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This study successfully recycled alum sludge with either lithium slag or bottle glass to make high purity zeolite LTA beads. The basic synthesis approach was to fuse the waste material with sodium hydroxide then complete hydrothermal crystallization. Separate fusion of individual wastes promoted zeolite LTA formation compared to combined fusion. Preferred synthesis conditions were: 10 Na2O:Al2O3:2.5 SiO2:300 H2O; hydrothermal temperature = 80 °C; time = 5 h. Zeolite LTA purity was between 80 and 85 wt% from the two waste combinations. Use of pseudoboehmite and carboxymethyl cellulose favoured granulation/extrusion/spheronization of zeolite LTA powder. However, the beading process decreased calcium exchange capacity (CEC) from 99.5 to 37 mg Ca2+/g for alum sludge + lithium slag and from 64.5 to 37 mg Ca2+/g for alum sludge + waste glass. Additionally, when using 20 wt% pseudo-boehmite as a binder the ion-exchange equilibrium time increased from 60 to 300 min. The importance of not only making zeolite powder from waste materials but also to extend studies to shaped forms was evident. It is recommended that future studies should also focus on making extrudates or beads as these are the forms used commercially.

This study revealed the relationship between the presence of calcium impurities and ammoniacal nitrogen concentration upon crystallization of struvite. The research hypothesis was that the presence of both calcium and high concentrations of ammoniacal nitrogen (328-1000 mg/L) in waste activated sludge may influence the struvite quality and acid stability. Hence, we studied the impact of Ca:Mg ratio upon morphology, particle size, purity and dissolution of struvite, in the presence of varying levels of excess ammoniacal nitrogen. X-ray diffraction revealed that up to 31.4% amorphous material was made which was assigned to hydroxyapatite. Increasing the ammoniacal nitrogen concentration and elevation of the Mg:Ca ratio maximized the presence of struvite. Struvite particle size was also increased by ammoniacal nitrogen as was twinning of the crystals. Tests with dilute solutions of organic acid revealed the sensitivity of struvite dissolution to the physical characteristics of the struvite. Smaller particles (21.2 μm) dissolved at higher rates than larger particles (35.86 μm). However, struvite dissolved rapidly as the pH was further reduced irrespective of the physical characteristics. Therefore, addition of struvite to low pH soils was not viewed as beneficial in terms of controlled nutrient release. Overall, this study revealed that waste activated sludge effluent with high ammoniacal nitrogen was prospective for synthesis of high quality struvite material.

Potential of nutrient recovery as struvite (NH4MgPO4·6H2O) with sole waste activated sludge (WAS) of a conventional activated sludge treatment plant has been investigated using computational modelling supported by laboratory experiments. Predicted key outcomes using Bio-Win modelling tool indicated that anaerobic digestion of WAS could produce a supernatant consisting of 300–420 mg/L ammonia , 100–200 mg/L phosphate and 12–30 mg/L magnesium and laboratory experiments confirmed that struvite can be precipitated using these nutrient concentrations. Study of sludge retention time (SRT 15–30 days) and temperature (34–38 °C) on the nutrient concentrations of digester supernatant revealed that ammonia and phosphate concentrations of supernatant increased with SRT and temperature. The removal efficiencies of magnesium and phosphate in struvite precipitation reactions were 91% and 50% respectively, indicating that magnesium addition is required for extra phosphate removal in the digester supernatant. It was found that a substantial excess ammoniac nitrogen would remain and need alternative method to remove and recover, if sustainability is to be achieved. The outcome of this study confirms that WAS from conventional wastewater treatment plants such as Loganholme can be successfully upgraded towards a nutrient recovery facility by optimizing anaerobic digester parameters. Modelling is a suitable first approach for planning and decision-making. Keywords: Anaerobic digestion (AD), Computational modelling, Nutrient recovery, Struvite, Waste activated sludge (WAS), Conventional activated sludge treatment plant

