Chapter 4

SECONDARY/BIOLOGICAL
AND
TERTIARY WASTEWATER
TREATMENT
The Role of Microorganisms in Wastewater Treatment

• Micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa,

and crustaceans play an essential role in the
conversion of organic waste to more stable, less
polluting substances
• Waste form humans become a useful food substrate
for the micro-organisms
• The general effect of pollution appears to be a
reduction in species numbers.
 MICROBIAL GROWTH KINETICS

• Growth of a microbial population is defined as an

increase in numbers or an increase in microbial mass.
• Growth rate is the increase in microbial cell numbers
or mass per unit time
• Prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria reproduce
mainly by binary fission (i.e., each cell gives two
daughter cells).
• Microbial populations can grow as
1. batch cultures (closed systems) or
2. Continuous cultures (open systems)
 Batch Cultures

• When a suitable medium is inoculated with cells, the

growth of the microbial population follows the growth
curve displayed in Figure below which shows four
distinct phases.
 Biological Wastewater Treatment

Purpose:
• BOD reduction
• wastewater enters the treatment plant with a BOD
higher than 200 mg/L
• But It needs to exit with a BOD content no higher than
about 20 - 30mg/L, so that after dilution in the
nearby receiving water body (river, lake), the BOD is
less than 2 - 3mg/L.
Types of Biological Process for Wastewater Treatment
Types of Biological Wastewater Treatment

• Most common types of biological wastewater

treatments
▫ Trickling filters
▫ Activated sludge process
▫ Aerobic stabilization ponds
 Trickling Filters
• Construction and Operation of Trickling Filters
 Types of Trickling Filters

Trickling filters can be broadly classified into:

1. Conventional trickling filters or standard rate or low
rate trickling filters
2. High rate filters or High rate trickling filters

• Strictly speaking, all what we have spoken so far is

about conventional or standard rate trickling filters
Efficiency of conventional & high rate
trickling filter
• efficiency ŋ(%) =100 /1 + 0.0044√u
• Where, ŋ(%) = Efficiency of the filter and its
secondary clarifier, in terms of percentage of
applied
• BOD removed
• u = Organic loading in kg/ha-m/day applied to
the filter (called unit organic loading)
High rate of TRICKLING filtration
efficiency
• F = (1+R/I)/(1+0.1R/I)2
• ŋ(%) =100/1 + 0.0044√Y/V*F
• Where, Y - the total organic loading in kg/day
applied to the filter, i.e. the total BOD in kg. The
• term Y/V*F is also called unit organic loading on
filter, i.e., u
• V - Filter volume in hectare meters
• F - Recirculation factor
 Types of Trickling Filters

• The high rate filters of modern advancements, also

function on the same lines, and are having the same
constructional details, but with the difference that
provision is made in them for recirculation of sewage
through the filter, by pumping a part of the filter-
effluent to the primary settling tank, and re-passing
through it and the filter
 Recirculation of Treated Sewage
• The recirculation consists in returning a portion of the
treated or partly treated sewage to the treatment
process
Recirculation of Treated Sewage
 Trickling Filters

Example
I. Design suitable dimensions of circular trickling filter
units for treating 5 million liters of sewage per day.
The BOD of sewage is 150mg/l.
 Example

Solution
• Total BOD present in sewage to be treated per day
= 5 ∗ 150kg = 750kg
• Assuming the value of organic loading is 1500kg/ha.
m/day [i.e. between 900 to 2200kg/ha. m/day]
• The volume of filtering-media required

• Assuming the effective depth of filter as 2m,

• The surface area of the filter required
 Example

Check for Hydraulic loading

• The surface area of the filter bed required can also be
worked out by assuming the value of hydraulic
loading, say as, 25 million liters per hectare per day
(between 22 to 44ML/ha/day)

Surface area required

 Example

• The surface area chosen is 2500m2, which is greater

than 2000 m2, and hence safe.
Activated Sludge Process
Activated Sludge Process
 Activated Sludge Process

• Biodegradable organic matter is removed by

microorganisms (biomass).
• BOD removal is up to 80 - 95 percent, and bacteria
removal is up to 90 - 95 percent
• Secondary treatment is usually accomplished by a
process called suspended growth biological treatment.
• The term “suspended” is used because the biomass
floats freely in the liquid
 Activated Sludge Process

