17 Activated

Sludge p roce
17.1 GENERAL
in the previous chapter, it has been seen that when sewage is passed ortei.
Oces
a grit bed, the sewage is purified. This purification is due to the actioneles
bacteria which remain in the organisms film. The main disadvantage of stiche of the aeroti ickles thro
they cannot treat the concentrated sewage continuously and get clogedh "e is
difficulty long ago experiments were carricd out for many years by blowing air Due to thaged. filters
and it was discovered that the floc having living organism is forimed,. When he sewagthi
theg
floc was examined by a microscope, it showed the presence
of variety ty of
bacteria. protozoa, moulds and yeasts which were similar to the org freely
organism film
sewage filters. When the circulation ofair was stopped, the floc settled. Thefonme movimg
activated flocif added i
another fresh sewage caused its digestion. This floc is called the
slu2dd
named s0, because it is very active and can treat the fresh
The term activities sludge is used to indicate the
sewage. sludge. It w
sludge which is obtained
sewage in presence of abundant oxygen. The activated sludge is by
contains a great no. of aerobic bacteria and other biologically Acin
m.0. Which have got an unusualdhd activeaSetting
to oxidise the
organic matter.
The activated sludge process is
an aerobic, biological sewage treatment svete
essential units of the process are an aeration tank, a em. The
secondary settling tan
line from the secondary settling tank to the aeration tank and an tank, asludgere
excess sludge
17.2 THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS waste line
In the early stages, the activated
sludge process was carried out on 'Fill and Dra
basis, but later on when it became popular, it became cortinuous
process is adopted in the current practice process. The followin
(The raw sewage is given the primary treatnient in the
detention period is kept short 1 I.5 hours. The primary settling tank. The
primary
-

ercentage of settleable solids. Due to less removal ofsettling

tank removes less
filter media does not solids (suspended). te
clog.
(i) After primary treatment, the raw is mixed up with the
activated sludge which is calledsewage required quantity or
'Return sludge' and sent in the aeration
The mixer is known as 'mixed tank
(ii) In the aeration units the mixed liquor.
10 hours depending on the liquor is aerated and simultaneously
agitated for
degree of purification
desired and the strength ot tk
sewage.
(iv) The
aerated mixed liquor is sent in final settling tank, where the sludge
(v) The effluent from the final
settling tank which is clearis setle
ofthe effluent is mixed in the raw sewage before disposed oft. Apor
tank. sending it in the primary sets
(vi) A part of settled sludge is sent
back in the aeration tank for seeding the rraw
Sewage and the excessive quantity is
treated and disposed off in a su
manner. Digested
Sludge Activated sludge
sludge digestion tank
Return sludge (extra)
Recirculated
Raw Primary
sewage Aeration Final Efluent

settling tank tank settling tank

Return effluent
Fig. 17.1. Outlines of Activated
Sludge Process.
 E DS L U D G EP R O C E S S

ACRAT eneral outlincs of the activated 477

Rrtrned iusiralcs The
SudUgh
7.1
ilhus main object of primary sludge process diagrammaticaly.
eain
Primary Treat
Fi

oating matter etc. from the treatment is to remove

suspended
d.gr
matYs,O s , S a n d ,

crcens, grit chamber, detritussewage. In the primary treatment, the

It is the activated
tank and
sludge obtained from the sedimentation tanks.
oft
primary
efflucnce
treatment before final settling tank for
the mixed going the aeration units, to
he in
or. Gencrally for
cd liaaf acration tankpreparing
ith lian
w
a
miNCd

mthucnt
of liquor, the activated sludge is
by a volumetric ratio.
e p a t
the
20% to 35% % of the Thequantity of returned
ted
in
om
e h d e ev a r i c sI r o m
prescttled sewage by volume. The
be judged
sludge
by i
can
its golden brown colour and denscness. activeness of the
judg
or reactivated
rd Judge
eturtn
is reaerated
retUrTi
studge

before mixing with At some treatment

lansthe
that the efficiency of the activated influent.
ofthe is mixed up in the sewage beforesludge
a c t i v a l c ds l u d e c

its
process is increased if a part
Previously the quantity of return sludgeprimary sedimentation.
it
doit 'Sludge Index. The sludge-indexdetermined
by was on volumetric
Shudge.

