CE312 Lecture323334 Fall 20-21

CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Dr. Alanood Alkhaled
Ch.4: Water & Wastewater Treatment
2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 1
BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES - INTRODUCTION

 Effluent from primary treatment still contains about
40-50% percent of the original suspended solids and
about all of the original dissolved organics
 to meet regulatory standards both suspended and dissolved
organics must be significantly reduced
 secondary treatment is required.
 Secondary treatment can be achieved using:
 Relatively high-cost combinations of physical-chemical
treatment operations (e.g. coagulation, microscreening,
chemical oxidation, etc.)
 Biological processes, which are used in most WWTP that
employ secondary treatment.
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES - INTRODUCTION

 In biological treatment, microorganisms use the organics
in wastewater as a food supply and convert them into
biological cells called “biomass”
 Wastewater contains a wide variety of organics  a wide
variety of organisms (a.k.a. mixed culture) is required for
complete treatment.
 Newly created biomass must be removed from wastewater
(in secondary clarifiers) to complete the treatment process.
 Microorganisms involved in wastewater treatment are
essentially the same as those that degrade organic material
in natural freshwater systems.
Biomass growth and food utilization

 X=concentration of biomass (mg/L, VSS)
 S=Concentration of limiting food in solution [Soluble
organics] (mg/L, BOD, COD, or TOC)
Concentration (mg/l)
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Biological Processes – Activated sludge

 Activated sludge is a biological wastewater treatment
process.
 The activated sludge process usually comes after
pretreatment and primary sedimentation tank (i.e.
secondary treatment process).
 The objective of activated sludge process is to remove
dissolved organics from wastewater.

 The activated sludge process has two stages:
1. The aeration tank
2. The secondary clarifier
Mixed liquor = mixture of
activated sludge and wastewater
Aeration Tank Secondary clarifier
Air bubbles from

air diffuser
Return sludge
Waste sludge
(WAS)
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 Activated sludge is known as a suspended growth
process because the microorganisms are suspended in
the liquid wastewater in the aeration tank (which is
the stage at which the biochemical reactions occur).
 Many types/modifications activated sludge process

have been developed (e.g. conventional completely
mixed, conventional plug-flow, etc.). We will only
cover the conventional completely mixed activated
sludge process.
What happens in the aeration tank?

 Wastewater (contains organic compounds) and
biological sludge are aerated and mixed
thoroughly by the agitation of air in an aeration
tank.
 The mixture of activated sludge and wastewater in

the aeration tank is called mixed liquor
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Activated sludge
 Conditions that stimulate microorganisms

growth in the aeration tank:
 Food from organic compounds in wastewater
 Air from diffusers at the bottom of the aeration tank 
supply of oxygen needed to breakdown organic
compounds
 Microorganisms grow in number, clump together

(floc) as they are mixed to form an active mass of
microbes (biological floc = activated sludge) 
they consume organic matter in wastewater  BOD
is reduced.
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 In conventional activated sludge systems:

 Wastewater is typically aerated from 8 -6 hours
 About 8 m3 air is provided for each m3 of treated
wastewater.
 Air is injected near the bottom of the aeration tank at
sufficient rates to keep the sludge in suspension.
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What happens in the secondary clarifier?

 After the aeration tank, the biological solids are separated
(settled out) from the treated wastewater in a secondary
clarifier .
 The settled out activated sludge (i.e. the sludge from the
secondary clarifier) is either:
 Returned to the aeration tank (return sludge) to maintain
microorganisms population at relatively high numbers (to
efficiently degrade the BOD5 ).
 Discarded from the process (waste activated sludge WAS) to

prevent having large concentrations of microorganisms
accumulating and overflowing the secondary tank to the receiving
water.
 Volume of sludge returned to aeration basin is typically 20-30% of

the wastewater flow in conventional completely mixed activated
sludge process.
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021

 The activated sludge process has two stages:
1. The aeration tank
2. The secondary clarifier
Mixed liquor = mixture of
activated sludge and wastewater
Aeration Tank Secondary clarifier
Air bubbles from

air diffuser
Return sludge
Waste sludge
(WAS)
13
Variables and parameters in the equations of the

activated sludge process:
Q, So, Xo
Q = wastewater flow rate into the aeration tank (m3 /d)
Xo = microorganism concentration (volatile suspended solids or VSS) entering the

aeration tank (mg/L)
So = influent soluble BOD5 (mg/L)
V = volume of aeration tank (m3)
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Q, So, Xo
S = soluble BOD5 in aeration tank and effluent (mg/L)
X = microorganism concentration (mixed liquor volatile suspended solids

or MLVSS)in aeration tank (mg/L)
μm = maximum growth rate constant (d-1)
KS = half velocity constant=soluble BOD5 concentration at one-half the

maximum growth rate (mg/L)
kd = decay rate of microorganisms (d-1)
Qw = flow rate of liquid containing microorganisms to be wasted (m3 /d)

