Waste water treatment

processess
Aeration tank
Activated sludge process
Bacterial growth curve
Low rate trickling filter (LRTF)
• Design of a trickling filter
• Dia of the circular filter tank
• Depth of the tank
• Design of rotary distributors
• Design of under-drainage system
Design of filter size based upon the values of the filter loadings
 hydraulic load (by the quantity of waste water applied per unit of
surface area of the filter per day; ML/ha/day )
 organic loading (by the mass of BOD per unit volume of the filtering
media per day; kg of BOD5 per hectare metre of filter media per day)
• Filter dia and depth is designed for average value of sewage flow
• The rotary distributors, under drainage system and other connected
pipe lines are designed for peak flow and checked for average flow
• dia of filter tank up to 60m
• Efficiency of conventional filters
ŋ(%)=100/(1+0.0044Ӷu)
Ŋ-efficiency of the filter and its secondary clearifier
U-organic loading in kg/ha-m/day applied to filter (unit organic
loading)
(a) Design a suitable dimensions of a circular trickling filter units for
treating 5 MLD waste water. The BOD of waste water is 150 mg/l.
(b) Also design for suitable dimensions for its rotary distribution
system, as well as the under-drainage system.
Single stage high rate trickling filter
High rate trickling filter
• Recirculation improves the operating results of the filters

• Allows continuous dosing of the filters

• Equalises and reduces loading, increasing the efficiency of the filter

• Longer contact time of applied sewage with bacterial film on contact media,
accelerating the biological oxidation process.

• Influent remains fresh all time, reducing odours, fly nuisance less
Efficiency of high rate trickling filters
• The ratio of the volume of sewage recirculated(R) to volume of raw
sewage (I) is known as recirculation ration.
i.e. RECIRCULATION RATIO= R/I

RECIRCULATION FACTOR (F)

F=(1+R/I)/[1+0.1(R/I)]²
When
R/I=0, F is unity
• Efficiency of the high rate single stage trickling filter

Ƞ(%)=
Where,
Y-total organic loading applied to the filter (kg/day)
i.e. the total BOD in kg
V-filter volume (hectare-meters)
F-recirculation factor
Efficiency of two stage filter
• ƞ´(%)=
• Efficiency of filter=
• -influent BOD concentration
• -effluent BOD concentration
Q 1. calculate the size of the single stage high rate trickling filter for the
following data:
Flow=4.5 MLD
Recirculation ratio (R/I)=1:4
BOD of raw sewage=280 mg/l
BOD removal in a primary settling tank=35%
BOD of final effluent=50 mg/l
Organic filter loading=8000kg of BOD per ha. m.
Depth of filter=1.5 m
• Q2.determine the size of a high rate trickling filter for the following data:
Sewage flow=5MLD
recirculation ratio=1.5
BOD of raw sewage=230 mg/l
BOD removal in primary clarifier=30%
final effluent BOD desired=25 mg/l
Efficiency of the filter=(BOD removal/total BOD present)X100,
filter depth=1.8m

Q3. design an equivalent standard rate filter for the above data, without the
recirculation
Activated sludge process
• Principle of action
• Adsorption (physical action)
• Oxidation (bio-chemical), oxidise carbonaceous and organic matter, increase
mass of microorganisms, to maintain proper balance between the influent
sewage(food) and the mass of organisms produced. i.e. food-to-
microorganisms (F/M) ratio also termed as sludge loading ratio.
 organic loading parameters
 Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS)
 BOD loading (F/M ratio)
F/M=(QXBOD)/(VXMLSS)
Q-flow rate MLD
V- vol of the tank, ML
Aeration period ,H.R.T, t (hrs)
t=(V/Q)X24
 Sludge volume index- volume occupied by 1 gram of settled sludge,
expressed as (ml/g)
SVI=(Vs X 1000)/MLSS
Vs –Vol of settled sludge (ml/l) over a period of 30 minutes
Sludge Age- solid retaining period in a activated sludge system (SRT)
Sludge Age(days)=(V X MLSS)/(Q X SS)
SS- suspended solid in influent (mg/l)
Activated sludge process
• Settled sludge is called activated sludge
• (20-30)% of own volume of activated sludge, which contains large
concentration of highly active micro-organisms.
• Mixture (mixed liquor) enters an aeration tank
• Large quantity of air for about (4-8) hrs

