Organic matter removal

Bolivia Presentation day 2.2

C.M. Hooijmans, PhD, MSc
Based on the presentation of Prof. G. Ekama, University of Cape
Town, South Afrtica

Twitter: @UnescoIHE

General learning objectives

After the successful completion participants will be able:

To critically determine and analyze quality and quantity characteristics of

ww originating from urban environments as a basis for the design,
control and operation of sewage treatment facilities performing
organic matter removal.

To discuss the physical, chemical and biological processes applied for

sewage purification and the complex interactions among them
occurring in wwt systems achieving organic matter removal.

To apply the knowledge on biological wastewater treatment processes

and engineering on the design and critical assessment of wwt systems
and configurations for the removal of organic matter as a function
of environmental, operating and wastewater conditions and
characteristics.

1
Outline

(1) Activated sludge system description

(2) Transformations
(3) Activated sludge system constraints
(4) Biological behaviour
(5) Reactor solids concentration
(6) Oxygen demand
(7) Effluent COD concentration
(8) Activated sludge design model
(9) COD balance
(10) Reactor volume and retention time

Outline

(11) Selecting reactor TSS concentration

(12) Active fraction
(13) Sludge production
(14) Nutrient (N&P) requirements
(15) Design procedure (steady-state model)
(16) System control
(17) Hydraulic control of sludge age
(18) Selection of sludge age
(19) Effect of sludge age on system
(20) Closure

2
 1.System description

Activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for organic matter

removal

WAS

O2

Concept dates back to 1914 (Arden and Locket).

1. System description

Design and operation (control) of activated sludge (AS) WWTP

requires knowledge of:

Wastewater Behaviour of
composition microorganisms M
O
D
Sizing, performance E
and control L
S

3
 1. System description

Basic approach
Level of organization: Generalized, simplified concepts to
describe behaviour of bacteria in WWTP:
Organisms Collective behaviour grouped by bio-process of
importance (e.g. ordinary heterotrophs, nitrifying organisms)
depending on objectives.

Concepts are strongly influenced by

Objectives of the model.
What we can (and must!) measure.

1. System description
Basic approach
Models have high and low levels of complexity depending on objectives:

Design steady-state models (relatively simple).

Diurnal behaviour dynamic simulation (complex).

Research Case-specific, metabolic

models (usually with higher
(testing new refinements,
degree of complexity)
extensions)

4
1. system description
Wastewater composition
Wastewater comprises both organic (COD, BOD) and inorganic
(ISS) materials (measured in influent).

These are removed in AS by:

Biological oxidation by heterotrophs / BIODEGRADABLE
Phase transformations (physicochemical and biological
(dissolved solid; dissolved gas) / BIODEGRADABLE
AND/OR CHEMICAL REACTIVE
Solid-liquid separation
(settling tanks) / SETTLEABLE or SUSPENDED

1. System description
Wastewater composition
Wastewater organic and inorganic constituents are:
1. Settleable (settle out < 2 h)
2. Non-setteable (colloidal)
3. Dissolved

1 can be settled out in PST (if included)

2 and 3 are transformed to settleable solids (biomass, if biodegr. and
enmeshed if unbiodegr. and settle out in SST

5
1. System description Wastewater composition
ASM model notation

(1) Settleable Biodegradable

(PARTICULATE) Unbiodegradable XS
(>>1.2 um)

XI
(2) Non-settleable Biodegradable
(PART. COLLOIDAL) Unbiodegradable
(0.45-1.2 um) SS

(3) Dissolved Biodegradable

SI
(<0.45 um) Unbiodegradable

1. System description
Wastewater composition

Question

How do you expect that the different organic constituents (particulate,

colloidal and dissolved) are removed as a function of their (bio-)
degradability in an activated sludge wastewater treatment plant?

6
1. system description

Biological and physical transformations dissolved and non-setteable

becomes settleable

2. Transformations

So irrespective of treating raw or settled WW:

Particulates (settleable and non-settleable/ colloidals) get
enmeshed in the sludge mass

Biodegradable organics (settleable, non-settleable, dissolved)

become biomass (able to settle)

Unbiodegradable dissolved organics escape with effluent.

