Characterization of municipal wastewater in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus

This study aimed to characterize the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus components in the municipal wastewater in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The detailed characterization data would be useful for the upcoming establishment of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) processes in Malaysia. Municipal wastewater samples were collected from two sewage treatment plants (STP A and STP B) for a period of 10 weeks and analysed for total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD), soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD), acetate, total nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH4), total phosphorus (TP), and orthophosphate (PO4). The average influent TCOD, sCOD and TP for STP A were, respectively, 381 mg/L, 105 mg/L and 4.0 mg/L, whereas they were 301 mg/L, 126 mg/L, and 3.3 mg/L for STP B. Similar average influent concentration was detected for NH4-N and PO4-P in both STPs, that was 20 mg/L and 1.1 mg/L respectively. The calculated ratio of COD/TP, COD/TN, and TP/TN supported the treatability of municipal wastewater by EBPR process. The presence of acetate in the influent is also an advantage for the efficient operation of EBPR.