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PhD Jorgelina Pasqualino

jpasqualino@utb.edu.co
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Suspended- Attached Growth

Growth Biological Biological
Treatment Treatment

Alternative
Biological
Biological
Nutrient Removal
Treatment
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Secondary Treatment

• Dissolved organic matter removal

• Increase suspended solids removal
• Colloidal or suspended organic matter removal
• Natural biological reactions occur in the receiving
water body, under assimilation capacity conditions.
Biological treatment enhances natural occurring
reactions.
• Removes approximately 85% BOD5 and SS
• Barely removes N, P, heavy metals, non-biodegradable
organic substances, bacteria and viruses

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Activated sludge system
Aeration
reactor
Secondary
settling

Sludge bypass

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Kinetic model

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BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demmand):
-O2 needed for aerobic microorganism to degrade (or oxidize) biodegradable
material, expressed as mg O2/lt (ppm O2).
- BODT: O2 needed for total oxidation
- BOD5: O2 consumed after incubation during 5 days at 20ºC

Pure waters BOD5 < 3 ppm O2

Clean waters BOD5 3-8 ppm O2

Contaminated waters BOD5 > 8 ppm O2

Domestic wastewater BOD5 100-400 ppm O2

Food industry wastewater BOD5 < 10.000 ppm O2

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𝑦 = 𝐿 ∙ 1 − 10−𝑘𝑡

Where:
y: carbonaceous BOD (mg/L) at time t
Lt: residual BOD
L: Ultimate carbonaceous BOD (UCBOD)
k: kinetic constant (1/d)
t: time (d)
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Theoretical BOD:
𝐶𝑛 𝐻𝑎 𝑂𝑏 𝑁𝑐 + 𝑛 + 𝑎4 − 𝑏2 − 34𝑐 𝑂2 → 𝑛𝐶𝑂2 + 𝑎
2 − 32𝑐 𝐻2 𝑂 + 𝑐𝑁𝐻3 1

Theoretical nitrification:
2𝑁𝐻3 + 3𝑂2 → 2𝑁𝑂2− + 2𝐻 + + 2𝐻2 𝑂 2

2𝑁𝑂2− + 𝑂2 → 2𝑁𝑂3− 3

Global nitrification:
𝑁𝐻3 + 2𝑂2 → 𝑁𝑂3− + 𝐻 + + 𝐻2 𝑂 4

Nitrogen BOD (NBOD):

𝑂 𝑂
𝑁𝐵𝑂𝐷 = 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑁 + 𝐴𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑐 𝑁 ∙ + 𝑁_𝑁𝑂2− ∙
𝑁 4
𝑁 3
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Example:
A water sample analysis presents the following results:
Organic Nitrogen = 12 mg/L
Nitrites = 2,4 mg/L
Nitrates = 3,9 mg/L
Ammoniac Nitrogen = 8,3 mg/L
BOD7 = 326 mg/L
Assuming a kinetic constant k = 0,16 1/d, calculate standard BOD (BOD5),
ultimate carbonaceous BOD (UCBOD) and combined BOD.

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Solution:
𝑦 = 𝐿 ∙ 1 − 10−𝑘𝑡

𝐵𝑂𝐷5 = 𝑈𝐶𝐵𝑂𝐷 ∙ 1 − 10−𝑘𝑡

𝐵𝑂𝐷7 = 𝑈𝐶𝐵𝑂𝐷 ∙ 1 − 10−𝑘𝑡

𝐵𝑂𝐷7 326 𝑚𝑔
𝐿 𝑚𝑔
𝑈𝐶𝐵𝑂𝐷 = = = 352,8 𝐿
1 − 10−𝑘𝑡 1 − 10−0,16 ∙ 7

𝐵𝑂𝐷5 = 352,8𝑚𝑔
𝐿 ∙ 1 − 10 −0,16 ∙ 5
= 296,9 𝑚𝑔
𝐿

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Solution:

𝑂 𝑂
𝑁𝐵𝑂𝐷 = 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑁 + 𝐴𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑐 𝑁 ∙ + 𝑁_𝑁𝑂2− ∙
𝑁 4
𝑁 3

𝑚𝑔 64 14 32
𝑁𝐵𝑂𝐷 = 12 𝐿
+ 8,3𝑚𝑔
𝐿
∙ + 2,4 ∙ 𝑚𝑔
𝐿
∙ = 93,6𝑚𝑔
𝐿
14 46 28

Combined BOD:

𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝐵𝑂𝐷 = 𝑈𝐶𝐵𝑂𝐷 + 𝑁𝐵𝑂𝐷 = 352,8 𝑚𝑔

𝐿 + 93,6 𝑚𝑔
𝐿 = 446,4 𝑚𝑔
𝐿

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Activated sludge system
Aeration
reactor
Secondary
settling

Sludge bypass

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Microbial growth stages

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Microbial growth stages

Lag stage Exponential stage

• No cell number increase • 1st order cell number
• Enzymes induction to and concentration
consume substrate growth
• Inoculation and • Balanced growth –
acclimation reduces this homogeneous velocity
stage • High nutrients and
substrate concentration