Some sludge mass is daily harvested from reactor to control the

mass in reactor.

7
 2. Transformations
COD fractions
Total COD (Total Escape with
Organics) effluent !

Soluble
organics
Ss SI
Biodegradable Unbiodegradable
0.45um
pore size Soluble Soluble
filters
Xs XI
(e.g.
Biodegradable Unbiodegradable
STOWA
protocol) Particulate Particulate Particulate
organics
Transformed to
biomass Enmeshed in
sludge and
accumulated

2. Transformations
COD EXIT ROUTES

WAS
XBH
Ss SI

XI Effluent
Xs XI COD

8
 EXAMPLE WW: COD - RAW

The following parameters have been determined for a given raw (non-settled)
WW:
Total COD = 750 mg/L
Filtered COD (0.45 um) = 199 mg/L
fuso = SI/CODtot = 0.07; and fupo = XI/CODtot = 0.15
- What are the different organic concentrations in the influent?
750

199
Ss146 53 SI

Xs 438 113 XI 551

EXERCISE WW: COD - SETTLED

For a given settled WW, the following parameters have been determined :
Total COD = 450 mg/L
Filtered COD (0.45 mm) = 199 mg/L
fuso = XI/CODtot = 0.117; and fupo = SI/CODtot = 0.04
- What are the different organic concentrations in the influent?

450

Ss 146 53 XI
199

Xs 233 18 SI 251

9
 EXERCISE WW: COD - SETTLED

If the influent wastewater flowrate (Qi) is 20 MLD (million of liters per day ~
20000 m3/d), then:

- What is the flux (load) of biodegradable COD (kg/d) ?

= Qi (XS+SS)
= 20 (233+146) = 7580 kg COD/d

- What is the flux of SI in kg/d?

FSI = Qi (SI)
= 20 (18) = 360 kg COD/d

EXERCISE WW: COD - SETTLED

What is the concentration of organics that will be converted to new

biomass?

What will be the minimum COD concentration that can be expected in

the effluent of the plant under ideal conditions?

If the effluent discharge standard is 50 mg/L, will the plant comply with
this limit?

10
3. System constraints

To design/model AS system, need to define two aspects:

(1) The system constraints, i.e. the conditions imposed on the

biological (and physical) processes by the reactor.

(2) The biological processes.

3. System constraints

(1) Mixing regimes in reactor and reactor geometry

(2) Liquid retention time or hydraulic retention time (HRT)

(3) Solids retention time or mean cell residence time, or

sludge age (SRT)

11
 3. System constraints
3.1. MIXING CONDITIONS
1) Mixing regimes Two extremes

Plugflow concentrations vary

along length of reactor.

Completely mixed concentrations

same everywhere in reactor.

3. system constraints
3.2. HYDRAULIC RETENTION TIME (Rhn, HRT)

Nominal hydraulic retention

time (Rhn) length of time
liquid stays in reactor =
Rhn = Vp/Qi (day) Qi
L/(L/d=d) Vp

12
3. system constraints

3.3. SLUDGE AGE OR SOLIDS RETENTION TIME (Rs, SRT, or c)

XQ
W

3. system constraints
3.3. SLUDGE AGE
Qw
(3) Sludge age (Rs)
length of time solids stay
in reactor (SRT)
Vp

Rs = mass of sludge in system

mass of sludge wasted per day

= (Vp Xt)/(Qw Xt) = Vp/Qw (days)

So for Rs=10d, Qw = Vp/Rs = Vp/10 (m3/d).

13
 3. system constraints

3.3. SLUDGE AGE

Sludge age control from the secondary clarifier.

Vp X
t
QW

XSST

Vp Xt
Rs=
QW XSST

3. system constraints

EXERCISE

A wastewater treatment plant operates under the following operating

parameters:

- Q = 20 MLD
- Xt = 4.5 kg/m3 (TSS in the main reactor tank)
- Vp = 67500 m3
- XSST = 12.5 kg/m3 (TSS at the bottom of the secondary settler)

- What is the Rh (HRT)?

