Marine wastewater treatment monitoring device and method of monitoring marine wastewater treatment

Abstract

To provide a marine wastewater treatment monitoring device capable of monitoring the state of marine wastewater treatment.SOLUTION: A marine wastewater treatment monitoring device is loaded on a ship that treats wastewater generated on the ship by microbial activity, equipped with an activity detection unit that detects the activity of the microorganisms by detecting the characteristics of the treated water to be treated by the microorganisms.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a ship-mounted wastewater treatment monitoring device and a ship-mounted wastewater treatment monitoring method. [Background technology]

[0002] While a ship is operating, wastewater is generated, such as black water containing excrement from crew members or passengers, and grey water containing wastewater from kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, etc. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, a wastewater treatment device for a ship capable of treating the above-mentioned wastewater in a limited space has been developed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2003-251383 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, even if a ship is equipped with a sewage treatment device as described above, in waters where wastewater discharge regulations are relatively relaxed, such as the open ocean, there is currently no way to monitor and regulate the discharge of sewage directly overboard without operating the sewage treatment device. Therefore, there is a need to construct a device equipped with a water quality meter that can monitor the water quality of treated water that passes through a sewage treatment device installed on a ship and is discharged overboard.The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and provides a sewage treatment monitoring device for ships that can monitor the status of sewage treatment on board the ship. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In other words, the sewage treatment monitoring device for ships of the present invention is loaded onto a ship and monitors the water quality of treated water discharged from a sewage treatment system that treats sewage generated on the ship through microbial activity, and is characterized by having an activity detection unit that detects the activity of the microorganisms by detecting the characteristics of the treated water treated by the microorganisms.

[0006] According to a ship sewage treatment device configured in this manner, it is possible to detect microbial activity in the sewage treatment device, making it possible to constantly monitor whether sewage treatment is being performed properly while the ship is sailing.

[0007] If the activity detection unit continuously measures the characteristics of the treated water, it is possible to obtain more detailed information about microbial activity over time than if wastewater or treated water were sampled at regular intervals and microbial activity was detected using a sensor.

[0008] If a ship sewage treatment device is equipped with a microbial treatment tank that treats sewage using microorganisms, and a sedimentation tank that removes the microorganisms as a precipitate, and the activity detection unit is equipped with a sensor that is immersed in the treated water during or after microbial decomposition treatment to detect the characteristics of the sewage or the treated water, and the sensor measures the characteristics of the treated water that flows downstream of the sedimentation tank, the effects of dirt adhesion and microbial decomposition can be suppressed compared to when the sensor is placed in the microbial treatment tank or sedimentation tank, and the number of maintenance operations such as part replacement and cleaning of the sensor can be reduced.

[0009] If the system is equipped with a return path for returning the treated water to the microbial treatment tank after its characteristics have been measured by the sensor, this is preferable because it not only monitors whether the wastewater treatment is being performed properly, but also allows treated water that is determined to have not been treated properly to be returned to the microbial treatment tank and used for wastewater treatment again.

[0010] In a specific embodiment, the sensor is a dissolved oxygen sensor (DO meter) and / or an oxidation-reduction potential meter (ORP meter). Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to monitor whether a wastewater treatment device is operating properly on a ship while it is sailing and whether there are any problems with the wastewater discharged from the ship. Furthermore, if microbial activity decreases for some reason, the user can be informed of the microbial activity status, allowing appropriate maintenance to be performed when necessary. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a marine wastewater treatment monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for monitoring wastewater treatment for a ship according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The ship wastewater treatment monitoring device 100 of this embodiment monitors the water quality of treated water discharged from a ship wastewater treatment device 200, which decomposes and treats wastewater such as gray water and black water that is loaded onto a ship and discharged from the ship, mainly by utilizing the activity of microorganisms. Therefore, the marine wastewater treatment device will be described below first.

[0015] <Configuration of the marine wastewater treatment device according to this embodiment> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, for example, the ship sewage treatment device 200 comprises a treatment section 1, a sterilization section 2, and a distribution mechanism 3, and treats sewage by passing it through the treatment section 1 and the sterilization section 2 via the distribution mechanism 3, and then discharges it overboard.

[0016] The treatment section 1 includes, for example, a microbial treatment tank 11 and a sedimentation tank 12 provided downstream of the microbial treatment tank 11. A mesh screen 1a is preferably provided near the entrance of the treatment section 1 to filter out relatively large impurities such as vegetable waste contained in the wastewater before it flows into the microbial treatment tank 11. In this embodiment, all wastewater that has passed through this screen is referred to as treated water.

