Unit-III

Secondary Treatment
Processes-Suspended Growth

Instructor: Prof. (Dr.) Gaurav Saini

Sharda University
Topics
• Theory and design of biological treatment
processes
• Design of aerobic suspended growth systems:
Activated sludge treatment
• Aerated lagoon
Biological Treatment
 Microbes use organic contaminants of sewage and
convert them into energy (for maintenance) and biomass
(new microbes additional BOD).
 Wide variety of organics present in sewage requires wide
range of microbes or Mixed culture.
 Newly created biomass needs removal for treatment
completion.
 Microbial processes (metabolism, etc.) are controlled in
engineered systems (or reactors) to enhance the reaction
rates and completeness of organic removal.
 “Natural” microbial processes are too slow to be efficient
in engineered systems.
Biological Treatment: Basics
 Metabolism: Process of breakdown of complex molecules
(generally organic) by microbes to generate energy and
production of new biomass (cells, organic products, etc.)
 Microbes: microorganisms. Smallest life forms capable of
metabolism. Includes, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, etc.
 Chemical formula for bacteria: C5H7O2N.
 Aerobic: processes that need oxygen
 Anaerobic: processes that work in absence of oxygen
 Facultative: processes that operate both in presence or
absence of oxygen

 Aerobic processes are faster (higher rate of reactions), do

not produce smells  cost-effective & aesthetic
Need for secondary Treatment
 Significant TDS (& colloids; 40-50% of original) and BOD
(almost all) remains post-sedimentation
 Nutrients (N, P, etc) also exist in significant quantities
 Chemical operations for secondary treatment are expensive.
 Biological options are many and relatively inexpensive

 Colloidal removal
 Physicochemical adsorption and enmeshment on biological floc
 Organics removal
 Microbial biosorption & metabolism

 Biological floc along with adsorbed colloids is removed in

secondary sedimentation
Types of biological processes
 Attached Growth:
 Microbes are attached to inert packing material or bed
 Sewage flows over/through the biofilm
 E.g., Trickling filter, rotating biological contactors (RBC)

 Suspended Growth:
 Microbes remain in suspension due to sewage mixing
 Biological floc is surrounded by sewage and organics
 e.g., Activated sludge process, oxidation ditch, aerated
lagoon, etc.
Food (S)/Microbes (M) relationship

F/M=1
F/M=0.2
to 0.4
F/M=0.05
Biokinetics
 Sewage organics: Food for microbes
 Biomass growth: end-result of microbial metabolism
 New biomass/cells is additional BOD

 Aim: removal of BOD/COD  Result: BOD addition

 Food (organic concentration) and Microbial concentration are

controlled
 Kinetics understanding is important.
 Microbial growth rate
 Substrate (food/organics) utilization rate
 Limiting nutrient
 Endogenous decay or death rate of microbes
Design Parameters
1. F/M Ratio
2. Hydraulic Retention Time
3. Sludge age or mean cell residence time
4. Volumetric Loading Rate
Kinetic coefficients (F/M ratio)
Food/microbe ratio (F/M)
o Food: Organic matter present in sewage, BOD or COD, in
Kg/d
o Microbe: microbial mass maintained in reactor to achieve
organic matter oxidation and BOD removal.
o MLVSS: mixed liquor volatile suspended solids
o MLSS: mixed liquor suspended solids
o MLVSS = 0.8 MLSS

o F/M ratio ~ organic loading per unit weight of microbial

mass
F/M Ratio
o Biomass solids are measured as TSS and VSS.
o Solids (from combining recycled sludge) + influent
wastewater = MLSS and MLVSS
o MLSS: Biomass (Active + dead), inorganic suspended
solids

o Sewage Solids:
o Biomass
o Non-biodegradable volatile suspended solids (nbVSS)
and inert inorganic total suspended solids (iTSS)
o nbVSS: from influent wastewater and cell debris from
endogenous respiration.
F/M ratio
 F/M ratio =

F S0
where, =
M θX
Q: flowrate, m3/d
S0: Influent organic (or BOD or
COD) concentration, mg/l
V: volume, m3
X: biomass concentration
(MLSS or MLVSS), mg/l

Using θ= V/Q= hydraulic F S0

retention time, HRT, days =
M θX
F/M ratio
 Lower the effluent F/M ratio, higher the BOD removal
efficiency.
 Varies between 0.04 to 1.0.

