VERNON
SMOKEY
STACK

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PROCESS DESIGN
by Vernon Smokey Stack, P.E., D.E.E.

The information in this web site is directed to environmental engineers (young or old) who might need help with conceptual design of wastewater treatment plants. 

 

REMOVAL OF VOLATILE ORGANICS 
FROM WATER BY AIR STRIPPING

Volatile organic compounds are stripped from water intentionally or unintentionally. 

 

  • Packed columns are designed to accomplish stripping.
  • Stripping may occur in aeration basins.:
    • It can be intentional to improve the quality of groundwater
    • It can happen unintentional during aerated treatment of wastewaters.

A discussion of stripping column design is presented in “Stripping of Volatile Organics” that can be downloaded at:

    Concepts in this document are the basis for an air-stripping model.  The model is a tool for stripping column design and includes basic information for 80 organic compounds.  The document also contains information about column packing materials.  However, the information was tabulated several years ago, and better packing materials probably exist.  The model can be downloaded from: 

An instruction manual for the model can be downloaded at:

Concepts that relate to air stripping in columns and aerated basin can be downloaded at:

The discussion and concepts cover basin aeration using surface and bubble aeration.  Examination of stripping from basins employs a KLa proportionality constant that relates stripping of a volatile organic material to that of oxygen.  A procedure is offered that uses the stripping model and identical stripping column conditions to estimate the proportionality constant for two compounds (say oxygen and trichloroethene).

An Excel Spreadsheet is useful for estimates of volatile component stripping by bubble or surface aeration.

 

 

smokeystack@comcast.net