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SBR technology in Germany – an overview

Water Science and Technology Vol 43 No 3 pp 323–330 © 2001 IWA Publishing and the authors
B. Teichgräber*, D. Schreff**, C. Ekkerlein*** and P.A. Wilderer***
*Lippeverband, Kronprinzenstr. 24, D-45128 Essen, Germany
**Steinle Ingenieurgesellschaft für Abwassertechnik mbH, Am Hirschberg 18, D-83629 Weyarn, Germany
***Institute of Water Quality Control and Waste Management, TU Munich, Am Coulombwall, D-85748
Garching, Germany

Abstract The SBR technology is applied in about 1.3 % of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in
Germany. This caused the German Association for the Water Environment (ATV) to prepare the guideline
ATV-M 210 to represent the state of the art for this type of WWTPs in Germany. The basic design
parameters were derived from the standard ATV-A 131 for activated sludge plants to prepare a basis for the
comparison of alternatives. In Bavaria numerous small WWTPs utilize SBR technology. Operational
experiences show that these plants require specifically trained personnel. The plants produce effluents
comparable to those of continuous flow plants in every respect. Hence the choice of system can be based on
economic criteria.
Keywords Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR); ATV guidelines; design guidelines; design practice;
performance; cycle programs; sludge stabilisation; operation

Introduction
In Germany various oxidation ditches using fill and draw technology were installed in the
1960s. Two decades later SBR technology was introduced. At presently, more than 150
wastewater treatment plants in SBR technology are under construction or in operation in
Germany.
Increasing interest in SBR technology and many questions of consultants addressed to
research institutions caused the German Association for the Water Environment (ATV) to
install a task group (No. 2.6.5) in 1995. First purpose was to prepare an ATV-Guideline for
the design of activated sludge plants in SBR technology (ATV-M 210, published in 1997).
While preparing the guideline the task group organised a meeting of SBR experts which
had been announced in the Korrespondenz Abwasser – the members’ magazine of the ATV.
25 experts from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and USA discussed the draft of the guide-
line and presented their aspects of SBR design and construction.
ATV guidelines represent the state of the art for designing wastewater treatment plants
in Germany. They are commonly used for design purpose, at least as a basis for comparing
different technical solutions or design approaches. The authorities normally check the
basic design by comparing it with ATV-guidelines.

ATV-guideline M 210
Basic considerations
Fundamental biological principles governing the activated sludge system for wastewater
treatment do not depend on whether the plant is operated as a batch or a continuous flow
system. Thus, a decision was made to apply the basic design parameters contained in the
ATV guidelines for design continuous flow activated sludge plants (ATV-A 131) for
designing of SBR-reactors as well. This ensures that a comparison of SBR and continuous
flow plants is based on similar biological systems.
Designing a SBR plant according to ATV-M 210 includes the steps shown in Table 1. 323

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Table 1 Steps for designing a SBR plant according to ATV-M210

1. Definition of input data

• Inflow under dry weather and peak flow conditions
• Loads
• Time variations
2. Process configuration
B. Teichgräber et al.

• Plant with or without influent holding tank

• Filling strategy (continuous, short time)
3. Cycle design (process parameters)
• Sludge age
• Volume exchange ratio
• Duration of a cycle
• Sequence of phases (filling, aeration, mixing, sedimentation, drawing, excess sludge removal)
• Duration of phases
• Start and stop of single actions
4. Hydraulic dimensioning
• Number of SBRs
• Volume of the reactors, pre-storage and post tanks (if necessary)
5. Dimensioning of machines
• Aerators
• Pumps
• Mixers
6. Verification of function
• Nitrogen balance
• Dynamic simulation (if necessary)
• Pilot tests (if necessary)

The main difference between designing a continuous flow activated sludge plant and a SBR
plant is the importance of the flow pattern for SBR plants. The discontinuous operation
mode requires detailed knowledge of the volume to be treated to prevent flooding of the
storage tanks. On the other hand the receiving water body must be capable of receiving the
short time high hydraulic load from the SBRs during the decant phase.

Configuration of the process

Process defining parameters can be controlled by the sequence and duration of the process
phases, e.g. filling, aeration, mixing and the volume exchange ratio. These phases must be
iterated to control development and maintenance of the microbial system in the reactor.
When starting the design of a SBR plant a set of process parameters must be estimated and
optimised in the course of the design process.

Conceptual model of the biological treatment

For both systems, the sludge age (SRT) is the key parameter to define the biological system
required to achieve the particular treatment goals. The ATV-M 210 defines a schematic to
calculate the SBR specific sludge age. The necessary sludge age is derived from ATV-A
131 taking into account the daily BOD- respectively COD- load, the suspended solids load,
the temperature and the aims of treatment (carbon removal, nitrification, denitrification,
phosphorus removal, simultaneous sludge stabilisation). The calculations according to A
131 and M 210 are coupled by
nVSBR X R tr
SRT =
324 SP tc

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where
n [ –] number of reactors
VSBR [m3] volume of the SBR reactor
XR [kg/m3] concentration of solids in the filled reactor
SP [kg/d] excess sludge production

