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This course is part of the Water Treatment Certificate Program.

INSTRUCTORS: 
Lee H. Odell, P.E., M.ASCE
Peter H. Kreft, P.E.

This course is part of the Water Treatment Certificate Program.

Purpose and Background

This course provides a thorough understanding of the major unit processes used in water treatment, including chemical, physical, and biological processes. Several case studies throughout the course will illustrate how water utilities are incorporating multiple chemical, physical, and biological treatment processes into their water treatment plants. At the conclusion of this course, you will have a thorough understanding of the theory of the processes, as well as the real-world application of each unit process.

Benefits and Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Identify and understand the twelve most important chemical, physical, and biological processes used in water treatment.
• Describe the four most important chemical reaction types for water treatment.
• Explain the five most important physical treatment processes in water treatment.
• Evaluate the ten most common contaminants removed by biological filtration.
• List the four most important factors of the carbonate system, and the nine most common chemicals used to adjust it.
• Explain five kinds of contaminants removed by aeration.
• Assess eleven kinds of contaminants removed by anion exchange and seven kinds of contaminants removed by cation exchange.
• Compare reactions and kinetics for nine different oxidants and disinfectants.
• Research how chemical, physical, and biological processes work together in nine different case studies.

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Achievement of the learning outcomes by attendees will be assessed through (3) exams.

Who Should Attend?

• Civil engineers engaged in water treatment design
• Operation staff
• Consulting engineers

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs

This course is worth 2.4 CEUs/24 PDHs. To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete (3) exams and receive a passing score of 70% or higher.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]

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Course Outline

Week 1: The Fundamentals of WT Processes: Physical, Chemical, and Biological
Course and Week 1 Introduction
Overview of Water Characteristics
Water Contaminants
Learning Exercise
Chemical Water Treatment Processes
Physical Water Treatment Processes
Biological Water Treatment Processes
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 2: Water Chemistry – Kinetics & Reactions
Introduction
Chemical Reaction Kinetics
Catalysts and Chemical Equilibrium
Acids and Bases
Learning Exercise
Ionization
Buffering and Buffer Intensity
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 3: Water Chemistry – Carbonate Systems & Coordination Chemistry
Introduction
Carbonate System
Ligands and Organic Complexes
Precipitation and Dissolution Reactions
Polymers used in Water Treatment
Learning Exercise
Oxidation Reduction Reactions
Corrosion
Iron and Chlorine Chemistry
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 4: Physical Water Treatment Processes – Mixing Precipitation and Clarification
Introduction
Mixing Flocculation
Settling and Flotation
Models of Mixing and Clarification
Learning Exercise
Precipitation and Lime Softening
Learning Exercise
Conclusion
Exam: Week 1-4

Week 5: Physical Water Treatment Processes – Filtration and Separation Processes
Introduction
Screening
Granular Media Filtration
Alternative Granular Media Filtration
Learning Exercise
High Pressure Membranes
Filtration Models, Bench and Pilot Testing
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 6: Adsorption, Ion-Exchange and Gas Transfer
Introduction
Absorption
Adsorption
Learning Exercise
Ion Exchange
Aeration, Ozonation and other Gas Transfer Processes
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 7: Physical/Chemical Water Treatment Processes – Disinfection, Oxidation and Precipitation
Introduction
Disinfection and Oxidation
Chlorine, Chloramine, and Chlorine Dioxide Reactions
UV Reactions
Learning Exercise
Electrochemical
Permanganate and Ferrate
Advanced Oxidation
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 8: Biological Processes – GAC and Filtration
Introduction
Biological Treatment Processes for Surface Water
Biological Treatment Processes for Groundwater
Contaminants Removed by Biological Treatment in Surface Water
Learning Exercise
GAC as a Biological Treatment Media
Ozone and Biological Filtration
Biological Activity on Slow Sand Filters
Learning Exercise
Conclusion
Exam: Week 5-8

Week 9: Biological Processes – Iron, Sulfide, and Nitrogen
Introduction
Biological Treatment of Groundwater
Biological Removal Organisms
Nitrate Removal
Learning Exercise
Iron and Manganese Removal
Sulfate Removal
Biological Removal of Other Contaminants
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 10: Biological Processes – Other Contaminants
Introduction
Identifying Opportunities for Biological Removal
NOM and DBP Precursor Removal
Chlorate and Perchlorate
Learning Exercise
Bromate and Chromate
Selenium Removal
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 11: Distribution System Reactions
Introduction
Chemical Reactions in the Distribution System
Physical Changes in the Distribution System
Biological Changes in the Distribution System
Learning Exercise
Conclusion

Week 12: Combining Treatment Processes
Case Studies - Introduction
Conventional Filtration Case Study
Case Study: BAC Filtration
Case Study: Slow Sand Filtration
Case Study: Membrane Filtration
Learning Exercise
Case Study: Lime Softening
Case Study: Adsorption
Case Study: Ion Exchange
Case Study: DAF & BAC
Case Study: Groundwater Treatment for Nitrate, Chromate, Uranium & Other Contaminants
Learning Exercise
Conclusion
Exam: Week 9-12