Q: Raw sewage with BOD of 220 mg/l is applied to an STP

based on ASP process. Assuming that the primary
treatment process removes 25% of BOD, determine the
MLVSS to be maintained in reactor to control F/M ratio of
0.6, given wastewater flow of 0.5 MLD.
Solution
Influent BOD = 220 mg/l, removal rate = 25% (primary)
BOD applied to ASP = 0.75 x 220 mg/l = 165 mg/l

Total BOD = 165 mg/l x 0.5 MLD = 82.5 kg/d

= Food (F)
F/M = 0.6

M: MLVSS = F/0.6 = 137.5 Kg

Solids retention time (SRT) or mean
cell residence time or Sludge age
 Average period of time during which the sludge/biomass
remains in the system.
 Called as SRT or MCRT

 SRT affects treatment process performance, aeration tank

volume, sludge production and oxygen requirement.
 SRT > biomass generation time, else bacterial washout
will occur.

 For BOD removal: SRT ~ 3-5 d

 Can be < 1d, if nitrification is an issue.
SRT or MCRT or Sludge Age
o HRT: Average time for which
VX
sewage remains in system/reactor. θ c=
o SRT > HRT Qw X u
o Because a portion of sludge is
Where,
returned to the reactor (in ASP):
from secondary clarifier to aeration V: reactor volume
tank. X: reactor biomass
o SRT=HRT for a system without concentration (MLSS)
recycling Qw: waste sludge flow rate
Xu: biomass concentration in
o SRT or MCRT: ratio of total
waste sludge
biomass in reactor to biomass
wasted per given time
Here, we have assumed that suspended solids concentration in effluent is
very small.
SRT or MCRT or sludge age
Where,
VX
Q: Influent sludge flow rate θ c=
Qw X u +(Q−Q w ) X e
Xe: biomass or solids concentration
in effluent
Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT)
 Theoretical duration for which the fluids stay in the reactor

 Or, amount of time taken by fluid to move from influent to

the effluent in a reactor

 Also termed as aeration period in Secondary treatment

process

 Ratio of Volume of reactor to influent discharge

Volumetric Loading Rate
 Ratio of BOD in influent to
reactor volume
 Units: Kg BOD/m3.day
QS0
V L=
V
Where,
VL: volumetric loading rate
V: reactor volume
Q: influent discharge
S0: BOD in influent
Growth Kinetics
Growth kinetics: Exponential growth
 Presence of excess substrate (food) promotes maximum
rate of growth possible, limited only by bacterial ability to
reproduce

rg = µX

 rg: biomass growth rate, mg/lt/day

 µ: Specific growth rate (rate of growth per unit biomass),
per day
 X: biomass concentration, mg/lt
 Growth Kinetics: Stationary Phase
o Monod kinetics, substrate-
limited growth
o given as a relation between
specific growth rate (µ) and
substrate concentration (S)
o µmax: maximum specific growth
rate, per day
o S: concentration of growth-
limiting substrate, mg/lt
o Ks: half velocity constant or
saturation constant, mg/lt μm XS
o equals the substrate r g=
concentration at half of K s +S
maximum specific growth rate
Growth kinetics: Endogenous growth
 Lysis (cell death) occurs due to small amount of substrate (low
F/M ratio).
 Decay rate: rd = -kdX
 rd: biomass decay rate, mg/lt/day
 kd: biomass decay coefficient, per day
 X: biomass concentration, mg/lt

 Net growth rate & modified Monod equation during Substrate-

limited conditions (saturation and decay phases)
μ m XS
r' g = −k d X
K s +S
S
μ'=μm
( K s +S)−k d
Growth Kinetic
 Growth yield: incremental
increase in biomass from
metabolism of incremental
X m− X 0 rg
Y= =
amount of substrate S 0 −S m r su
 Y: growth yield, mg/lt
biomass increase to mg/lt r' g =r g −k d X=Yr su −k d X
substrate used r' g
 rsu: rate of substrate Y obs =
utilization, mg/lt/day
r su
 Xm: max. biomass
Sludge Volume Index (SVI)
 Physical state of sludge produced in biological systems
 Degree of concentration of sludge in system

 Determines rate of sludge recycle needed to maintain

MLSS and F/M ratio in aeration tank.