• There are two basic methods of introducing air into

the aeration tanks,
▫ Diffused air aeration or Air diffusion
▫ Mechanical aeration.
 Secondary Sedimentation Tank of an Activated
Sludge Plant
• the surface area for activated sludge settling tanks
should be designed for both overflow rate and solids
loading rate, and larger value adopted.
• The detention period for such a sedimentation tank
may be kept between 1.5 − 2 hours, as the same is
usually found to give optimum results.
• The length to depth ratio of these tanks may be kept
at about 5 for circular tanks, and 7 for rectangular
ones. The depth may be kept in the range of 3.5 to
4.5m.
 Design considerations involved in an
activated sludge plant
Aeration Tank Loadings
• The important terms which define the loading rates of
an activated sludge plant, include:
▫ Aeration Period (i.e. Hydraulic Retention Time - HRT)
▫ BOD loading per unit volume of aeration tank (i.e.
volumetric loading)
▫ Food to Micro-organism Ratio (F/M Ratio)
▫ Sludge age
 Cont’d…

The Aeration Period or HRT

Where, t = aeration period in hours

V = Volume of aeration tank
Q = Quantity of wastewater flow into the aeration tank
excluding the quantity of recycled sludge
 Activated Sludge Process

Volumetric BOD Loading

• Defined as the BOD5 Load applied per unit volume of
aeration tank. This loading is also called organic
loading.

Where, Q = Sewage flow into the aeration tank in m3

Yo = BOD5 in mg/l (or gm/m3) of the influent sewage
V = Aeration tank volume in m3
 Cont’d…

Food (F) to Micro-organisms (M) Ratio

• It is a manner of expressing BOD loading with regard
to the microbial mass in the system
• The BOD load applied to the system in kg or gm is
represented as food (F), and the total microbial
suspended solid in the mixed liquor of the aeration
tank is represented by M
 Cont’d…

• If Yo (mg/l) represents the 5 day BOD of the influent

sewage flow of Q m3/day, then eventually,
• The BOD applied to the Aeration system = Yo mg/l or
gm/m3
• Therefore, BOD load applied to the aeration system

• The total microbial mass in the aeration system (M) is

computed by multiplying the average concentration of
solids in the mixed liquor of the aeration tank called
Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) with the
volume of the aeration tank (V).
 Cont’d…

• Where, Xt is MLSS in mg/l

• Dividing (i) by (ii), we get

• F/M ratio for an activated sludge plant is the main

factor controlling BOD removal.
• The lower the F/M value the higher will be the BOD
removal in the plant. The F/M ratio can be varied by
varying the MLSS concentration in the aeration tank.
 Cont’d…

Sludge Age
• defined as the average time for which particles of
suspended solids remain under aeration
• indicates the residence time of biological solids in the
system
• While sewage passes through the aeration tank only once
and rather quickly, the resultant biological growths and
the extracted waste organics (solids) are repeatedly
recycled from the secondary clarifier back to the aeration
tank, thereby increasing the retention time of solids.
• This time is called Solids Retention Time (SRT) or Mean
Cell Residence Time (MCRT) or Sludge Age.
 Cont’d…

• The most common method of expressing sludge age

usually represented by θc in days, is to express it as
the ratio of the mass of MLSS in the aeration tank
relatively to the mass of suspended solids leaving the
system per day.
Cont’d…
 Cont’d…

• For a conventional activated sludge plant with the flow

(Q), concentrations of solids (Xt), and BOD5 (Y)
• We can easily write:
• Mass of solids in the reactor
= M = V ∗ (MLSS)
= V ∗ Xt
• Where, Xt is MLSS in the aeration tank (in mg/l).
▫ I, Mass of solids removed with the wasted sludge per day
= Qw∗ XR
▫ II, Mass of solids removed with the effluent per day
= (Q − Qw) ∗ XE
 Cont’d…

• Therefore, Total solid removed from the system per day

= (I) + (II)
= Qw∗ XR +(Q − Qw) ∗ XE
• Thus:
 Cont’d…

• When the value of XE(suspended solids concentration

in the effluent of activated sludge plant) is very small,
then the term (Q − Qw) ∗ XE in the above equation can
be ignored, leading to:
 Cont’d…