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Q, So, Xo
The average amount of time
microorganisms are kept in the
systems = θc (or SRT, or sludge age).
Xe = microorganism concentration (VSS) in effluent from secondary

settling tank (mg/L)
Xr = microorganism concentration (VSS) in sludge being wasted (mg/L)
θc = The average amount of time microorganisms are kept in the systems

is the mean cell residence time θc also called (solids retention time SRT,
or sludge age)
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Deriving the equations of the completely mixed

activated sludge process:
 Equations for completely mixed activated sludge
process are derived using two mass-balance
equations (for biomass (X) and food (S)) at
steady-state.
 To develop working design equations we assumed the
following simplifying assumptions:
 Influent and effluent biomass concentrations are negligible
compared to that in the reactor.
 Influent food (So) is immediately diluted to reactor
concentration (according to CMFR definition)
 All reactions occur in the CMFR
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Completely mixed activated sludge process

 Combining the two mass-balance equations and the
simplifying assumptions results in the following
equations:
1) Mean residence time:
VX
c 
Qw X r  Q  Qw  X e 
2) Concentration of soluble BOD5 in the effluent:
K s 1  k d c 
S 
c  m  k d   1
The above equation shows that the amount of BOD5 leaving the
system (S) is a function of θc only and it does not depend on
BOD5 entering the system or the hydraulic residence time.
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3) Note that S is the soluble BOD5 not the total BOD5:
S  Total BOD5 allowed - BOD5 is suspended solids
4) The concentration of microorganisms in the aeration

tank (X):
c Y  S o  S 
X 
 1  k d c 
Where, Y = decimal fraction of food mass converted to biomass

= yield coefficient = (mg/L biomass)/(mg/L food utilized)
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Typical values of the microbial grow constants are given in

table 6-11:
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Example 1
 A town is upgrading its primary WWTP to a secondary plant that can
meet an effluent standard of 30.0 mg/L BOD5 and 30.0 mg/L
suspended solids (SS). They have selected a completely mixed activated
sludge system.
Assuming that the BOD5 of the SS maybe estimated as equal to 63% of

the SS concentration, estimate the required volume of the aeration
tank. Assume the MLVSS in the new aeration tank is 2000 mg/L. The
following data are available from the existing primary plant:
(1) existing plant effluent characteristics:

flow = 0.150 m3/s
BOD5 = 84.0 mg/L
(2) Growth constants
KS = 100 mg/L BOD5
μm = 2.5 d-1
kd = 0.05 d-1
Y = 0.50 mg VSS/mg BOD5 removed.
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Food to microorganism ratio (F/M)

 F/M is a commonly used parameter in activated sludge process:
F QS o

M VX
 Units of F/M ration are:
mg BOD5 / d mg

mg MLVSS mg.d
 F/M ratio is controlled by wasting part of the microbial mass:

 High rate of wasting (short θc)  high F/M organisms saturated
with food  poor treatment efficiency
 Low rate of wasting (long θc)  low F/M organisms are starved
 more complete waste degradation  less sludge to handle
25

 Nevertheless, long θc is not always used because:
 Requires larger and more costly aeration tank.

 Higher requirement for oxygen
 Higher power costs
 May encounter problems with sludge settleability in the final
clarifier.
 F/M values typically range from 0.1 to 1.0 mg/mg.d
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021

 For the two tanks A and B (see table) the optimum
tank choice is somewhere between.
Parameter Tank A Tank B

F/M Low High
θc Long Short
Sludge None Much
Oxygen required High Low
Power High Low
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Continue Example 1
 Calculate the F/M ratio for the new activated sludge
process in example 1
945
0.58
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Return Sludge (Sludge volume index SVI)

 The purpose of return sludge is to maintain a sufficient
concentration of activated sludge in the reactor basin.
 Sludge volume index (SVI) is used to control the rate

of sludge return to the reactor.
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Completely mixed activated sludge process
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Sludge volume index SVI

 SVI is defined as the volume in milliliters occupied by 1 g of
activated sludge after the aerated liquor has settled for 30 min:
SV
SVI =  1,000 mg/g
MLSS
SVI = sludge volume index (mL/g)
SV = volume of settled solids in one-liter graduated cylinder after 30 min
settling (mL/L)
MLSS = mixed liquor suspended solids (mg/L)
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Importance of SVI
 Sludge volume index (SVI) represent an indication of the settling
characteristics of the sludge.
 Sludge volume index (SVI) is used to control the rate of sludge return
to the reactor Qr , which is important to maintain a sufficient
concentration of activated sludge in the reactor basin  for a given SVI
and Qr the maximum MLSS and MLVSS are fixed within very narrow
limits.
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Typical values (for your knowledge)

 Typical SVI values for MLSS concentrations of 2000 to 3500 mg/L range
from 80 to 150 mL/g. If the concentrations are raised to 3000 to 5000
mg/L then lower SVI or larger settling basin is required to avoid loss of
solids.
 Most Activated sludge WWTP are designed with a variable Qr from 10

to 100% of the raw wastewater flow (should be limited to 100%
particularly for SVI > 100 mL/g ) to give the operator the flexibility to
adjust MLSS to the desired concentration.
 Without operating data, MLSS should be limited at 5000 mg/L (lower

at temperature < 20C) even at very low SVI to avoid very short
detention times. In general, MLSS should not be higher than needed to
avoid the final settling basin operations being critical.
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Sludge return /SVI equations