- What is the QWAS if hydraulic sludge age control is applied for a SRT
of 16 d?
-What is the QWAS if the sludge age is controlled from the bottom of the
secondary sedimentation tank?

14
4. Biological behaviour

This involves two bio-processes:

(1) Organism growth utilization of biodegradable organics for

metabolism:

Anabolism material for new cell mass

Catabolism generation of energy to make new cell mass.

(2) Organism Death loss of organism.

4. Biological behaviour

Organism metabolism (growth and endogenous respiration) involves

two aspects:

(1) Stoichiometry quantitative relationship between bioprocess

reactants (e.g. organics) and products (e.g. biomass formed,
oxygen consumed).

(2) Kinetics rate at which bioprocesses take place.

15
 Growth Stoichiometry

YCOD = COD of biomass formed/COD utilized = 0.66

YHv = YCOD/fcv = 0.66/1.48 = 0.45 mgVSS/mgCOD

Note: COD of biomass formed

+ Oxygen utilized =
ANABOLISM COD of substrate COD
utilized.
CATABOLISM

e- donated by
organics

COD mass balance! fundamental to all models

Organism death or endogenous respiration

Two concepts to model biomass loss:

(1) Death-Regeneration and

(2) Endogenous Respiration.

16
endogenous respiration

24% lost per d 19.2%

4.8%
76% remain

Note: COD balanced over process:

- fcvXH + fcvf bH XH + fcv (1-f) bH XH = 0

organism loss

Two approaches lead to identical results!

17
4. biological behaviour

Growth (metabolism) transforms biodegradable COD into OHO

biomass:

(1) Anabolism: YCOD (= fcvYHv=0.66; 2/3rds) of the e- (COD) in influent

biodegradable organics become biomass

(2) Catabolism: 1-YCOD (= 1-fcvYHv=0.34;1/3rd) of the e- (COD) in

influent biodeg. organics are passed to oxygen generating heat
(loss).

4. biological behaviour

All biodegradable organics are used for growth:

- Soluble biodegradable organics are readily utilized even at HRT 6-24h.

- Particulate biodegradable organics are slowly degraded but they get

enmeshed in sludge for at least one SRT (min. 4-5 days).

18
4. biological behaviour

With the growth process complete, its kinetics can be ignored !

and only the stoichiometry of the growth process needs to be

considered.

4. biological behaviour

Endogenous process transforms biomass biodegradable organics into:

(1) unbiodegradable endogenous residue (which accumulates in the
reactor as VSS).
(2) requires additional oxygen consumption.

But, it is very slow and does not reach completion (even at very
long SRT) its stoichiometry and kinetics are needed.

19
5. reactor solids concentration

XBH: OHO Biomass

VSS = XV (ORGANICS) XE: OHOs endogenous residue

TSS
XI: Unbiodegradable particulate COD

ISS = XIO (INORGANICS)

5.1. reactor VSS (organic)

Xv = XBH +XEH +XI [mgVSS/l]

The proportions of these 3 VSS components vary with sludge age

The VSS mass in the reactor (MXv) is the VSS concentration (Xv) x
reactor volume (Vp):

M Xv = XBH Vp + XEH Vp + XI Vp

M Xv = Xv Vp [kgVSS]

20
5.1.1. Unbiodegradable particulate organics (XI)

XI flows into system as:

FXI= Q XIi [kg COD/d]

Ss SI
FXI= Q XIi /fCV [kg VSS/d]

Xs XI

5.1.1. Unbiodegradable particulate organics (XI)

At steady state:
Q Xii = XI QW VSS out
Qw
And, if QW = VP/RS:
Q Xii = XI VP/RS
VSS in XI
XI VP = Q XIi RS Qi XIi

MXI = Q XIi RS Do not need to know

reactor volume (Vp) to
calculate MXI !

