Butson, Nick

Nick Butson is a Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada in the wastewater and process engineering group at Geosyntec Consultant’s Canadian operations. Nick has worked in a variety of industries including seafood, poultry, potato processing, sugar refining, rendering and municipal plants and has over seven years of experience exclusively related to environmental engineering and wastewater treatment. Nick specializes in front end process engineering to develop process design plans, treatment trains, and treatment strategies to optimize existing wasteater treatment facilities and holds professional engineering licenses in Ontario and Manitoba.

Titles from this speaker

Description: Comparison of NMR Analysis and Traditional Wastewater Analysis to Evaluate an...

Comparison of NMR Analysis and Traditional Wastewater Analysis to Evaluate an Anaerobic Bioreactor Upset

Abstract

This study investigated the process upset of a benchtop low rate anaerobic reactor by quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) using typical wastewater quality analysis used by AD process operators and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. NMR is a fully quantifying and non-targeting method to detect changes in wastewater quality. The anaerobic reactor was seeded using anaerobic sludge from a potato processer and operated with a blanched potato wastewater mixture to provide nutrients and substrate. The system was operated for eight weeks to achieve steady state. During steady state, NMR was used to analyze the reactor effluent to generate steady state spectra of effluent quality for comparison during upset conditions. Once steady state was achieved, one dose of Benzolakonium chloride (BAC, a common QAC used in industrial sanitary processes) was added at 15 milligrams per liter (mg/L) in the reactor and the impact of the single dose on reactor performance was assessed. The study found that the reactor performance measured using COD removal efficiency, effluent volatile acid to partial alkalinity (VA/PA) ratio, effluent oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and methane gas yield indicated a process upset. NMR spectra identified an increase in volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in the effluent as a result of BAC addition. The results indicate that process upset conditions were caused by the single dose of QAC to the reactor at 15 mg/L and the upset conditions persisted for seven hydraulic retention times (HRTs) after the QAC was added.

This paper summarizes an experiment that investigated the effects of 15 mg/L benzalkonium chloride on a benchtop anaerobic digester using typical wastewater analytical methods (i.e., COD removal efficiency, methane generation yield, pH, etc.) as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The analytical methods were compared to understand advantages using NMR to analyze reactor performance and additional analytical results gained by NMR to diagnose anaerobic digestion process upsets.

SpeakerButson, Nick

Presentation time

11:20:00

11:30:00

Session time

11:00:00

12:00:00

SessionFinding Better Ways to Digest

Session number205

TopicBiosolids and Residuals

Author(s)

Nick Butson

Author(s)N. Butson1; J. Goodfellow2;

Author affiliation(s)Geosyntec Consultants, Waterloo, ON, CA1Geosyntec Consultants, Guelph, ON, CA2

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2021

DOI10.2175/193864718825158036

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count15

Description: Evaluation of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works to Accept New Loading from an...

Evaluation of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works to Accept New Loading from an Existing Industrial User

Abstract

The Berkeley County Public Service Sewer District operates a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The POTW accepts wastewater from residents and various industrial users; treating the combined wastewater through sequencing batch reactors and other supporting unit processes. The POTW is regulated by a West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection permit that includes an industrial pretreatment program allocating loads to industrial users (IUs). This permit limits industrial loading to the POTW to below the plant’s capacity, reserving capacity for future development. When one IU requested an increase to its allocated loading, Geosyntec used the biological modeling software GPS-X and other calculations to evaluate the impact the additional wastewater load might have on the existing POTW system operation. The results of the analysis were used to modify the industrial pretreatment permit and allow the POTW to accept additional loading from the IU.

The Berkeley County Public Service Sewer District operates a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) in Martinsburg, West Virginia, that accepts domestic and industrial wastewater. Wastewater accepted from industrial users (IUs) is managed through an industrial pretreatment permit. An IU requested to increase loadings to the POTW. Geosyntec evaluated how the POTW would perform with the proposed increased loading and provided information needed to modify the existing industrial pretreatment permit.

SpeakerButson, Nick

Presentation time

14:00:00

14:20:00

Session time

13:30:00

14:30:00

SessionIndustrial Pretreatment Trends

Session locationRoom S401a - Level 4

TopicFundamental Level, Industrial Issues and Treatment Technologies, Utility Management and Leadership

Author(s)

Butson, Nick