Tetsuo Minami
Global Environment Centre Foundation

Overview of the Global Environment Centre Foundation (GEC)
Programs:(1) Supporting the activities of the United Nation
Environment Programme (UNEP) International
Environmental Technology Centre (IETC)(2) Offering technical cooperation and other assistance todeveloping nations in the areas of environmental
conservation and measures to address global warming
Date of founding: January 28, 1992
Responsible ministries: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministryof the Environment
Locations
Headquarters: Ryokuchikoen, Tsurumi-ku, Osaka
Tokyo Office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo

Principal GEC programs
UNEP IETC projects
Projects promoting business exchanges with developing nations in the areas ofenvironmental and energy-saving technologies
Secretariat for the JCM Financing Programme under the commission of Ministry of theEnvironment, JapanJICA training in environment-related fields, etc.
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Japan’s High Economic Growthand Environmental Pollution

Year-on-year GDP growth (%)

A rare disease caused bycadmium contained in mining
wastewater became an issue ofpublic concern. (Itai-itai disease)
Environmental standards forwater pollution were decided.
The Diet passed 14 pollution-relatedbills, including the Water Pollution
Control Act.

Water pollution
caused damage tohuman health,farming and fishingacross Japan.

A rare disease caused by organic
mercury contained in industrial
wastewater became an issue ofpublic concern. (Minamata disease)

Source: EDMC Handbook of Energy & Economic Statistics in Japan (2014)3

Major Water Pollution Incidents in Japan
Niigata Minamata
disease(Niigata)

Organic mercury
Itai-itai disease(Toyama)Cadmium

Osaka Prefecture
Tokyo Metropolitan

Minamata disease(Kumamoto)

Organic mercury

Damage to localfishing(Chiba and Mie)4

Relationship between Industrial Development
and Anti-pollution Measures

Economy has priority over the environment
during a high economic growth period.
It is difficult to clarify a causal relationshipbetween health damage andenvironmental pollution.

Environment

EconomyIt takes a lot of time and costto restore polluted areas.

Osaka in 1960’s

It is important to establish and properly operate necessary
laws to prevent environmental pollution.
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Improvement of Water Quality by Sewerage Improvement
and Drainage Control (Osaka)
Yamato River
Yodo River

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Kanzaki River

Yodo River

Neya River

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Yamato River

BOD (mg/L)

Otsu River

20151050'71 '73 '75 '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '87 '89 '91 '93 '95 '97 '99 '01 '03 '05
FY6Watershed of Yodo river and Yamato river
Lake Biwa

KYOTO
Yodo river

KOBEOSAKA

Osaka bay

Yamato river

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Current situation of Yodo river in Osaka

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Organic wastewater qualities and their treatment methods
Biological treatment using activated sludge method that utilizes microbiological activity is commonly applied
for treatment of wastewater that contains high level of organic matters.
Business category

Wastewater quality (before treatment)

Treatment method/remarks

 Starch manufacturing(Starch, corn starch, etc.)
Wastewater discharge: 100 – 3,000m3/day• pH： 6 - 8• BOD： 500 – 20,000 mg/L
• SS： 5,000 mg/L
• T-N： 100 - 200 mg/L

• UASB Method, Anaerobic
treatment method, Activatedsludge method<Remarks>
pH change due to putrefaction

 Animal and vegetable oils andfats manufacturing(Animal and vegetable oils and fats)
Wastewater discharge: 100 – 2,000m3/day• pH： 4 - 9• BOD： 100 – 2,000 mg/L
• SS： 400 – 1,000 mg/L
• T-N： 20 - 30 mg/L

• Flotation treatment method,Activated sludge method<Remarks>
Separation of emulsified oil Pharmaceutical manufacturing(Synthetic drugs, vaccine, vitamins,etc.) Wastewater discharge: 1,000 –
3,000 m3/day• pH： 2 - 11
• BOD： 40 – 2,500 mg/L
• SS： 200 - 600 mg/L
• T-N： 80 - 100 mg/L

• Activated sludge method,
Neutralization precipitation
method<Remarks>
Discoloration, odor

 Daily products manufacturing(Butter, cheese, yogurt, milk, icecream, etc.)
Wastewater discharge: 1,000 –
6,000 m3/day• pH： 6.5 - 11
• BOD： 50 – 1,000 mg/L
• SS： 70 - 150 mg/L
• T-N： 30 - 40 mg/L

• Flotation treatment method,
Activated sludge method<Remarks>
Residual chlorine

Source: Prepared based on information from Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry or research data from foreign countries.