to
is better
But it
milli-litres for one gm of dry is the ratio of the volume
varies from
150 to 300.
150 weight
of the
sludge. The value of
jndev
this A C T I V A T E D
SLUDGE PROCESS VARIABLES
7.3
The main varia of the ariables activated sludge
process are the
and the
flow scheme. loading rate. the mixing
ime
Loadi Rate. This is expressed as the rate at which
sewage is
developed empirically applied
loading parameter which has been aeration in the
A
ank..
over the
hydraulioretention time (HRT) and is expressedas years, is the
24V
HRT=- in Hrs
V =Volume
10000 (17.1)
Where, of aeration tank in r
Q Sewage inflow excluding sludge
Another common equation is, recycle in mld
Volumetric loading

i n kg BOD,I m (17.2)
Where, L influent BOD, to aeration tank. mgl.
The organic loading rate is defined as the ratio of
microbial feed) to kg. MLSS in aeration tank
kg BOD, applied per day (representing
(representing micro-organism) or
F/M =(v.1000)x X (17.3)
Where X MLSS mg/l. The F/M ratio is the main factor
=

Lower the F/M controlling BOD removal.

value, higher will be the BOD removal in the plant. The F/AM can be varied by
Varying MLSS concentration in the aeration tank.
For
checking the design of activated sludge system, third parameter known as Solid
NCCntion
s Used,
Time (SRT) also known as Mean Cell Residence Time (MCRT) the sludge
or age
which is given by
kg MLSS aeration
kg SS wasted + kg SS tost in the ..(17.4)
final efluent per day
478
WATER SUPPLY AND
SANITARY
RY FE
ENGINEERN,
in the aeration
tank may t
Mixing Regime. The mixing regime cmployed the
completely mixed flow. Plug flow method implies
that sewage moves doplug n
phug low on
along the acration tank, essentially unmixed with the rest of
the tank contents tn
throuo COmnl
progresip
mix flow method, it involves the rapid dispersal ofthe incoming sewage
In the plug flow mcthod, the F/M and the oxygen
demand will be highest atOut the rank
decrcase. In the complete mix Sueet cnd
the acration tank and will then progressively tem. the FM
thc tank.
and the oxygen demand will be uniform throughout
activatcd sludge process involvec th.
Flow Schemc. The f1low scheme the of tank and also the he pattemof
return to the acration pattern of aeration
sewage addition and sludge the inlet end of the tank or it
at
Sewage addition may be at a single point return may
be directly from the cerelSever
be a
tank. The sludge may
points along the aeration reaeration tank. The compressed air maankh
the acration tank or through a sludge
uniformly along the whole length of the tank
or it may be tapered from the
hePplie
acration tank to its end.
of the
17.4 CLASSIFICATION OF AERATION UNITS
Aeration units are the main units of the activated sludge proces, the mo
which are to supply oxygen to the sewage; to keep the return sludge aerobic andto
the return sludge with sewage thoroughly.
All the aeration units can be broadly classified as follows
) Diffuser Air Units.
Mechanical Aeration Units.
(ii) Combined mechanical and diffused air units.
17.5 DIFFUSER AIR UNITS
These units are suitable for large plants. The compressed air is blown through diífise
in the sewage. The tanks of these units are generally in the form of narrow rectangula
channels of30x5 x 3 to 120 x 10 x 5 metres. The bottom ofthese tanks is providedwith ie
and furrows as shown in Fig. 17.2. The diffuser tiles are fixed in the furrow portionbycemer
or bituminous compounds and are made air-tight by rubber rings
The air before passing through diffusers Compressed
air
must be passed through air filters to remove
dirt and other undesirable particles. The
required pressure is maintained by means of
air compressors.
There are two systems for the distribution
of compressed air in the sewage. In the first Sewage
system, the compressed air is applied evenly Duttuse
on the sewage by diffusing it from the diffuser
plates placed along the whole bed of the Fig. 17.2. Diffuser Air Unit
aeration tank as shown in Fig. 17.2. In the second
system, the corners of the tanks u
rounded by providing fillets and the diffusers are
placed on one side only. By this ssi
spiral flow is obtained in the sewage. Figs. I17.3 and 17.4 shown aeration
spiral flow in the sewage. units whien
Compressed
Compressed
air

Diftuser

Batfle
wall

Sewage Diffusers
Fig. 17.3. Aeration
unit having
spiral flow. Fig. 17.4. Aeration unit aving

spiral flow.
CTATEDSAUDGE
SLUDGE
PROCE,

TED DIFFUSERS
AIR
A

wo types ofairdiffusers are commonly uscd

following
ers
( )h td i t u s c r s

ffusers.
mall metal
Porous

give direct stream of air in the form of jet, downward against a

give
sers
helow the nozzle ofthec jet. Thei
Impinging air flashes over the surface ofthe
/AC/ust
iust csCapes
in
he form of the fine bubbles
the and stir the sewagc and aerate it.
manulactured in the form of tubes and plates from grains of
ounulac.
diffuser are
a n d

aluminium oxide or carbon fused together to fom a porous

a l u m i n i u n

ucture having
quari7, v, The plate ditiusers are generally of the shape of tile aving size 30 30
nshed
J O ° oo r o s i