B. Teichgräber et al.
tc [h] duration of a cycle
tR [h] duration of the biological treatment.

Conceptual model of the settling process

The calculation of the settling phase is based on the model defined in the German Standard
Method (DIN 38 414, S 10) to determine the sludge volume index (SVI). The sedimentation
process in test resembles those in a SBR tank, and can be used for prediction purposes. The
specific sludge surface load is assumed to be qsv = 650 L/(m2 h). The resulting settling
velocity of the sludge blanket can be calculated as
650
vs =
X R SVI
In most cases the volumetric removal rate of the decanters is constant. When using constant
cycle times under dry weather situations this may lead to a critical distance of the sludge
blanket to the water level during the decant phase. To avoid discharge of suspended solids it
is requested that during the entire decant phase the sludge blanket must be kept 10%, and
0.25 m respectively, below the actual water level, at least.
The minimal water level and reactor volume which can be reached with these settling
properties must be compared with those from the estimated volumetric exchange ratio. If they
do not match the volume exchange ratio they must be changed resulting in a modified XR.

Nitrogen elimination
Finally, the efficiency of nitrogen removal must be calculated on the basis of a nitrogen bal-
ance for a single cycle. If the effluent requirements are based on concentration measure-
ments (as is the case in Germany) the critical situation is dry weather flow. Probably,
different cycle strategies (sequences of filling, aeration and mixing) must be tested.

Technical hints
The influence of temperature depression during winter times for small SBR tanks has been
overestimated in many cases. Several practical experiences show that even steel tanks with
water levels below the ground can be operated without problems in winter time.
All activated sludge plants may produce foam under special conditions. Normally, the
decanters of SBR plants do not remove this foam which protects the effluent from this frac-
tion of COD. Accumulating foam and enrichment of foam producing bacteria must be
strictly avoided, e.g., by special mixing devices.
When an operation mode with short filling phases is applied – which is recommended –
the respiration activity of the activated sludge starts at a high level and decreases sharply to
the level of endogenous respiration. These variations can buffered by dimensioning the aera-
tor according to peak factors (see A 131), and should not be taken into account additionally.

Application in Germany
During the last decade at least 200 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) applying SBR
technology have been built. A survey among the experts for SBR technology in Germany
revealed 138 SBR plants for domestic sewage and 51 SBR plants for industrial wastewater 325

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Table 2 Basic conditions with high impact on the proposed/realised concept for SBR plants

Sewer system In many cases separate systems dominate the mixed ones especially in rural
areas, but high amount of infiltration waters very often dilute the influent.
Existing plant components Existing plant components like basins can be used, e.g., as buffer tank
(integrated function) or kept for partial treatment (parallel function).
Sludge treatment Predominantly done by simultaneous aerobic stabilisation, only plants with
more than 10,000 P.E. operate an anaerobic sludge treatment process.
B. Teichgräber et al.

Topographic situation –

Figure 1 Size distribution of SBR domestic WWTP in Germany

Figure 2 Size distribution of SBR WWTP for industrial wastewater in Germany

exceeding 100 PE could be identified. Moreover at least 25 very small plants below this
size exist in Germany. The size distribution of SBR plants roughly resembles that of all
WWTPs in Germany. In total about 1.3% of the German WWTPs use SBR technology
(Figure 1).
The size distribution of the 51 SBR plants treating industrial wastewater, given in Figure
2, does not allow further conclusions. Probably application of SBR technology to treat
industrial wastewater will expand within the next few years because of the flexibility of the
process and, usually, due to higher concentrations.

Performance of SBR plants in Bavaria

Statistical considerations
In the State of Bavaria, Germany, the first efforts to introduce the SBR technology for
municipal wastewater treatment date back to 1993, while the application in industrial
processes had a much longer tradition. By 1998, 14 SBR plants had been built and put into
operation (Figure 3).
While the first plants were predominantly small installations to serve villages and
dwellings, the size of the plants has increased in recent years. Meanwhile 16 plants are in oper-
326 ation and 9 SBR plants are at planning stage and will be set into operation during the next year.

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B. Teichgräber et al.
Figure 3 SBR plants in Bavaria in the years Figure 4 Categories of Size of SBR plants in
1990–2000 Bavaria (1999)

Figure 5 Maximum specific SBR volume versus design size of SBR plants in Bavaria (1999)

With respect to the size of SBR plants in Bavaria a range from 100 P.E. to 25,000 P.E. can
be found. Still most of the plants are designed for less than 5,000 P.E., but the number of
plants with more than 10,000 P.E. is increasing (Figure 4). Reasons are increasing
experience and many examples of low-cost construction which convince decision makers
especially those of small communities (Schleypen et al., 1997).