• Method of Aeration-
• Diffused air aeration or Air diffusion
• Mechanical aeration
• Combined aeration
• Diffused Air System
1.Ridge and furrow method 2.spiral flow method
Mechanical Aeration, paddle type
Spray type
Operating problem of activated sludge
treatment:
• Filamentous microorganisms grow in long strands that have much
greater volume and surface area than conventional floc and are very
slow to settle.
• Nocardia is the main cause of “dirty brown” foam at
activated sludge treatment plant. Indicative of excessive FOG
(fats, oils, greases) in the wastewater.
• Three causes (1) high grease and oil; (2) longer sludge age;
and (3) low oxygen conditions or septicity.
• High sludge age , low F/M ratio, higher waste temperatures
measures
• Reduction of sludge age to less than 6 days
• Chlorination of return activated sludge
remedies
Sludge digestion tank/ digester
Sludge thickening
• Gravity thickening
• Air flotation
• Centrifugation
Sludge digestion tank
• Sludge digestion is a biological process in which organic solids are
decomposed into stable substances. Digestion reduces the total mass
of solids, destroys pathogens, and makes it easier to dewater or dry the
sludge.
• This is the process of decomposing organic matter of sewage- sludge
anaerobically under the conditions of adequate operational control.
• The sludge is broken up into three different forms-
• Digested sludge
• Supernatant
• Gases of decomposition (CH4, CO2 ,N)
Types-
• Process of sludge digestion-
• Acidification or a period of intensive acid production- acid carbonates,
organic acid with gases CO2, H2S, acid production lower the pH (less
than 6)
• Liquefaction or a period of acid digestion-liquify the acidification i.e.
hydrolysis-using extra cellular enzymes, fermentation –acid carbonates
& ammonia compound-pH value rises to about 6.8-form scum-acid
regression.
• Gasification or a period of intensive digestion and stabilization-
proteins, organic acids are broken up-CH4 gas production with smaller
amount of CO2 –pH above 7-alkaline fermentation-stable sludge
• Control of digestion-
• For optimum conditions:
• Temperature-35oC
• Control of Digestion:

• Temperature- mesophilic

• Alkaline range , pH (7.2-7.4)-

• Seeding -
Miscellaneous treatment method

•
• OXIDATION DITCH:
• Intermittent flow type
• Continuous flow type
Depth-1-1.2m
Efficiency more than 95%
Stabilization pond (oxidation ponds)
• Lagoon
• Design a oxidation pond for treating sewage from a hot climate
residential colony with 5000 persons, contributing sewage @120 litres
per capita per day. The 5-day BOD of sewage is 300mg/l.
[find size of the pond and inlet dia. of the pond]
Disposal
• Dilution or the disposal of sewage in water
• Irrigation or the disposal of sewage on land
• Broad irrigation or sewage farming
• Sub-surface irrigation or land infiltration
Disposal by dilution
• Conditions favourable for dilution
• Comparatively fresh
• Mostly free from floating and settleable solids
• Possible to through mixing sewage and diluting water
• Diluting water with high DO content
• Flow Currents are favourable no depositions

Standards for dilution : the royal commission report on sewage disposal-

(IS: 2490 (part -I), IS: 3307

• Available dilution more than 500 times- no treatment is required
• Available dilution between 300-500 times, effluent should not contain
more than 150 ppm- preliminary treatment with plain sedimentation
required.
• Available dilution between (150-300) times, effluent should not
contain suspended solid more than 60 ppm, up to chemical
precipitation essential.
• Dilution is less than 150 times, effluent should not contain suspended
solid more than 30 ppm, 5 days BOD should not exceed 20 ppm,
complete treatment is necessary.
Self purification of running streams
• Physical forces :
• Dilution and dispersion
• Sedimentation
• Sunlight

• Bio-chemical forces
• Oxidation
• Reduction
• Problem 1. Just below the point where a continuous discharge of
pollution mixes with a river, the BOD is 10.9 mg/l and DO is 7.6 mg/l.
the river and the waste mixture has a temperature of 20oC, a de
oxygenation constant of 0.1 Day-1 , An average flow speed of 0.15 m/s,
and an average depth of 3.7 m. The saturation value of DO at 20oC is
9.1 mg/l.
a. Find the time and distance downstream at which the oxygen
deficit is maximum.
b. Find the minimum DO value.
• Problem 2. 125 cumecs of sewage of a city is discharged in a perennial
river which is fully saturated with oxygen and flows at a minimum rate
of 1600 cumecs with a minimum velocity of 0.12 m/s. If the 5 day
BOD of the sewage is 300 mg/l, find out where the critical DO will
occur in the river. Assume :
a. The co efficient of purification of the river as 4
b. The ultimate BOD as 125% of the 5 day BOD of the mixture of sewage and
river water.
c. Saturation DO of river=9.2 mg/l
 Active
Zone of decomposition
degradation
• Zone of degradation- This zone is found for a certain length just below
the point where sewage is discharged into the river-stream. This zone
is characterized by water becoming dark and turbine with formation
of sludge deposits at the bottom. D.O is reduced to about 40% of the
saturated value
(ii) Zone of active decomposition: This is the highly polluted zone. Here water
becomes greyish and much darker. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) level falls down to
almost zero. Anaerobic conditions get set in thereby resulting in evolution of gases
like CH4, CO2, H₂S etc.
(iii) Zone of recovery: In this zone, the river stream tries to recover from
its degraded condition to its former appearance. The water becomes
clearer and so the algae appears while fungi decreases. BOD falls down
and DO content rises above 40% of saturation value.
(iv) CLEAR WATER ZONE: (i) In this, the natural stream condition is
restored, the D.O. is higher than the BOD. Oxygen balance is attained
and recovery is said to be complete. Water becomes attractive in
appearance.