mes tubular diffusers of about 60 cm 4.5 to 8.0 cmn internal diameter

all thickness are also used. Porous length,
m
nith
. Son
1 . 0 o/ . 5 7
diffuser plates are fixed in the furrows
0 h e tank. and allow the air diffusion through them. 10%to floor area is
the porous
difluscr tiles depending on the and the quantity of the air
th rosity
Ihe supply of air is done through the pipe linc laid in the floor of the tank and
the
by
the valves. Tubular ditfusers are held in the pairs between packing glands
valves

kntroled
a centralair pply pipe and is controlled by valve.
CCntral

lo
hed
altza permeabilityIs detined
ndardpen
as the volume ofair inan ntInmin at 21.1°C and 25%
idity, which will pass through an area of 1.0 sq.m. of dry porous plate in 1.0
lativer n effective pressure of s cm of water. Porous diffusers having high permeability
m i n u l ei n d e r

5 mnm nminutesshould be used for the aeration units, because they clog less frequenuy
sire less power and head for diffusion of air through them.
andalso r

ommonpractice
p porous dome type airdiffusers of 10 to 20 cm in diameter are used.
directly fixed or serewed on the top of C.I main pipes laid in the bottom of the
These are direct

&e
ationtanks.
anks. They can be easily fixed and removed, and are also cheap in initial as well as
mauntenance
nce cost. The capacity ofthese dome type diffusers is to diffuse 0.69 to 1.25 m'/min
each unit.
air
of
17.7 AIR SUPPLY

Air compressors or blowers are used for supplying the air to the aeration units. Normally
i Supplied undera pressure of 0.55 to 0.7 kg/cnm?. To reduce the dust contents the air
Hete supplying is filtered through viscous filters of hairs covered with oil or glass wool
e The air velocity in the pipe lines laid under the bed ofthe aeration units is kept between
Hit 900 m/min. The loss of head is kept from 2.5 to 5 cm of water.
The experiments show that the power required for air supply varies from 20 to 60 B.H.P
4500 m lday of sewage to be treated, depending on the B.0.D. to be removed from the
Fwege.
The quantity ofair
supplied varies from 1.25 to 9.50m'In ofsewage
depending on
the Strength of the sewage to be treated and degree of treatment to be given.
Weaker or dilute sewage requires less quantity of air than the strong sewage.
17.8 MECHANICAL AERATION UNTTS
In diffused air units, the quantity ofair which is actually utilized for oxidation is only 5%
Driving motor
of the total quantity of air compressed
Fan
and the remaining 95% serve the purpose
ofthoroughly mixing only. Due to this Inlet
reason, that the air does the part of
Outlet
mixing more some mechanical methods Air seat|ACrator cone
Were
developed for the mixing of sewage. Uptare
The main object while designing the tube
arious mechanical aeration units, was
Aept to bring every time new surface o
SEwage in contact with air. The following Conical
are Some of the mechanical methods bottom tube
which have been developed for the
Fig. 17.5. Simplex Aeration Unit.
above purpose.
 480
Haworth System.
In this system very long
(1000m)na.

a l l o w e d to flowow in them
EERNG
row (1.3to1n
()
Sheffield o r

channels w e r e built
and the sewage

paddles
was

w e r e installed
in these chann

d in moderns
vel
avelocty
As which
agjtate
shallow
not usedd
m) 0.55 m/sec. M e c h a n i c a l rotating
about
w a s very
costly,
therefore, is
re provided simila
c h a n n e l s are sewage work
to s
is placed aar
endShefoffield
system
the sewage. This
narrow
the which
In this system, device, at e
artly System.is donc by propeller type
System,
but the mixing
in the modern s e s
the
channel. This is most
commonly used
to 8 x 8xx 5to 7 mi wage treat
Simplex System.
x5 to 7m
from5 x5
shape of a this
Works.
(i)
The sizes of acration
tanks are
square
and their
bottoms
have the

essentially shows
tPPer systInoem
The tanks a r e generally serics. Fig. 17.5 70COm
provided in tube 50 cm to
treatment plant 4 to 6 tanks are
consists of a
vertical uptake
The lower
er end of
ents
aerator. It mainly centre of the tank. this tube
ofa Simplex placed in the 1led at its
blades is installe
both the ends open,
with its
motor with
impeller-like
electric motor starts
as top show
whereas an electric
enlarged,
are so adjusted
that when the surface. suck the
in Fig. 17.5. The impellers
it in the form
thin sprayover
ofa it rushes towarde
the sewag
sewage from
the tube and throw more and
more
of ts bottom as
the tube
sucked from c i r c u l a t i o n is formed and all the
When the sewage is continuous
arrows in the figure. Thus a
is sprayed, it also sucks
tSewao
shown by mimutes. When the sewage
is turned on within 20
quantity oxygen from
the air. aeration unit consists of the
e.
of
The aspirator
mechanism