• In addition to using sludge retention time (θc) as a

rational loading parameter, another rational loading
parameter which has found wider acceptance is the
specific substrate utilization rate ( q) per day, and is
defined as:

• Under steady state operation, the mass of wasted

activated sludge is further given by
 Cont’d…

• Where, y = maximum yield coefficient

• Ke = Endogenous respiration rate constant (per day)

• The values of y and Ke are found to be constant for
municipal waste waters, their typical values being:
y = 1.0 with respect to TSS (i.e. MLSS)
= 0.6 with respect to VSS (i.e. MLVSS)
Ke = 0.06 (per day)
 Cont’d…

• From the above equations, we can also work out as:

• Since both y and Ke are constants for a given

wastewater, it becomes necessary to define either θc
or q.
• The θc value adopted for the design controls the
effluent quality and settleability and drainability of
the biomass. Other parameters which are affected by
the choice of θc values are oxygen requirement and
quantity of waste activated sludge.
 Example
• An average operating data for conventional activated sludge
treatment plant is as follows:
▫ (1) Wastewater flow, Q = 35000m3/d
▫ (2) Volume of aeration tank, V = 10900m3
▫ (3) Influent BOD, Yo = 250mg/l
▫ (4) Effluent BOD, YE= 20 mg/l
▫ (5) Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), Xt = 2500mg/l
▫ (6) Effluent suspended solids, XE = 30mg/l
▫ (7) Waste sludge suspended solids, XR= 9700mg/l
▫ (8) Quantity of waste sludge, Qw = 220m3/d
• Based on the information above data, determine:
▫ (a) Aeration period (hrs)
▫ (b) Food to microorganism ratio (F/M) (kg BOD per day/kg MLSS)
▫ (c) Percentage efficiency of BOD removal
▫ (d) Sludge age (days)
 Example

• Solution
(a) Aeration period (t) in hr is

(b) F/M ratio

F = Mass of BOD removed
 Example
(c) Percentage efficiency of BOD removal

(d) Sludge age in days (θc) is

 Sludge Recycle and Rate of Return Sludge
• The MLSS concentration in the aeration tank is
controlled by the sludge recirculation rate and the
sludge settle ability and thickening in the secondary
sedimentation tank
• The relationship between sludge recirculation
QR
ratio Q with Xt (MLSS in tank) and XR(MLSS in
returned or wasted sludge) is given as:
 Size and Volume of the Aeration Tank
• Equations and

can also be combined to yield:

• This equation can be used to calculate the volume of

the aeration tank (V) for an assumed value of Xt
(MLSS concentration in aeration tank) and a
selected value of θc
 Example
• Design a conventional activated sludge plant to treat
domestic sewage with diffused air aeration system,
given the following data:
▫ Population = 35000
▫ Average sewage flow = 180 l/c/d
▫ BOD of sewage = 220mg/l
▫ BOD removed in primary treatment = 30%
▫ Overall BOD reduction desired = 85%
 Example
• Solution
• Daily sewage flow

• BOD of sewage coming to aeration

• BOD left in effluent

• BOD removed in activated plant

• Efficiency required in Activated plant
 Example
• From Table 4-4, for efficiency of 85 - 92%, we use
F/M ratio as 0.4 to 0.3 and MLSS between 1500 and
3000. Since efficiency required is on lower side, we
can use moderate figures for F/M ratio and MLSS.
• So let us adopt F/M = 0.35
• Similarly adopt MLSS (Xt) = 2000 mg/l
 Example
(i) Check for Aeration period or HRT (t)

(ii) Check for SRT (θc)

Example
 Example
(iii) Check for volumetric loading

(iv) Check for Return sludge ratio (for SVI ranging

between 50 - 150ml/gm
 Example

• (i.e. within the prescribed range of 25 to 50%) …ok!