9Biological treatment technologies
Activated sludge method
Flotation

Oxidation ditch

Aerobic
methodSubmerged biofilter (Contact aeration)

Non-flotation
Rotating biological contactor

Biologicaltreatment
Flotation
Anaerobicmethod

Anaerobic digestion

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanketNon-flotation(UASB)

Anaerobic filter
10Outlines of activated sludge treatment method
Organic matters contained in wastewater that flows into an aeration tank is decomposed by aerobic
microorganisms in the presence of oxygen by aeration, and the mixed solution is then transferred to asettling tank where the solution is separated into sludge and clear water (solid-liquid separation). The
supernatant water is considered as treated water and sludge is sent back to an aeration tank.
Transfer wastewater to an
aeration tank with aconstant rate

0 min.

30 min.

Air

Settleability or activity of activated sludge may
become unstable when there is a significant
change in water temperature, wastewater flow
rate, or inflow load.

SV30

WastewaterDischarge

Aeration tank

Settling tank

Plant

Adjustment
tank

Sludge return

In general, excess sludge is dehydrated and sent to landfill or incinerated. Waste
disposal cost is required to dispose of sludge.

ExcessSludge11

Aeration technology for activated sludge method
There are various aeration techniques to supply oxygen for aerobic microorganisms.
Besides the followings, a surface agitation system is also available.

Aeration using micro
bubbles generated bystrong water stream
created by agitation andcirculating system

Aeration over long
distances and wide
areas with an oblique
flow discharge
Increased discharge
strength throughpetal-shaped
segmentation
Bottom inflow increases
the time air bubbles arecontained within thetank

Aeration tank

Aeration tank
Freedom fromclogging
High airminiaturization
through proprietary
technology

Aeration using micro
bubbles generated bystrong water stream
created by agitation andcirculating system

Source: Osaka Prefectural Government water-related technologies website

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Aeration technology for activated sludge method
Air

Aeration by micro
bubbles using diffuser
equipment (tube type,panel type, etc.)

Aeration tank

Source: Osaka Prefectural Government water-related technologies website

Surface agitation system
13Submerged Mechanical Aerator/Agitatior
Hanshin Engineering Co.,.Ltd.

Features- High oxygen dissolution efficiency and highenergy efficiency.
- Slude condition can be mantained good condition
and it can not accumlate on a tank bottom so thatthe treatment is able to be stable.
- Maintenance is not necessary frequently andeasy. No need to remove sludge from a tank andclean there during the maintenance.

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Activated sludge method using membrane technology (MBR)- MBR(Membrane Bio Reactor) uses membrane (membrane filter) to achieve solidliquid separation for the activated sludge treatment process, so settling tank is notnecessary. (space saving)- Since the treated water passes through membrane (MF membrane, etc.), SS are
not present.
- Sludge can easily be managed without a use of settling tank.
Deodorizer
scrubber(Option)

Odor gas

Overflow

Waste water
influent

Discharge

Aeration tank

Culture tank
Submerged membraneSubmerged membrane(Membrane filter)

Discharge tankHigh performance bio reactor(Membrane filter)

Source: Osaka Prefectural Government water-related technologies website (partly)15

Example of usage of an activated sludge method using
membrane technology (MBR)

Treated water

Top of membrane filter unit

Installation of MBR at sewage
treatment plant16

Outlines of a treatment technology using
rotating biological contactor- This system purifies wastewater using a microbial film adhering to a cubic latticedcontactor.
- The contactor slowly rotates in a condition that a part of the contactor is submerged in
the wastewater. In the way, the unit can absorb oxygen from the air and pollutantsfrom the wastewater to decompose the pollutants in an aerobic condition.

- While the number of microorganisms continuously increase during the decomposition
process, those with decreases activity level drop off the contactor and settled in thesettling tank.
- Since the system consumes lower power than activated sludge method which uses anaeration blower, the operation-related energy usage can be reduced.
Detail of cubic latticed
contactor

Raw water
influent

Cubic latticed contactorImmobilized
microorganism

Main shaft

Source: Osaka Prefectural Government water-related technologies website

Effluent

Water flow along theshaft direction

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Example of usage of a treatment technology using
rotating biological contactor- Wastewater generated through activities involved in productions of dairy products, beverages,
or noodles usually contains relatively low level of organic substances. For these industries, itwould be beneficial to use a microbial film (rotating biological contactor), an aerobic treatment
method, to treat their wastewater as the plant can reduce energy consumptions and minimize
sludge generation.
- If strict discharge standards must be fulfilled due to any specific reasons such as because theplant discharges the effluent into a river, etc., stable wastewater treatment and effluent quality
can be maintained when the units are installed in a parallel configuration to disperse the load,
and the processed water is further treated by a sedimentation separation using coagulant that isadded to enhance efficiency of sludge sedimentation after the microbial film treatment.
Additionally, it helps to avoid water quality deterioration caused by bulking that occurs due to aload variation influence during the activated sludge process.
BOD
30 mg/L
Coagulant+Sedimentation
separation

BOD
300 mg/L
Plant effluent
Beverage/Dairy products plant, etc.