bottom
of
of
the spray
the
simplex
down draft tube,
which circul:
bubbles to the bottom
ulates the tube, olaspilowiratnges
ofthe aerati
(a) A rotor at the the shape of fine
the air and expels it out in on
unit. the sewage from the ton
the circulation of
(6) A down-draft tube which allows
bottom.
opofthe
bottom tank to its
square hopper draft tube by the action ventu ri. of
tubes, to draw the air into the down
(c)Air
17.6 shows the essentials of this system
(iv) Kessener Brush System. Fig. at the one the surface and givese
this
wheel provided with vanes rotates corner of s spira
system aofthe sewage
motion of the tank. In place of circular wheel. a brush is also sometimesused

Following are themain disadvantages ofthe Baffle

wall
Brush
mechanical aeration units:
for their
(a) They require large area
construction than the diffused air
units.
(6) They have less operational flexibility.
C)There is every possibility of short-
circuiting.
These are not suitable for most of the
industrial wastes. Fig. 17.6. Kessener brush
(e) In hot climate their efficiency is low. system.
17.9 COMBINED MECHANICAL AND Compressed
DIFFUSED AIR UNITS air
Driving motar

Aeration units which utilize the mechanical

as well as diffused air properties were first tried
by Karllmhon. The results were very good. Fig.
17.7 shows such an aeration unit. The mechanical Paddles
mixing is done by rotating paddles. The diffused
air increases the efficiency
of this
unit.

Air diffuser
Fig. 17.7 Combined mechanica
and diffused air unlt.
 MED
SUDGEA CESS
S L U D G EP R

481
OF AERATION TANK AND
APACIT)
0 CAPA DETENTION
acity ofthe aeration unit to be provided PERIOD
ntity of the sewage to be treated.is generally determined by
capac

o r andthe quantity.
riod
the
sie

Mnon
perwd
T h e
and or orBB.O.D. to be removed. The detention
period
iectooneflect

Deriod isis determined by the

fdetention period
on depends
herican Public Heal1h Association Formula following two empirical formulae:
B.O.D.
T I=
20
-

Aeration period in hours

BOD
B.O.D. ofth aeration tank
=4

to be removed. sewage influent in nmg/liire

es Crosta
Ames Mills and Co. Lid.
Crosta Mi
M/s
(England) have recommended the
B.O.D4
10
Aeration period in hours.
=

been noted that50%

ally it has of the B.O.D. is removed in
hours and the remaining 25% in the last three hours inthethefirst
t h en e x tt w o .
onehour, 25%
6 hours detention
Therefore, it has been observed that
tank. longer detention period increases the cost
eriad
te and operational
and operational
units cost too high, whereas the
3egnof eration units is therefore done keeping in view all efficiency
ation is
the facts. not so high. The
The usual practice is to keep the detention period between 6 to 8 hours. The volume of
tank isis also decided by considering the return sludge which is about 10%to
aeration tank
the
of the sewage volume. The capacity of aeration tank is usually kept 18.5 m'/kg of
B0D load.
ACTIVATED SLUDGE
17.11 RETURN
he activated sludge is in the shape of a floc, which is similar to the gelatinous film
iarmed on the trickling filter media. The aerobic bacteria are responsible for the formation
fthis floc. The activated sludge mainly consists ofaZoogicalmatrix having protozoa and
atur living organism which eat the organic matters of the sewage. These assimilate the
roloial and dissolved organic material and convert them into cell substance and matrix.
which easily settle down in the settling tanks.
The quantity of activated sludge required for seeding the sewage is very small-about
%of the sewage quantity. The efficiency of the process is slow in the beginning. It requires
It10 3weeks for building up the necessary floc. After this time the plant attains the required
eficiency
17.12 QUANTITY OF RETURNS SLUDGE
The quantity of return sludge to be returned to the aeration units mainly depends on
tiequality and quantity ofthe raw sewage coming in the aeration unit, as well as the degree
dfreatment to the primary effluent. The quantity of the return sludge is so adjusted for the
eter efficiency that certain concentration of suspended solids remain in the aeration units.
Usually solid concentration of about 1000 mg/lire is kept in the diffused air aeratio units
nd forms 1000 to 2500
mg/litre in the mechanical aeration units.
Mathematically, ifthe solid contents in the primary effluent be S, and the solid contents
mthe return sludge be S, the ratio of the volume of return sludyé to the volume of the

mary efiluent (sewage) for obtaining a solid contents of S

S, -S
S-S, .(17.1)
 WATER SUPPLY AND SANITAR
482
The values of S, S, and S, are in mg/litre. The above formula (17.1) is

the volume of the return sludge. The valrean

ENONEERE
use in design for determining

usually kept between 0.2 to 0.5 ie.,

20% to 50%. The design ofthe aeratithi, racia
aterunitsknow. retum
tanks etc. can be easily determina Unit
sludge punmps, channels, secondary settling
of the return sewage.
the quantity of the sewage and the quantity