21
5.1.1. Unbiodegradable particulate organics (XI)

At steady state, MXI increases

linearly with sludge age (Rs).

MXI at 20 d ~ double than at 10 d.

5.1.2. Active biomass OHO (XBH)

Biodegradable COD flows into

system as:

Ss SI = Q (SS+XS) [kg COD/d]

Xs XI

22
5.1.2. Active biomass OHO (XBH)

Biomass also accumulates in reactor in proportion to sludge age and

growth:

VpXBH = YHv (Q(Ss+Xs)) [kgVSS/d]

But there is also an exit (loss) rate via the endogenous process:
1/(1+bHRs), i.e.
the longer the Rs, the greater the loss.

5.1.2. Active biomass OHO (XBH)

The net entry rate combines the entry (growth) and exit (loss) rates
per day:

VpXBH = YHv (Qi(Ss+Xs)) Rs [kgVSS]

(1+bHRs)
Or,
MXBH = YHv (Qi(Ss+Xs)) Rs [kgVSS]
(1+bHRs)

23
5.1.2. Active biomass OHO (XBH)

MXBH in reactor increases with

sludge age (Rs) but increase
gets smaller as sludge age
gets longer due to longer
duration of endogenous
process.

5.1.3. Endogenous Residue (XE)

XE accumulates in the reactor in proportion to sludge age and

biomass accumulation.

From endogenous process:

VpXE/dt = f bH MXBH [kgVSS/d]

So at steady state, mass of XE in reactor:

VpXE = f bH Rs MXBH [kgVSS]

24
5.1.3. Endogenous Residue (XE)

Since XEVP = MXE and using the formula of MXBH:

MXE= f bH Rs F(Ss+Xs) YH RS/(1+bHRs) [kg VSS]

5.1.3. Endogenous Residue (XE)

MXEH increases with sludge

age (Rs) but increase gets
larger as sludge age gets
longer due to longer duration of
endogenous process.

1.10

0.50

25
5.1. reactor VSS (organic)

MXV = MXI + MXE + MXBH [kgVSS]

or VpXV = Vp(XI + XE + XBH) [kgVSS]

NOTE: Do not need to know the reactor volume (Vp) to calculate the
VSS mass in reactor, only the WW chars and Rs !

5.1. reactor VSS (organic)

For raw WW:

At 10d sludge age, VSS
mass in reactor is ~2.7
kgVSS per kgCOD load in
reactor,
At 20d, ~4.5 kgVSS/kgCOD
load per day.

26
5.2. reactor ISS (inorganic)

VSS is organic part of suspended solids in reactor.

TSS is total and includes inorganic suspended solids (ISS).
Reactor ISS arises from two sources:
(1) Influent ISS accumulation
(2) Biomass OHO ISS intracellular dissolved solids which
precipitate as ISS in the drying step of TSS procedure.

5.2. reactor ISS (inorganic)

1) influent ISS accumulates in reactor linearly with sludge age just like
XI:
Vp XIo = Qi XIoi Rs [kgISS]

(2) biomass (OHOs) adds about 0.15 (fiOHO) times their mass to
measured ISS:

VpXIo = Qi XIoi Rs + fiOHO MXBH [kgISS]

27
5.2. reactor ISS (inorganic)

If influent ISS is not known, can choose a VSS/TSS ratio (f i) for the
AS:

fi = 0.75- 0.85 for raw wastewater

fi = 0.80- 0.88 for settled wastewater.

So reactor TSS can be calculated as:

MXt = MXv/fi [kgTSS] and,

MXIo = MXt - MXv [kgISS]

5. reactor solids concentration

MXBH: OHO Biomass

VSS = MXV MXE: OHOs endogenous
(ORGANICS)
residue

TSS MXI: Unbiodegradable

particulate COD

ISS = MXIO
(INORGANICS)

28
5. reactor solids concentration

For raw WW:

At 10d sludge age, TSS
mass in reactor is ~3.5
kgTSS per kgCOD load in
reactor,
At 20d, ~6.0
kgTSS/kgCOD load per
day.