• We will, for conservative purposes, however provide
33 % return sludge, giving SVI = 125, ok.
• The sludge pumps for bringing re-circulated sludge
from the secondary sedimentation tank will thus
have a capacity = 33% * Q = 33 % * 6300m3/d
= 2100 m3/d.
 Example
• Tank Dimensions
• Adopt aeration tank of depth 3m and width 4.5m.
The total length of the aeration channel required

• Provide a continuous channel, with 3 aeration

chambers, each of 35m length. Total width of the
unit, including 2 baffles each of 0.25m thickness
= 3 * 4.5m + 2 * 0.25 = 14m. Total depth provided
including free-board of 0.6m will be 3 + 0.6 = 3.6m.
Overall dimensions of the Aeration tank will be
35m * 14m * 3.6m.
 Example
• Design of Secondary sedimentation Tank
• Adopting a surface loading rate of 20m3/day/m2
average flow of 6300m3/day,
(i) Surface area required

Adopting a solids loading of 125kg/day/m2 for MLSS

of 2000mg/l,
(ii) the surface area required
 Example
• The higher surface area of 315 m2 is adopted.
• Adopting a circular tank,

• Weir loading for a circular weir placed along the

periphery of the tank having length 20 It will be:

• Hence, provide 20 m diameter secondary settling

tank.
 Example
• Design of Sludge Drying Beds
• In order to design sludge drying beds, the quantity
of excess wasted sludge will be calculated by using
the equation
 Example
• For 10 kg/m3 or 10000 mg/lit SS concentrating in
secondary sludge, excess secondary sludge volume

• Note: This secondary sludge volume of 280m3/d shall

be taken to sludge drying beds, along with the primary
sludge. The volume of primary sludge can be calculated
if the concentration of suspended solids in sewage is
known along with knowing the degree of removal of
suspended solids in primary settling. Since SS of sewage
is not given in this question, the quantity of primary
sludge cannot be worked out; and hence the design of
sludge drying beds cannot to be done with the given
data.
 Waste Stabilization Pond
• WSP is a large shallow basins enclosed by earthen
embankments in which wastewater is biologically
treated by natural processes involving pond algae
and bacteria.
• WSP comprise a single series of anaerobic,
facultative and maturation ponds or several of such
series in parallel
• Typical hydraulic retention times range from 10
days to 100 days depending on the temperature of a
particular region.
 Waste Stabilization Pond
Advantages of Waste Stabilization Ponds
• Simplicity
▫ WSP are simple to construct
▫ simple to operate and maintain
• Low cost
▫ WSP are much cheaper than other is wastewater
treatment processes
▫ There is no need for expensive, electromechanical
equipment, nor for a high annual consumption of
electrical energy
 Waste Stabilization Pond
• High Efficiency
▫ BOD removals > 90% readily obtained in a series of
well-designed ponds
▫ Total nitrogen removal is 70 – 90%, and total
phosphorus removals 30 – 45%
Removals of excreted pathogens achieved by waste stabilization
ponds and conventional treatment processes
 Waste Stabilization Pond
Disadvantages of Waste Stabilization Ponds
• The major disadvantage of WSPs is the large area
that is required
• the potentially high algal content of the effluent
• evaporation losses
• the potential odor and mosquito nuisance
 Types of Waste Stabilization Ponds
Anaerobic Ponds
• Anaerobic ponds are unmixed basins designed to
enhance the settling and biodegradation of particulate
organic solids by anaerobic digestion
• Pond depth is usually between 3 to 5 meters and the
HRT for ponds treating municipal sewage is between
1 - 3 days
• At higher temperatures BOD is therefore more
effectively removed
• Typical TSS removal percentages range between 50 and
70%.
• BOD removal rate is increase with temperature and
range between 30 and 75%
 Waste Stabilization Pond
Preliminary treatment
• Anaerobic ponds require some preliminary
treatment of municipal sewage.
• Usually coarse screening is applied to remove large
pieces of wood, plastic etc that could clog pipes or
channels connecting the various ponds
• In addition grit should be removed in a grit channel
to prevent accumulation of the grit in the anaerobic
pond that would reducethe active pond volume
 Facultative Ponds
• Facultative ponds are the second treatment step in a
pond system
• In facultative ponds the waste stabilization is the
result of both oxidation of organic matter by aerobic
and facultative bacteria
• Facultative ponds are usually 1.5 - 2.5m deep
• The HRT for ponds treating anaerobic effluent
varies between 5 and 30 days
• Filtered effluent BOD values range from 20 to
60mg/l, while TSS levels vary from 30 to 150mg/l
 Facultative Ponds
• Facultative ponds are most widely used for
treatment of municipal wastewater following
aerated or anaerobic ponds
• Facultative ponds are normally followed by
maturation ponds to further polish its effluent.
• The name ‘facultative’ is actually derived from the
fact that the top layer of facultative ponds is aerobic
due to oxygen production by algae and the bottom
layer is anaerobic due to the absence of algae activity
 Maturation Ponds
• Maturation ponds are shallow ponds in which an
active algal biomass is maintained throughout the
entire depth of the system so that during daytime
large amounts of oxygen are produced
• Maturation ponds are entirely aerobic and 1 - 1.5m
deep
• The major application for maturation ponds is to
polish or upgrade facultative pond effluents and
achieve substantial microbial reductions
 Waste Stabilization Pond
• F
 Physical Design of WSP
• Pond Location
▫ Ponds should be located at least 200m (preferably
500 m) downwind from the community
▫ Ponds should not be Located within 2km of airports,
as any birds attracted to the ponds may constitute a
risk to air navigation
• Preliminary Treatment
▫ Adequate screening and grit removal facilities must be
installed at all but very small systems
 Physical Design of WSP
• Pond Geometry
▫ anaerobic and primary facultative ponds should be
rectangular, with length-to-width ratios of 2 – 3
▫ To minimizes hydraulic short-circuiting, the inlet
should be located such that the wastewater flows in
the pond against the wind
▫ For small ponds (under 1 ha in area) 0.5m freeboard
should be provided; for ponds between 1 ha and 3 ha,
the freeboard should be 0.5 - 1m, depending on site
considerations
 Process Design of WSP
• Effluent Quality Requirements
▫ The general WHO guideline standards for the
discharge of treated wastewaters into inland surface
waters are given in the environmental (protection)
Rules
 Design Parameters
• Desludging and Sludge Disposal
▫ Anaerobic ponds required desludged when they are
one third full of sludge (by volume).this occurred
every n years where n is given by
 Design Parameters
• Fecal Coli-form Removal (maturation pond)
▫ for a single pond