Parallelconfiguration

Microbial film (rotating biological contactor)
treatment

Discharge

BOD
30 mg/L
Coagulant+Sedimentation
separation

Microbial film (rotating biological contactor)
treatment18

Outlines of a treatment technology using Upflow
Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB)- An anaerobic digestion system that utilizes microbiological activities is an effective treatment
technique for wastewater that contains high level of organic substances with no presence of
hazardous substances.
- UASB becomes functional when the temperature inside the reactor is setup at about 35 – 40C tomaintain stable methane fermentation. In Japan, heating may be required in a low temperatureseason. In a tropical zone, this system has an advantage as a heating process is not required.
- The biogas generated from UASB system is utilized as an alternate energy source for the plant
operations, which include fuel supply for co-generation system (generates electricity and hot water)or boiler.
Biogas(Mainly a methane)

Beer plant, Starchprocessing plant, etc.

UASBGas holderPlant
effluent
Alternative energy

UASB reactor

Aerobic
treatment(subsequentprocess)

BiogasCo-generation
systemAnaerobic
treatment

Electricity

Hot water

Example of energy system using biogas at beer plant19

Typical Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) system- Untreated wastewater flows into
the system through a pipe locatedat the bottom

Methane gas

Treatedwater- Wastewater is decomposed byanaerobic microorganisms inside
the reactor, while it is slowly mixed
by upward flow created along withthe generation of methane gas orcarbon dioxide.

Methane gas
collection equipment- By the mixing effect, anaerobic
microorganisms form into granules
Methane gas
and become sludge to enhance
Granulated sludge
solid liquid separation.

Wastewater- Wastewater is further processed bydecomposition as it moves up
through the sludge formation layer.
The treated water is discharged
from the upper level of the unit andmethane gas is reused as a heatsource.

(Source: APEC Virtual Center for Environmental Technology Exchange website)20

Qualities and treatment methods ofWastewater containing inorganic materials such as metals
For inorganic wastewater that contains metals, the chemical treatment methods including
coagulation sedimentation or neutralization treatment is applied based on the concentrationof metals
Business category

Wastewater quality (before treatment)

Treatment method/remarks

Non-ferrous metal
manufacturer
Rolled copper, drawn wire, rollingfor aluminum, etc)
Discharge volume: 200 – 10,000
m3/day• pH： 2 - 7• SS： 70 - 200 mg/L

• Neutralization treatment, etc.

Electroplating manufacturing(Electroplating)
Discharge volume: 10 – 100
m3/day• pH： 1 - 2• CN： 20 – 200 mg/L
• Cr： 40 - 150 mg/L
• Also contains Cu, Cd, Zn, etc.

• Coagulation sedimentation method, etc.

Inorganic industrial productmanufacturer(Caustic soda industrial products)• Contains Hg• Ion exchange, chemical treatment

Glass manufacturing(Optical glass, specialized glass)• Contains heavy metals such as Cd, etc.

• Coagulation sedimentation method,filtration method<Remarks>
Handling of heavy metals<Remarks>
Variation of wastewater characteristics,
handling of heavy metals, etc.

Source: Prepared based on information from Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry

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Physiochemical treatment technologies

Physiochemicaltreatment

Coagulation sedimentation

Pressure flotation

Filtration/Activated carbon

Ion exchange

Membrane separation
RO membrane, UF membrane, MF membrane, etc.

22Chemical-less Groundwater Treatment System
Nagaoka International Corp.
“CHEMILES” remove iron, manganese, ammonium nitrogen and arsenic without any chemicals.