17.13 DESIGN LOADING RATES

or less similar tothe trickling filta.
The working ofthe aeration tank is more
the contact media ofthe tricklingfiltSThe
solids remaining in suspension act like
the B.0D
aeration tanks or units loadings and
ofthe sewage. The rate of the surface area) ofthesuspendedsolpre are expressed and remr
tems of BOD applied per unit weight (or
obtained ifthe weight of the suspendoPac
it has been noted that good results are
load of the incoming sewage. Wh0lid
between 2 to 3 times the daily B.OD nen the loa
down.
increased the efliciency of B.O.D. removal drops
on the graph, how the B.OD
Fig. 17.8 shows practical results plotted D. removald.

with the increase in B.O.D. load.

OF RETURN SLUDGE
The QUALITY
17.14
quality ofthe return sewage mainly depcnds on the presence of biolno.
healthy ciliateal life
when it will contain
The quality of the sewage will be better ornumbers.
On the other hand if theoz
gelatinous masses of bacteria in large
contain preponderance of other protozoa and filamentous organisms, it will
quality ofsludge. The purifying power of fresh sludge is much more than old or stal
For better results, it is most necessary to go on changing the old sludge.

suspended solids inaeration tanks (kgm

suspended solids in the primary eftluent (kgme
The above ratio or the sludge age should not be more than 10 to 12 (ie., 3 to 3 s
100
old).

100 200 300 500 600

B.0.D. Loadintensity per day per 500kg. of

suspended salids in aeration unit/hour
of aeration
Fig. 17.8. B.0.D. load and efficiency of ess.
Activated sludge proce
 SLUDGE PROCESS

nATED
SL,

unis
s the tun sludge is aerated before
the

channels. 483
the
re

n
aelr
n tO n
a nunits in the
Sometimes holdingmixing
tanks
it with the
sewage on its way
are used for way
DGE VOLUME INDEX aeration of the
nGE
15S L U D G EV O

of of the
th olume of
the thelume activatcd
the volume in sludge in cu.cm for onc
r a l i 0

the defined

is also
1s
m i n u l e so f
hudge.
ttling. Thesludge
s mililitres gm of
volume index of occupied by 1 gm of dry weight of
index of bulked good sludge is sludge (dry wt.)
indicatesaa light and sludge is about 200
7 h es l u d g e v o l u m e

between
or mo
50to
to 100m
ml/gm
100 ml/
of
slhudgei n d e x
fMufly Of
sludge which takes more time in
whichR more. The higher
whaha s 0d i
icates the low efficiency of the proee
process. settling.
VANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
o l l o wm g a r e
dvantages of the activated
the main advantag
of this
initial cost of
process is lower than thesludge proccss of treatment:
The.

Sma ller area of land is trickling filters units.

required and design can bemade
(i)
effluent is clear, sparkling liquid made compact.
compact.
i)The free from
is free from offensive
Thetotal processi putrescibling
objectional
and odour.
no fly nuisance. smells, and therefore there is
fficiency
The of the process is very high, it can
remove
and bacteria more than 90%. suspended solids B.0.D
The quality
the quantitynature
or of the
of the naturaleftluent
07) can be varied
an water courses depending upon the quality
available for final disposal.
The excessive sludge has very high fertility value than the
(vi) sludge obtained from
other sewage treatment units.
ei The water head required for the operation is smaller than all other treatment
processes, Such as trickling filters
Following are the disadvantages of the activated sludge process of treatment
(The operational cost is higher than that of trickling filter.
( It requires skilled workmen for its constant operation and maintenance.
(ii) It has sensitivity to change in the quality of the influent.
(iv) Large quantity of sludge is produced, which causes difficulty in disposal.
() If the process goes out of order it gives much trouble and takes time in setting it
in right operation.
(vi) There is uncertainty of results under all conditions.
17.17 TYPES OF ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
h modem sewage work practice, the old activated sludge process hasbeen modified to
Su ne local conditions for increasing its efficiency and reducing the operational and
maintenance cost.
he following are the various types of activated sludge process
() Tapered aeration
i) Step aeration
High rate treatment or modified aeration
(v) Two stage aeration
() Activated aeration
vi) Reaeration
vi) Contact stabilisation
(vin Complete mix
ux) Extended Aeration method.
7,18 TAPERED AERATION
This is collected at various points in the
called controlled aeration. If samples are
aion so mixed liquor is not uniform throughout,
is maximumtIt willthe
ismav beinlet
foundandthat the B.O.D.
minimum theoutlet.
nearofthe Due to this reason ifthe diffused air
 WATER SUPPLY AND SANITARY
N ENGINEEN
properly. Ifthed distribution of
484
is applied at unifom
Is
rate. it
in proportion to
B.O.D. it,
be utilized
cannot