▫ For a series of anaerobic, facultative and maturation

ponds
 Design Parameters

▫ A series of n maturation ponds should have total HRT

of 5 days
▫ The value of kT is highly temperature dependent.
(Arthur, 1983)Found that:
 Design Parameters
• Values of the KT for faecal coliform removal at
various temperatures
 Design Parameters
• Facultative pond
▫ there are several methods available for designing
facultative ponds, it is recommended that they be
designed on the basis of surface BOD loading
(λS, kg/ha/d),
▫ As (Mara, 1976)

Where T is temperature
 Design Example on Waste Stabilization Pond

• Data:
▫ Site characteristics and conditions
▫ Town of 20,000 population
▫ Consumption of 150l/c/day and wastage of 85%
▫ No significant infiltration into sewer system
▫ Average BOD production of 45 g BOD/c/day
▫ Measured influent concentration of 4*108 FC/100ml
▫ Clay bottom (hydraulic conductivity 10-7m/s)
▫ Climate of the area (Latitude = ± 16°S)
 Example

• Requirements
▫ Sludge remove in anaerobic ponds only once every two
years
▫ Design each pond with a freeboard of 0.5m
▫ The treated effluent must have a BOD concentration
below 20mg/l and should be reusable for agricultural
purposes (use standards according to WHO)
 Example
• Task:
▫ Design a conventional WSP system (anaerobic +
facultative + maturation ponds).
▫ Provide for each pond the dimensions (L, W and D),
the volume, surface area and the residence time.
▫ Calculate Cin and Cout from each pond
 Example
Preliminary calculations:
• Influent flow Q:

• Influent BOD concentration Ci:

• Influent BOD-load Li:

 Example
• Anaerobic pond
▫ Calculations done at 27°c (coldest temperature)
= worst case scenario
Arthur (1983):
▫ Volumetric loading rate at 27°c = 0.35kg BOD
/m3/day (because of the table below)
• Anaerobic BOD loading can be calculated by:
 Example
• Required volume:

• WHO (1997): 40 liter sludge per capita per year

(sludge generation rate)

• Total volume:
 Example
• Resulting hydraulic residence time (HRT):
 Example
• Expected BOD removed: 70%
• Effluent BOD concentration:

• Effluent load:

• Facultative Pond:
• Calculations done at 27°c (coldest temperature) =
worst case scenario
 Example
• Take 500kg BOD/ha/day (slightly above average
value of 488)
• Mid-depth area

• Resulting volume if standard pond depth of 1.8m

 Example
• Usually rectangular pond with aspect ratio 2:1
(L = 2 * W), slope 33% is adopted.

