Working of a Biological Sewage Plant

The basic principle of the working of a biological treatment plant is decomposition of the raw sewage.
This process is done by aerating the sewage chamber with fresh air. The aerobic bacteria survive on
this fresh air and decompose the raw sewage which can be disposed off in the sea. Air is a very
important criterion in the functioning of the biological sewage plant because if air is not present, it will
lead to growth of anaerobic bacteria, which produces toxic gases that are hazardous to health.Also,
after decomposition of the sewage with anaerobic bacteria, a dark black liquid causes discoloration of
water which is not accepted for discharging. Thus in a biological sewage treatment plant the main aim
is to maintain the flow of fresh air.

IMPORTANT TERMS

1. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

2. Coliform Count
3. Recommended levels of pumping out solids
4. Bio-chemical digestion of sewage

1. Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Biochemical oxygen demand is a test to identify biological decomposable substances and to test the
strength of the sewage. BOD depends on the activity of bacteria in the sewage. These bacteria feed
on and consume organic matter in the presence of oxygen.

BOD can also be defined as the amount of oxygen required by the micro-organisms in the
stabilization of organic matter. The results are generally expressed as the amount of oxygen taken by
one litre sample (diluted with aerated water) when incubated at 20 degree for five days.

BOD of raw sewage is 300-600 mg/litre. IMO recommends BOD of less than 50 mg/litre after
treatment through sewage treatment plant.
Other Meaning: Biological Oxygen demand (B.O.D.)

Aerobic bacteria use Oxygen in the process of breaking down the sewage. At the end of the process
the action of the bacteria reduces and so does the Oxygen demand. The effectiveness of a sewage
treatment plant may be gauged by taking a one litre sample and incubating it for 5 days at 20oC. The
amount of Oxygen consumed in milligrams per litre or ppm is termed the B.O.D.

2. Coliform Count

Coliform is a type of organism which is present in human intestine and is recognized as indicator
organisms of sewage pollution. Presence of these organisms in water is an indication of pathogen
(pathogen count), which are diseases causing bacteria responsible for cholera, dysentery, typhoid
etc.

The number of coliform organisms present in sewage on ship is very large, with each person
contributing around 125 billion in winters and 400 billion in summer.

IMO recommends faecal coliform count of less than 250 faecal/100 ml. of affluent after treatment.

3. Recommended levels of pumping out solids

Dissolved solids – Solids which are dissolved in the solution

Suspended solids – Solids physically suspended in sewage that can be removed by laboratory
filtration and are relatively high in organic matter.

Settle able solids – Suspended solids that will subside in quiescent liquid in a reasonable period of
time (usually around an hour)

Suspended level of raw sewage – Around 300-400 mg/litre; IMO recommends 50 mg/ litre after
treatment.

Residual disinfectant – After treatment residual disinfectant should be as low as possible. IMO
recommends use of ultra violet exposure for chlorination method.
4. Biochemical digestion of sewage:

Anaerobic process

Anaerobic bacteria can only multiply in the absence of free oxygen as they utilize chemically bound
oxygen to survive. Anaerobic bacteria break down the organic matter into water, carbon dioxide,
methane, hydrogen sulphide and ammonia. This process is called putrefaction.

The products thus produced out of this process are noxious and toxic. The effluent is of poor quality
and by-products are highly corrosive.

Aerobic process

Aerobic bacteria require free oxygen to survive. They break down the organic matter to produce safe
products such as water, carbon dioxide, inert residue, and energy to synthesize new bacteria.
FOAM SPRAY SYSTEM