This study demonstrated the value of coagulation approaches to the control of species in coal seam gas (CSG) associated water which can result in scaling of downstream membranes and equipment. The hypothesis was that coagulation can be effective at removing turbidity causing species, alkaline earth ions and dissolved silicates from a CSG associated water compositions. Both simulated and real CSG associated water were treated using a jar tester and addition of either aluminium chlorohydrate (ACH), aluminium sulphate (alum) or ferric chloride. All coagulants reduced the turbidity (> 95 %) and also removed alkaline earth ions and dissolved silicates (ca. 29 % for calcium; 0 % for magnesium; 60 % for barium; 21 % for strontium; 33 % for silica). Formation of a muscovite-like material was predicted using AqMB process simulation software to be responsible for silicate removal and barium sulphate precipitated when alum was used. Increasing turbidity and salinity did not appear to exhibit a significant impact upon coagulant performance. Notably, the co-presence of solution turbidity and organic matter in real CSG associated water samples promoted coagulant performance (ca. 75 % for calcium; 30 % for magnesium; 75 % for barium; 50 % for strontium; 48 % for silica). This observation was ascribed to the promotion of polymeric Alb and colloidal Alc species which were more effective materials for water clarification (compared to monomeric Ala species). Coagulation strategies appear prospective for the pre-treatment of CSG associated water samples to minimize fouling of downstream equipment and membranes employed for desalination.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is important in the fields of public health and health geography because of its heavy burden on the health system and high cost of treatment in its advanced stages. The causes of CKD are associated with diabetes and hypertension, but in some parts of the world, the disease occurs in the absence of these factors. Researchers identify this condition as CKD of “unknown” causes (CKDu). CKDu is a multi‐factored health problem and one suspected causal factor is contaminated drinking water. The disease occurs globally but is found in particularly high concentrations among people of certain ethnic and disadvantaged social groups living in very different locations around the world. CKD has become endemic in Western Australia where hospital admissions for Aboriginal people requiring renal dialysis or treatment for diabetes are much higher than for the general population. The possible proportions of CKDu cases among the CKD patients are unknown. This study examines the drinking water quality among communities such as these. Water chemistry analysis in these areas indicates that the nitrate and uranium content greatly exceed officially recommended levels. Most of these communities rely on raw groundwater to supply their domestic needs, and it is very likely that the people are unwittingly ingesting high levels of nitrates and uranium, probably including uranyl nitrates. Very few such remote communities have access to treated drinking water, and cost‐effective water treatment systems are required to provide potable water at the local scale.

This study addressed the need to better understand process engineering aspects of zeolite LTA synthesis from waste materials. In particular, concepts such as zeolite yield, recycling of mother liquor, softening performance and regeneration of calcium loaded zeolite LTA were evaluated. Zeolite LTA was made via alkaline fusion pre-activation of alum sludge and waste glass at 700 °C for 2 h; followed by hydrothermal treatment at 80 °C for 5 h. Increasing the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of the feed mixture from 1 to 2.3 doubled the yield of zeolite LTA to 67%. Consequently, a feed mixture of composition 9.2Na2O:Al2O3:2.3SiO2:276H2O was adopted for subsequent tests. Recycling of the alkali and other dissolved species in the mother liquor improved zeolite LTA crystallinity (80 to 86 wt%) and calcium exchange capacity from 73 to 78 mg/g. Implementation of recycling depends upon the cost/benefit analysis regarding energy demand for evaporation of mother liquor relative to savings by more effectively using the excess alkali reagent. Calcium uptake on zeolite LTA was reduced when treating simulated river water (65.5 mg Ca2+/g) due to competitive ion-exchange. Regeneration of calcium loaded zeolite LTA required a NaCl solution with a molarity of at least 2 M. A notable reduction of calcium loading capacity was detected after several loading/regeneration cycles. The outlined technology proposed a feasible and scalable approach to recycling of wastes, producing a commodity, which could be successfully used locally by the water treatment plant as a water softener.

Generation of alum sludge (AS) at drinking water treatment plants represents an environmental liability and adds to the cost of water purification. Consequently, this study explored the feasibility of using low and high carbon containing alum sludge from two water treatment plants to synthesize zeolite LTA. The hypothesis was that zeolite LTA synthesis was dependant upon alum sludge source and that a range of strategies may be required to optimize zeolite crystallinity. Zeolite characteristics such as morphology, phase composition, crystallinity, and particle size distribution were recorded. “One pot” hydrothermal synthesis of precursor gel with molar composition 4.2Na2O:Al2O3:1.2SiO2:168H2O at 80°C for 3 hr resulted in 25 and 46 wt.% zeolite LTA from high and low carbonaceous sludge, respectively. Prior to hydrothermal reaction stage it was discovered that ageing of the gel, addition of zeolite LTA seeds, ultrasonic treatment and calcination all promoted zeolite LTA formation. Calcination of the alum sludge at 700°C for 2 hr before hydrothermal synthesis resulted in particle size reduction and the highest amount of crystalline zeolite LTA: 79 wt.% from low carbon sludge and 65 wt.% from high carbon sludge. Notably, the zeolite crystallinity reported in this study was the higher than previous studies on this topic. The outlined approach may allow value adding of alum waste and produce a commodity which could be used locally by the water treatment plant as a water softener.

