Biological Treatment of Wastewater Secondary

Treatment Process Activated Sludge Process

Sudipta Sarkar
Pradeep Kumar

Bar Screens

Screenings

Grit Removal

PRIMARY

Filter Press

O2

Secondary Nutrient
Clarifier
Removal

Aeration
tank

Grit

PRELIMINARY

Dewatered
Sludge to
landfill

Primary Clarifier

Anaerobic
Digester

SECONDARY

D
I
S
P
O
Advanced
S
Treatments A
L
TERTIARY

Gravity Sludge
thickener

SLUDGE PROCESSING

Typical Process flow Diagram Different Treatment Blocks

BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT PROCESSES - OVERVIEW

Domestic sewage and some industrial or agricultural wastewater

contains high concentrations of biodegradable organic matter. The
organic material if discharged untreated, act as a food source for
microorganisms. If the discharge is large, problems occur leading
to large scale pollution.
The preliminary and primary treatment of wastewater together
remove almost 60 percent of solids loading and 40 percent of
BOD load that is influent to the wastewater treatment plant. The
solids removed mostly are inorganic in nature, as the specific
gravity and size of the commonly occurring inorganic solids are
higher than their organic counterparts.
The removal of the BOD, coagulation of non-settleable colloidal
solids, and the stabilization of organics are accomplished
biologically using a variety of microorganisms.

Importance and Objectives of Biological Treatment

Biological treatment is used to remove the most of the
contaminants remaining in regular sewage or industrial
wastewater that contains biodegradable materials. The
biodegradable part may be in either particulate (solid) or
dissolved form.
Biological treatment is targeted to remove the contaminants
by: a) coagulation and sedimentation and b) stabilization of
organic matter so that organic content is reduced.
Use organic matter as a food supply to support the growth of
biomass
Also use organic material to provide energy for growth
resulting in production of CO2 and other metabolic byproducts
thereby reducing total BOD
4

Types of Microbial Communities

Aerobic
utilize oxygen
Anaerobic
grow in absence of oxygen
Facultative
can grow either with or without oxygen
metabolism changes as environment changes from
aerobic to anaerobic

Aerobic Organisms
require oxygen to perform their metabolic activities
Require high rates of oxygen supply for wastewater treatment
processes

Aerobic Processes
1. presence of oxygen 2. rapid conversion of BOD 3. release lots
of energy
Inorganic
Essential nutrients: N, S, P, K,
Organic nutrients (growth factor)
Mg, Ca, Fe, Na, Cl
Amino acids
Micro-nutrients: Zn, Mn,
Purines and pyrimidines
Mo, Se, Co, Cu, Ni, V and W
vitamins

Microbial Growth
General Growth patterns in Pure Cultures:

Generation Time : 20
min to less than a day

Binary Fission

Exponential Growth

Condition: unlimited supply of food, unlimited supply of nutrients

and abundance of dissolved oxygen in water

Microbial growth pattern in a batch reactor

Log Viable Cell Count

Condition: Finite amount of food and nutrient supply

Lag
Phase

Exponential
Growth Phase

Stationary
Phase

Log Death
Phase

Growth rate and

death rate of
bacteria are the
same as the food
becomes limited

Time

Bacteria acclimate to
the new environment
Excess food surrounding the bacteria;
rate of metabolism and growth is a
function of the ability of microorganism
to process the substrate

Food is limited; bacteria

metabolize own protoplasm,
death rate far exceeds the
production of new cells
8

Exponential Growth Phase

Cells have abundant food and grow without limit during this
phase

X X 0e t

X is cell concentration (mass dry wt/vol)

X0 is cell concentration at start of exponential phase
is the specific growth rate (time-1)
t is time

In other words, in both batch and continuous culture system,

the rate of the growth of bacteria can be given by,

rg

dX

dt

Is it a constant?
9

Substrate (Food) Limited Growth

Specific growth rate is a function of environmental conditions
for the organism, including substrate (food) concentration
there is a maximum rate at which organisms can grow even
with plenty of nutrients available (max)
as substrate becomes limited, growth slows down
a simple equation describing this behavior is called the Monod
model