should be
done near the outlet and the remaining
40% near the inlet, 25%in
15% in the sludge
be
reaction tanCent
tanpro DOn
the Cof mprovipresdeettA
will called
changing rate, it
wil aealrsaolionre
and 20% is applied at such a will be increased andit
the diffused air aeration unit
eficiency of the
tapered aeration the
the overall economy.
17.19 STEP AERATION at more than two points als.
returned sludge
Ifthescwage is
added to the
returned sludge is changing. In the
Drevithea
bus article,
he aerals
on the
channel. the load coming mixed liquor
is different at o different oints.
been stated that the
B.0.D of the
the diffused air) or by controlling
or Thise
acration (controlling as step-aeration, Fio he
fulfilled by tapered method is known
oxidising returned sludge. The
method diagrammatically.
latter

conditions:
showh
used in the following effluent is dropping off
stcteadily
is
Step acration in the final
)When the dissolved oxygen
Raw
sewage

Primary
settling tank Sludge
digestion tank Digested
sludge
econdary
5edimentation Effluent
Aeration channels
Returned sludge

Fig 17.9. Step aeration.

in the volatile matter contents presentn
(i) When there is persistent increase
activated sludge.
(ii) When the process is overloaded or activated sludge is of poor qualityand
sphaerotilus growth.
The step-aeration requires smaller area, it can take shocks easily, and the volume
aeration units can be reduced to about half that of conventional units.
17.20 HIGH RATE TREATMENT OR MODIFIED AERATION
This is also known as 'Modified aeration'. In this method less quantity of retume!
sludge is used, therefore, it is called high rate treatment. In high rate treatment shere
detention period (2 hours), lesser amount of compressed air and small quantity ofretumei
sludge is used
Following are the main characteristics ofthis treatment:
( Less quantity of return sludge about 10% to 25% of the quantity ofsewage s
used in this method.
(in Detention period of 2-3 hours is provided.
(ii) Quantity ofair is about 3.15 nm'lcu.m ofsewage quantity is used.
(iv) Smaller sludge age 0.2 to 0.5 days or smaller concentraion ofsuspendedsu
500 to 1000 mg/litre is provided in the mixed liquor.
(v) This process removes 70 to 80% of suspended solids and 80 to 85% ofB
from the raw sewage
The activated sludge produced in the
process is much thicker and dense settlesa
activated sludge produced in the ordinary process. Due to denseness the sludgeling
s tanks
faster rate. Due to increase in sludge settling rate, the load as the secondary
can be raised upto 50 n*'lmlday and the size of the settling tanks is reduced.
Se
Following are the advantages of high rate treatment:
) Smaller volume of aeration units, secondary settling tanks andlesser areaofth
lesseral
land is required. Therefore, it gives overall
economy.
 PROCESS

485
of air for aeration and
n t of.
amount
Duetoesser

reduced. lesser amount of

cost is return sludge. the
e pV
tional

ergee r
volume me of
the gas is btained in the digester.
is that the sludge
e mandisadva Mage
tanke becomes septic soon and
igposal
from ihe settling requires early
STAGE AERATION
WOSTA
TAn the sewage is allowed to flow in a pair of aeration
ACTAton
tho

110-513LC aeraeis
d sludge is either returned for
seeding
and sedimentation
tn
hei v a t e d
sent tothe
th first purposcs excess sludge
cycle from which both
or from
isaFi,
Fig. 17.10 shows the various
17.10c of it and excess of first stage
intluent.

steps in this aeration.

mned,
ith
Returned sludge first
stage Excessive
sludge
Primary First stage
Raw settling aeration Secondary Emergencyy
sewage
tank mentation effluent
Sludge
Secondary Secondary
Returned stage aeration Effluent
excessive
sedimentation
sludge
Returned sludge second stage
Fig. 17.10. Two stage aeration.
adarv slud
Secondary sludge is either returned and wasted within each stage, or sometimes the
e from the second stage is recycled to the first stage and from there. both the
a e disposed off. This process is most suited for treating the strong industrial
value of B.O.D.
2e which has high
17.22 ACTTVATED AERATION
the same
t is a combination of two tapered activated sludge plants in parallel using
ied sewage as influent. The excessive activated sludge of one plant is used as seeding
activated aeration. The activated sludge of the second
ir

another plant, which is called is the

off after suitable treatment. The main advantage in this aeration
nant is disposed
in diffused air consumption which is
reduced by nearly 60% and gives great saving
ging
r operational cost.

