Biological wastewater treatment

Irena Wojnowska-Barya
irka@uwm.edu.pl
The course consists of two parts. There will be lectures on
theory, which are one third of the course and tutorials
where you will learn how to make calculations of biological
treatment domestic waste.
Each tutorial will start with a entrance test.

The examination is written, there will be questions on the
theory and some practical problems to solve.

If you need to contct me here is my e-mail address:
irka@uwm.edu.pl
(Irena Wojnowska-Barya)

Wastewater. The spent or used water of a community or
industry which contains dissolved and suspended matter.

The chemical characteristic of wastewater, generally
includes:

solids suspended, and dissolved solids,
organic, inorganic,

ignition at 550
o
C
biological oxygen demand (BOD
5
),
chemical oxygen demand (COD),
nitrogen compounds,
phosphorus,
alkalinity,
pH

Solids. Most pollutants found in wastewater can be
classified as solids.
Wastewater treatment is generally designed to remove
solids or to convert solids to a form that is more stable
or can be removed.

Solids can be classified by their chemical composition
(organic or inorganic) or by their physical characteristics
(settleable, floatable, and colloidal).

Concentration of total solids in wastewater is normally in
the range of 350 to 1200 mg/L.
Organic solids. Consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen and can be converted to carbon dioxide and water
by ignition at 550
o
C. Also known as fixed solids or loss on
ignition.

Inorganic solids. Mineral solids that are unaffected by
ignition. Also known as fixed solids or ash.

Suspended solids.These solids will not pass through
a glass fiber filter pad. Can be classified as total
suspended solids (TSS), volatile suspended solids (VSS),
and fixed suspended solids.
Can also be separated into three components based on
settling characteristics: settleable solids, floatable solids,
and colloidal solids.
Total suspended solids in wastewater are normally in the
range of 100 to 350 mg/L.
Dissolved solids. These solids will pass through a glass
fiber filter pad. Can also be classified as total dissolved
solids (TDS), volatile dissolved solids (VDS), and fixed
dissolved solids. TDS are normally in the range of 250 to
850 mg/L.

Water. This is always the major constituent of wastewater.
In most cases water makes up 99.5 to 99.9% of the
wastewater. Even in the strongest wastewater, the total
amount of contamination present is less than 0.5% of the
total and in average strength wastes it is usually less than
0.1%.

Biochemical oxygen demand.This is a measure of the
amount of biodegradable organic matter in the wastewater.
Normally measured by a 5-d test conducted at 20
o
C. The
BOD
5
domestic waste is normally in the range of 100 to
300 mg/L.



Chemical oxygen demand.This is a measure of the amount
of oxidizable matter present in the sample. The COD is
normally in the range of 200 to 800 mg/L. The
presence of industrial wastes can increase this
significantly.

Nitrogen compounds. The type and amount of nitrogen
present will vary from the raw wastewater to the treated
effluent. Nitrogen follows a cycle of oxidation and reduction.
Most of the nitrogen in untreated wastewater will be in the
forms of organic nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen.


The sum of these two forms of nitrogen is also measured
and is known as Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN). Wastewater
will normally contain between 20 to 85 mg/L of nitrogen.
Organic nitrogen will be in the range of 8 to
35 mg/L, and ammonia nitrogen will be in the range of 12
to 50 mg/L.

Phosphorus. This element is essential to biological activity
and must be present in at least minimum quantities or
secondary treatment processes will not perform. Excessive
amounts can cause stream damage and excessive algal
growth.

Phosphorus will normally be in the range of 6 to 20 mg/L.
The removal of phosphate compounds from
detergents has had a significant impact on the amounts
of phosphorus in wastewater.
Alkalinity

This is a measure of the wastewaters capability
to neutralize acids.
It is measured in terms of bicarbonate, carbonate, and
hydroxide alkalinity.
Alkalinity is essential to buffer (hold the neutral pH) of the
wastewater during the biological treatment processes

pH. This is a method of expressing the acid condition
of the wastewater, pH is expressed on a scale of 1 to 14.
For proper treatment, wastewater pH should normally be
in the range of 6.5 to 9.0 (ideally 6.5 to 8.0).

Activated sludge is defined as a suspension of
microorganisms, both living and dead in a wastewater.
The microorganisms are active by an input of air (oxygen)
thus known as activated-sludge.

Activate-sludge is that sludge which settle down in a
secondary sedimentation tank after the sewage has been
freely aerated and agitated for a certain time in an aeration
tank.

A biological wastewater treatment process in which a
mixture of wastewater and activated sludge is agitated and
aerated.
The activated sludge is subsequently separated from the
treated wastewater (mixed liquor) by sedimentation
and wasted or returned to the process as needed.


The design is selected to meet the process goal:
a) organic carbon (BOD
5
, COD) removal
b) conversion of ammonia into nitrate (nitrification).

In order to meet the goal;
the hydraulic detention time in the aeration basin,
the microbes/solids detention time (solids retention time SRT or
mean cell residence time MCRT or activated sludge age (
c
)
food to microorganism ration (F/M where
the g BOD
5
/g microbes under aeration),
the clarifier solids loading rate and hydraulic loading rate are
determined.

Some selected design parameters for activated sludge:

Food/microorganism ratio (F/M) for conventional activated
sludge 0.05 to 0.45gBOD
5
/gSSd
Food/microorganism ratio (F/M) for extended aeration less
than 0.05gBOD
5
/gSSd

Food/microorganism ratio (F/M) for nitrification 0.05 to
0.15gBOD
5
/gSSd

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) normal 1 to 2 mg/L
Sludge Volume Index (SVI) values: good, range
50 to 100 mL/g

Sludge age
c
, (d) with no nitrification 1 to 3 days

Sludge age
c
, (d)) complete nitrification 8 to 20 days

Sludge age
c
, (d) in extended aeration more than 20 days.

Sludge age
c
, (d) means the average microbes life span in
the system, before being wasted away or lost over the
secondary clarifier weirs.
BOD
5
conversion to new cells: conventional activated sludge:
0.8 to 1.0 g solids/g BOD
5
removed
extended aeration 0.2 to 0.6 g solid/g BOD
5
removed

Oxygen Consumption:
conventional activated sludge 0.5 to 1.1 g O
2
/g BOD
5
removed
extended aeration 1.2 to 1.6 g O
2
/g BOD
5
removed
The items for consideration in the design of activated
sludge plant are:
aeration tank capacity
aeration facilities,
secondary sludge settling and recycle,
excess sludge wasting.
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