6. effluent COD

Ss SI

The effluent COD is mainly the

Xs XI unbiodegradable soluble
organics: SI

29
EXERCISE:

For the WW fractionation given below and Rs=10 d , calculate [in kg]:
- MXBH
- MXE
- MXI
- MXV
- If XIO = 54 mg ISS/L, determine MXIO and MXt.

Assume: Rs= 10d,

Ss SI fCV=1.48 mgCOD/mgVSS,
YCOD=0.66 mgCOD/mgCOD
bH=0.24 d-1
Xs XI
f=0.20

7. oxygen demand

Recall that oxygen is required for two bio-processes:

(1) Growth and
(2) Endogenous Respiration

30
7.1. oxygen for growth

ANABOLISM
Organics e- through
CATABOLISM
catabolism passed to
e- donated by oxygen.
organics

So OD for growth Os = (1-fcvYHv) COD utilized:

MOs = VpOs = (1-fcvYHv) Qi Sbi [kgO/d]

Independent of Rs since growth is complete!

7.2. oxygen for endogenous respiration

e- of biomass (XBH)
biodeg. organics
lost passed to
oxygen catabolic
energy generation.

MOe = VpOe= fcv (1-f) bH MXBH [kgO/d]

31
7.2. oxygen for endogenous respiration

Endogenous Respiration increases with sludge age process

continues further the longer the sludge age:

MOe = fcv(1-f)bH Qi (Ss+Xs) YHvRs/(1+bHRs)

7. oxygen demand

Total oxygen demand per day for organics (COD) removal

(MOc = VpOc) is:

MOc = (1-fcvYHv) Qi (Ss+Xs) + fcv(1-f)bH Qi (Ss+Xs) YHvRs/(1+bHRs)

MOc = VpOc= MOs + MOe [kgO/d]

32
7. oxygen demand

Note: Oxygen demand for

organics removal
increases as sludge age
increases because
endogenous process
continues further the
longer the sludge age.

8. AS design model

From the basic equations, MXv, MXt, MOc, and (Ste) are all functions
of:
Needs good determination
(1) WW characteristics [fupo, fuso, XIoi],
(2) WW COD load Qi CODtot [kgCOD/d]
(3) System sludge age [Rs, d] !!!
(4) OHO stoichiometric constants [YHv, fcv, f] fixed
(5) OHO kinetic constant [ bH ] Just dependent on temperature

33
values of constants

Stoichiometric:
YHv = OHO yield = 0.45 mgVSS/mgCOD
fcv = COD/VSS = 1.48 mgCOD/mgVSS
f = OHO unbiodegradable fraction = 0.20

Kinetics:
only the endogenous rate
bHT = bH20(1.029)(T-20) /d ; bH20=0.24/d
(valid between 12 and 30oC)

9. COD (e-) balance

Electrons (e-) cannot be created or destroyed so the e- mass (COD)

of the influent must go somewhere!

System boundary

Exit routes for e-..

(1) Effluent COD
(2) COD of waste sludge
(3) Oxygen utilized
4e-+4H++O22H2O
Think e-, not O!

34
 9. COD (e-) balance

Qw

Qi Oc
Q
e

Water balance Qw + Qe =
Qi
And Qw=Vp/Rs

9. COD (e-) balance

P r o p o r tio n o f in flu e n t C O D

1
Influent
COD - MS ti
0.8

Oxygen - COD
0.6 removed as heat -
e- transferred to
oxygen
0.4
Sludge - COD
0.2 removed as Effluent - COD
wasted VSS in effluent

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
Sludge Age (d)

35
 9. COD (e-) balance

If Rs :
Qw and mass of VSS (TSS)

If Rs :
mass of VSS (TSS) , endogenous
and oxygen consumption

But fraction of active biomass XHB

EXERCISE:

For the WW fractionation given below, calculate [in kgO]:

- MOs
- MOe
- MOc
- Support your answer by closing the COD balance.