Few studies have been carried out to connect nutrient recovery as struvite from wastewater and sustainable utilization of the recovered struvite for copper and zinc immobilization in contaminated soil. This study revealed the effect of struvite on Cu and Zn immobilization in contaminated bio-retention soil in the presence of commonly exuded plant organic acids. The research hypothesis was that the presence of both struvite and organic acids may influence the immobilization of Cu and Zn in soil. The outcome of this research confirmed that more than 99% of Cu and Zn was immobilized in bio-retention filter media by struvite application. Water-soluble Cu and Zn concentrations of struvite treated soil were less than 1.83 and 0.86 mg/kg respectively, and these concentrations were significantly lower compared to the total Cu and Zn content of 747.05 mg/kg in the contaminated soil. Application of struvite to Cu- and Zn-contaminated soil resulted in formation of compounds similar to zinc phosphate tetrahydrate (Zn3(PO4)2•4H2O) and amorphous Cu and Zn phases. Struvite was effective in heavy metal remediation in acidic soil regardless of the presence of Ca impurities in struvite and the presence of plant organic acids in soil. Overall, this study revealed that struvite recovered from wastewater treatment plants has potential for use as an amendment for heavy metal remediation in contaminated bio-retention soil.

This study demonstrated the conversion of alum sludge produced at water treatment plants to high quality zeolite LTA. Thus, problems with sludge landfilling costs and environmental contamination may be avoided. The methodology involved alkali fusion pre-treatment of alum sludge followed by hydrothermal synthesis to improve the quantity and quality of zeolite LTA made. Alum sludge activation using fusion facilitated formation of high-quality zeolite LTA (97 wt%) which was comparable to commercial material (98 wt%) and superior to samples made using hydrothermal synthesis without fusion pre-treatment (81 wt%). Notably, the alum sludge derived samples contained greater amounts of impurities such as iron, calcium, and magnesium. Preferred synthesis conditions using fusion-pre-treatment were: SiO2/Al2O3 = 2.5; Na2O/SiO2 = 3; H2O/Na2O = 40; reaction time =5 h: reaction temperature = 80 °C. The average zeolite LTA particle size ranged from 0.7 (hydrothermal) to 1.1 (fusion pre-treated) to 3.0 (commercial) microns. Kinetic studies indicated that the exchange of calcium ions with all zeolite samples reached equilibrium within 60 min. Equilibrium ion exchange data revealed the maximum loading of calcium ions was 106.6, 83.9, and 64.6 mg Ca2+/g for fusion pre-treated, hydrothermally treated, and commercial LTA, respectively. However, on a “dry basis” the cation capacity of the commercial and fusion pre-treated samples was similar.

Purification of drinking water is routinely achieved by use of conventional coagulants and disinfection procedures. However, there are instances such as flood events when the level of turbidity reaches extreme levels while natural organic matter (NOM) may be an issue throughout the year. Consequently, there is a need to develop technologies which can effectively treat water of high turbidity during flood events and NOM content year round. It was our hypothesis that pebble matrix filtration potentially offered a relatively cheap, simple and reliable means to clarify such challenging water samples. Therefore, a laboratory scale pebble matrix filter (PMF) column was used to evaluate the turbidity and NOM pre-treatment performance in relation to 2013 Brisbane River flood water. Since the high turbidity was only a seasonal and short-term problem, the general applicability of PMFs for NOM removal was also investigated. A 1.0-m-deep bed of pebbles (the matrix) partly infilled with either sand or crushed ...