[0017] The microbial treatment tank 11 is a so-called aeration tank in which organic matter in wastewater is decomposed by the activity of microorganisms. In this embodiment, in order to activate the aerobic microorganisms in the microbial treatment tank 11, live aerobic microorganisms are placed inside the microbial treatment tank 11, and a bubbling device 11a is further provided to bubble oxygen into the microbial treatment tank 11. The interior of the microbial treatment tank 11 may be divided into a plurality of sections on the upstream and downstream sides by partitions, and each section may be designated as a first aeration tank 111, a second aeration tank 112, etc., in that order from the upstream side. The microorganisms may be suspended in the treatment water contained in the microbial treatment tank 11, or may be attached to a support.

[0018] The sedimentation tank 12 is a tank that is installed downstream of and continuous with the microbial treatment tank 11, and has the function of removing suspended solids in the treatment water flowing in from the microbial treatment tank 11 by floating or settling them. Suspended solids (SS) in wastewater are also called suspended solids, and for example, the JIS K0102 Industrial Wastewater Testing Method specifies a measurement method for "suspended solids." SS is a general term for insoluble substances suspended in water with a particle size of 2 mm or less, and includes fine particles of clay minerals with low settling properties, zooplankton and their carcasses, decomposition products, attached microorganisms, organic matter and metal solids derived from sewage and industrial wastewater, etc.

[0019] The sterilization unit 2 is provided downstream of the sedimentation tank 12 and sterilizes and removes microorganisms remaining in the treated water that has passed through the sedimentation tank. In this embodiment, the sterilization unit 2 includes, for example, a microorganism removal tank 21 provided downstream of and continuous with the sedimentation tank 12, and a sterilization means 22 that adds a chemical agent that kills microorganisms to the treated water in the microorganism removal tank 21 and adjusts the temperature, etc. of the treated water in the microorganism removal tank.

[0020] In this embodiment, in order to more reliably reduce the number of live microorganisms that are discharged overboard together with the treated water, the sterilization section 2 further includes a filter 23 that is positioned downstream of the microbial treatment tank 11 to filter out and remove microorganisms in the treated water, and a UV irradiator 24 that irradiates the treated water with ultraviolet rays.

[0021] The distribution mechanism 3 comprises an inlet flow path 31 for introducing wastewater into the treatment section, a discharge flow path 32 for discharging the treated water that has passed through the treatment section 1 and the sterilization section 2 overboard, and a distribution control section 33 for controlling the flow of wastewater or treated water in the inlet flow path 31 or discharge flow path 32. The flow control unit 33 includes, for example, a pump 331 provided on the inlet flow path 31 or the outlet flow path 32 to create a flow of wastewater or treated water, and a pump control unit 332 to control the operation of the pump. The pump control unit 332 is configured, for example, by a computer COM equipped with a CPU, memory, an A / D converter, a D / A converter, various input / output devices, etc., to perform the functions of the pump control unit 332 by executing a program stored in the memory.

[0022] <Configuration of the ship wastewater treatment monitoring device according to this embodiment> The wastewater treatment monitoring device 100 according to this embodiment includes an activity detection unit 4 that detects the activity of microorganisms. The activity detection unit 4, for example, includes a sensor 41 that is arranged to come into contact with the treated water and detects the characteristics of the treated water, and a calculation unit 42 that calculates a value related to microbial activity based on the output signal from the sensor 41.

[0023] In conventional wastewater treatment devices used on land, a turbidity meter is generally used as a sensor for measuring the properties of the wastewater discharged from the wastewater treatment device, but in this embodiment, for example, a dissolved oxygen meter (DO meter) that measures the dissolved oxygen concentration in the treated water is used as sensor 41. In addition to the dissolved oxygen meter, a flow rate sensor that detects the flow rate of the treated water flowing through discharge flow path 32 may be provided as sensor 41. When a dissolved oxygen meter is used as sensor 41, calculation unit 42 may obtain the difference between an estimated dissolved oxygen concentration calculated from the amount of oxygen bubbled into microbial treatment tank 11 and the flow rate of the treated water, and the actual measured value of the dissolved oxygen concentration in the treated water flowing into discharge flow path 32. Furthermore, if a correlation equation between the dissolved oxygen concentrations in microbial treatment tank 11 and the treated water in discharge flow path 32 when microorganisms are not active is obtained in advance, it is possible to calculate the amount of oxygen consumed by microbial activity in microbial treatment tank 11 from the difference. If the amount of oxygen consumed by microbial activity is known, the activity of microorganisms in microbial treatment tank 11 can be detected.

[0024] When the amount of oxygen supplied to the microbial treatment tank 11 is equal to or greater than the amount of oxygen consumed by microbial activity, it is possible to increase the amount of oxygen supplied to avoid, as much as possible, a lack of oxygen in the microbial treatment tank 11 that would result in insufficient decomposition of organic matter by the microorganisms.