 Definition: volume occupied (in ml) by 1 gm of solids in

mixed liquor after settling for 30 minutes.
 1 lt mixed liquor sample from aeration tank, allowed to
settle for 30 min to give settled sludge volume, Vob (ml/l).
 Sample, after remixing settled solids, tested for MLSS to
give solids concentration, Xob (mg/l).
SVI
 SVI = Vob/Xob ml/mg = Vob/Xob x 1000 ml/gm

 SVI ~ 50-150 ml/gm for good settling sludge

Sludge recirculation ratio
where, QR: sludge recirculation rate, m3/d
QR Xt
Xt: MLSS in aeration tank, mg/l =
XR: MLSS in return or wasted sludge, mg/l Q X R −X t

For conventional ASP, QR/Q ~ 0.25-0.50

Activated Sludge Process
 Secondary wastewater treatment process
 Suspended growth process
 BOD removal ~ 80-95%
 Bacteria removal~ 90-95%

 In use since early 1900s.

 Name derived from the fact that settled sludge containing
live/active microbes is returned to the reactor to increase
the available biomass and speed up the reaction, thus
activating the process.
ASP
o wastewater aeration in the presence of a
microbial suspension,
o solid-liquid separation following aeration,
o discharge of clarified effluent,
o wasting of excess biomass, and
o return of remaining biomass to the aeration
tank.

Can be either completely mixed type or plug flow

with sludge recycle type.
 ASP
•Pros: Better nitrification, uniform low COD,
can handle peak load, dilutes toxic matter,
used in small systems
•Cons: Large volume, high aeration cost, lack
of operational flexibility, sludge bulking

•Pros: smaller volumes

than CSTR, flexible
operation, less aeration
reqt., less mixing, better
sludge settling
•Cons: high oxygen
demand in inlet, can’t
handle peak loads as well,
high construction cost
ASP
 For completely mixed regime:
θ c Y ( S 0 −S )
• X: MLSS in reactor, kg/m3 X=
• θc: mean cell residence time θ ( 1 +k d θc )
• Y: growth yield,
• S0: Influent substrate concentration
• S: reactor substrate concentration
• θ: Hydraulic retention time
• kd: decay coefficient

• Also applicable to Plug-flow regime

if θc/θ ≥ 5
Excess sludge wasting
o Maintenance of steady level of MLSS
o Excess sludge increases with increasing F/M ratio and
decreases with temperature (Rate of reaction & viscosity)

o Can be wasted either from aeration tank or return sludge

line

o Wasted sludge taken to sludge thickener and digestor or to

PST.
Variations of ASP Process
 Differences in terms of
 Rates and points of air or WW application
 Detention times
 Reactor shapes
 Methods of introducing air
 Sorption or settling prior to biological oxidation
 Pure oxygen instead of air
ASP Variations
 conventional
 tapered aeration
 extended aeration
 step aeration
 contact stabilization
 high rate
 Sequential batch reactors (already covered)
 Pure oxygen activated sludge
Conventional ASP
 Most commonly used ASP (historically)

 Single point influent injection means high aeration

requirements at the inlet.
 High aeration tank volumes reqd.
 Unstable operation in presence of shock inflows or BOD
loading
Tapered Aeration ASP
 Air is added in proportion to BOD exerted
 High air supply at inlet and in initial length of tank
 ~45% air in 1st third, 30% in 2nd third and 25% in last third
of tank
 Commonly uses diffused air aeration.
Step aeration ASP
 Influent addition at intermediate points provides more
uniform BOD removal throughout the tank
 Uniform air requirement throughout the tank, same
arrangement as conventional process
 Can absorb shock loads
Contact Stabilization
 Biomass adsorbs organics in contact basin and settle out
in secondary clarifier; thickened sludge is aerated before
being returned to contact basin
 Commonly used for colloidal wastewater & fresh sewage
 Contact basin mixing for 0.5-1.5 hr to allow organics to
adsorb onto activated sludge floc.
 Better at handling shock loads and toxics due to
stabilization tank (reaeration of return sludge)
Pure-oxygen activated sludge
 Oxygen added under pressure keeps DO level high
Oxidation Ditch
 Eliminates PST and sludge digestion tank and provides
extended aeration
 More details in “Aerated Lagoons”
High rate ASP
 Short detention time and high F/M ratio in aerator to
maintain culture in exponential growth phase
Extended Aeration
 Long detention time and low F/M ratio in aerator to
maintain culture in endogenous phase
 Used in oxidation ditches and aerated lagoons
 PST and digestor may be removed
 High BOD removal and high aeration requirement
 ASP Design Parameters