Pebble matrix filtration (PMF) is a water treatment technology that can remove suspended solids in highly turbid surface water during heavy storms. PMF typically uses sand and natural pebbles as filter media. Hand-made clay pebbles (balls) can be used as alternatives to natural pebbles in PMF treatment plants, where natural pebbles are not readily available. Since the high turbidity is a seasonal problem that occurs during heavy rains, the use of newly developed composite clay balls instead of pure clay balls have the advantage of removing other pollutants such as natural organic matter (NOM) during other times. Only the strength properties of composite clay balls are described here as the pollutant removal is beyond the scope of this paper. These new composite clay balls must be able to withstand dead and live loads under dry and saturated conditions in a filter assembly. Absence of a standard ball preparation process and expected strength properties of composite clay balls were the main reasons behind the present study. Five different raw materials from industry wastes: Red Mud (RM), Water Treatment Alum Sludge (S), Shredded Paper (SP), Saw Dust (SD), and Sugar Mulch (SM) were added to common clay brick mix (BM) in different proportions. In an effort to minimize costs, in this study clay balls were fired to 1100 0C at a local brick factory together with their bricks. A comprehensive experimental program was performed to evaluate crushing strength of composite hand-made clay balls, using uniaxial compression test to establish the best material combination on the basis of strength properties for designing sustainable filter media for water treatment plants. Performance at both construction and operating stages were considered by analyzing both strength properties under fully dry conditions and strength degradation after saturation in a water bath. The BM-75% as the main component produced optimum combination in terms of workability and strength. With the material combination of BM-75% and additives-25%, the use of Red Mud and water treatment sludge as additives produced the highest and lowest strength of composite clay balls, with a failure load of 5.4 kN and 1.4 kN respectively. However, this lower value of 1.4 kN is much higher than the effective load on each clay ball of 0.04 kN in a typical filter assembly (safety factor of 35), therefore, can still be used as a suitable filter material for enhanced pollutant removal.

Background Municipal wastewaters contain a multitude of organic compounds derived from domestic and industrial sources including active components of pharmaceutical and personal care products and compounds used in agriculture, such as pesticides, or food processing such as artificial sweeteners often referred to as micropollutants. Some of these compounds or their degradation products may have detrimental effects on the environment, wildlife and humans. Acesuflame is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners to date used in foodstuffs. The main objectives of this descriptive study were to evaluate the presence of micropollutants in both the influent and effluent of a large-scale conventional biological wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in South-East Queensland receiving wastewater from households, hospitals and various industries. Methods Based on USEPA Method 1694: Filtered samples were spiked with mass-labelled chemical standards and then analysed for the micropollutants using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Results The presence of thirty-eight compounds were detected in the wastewater influent to the treatment plant while nine of the compounds in the categories of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, alkaloid and lipid/cholesterol lowering drugs were undetectable (100 % removed) in the effluent. They were: Analgesic: Paracetamol, Salicylic acid, Oxycodone; Anti-inflammatory: Naproxen + ve, Atorvastatin, Indomethacin, Naproxen; Alkaloid: Caffeine; Lipid/cholesterol lowering: Gemfibrozol. Conclusions The study results revealed that the micropollutants removal through this biological treatment process was similar to previous research reported from other countries including Europe the Americas and Asia, except for acesulfame, a highly persistent artificial sweetener. Surprisingly, acesulfame was diminished to a much greater extent (>90 %) than previously reported research for this type of WWTPs (45–65 %) that only include physical removal of objects and solids and a biodegradation step.

High concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen degrade the quality of aquatic environments. The primary mechanism by which nitrate-nitrogen is removed (denitrification) requires anoxic conditions and electron donors. While removal of total and ammonium-nitrogen is often high in stormwater biofilters, poor removal or even the release of nitrate-nitrogen in the outflow has often been observed. Five Perspex biofilter columns (94 mm internal diameter) were fabricated with a filter layer that contained 8% organic material. Columns were operated at 875 mm/h 875 mm/h and fed with simulated stormwater with different antecedent dry days (ADDs) and concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen. Samples were collected from the outflow at different time intervals between 2 and 150 min and were tested for nitrate-nitrogen. The removal of nitrate-nitrogen varied during an event from a high removal percentage (60–90%) in the initial outflow that gradually decreased in the first 30 min and settled at 0–15% removal thereafter. This remained consistent during all simulated events independent of the number of ADDs or inflow concentrations. ADDs and previous event feed concentrations affected the outflow nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the first 30 min of the current event. Therefore, from this study it is concluded that denitrification within stormwater biofilters occurs mainly during drying periods rather than wetting periods.