Foam control spray systems are provided on all larger installations and most of the smaller ones,
especially if the plant is expected to be underloaded or if it is to receive a high detergent flow.
Foam spray devices, like surface skimmers, are a handy tool and may be used for routine plant
maintenance and elimination of a nuisance.
The presence of foam in an extended aeration plant indicates that the organic loading of the system
is low. An extremely high detergent flow may also cause foaming although this is not normally the
case. Most sewage treatment systems develop foam during their initial start-up because the solids
level in the plant is lower than intended.
Usually this foaming will subside after several weeks – once the solids level in the plant comes up to
the anticipated level.
Foam in a plant that has been in operation for sometime normally indicates loss of solids or lack
of solids coming into the plant. The foam itself has no effect on the operation of the system or its
ability to treat the wastewater.
However, if it develops in relatively large quantities it may become a nuisance by accumulating on
tank walls, piping and possibly even coming out the top of the tank.
For this reason, a foam control spray device is provided.
The foam spray pump is installed in an isolated section of the settling tank and it pumps clear
liquid back to a series of spray nozzles located above the surface of the aeration chamber.
Like the surface skimmer, the foam spray system should not be in operation on a continuous
basis. It should be placed into operation only when it is needed for wash water or when foam
accumulates to a level where it becomes a nuisance.
Maintenance and Checks for Sewage Treatment Plant
on Ship
Routine Checks

1. During daily rounds the pressure of the system should be checked and should be within the limits.

2. The air lift return should be checked to make sure the system is working properly. This is usually
checked by the flow through the clear plastic pipe present on the installation. A clear sludge can be
seen flowing through the tubes back to the aeration chamber.

3. Over a period of time, the sludge content in the aeration tank due to the recycling of the sludge
from settling tank and fresh sewage increases. This sludge content or suspended solid particle is
measured in mg/liter. The method of checking it is to take sample in a conical flask provided by the
manufacturer and filling it up to 1000ml mark. The sample is then allowed to be settled and reading of
sludge content is checked.
The sludge content should not be above the 200 mark, but if it is above the 200 mark, the tank has to
be emptied for increasing the performance. In some ships this is checked by filtering the sample
through a pre-weighed pad which is dried and re-weighed. This also depends from manufacturer to
manufacturer, but is done every week.

4. Also the bio-pac is added every week to the plant to increase efficiency. The bio-pac contains
aerobic bacteria which get activated when mixed with hot water.

5. The chlorination of the sample should be between 1-5 ppm and accordingly the dosing has to be
increased or decreased.

6. The level of biological oxygen demand (BOD) is also checked and it should not be above 50
mg/liter. The sample is checked by incubating the sample at 20 degrees and well oxygenating the
same. The amount of oxygen absorbed over a period of five days is measured. This is done to check
the oxygen required for full breakdown of sewage after it has been treated by aerobic bacteria.

7. The internal coating of the sewage treatment plant should be checked for cracking and blistering. If
any kind of damage is found then we first need to empty the tanks and then necessary repairs to be
performed. Special precautions should be taken before entering the tank as it may contain toxic
gases that cause suffocation. The gases should be checked by dragor tube, a special tube in which
samples of various gases are taken before entering.

When it is made sure of the absence of toxic gases, entry is made with the mask and gloves. After
completion of work the area has to be disinfected. Later, hands should be properly scrubbed and
overalls be thoroughly washed.

8. If the sewage treatment plant is fitted with UV disinfectant system instead of the chlorination
system, the UV lamp has to be changed as recommended by the manufacturer.

9. High and low level limit switches should be checked for auto cut-in and cut-out of the discharge to
over-board pump.

10. Make sure the stand-by sewage discharge pump is put on auto during the working of the sewage
treatment plant.

 
Maintenance

In case of a blockage of the sewage line there is a connection for back flushing which uses sea water.
This is to be used to unclog the sewage pipelines; however, it is to note that all valves are closed and
only the necessary valves are open, for it might back flush from WC of the cabins.

Generally, stewards are instructed for using chemicals provided by various manufacturers such as
Drew Marine and Unitor during washing so that no blockages of lines are caused. However, there
shouldn’t be any overuse of these chemical as it would lead to killing of aerobic bacteria which will
decrease the efficiency of the plant and other problems.  The amount of chemicals is to be as per
manufacturer recommendation.