Bacteria
WASTEWATER

WASTEWATER
Batch Culture

Bacteria
Continuous Culture
10

Specific Growth Rate

Substrate (food)- limited Condition

Monod model for growth

/2

m s
Ks s
K s is half - velocity constant (mg/L)
s is substrate concentration (mg/L)

Ks

rg

dX

dt

S
m XS
Ks S

Cell Growth and Substrate Utilization

New Cells
Food

Inorganic and organic

end products
For a given substrate (food) the quantity of new cells produced can
be defined with a mathematical relationship

rg Yrsu
rg= rate of bacterial growth, mg/(L. sec)
Y= maximum yield coefficient, mass of cells formed per unit mass
of BOD consumed, mg/mg
rsu = Substrate utilization rate, mg/(L. sec)
The yield of microorganism depends on (1) oxidation state of the
carbon source, (2) Degree of polymerization of the substrate, (3)
pathways of metabolism and (4) various environmental parameters
such as temperature, pH, pressure, etc.

rg Yrsu

rsu

rg

m XS
Y (K s S )

m XS
Ks S
k

m
Y

k is defined to be the maximum rate of substrate utilization per unit

mass of microorganism

kXS
rsu
(K s S )
In a mixed system not all the cells are in log growth phase. Also, some
energy derived from the food is used for cell metabolism used for
maintenance. Death and predation rates were not considered in the
above expression.

Growth in Mixed Cultures

Growth curves for different species of microorganisms are different
from each other.

Most biological treatment processes are comprised of complex,

interrelated, mixed biological populations.
For a mixed population, the position and shape of a particular
growth pattern shall depend on the relative abundance of the
different species, food and nutrients available and also, on
environmental factors such as temperature, pH, availability of
oxygen, etc.

Death and predation factors are often lumped together for ease of
design and calculation, without losing the accuracy.
Assumption: The decrease in cell mass caused by death and predation is
proportional to the concentration of the microorganism present. The
decrease in the number of microorganism is considered to be
endogenous decay.

rd k d X

kd= endogenous decay coefficient, time-1

X= concentration of cells (microorganisms), mg/L

rg' rg rd

r
'
g

m XS
(K s S )

kd X

'
net specific bacterial growth rate = g

Observed Yield YObs

'
g

rsu

rg = net rate of bacterial

growth

rg'
X

m S
(K s S )

kd

Bioreactors
The system in which a biochemical reaction take place is known as a
bioreactor. Bioreactors may contain live and dead microorganisms,
organic material, essential nutrients, and may be fed with external gases
such as oxygen, natural or compressed air, or carbon dioxide depending
on the applications
Types of Reactors: a) Batch reactor, b) Completely mixed flow reactor
(CMFR) and c) Plug Flow Reactor (PFR)
Batch reactor: A vessel loaded with reactants and then
sealed, may or may not be mixed
CMFR: A fluid container with flow in and out.
Contents are instantly and completely mixed.
Concentration of species going out is assumed to be
equal to the concentration inside the container

PFR: Uniform velocity of fluid across the reactor, no axial

mixing , may or may not be any radial mixing,
concentration is not uniform, may vary along the length

Reactor Mass Balances: Food and Microorganism

Q S0 X 0

Q, S, X
V, S, X

Suspended Growth Process:

microorganisms responsible for the
conversion of organic matter to gases
and cell tissue are maintained in
suspension in the wastewater

Completely Mixed Flow Reactor (CMFR)

Mass balance:

Rate of
accumulation of
material

Rate of flow of Rate of flow of

material into - material out of
the reactor
the reactor

Microorganism balance:

' .V
dX
r
Q.
X

Q
.X

g
0
V

dt
Food (substrate) balance:
dS
V
Q.S 0 Q.S rsu .V
dt

Rate of
formation or
destruction of
material within
the reactor

Reactor Mass Balances: Food and Microorganism

At Steady State, there is no net
accumulation food or microorganism
with respect to time. The reactor keeps a
constant load of microorganism or food,
no change over time.

