Environmental Engineering

22CE3235
ATI Colombo
2025 Semester II

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 Topic 4: Wastewater
treatment and disposal I
• Characteristics of domestic, urban and industrial wastewater,
• Wastewater treatment: principles and design

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Characteristics of Wastewater
5 Characteristics of wastewater-Physical
 Characteristics of wastewater
6 Chemical
7 Eutrophication
8 Characteristics of wastewater
Biological
9 Comparing Domestic, Urban, and
Industrial Wastewater
Urban (Combined
Characteristic Domestic Industrial
Sewer)

Domestic + stormwater
Human waste, food Highly variable;
Primary Content runoff, grit, oil, heavy
residue, soap. process-specific.
metals.

Often low (contains non-

BOD / COD Ratio High (~0.4 - 0.6) Moderate biodegradable
organics).

Relatively neutral (6.5 - Extreme swings (can be

pH Variability Neutral
8.0) highly acidic or alkaline).

High (heavy metals,

Toxicity Low Moderate
solvents, cyanides).
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Wastewater Treatment
11 Steps in treatment

 Screening
 Grit removal
 Primary sedimentation
 Biological treatment (activated sludge/trickling filters)
 Disinfection
 Sludge treatment
 Coarse screen
 Usually bar screens (vertical or inclined)
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 Usually hand cleaned and sometimes provided with mechanical devices
Medium screens
 Clear opening is 20-50 mm
 Rectangular in cross sections
Fine screens
 Mechanically cleaned devices using perforated plates
 Very closely spaced bars with clear openings of less than 20 mm
 Use for pretreatment of industrial wastes to remove materials which tend
to produce excessive scum or foam on the top of digestion tank
contents
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 Skimming

18  Excessive quantities of grease may tend to plug treatment plant units

 Grease is removed to a degree by skimming devices.
 Skimming tanks employ baffled subsurface entrance structures which permit
floating matter to be retained
 Retention times are 15 min or less and continuous mechanical skimming is
usually employed
19 Primary treatment
Sedimentation
 Sedimentation will remove about 60% of the suspended solids and about
35% BOD
 These are located after screens and grit chambers
 Rectangular or circular basins
 Sewage is held quiescent to permit particulate solids to settle out of
suspension
 A mechanical skimmer collects and deposits the scum in a pit outside of
the basin
 Settled sludge is slowly moved toward a hopper in the tank bottom by a
collector arm
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 Secondary treatment
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Biological Treatment

 uses tiny living organisms like bacteria to clean dirty water.

 These microbes help break down harmful substances in the water.
 This method is eco-friendly because it uses natural processes instead of
chemicals.
Main types
 Aerobic treatment – needs oxygen
 Anaerobic treatment – works without oxygen
 Both types help remove pollutants from wastewater in municipal and
industrial treatment plants
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23 Aerobic Biological Treatment

 This is a process that happens in the presence of oxygen. It is a fast and

effective method that can remove up to 98% of organic waste from water.
 This method breaks down pollutants well and gives cleaner water than
anaerobic treatment.
Types of aerobic treatment
 Activated sludge process (most common)
 Trickling filters
 Aerated lagoons
 Oxidation ponds
24 Activated sludge treatment

 use tanks with air and helpful microorganisms to break down organic waste
and remove nutrients from the water.
Process
 Wastewater is mixed with microorganisms in an aeration tank.
 Air is pumped in using machines to help microbes grow and break down
the waste faster.
 The mixture goes to a settling tank (also called a clarifier), where the sludge
(microbes and waste particles) settles at the bottom.
 The clean water on top is released as treated water
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30 Food/microorganisms ratio
 In activated sludge system the major design parameter is the loading
(amount of organic matter – food) added relative to the microorganisms
(activated sludge) available.
 Then the F-M ratio is a measure of the amount of food, or BOD, that is given
to the microorganisms in the aeration tank. The microorganisms with liquid
are the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS)
 Measurement of either F or M accurately difficult and hence ratio is usually
expressed as the amount of BOD utilized per unit mass of active biological
solids
 Ratio is used to evaluate process operation
 𝑆
𝐹/𝑀 = 𝑋 𝑜𝜃 … … (1) 𝜃 = 𝑉/𝑄……..(2)

F/M = Food to microorganism ratio (1/day)

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So = Influent BOD concentration (g/m3)
θ = Hydraulic detention time(HRT) (day) V= volume of
aeration tank
X = MLSS concentration (g/m3) Q = Influent flow
𝜃𝑐 = 𝑄
𝑉𝑋
……..(3) rate
𝑤 𝑋𝑤 +𝑄𝑒 𝑋𝑒

θc = mean cell residence time (day) –This is an average measure of how

long the sludge remain in the system
V = aeration tank volume (m3)
Qw= waste sludge flow rate (m3/day)
Xw = MLSS concentration in the waste sludge (g/m3)
Qe = Treated effluent flowrate (m3/day)
Xe = MLSS concentration in the effluent (g/m3)
 𝐾𝑠 (1+𝜃𝑐 𝐾𝑑 )
𝑆𝑒 = 𝜃 ……..(4)
𝑐 𝑌𝑘−𝐾𝑑 −1
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Se= effluent concentration
Kd = microbial decay coefficient (time-1)
Y = growth coefficient
Ks= saturation coefficient
k = maximum specific substrate utilization rate (time-1)

𝜃 (𝑆 −𝑆𝑒 )
𝑋 = 𝑌 𝜃 𝑐1+𝜃
𝑜
……..(5)
𝑐 𝐾𝑑
33 Example 01

What is the detention time in an aerated grit chamber 3.0 m by 3.0 m with 2.4
m liquid depth based on a 2000 m3/day
Detention time
𝑡 = 𝑉/𝑄
 =(3x3x2.4)/2000
 =0.26 hrs
 =933.12 sec
34 Example 02

Calculate F/M ratio by using following data

 Average daily flow= 19.2 ml/day
 Average BOD = 125 mg/l
 MLSS = 2500 mg/l
 Aeration basin volume = 8 ml

Answer
𝐹 𝑆 𝑆𝑜 𝑥 𝑄 125 𝑥 19.2
 = 𝑋 𝑜𝜃 = = = 0.12 per day
𝑀 𝑋𝑉 2500 𝑥 8
35 Example 03

Completely mixed activated sludge process is to be used to treat a waste

water flow of 1000m3/hr having BOD of 250 mg/l. design criteria as follows
Y= 0.4, k= 8/day, Kd= 0.1/day, Ks = 75 mg/l, θc = 5 days, X= 2000 mg/l MLSS
Calculate the substrate exit concentration and the volume of the aeration
tank
36 Answer

𝐾𝑠 (1+𝜃𝑐 𝐾𝑑 ) 75 (1+5𝑥0.1) 𝑚𝑔
 𝑆𝑒 = 𝜃 =5 = 7.75
𝑐 𝑌𝑘−𝐾𝑑 −1 0.4𝑥8−0.1 −1 𝑙

𝜃 (𝑆 −𝑆𝑒 ) 0.4𝑥5𝑥 (250−7.75)

 𝑋 = 𝑌 𝜃 𝑐1+𝜃
𝑜
𝜃= = 3.87 ℎ𝑟
𝑐 𝐾𝑑 2000 (1+5𝑥0.1)

 𝜃 = 𝑉/𝑄
 V = 1000x3.87 = 3870m3
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39 Sludge Treatment
 Sludge treatment reduces the volume, water content, and health hazards
of solid waste generated from wastewater treatment
40 Stages of Sludge Treatment
 Thickening: reducing volume by over 80% through gravity, centrifugation, or
flotation to remove excess water.
 Stabilization/Digestion: Anaerobic or aerobic microbes break down organic
matter, reducing pathogens and odors.
 Conditioning: Chemical agents are added to the sludge to improve the
removal of water in the next stage.
 Dewatering: Mechanical processes such as centrifuges, filter presses, or drying
beds remove water to produce a solid "sludge cake" (over 20% solid content).
 Thermal Treatment/Drying: Uses heat to further reduce moisture and eliminate
pathogens, making the sludge easier to transport and safer.
 Disposal/Reuse: Final options include incineration (generating energy),
landfilling, or recycling as agricultural fertilizer (biosolids).
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