ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS

SUBMITTED BY

K.R. MANJU YADAV

1ST YEAR, ME ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

PANDIAN SARASWATHI YADAV ENGINEERING COLLEGE

INTRODUCTION
• The sewage effluent from the primary sedimentation tank is mixed with 25% of
its own volume of activated sludge.

• Micro organisms oxidizes the matter and the suspends tend to coagulate and
latter on settle at the bottom as precipitates.

• These settled sludge is called as activated sludge that is recycled again and
mixed with raw sludge.
The excess sludge is disposed properly along with the waste collected
dueing the primary treatment.

Activated sludge process is used

• To treat wastewater

• Remove, reduce or stabilize the material in wastewater

It is carried out by

• Suspended Growth and

• Biological Treatment
 Activated Sludge System

Air →Provides Oxygen and Mixing

Biomass
(suspended)
Pri.Eff. MLSS Sec. Eff.
Aeration Secondary
Tank Clarifier

Return Activated Sludge (RAS)

Waste Activated Sludge (WAS)

Properties of activated sludge
• The activated sludge has the following properties.

• It contains fertilizing constituents.

• The color of activated sludge indicates the degree of aeration.

• Under aerated – light brown

• Well aerated – golden brown

• Over aerated – muddy brown

• The moisture content is 95 to 97%

New Cells Wastewater

NH3
Slime Layer
CO2
Cell H 2O
Food Membrane
Oxygen
Storage Enzymes

(Absorption)
Soluble Organics Adsorbed
Particle
FLOCCULATION
• It is a slow mixing or agitating process.

• Destabilized colloidal particles are brought into contact to promote

agglomeration.

• The process is carried out in a basin called flocculator.

• It is a hydrodynamic process results in formation large and settleable flocs

during rapid mixing.
OPERATION OF ASP
• The basic operations are

1. Mixing of activated sludge

2. Aeration

3. Settling in the secondary clarifier

• Mixing – raw sewage is mixed with activated sludge

• Aeration – the mixture is aerated in the tank

• Settling – allowed to settle down and then portion of it allowed for recirculation.
DESIGN OF ASP

• It requires the following things

1. Aeration period

2. Volumetric BOD loading

3. Food to micro organism ratio

4. Sludge age

5. Sludge volume index

6. Sludge density index

 Sludge Processing Effluent
and Storage
Land
Application Disinfect
WAS
RAS
Screening
Influent

Grit
Primary
Clarifiers Aeration Secondary
Tanks Clarifiers

Typical Flow-Through
Activated Sludge Plant
BIOLOGICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT

• Three steps

• Transfer of food from wastewater to cell

1. Adequate mixing

2. Enough detention time

• Conversion of food to new cells

1. Acclimated biomass

2. Useable food supply

3. Adequate DO

4. Proper nutrient balance

• Flocculation and solids removal

1. Proper mixing

2. Proper growth environment

3. Mixed liquor does not compact bulking

4. Secondary clarification

5. Filamentous bacteria form strings

 Control Factors

Organic
Air Biomass Quantity
Hydraulic Load
Load, F:M and Age
Solids Load

Pri.Eff. MLSS Sec. Eff.

Aeration D.O. Secondary
Tank Clarifier

Settleability
Sludge
Return Activated Sludge Blanket
Depth

Waste Activated Sludge

Concentration must be expressed
as parts per million parts.
Concentration is usually reported as
milligrams per liter.
This unit is equivalent to ppm.
1 mg = 1 mg = 1 mg = ppm
liter 1000 grams 1,000,000 mg

ppm = Parts = Lbs.

Mil Parts Mil Lbs.
Flow or Volume must be expressed
as millions of gallons:

gallons
= MG
1,000,000 gal/MG

i.e.) A tank contains 1,125,000 gallons of water.

How many million gallons are there?

1,125,000 gal = 1.125 MG

1,000,000 gal/MG
 Graph Showing Growth
Phases in a Biological System
X
Growth Rate of Organisms
Abundance of Food

When Food Supply is

Introduced into a
Biological Treatment
System that is in Start-up

Few Organisms

X
Time
SLUDGE AGE
Young sludge Old sludge
1. High BOD load 1. Slow metabolism
2. Few established cells 2. Low cell production
3. Log growth 3. High CRT
4. Low CRT 4. Decreased food intake
5. Oxidation of stored food
 Sludge Wasting
Where to:
Solids Handling
Advantage – Know Solids are Out of the System
Disadvantage – Thinner Solids to Solids Process

RAS
WAS

Sludge Processing (Thickening, Stabilization, etc.)

ADVANTAGES OF ASP
Following are the merits of ASP

1. Cost of installation is low

2. Effluent of good quality is obtained

3. Requires only small land area for installation

4. Freedom from fly and odour nuisance

5. Very small loss of head through the treatment plant.

DISADVANTAGES

• Sudden change in volume of sewage adversely affects the system.

• Increased quantity of wet sludge is obtained at the end of process.

• This process is sensitive to certain types of industrial wastes.

• Requires skilled supervision.

• It is necessary to ascertain the remaining sludge during the process.