17.23 REAERATION
returned sludge to
In this method, the minimum aeration of sewage is done after adding
before mixing it with the
fo satisfy the B.0.D. reaeration of returned sludge is done
Wage. If the reaeration is done in advance oftrickling
filter, it is called bioaerution. Figs.
i1 illustrates the steps of reaeration.
17.24 CONTACT STABILISATION Raw sewage
This process is also known as
be Primary Sludge Digested
Oorplion In this process, sewage may settling digestion sludge
aled either after primary settling or without tank
tank
PIary settling, The sewage is aerated along
Telurn sludge for a comparatively short Secondary
dof 0.5 to 1.5 hrs, when the sludge Aeration Eftluent
sedimentation
TDs the organic matter in the sewage. The tank
tank
Cd liquor is then setuled in a secondary
lank. The return fraction ofthe sludge Excessive sludge
ran from the settling tank is reaerated Sludge
reaeration
ofarale sludge reaeraticn tank for a period Sludge
tank
s , before it is fed back into the contact
ank. During the reaeration of the
Shge, the Opt
iAn2
absorbed organics are stabilised
Estorin the adsorptive capacity of the sludge. Fig. 17.11. Reaeration.
 486
SANITARY
ARY ENt
This process is quite cffective in the removal ofcolloidal and susnen.
but it is not very effective in removing soluble organics. This methodisO r
treatment of fresh domestic sewage containing only a low percentage ofsoith
EgartNGNEe RmaEy
process has greater capacity to handle shock organic loadings than coble le t
because of the biological buffering capacity of the sludge reaeration iona
k. It he onal
resistance to toxic substances in the sewage as the biological mass is
stream of sewage containing the toxic constituents only for a short time Ted o he man expose mehn
ofthe process are the same, as for the conventional system, but the ai teayireme
volume required (sludge reaeration tank plus contact aeration tank) total aea
Therefore this process presents an effective method ofuprating existinnly only xadnn
aboT hae
plants when sewage characteristics are satisfactory.
ntionml tes
Influent Contact To next stage
aeration
Settling tank

Sludge Return sludgelexcess sludge

reaeration

tank
Fig. 17.12. Contact stabilisation.
17.25 CoNPLETE MIX
The complete mix activated sludge process
employs acompletely mixed l
a
rectangular tank, complete mixing is achieved by distributing
the sewage: and the retum
sludge uniformly along one side ofthe tank and withdrawing the
aerated
along the opposite side. In case
complete sewage, unifomh
of circular or square tank,
mechanical aerator with adequate mixing capacity installed at the mixing iis achie
centre of thhe d
process has the capacity to hold a high MLSS level in the ration tank nk. Ths
tank volume to be reduced. The plant has increased
operational enabling the a
at shoe
loading and also increased capacity to treat toxic biodegradable stability
wastes like
complete mix plant is less liable to upset by slugs of flows of toxic like nhe
phenols.
wastes,

Excess sludge Settling tank

Aeration
tank Etfluent

Excess sludge
Fig. 17.13. Complete
mix plant.
17.26 EXTENDED
AERATION METHOD
The flow scheme of the
extended aeration and its mixing regime are
that of the
complete mix process. The oxidation process
ditch also conforms to the extendedsimilarto
principle and relies on aerating the mixed aerauin
omitted in the extended aeration liquor in an endless ditch. Primary seting s
This process method, but communition is often
employs
and low F/M. It has
low organic
loading, long aeration time, high provided for serenings
high efficiency of B.0.D. removal. Due to MLSS concentalh
tank, the mixed liquor solids long detention in the aeralu
undergo considerable endogenous respiration and
stabilised. The excess sludge does
on sand beds. not require get
separate digestion and can be directuy ur
The air requirements for the
The operation is simple, due to theprocess are high and the
elimination of
runningg costs are
are also
the primary settling and
quitehigh
also qul
sludge
digestion. This method is most suitable separd
than 4 mLd for the small communities having sewage
 I O G EP R O C E S S

487
71gives

haracteristics and design parameters of different

t h ec h a r a c t e r s

Excess sludge activated sludg

A

nient

Rotor Efluent
Return sludge Settling tank
Fig. 17.14. Oxidation
Ditch.
OXTDATIONDITCH
xtended acration system having certain
of an extended

aeration tank and a rotor for the acration special features like an
inuous channel usually oval in
continu mechanism. The oxidation
ofa long
cn wit) lined plan as given in
s

be
with
carthen
sloping sides and lined floor or it Fig, 17.15. The
hane manay
walls. The aeration of the
wall may be built in concrete
th
vCrtical

sewage is done by a surface

h
H
ition to the aeration, the rotor also
channel. In additic rotor placed
enting
ixed liquor prevent the imparts velocity ofof 0.3-0.4
a
mixe.
biological sludge from settling out. Cage
tors are usually provided, but angle iron type
ro about 70 cm and speed is 75 rpm. type rotors are also used. The dia.
They have standard oxygen transfer of
pe fo
0Jm length per hour at l6 cm
olfian for 120-150 r' of ditch volumedepth
ate cireul
per
of immersion. The rotor
metre
impart
signed based on the criteria
given for length of rotor. The ditch
f the width is done to accommodate the
extended aeration system in Table 17.1.
sand either as a single rotor or as multiple length
he
of
aerator required to meet the
rotors. The oxidation ditch has 1.0 to
en h and the length is prOvided to give the required aeration
m depth
tank volume.