[0025] A turbidity meter for measuring the turbidity of the treated water, an ammonia meter for measuring the ammonia concentration, or a nitrate meter can be used as the sensor 41. It is preferable to use an ammonia meter that is equipped not only with an ammonium ion electrode for measuring the potential due to ammonium ions, but also with a potassium ion electrode for measuring the potential due to potassium ions used to correct the interference of potassium ions with ammonium ions, and a reference electrode for measuring the reference potential. Furthermore, as a result of extensive research by the present inventors, it was found that the oxidation-reduction potential increases when microorganisms decompose organic matter in the microbial treatment tank 11, so it is also possible to use an ORP meter that measures the oxidation-reduction potential as the sensor 41. Since an ORP meter is relatively inexpensive, it is preferable to use an ORP meter as the sensor, as this can reduce the manufacturing costs of the marine wastewater treatment monitoring device 100. The sensor 41 may be any one of the above-mentioned sensors, or a plurality of sensors of different types or the same type may be used in combination.

[0026] The sensor is provided, for example, at a position where it can be immersed in the treated water stored in a measurement storage tank 43 provided on the discharge flow path 32, and is configured to continuously measure the characteristics of the treated water flowing through the discharge flow path. These sensors 41 are preferably arranged so as to come into contact with the treated water downstream of the settling tank 12 of the treatment unit 1 in order to prevent contamination due to adhesion of microorganisms and decomposition by microorganisms and to extend the service life and maintenance interval of each sensor 41 as much as possible. Specifically, the sensor 41 may be arranged, for example, in the microorganism removal tank 21 of the sterilization unit 2, but it is more preferable to arrange the sensor 41 further downstream of the filter 23 or UV irradiator 24 that removes microorganisms.

[0027] By providing multiple types of sensors 41, it is possible to more precisely estimate microbial activity by examining in more detail the optical properties of the treated water, such as the turbidity, and the electrochemical properties of the treated water, such as the DO, ORP, and ammonia concentration. For example, by providing a dissolved oxygen meter and an ammonia meter as the sensors 41 and determining correlation functions between the output values ​​from each of these sensors 41 and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) or chemical oxygen demand (COD), it is possible to calculate these in the calculation unit 42 without providing precision instruments for measuring BOD and COD.

[0028] The ship wastewater treatment monitoring device 100 is equipped with a display unit 6 that displays values ​​related to microbial activity calculated by the calculation unit, and the values ​​related to microbial activity detected by the sensor and calculated by the calculation unit are displayed on the display unit 6, allowing the user to determine whether the microorganisms are sufficiently active.

[0029] In this embodiment, the system further includes a notification unit 7 that outputs an alarm to a user when the determination unit 5 determines that microbial activity is insufficient or when there is a possibility that microbial activity will become insufficient. With this configuration, when the determination unit 5 determines that microbial activity is insufficient or when there is a possibility that microbial activity will become insufficient, it is possible to prevent the user from manually switching the flow path or otherwise discharging treated water that is considered to be insufficiently treated overboard.

[0030] In this embodiment, the distribution mechanism 3 provided in the ship wastewater treatment device 200 is configured to have a return flow path 34 that returns the treated water to the treatment device 1 from the discharge flow path 32 downstream of the portion on the discharge flow path 32 where the sensor 41 is located. The flow control unit 33 is further configured to include a switching valve 341 for switching the flow of treated water from the discharge flow path 32 to the return flow path 34 , and a valve control unit 342 for controlling the switching valve 341 .

[0031] Furthermore, the vessel wastewater treatment monitoring device 100 includes a judgment unit 5 that judges whether the microorganisms are sufficiently active based on the output signal from the activity detection unit 4, and when the judgment unit 5 judges that the activity of the microorganisms is insufficient by comparing the output signal from the activity detection unit with a preset threshold value, for example, or when there is a possibility that the activity of the microorganisms will become insufficient, it issues a command to the distribution control unit 33 included in the distribution mechanism 3 described above to switch the connection destination of the discharge flow path 32 so that the treated water returns to the treatment unit 1 via the return flow path 34. The threshold value described above can be, for example, input in advance by the user using the input device 8 included in the computer COM, or can be set or updated by a threshold setting unit (not shown) based on past output signals from the activity detection unit 4. In addition, the calculation unit 42, valve control unit 342, and judgment unit 5 described in this embodiment are configured to have their functions performed by a computer COM, as in the pump control described above, but the ship sewage treatment device 200 and the ship sewage treatment monitoring device 100 may each be equipped with a separate computer.