Assume: Rs= 10d,

fCV=1.48 mgCOD/mgVSS,
Ss SI YCOD=0.66 mgCOD/mgCOD
bH=0.24 d-1
f=0.20
Xs XI

36
10. reactor volume

Knowing MXt, the reactor

volume Vp is calculated from a
selected reactor concentration
(Xt)...
Vp = MXt / Xt m3

Note: As SRT, Vp
As Xt , Vp
Vp Raw > Vp Settled

10. retention time

With reactor volume (Vp) known, nominal hydraulic retention time

(Rhn) is:

Rhn = Vp/Qi = MXt /(Xt Qi) (d)

MXt is a function of COD load (FCODtot), WW characteristics and

Rs.
Note: If COD load comes from high Qi and low CODtot or low Qi and
high CODtot, the reactor volume will be the same!
But the Rhn will be different!

37
10. retention time

For the same COD load (and sludge age) retention time will be short
for the high flow case and long for the low flow case.

Hydraulic retention time is incidental to design, it serves no basic

function!

Beware of design criteria based on hydraulic retention time do not

use them they can lead to serious error in reactor volume
estimates.

11. selecting reactor Xt

Usually, Xt ~ 4 6 kg/m3 (conventional)

38
12. active fraction

Active fraction (fa) is an indicator of WAS stability:

fav (with respect to VSS) = MXBH/MXv

fat (with respect to TSS) = MXBH/MXt

A c t iv e F ra c t io n ( F a v , F a t )

12. active fraction

1

fav raw
0.8 settled

0.6

0.4

0.2
fat raw
settled
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sludge Age (d)

Active fraction:
Higher for settled WW than for raw WW because there is much less
influent UPO in settled WW (Raw XI = 113, Settled XI = 18).
decreases with sludge age because endogenous process continues for
longer.

39
13. sludge production

Secondary sludge (WAS)

production to maintain
sludge age is
MXt = MXt /Rs or
= QwXt kgTSS/d.
Note: kgTSS/d WAS
decreases as Rs
higher for raw WW than
for settled (but raw is
lower overall).

14. N&P requirements for sludge growth

(1) Recall mass VSS wasted/d = MXv = MXv /Rs = QwXv [kgVSS/d]
(2) N and P content of VSS fn = 0.10 gN/gVSS and fp = 0.025
[gP/gVSS]
(3) So Ns = fn MXv /(Rs Qi) [mgN/l] influent
(4) Ns = TKN conc in influent to meet sludge production N reqmts
(more in Chap 5).
(5) Similarly Ps = fp MXv /(Rs Qi) [mgP/L] infl.

40
15. design procedure

(1) Select WW characteristics (raw or settled)

USO (fSus), UPO (fSup),
Influent ISS (XIoi) or AS VSS/TSS ratio (fi)
Establish COD load from flow weighted ave.
(2) Calculate influent COD components
SI=fusoCODtot, XI=fupoCODtot, Sbi = (1-fuso-fupo)CODtot ave.
(3) Calculate COD fluxes into reactor: mass/d = conc x Qi kgCOD/d
(4) Select sludge age (Rs) for system.

characterize ww

750 Units mgCOD/L

146 53 199
Ss XI
0.45 filtered -
113 Sol COD =199
438 Xs SI 551 fuso= SI/CODtot
= 0.07
fupo= XI/CODtot
= 0.15

41
 calculate reactor masses from ww loads

Unknowns MXBH, MXE, MXI, MXv,

MXIo, MXt, MOc (kg)

Knowns Qi, FCODtot,

FXS, FXI (MXIi), (kg Rs
COD/d) SI mgCOD/l

15. design procedure

(5) Calculate solids masses in reactor

MXBH, MXE, MXI, MXv (kgVSS) and MXt kgTSS.
(6) Calculate Oxygen Demand MOc (kgO/d).
(7) Select reactor TSS conc (Xt).
(8) Calculate reactor volume (Vp).
(9) Calculate hyd. retention time (Rhn).
(10) Calculate reactor solids concs & OUR
XBH, XE, XI, Xv (gVSS/l), Xt gTSS/l, Oc mgO/(l.h)

42
15. design procedure

(11) Calculate active fractions of solids

fav = XBH/Xv, fat = XBH / Xt .
(12) Calculate waste flow rate Qw (m3/d) and sludge production (MXt,
kgTSS/d).
(13) Calculate nutrient reqmts - Ns, Ps
(14) Check COD balance !
MSte + MOc + fcv MXv/Rs = MCODtot ?
If not 1000.1% Check calculations!