 Return sludge flow rate Qr :
 QX '  Qw X r'
 if X e' is negligible
 X r'  X '
Qr  
QX  Qw X r  Q  Qw  X e
' ' '
if X e' is not negligible
 X r'  X '
 where, Q = wastewater flow rate (m3/d)

Qr = return sludge flow rate (m3/d)
X’ = mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) (g/m3)
Xr’ = maximum return sludge concentration (g/m3)
Qw = sludge wasting flow rate (m3/d)
 Note that X’ and Xr’ are different by a constant factor than Xr and
X because they include both volatile and inert fractions.
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Sludge return /SVI equations

 Knowing θc and tank V, Qw can be determined from:
 VX
 Q X if X e is negligible
 w r
c  
 VX
if X e is not negligible
Qw X r  Q  Qw  X e 
 Xr’ is related to SVI as follows :
1000 mg/g (1000 mL/L) 106
X 
'
r  mg/L
SVI SVI
 if Xr’ is determined we can get SVI
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Temperature effect
37
Example 2
 Design the return sludge (Xr and Qr ) for the WWTP
expansion of example 1. Given the aeration tank design
you did in example 1 and the following data:
Flow = 0.150 m3 /s
MLVSS (X)=2000 mg/L
MLSS (X’)= 1.43 (MLVSS)
Effluent suspended solids= 30 mg/L
Wastewater temperature = 18°C
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
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945
94.83
Xe’
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Xe’
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Secondary clarifier design

 Secondary clarifiers are an integral part of both activated sludge
and trickling filter biological treatment processes.
 Most focus is on the design of secondary clarifiers of activated

sludge process:
 Mostly type III settling.
 overflow rate between 20 – 34 m/d for the average flow to result in
good separation of liquid and SS.
 Tank side water depths (SWD) in table 6-12 and solid loading rates
in figure 6-28.
 Maximum recommended weir loading 125 – 250 m3/d.m
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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021
Secondary clarifier design
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Example 3
 Design the secondary clarifier for the WWTP
expansion in examples 1, and 2. The secondary clarifier
should be able to handle an MLSS load of 2860 mg/L.
The flow to the secondary clarifier is 0.3 m3/s of which
one-half is contributed by the return flow. Determine
the tank diameter, depth, and weir length.
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CE312 Lecture323334 Fall 20-21

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CE312-Fall-20/21 2/17/2021

Dr. Alanood Alkhaled

Ch.4: Water & Wastewater Treatment

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 1

BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES - INTRODUCTION

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 2

BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES - INTRODUCTION

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 3

Biomass growth and food utilization

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 4

Biological Processes – Activated sludge

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 5

Biological Processes – Activated sludge

Aeration Tank Secondary clarifier

Air bubbles from

Biological Processes – Activated sludge

 Many types/modifications activated sludge process

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 7

What happens in the aeration tank?

 The mixture of activated sludge and wastewater in

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 8

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 9

 Conditions that stimulate microorganisms

 Microorganisms grow in number, clump together

 In conventional activated sludge systems:

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 11

What happens in the secondary clarifier?

 Discarded from the process (waste activated sludge WAS) to

 Volume of sludge returned to aeration basin is typically 20-30% of

Biological Processes – Activated sludge

Aeration Tank Secondary clarifier

Air bubbles from

Variables and parameters in the equations of the

Q = wastewater flow rate into the aeration tank (m3 /d)

Xo = microorganism concentration (volatile suspended solids or VSS) entering the

So = influent soluble BOD5 (mg/L)

V = volume of aeration tank (m3)

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 14

S = soluble BOD5 in aeration tank and effluent (mg/L)

X = microorganism concentration (mixed liquor volatile suspended solids

μm = maximum growth rate constant (d-1)

KS = half velocity constant=soluble BOD5 concentration at one-half the

kd = decay rate of microorganisms (d-1)

Qw = flow rate of liquid containing microorganisms to be wasted (m3 /d)

Xe = microorganism concentration (VSS) in effluent from secondary

Xr = microorganism concentration (VSS) in sludge being wasted (mg/L)

θc = The average amount of time microorganisms are kept in the systems

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 16

Ch.4: Water & Wastewater Treatment

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 17

Deriving the equations of the completely mixed

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 18

Completely mixed activated sludge process

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 19

3) Note that S is the soluble BOD5 not the total BOD5:

S  Total BOD5 allowed - BOD5 is suspended solids

4) The concentration of microorganisms in the aeration

Where, Y = decimal fraction of food mass converted to biomass

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 20

Typical values of the microbial grow constants are given in

2/16/2021 CE312 / Dr. A.Alkhaled Slide 21

Assuming that the BOD5 of the SS maybe estimated as equal to 63% of

(1) existing plant effluent characteristics: