LUND UNIVERSITY

Waste Stabilization/Treatment Ponds

Aerobic and Anaerobic Water Treatment
VVAN01 Decentralized water and wastewater treatment Lina Karlsson Xiaoyue Liu Nicholas Jewitt 2/8/2011

Introduction
The idea of treatment ponds is to mimic natures own processes as biological mechanisms and use the gravitational force for sedimentation of particles. One difference compared to constructed wetlands is that mostly lower forms of plants are used (Reed, Crites, & Middlebrooks, 1995). Treatment ponds are used for waste water treatment in some small municipalities as well as specific treatment in agriculture, mines, and in other industries. It is an ecological complement to traditional waste water treatment since it does not require any external energy or chemical input. The only energy needed is provided by the sun and this is therefore a sustainable alternative (Reed, Crites, & Middlebrooks, 1995). There are mainly three types of ponds used in wastewater treatment; anaerobic, facultative and maturation ponds. The typical outline of treatment ponds is first a deep anaerobic pond where particles settle followed by one or more shallow aerobic ponds. In general there is a high reduction of nitrogen but phosphorous removal is quite low.

Anaerobic ponds
Water with a high organic load enters the anaerobic pond where significant BOD is removed by digestion of organic material. The anaerobic organisms degrade organic compounds to retain energy and produce methane and carbon dioxide. The gases are released to the atmosphere and the produced sludge settles to the bottom where further degradation occurs. The large depth is needed to achieve this sludge accumulation and to maintain the anaerobic conditions at the bottom. At low temperatures, the activity ceases since the methanogenesis does not function below approximately 10o C. At these conditions the pond mainly works as a sedimentation basin (Reed, Crites, & Middlebrooks, 1995). If the water has acid producing microbes, sulphurous and other malodorous gases become more common. Anaerobic ponds are efficient as they require a small area and produce nutrient rich sludge that can be recycled for other uses. In warm environments the BOD removal can be as high as 60-85% with a relative short retention time, about one day (Reed, Crites, & Middlebrooks, 1995). Apart from normal cleaning procedures the deep pond needs desludging every 10-15 years depending on the loading rate. Sampling of the sludge is needed if further use is planned as there can be substantial amounts of heavy metals present, depending on the source of the water (Mara, Mills, Pearson, & Alabaster, 2007).

Figure 1:The anaerobic treatment pond (Reed, Crites, & Middlebrooks, 1995).

Aerobic ponds facultative and maturation ponds

The treated water on the top of the anaerobic pond is lead further to a shallow aerobic pond where other biological activities take over. Due to the supply of oxygen, degradation of nutrients and harmful substances are mainly done by heterotrophic bacteria and algae (Reed, Crites, & Middlebrooks, 1995). These types require larger areas. Facultative ponds remove BOD as well as reduce pathogens. The treatment is based on the algal and bacterial mutualism which occurs in the upper layer where the sunlight can penetrate. The algae produce oxygen through photosynthesis, which is used by the bacteria. The bacteria release ammonia, carbon dioxide and phosphate which in turn are used by the algae. Because of the photosynthetic activity of the algae, oxygen and pH varies in the pond over day and night (Pea Varn, 2003).

Figure 2: Algal-bacterial mutualism in facultative and maturation pond (Mara, Mills, Pearson, & Alabaster, 2007).

Maturation ponds would be placed last in the sequence. They are aerobic through the whole depth and functions as a pathogen reducer. This is due to a high pH as well as the high concentration of dissolved oxygen as a result of algae activity. Apart from efficiently removing fecal coliforms and viruses, it reduces parasites up to 100% (Pea Varn, 2003). If algae is needed to be removed from the effluents there are several rather expensive chemical physical processes on the market. It can also be done with biological processes which require more land but are significantly cheaper. Using grass plots, effluent is led across sloping plots of land where algae is trapped in the grass and nutrient taken up by plants. A rock filter is another economical method where effluent is led through a submerged porous rock bed, the algae sink and decompose with the advantage of simultaneous nitrification (Mara, Mills, Pearson, & Alabaster, 2007).

Climate
The climate affects where treatment ponds can be used. Due to possible climates becoming lower than 0oC, aerobic ponds cannot always be used effectively. This is due to their need to be shallower than anaerobic ponds. With the more shallow water, it is possible for the entire pond to freeze and therefore stop the flow of water from process to process. Anaerobic ponds are able to still function due to them being much deeper. If the water freezes at the top, it can stop aerobic functions but will continue the 2

anaerobic functions which occur ideally at the bottom of the pond. This can be seen in As can be seen in Table 1, the Northern and Mid-Atlantic area of the USA require a much larger area to function to operate under the set parameters of effluent. Table 1 comparing the different climates of the USA. As can be seen in Table 1, the Northern and MidAtlantic area of the USA require a much larger area to function to operate under the set parameters of effluent.
Table 1: Treatment sizes in hectares to produce 40000 m /day, comparing northern, southern, and mid-atlantic USA (Mara, Mills, Pearson, & Alabaster, 2007).
3

Process design procedures

The design of the wastewater treatment ponds could always follow the procedures presented below: Estimate the influent flow Calculate the BOD concentration of the waste water Survey the mean temperature situations Local environment investigation for meteorological and hydrological characteristics Explore the soil conditions and the locations of waterways and ground water Determine the combination of ponds and the number of series Facultative ponds design Anaerobic ponds design Aerobic ponds/Maturation ponds design

The main parts of waste water treatment ponds system usually begin with anaerobic ponds and then followed by aerobic ponds or facultative ponds. If a more strict effluent water quality is required, one or 3

more maturation ponds can be added after them. Several parallel series are recommended in a same system (Earnest F. Gloyna, 1971).

Figure 3: Schematic of a possible treatment pond set up where A represents anaerobic pond, F represents facultative pond, and M represents maturation pond (Mara, Waste Stabilization Ponds slides).

Facultative ponds Facultative ponds usually have a depth of 1.5-2 meter and a retention period of 20-50 days. It could be designed by estimating the volume, surface area and retention time. As the mean temperature is surveyed before, the biological breakdown rate and BOD removal can be found out, which the retention time is calculate from. The depth of the pond is determined by the climate of this area. For tropical climate the depth could be 1meter, in temperate climate 50 cm could be added and in cold area a additional 1meter can be introduced (Earnest F. Gloyna, 1971; Mara, D. D., Mills, S. W., Pearson, H. W., & Alabaster, G. P. ,2007). Anaerobic ponds The design of anaerobic ponds is according to the temperature, pH and the outflow quality demanded. Anaerobic ponds normally have a depth between 2-5 m and receive high BOD loads (more than 100g BOD/m3.day). The pH of the waste water has to be ensured more than 6.2 before entering the anaerobic process and a short retention time (2-4 days) is usually chosen. The relations between temperature T, volumetric loading (v) and BOD removal rate are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 Relations between T, v and BOD removal rate in anaerobic pond

The volume of the anaerobic pond can be calculated on the basis of volumetric loading, which is recommended to be 100-400g/m3.day to keep the anaerobic conditions in the pond. The equation is shown below,

v = LiQ/Va

Equation 1

Where Q is flow rate (m3/day), Va is volume of anaerobic pond (m3) and Li is influent BOD (mg/l). Li can be estimated by equation 2,

Li = 1000B/Q

Equation 2

Where B is BOD contribution (g/person.day) and Q is waste water flow (l/person.day). Then hydraulic retention time is calculate by using equation 3,

tan = Va/Q

Equation 3

The retention time should not be less than one day. Recalculation is needed if the retention time is not long enough ( S. Kayombo,T.S.A. Mbwette, J.H.Y Katima, N. Ladegaard, S.E. Jrgensen). Aerobic ponds The design of the aerobic ponds should follow three principles. Firstly, give the minimum depth to the pond while making the maximum algae production. Secondly, equalize the BOD removal and the pathogen control. At last, encourage mixing and aeration to support the activity of aerobic bacteria. The retention time in an aerobic pond can be calculated by offering the biological breakdown rate and influent and effluent BOD concentrations. The relationship among them is shown in equation 4.

Lp = L0/(KTRT+1)

Equation 4

Lp is the pond and effluents BOD (mg/l), L0 is influent BOD (mg/l), KT is breakdown rate at temperature T and RT is detention time at temperature T. The breakdown rate value can be found in Table2 according to the environmental temperature.

Table 3 Biological breakdown rate

Mechanical aeration for oxygen supplied is determined in the following method,

Ox = Om [(Csw-C)/C]**(T-20)FA

Equation 5

Os is oxygen supplied by mechanical aeration (kg oxygen/hph), Om is manufacturers rating of aerator (commonly 1.8-2.1 kg oxygen/hph), Csw is oxygen saturation level in the pond at temperature T (mg/l), C is level of dissolved oxygen in pond (mg/l), C is oxygen saturation level of distilled water at 20 oC (mg/l),

is overall transfer coefficient of the waste-water/overall transfer coefficient of the tap water(usually between 0.6 and 1.1), is temperature reaction coefficient (=1.02), FA is corrections factor for altitudes above about 1200m. For most of the aerobic ponds, the oxygen requirement can be calculated as follows, Od = aLr
Equation 6

Where Od is required oxygen(kg/day), a is coefficient (values between 0.7 and 1.4), Lr is BOD removal (kg/day) (Earnest F. Gloyna, 1971). Matruration ponds The principle factor of the design of the maturation ponds is the detention time. This and the number of the ponds are determined by the degree of bacterial purification of the ponds. Commonly, the depth of the pond is 1.5-2m and the detention time is 5-15 days. It is essential to arrange the maturation ponds in series with the preceding ponds to obtain the efficient reduction of the faecal bacteria ( Earnest F. Gloyna, 1971; Mara, D. D., Mills, S. W., Pearson, H. W., & Alabaster, G. P. ,2007). Calculation example A treatment ponds system recieves an inflow rate of 7570m3/day with influent BOD5 is 500mg/l. The mean temperature is 15oC. For oxygen supplement, C is 1.5mg/l, C is 9.2mg/l, Csw is 10.2mg/l, a is 0.7, Om=1.6 kg O2/gross hph (at 20oC) and is 0.9. Required Volume, area and effluent quality of the anaerobic pond. Volume, area and size and number of the mechanical aerators for the aerobic pond. Anaerobic Pond Volumetric loading v = LiQ/Va , so Va = LiQ /v. And according to Table 1, v = 20T-100 = 20*15-100 = 200 g/m3.day. 6

