- Darshan Bhadiyadra

Activated Sludge Process (ASP)

Soil Bio Technology (SBT - IIT)
Sintex (PSTP – Packaged sewage treatment plants)
Bio cask (Thermax)
Phytorid (NEERI)
Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR)
Moving Bed Bio-film Reactor (MBBR)
Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)
Up flow An-aerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB)
The activated sludge process is a process for treating sewage and industrial wastewaters using air and a
biological floc composed of bacteria and protozoa.
Operation of ASP :
1. Raw sewage water fed in to the PST where the sewage settles and the separated water is furthered
to the Aeration tank.
2. The settled sewage from P.S.T is mixed with required amount of activated sludge coming from
S.S.T. The resultant mixture is called “Mixed Liquor Suspended Solid (MLSS)”.
3. MLSS is passed through aeration tank where it is mixed with air for 4-8 hours. The sewage is
oxidized by bacteria in the presence of O2 due to which BOD of sewage is reduced. The aerated
MLSS is then sent to S.S.T where is allowed to settle. The effluent is discharged off and some of
the settled sludge is recirculated as activated sludge and the rest is disposed of after treatment.
Advantages of Activated Sludge Process :
1. Low installation cost
2. Good quality effluent
3. Low land requirement
4. Loss of head is small
5. Freedom from fly and odour nuisance high degree of treatment

Disadvantages of Activated Sludge Process :

1. Not very flexible method (If there is sudden increase in the volume of sewage or if
there is sudden change in the character of sewage, there are adverse effects on the
working of the process and consequently the effluent of bad quality is obtained).
2. Operation cost is high
3. Sludge disposal is required on large scale
4. This process is sensitive to certain industrial wastes
5. Skilled supervision is required to check that the returned sludge remains active
The SBT system consists of an impervious containment and incorporates soil,
formulated granular filter media, select culture of macro organisms such as
earthworms and plants. Combined grey and black water from GEV cottages are
collected and transported via underground sewage network to a central collection
point.

Operation of SBT :
1. Primary treatment unit : This is a physical separation accomplished by a
Equalization tank, Perforated screen and a Gravity settling tank
2. Secondary treatment unit : In this unit waste water is processed in an ecosystem
consisting of soil, bacterial culture and geophagus earthworm, mineral additives
and select plants. Formulated natural mineral additives and biological cultures are
also included in the process. reaction. The process operates in aerobic mode.
3. Tertiary treatment is optional
 Impact and Sustainability
Parameter Conventional Process Soil Bio technology
Waste gasses, Water and sludge are Usable outut products like flower, plants, water and
Benefits of output
output streams fertilizer
Smell due to ammonia and aerosols is Smell control is achieved by high rate of ammonia
Smell
generated as of areation zone oxidation
Sludge needs further handling like No sludge is produced and Bio-mineral fertilizer
Sludge Production
dewatering and drying for disposal produced is useful By-product
15-20% water loss held within sludge Water loss is only due to evaporation. 95% retention is
Process Loss
apart from surface loss obtianed.
Use of high mechanization so downtime Mechanization limited to pumps only so no process
Process down time
is high downtime
Mechanical aeration provided is highly Energy conservative as no external energy is required.
Energy
energy intensive Natural areation driven process
Harvestable fodder biomass, flowers, bio-
Useful By-Products No useful by-product produced fertililzerapart from fish compatible treated water are
produced
As of high mechanization sound Operates quietly and therefore can be located close to
Sound Pollution
pollution human habitation.
 Sintex - (PSTP)
Sintex offers packaged sewage treatment plants which are based on anaerobic and
aerobic treatments. This whole system is housed in an FRP tank and the plant require
removal of sludge only once in a year.