Process MCRT, d F/M Loading, HRT, hr MLSS, Recycle Flow BOD Air
ratio, kg Kg mg/l ratio, Qr/Q regime removal, supplied,
BOD5/kg BOD5/m3 % m3/kg
MLSS BOD5

Tapered 5-15 0.2-0.4 0.3-0.6 4-8 1500- 0.25-0.5 PF 85-95 45-90

aeration 3000

conventio 4-15 0.2-0.4 0.3-0.6 4-9 1500- 0.25-0.5 PF 85-95 45-90

nal 3000

Step 4-15 0.2-0.4 0.6-1.0 3-5 2000- 0.25-0.75 PF 85-95 45-90

aeration 3500

Complete 4-15 0.2-0.4 0.8-2.0 3-5 3000- 0.25-1.0 CM 85-95 45-90

ly mixed 6000
Aeration Systems
 Aeration provides
 dissolved oxygen and
 mixing of the mixed liquor and wastewater in the
aeration tank.
 Factors influencing aeration requirements:
 Organic loading
 MLSS concentration
 Temperature
 Maintain D.O. concentration between 1.0 mg/l and
3.0 mg/l.
 If nitrification is required and the concentration falls
below 1.0 mg/l, nitrifying organisms become less
active.
Aeration Systems
 Aeration is provided by either diffused or
mechanical aeration systems.

 Diffused air systems consist of a blower and a pipe

distribution system that is used to bubble compressed
air into the mixed liquor.
 Typically used in plug-flow systems

 Mechanical aeration systems consist of a pumping

mechanism that disperses water droplets through the
atmosphere.
 Typically used in completely mixed systems
Aerators
Surface Aerators
Diffused Air System
 Diffused air systems are the most common types of
aeration systems used in activated sludge plants.
 Diffusers are designed to either produce fine (2-2.5 mm) or
coarse (up to 25 mm) bubbles.
Fine Bubble Diffusers
 More efficient oxygen transfer due to large surface area
per volume of air.
 The fine bubble diffusers are easily clogged by biological
growth and by dirty air, resulting in high maintenance
costs.
 The air supply for all fine bubble diffusers should be
filtered.
Fine Bubble Diffusers
Coarse Bubble Diffusers
 Coarse bubble diffusers are usually made by drilling holes
in pipes or by loosely attaching plates or discs to a
supporting piece of pipe.
 Coarse bubble diffusers have lower oxygen transfer
efficiencies than the fine bubble diffusers.
 A typical oxygen transfer efficiency would be about 5
percent.
 Have less maintenance and low head loss, but poor
oxygen transfer efficiencies.
Mechanical Aerators
 Two types of mechanical aerators in common use
today
 the surface and turbine aerators.
 Surface aerators use a rotating propeller that pumps
the mixed liquor through the atmosphere above the
aeration tank.
 Oxygen transfer is achieved by the aerator propeller
spraying the mixed liquor through the atmosphere.
Surface Aerators
 Surface aerators either float or are mounted on supports
in the aeration tank. Materials such as epoxy coated
steel are used in the construction of surface aerators to
reduce corrosion.
 The oxygen transfer efficiency of a surface aerator
increases as the submergence of the propeller is
increased. However, power costs also increase
because more water is sprayed.
 Oxygen transfer efficiencies for surface aerators are
stated in terms of pounds of oxygen transferred per
horsepower per hour (lb O2/hp/hr).
 Typical oxygen transfer efficiencies are about 2 lb
O2/hp/hr.
 Surface aerators are sometimes equipped with draft
tubes to improve their mixing characteristics (by flow
pattern control).
Mechanical Aerators
 Floating or fixed
 Brush
 Other
ASP Issues: Sludge Bulking
 Sludge Bulking:
 Poor settling characteristics due to filamentous microbes
(e.g., fungi, sulfur bacteria, etc)
 Large surface area to volume ratio of microbes retards
their settling velocity

 Prevention measures:
 Reduction of sludge age to < 6days

 Chlorination of returned activated sludge

 Foam removal

 Adjustment of F/M ratio, DO modification, nutrient

adjustment, etc.
ASP Issues: Rising Sludge
 Caused by denitrification (conversion of nitrates to free N)
in secondary clarifier.
 N2 gas bubbles which lifts up the settled sludge and
deteriorates the quality of effluent sludge
 Dominant in high-temperature regions where nitrification
occurs in ASP.