Q S0 X0

Q, S, X
V, S, X

dS
dX
0
0 and
dt
dt
0

Q.X 0 Q. X rg' .V
V
Hydraulic detention time
Q

m S
(K s S )

rg' .V Q. X Q. X 0
m XS

kd

(K s S )
X

kd X

'
Q rg

V X

m S
(K s S )

kd

At steady state,

dS
0
dt

Q S0 X0

Q.S 0 Q.S rsu .V

Q, S, X
V, S, X

kXS
rsu
(K s S )

V
( S 0 S ) rsu .
Q

(S0 S )
S

kX
(K s S )

kXS
(S0 S )
.
(K s S )

m S
(K s S )

kd

S0 S
( kd )

m
kX
1

Task: Prove that

S
( kd )

m ( K s S )

m (S0 S )
X
k (1 k d )
K s (1 k d )
S
(Yk k d ) 1

Y (S0 S )
X
(1 k d )

Q, X0,S0

CMFR with Recycle

(Activated Sludge Process)

VR

X
Qe , Xe , S

(Q + Qr)
S
System
Boundary

X, S

AERATION TANK
(REACTOR)

Accumulation

dX
VR
dt
At Steady State,

dX
0
dt

Clarifier
(Qr + Qw) Xr , S

Qr Xr S
=

Inflow

QX 0

outflow

[Qw X r Qe X e ]

Qw , Xr , S

Net growth

VR (rg' )

m XS

QX 0 VR
k d X Qw X r Qe X e
(K s S )

 m XS

QX 0 VR
kd X Qw X r Qe X e
(Ks S )

Assume,

X0 0
m S
Qw X r Qe X e

k d
VR X
(K s S )

Qw X r Qe X e
rsu
Y
kd
VR X
X

rg Yrsu
rg

m XS
Ks S

VR X
Mean Cell Residence Time (MCRT)= c
Qw X r Qe X e
MCRT is defined as the mass of microorganisms in the reactor divided
by the mass of the microorganisms wasted per unit time (day). It
signifies the average time the microorganism spend inside the reactor. It
is also called sludge age or solids retention time (SRT).

Q, X0,S0

CMFR with Recycle

(Activated Sludge Process)

VR

X
Qe , Xe , S

(Q + Qr)
S
System
Boundary

AERATION TANK
(REACTOR)

State,

dS
0
dt

(Qr + Qw) Xr , S

Qr Xr S

Accumulation

dS
VR
At Steady
dt

Clarifier

X, S

Inflow

QS 0

outflow

[Qw S Qe S ]

Qw , Xr , S

Net growth

VR rsu

QS 0 VR rsu (Qe Qw ) S QS
S S
S S
rsu 0
0
VR / Q

VR
Hydraulic retention time
Q

rsu
Y
kd
c
X
1

rsu

c Y (S0 S )
X
(1 k d c )

S0 S
Y
kd
c
X
1

rg Yrsu

S0 S
S S
0
Q / VR

rsu

S0 S

S 0 S m XS
Y

Ks S

m XS c
1
X
. .
K s S (1 k d c )
K S (1 k d c )
S
c (Yk k d ) 1

rg

m XS
Ks S

m
Y

= maximum rate of
substrate utilization per unit
mass of microorganism

Define a new term, specific utilization rate, U so that

rsu
Y
kd
c
X
1

U
1

rsu S 0 S Q S 0 S

.
X
X
Vr
X

YU k d

Another important term Food-to-microorganism ratio, F/M, is defined as,

F /M

Total food available per unit of time

Total microbial load in the system

Q.S 0
Vr X

Q S0 S0
.
Vr X X

X is the concentration of microorganism in reactor. Often it is termed as Mixed Liquor

Suspended Solids (MLSS)
Efficiency of the Activated Sludge Process (ASP):

1
S 0 S X

U
.
*100
E
*
*100
F /M
X
S0

S0 S
E
*100
S0
Volumetric loading rate is
defined to be total amount QS 0
of organics loading per
Vr
unit volume of the reactor.