• Expected BOD removal: 80%

• Effluent BOD concentration: 106 – (0.8*106)
= 21.2mg/ BOD/l
• Effluent load: 0.0212kg BOD/m3* 2550 m3/day
= 54.1kg BOD/day
 Example
• Maturation pond:
▫ Calculations done at 27°c (coldest temperature) =
worst case scenario
 Example
• HRT maturation =?
• Number of maturation ponds =?
• Determine via trial and error procedure
▫ Arthur: a series of maturation ponds with a total HRT
of 5 days
▫ WHO: 1 maturation pond of 5 days or several
maturation ponds of 3 days
• Calculate Ne for different numbers of maturation
ponds in series and check whether or not Ne is
below the standard.
 Example

• Retain Arthur solution, select three ponds, each with

a HRT of 1.67 days.
• Volume per pond:

• Take standard depth of 1.5m

 Example
• Mid depth area

• Normally L:W = 2:1

W = 38m and L = 76m (at half depth)
W = 42.5m and L = 80.5m (at water surface)
W = 45.5m and L = 83.5m (including free board)
 Tertiary Treatment Processes
• The purpose of tertiary treatment is to provide a
final treatment stage to raise the effluent quality
before it is discharged to the receiving environment
(sea, river, lake, ground, etc.).
• More than one tertiary treatment process may be
used at any treatment plant.
• If disinfection is practiced, it is always the final
process. It is also called effluent polishing.
 Tertiary Treatment Processes
• Filtration
▫ Sand filtration removes much of the residual
suspended matter Filtration over activated carbon,
also called carbon adsorption, removes residual toxins
• Lagooning
▫ Lagooning provides settlement and further biological
improvement through storage in large man-made
ponds or lagoons.
• Nutrient removal
▫ Wastewater may contain high levels of the nutrients
nitrogen and phosphorus.
 Tertiary Treatment Processes
• Nitrogen removal
▫ The removal of nitrogen is effected through the
biological oxidation of nitrogen from ammonia to
nitrate (nitrification), followed by denitrification, the
reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas.
▫ Nitrogen gas is released to the atmosphere and thus
removed from the water.
• Phosphorus removal
▫ Phosphorus removal is important as it is a limiting
nutrient for algae growth in many fresh water systems.
 Tertiary Treatment Processes
• Disinfection
▫ The purpose of disinfection in the treatment of waste
water is to substantially reduce the number of
microorganisms in the water to be discharged back
into the environment
▫ Ultraviolet (UV) light
• Odour Control
▫ methods of odour control exist, including addition of
iron salts, hydrogen peroxide, calcium nitrate, etc. to
manage hydrogen sulfide levels
 Chapter 5
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES
• There are two general methods of disposing of the
sewage effluents:
(a) Dilution i.e. disposal in water; and
(b) Effluent Irrigation or Broad Irrigation or Sewage
Farming, i.e. disposal on land
Disposal by Dilution and Oxygen Sag Curve
• The discharged sewage, in due course of time, is
purified by what is known as self purification
process of natural waters.
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

Dilution in Rivers and Self Purification of

Natural Streams
• The various natural forces of purification which help
in effecting self-purification process are:
▫ Physical forces are:
(i) Dilution and dispersion,
(ii) Sedimentation,
(iii) Sunlight (acts through bio-chemical reactions).
▫ Chemical forces aided by biological forces (called bio
chemical forces) are:
(iv) Oxidation ,
(v) Reduction.
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

Dilution and Dispersion

• When sewage of concentration Cs flows at a rate Qs
in to a river stream with concentration CR flowing at
a rate QR, the concentration C of the resulting
mixture is given by
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

