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What are the major components?
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Why is nitrogen a constituent of concern?
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What forms of nitrogen exist in wastewater?
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Are there other forms of nitrogen?
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I have heard of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen. What is it?
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How is the concentration expressed?
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Is there a simplified nitrogen cycle?
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Describe the three steps in the simplified nitrogen
cycle?
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How do these steps take place in the RUCK® system?
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Is denitrification a chemical reaction?
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What other constituents of wastewater are
removed in a RUCK® system?
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What kind of removal rate for phosphorous?
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What is the removal rate for pathogens?
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What is unique about the RUCK® filter?
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How is a RUCK® system
constructed?
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What does a RUCK®
system design include?
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A RUCK® System
is a passive denitrifying septic system.
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A Residential RUCK®
system is a traditional Title 5 system with an added RUCK® filter and an extra
septic tank, necessary piping and venting and separated plumbing.
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For a RUCK®
System to function, the plumbing must be separated into two wastewater streams,
blackwater and graywater. Blackwater is the wastewater from toilets and the
kitchen sink. Graywater is all other flow.
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This separated
plumbing allows us to create the right environment for the nitrogen
constituents to be effectively removed from wastewater.
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The final constituent
of nitrogen reaching the groundwater from on site wastewater disposal systems
is nitrate nitrogen. This dissolved form of nitrogen moves readily through the
soil with only diffusion providing mitigation of its concentration. In
estuarine environments, nitrate is a fertilizer. Excess concentrations of
nitrate nitrogen will cause algae blooms, which lead to rapid eutrophication of
estuarine systems such as salt-water ponds, harbors and estuaries. Critical
concentrations of nitrate nitrogen in certain coastal ponds in Falmouth were
determined to be at 0.32 milligrams per liter (mg/l) or PPM (parts per million)
in the salt water. The nitrogen loading for each marine system is different based
on the particular flushing, shape and depth of the coastal embayment. In
general, nitrogen concentrations in ground were draining into marine embayments
on only has to be a fraction of the concentration of nitrate nitrogen to be a
problem in the receiving salt waters compared to the levels of concentration of
nitrate nitrogen that causes a potential for health risks.
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The EPA has
established a maximum contaminant level of 10 PPM of nitrate nitrogen for
drinking water.
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Organic nitrogen
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Ammonia
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Nitrite
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Nitrate
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Organic Nitrogen is
nitrogen bound up in the cell walls of the biomass in wastewater.
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Ammonia is the
primary constituent of nitrogen emitted by humans in urine. The formula for
urine is NH3 or NH4.
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Nitrite is an intermediate
form of nitrogen and is an unstable compound in the oxidation of ammonia.
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Nitrate is the final
form of oxidized ammonia. This form is stable.
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Yes, there are many
nitrogen compounds. These are the primary compounds. The nitrogen cycle is very
complex.
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TKN is a measurement
that sums the concentration of Organic nitrogen and ammonia compounds in water.
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The concentration of
all nitrogen compounds is measured in milligrams per liter or parts per
million.
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Yes. Click here to
view diagram.
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Ammonification; the
transformation of organic nitrogen into ammonia. This occurs in septic tanks.
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Nitrification; the
oxidation of ammonia into nitrite initially and then nitrate. This process takes place in an aerobic
environment.
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Denitrification; the
conversion of nitrate into free nitrogen. This occurs in an anaerobic zone with
readily available carbon.
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The blackwater in the
separated plumbing contains the majority of the nitrogen compounds. The effluent
leaving the blackwater septic tank contains elevated concentrations of ammonia.
The organic nitrogen is converted to ammonia in the septic tank. The blackwater
effluent is then piped into the top of a RUCK® filter. The RUCK®
filter is a stratified, vented, modified, sand filter. The ammonia compounds are oxidized by
bacteria into nitrite initially and then into nitrate. The effluent from the
RUCK® filter is then mixed into the graywater tank. There, bacteria
convert the nitrate into free nitrogen gas that is vented into the atmosphere.
The carbon from the soaps provides the electron donor for denitrification.
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No. The nitrogen cycle is microbial. Bacteria
drive the cycle.
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The refined effluent
is discharged to a normal sized soil absorption system.
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A RUCK® system
will store phosphorous and remove pathogens.
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Over a four-year
test, a RUCK® system in East Falmouth has removed 64% of the
phosphorus. The phosphorous in the graywater does not receive treatment.
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The removal rate for
fecal coliforms ranges from 98% to 99.9996%.
Again, the bacteria in graywater does not receive treatment.
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Indrains are
installed in the alternating sand layers to provide greater hydraulic
efficiency and promote aerobic conditions in the RUCK® filter.
Without the Indrains, the size of the RUCK® filter would have to be
much larger.
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The RUCK®
filter is constructed in layers inside a landfill liner. At the bottom of the
RUCK® filter is a collection layer composed of crushed stone. The bottom
of the filter is sloped to accommodate a collection pipe. Above the collection
layer is a twelve-inch layer of sand, then a two-inch layer of crushed stone,
then a twelve-inch layer of sand then a two-inch layer of crushed stone, then a
twelve-inch layer of sand, then a layer of crushed stone where the effluent is
applied.
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There are vent pipes
installed in the vent layers with two vertical pipes installed to the
atmosphere. One at ground elevation and one at roof top elevation. This change
in elevation promotes the chimney effect to heighten the capability of the
aerobic condition. Across the RUCK® filter, the elevations drop 4
feet. The graywater septic tank always
has to be H-20.
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The top surface of
the filter is proportional to the expected flow. The design of the filter is
based on the expected BOD and TSS of the flow. For residential systems, we use
standardized areas.
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Rein Leak Ph.D. invented
RUCK® systems. IRUCKS has an exclusive license to design RUCK®
Systems. IRUCK owns the General Certificate for RUCK® Systems in
Massachusetts. IRUCKS must conform to DEP requirements for the General
Certificate.
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At least seven copies
of the plans, four booklets which include copies of the General Certificate,
copies of a letter clarifying the General Certificate, specifications,
maintenance agreement and a homeowners information sheet.