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Microbial growth stages
Deceleration stage
• Nutrients depletion
• Un-balanced growth
• Hostile environment fro
cell growth
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Stationary stage
• No net cell growth
• Cell growth velocity = cell
death velocity
• Endogenous metabolism
• Nutrients exhaustion
combined with toxic and
inhibitors accumulation
Death/decay stage
• Cells break-up
• 1st order death velocity
• Fresh media addition
required to maintain
growth
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Design process

𝑽 𝑳 t: hydraulic retention time (d)

𝒕= = V: Reactor volume (m3)
𝑸 𝒗
Q: flowrate (m3/s or m3/d)
𝑽 L: reactor length (m)
𝑸= =𝒗∙𝑨 v: flow velocity (m/s or m/d)
𝒕
A: transversal area (m2)

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Design process
𝑽∙𝑿 𝑽∙𝑴 θc: sludge age (d)
𝜽𝒄 = = QW, QR: waste sludge flowrate, and
𝑸𝑾 ∙ 𝑿𝑹 𝑸𝑾 ∙ 𝑴𝑹
recirculation flowrate (m3/d)
X, XR: biological solids biomass inside the
𝟏 𝒀 ∙ 𝝁𝒎𝒂𝒙 ∙ 𝑺𝒆 reactor and in the recirculation (kg/m3)
= −𝒃
𝜽𝒄 𝑲𝒔 + 𝑺𝟎 M, MR: SS inside the reactor and in the
recirculation (kg/m3)
𝑸𝑹 𝑿 𝑴
𝜶= = = Y: cell growth yield (substrate turned into cells)
𝑸 𝑿𝑹 − 𝑿 𝑴𝑹 − 𝑴

µmax: substrate consumption maximum velocity (d-1)

S0, Se: substrate influent and effluent concentration (kg/m3)
Ks: average velocity coefficient (kg/m3)
b: endogenous decomposition coefficient (d-1)
α: recirculation relationship
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Design process

𝒀 ∙ 𝑺𝟎 − 𝑺𝒆 𝜽𝒄 𝒀 ∙ 𝑺 𝟎 − 𝑺𝒆
𝑿 ∙ 𝑽 = 𝜽𝒄 ∙ 𝑸 ∙ 𝑴= ∙ + 𝒁𝒊𝟎 + 𝒁𝒏𝟎
𝟏 + 𝒃 ∙ 𝜽𝒄 𝒕 𝟏 + 𝒃 ∙ 𝜽𝒄

𝒀 ∙ 𝑺 𝟎 − 𝑺𝒆 𝑸∙𝑴∙𝒕 𝑿∙𝑽
𝑷𝒙 = 𝑸 ∙ + 𝒁𝒊𝟎 + 𝒁𝒏𝟎 = =
𝟏 + 𝒃 ∙ 𝜽𝒄 𝜽𝒄 𝜽𝒄

Zi0: inorganic solids influent concentration (kg/m3)

Zn0: non-biodegradable organic solids influent concentration (kg/m3)
Px: waste sludge mass rate (kg/d)

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Design process
𝑸 ∙ 𝑺𝟎 − 𝑺𝒆 ∙ 𝟏 + 𝒃 ∙ 𝜽𝒄 − 𝑩 ∙ 𝒀
𝑹𝒄 =
(𝟏 + 𝒃 ∙ 𝜽𝒄 )

𝑹𝑵 = 𝟒, 𝟓𝟕 ∙ 𝑸 ∙ 𝑵𝟎 − 𝑵 − 𝟐, 𝟖𝟔 ∙ 𝑸 ∙ 𝑵𝟎 − 𝑵 − 𝑵𝑶𝟑

Rc: oxygen demand for carbonaceous oxidation (kg/d)

RN: oxygen demand for nitrification (kg/d)
B: equivalent oxygen relationship= 1,42 kg O2/kg SSV
SSV: volatile suspended solids
N: nitrogen effluent concentration (kg/m3)
N0: nitrogen influent concentration (kg/m3)
NO3: effluent nitrates concentration (kg/m3)
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Recommended parameters

Parameter Units Range Typical value

Y 0,4 – 0,8 0,6

b d-1 0,004 – 0,075 0,06

θc D 5 - 15 10

t h 1,5 – 8,0

µmax d-1 0,3 – 3,0 1,0

BOD removal % 85-95

efficiency

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Design example

Design an activated sludge system with completely mixed

reactor, without nitrification, to process 37500 m3/d
wastewater with initial BOD 140 mg/L. The requirement is to
reach BOD 10 mg/L. The inorganic and non-biodegradable
organic solids concentrations are 1,8 mg/L and 2,6 mg/L
respectively. The biological solids biomass inside the reactor
and in the recirculation are 3000 mg/L and 10000 mg/L.

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Data: Taken from reccomendations:

Q= 37500 m3/d
S0= 140 mg/L Y= 0,6
0,14 kg/m3
Se= 10 mg/L b= 0,06 d-1
0,01 kg/m3
Θc= 10 d
X= 3000 mg/L
3 kg/m3
XR= 10000 mg/L
10 kg/m3
Zi0= 1,8 mg/L
0,0018 kg/m3
Zn0= 2,6 mg/L
0,0026 kg/m3

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Results:

XV= 18281 kg
V= 6094 m3

t= 0,16 d
3,90 h
M= 3,27 kg/m3
Px= 1828,13 kg/d
R c= 2279,06 kg O2/d

α= 0,43
42,86 %

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