Concept, design and operation

No standard concept could be analysed for all SBR plants; various basic conditions have a
significant impact on the chosen concept (Table 2).
Distinguishing between systems with or without influent holding tank (IFT), smaller
plants often are operated without IFT (n = 7), while larger plants are equipped with IFT (n =
9). In the case of missing or more or less small IFT, SBR plants need a larger reactor volume
to buffer hydraulic influent variations. This might be one argument for the relatively high
specific SBR volume of about 850 L/P.E. in smaller plants. The specific volume decreases
in larger sized plants to about 250 L/P.E. (Figure 5).
Another aspect with an even greater effect on the reaction volume is the type of sludge
treatment. This can be found at continuously operated activated sludge plants as well.
Larger sized SBR plants very often use digesters for the treatment of primary sludge, while
the excess sludge of the biological stage is stabilised simultaneously. Free capacities of 327

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B. Teichgräber et al.

Figure 6 Influent and effluent concentrations of SBR plants in Bavaria (1998), (a) COD, (b) BOD5,
(c) tot-N, (d) tot-P

volume and aeration were utilised for that purpose, because of the low exploitation, which
varies between 30 and 90% (average: 51%).
Another element which is typical for SBR plants in Bavaria is the modification of exist-
ing pond systems into polishing ponds which have proved to function as traps of suspended
solids. But mainly they serve as a effluent buffer system, which is required to protect the
receiving waters from hydraulic shock loading.

Results and experiences in practical operation

The performance of SBR plants in operation was studied by a survey conducted in 1998. 14
SBR in Bavaria plants were investigated. The data gained are presented as average and
min/max-values in Figures 6a to 6d.
Almost all plants are subjected to advanced requirements according to European stan-
dards. Despite some operational problems the effluent values are well below the limits to be
met. The combination of the technical system (SBR) and a natural system (effluent polishing
ponds) turns out to be very effective concerning the removal of organic substances (COD,
BOD5). Only small variations are found in the effluent despite the wide range of influent
concentrations. Even very low effluents standards like 40 mg/L COD are easily met.
Nutrient removal in particular removal of “total-P” is a further requirement. Only three
plants out of 16 apply chemicals for phosphorus elimination (because of no effluent stan-
dards). The others rely on biological P removal, and achieve a surprisingly high rate of
about 60% bio-P elimination without special operation strategies.
Nitrogen removal is also significantly higher than required by the effluent standards.
This is caused by the operators trying to minimise energy consumption (longer anoxic
phase duration). A negative aspect of this strategy is that the treatment goal “aerobic stabil-
isation”, which requires high energy input, can not always be met. Insufficient sludge
328 stabilisation leads to odour problems.

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It is well known that short filling phases and high exchange rates improve the settling char-
acteristics of the sludge (Wilderer et al., 1997). However, nearly all plants are operated at a fill
time ratio (fill time over cycle time) of more than 0.4. In most cases volumetric exchange rates
far below 0.5 were observed (Helmreich et al., 2000). Reasons for that are no or too small
influent holding tanks, unfavourable reactor geometry or wrong installation of the decant
devices. Therefore, many plants were fighting against bulking sludge (SVI > 250 ml/g).
Sensors and computer timers are applied for automatic control of the processes. A num-

B. Teichgräber et al.
ber of plants are controlled by systems which allows no manual interaction. In many cases,
however, it turned out to be nearly impossible for the operators to influence the process due
to excess limitation of the computer timer settings.

Conclusions
In Germany the SBR technology has been applied for ten years. Mainly SBR plants serve
small communities and industrial wastewater treatment.
Since only about 1% of the German wastewater treatment plant utilise SBR technology
this method can be regarded as representative of the state of the art technology.
The German Association of the Water Environment developed a guideline (ATV-M
210, 1997) to define the current state of SBR technology in Germany and to prepare a basis
for comparing different technical solutions. The basic design parameters are made compat-
ible to the standard ATV-A 131 “Dimensioning of single stage Activated Sludge Plants
upward 5,000 Total Inhabitants and Population Equivalents”.
Operating problems can be remedied by optimising the equipment (mixers, decanters,
process control) and training. The experiences gained from the first few years of operation
must be transferred to those who design the next SBR plants.
SBR plants normally can be effectively applied for small catchment areas as an alterna-
tive to nature-like systems. However, low qualified personnel and/or lacking measuring
devices e.g. for excess sludge withdrawal to control sludge age makes it sometimes very
difficult to operate SBR plants in case of significant changes in the influent conditions.
Most of the small plants are operated mainly by not properly trained personnel. A opera-
tor trained to run a continuous flow activated sludge system gets lost when transferred to an
SBR plant unless he receives specific instructions.
The effluent quality of SBR plants does not significantly differ from continuous flow
plants. Therefore, the choice between a continuous flow or a SBR plant should be based on
an economic comparison only.

Acknowledgements
The authors thank the number of experts taking part at the survey on existing SBR plants in
Germany and in Bavaria. Moreover they thank Stefan Wuertz for critically reading and
commenting on the manuscript.

References
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des Schlammvolumenanteils und des Schlammindex (DIN 38 414, S 10). Berlin: Beuth, 4 p.
Helmreich, B., Schreff, D. and Wilderer, P. (2000). Full-scale experiences with small SBR plants in Bavaria.
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Schleypen, P., Michel, I. and Siewert, E. (1997). Sequencing batch reactors with continuous inflow for small
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Teichgräber, B. (1998a). Belebungsanlagen im Aufstauprinzip – Bemessung und Anwendung.
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