Important Variables and

relationships

The relationships
important for the design
and control of an activated
sludge process are:
K S (1 kd c )
S
c (Yk kd ) 1
X

c Y (S0 S )
(1 kd c )

YU k d

VR X
c
Qw X r Qe X e
S
F /M 0
X

S0 S
*100
S0

Vr
Q

E U.

S0 S
U
X
1
*100
F /M

c
U=specific substrate utilization rate; E= efficiency; F/M = food to
microorganism ratio; X=microorganism concentration in the reactor or
Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS); = hydraulic retention time (HRT);
c= mean cell residence time (MCRT); Y =yield coefficient

Operation of activated sludge treatment plant is regulated by 1) quantity of air supplied in

the aeration basin; 2) The rate of recirculation of activated sludge and 3) Amount of excess
sludge wasted from the system.
Sludge wasting is an important step to establish the desired concentration of MLSS, F/M
ratio and MCRT or mean cell residence time or sludge age.
An important measurement for operational control is the settleability of the mixed liquor
as defined by sludge volume index (SVI). SVI is the volume in mL occupied by 1 g of
suspended solids after 30 minutes of settling.

Sludge Volume from Settling unit volume mixed liquor (mL/L) *1000 mg/g
MLSS (mg/L)
(mL/g)

SVI

Start with 1L of
mixed liquor

Volume of settled
sludge = Vs

Vs /V (mL/L) *1000
MLSS
SVI

Neglecting any sludge wasting

(Q QR ) X Qe X e QR X R
Xe 0
(Q QR ) X QR X R

XR

(Q QR )
X
QR

If the rate of sludge return is less than the rate of accumulation of settled solids, the sludge
blanket in the final clarifier slowly rises until the suspended solids are carried out with
overflow.
If the rate of sludge return exceeds the rate of accumulation of settled solids, clear
treated water is drawn with the sludge, making it less concentrated by diluting it.
In Ideal case, the mass balance should follow the above diagram. By the time it settles
down so that a flow rate of QR takes out all the sludge contained in it.
V /V (mL/L) *1000
(Q QR )
V
V V *1000(mg / g )
MLSS s
XR
X * MLSS * s
SVI
QR
Vs
Vs V * SVI (ml / g )

106
X R (mg / L)
SVI (ml / g )

Food
(BODU)

New Cells (They will also

have some BODu)
c
Inorganic end products

In ASP, the cells are

recycled mostly in the
process; however, a part
of the active
microorganisms are
wasted
i.e. not all the BODu
in the influent
wastewater gets
stabilized or
degraded to inorganic
end products.

Amount of microorganism wasted

Total BODu destroyed = BODu of the influent wastewater destroyed
- BODu of the microorganism wasted
Q( S 0 S ) Biochemical O 2 demand of (Qw X r )

Amount of microorganism wasted

=0
VR X
VR X
c
c
Qw X r
Qw X r Qe X e

VR c Y ( S 0 S )
* .
Qw X r
c (1 k d c )
c
VR Y ( S 0 S )
Y
*
Q( S 0 S )
(1 k d c )
(1 k d c )
Y

Q( S 0 S )Yobs
1 k d c

VR X

Yobs

c Y (S0 S )
X
(1 k d c )

Approximate chemical formula of a bacterial cell is C5H7NO2

C5 H 7 NO 2 5O 2 5CO 2 2H 2 O NH 3 energy
113

5X32

1.42

Amount of sludge wasted per day Px Q( S 0 S )Yobs Q is in cum/day

Oxygen demand of the wasted sludge is 1.42 Px 1.42 * Q( S 0 S )Yobs

Y
Total Oxygen demand of the ASP process
1 k d c
=Total BODu destroyed
S, S0 are in BOD5 and not BODu
Q( S 0 S )

