Figure 1 Trickling Filter Overview 1

1- Process Description

 The wastewater in trickling filter is distributed over the top area of a vessel
containing non-submerged packing material.
 Air circulation in the void space, by either natural draft or blowers, provides oxygen
for the microorganisms growing as an attached biofilm.
 During operation, the organic material present in the wastewater is metabolised by
the biomass attached to the medium. The biological slime grows in thickness as the
organic matter abstracted from the flowing wastewater is synthesized into new
cellular material.
 The thickness of the aerobic layer is limited by the depth of penetration of oxygen
into the microbial layer.
  The micro-organisms near the medium face enter the endogenous phase as the
substrate is metabolised before it can reach the micro-organisms near the medium
face as a result of increased thickness of the slime layer and loose their ability to
cling to the media surface. The liquid then washes the slime off the medium and a
new slime layer starts to grow. This phenomenon of losing the slime layer is
called sloughing.
 The sloughed off film and treated wastewater are collected by an underdrainage
which also allows circulation of air through filter. The collected liquid is passed to
a settling tank used for solid- liquid separation

2- Classification of Trickling Filters

Trickling filters are classified as high rate or low rate, based on the organic and hydraulic
loading applied to the unit.

1. Low Rate Filters

They are also known as standard rate or conventional rate filters. The settled sewage is
applied to the filter bed and after trickling through it, passes through the final sedimentation
tank for removal of most of the stabilized solids.

2. High Rate Filters

In case of high rate trickling filters, the settled sewage is applied at much higher rate than
for the low rate filter. The high rate filters of modern advancements also function on the
same lines and having the same construction detail but with the difference that provision
is made in them for recirculation of sewage through the filter by pumping a part of the filter
effluent to the primary settling tank (or the dosing tank of trickling filter) and re-passing it
through filter.

3- Advantages of Trickling Filter

 Rate of Filter loading is high as required less land areas and smaller quantities of
filter media for their installations.
  Effluent obtained from the trickling filter is sufficient stabilized.
 Working of Trickling filter is simple and does not require any skilled supervision.
 They are flexible in operation.
 They are self-cleaning
 Mechanical wear and tear is small as they contain less mechanical equipment.
4- Disadvantages of Trickling Filter
 The beds loss through these filters is high.
 Construction cost is high
 These filters cannot treat raw sewage and primary sedimentation is must.
 Fly nuisance and odor nuisance may prevail.

5- Equations Design

Generally trickling filter design is based on empirical relationships to find the required
filter volume for a designed degree of wastewater treatment. Types of equations:

1- Rankins equation
2- NRC Equations
3- Velz Equation
4- Eckenfelder Equation
5- Galler and Gotaas Equation

All these equations are indicated below:

1. Rankin’s Equations:
Rankin developed a set of equations for the performance of high-rate trickling filters of
various flow diagrams based on the requirements of the Ten State Standards of U.S.A.
Rankin’s equations for single- stage and two-stage filters are as indicated below.

(a) For Single Stage Filters:

For single stage filters, the Ten State Standards state that the BOD of the influent to the
filter including circulation shall not exceed three times of BOD of the required settled
effluent. Thus Rankin’s equation for single stage high-rate filter of flow diagrams of Fig.
1 a (i) and (ii) express the above relation as under.

Figure 1 flow diagram of trickling filter

The above equations are applicable only when the organic loading rate on the filter,
including recirculation, is less than 1.8 kg BOD5 /m3/d, and hydraulic loading rate,
including recirculation, is maintained between 10 to 30 m3/d/m2.
When the organic loading ranges between 1.8 to 2.8 kg BOD5/m3/d, the following equation
is used.

For all loadings in excess of 2.8 kg BOD5/m3/d, the BOD removal is assumed to be 1.8 kg
BOD5/m3/d only.

The above equations are also applicable to single stage filter of flow diagram of Fig. 1 a
(iii).
(b) For First Stage of Two Stage Filters:
For the first stage filter of flow diagram of Fig. 1 b (i) the above indicated equations are
applicable.
In the flow diagrams of Fig. 1 b (ii) and (iv) the effluent from first stage filter is applied to
second stage filter without settling and in these cases for the first stage plant effluent the
following equations are applied.

In the flow diagram 1 b (iii) the first stage effluent consists partially of settled sewage
which does not pass through the first stage filter and in this case for the first stage plant
filter and in this case for the first stage plant fluent the flowing equation is used.
(c) For Second Stage of Two Stage Filters:

The efficiency of removal of BOD for the second stage of two stage filter is less than that
of the first stage because the amenability to treatment of the applied BOD is affected by
previous treatment. Hence for the second stage filters the Ten State Standards stipulate
that the BOD of the sewage applied to the second stage filter, including recirculation,
shall not exceed two times the BOD expected in the settled effluent.