Filtration using granular media such as quarried sand, anthracite and granular activated carbon is a well-known technique used in both water and wastewater treatment. A relatively new prefiltration method called pebble matrix filtration (PMF) technology has been proved effective in treating high turbidity water during heavy rain periods that occur in many parts of the world. Sand and pebbles are the principal filter media used in PMF laboratory and pilot field trials conducted in the UK, Papua New Guinea and Serbia. However during first full-scale trials at a water treatment plant in Sri Lanka in 2008, problems were encountered in sourcing the required uniform size and shape of pebbles due to cost, scarcity and Government regulations on pebble dredging. As an alternative to pebbles, hand-made clay pebbles (balls) were fired in a kiln and their performance evaluated for the sustainability of the PMF system. These clay balls within a filter bed are subjected to stresses due to self-weight and overburden, therefore, it is important that clay balls should be able to withstand these stresses in water saturated conditions. In this paper, experimentally determined physical properties including compression failure load (Uniaxial Compressive Strength) and tensile strength at failure (theoretical) of hand-made clay balls are described. Hand-made clay balls fired between the kiln temperatures of 875oC to 960oC gave failure loads of between 3.0 kN and 7.1 kN. In another test when clay balls were fired to 1250oC the failure load was 35.0 kN compared to natural Scottish cobbles with an average failure load of 29.5 kN. The uniaxial compressive strength of clay balls obtained by experiment has been presented in terms of the tensile yield stress of clay balls. Based on the effective stress principle in soil mechanics, a method for the estimation of maximum theoretical load on clay balls used as filter media is proposed and compared with experimental failure loads.

Protecting slow sand filters (SSFs) from high-turbidity waters by pretreatment using pebble matrix filtration (PMF) has previously been studied in the laboratory at University College London, followed by pilot field trials in Papua New Guinea and Serbia. The first full-scale PMF plant was completed at a water-treatment plant in Sri Lanka in 2008, and during its construction, problems were encountered in sourcing the required size of pebbles and sand as filter media. Because sourcing of uniform-sized pebbles may be problematic in many countries, the performance of alternative media has been investigated for the sustainability of the PMF system. Hand-formed clay balls made at a 100-year-old brick factory in the United Kingdom appear to have satisfied the role of pebbles, and a laboratory filter column was operated by using these clay balls together with recycled crushed glass as an alternative to sand media in the PMF. Results showed that in countries where uniform-sized pebbles are difficult to obtain, cla...

Free to read on journal website (link above) Slope failures of spoil piles pose a significant safety risk in open-cut strip mining due to slaking over time due to overburden pressure and water saturation. Most spoil pile failures occur when the pit has been previously filled with water and then subsequently dewatered. It is important to understand how the mechanical properties of base spoil material are affected by slaking when designing safe spoil pile slope angles, heights, and dewatering rates. A new laboratory slaking chamber (360mm ID, 400mm high with 20mm wall thickness) has been designed and constructed to accommodate approximately 60 kg of spoil (unit weight, 18 kN/m3) and a simulated overburden pressure of 1000 kPa. Consolidation of the spoil can be measured through a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) attached to the system. Using this apparatus, a fresh spoil material collected from a coal mine in Brown Basin Coalfield of Queensland, Australia was subjected to high overburden pressure (0 – 900 kPa) under saturated condition and maintained over a period of time (0 – 6 months) allowing the material to slake and successfully tested for classification, permeability, and strength properties. Results suggested that the slaking of saturated coal mine spoil increase with overburden pressure and the time duration over which the overburden pressure was maintained. Shear strength and permeability of spoil decreased with increase in spoil slaking.