Sedimentation
• The settleable solids, if present in sewage effluents,
will settle down into the bed of the river, near the
outfall of sewage, thus, helping in the self
purification process.
Sun-light
• Sun-light helps certain micro-organisms to derive
energy from it, and convert themselves into food for
other forms of life, thus absorbing carbon dioxide
and releasing oxygen by a process known as photo
synthesis.
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

Oxidation
• The process of oxidation will continue till the
organic matter has been completely oxidized. This is
the most important action responsible for effecting
self purification of rivers.
Reduction
• Reduction occurs due to hydrolysis of organic
matter settled at the bottom either chemically or
biologically
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

• The various factors on which these natural forces of

purification depend are:
▫ Temperature
▫ Turbulence
▫ Hydrograph such as the velocity and surface expanse
of the river-stream
▫ Available dissolved oxygen, and the amount and type
of organic matter present
▫ Rate of re-aeration, etc
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

The Oxygen Deficit of a Polluted River-Stream

• The normal saturation DO value for fresh water

varies between 14.6mg/l to 7.6mg/l for temperature
varying between 0°c to 30°c.
• In order to maintain clean conditions in a river-
stream, the oxygen deficit must be nil, and this can
be found out by knowing the rates of de-oxygenation
and re-oxygenation.
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

• De-oxygenation Curve
▫ In a polluted stream, the DO content goes on reducing
due to decomposition of volatile organic matter
▫ The rate of de-oxygenation depends upon the amount
of the organic matter remaining to be oxidized at the
given time (i.e. Lt) as well as on the temperature of
reaction (i.e. T)
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

Deoxygenation Curve
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

• Re-oxygenation Curve
▫ In order to counter-balance the consumption of DO
due to de-oxygenation, atmosphere supplies oxygen to
the water and the process is called re-oxygenation
▫ The rate at which the oxygen is supplied by the
atmosphere to the polluted water depends upon:
1. the depth of the receiving water (rate is more in a shallow
depth)
2. the condition of the body of water (rate is more in a
running stream than in a quiescent pond)
3. the saturation deficit or the oxygen deficit (i.e. the deficit
of DO below the saturation value); and
4. the temperature of water
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

• Oxygen Deficit Curve

▫ The amount of resultant oxygen deficit can be
obtained by algebraically adding the de-oxygenation
and re-oxygenation curves
▫ The resultant curve so obtained is called the oxygen
sag curve or the oxygen deficit curve
• The entire analysis of super-imposing the rates of
de-oxygenation and re-oxygenation have been
carried out mathematically, and the obtained
results expressed in the form of famous Streeter-
Phelps equation; i.e.,
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

• The critical time (tc) after which the minimum

dissolved oxygen occurs can be found by
differentiating and equating it to zero; which on
solving gives
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

• The constant is sometimes represented by f,

called self-purification constant, the values of which
are given in Table below:
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

• Using as f, the equation of tc become

• And equation Dc become

• Taking log, we get

• Substituting the tc equation in above equation:

SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

• This is the important first stage equation in which L

is the BOD of the mixture of sewage and stream, and
f (KD and KR also) corresponds to the temperature of
the mixture of sewage and stream at the outfall.
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

Example 1
• The sewage of a town is to be discharged into a river
stream. The quantity of sewage produced per day is
8 million liters, and its BOD is 250mg It. If the
discharge in the river is 200l/s and its BOD is
6mg/l, find out the BOD of the diluted water.
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES
•
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES
•
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES
•
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

Exercise 1
• A city discharges 1500 litres per second of sewage
into a stream whose minimum rate of flow is 6000
litres per second. The temperature of sewage as well
as water is 20°c. The 5 day BOD at 20°c for sewage
is 200mg/l and that of river water is 1mg/l. The DO
content of sewage is zero, and that of the stream is
90% of the saturation DO If the minimum DO to be
maintained in the stream is 4.5 mg/l, find out the
degree of sewage treatment, required. Assume the
de-oxygenation coefficient as 0.1 and re-oxygenation
coefficient as 0.3.
SEWAGE EFFLUENT DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