Features【No chemilcals】 Chemiles is easy maintenance and low running cost because no chemicals are used.
【High speed 】
Liner velocity is 500m/D because of adapting contact oxidation and biologicaltreatment. So Chemiles need minimum footprint.
【Highly concentration】 Chemiles were adapted in high concentration raw water site
(ex.Fe:max40mg/L,Mn:max4mg/L, NH4:max4mg/L)

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Types and target substance of highperformance membrane
Molecule/ion(Property to be used)
Size of molecule/particle

Nano
filtration

Polymer/protein

Microparticle

UF membraneMicrofiltration

Ultrafiltration

MF membrane

RO membraneLargeparticle

Filter paper/filter
Pressurization
VirusProtein
Sugar
Amino acidSalts

Reverseosmosis

Difference of diffusion
velocity

Particle

Dialysis

Filtrate(permeationfluid)

Gel chromatography
Electrodialysis
Ion exchange

Source: Data from Japan Science and Technology Agency, etc.

Membrane module

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Example of purification system using
high performance membrane

ModuleComponents of equipment mounted on purification system

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Example of purification system using
high performance membrane

UF membrane module mounted on purification system

RO membrane module mounted on purification system26

Hollow Fiber RO Seawater Desalination System
Toyobo Engineering Co., Ltd.
Seawater Desalination System with low running cost andstable operation

Hollow Fiber RO Membrane Module-HOLLOSEP®

Hollow FiberBrine

Product

Process flow（with Energy recovery）

Feed

Alignment in Module

Features-Employs Toyobo HOLLOSEP®, a highly functional andreliable reverse osmosis membrane that has been used inlarge-scale seawater desalinization systems around the world
and in Japan.
-Can also be used to produce demineralized water of purewater quality from salt-contained well water.
-Can save energy consumption by utilizing Energy recovery
device27

Advanced oxidation process for water purification- Water purification by oxidative decomposition of pollutant after generating hydroxylradical with strong oxidation power using oxidation solvent and UV-C with highenergy
Coagulation
solvent

Influent

ScreenSedimentation sandtank

Coagulation/Flotation

Contact oxidationtank

Effluent

Photo-oxidation reaction tank

Adjustment Sedimentation Control board
tank
tank

Advanced oxidation process

Flow diagram of treatment system for dying wastewater
Source: Osaka Prefectural Government water-related technologies website

Light: Raw water
Middle: After contactoxidation tank
Right: After advanced
oxidation process28

Example of advanced oxidation process
for water purification

Purification plant for groundwater(Removal of ammonia, ferrous, manganese)29

Major technologies to achieve volume reduction
and recycle of sludge
Volume reduction
technologies

Dehydration system
Filter press, screw press, belt press, etc.

Solar drying
Dry bedRecycletechnologies

Composting technology
Fermentation using high temperature aerobic bacteria, etc.

Solid fuel making technology
Dry and granulation, etc.

Gasification technology
Methane gas generation by fermentation, etc.

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Sludge dehydration system, Example- Sludge is generated from treatment facility using activated sludge method or coagulation
sedimentation process- For activated sludge method, dehydration is processed to remove water from the sludge
usually at approximately 80%
of water content

Example of screw press
process flow is shown, rightAs the sludge moves further
into the compression zone by
the screw, the compression
force is increased anddehydration is further
achieved

Source: Osaka Prefectural Government water-related technologies website, and etc.

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Sludge composting process technology
Composting is processed using aerobic bacteria and aeration.
The dry sludge generated can be used as a compost for agriculture use.
Returnmaterial

Upper end
air supply
Lower end airsupply

Lower end air supply
Partially reused as a returnmaterial

Point！
Sludge that is rich in nitrogen or phosphate and does not containany hazardous substance can be reused as organic fertilizer
through composting process.
Source: Global Environment Centre Foundation “NETT21” website

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Water quality monitoring in factory
ExampleMonitoring COD emission load in factory
COD emission load (L)Automatic
COD analyzerL = C × Q × 10-3 (kg/day)
C: COD conc.(mg/L)
Q: Flow rate (m3 /day)

Wastewater
Factory

Check the conditionof wastewater
treatment process

Treatedwater

Wastewater
treatment

sampling
Measurementof flow rate

discharge

River/Sea

Check the conditionof measuring
equipment

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Quick Water Quality Measurement
OPTEX CO., LTD.
“WATER it” is the best solution of Quick Water Quality Measurement on site!

Features
Quick measurement of water quality on site become available.
Anyone can check the water quality by simple processes.
Using OPTEX DMS (Data Management Service), the measurement results can bechecked on website.

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Thank you for kind attention!
Kansai region“Team E-Kansai” consists of about 170 companies and organizations thatpossess exceptional environmental and/or energy-saving technologies and wish todevelop their businesses in Asia
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