ACTIVATED

SLUDGE PROCESS
SOHAIL TARIQ (EN-14/2018)
 CONTENT
❖ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS.
❖CONVENTIONAL ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS.
❖VARIANTS OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS.
❖EXTENDED AERATION ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS.
❖SEQUENCING BATCH REACTORS(INTERMITTENT OPERATION).
❖COMPARISON AMONG THE MAIN VARIANTS OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE
PROCESS
 ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
❖The most common suspended
growth process used for domestic
and industrial wastewater
treatment.
❖Integral parts of activated sludge
system.
oAeration tank (reactor).
oSettling tank (secondary sedimentation tank).
oSludge recirculation.
oExcess sludge removal.
 ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
❖The removal of the organic matter take
place in the aeration tank.
❖The biomass develops in the secondary
clarifier by using the substrate present in
the influent sewage and settle as sludge
which leads to a clarified final effluent.
❖A part of biomass is re circulated to
maintain its large concentration in the
reactor.
❖The other / extra part of the solids is
withdrawn from the system and is directed
to the sludge treatment stage.
 ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
❖Due to the recirculation Solids remain in High sludge
the system for a longer period. ages are
❖Characterized as mean cell residence associated
time (MCRT), solids retention time (SRT) with low
or sludge age (θc) = . F/M values,
and vice
𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟
❖ versa.
𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑦
❖F/M ratio = (kgBOD/kgMLVSS•d)
Hence there must be a balance between a
𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐵𝑂𝐷 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑦
❖ F/M and SRT in a properly design and
𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 operated activated sludge system.
 CONVENTIONAL ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
SLUDGE AGE
F/ M RATIO
Low
High
4 to 10 days
0.25 to 0.5

The excess
sludge needs
to undergo
additional Comprising
treatment in thickening,
the sludge digestion
treatment and
line. dewatering.
VARIANTS OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
❖There are several variants of the activated sludge process, which
can be classified according to the following characteristics:
• Low Sludge
age (4 to 10
Conventional days)
• High F/M
Division as (0.25 to 0.5)
per Sludge
age or F/ M • High Sludge
age (10 to 30
Extended days)
aeration • Low F/M
(0.07 to 0.15)
VARIANTS OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
• Liquid entering and
leaving the reactor
Continuous continuously
flow • E.g.: conventional ASP
and extended
aeration
Division
according to
flow outline • Discontinuous input
of the liquid in each
Intermittent reactor
flow • E.g.: Sequencing
batch reactors
VARIANTS OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS

Effluent from a • e.g.

Conventional
primary clarifier ASP
Division
according
the influent
to biological
stage • e.g. Extended
Raw sewage aeration
VARIANTS OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
Division according to the physical configuration and position of the inlets of the
aeration tank
VARIANT SCHEME DESCRIPTION VARIANT SCHEME DESCRIPTION
• Predominantly longitudinal
• Predominantly square
dimensions
dimensions
• The concentrations vary at
• The concentrations are
Plug every point in the reactor.
Complete the same at any point of
• More efficient than the
mix the reactor flow
complete-mix reactor.
• Higher resistance to
• The oxygen demand
overloads and toxic
decreases along the reactor.
substances
VARIANTS OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
Division according to the physical configuration and position of the inlets of the
aeration tank
VARIANT SCHEME DESCRIPTION VARIANT SCHEME DESCRIPTION
• Inlet to the reactor at
• Similar to the plug flow
several points.
• The oxygen demand
• The reactor behaves as a
decreases along the
Step complete-mix reactor.
reactor
Step • The oxygen consumption is
• The oxygen supply is feeding
aeration homogeneous.
equal to the demand
• Operationally flexible.
(the aeration decreases
along the reactor)
• Savings in oxygen supply
 EXTENDED AERATION ACTIVATED SLUDGE
PROCESS
SLUDGE AGE
F/ M RATIO
High
Low
18 to 30 days
0.17 to 0.15

This simplification
Due to Low Bod and high
increase the energy
biomass, bacteria start to
consumption for
consume their own OM.
aeration and reduced
Transferred OM in to CO2
substrate availability
and H2O through respiration
make extended
This corresponds to an
aeration most efficient
aerobic stabilization of the
for the removal of BOD.
biomass in the aeration tank.
 SEQUENCING BATCH REACTORS(INTERMITTENT
OPERATION)
SLUDGE AGE F/ M RATIO
High (mostly) e.g. Low (mostly) e.g. Extended
Extended aeration
aeration
High e.g. Conventional ASP
Low e.g.
Conventional ASP
VARIANT SCHEME DESCRIPTION

• The concentrations are

Primary settling, the same at any point
biological oxidation and of the reactor
Complete
secondary settling in a • Establishment of
mix operational cycles and
single tank.
phases, each with a
defined duration.
 SEQUENCING BATCH REACTORS(INTERMITTENT
OPERATION)
Cycle is • More than one reactor is
composed of required since sewage is
the following continuously entering.
phases • when one reactor is in
• Filling the settling phase, no
• Reaction influent is allowed.
• Settling • Therefore, the influent is
• Withdrawal diverted to another
• Idle reactor, which is in the fill
stage.
COMPARISON AMONG THE MAIN VARIANTS
OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
Extended aeration
Extended General item Conventional
Convention
General item aeration
al
Area of the
secondary Higher,
Sludge age 4–10 18–30 clarifier Low due to the large SRT.
Reduced, High,
F/M ratio 0.25–0.50 0.07–0.15 due to the due to aerobic
previous BOD digestion and to the
Primary clarifier Present Absent Oxygen removal in the non-existence
Soluble
requirements primary settling of primary settling
effluent BOD Low Very low Low, High,
Low due to the low due to the high
Volume of the Detention High Detention Energy oxygen oxygen
aerobic reactor time = time = requirements consumption consumption
(aeration tank) 6 to 8 hours) 16 to 24 hours)

Source: von Sperling (1997) and von Sperling et al. (2001)

COMPARISON AMONG THE MAIN VARIANTS
OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
Extended Extended
General Specific General Specific Conventi
Conventional aeration aeration
item Item item Item onal
Sludge age Sludge age (day) 4–10 18–30 Total
F/M ratio volume Volume (m3/inhabitant) 0.10–0.12 0.10–0.12
F/M ratio (kgBOD/kgMLVSS·d) 0.25–0.50 0.07–0.15 Installed power
BOD (%) 85–95 93–98 (W/inhabitant) 2.5–4.5 3.5–5.5
COD (%) 85–90 90–95 Energy
Energy consumption 18–26 20–35
Suspended solids (kW·hour/inhabitant·year)
Removal (%) 85–95 85–95 To be treated (L sludge /
efficiency Ammonia (%) 85–95 90–95 Volume of inhabitant·d) 3.5–8.0 3.5–5.5
Nitrogen (%) 25–30 15–25
sludge To be disposed of (L
Phosphorus (%) 25–30 10–20 sludge/inhabitant·d) 0.10–0.25 0.10–0.25
Coliforms (%) 60–90 70–95
Area
required Area (m2/inhabitant) 0.2–0.3 0.25–0.35

Source: von Sperling (1997), Alem Sobrinho and Kato (1999) and von Sperling et al. (2001)
REFERENCES
Biological Wastewater Treatment in Warm
Climate Regions

Marcos von Sperling and Carlos Augusto de

Lemos Chernicharo
Department of Sanitary and Environmental
Engineering
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Volume 1 and Volume 2

THANK YOU

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