Exercise 2
waste water effluent of 560 l/s with a BOD = 50mg/l, DO = 3.0
mg/l and temperature of 23°c enters a river where the flow is
28m3/sec, and BOD = 4.0 mg/l, DO = 8.2mg/l, and temperature
of 17°c. K1 of the waste is 0.10 per day at 20°c. The velocity of
water in the river downstream is 0.18m/s and depth of 1.2m.
Determine the following after mixing of waste water with the river
water: Combined discharge
BOD
DO
Temperature
 Land Disposal and Treatment
Disposal of Sewage Effluents on Land for Irrigation
 In this method, the sewage effluent is generally disposed of by
applying it on land.
 This method can then be used for irrigating crops.
 help in increasing crop yields (by 33% or so).
 When raw or partly treated sewage is applied on to the land, a
part of it evaporates, and the remaining portion percolates
through the ground soil.
 While percolating through the soil, the suspended particles
present in the sewage are caught in the soil voids.
 If proper aeration of these voids is maintained, the organic sewage
solids caught in these voids get oxidized by aerobic process.
 117

Land Disposal and Treatment

Fig. of WWT effluent for irrigation

 118

Land Disposal and Treatment

 119

Land Disposal and Treatment

57 ha

153 ha
7 ha
94 ha

170 ha
 120

Land Disposal and Treatment

Application of too strong or too heavy load of sewage will also
similarly result in the quick formation of anaerobic conditions.
soil to get clogged
Hence, the sewage load should be reduced by diluting it or by pre-
treating it.
Table of Recommended Doses for Sewage Farming

Doses of sewage in cubic meters per hectare per day

Types of soil
Raw sewage Settled sewage
Sandy 120 – 150 220 – 280
Sandy loam 90 – 100 170 – 220
loam 60 – 80 110 – 170
Clayey loam 40 – 50 60 – 110
clayey 30 – 45 30 - 60
 121

Land Disposal and Treatment

Examples
1. A town having population of 40,000 disposes sewage by land
treatment. It gets a per capita assured water supply from
waterworks at a rate of 130l/day. Assuming that the land used
for sewage disposal can absorb 80m3 of sewage per hectare per
day, determine the land area required, and its cost at the rate of
$25,000 per hectare. Make suitable assumptions where needed.
Solution:
Population = 40,000
Rate of water supply = 130 l/day/person
Total water supplied per day
= 40,000*130l/d=5,200,000l/d=5,200 𝑚3 /𝑑
 122

Land Disposal and Treatment

• Assuming that 80% of this water appears as sewage,
• The quantity of sewage produced per day
= 0.8 ∗ 5200 = 4160𝑚3 /𝑑.
• Therefore, area of land required for disposing sewage
4160 𝑚3 Τ𝑑
= 3
= 52 hectares
Τ
80 𝑚 ℎ𝑎. 𝑑
• Providing 50% extra land for rest and rotation,
• The total land area required
= 1.5 ∗ 52 = 78 hectares
• Cost of land involved
= 25,000 ∗ 78 = $1,950,000
 123

Land Disposal and Treatment

Exercise
2. A town disposes sewage by land treatment. It has a sewage farm
of area 150 hectares. The area included an extra provision of
50% for rest and rotation. The population of the town being
50,000 and rate of water supply 140 litres per capita per day. If
75% of the water is converted into sewage, determine the
consuming capacity of the soil.
124
 125

Introduction to sludge
 126

Introduction to sludge
 127

Source of sludge
 128

Objective of sludge management

 129

Main type of sludge treatment

 130

Main type of sludge treatment

Sludge Thickening
is a procedure used to remove water and increase the solids
content.
Sludge Digestion Process
The sludge withdrawn from the sedimentation basins contains a
lot of putrescible organic matter, and if disposed of without any
treatment, the organic matter may decompose, producing foul
gases and a lot of nuisance, pollution and health hazards.
In order to avoid such pollutions, the sludge should stabilized by
decomposing the organic matter under controlled anaerobic
conditions, and then disposed of suitably after drying on drying
beds, etc.
 131

Main type of sludge treatment

Factors Affecting Sludge Digestion and Their Control
 Temperature, pH value, Seeding with digested sludge, Mixing and
stirring of the raw sludge with digested sludge.
 132

Main type of sludge treatment

 133

Main type of sludge treatment

 134

Disposal of Dewatered Sludge

Dumping into the Sea
Burial into the Trenches
Incineration