 Solution: denitrify the aeration tank effluent before its

entry into secondary clarifier.
ASP: Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
• Less land area requirement
• Low head loss
• No fly or odour nuisance
• Low capital cost
• Greater flexibility of operation

Disadvantages:
• High operational cost, more power consumption
• More mechanical in nature
• More susceptible to shock loads
• Bulking is frequent esp. for industrial waste
Suspended Growth Treatment options
(A)
 Ponds and Lagoons
 Wastewater Pond~ stabilization pond~ oxidation pond~
sewage lagoon
 Large, shallow earthen basin which detains sewage long
enough for natural purification processes to achieve
necessary degree of treatment.
 No external aeration, only through atmospheric diffusion
and algal photosynthesis.
 Lagoons: Aerobic and facultative
 Mechanical mixing is provided.

Ponds and Lagoons are completely mixed reactors with no

sludge recycle.
Oxidation Ponds
 Aerobic Pond~ tertiary or “polishing” pond
 Shallow depth, oxygen at all depths
 Anaerobic Pond
 Deep ponds, oxygen available only in thin top layer, used
for partial treatment of strong organic waste but must be
succeeded by aerobic process to produce acceptable
effluent.
 Facultative Pond
 Both aerobic and anaerobic zones
 Total treatment system
Oxidation pond: Design
 Organic loading ~
 Hot countries (e.g. India): 150-300 Kg BOD5/hectare/day
 Cold countries: 60-90 Kg BOD5/hectare/day
 Area ~ 0.5-1 hectare
 Depth ~ 1-1.5 m
 L:B ~ 2:1
 Detention period ~ 7-42 days

 BOD removal ~ 90%, Coliform removal~ 99%

 Solids deposition ~ 2-5 cm /yr, cleaning required in ~ 6yrs
Advantages and Disadvantages
 Large land requirements, useful for small communities
 Capital and operational cost savings
 Large volume to inflow ratio provides dilution to hydraulic
and organic shock loads
 Low skilled labor/supervision requirement

 High Suspended Solids content in effluent

 Odor issues during warm months
Numerical
Q: Design an oxidation pond for treating sewage from hot climatic colony
with 5000 residents contributing @120 lt/person/day sewage. 5-day
BOD of sewage is 300 mg/l.

Solution: Sewage quantity = 5000 * 120 lt/day = 6,00,000 litres/day

Daily BOD content = 300 mg/l * 600000 lt/day = 180 kg/day
Assume organic loading ~ 300 Kg BOD/hectare/day

Area = 180 (kg/day) / 300 (kg BOD/hectare/day) = 0.6 hectare

= 6000 m2.
Assume L:B = 2 and depth = 1.2 m
B= ~ 55 m, L = 110 m
Detention time = volume/discharge = 110 x 55 x 1.2/ 600 = ~ 12 days
Lagoons
 Extended Aeration systems, no PST & digestor needed
 Aerobic lagoons
 Sufficient mixing to keep entire contents (liquid + solids)
mixed and aerated
 Effluent needs solids removal to meet effluent standards.
 Facultative lagoons
 Only enough mixing to mix liquid portion of sewage
 Solids settle at bottom and degrade anaerobically.
Aerated lagoons or lagoons
 Pasveer type oxidation ditch
 Low land requirements than oxidation ponds, number of
ditch channels side-by-side, depth ~ 1-1.5 m, length~ 150-
1000 m, rotors provided for mixing and sludge agitation,
solids can be settled in SST, part of sludge can be
recycled to ditch.
 Detention time ~ 12-15 hrs, MLSS~ 4000-5000 m3/m rotor
length
 SS removal~ 95%, BOD removal~ 98%
 Less land required, more power for aeration, some skilled
operation
 Can provide RBC (rotating biological contactors) in place
of aerators
Mechanically aerated lagoons
 Deeper oxidation pond, aeration by aerators.
 Depth~ 2.4-3.6 m, detention time~ 4-10 hrs, efficiency~
65-90%
 No PST or tertiary treatment needed. SST required.
 Cost-effective in inexpensive land areas, less energy
requirements, simple operation/low supervision, can
handle shock loads, effluent can be used for irrigation
 Less efficient in cold regions, odor/mosquito nuisance
 May need further treatment.
END of UNIT-III