NBF Series for higher capacities upto 28KLD PWTS Series for capacities upto 6KLD
 Sintex - (PSTP)
Operating of Sintex PSTP :
1. Solid Separation Zone : It is a primary sedimentation zone in which settled sludge is
stabilized by anaerobic digestion. The treatment efficiency of the chamber is in the
range of 30 % to 40% BOD removal.
2. Aeration Zone: It is the aerobic zone along with plastic media installed inside the tank
increasing the surface area and retain micro-organism long enough to digest the organic
substance remained. Clear water will overflow the next treatment chamber. Air is
provided through blowers .BOD removal is around 60-70%
3. Final Sedimentation Zone (NBF Series): This involves the sedimentation where
organic wastes are settled in the Sedimentation zone. The settled waste in the bottom of
the tank is pumped back to the primary sedimentation zone as a return sludge having
active biomass (MLSS) to increase the efficiency of the system and ensure the effluent
quality meets the stipulated standards.

Accessories:
External Recirculation pump is provided for return sludge Automatic control panel
provided for the blowers and pump Piping including vent pipes, blower pipe,
recirculation pipe, inlet and outlet pipe
 Sintex - (PSTP)
Benefits of Sintex STP- NBF series :
• Compact tubular tank easy to transport.
• Not much civil work involved, easy to install.
• Sludge removal is once in 3 years.
• It works from no load to peak load.
• Complete underground system, hence no footprint.
• Can take weight upto 30 tonnes, hence may be installed at pathway or under
car parking.
• Absolutely no maintenance product; requires no supervision.
• Electricity consumption is less than half as compare with conventional
systems.
• System may be relocated or upgraded easily.
• Lifetime more than 50 years.

Disadvantages of Sintex STP- NBF series :

• High maintenance cost as of mechanical moving parts.
• Aeration process involves mechanization tending to high energy
consumption
 BioCask - Thermax

The BioCask uses a first-of-

its-kind unidirectional
fluidization pattern, that
makes efficient use of
oxygen that is required for
biological degradation of
organic impurities.
The novel design of the
aeration system in the
BioCask also reduces the
operating cost of the
treatment.
BioCask - Thermax
 BIO CASK
Salient Features :
• Suitable for basement installation - fits in clear height of 3.0 meters
• Improved quality of treated water - suitable for recycling
• Single stage biological treatment
• Reduced operating cost due to high oxygen transfer efficiency
• Higher biomass concentration due to unique fluidization pattern
• Better outlet parameters due to higher biomass concentration
• Modular arrangements of bioreactor for higher flows
• Minimum civil work
• Meets prevailing stringent norms
• Treated sewage water has BOD ≤ 5ppm
• Treated sewage water has COD ≤ 30ppm

Disadvantages :
• Capacity available from 50KLD to 300KLD
• Requires various filters like Dual media filter(DMF) & Activated carbon filters(ACF)
• High cost
BIO CASK
Phytorid technology is a self sustaining technology for waste water treatment that works on
the principles of natural wetland. The technology is a complex ecosystem that acts as a
nutrient sinker and recover. It is designed to treat waste water from small houses, residential
societies, hotels, commercial complexes and municipal sewage and pre-treated industrial
effluent.
Primary Settling Cell : In this water is stored and sedimentation process is allowed to take
place.

Secondary Advanced Filter Cell: It consists of pebbles / stones of different sizes arranged
in the form of layer through which waste water is allowed to pass. Thus it acts like natural
filter. It consists of various baffles that allow the passage of water through the chamber.

Tertiary biological Wetland Cell (TBWC) : It consists of layer of gravel/stones/pebbles

and layer of mud with plants planted like Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpurem), Cattails
(Typha Spp.),Reeds (phragmites Spp.), Yellow flag iris (iris pseudocorus) that are normally
found in natural wetlands with filtration and treatment capability. Further more some
ornamental as well as flowering plants species such as Golden Dhuranda, Bamboo, Nerium,
colosia etc. can be used for treatment.
Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is the combination of a membrane process like
microfiltration or ultrafiltration with a suspended growth bioreactor.
Operation of MBR :
1.Balancing tank : The raw water
after screening is fed to the balancing
tank where PH is maintained.
2. Aeration tank : In this tank the
Mixed liquor suspended
solids (MLSS), concentration of
suspended solids is maintained which
helps in treating waste water.
3. Membrane Tank : In an MBR
system, the membranes are
submerged in an aerated
biological reactor and have porosities
ranging from 0.035 microns to
0.4 micron. This level of filtration
allows for high quality effluent to be
drawn through the membranes and
eliminate sedimentation
and filtration processes.
Advantages MBR :
1. Small footprint
2. No settlement problems
3. No further polishing required for disinfection/clarification
4. No equalisation of hydraulic and organic loadings required.

