INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

CEE 361
Spring 2020
ASU School for Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment

HOMEWORK 8: WASTEWATER TREATMENT (PRELIMINARY,

PRIMARY, AND SECONDARY)

Consider the following in order to get full credit for a problem:

● Solve the problem showing all assumptions
● Show steps clearly
● Box all final answers
● Use correct units and keep your answer to three significant digits
● Do your work neatly and legibly
● Upload your work (handwritten or typed) to Canvas as a PDF file.

FE EXAM FORMATTED PROBLEMS

8-1. A 2-liter graduated cylinder was used to determine the SVI of an activated sludge sample. The
settled volume was 850 mL and the MLSS was 3,000 mg/L. What was the SVI?

a) 283 mL/g b) 850 mL/g

c) 425 mL/g d) 142 mL/g

8-2. Estimate the biomass concentration in a CSTR aeration tank with the following operating
conditions: hydraulic residence time = 3 h; mean cell residence time = 6 d; yield coefficient = 0.6 mg
VSS/mg BOD; decay rate = 0.10 d-1; influent soluble BOD = 200 mg/L; effluent BOD = 2.0
mg/L.

a) 3,600 mg/L b) 150 mg/L

c) 210 mg/L d) 1,200 mg/L

PROBLEMS
1. You are tasked with designing an equalization basin to even out flow and BOD variations.
The following flows and BOD5 have been found to be typical of the average variation over a
day. What size equalization basin, in cubic meters, is required to provide for a uniform
outflow equal to the average daily flow? Assume the flows are hourly averages. Note: In
order to get credit for this problem, you must include a screenshot that shows your
formulas.
Time Flow, m3/s BOD5, mg/L Time Flow, m3/s BOD5, mg/L

0000 0.0012 50 1200 0.0041 290

0100 0.0011 34 1300 0.0041 290

0200 0.0009 30 1400 0.0042 275

0300 0.0009 30 1500 0.0038 225

0400 0.0009 33 1600 0.0033 170

0500 0.0013 55 1700 0.0039 180

0600 0.0018 73 1800 0.0046 190

0700 0.0026 110 1900 0.0046 190

0800 0.0033 150 2000 0.0044 190

0900 0.0039 195 2100 0.0034 160

1000 0.0047 235 2200 0.0031 125

1100 0.0044 265 2300 0.0020 80

2. Describe how primary and secondary wastewater treatment differs. Include the equipment
typically found in each and what removal efficiencies (if any) one would expect for BOD and
TSS for each type of treatment.

3. A horizontal rectangular primary clarifier is being designed for a flowrate of 1,500 m3/d and
an overflow rate of 32 m3/m2·day. If the clarifier has a depth of 2.5 m and a width of 4.0 m:

a. What length should the clarifier have?

b. What is the theoretical detention time?

4. A circular, upflow primary clarifier treats 20 MGD of wastewater. The clarifier influent total
suspended solids (TSS) concentration is 800 mg/L, and the TSS removal efficiency is 21%
(21% of TSS is removed). The sludge waste flowrate is 0.075 MGD.

a. What is the flowrate of the clarifier effluent?

b. What is the TSS concentration of the clarifier effluent?
c. What is mass of solids (kg/yr) removed?
5. A wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) must meet an effluent standard BOD5 ≤ 25.0 mg/L
and TSS ≤ 30 mg/L after secondary treatment. The following information is given:
Flow = 0.05 m3/s
Primary clarifier BOD5 effluent = 250 mg/L
Aeration basin effluent BOD5 = 0.70(Aeration basin effluent SS)
Ks = 100 mg/L
Kd = 0.025 day-1
μm = 10 day-1
Y=0.8 mg VSS/mg BOD5 removed
MLVSS = 3,000 mg/L

Find the following:

a. Allowable BOD5 in effluent
b. Mean cell residence time
c. Volume of aeration basin

6. An activated sludge basin is operated with the following parameters:

Dimensions = 7 m x 32 m x 4 m
Flow = 0.10 m3/s
Primary clarifier effluent BOD = 130 mg/L
MLVSS = 1,500 mg/L
MLSS = 1.45(MLVSS)
Settled sludge volume (lab results) = 230 mg/L
Temperature of wastewater = 15ºC

Find the following:

a. Wastewater detention time
b. F/M ratio
c. Sludge volume index (SVI)
d. TSS in return activated sludge (RAS)

7. A well-mixed oxidation pond (wastewater lagoon) receives 30 m3/d of wastewater (BOD5 =

350 mg/L), and the lagoon effluent BOD5 = 20 mg/L. Given that Ks = 100 mg/L BOD5, kd
= 0.10 day-1, μm = 1.6 day-1, and Y = 0.60 mg VSS/mg BOD5:

a. What is the hydraulic detention time of the lagoon?

b. How much biomass will be produced in the lagoon each day?