Module-4

Layout plan of a conventional waste water treatment plant- site

selection- concept of primary, secondary and tertiary treatment-
1hr
Unit operations in waste water- primary treatment -equalization
of flow- 2hrs
Secondary treatment methods-basic concepts of biological unit
processes-aerobic and anaerobic- attached and suspended
growth processes (Concepts only)- 2 hr
Activated sludge process- basic concepts-design of a
conventional Activated Sludge Plant - 3hrs
Trickling filter (Concept only)- types- construction & operation -
1 hr
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 Wastewater disposal systems
Necessity :
◦Accumulation causes nuisance
◦Contamination of groundwater & surface water
Objectives :
◦To improve public health
◦To use sewage in farming
◦To protect water bodies
◦To protect aquatic life

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 Methods of disposal

Artificial
Natural

By dilution By land treatment Primary treatment Secondary treatment

Combined

Effluent disposal by
Primary treatment
Effluent disposal by natural methods
natural methods

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Layout of wastewater treatment plant

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Factors affecting the location of WWTP
• Distance from residential areas
• Present and future land use
• Availability of land
• Buffer zones (to minimize the impact of odour,
noise and other environmental effects)
• Slope of land
• Soil type
• Surface and underground water sources
• Flood plains
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 Site selection
• Maximum environmental and social benefits and
long-term financial sustainability.
• Lesser cost of excavation and embankment.
• Far to residential areas or else can generate
complaints regarding noises and smells
• Large distance between the site and major roads
increases the overall length of the sewer
network, increasing construction and
maintenance costs.
• The terrain also influences long-term running
costs: Eg. in a flat area, the required number of
sewage lifting stations and the related electricity
costs will be higher.
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 TREATMENT OF SEWAGE
• Preliminary treatment -floating matters, heavily
settleable inorganic solids, oils, grease
– Screens, grit chamber, detritus tanks, skimming tanks
• Primary treatment- large suspended organic solids
– Sedimentation tanks(clarifier)
• Secondary treatment -small organic solids and residual
suspended solids
– Trickling Filters, activated sludge process, oxidation ponds,
septic tanks, anaerobic lagoons etc
• Tertiary treatment - advanced treatment
– Chlorination, Activated carbon, activated alumina

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 Screens
• To trap and remove floating matter
• Coarse screens (racks)- spacing of bars >50mm
• Medium screens- 6 to 40mm spacing
• Fine screens- 1.5 to 3mm
• velocity of flow- 0.8-1m/s

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 Grit chamber
• To remove inorganic particles such as sand, grit etc.
• Enlarged long basin, in which cross section is increased
to reduce the flow velocity.
• Heavy inorganic particles settle by gravity, lighter
particles remain in suspension, and go out along with
the effluent
• Scour velocity
• Usual value of velocity for design is 0.25 to 0.3m/s
• Detention time 40 to 60 sec
• Water depth 1 to 1.8m

Detritus tank
• To remove inorganic particles + some organic particles
• Detention Time 3-4minutes,
• Velocity- 0.09m/s 10
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 Skimming Tank
Used for removing oils and grease from the sewage.
If not removed, unsightly and odorous scum on the surface of
settling tank and interferes with the treatment process. Inhibits
biological growth in Trickling Filter.
Detention period-3-5minutes

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 Flow equalization
• It is the damping of flow rate variations so that a constant
flow rate is achieved.
• The basin in which flow equalization takes place is called
flow equalization tank
• Types of equalization
– In line flow equalization- in this arrangement all the flow passes
through the equalization basin. This can be used to achieve a
considerable amount of constituent concentration and flow rate
damping
– Off line flow equalization- in this arrangement only the flow
above some predetermined flow limit is diverted into the
equalization basin. Pumping requirement is reduced. The
amount of constituent concentration is considerably reduced.

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In line and offline flow equalization

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 Sedimentation tank
• Removes a part of the organic matter
• If coagulants are added, the process is called
sedimentation with coagulation
• In still sewage , organic particles with higher sp.
gravity settle down by gravity
• The theoretical avg. time for which the water is
detained is called detention period (Hydraulic
retention time HRT). Usually 1-2hrs
• Width of tank –not greater than 7.5m or 60m
diameter
• Length of tank- Not greater than 4-5 times the
width
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• Horizontal flow velocity-30cm/min
• Effective depth- 2.4 - 3.6m
• Overflow rate or surface loading rate (plain
sedimentation) - 40000 -50000 l/m2/day
• Overflow rate or surface loading rate
(sedimentation aided with coagulation)
- 50000 -60000 l/m2/day
• Overflow rate or surface loading rate (secondary
sedimentation) - 25000 -35000 l/m2/day

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 SECONDARY TREATMENT OF
SEWAGE

• The secondary treatment is also called biological treatment

because it is done by active micro-organisms either by
oxidation (in the presence of oxygen) or reduction (in absence
of oxygen). The micro-organisms (aerobic, anaerobic and
facultative) decompose the organic waste in sewage into stable
compounds like nitrites, sulphate etc

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 OBJECTIVES OF SECONDARY
(BIOLOGICAL) TREATMENT

• To remove soluble organic matter from sewage.

• To degrade/decompose the organic matter in
sewage into stable compounds either by
oxidation or reduction.

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 CLASSIFICATION OF BIOLOGICAL
TREATMENT METHODS
1. Suspended Growth Process: In this, the biomass or microorganisms
that cause treatment remain suspended in sewage. e.g.: Activated
Sludge Process (ASP), Sludge Digestors, Aerated Lagoons.
2. Attached Growth Process: In this, the biomass or microorganisms
that cause treatment remain attached to a media (rocks, plastics etc.)
Removal of organic matter is by sorption and biodegradation. e.g.:
Trickling filters, anaerobic filters
3. Suspended & Attached Growth Process : Rotating Biological
Contactors (RBCS), Moving bed bioreactor MBBR
The biological treatment can also be classified as:
a) Aerobic Process-Oxidation- Treatment by aerobic microorganisms
in the presence of oxygen e.g.: ASP.
b) Anaerobic Process- Reduction -Treatment by anaerobic
microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. e.g.: Sludge Digester.
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Suspended Growth Process

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ATTACHED GROWTH PROCESS(TRICKLING
FILTER )

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ATTACHED & SUSPENDED GROWTH PROCESS
(ROTATING BIOLOGICAL CONTACTOR )

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 CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF
TREATMENT METHODS

• Volume of Waste Water to be treated.

• Land requirement for installation of reactors
(treatment units)
• Skilled labor for operation and maintenance cost
• Availability of funds
• Economically viable, environmentally friendly and
sustainable

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 ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
• Activated sludge process is a wastewater treatment process
for treating sewage using aeration and microorganisms ,
which forms a biological floc, composed of bacteria
• Arrangement of an activated sludge process for removing
carbonaceous matter includes the following items:
a) An aeration tank where air (or oxygen) is injected in the
mixed liquor.
b) A settling tank (usually referred to as "final clarifier" or
"secondary settling tank") to allow the biological flocs to
settle, thus separating the biological sludge from the clear
treated water.
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Activated sludge process can be used for following
purposes:

• oxidizing carbonaceous biological matter,

• oxidizing nitrogenous matter: mainly ammonium and
nitrogen as biological matter,
• removing nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus)
Activated sludge
– It is that sludge which settle down after the sewage has been
aerated and agitated for a certain time

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 METHODS OF AERATION

a) Diffused Air Aeration: In this pressurized air is introduced 35-

70 kN/m2 into sewage chamber through diffusers
Ridge and furrow type
Spiral flow type
b) Mechanical Aeration: In this the sewage is stirred up by means
of mechanical devices, such as paddles. This allows air to
enter into sewage
Simplex aeration method
c) Combined Aeration: In this, air is diffused and mechanical
devices are also used
Dorroco aerator

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 DIFFUSED AERATION
• Ridge and furrow type Spiral flow type

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 MECHANICAL AERATION COMBINED AERATION
Simplex aeration method Dorroco aerator

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 OPERATION OF ASP

• Sewage effluent from sedimentation tank is made to enter

into an aeration tank.
• Here 20 – 30 % of active sludge is mixed. The mixture is
aerated and mixed in the tank for about 4 to 8 hours .
• The microorganism oxidize organic matter , in the
presence of abundant quantity of oxygen in the aeration
tank.
• This Sewage is allowed to settle in secondary
sedimentation tank.
• This settled sewage has undergone aeration and has active
microorganisms in it. So some portion(20-30%) of
activated sludge is recirculated into the aeration tank.
• This is called Return Activated Sludge(R.A.S)

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 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ASP
Advantages
• Lesser land area is required
• Head loss in the plant is low
• No fly nuisance and no bad smell
• Investment cost is less
• Greater flexibility of operation

Disadvantages
• Operation cost is higher
• Bulking of sludge may occur
• Lot of machinery has to be handled
• Sudden change in quantity & quality of sewage will cause adverse
effects on working process of the plant i.e., efficiency of treatment will
decrease considerably

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Hydraulic retention time (HRT) or Aeration period
• Detention period (t)= Vol. of tank / Rate of sewage
flow in the tankt=V/Q
Volumetric BOD loading or Organic loading (OLR)
(kg/m3/day)
• =Mass of BOD applied per day to the tank in kg /
vol. of the aeration tank per day
• = QY0/V
• Q= sewage flow into the tank in m3
• Y0= BOD5 in mg/l of the influent sewage
• V= Volume of aeration tank

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Food to microorganism ratio (F/M)
• F/M = Daily BOD Load applied in gm / Total microbial suspended solids in
the mixed liquor(gm)
• F/M = QY0 / Xt V
• Lower the F/M ratio, higher the BOD removal
Sludge age or Mean cell residence time or solid retention time
• It is the average time for which particles of suspended solids remain
under aeration
• It indicates the residence time of biological solids in the system.
• Sludge age= Mass of SS in the system / Mass of solids leaving the
system per day
• Sludge age= [Link] / [[Link] +(Q-Qw)XE]
XR= conc. Of solids in return sludge XE = conc. Of solids in effluent Xt= conc. Of
solids in the aeration tank
Qw= volume of sludge wasted per day Q=sewage inflow per day V= vol. of aeration tank

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• Sludge volume index
Volume occupied by 1 gram of activated
sludge after settling the aerated liquid for 30
minutes
• SVI= settled sludge volume (ml/L)
Mixed liquor suspended solids (g/L)

SVI for conventional activated sludge plant should be

between 50 and 150

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TRICKLING FILTER PROCESS

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 Trickling filter
Also known as Percolating or Sprinkling filters.
Trickling Filter consists of mainly following
parts/components:
• A rotating arm (rotary distributors ) sprays wastewater
over a filter medium.
• Filter medium: rocks, plastic, or other material. Coarser
media(25 to 75mm). Walls are honeycombed
• Under drainage system: The percolating water is
collected at the bottom of the filter for further treatment

Secondary sedimentation Tank (Humus tank) are provided

to remove humus (stabilized organic particles)
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• As wastewater trickles through the media
layer, a film is formed around the media,
called slime layer or Biofilm
• Depth of aerobic zone within slime layer,
formed on media is 0.1 to 0.2 mm.
• The remaining part of film is anaerobic.
• As wastewater flows over the film, the organic
matter is rapidly metabolized while colloidal
organics are adsorbed onto the surface.

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• Since food concentration at the outer edge is more,
therefore microorganisms at outer level are in rapid
growth phase.
• As microorganisms grow, thickness of biofilm increases.
• Diffused oxygen is consumed before it penetrates the
slime layer.
• Therefore anaerobic zone is established at the media
surface.
• When microorganisms enter into death phase they loose
their ability to hold the surface, and gets detached from
the surface
• The phenomena of scouring of slime layer is known as
sloughing or unloading of filter
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 1. FILTER MEDIA

Filter media should have:

• High specific surface area
• High percent of void space
• Resistance to abrasion or disintegration during
placement
• Insolubility in sewage or wastewater
• Resistance to spalling or flaking
• Should be round or cubical in shape
• Size 25 to 75 mm
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• Crushed rock
• Durable & insoluble
• Locally available
• But, reduce the void spaces for passage of air
• Less surface area per volume for biological growth
• Plastic media
• Random packing media
• Modular packing media of organics
• Filter Depth
– Concentration in sewage decreases as the waste passes
the media depth.
– Thus effectiveness of the filter decreases as the depth
increases.
– Hence depth of filter should be restricted
– For slow rate depth in the range of 1.8to 3.0 m is
provided.
Normally, depth of media is 1.8 to 2.4m
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2. UNDER DRAINAGE SYSTEM

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• Perforated blocks are used. Can be made
of precast concrete or vitrified clay.
• Drains shall be designed for partial flow
condition (Less than 50% of flow).
• At design flows velocity should be 0.6 to
0.9 m/s.

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 3. MAIN COLLECTING CHANNEL

• Function is two fold -to circulate the air and to

collect sewage from all under drains and
convey it to next unit.
• Velocity > 0.6 m/s.
• Slope is provided so that sewage can be carried
under gravity

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 4. FILTER FLOOR
• Floor should be strong enough to support
media.
• RCC slab of 10 to 15 cm thick is usually
provided to carry load of entire media.
• Usually 1 % slope is provided.

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 5. FILTER WALLS

• Fully plastered stone or brick masonry walls

• Walls are made honeycombed to circulate the
air.
• Some times ventilation duct is provided

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 6. VENTILATION

• Natural ventilation takes place because of difference

in temperature of air and sewage.
• Air circulation takes place when temperature
difference is 6°C.
• When temperature difference falls below 1.9°C then
there will be no air circulation.
• Some times forced ventilation is also provided

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 7. FLOW DISTRIBUTION

• The function of rotary distributor is to

spread the sewage uniformly over the
media top surface.
• Rate of rotation may be 2 rpm for small
distributors and 1/3 to 1/2 rpm for large
distributor.
• Clearance between pipe and media should
be 15 to 25 cm.

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 Trickling filter
Advantages Disadvantages
• Rate of loading is high • Head loss is high, making
• Effluent is highly automatic dosing
stabilized necessary
• Simple working • Cost of construction is
• No skilled supervision high
required • Primary sedimentation
• Flexible in operation (Pretreatment) is must
• Self-cleaning • Operational troubles like
fly nuisance, odour
• Wear and tear is small nuisance, ponding of
• sludge moisture is high sewage occur

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 Comparison of T F and ASP
Trickling Filter Activated Sludge Process
• Area of land-Large • Area of land- small
• Initial cost –High • Initial cost –Low
• Operation cost- low • Operation cost- High
• Nature of sewage- • Nature of sewage-
suitable for strong and Rather sensitive to
industrial sewage shock loads
• Pumping of sewage- • Pumping of sewage-
sometimes necessary as no pumping low head
high head required reqd
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Trickling Filter Activated Sludge Process
• Fly and odour- • Fly and odour- none
considerable • Final effluent- not so
• Final effluent- highly nitrified, SS low
nitrified, SS high • Secondary sludge- large
• Secondary sludge- small in quantity
in quantity • Microbial growth-
• Microbial growth- suspended growth
attached growth

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HIGH RATE TRICKLING FILTER
• It consists of tanks of coarser filtering media over
which the sewage is sprinkled using spray nozzles
or rotatory distributors.
• The sewage percolates through the filtering media
and is collected at the bottom of the tank by an
underdrainage system
• Colloidal particles gets trapped in the voids of the
filtering media.
• An organic film thus forms around the particles of
filtering media

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HIGH RATE TRICKLING FILTER
contd…
• The purification of sewage takes place by the
action of aerobic bacteria.
• Ventilation facilities are provided in the body
of filter to promote aerobic decomposition
• Provision is made for recirculation of sewage
through the filter.
• Sewage from filter is washed and passed to a
settling tank and then again this treated sewage
is passed through the filter.
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Efficiency for high rate TF

• Y=total organic loading ie. BOD in Kg/day V = filter

volume
• Recirculation factor F=
R= Vol. of sewage re-circulated
• I= Vol. of raw sewage

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COMPARISON- STANDARD V/S
HIGH RATE FILTERS

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THANK YOU