Disadvantages MBR :
1. Membrane surface fouling.
2. Require regular membrane cleaning.
3. Requires periodic maintenance in Membranes
4. Membrane channel clogging
5. Process complexity
6. High capital cost
7. High running/operating costs
8. High power consumption, in large measure for air scouring of
membranes
• A “fixed-film” submerged biofilter using
a buoyant plastic media as the carrier
element for nitrifying bacterial growth,
which is vigorously agitated via air
injection in the aeration tank.

• The carriers are made of an material

with a density close to the density of
water (1 g/cm3). For example, high
density polyethylene (HDPE) which have
a density close to 0.95 g/cm3.

• The carriers will be mixed in the tank by

the aeration system and thus will have
good contact between the substrate in the
influent wastewater and the biomass on
the carriers.
Advantages MBBR :
1. No risk of clogging
2. No backwash required.

Disadvantages MBBR :
1. Cannot take high shockloads ( hydraulic and Organic)
2. Requires large tanks
3. Pollutant removal efficiency is strongly affected by sludge settle ability.
4. Can have problems with media carryover on system start-up, with
reports of intermittent bed motility and system crashes
5. Media density changes over time with biofilm accumulation,
necessitating a bed growth management strategy.
• The sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is a fill-and draw activated sludge system for
wastewater treatment.
• In this system, wastewater is added to a single “batch” reactor, treated to remove
undesirable components, and then discharged.
• Equalization, aeration, and clarification can all be achieved using a single batch reactor.
Advantages :
1. Equalization, primary clarification (in most cases), biological treatment, and secondary
clarification can be achieved in a single reactor vessel.
2. Operating flexibility and control.
3. Minimal footprint.
4. Potential capital cost savings by eliminating clarifiers and other equipment.
Disadvantages :
1. Higher level of sophistication is required (compared to conventional systems),
especially for larger systems, of timing units and controls.
2. Higher level of maintenance (compared to conventional systems) associated with more
sophisticated controls, automated switches, and automated valves.
3. Potential of discharging floating or settled sludge during the DRAW or decant phase
with some SBR configurations.
4. Potential plugging of aeration devices during selected operating cycles, depending on
the aeration system used by the manufacturer.
5. Potential requirement for equalization after the SBR, depending on the downstream
processes.
• UASB reactor, is a form of
anaerobic digester that is used for
wastewater treatment. The process
involves forming a blanket of
granular sludge which suspends in
the tank. Wastewater flows upwards
through the blanket and is processed
(degraded) by the anaerobic
microorganisms.
• Biogas with a high concentration of
methane is produced as a by-product.
• The technology needs constant
monitoring when put into use to
ensure that the sludge blanket is
maintained, and not washed out
(thereby losing the effect).
Advantages:
• Low land demand
• Reduction of CH4 emissions from uncontrolled disposal/”open” treatment (ponds)
due to enclosed treatment and gas collection
• Reduction of CO2 emissions due to low demand for foreign (fossil) energy and
surplus energy production
• Low odour emissions in case of optimum operation
• Hygienic advantages in case of appropriate post-treatment
• Low degree of mechanisation
• Few process steps (sludge and wastewater are treated jointly)
• Low sludge production, high sludge quality
• Low demand for foreign exchange due to possible local production of construction
material, plant components, spare parts
• Low demand for operational means, control and maintenance
• Correspondingly low investment and operational costs
Disadvantages :
• Demand for know-how Insufficient standardisation and adaptation for several
implementation possibilities
• Economically not feasible in colder climates with sewage temperature lower than 15°C
• Methane and odour emissions (also of end-products) in case of inappropriate plant design or
operation
• Insufficient pathogen removal without appropriate post-treatment
• Sensitivity towards toxic substances
• Long start-up phase before steady state operation, if activated sludge is not sufficiently
available
• Uncertainties concerning operation/ maintenance due to still low local availability of know-
how and process