Va = 500*7570/200=18925m3. Assuming depth of the anaerobic pond is 4m, then the area A=Va/depth=4371.25m2. Retention time tan = Va/Q = 18925/7570 = 2.5 day > 1 day . BOD removal rate is 2T+20=2*15+20=50%. Effluent BOD = 500*50% =250 mg/l. Aerobic Pond Organic load goes into the pond will be effluent BOD from anaerobic pond*flow rate= 250*7570=1892500g/day=1892.5kg/day. Assume the BOD removal of the aerobic pond is 50%, that will be 1892.5*50%=946.25kg/day, say 950kg BOD/day should be treated. Detention time RT = (L0/LP-1)/KT ,altered from eq 4. KT=0.24 according to Table2,then RT =(1/0.51)/0.24=4.17 days. The volume of the pond V = detention time*flow= 4.17 *7570=31566.9m3. When assumeing the depth of the aerobic pond is 3m, the surface area will be 31566.9/3=10522.3m2, say 10525m2. Then the volume is 31575 m3. The oxygen requirement Od = aLr = 0.7*950=665kg/day=27.7kg/hour(eq 6). And the mechanical aeration requirement can be determined as eq 5, Ox = Om [(Csw-C)/C]**(T-20)FA =1.6*(10.21.5)/9.2*0.9*1.02(15-20) =1.50kg O2/hph. Then the power demanded for oxygen offering is Od/Ox =27.7/1.50=18.47hp. So a 20 hp aeration unit can be used in this case.

Projects Examples
There are treatment ponds systems working quite well all around the world. Two series comprising one anaerobic pond, one aerated pond and seven maturation ponds respectively are located in Melbourne, Australia.

Figure 4: A treatment pond set up in Melbourne, Australia (Mara, Waste Stabilization Ponds slides).

Another one is situated in Quebec, Canada. The ponds can work well even in a cold weather .

Figure 5: A treatment pond set up in Quebec, Canada (Mara, Waste Stabilization Ponds slides).

Advantages and Disadvantages

The advantage of a treatment pond system is the ecologically advantageous set up. Due to anaerobic, facultative, and maturation ponds not needing any outside inputs of energy to purify water, allows for this process to proceed with little interaction. Therefore not only is it a sustainable process, but also requires little human interaction to provide clean water. It is also capable of being added on to processes that are no longer meeting regulations if given enough space. The disadvantages to this process are the large amount of space required and the potential of climates slowing down the process. Depending on the amount of water that needs to be treated scaled the size of the ponds needed. As seen in figure 5 and 6, the ponds can range in sizes but do take up quite a lot of space if needed for a municipal or greater cause. The size constraint is due to the need of aerobic ponds to be relatively shallow to allow for the maximum amount of oxygen to be produced in the water. To shrink the size of the ponds, the pond could be aerated from below but then that adds and input of energy that would normally not exist. Secondly, the colder the climate reflects the less effective this process works. Due to the entire process being in water outdoors, if the temperature drops below 0oC, the water will start to freeze and stopping the aerobic process due to the more shallow waters. This can pose a problem for the process if the becomes clogging due to icing and therefore the water will back up the system. This could be avoided by having a secondary treatment method used during the winter or heaters in the water, both of which incurs an energy input which would normally not be used. Facultative ponds can still function without oxygen but usually at a slower pace, therefore if the pond is large enough so the whole pond does not freeze, this problem is also avoided. Finally, methane is produced in the anaerobic pond and released to the air. This is a very potent greenhouse gas with obvious negative impacts.

Bibliography
Gloyna, Earnest F., (1971),Waste Stabilization Ponds, Geneva, World Health Organization. Mara, D. D, Waste Stabilization Ponds slides, available at [http://www.bvsde.paho.org/bvsacd/cd16/wsp-slides.pdf], viewed in 2011-02-14. Mara, D. D., Mills, S. W., Pearson, H. W., & Alabaster, G. P. (2007). Waste Stabilization Ponds: A Viable Alternative for Small Community Treatment Systems. Water and Environment Journal, 74. Reed, S. C., Crites, R. W., & Middlebrooks, E. J. (1995). Natural Systems for Waste Management and Treatment. Illinois: McGraw-Hill. Kayombo S., Mbwette T.S.A., Katima J.H.Y, Ladegaard, N. S. Jrgensen E., Waste Stabilization Ponds and Constructed Wetlands Design Manual, available at [http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Publications/Water_Sanitation/ponds_and_wetlands/Design_Manual.pdf], viewed in 2011-02-13.