16. system control

It is common practice to waste sludge from the SST underflow.

This is onerous and complex for operator requires much
reactor and underflow MLSS measurement to establish
approx. sludge age.

Is done to benefit from

thickening in SST when
sludge recycle (Qs) is low
(0.25-0.33:1)
X
Qs

43
16. system control

If nitrification takes place, cannot have low recycle flow (Q s)

due to rising sludge problems in SST sludge flotation with
N2 gas from denitrification in SST (especially at high temp).
Qs must be high (>0.75Qi) to minimize this.
With high Qs, WAS does not thickening in SST.

Its best to waste from reactor
and establish sludge age Qi
hydraulically!
Qs =1xQi
X

17. hydraulic control

With hydraulic control of sludge age, Qw is set to

required flow rate Qw = Vp/Rs m3/d !
Operator only checks that flume is not blocked.
No reactor or underflow MLSS tests required.
Hydraulic control establishes sludge age it is not
sludge mass control!

Wasting from underflow is Qw

sludge mass control, not
sludge age control very
different !.
Qs
X

44
17. hydraulic control

Hydraulic control works

because Xt does not
change much in response
to diurnal influent flow.
Underflow conc. varies
widely in response to
diurnal influent flow
(remember it is governed
by hydraulics)

17. hydraulic control

With hydraulic control, increase in reactor MLSS means increase in

organic load or decrease in temperature, but sludge age stays fixed.
This is important when nitrification is required with increasing
connections to WWTP.
With reactor MLSS control (fixed at certain value), sludge age
decreases with increase in organic load and decrease in
temperature, and can fall below minimum for nitrification.

45
17. hydraulic control

Reactor MLSS control, low SST recycles and wasting from

underflow is OK for AS systems in developed countries competent
operation and few new connections, cold WW temperature.
but not good for AS systems in developing countries low operator
skills, high WW temperature (nitrification unavoidable) and
increasing organics loads - for these situations, hydraulic control of
sludge age is essential -
Little operator intervention and low MLSS testing
High SST recycle minimizing rising sludge in SSTs.

18. selection of sludge age

Selection of sludge age (Rs) is THE most important decision in

design.

It depends on WW temperature, effluent quality and sludge stability

requirements.

Broadly there are two types of WWTP

(1) WWT and sludge treatment in separate units -
Short Rs for AS unit (<20d), digestion of PS and WAS
(2) WWT and sludge treatment in same AS unit
very long Rs for AS unit (>25d) called extended aeration
Treat raw WW and WAS stable.

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18. selection of sludge age

TYPE 1: Short Rs
TYPE 2 : Long Rs
Extended Aeration

High energy input, Large

reactor, Low operator
Energy recovery, small reactor, high skills
operator skills.

18 Selection of sludge age

Selection of sludge age (Rs) is THE most important decision in design.

For WW temperature ~14oC.

Organics removal.. Rs 2-5d.

+ Nitrification . Rs 5-10d
+ N removal (Nit & Denit). Rs 10-15d
+ Bio P removal Rs 8-12d
+ Bio P and N removal Rs >12d
+ N removal & stable WAS.. Rs > 25d
(extended aeration)

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21. closure

Selection of sludge age is the most important design decision.

Mass of sludge in reactor and reactor volume are function of organic
load, sludge age, WW characteristics and selected reactor TSS
concentration.
Hydraulic control of sludge age is best for situations where operator
skills are low, nitrification is unavoidable, and organic load increases
over time.

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