Biological denitrification was investigated in an attached growth reactor system using several growth media, denitrifying cultures and natural gas (95% methane) as a carbon source. In order to establish a baseline of operation, initial experiments were conducted with a bed of 2–3 mm sand and methanol as a carbon source using a methylotrophic denitrifying culture and then the system was compared with natural gas using various methane utilising cultures. Compared to methanol, performance with methane was considerably lower. In order to improve denitrification with methane a plastic medium (Etapak, surface area 200 m 2 /m 3 ) was placed above the sand bed (which increased the surface area for bacteria growth in the upper part of the bed), and a new methanotrophic mixed culture (NCIMB-code 11085) was introduced to the system. This combination resulted in a 27% higher denitrification efficiency. Experiments were continued by systematically varying the operating conditions to obtain highest denitrification using methane gas and replacing the Etapak media with different plastic media of higher surface area, but keeping the NCIMB culture unchanged. Other media tested were Pall-rings (surface area 319 m 2 /m 3 ), IP-spacers (surface area 500 m 2 /m 3 ) and granular activated carbon (GAC-code: Norit PK 1–3). Best results were obtained with IP-spacers which, surprisingly, are designed for use in the concrete industry rather than as a bacterial support medium. These produced nitrate removal efficiencies of up to 93% at 0.6 m/h or 55% at 1.6 m/h water filtration rates. Run times of 10 days or more to a limiting headloss of about 1.0 m,were usually achieved before “bumping” or back-washing to reduce headloss. Effluent turbidities were generally below 1.0 NTU. Tests for bacteria present with GAC media and COD removal with IP spacers were also carried out. Results are discussed with operational conditions and denitrification efficiencies achieved.

Nitrogen is an important nutrient that can impact the quality of aquatic environments when present in high concentration. Even though low concentration levels of ammonium-nitrogen have been observed in laboratory studies in bioretention basins, poor removal or even the production of nitrate-nitrogen within the filter is often recorded in such studies. Ten Perspex biofilter columns of 94 mm (internal diameter) were packed with a filter layer, transition layer and a gravel layer. While the filter layer was packed to a height of 800 mm, transition and gravel layers were packed to a composite height of 220 mm and operated with simulated stormwater in the laboratory. The filter layer contained 8% organic material by weight. A free board of 350 mm provided detention storage and head to facilitate infiltration. The columns were operated with different antecedent dry days (0 d to 21 d) and constant inflow concentration at a feed rate of 100 mL/min. Samples were collected from the outflow at different time intervals, between 2 min and 150 min from the start of outflow, and were tested for nitrate-nitrogen and total organic carbon. Washoff of organic carbon from the filter layer was observed to occur for 30 min of outflow. This indicated washoff of organic carbon from the filter itself. At the same time, a very low concentration of nitrate-nitrogen was recorded at the beginning of the outflow, indicating the effective removal of nitrate-nitrogen. We conclude that the removal of nitrate-nitrogen is insignificant during the wetting phase of a rainfall event and the process of denitrification is more pronounced during the drying phase of a rainfall event. Thus intermittent wetting and drying is crucial for the removal of nitrate-nitrogen in bioretention basins.

As A SOLUTION to very high turbidity problems associated with slow sand filters, a new pretreatment method has been developed at University College, London. Initial experiments with a model using a bed of fine sand (effective diameter d. = 0.32 mm) demonstrated that maximum loadings on slow sand filters should not exceed 25 mg/1 at a filtration velocity of 0.2 m/h for satisfactory run times (approximately 5 weeks). However, a literature survey revealed that many tropical rivers may carry several hundred (or even a few thousand) milligrammes per litre of suspended solids during monssoon periods. A need for pretreatment methods is therefore obvious. A novel process, called pebble matrix filtration, can protect slow sand filters by reducing the suspended-solids concentration of monsoon river waters (containing up to 5000 mg/1) to below 25 mg/1. The paper briefly describes the principles lying behind the treatment process of pebble matrix filtration, and suitable operational parameters are given at flow rates of 0.72–1.56 m/h for tested suspended-solids concentrations of 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000 mg/1 kaolin clay in London tap water, with achieved run times of up to 116 h to head losses not exceeding 1.5 m. Filter cleaning is described by a method called ‘drainage and backwash’.

Most of today's business requirements can only be accomplished through integration of various autonomous systems which were initially designed to serve the needs of particular applications. In the literature workflows are proposed to design these kinds of applications. The key tool for designing such applications is a powerful conceptual specification language. Such a language should be capable of capturing interactions and cooperation between component tasks of workflows among others. These include sequential execution, iteration, choice, parallelism and synchronisation. The central focus of this paper is the verification of such process control aspects in conceptual workflow specifications. As is generally agreed upon, that the later in the software development process an error is detected, the more it will cost to correct it; it is thus of vital importance to detect errors as early as possible in the systems-development process. In this paper some typical verification problems in workflow specifications are identified and their complexity is addressed. It will be proven that some fundamental problems are not tractable and we will show what restriction is needed to allow termination problems to be recognized in polynomial time.