For the flow diagrams of Fig. 1 b (i), (ii) and (iv), Rankin’s equations are as under:

For the flow diagram of figure 1 b (iii) where the part of influent is fresh settled sewage
which allows for grater efficiently the flowing equations are used
2. NRC Equations:
The NRC equations for trickling filter performance are empirical expressions developed
from a study of the operation results of trickling filters serving military installations in
USA. These equations are applicable to both low-rate as well as high-rate filters. The
efficiency of single stage filter or first stage of two stage filters is given by-

These equations are applicable to both low rate and high rate filters. The efficiency of
single stage or first stage of two stage filters, E2 is given by

E2 = 100
1+0.44(F1.BOD/V1.Rf1)1/2

For the second stage filter, the efficiency E3 is given by

E3 = 100
[(1+0.44)/(1- E2)](F2.BOD/V2.Rf2)1/2

where E2= % efficiency in BOD removal of single stage or first stage of two-stage filter,
E3=% efficiency of second stage filter, F1.BOD= BOD loading of settled raw sewage in
single stage of the two-stage filter in kg/d, F2.BOD= F1.BOD(1- E2)= BOD loading on second-
stage filter in kg/d, V1= volume of first stage filter, m3; V2= volume of second stage filter,
m3; Rf1= Recirculation factor for first stage, R1= Recirculation ratio for first stage filter,
Rf2= Recirculation factor for second stage, R2= Recirculation ratio for second stage filter.

3. Velez Equation:
In contrast to previous equations, which are based on the data analysis, Velz equation is
based on a fundamental law relating to BOD remaining at depth D as follows:
The experimental constant K ranges from 0.49 for high-rate filters to 0.57 for low-rate
filters. The corresponding values of k ranges from 0.213 for high-rate filters to 0.248 for
low-rate filters.

4. Eckenfelder Equation:
Eckenfelder assumed that trickling filter can be represented as a plug flow reactor and that
substrate utilization follows the first order kinetics. He considered the effect of time of
contact between sewage and micro-organism through the measurable variables of depth of
filter media and surface hydraulic loading as well as of micro-organism concentration
which is related to the specific surface area of the filter media and other factors.
Eckenfelder’s equation can be written as:

for design of trickling filter, treatability studies to evaluate the constant involved in the
above equation should be conducted especially with industrial sewage treatment.
A brief procedure to conduct treatability studies and to evaluate constant in the
Eckenfelder’s equation is described below-
A bench scale cylindrical column (typical dimensions being 200 mm diameter, 2 m or more
in height), preferably of plexiglass, having adequate number (minimum three) of sampling
ports, is filled with filter medium. Suitable arrangements for feeding the sewage at 3 to 4
hydraulic surface loadings are made.
The filter is fed with sewage to be treated to generate slime layer on the filter medium
which may take from a few days to several weeks depending on the nature of the sewage.
The filter is operated at several hydraulic surface loadings by changing the flow rate and
steady state effluent substrate concentration (BOD or COD) remaining at different depths
is determined.
Percent BOD (or COD) remaining versus sampling depths is plotted on semilog paper for
each of the hydraulic loadings and the slope of each straight line is determined. A log-log
plot of slope versus surface loading is drawn. The slope of the line gives the value of
constant n.

A table of [D/(QIA)] versus (Le/La) x 100 for various values of D and (Q/A) is constructed
and on a semilog graph paper (Le/La) x 100 versus [D/(Q/A)] is plotted. The slope of the
straight line gives the value of the treatability factor Ko.
The values of treatability factor Ko range from 0.01 to 0.1. Average values for municipal
sewage for filters using plastic media have been reported to be around 0.06 at 20°C. The
constant n for plastic media modular construction can be assumed as 0.5 without significant
error.
Eckenfelder has also suggested the following empirical equation:

5. Galler and Gotaas Equation:

Galler and Gotaas, based on a multiple regression analysis of data from existing plants and
providing for the effect of recirculation, hydraulic loading, filter depth and temperature of
sewage, developed the following equation-
References
 Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F. L., & Stensel, H. D. (1991). Wastewater
engineering. Management, 7, 1-4.
 Casey, T. J., & Casey, T. J. (1997). Unit treatment processes in water and
wastewater engineering (pp. 166-170). Chichester: Wiley.
 Punmia, B. C., Jain, A. K., & Jain, A. K. (1998). Waste water engineering. Firewall
Media.
 Tchobanoglus, G., Burton, F., & Stensel, H. D. (2003). Wastewater engineering:
Treatment and reuse. American Water Works Association. Journal, 95(5), 201.