2020). Treatment plants
such as the one in Cronulla that utilise this kind of technology can end up
outputting upward of 750 kilowatts each day. Not only does this reduce the
amount of harmful gas released into the atmosphere but it also makes the
plant extremely energy efficient.

Prior to the research conducted, I associated every water treatment with the
use of chlorine, so I was incredibly surprised to find that this wasn’t an
integral part of the treatment plant. This is put down to the inefficiency in
both capability and cost-effectiveness. Instead, the ultraviolet light
accomplishes the same feat with far greater overall effectiveness and
efficiency.

Recommendations for design, operation and

maintenance, in order to achieve sustainable treatment,
improve energy efficiency, as well as mitigate
environmental impact of treatment systems through
resource recovery strategies

The Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility operates at a high level of

efficiency with no significant public issues. The plants design emphasises
cost-effectiveness, whilst being extremely efficient in both its operation and
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maintenance. It still follows strict maintenance guidelines that include
constant services and the replacement of critical mechanical components.
Although, the plant's applications are still fairly restricted. At the present
point, the only product produced by the treatment plant is biosolids for use in
agricultural fertiliser. The plant is still incapable of producing potable water
for the local residents. To improve the plant's profitability, it is recommended
to install additional tertiary treatment equipment in order to be capable of
producing potable water. This would require the installation of a chemical
mixing tank along with a clarifier in an additional section of the plant. In this
section, the Cronulla Water Resource Recovery Facility would use chemicals
such as aluminium sulfate to clump any remaining microscopic particles
together so that they can be effectively filtered out (Prokopova et al., 2021).
This would then allow the water to become potable and could be further
utilised by the surrounding community.

Additionally, the technology used in energy production within the Cronulla

Water Resource Recovery Facility will naturally continue to improve over
time. This makes it imperative for resource recovery that the most updated
technology is continually implemented in order for the plant to remain at an
optimum energy efficiency.

Reference List

CalcVerter. (2013, August 4). Biological oxygen demand (BOD)

calculator. https://calcverter.blogspot.com/2013/08/biological-oxygen-demand-
bod-calculator.html

Castelo, J. (2021, December 14). What is the percentage of drinkable water on earth? World Water
Reserve. https://worldwaterreserve.com/percentage-of-drinkable-water-on-
earth/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, May 18). Water
treatment. https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.
html

Clean TeQ Water. (2023, January 19). Efficient COD and BOD removal from
water. https://www.cleanteqwater.com/water-recovery-solutions/cod-and-bod-
removal/
Evans, M., & Sober, G. (n.d.). How Alkalinity Affects Nitrification. CALIFORNIA WATER ENVIRONMENT
ASSOCIATION. https://www.cwea.org/news/how-alkalinity-affects-nitrification/
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%20(CaCO3)

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Government of Western Australia. (2020, April 14). Toxic algal blooms. Agriculture and Food |
Department of Primary Industries and Regional
Development. https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/small-landholders-western-
australia/toxic-algal-blooms

Owusu-Ansah, E. (2015, August). Effluent discharge values and the EPA standard. ResearchGate | Find
and share research. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Effluent-discharge-
values-and-the-EPA-standard_tbl2_283101737

Prokopova, M., Novotna, K., Pivokonska, L., Cermakova, L., Cajthaml, T., & Pivokonsky, M. (2021,
December). Coagulation of polyvinyl chloride microplastics by ferric and aluminium sulphate:
Optimisation of reaction conditions and removal mechanisms. Just a
moment... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S22133437210
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Queensland Government. (2019, September 11). Wastewater. Environment | Department of

Environment and Science,
Queensland. https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/management/water/pollution/
wastewater

Sydney Water. (2020, September 14). Treatment Plant. Cronulla Wastewater

Treatment. https://file:///Users/rohanwood/Downloads/Case%20Study%202%20-
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Wastewater. https://www.sydneywater.com.au/education/wastewater-
recycling/wastewater-treatment/cronulla-wastewater-treatment.html

Sydney Water. (2020). Sydney Water Annual

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University of Technology Sydney. (2023). Removing nitrogen and phosphorous [PDF]. Mohd
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