1.42 Px
So, it has to be divided by
f
factor f to transform to BODu
For BOD rate constant of value
BOD5
so that
f
0.23 per day (base e), f= 0.68
Yobs

BODu

Recommended Design Parameters for Activated Sludge

Process for Municipal Wastewater
Completely Mixed Type Aeration Tank
Parameter

Design Values

Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS), X (mg/L)

3000-4000

MLVSS/MLSS

0.8

F/M (kg BOD5/Kg MLSS/day)

0.3-0.5

HRT (), hours

4-6

MCRT or SRT or sludge age, (c), days

5-8

Qr/Q, Sludge return ratio, recirculation ratio

0.25-0.5

E, (efficiency), %

85-95

Kg O2/kg of BOD5 removed

0.8-1.0

MLVSS = mixed liquor volatile suspended solids

Design an aeration tank and suggest process control parameters of an activated

sludge process for treating 20,000 cum/day wastewater with influent BOD 250 mg/L.
Effluent BOD should be 20 mg/L. MLVSS to be maintained is 3000 mg/L. MCRT is 7
days. Yield Coefficient is 0.6 and endogenous death rate constant, kd =0.06/day, F/M
ratio = 0.4 /day. Assume that there is negligible suspended solid (microorganism) in
the effluent from the secondary clarifier. Sludge return ratio = 0.2

S0 S
*100
S0

250 20
*100 92%
250

E U.

1
*100
F/M

92 U .

1
*100
0.4

U
Vr

U 0.368

S0 S
250 20
0.368
.3000
X

0.20833 day 5 hours

Vr Q 20,000 cum/day * 0.20833 4167 cum

VR X
c
Qw X r Qe X e
As per the problem
statement the secondary
clarifier have negligible SS
in the effluent

VR X
c
Qw X r Qe X e
Sludge return ratio = 0.2

=0

VR X
c
Qw X r

Qw X r

VR X

Qr
0.2 Qr 0.2 * Q 0.2 * 20,000 4,000 cum/day
Q

Microorganism balance in the clarifier

(Q QR ) X (Qr Qw ) X r

(Q QR ) X Qe X e (Qr Qw ) X r
=0

(20000 4000) * 3000 (4000 Qw ) X r

(20000 4000) * 3000 (4000 Qw ) X r

(20000 4000) * 3000 4000 * X r

X r 17553.5 mg/L
Q Qe Qw

Qr 4000 cum/day

VR X

VR X
Qw
101.7 cum/day
X r c

Qe Q Qw 20,000 100 19900 cum/day

Q 20000 cum/day

Vr 4167 cum

Find out the oxygen requirement for an activated sludge process

which operates at 95% efficiency and flowrate of 30,000 cum/day. The
influent BOD5 concentration is 250 mg/L. Mean cell residence time
(MCRT) is kept as 7days. The yield coefficient was found to be 0.5 kg
of biomass per kg of BOD5 utilized. Endogenous growth rate constant
is 0.06 per day (kd)
95

S S
E 0
*100
S0

Yobs

1 k d c

250 S
*100
250

S 12.5 mg/L

0.5
0.5

1 0.06 * 7 1 0.06 * 7

0.352

Px Q(S0 S )Yobs 30,000 *103 * (250 12.5) * 0.352 *10-6 kg/Day

Total Oxygen demand of the ASP process Q( S0 S ) 1.42 P

x
f
30,000 *103 * (250 12.5) *10 6

1.42 Px
0.68
7969 kg/day

Diffused Aeration

37

Aeration basin for activated sludge process

38

Return sludge mixing with incoming wastewater

39

Augurs lifting sludge coming from

clarifier outlet to be returned to
activated sludge treatment process.

40