43N

8N-

x Gauge motor 1.5N

Flow

X (Dimensions at Influent
water level)
Sptlow
6N S.N.P mota
30cm Pelt&Cover
25cm
UL
Meducer
1.5N 16cm
M

3N
Section X-X M
Section Y-Y

Flg. 17.15. Oxldation Ditch.

 LUDGE PROCESS
CTIVATED
SLUD

and raw sewage are

ae
m sludge. 489
ated geom discharged into the ditch
ACY

1hafthe ditch
is located
that the
geometrically upstream of the rotors.
itch water level does opposite to the inlet. Baffles
weirso
excessively and overloadprovided
peake110wperio
t
not rise are in
periothec Oxidation ditches may be
eration o f the rotors
he
itch functions also as a intermittent or continuous. In
qhe ot and aerating
e r a l o n .t h e .

the settling tank. Intermittent intermittent

sing in freshintoOmCh sewage, (b) operation
stopping the rotor and letting
diOSo.

cycles
d ( c )lettin
sewage which displaces an the contents
al of l l plants,
lone from the mixed equal quantity of clarified
Removal
of
smallp
intermittent liquor or a
sluge sump
effluent.
(ly
n
ie
es
operation is adopted. In case of
followed by a secondary
at the bottom of the
iteh.
o v d a t i o n
ditch

settling unit as in continuous operation

he stem.
e r a t n o ns y s t e case of any other extended
7.28 NITRIFICATION

Ativated sludge
process plants are
oD. However, there may beusually designed for the removal of
only
cartona
of the oxygen supplied to theincidental nitrification in the
art
which
w i l lc o n s u m e
process.
system and reduce the level in the
Nitrification also leads
leads to subse
subsequent
ing sludge problem known as blanket denitrification in the secondary aeration
ing a on time. In hot
causn

rising. Nitrification is
settling tank
weather, it be aided by low F/M
adified aeration unit, here is littlemay pronounced in extended aeration. In
the
nitrification.
afication though generally not desired may
or no

be
has to be eliminated from the effluent in therequired in spacial cases. e.g.
when
itrification is proposed for eliminationinterest
ammon
rification-cum-denitr of pisciculture or
when
efluentfor
of
for athe control of the
entrophication. Under such cases,nitrogeneous matter from the
design oftwo stage plants with only carbonaceous
the trend is towards the
ification in the second stage. The
B.O.D. removal in the first stage and
design of the first unit is done with
high F/M to
ent nitrification. The two stage process eliminates the
ore
sing sludge in the first stage'settling tank. problem denitrification and
of

17.29 OPERATION OF ACTIVATED SLUDGE PLANT

During the operation of an activated sludge plant, F/M should be maintained
which is achieved by increasing or decreasing the MLSS levels in the properly.
aeration tank to suit
the influent BOD, loads. The MLSS in the aeration tank can be
ate of return sludge based on SVI determined
regulated by controlling the
experimentally.
is controlled on the basis of experience. In small
Wastage of excessive sludge
plants. sludge is often wasted only
intermittently when the sludge fills up the settling tank and starts showing up in the eftluent.
The quick settleability of sludge is an important factor for the efficient
plant. The SVI serves also as an index of sludge settleability. With MLSS ofperformance
of the
800-3500 mg/l for
satisfactory operation, the SVI value should be kept between 80-150. Poor settling
characteristics sludge is known as bulking sludge. Sludge bulking is usually due to inadequate
ar supply. low pH-value or septicity and also due to growth of filamentous organisms
Consequent to the presence of industrial wastes containing high concentration of
Carbohydrates in sewage. Sludge bulking is controlled by eliminating the causes and
pplication of chlorine to the sewage or to return sludye. The dose ofthe chlorine is kept 0.2
010% of dry solids weight in return sludge.
Sometimes the secondary setling tank may function poorly even when the sludge
Olume index is satisfactory and sludge may rise up in the tank and escape with the eftluent.
Ksingsludge may be due to denitrification in the settling tank releasing nitrogen bubbles
hich buoys upthe sludge. This problem van be overcome by increasingthe return sludge
nCreasing the speed of the sludge scraper mechanisn and increasing the sludge wasting
rale