[0032] <Effects of this embodiment> The ship wastewater treatment monitoring device 100 of the present invention is equipped with an activity detection unit 4 that detects microbial activity, so that it is possible to monitor whether the ship wastewater treatment device 200 is operating properly while sailing and whether there are any problems with the wastewater discharged from the discharge flow path 32.

[0033] On a ship, the ambient temperature of the sewage treatment device 200 may be higher than on land. Also, on a ship, seawater may be used to clean the tanks and flow paths of the sewage treatment device 200. In such an environment, there is a concern that the activity of microorganisms in the ship sewage treatment device 200 may become slow. Therefore, on a ship, it is necessary to continuously monitor the activity of microorganisms compared to sewage treatment on land, and if there is a tendency for the activity of microorganisms to decrease, it is necessary to take measures to activate the activity of microorganisms early.

[0034] From this perspective, the ship wastewater treatment monitoring device of this embodiment is equipped with a display unit and an alarm unit, so that if microbial activity decreases for some reason, the user can be informed of the microbial activity status and the wastewater treatment status, making it possible to perform appropriate maintenance when necessary.

[0035] In addition, a return path 34 is provided so that the treated water is automatically returned to the treatment device 1 if it is determined that the activity of the microorganisms is insufficient, so that only treated water that is determined to have been sufficiently treated by the microorganisms can be discharged from the ship to the outside.

[0036] <Other embodiments of the present invention> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Based on a value related to microbial activity calculated by the calculation unit, for example, the judgment unit may issue a command to a bubbling device that supplies oxygen to the microbial treatment tank, so that the bubbling device increases or decreases the amount of oxygen bubbling.

[0037] A recording section may be provided to record values ​​relating to the microbial activity detected by the activity detection section.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, a case was described in which the ship sewage treatment monitoring device controls the return flow path and the valve for switching the flow path through which the treated water flows to the return flow path provided in the ship sewage treatment device to return the treated water. However, if the sewage treatment device does not have the return flow path or valve as described above, these valves and return flow path may also be provided in the sewage treatment monitoring device.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the sensor continuously measures the characteristics of the treated water. However, the sensor may measure the characteristics of the treated water at regular intervals. The sensor may be provided directly on the discharge flow path, or a bypass flow path (not shown) may be provided branching off from the discharge flow path, and the sensor may be provided on this bypass flow path.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, the sterilization section of the wastewater treatment device has been described as including a sterilization treatment tank, a sterilization means, a filter and a UV irradiator, but it is not necessary to include all of these; it is sufficient to include any one or more of these. In addition, the vessel wastewater treatment monitoring device is required to have at least an activity detection unit, and does not necessarily require other components such as a display unit, a notification unit, etc. In addition, it is possible to simplify the configuration as much as possible by making the above-mentioned display unit also function as the notification unit, etc.

[0041] In addition, some or all of the above-described embodiments and modified embodiments may be combined as appropriate, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 100. Ship wastewater treatment monitoring device 200 ··· Ship wastewater treatment equipment 1 Processing section 11. Microbial treatment tank 12 Sedimentation tank 2...Microorganism removal section 3...Distribution mechanism 31 Inlet channel 32 Exhaust flow path 33 Distribution Control Section 34 Circulation path 4. Activity detection unit 41 Sensor 42 Calculation section 5... Judgment section 6...Display section 7. Notification Department 8. Input Devices

Claims

1. The device is mounted on a ship and monitors wastewater treatment by a wastewater treatment device that treats wastewater generated on the ship through the activity of microorganisms, A vessel wastewater treatment monitoring device comprising an activity detection unit that detects the activity of the microorganisms by detecting the characteristics of the treated water treated by the microorganisms.

2. 2. The vessel wastewater treatment monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the activity detection unit continuously detects the characteristics of the treated water.

3. The wastewater treatment device comprises a microbial treatment tank that treats wastewater through the activity of microorganisms and a sedimentation tank that removes the microorganisms as sediments, The activity detection unit includes a sensor that is immersed in the treated water during or after treatment to detect characteristics of the wastewater or the treated water, 3. The vessel wastewater treatment monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor measures the characteristics of treated water flowing downstream of the settling tank.

4. 4. The sewage treatment monitoring device for a vessel according to claim 3, wherein the sewage treatment by the sewage treatment device is provided with a return path for returning treated water after the characteristics have been measured by the sensor to a microbial treatment tank.

5. 4. The vessel wastewater treatment monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the sensor comprises a DO meter and / or an ORP meter.

6. A method for monitoring sewage treatment on a ship, which treats sewage generated on board the ship through the activity of microorganisms, comprising detecting the activity of the microorganisms.

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