Activated Sludge Process

The activated sludge process is a process for treating sewage and industrial
wastewaters using air and a biological floc composed of bacteria and protozoa.
Purpose
In a sewage (or industrial wastewater) treatment plant, the activated sludge
process is a biological process that can be used for one or several of the following
purposes: oxidizing carbonaceous biological matter. oxidizing nitrogenous matter:
mainly ammonium and nitrogen in biological matter. removing phosphates.
driving off entrained gases such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, nitrogen, etc.
generating a biological floc that is easy to settle. generating a liquor that is low in
dissolved or suspended material.
The process
The process involves air or oxygen being introduced into a mixture of screened,
and primary treated sewage or industrial wastewater (wastewater) combined with
organisms to develop a biological floc which reduces the organic content of the
sewage. This material, which in healthy sludge is a brown floc, is largely
composed of saprotrophic bacteria but also has an important protozoan flora
mainly composed of amoebae, Spirotrichs, Peritrichs including Vorticellids and a
range of other filter feeding species. Other important constituents include motile
and sedentary Rotifers. In poorly managed activated sludge, a range of
mucilaginous filamentous bacteria can develop including Sphaerotilus natans
which produces a sludge that is difficult to settle and can result in the sludge
blanket decanting over the weirs in the settlement tank to severely contaminate

the final effluent quality. This material is often described as sewage fungus but
true fungal communities are relatively uncommon.
The combination of wastewater and biological mass is commonly known as
mixed liquor. In all activated sludge plants, once the wastewater has received
sufficient treatment, excess mixed liquor is discharged into settling tanks and the
treated supernatant is run off to undergo further treatment before discharge. Part
of the settled material, the sludge, is returned to the head of the aeration system to
re-seed the new wastewater entering the tank. This fraction of the floc is called
return activated sludge (R.A.S.). Excess sludge is called surplus activated sludge
(S.A.S.) or waste activated sludge (W.A.S). W.A.S is removed from the treatment
process to keep the ratio of biomass to food supplied in the wastewater in balance,
and is further treated by digestion, either under anaerobic or aerobic conditions
prior to disposal.
Activated sludge control
The general method to do this is to monitor sludge blanket level, SVI (Sludge
Volume Index), MCRT (Mean Cell Residence Time), F/M (Food to
Microorganism), as well as the biota of the activated sludge and the major
nutrients DO (Dissolved oxygen), nitrogen, phosphate, BOD (Biochemical
oxygen demand), and COD (Chemical oxygen demand).
In the reactor/aerator + clarifier system:
The sludge blanket is measured from the bottom of the clarifier to the level of
settled solids in the clarifier's water column; this, in large plants, can be done up
to three times a day.
The SVI is the volume of settled sludge in milliliters occupied by 1 gram of dry
sludge solids after 30 minutes of settling in a 1000 milliliter graduated cylinder.
[1][2]

The MCRT is the total mass (lbs) of mixed liquor suspended solids in the aerator
and clarifier divided by the mass flow rate (lbs/day) of mixed liquor suspended
solids leaving as WAS and final effluent.
The F/M is the ratio of food fed to the microorganisms each day to the mass of
microorganisms held under aeration. Specifically, it is the amount of BOD fed to
the aerator (lbs/day) divided by the amount (lbs) of Mixed Liquor Volatile
Suspended Solids (MLVSS) under aeration. Note: Some references use MLSS
(Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids) for expedience, but MLVSS is considered more
accurate for the measure of microorganisms.[1][2] Again, due to expedience,
COD is generally used, in lieu of BOD, as BOD takes five days for results.
Based on these control methods, the amount of settled solids in the mixed liquor
can be varied by wasting activated sludge (WAS) or returning activated sludge
(RAS). History[edit]
Arrangement
The general arrangement of an activated sludge process for removing
carbonaceous pollution includes the following items: Aeration tank where air (or
oxygen) is injected in the mixed liquor. Settling tank (usually referred to as "final
clarifier" or "secondary settling tank") to allow the biological flocs (the sludge
blanket) to settle, thus separating the biological sludge from the clear treated
water.
Types of plants
Package plants
There are a wide range of types of package plants, often serving small
communities or industrial plants that may use hybrid treatment processes often
involving the use of aerobic sludge to treat the incoming sewage. In such plants

the primary settlement stage of treatment may be omitted. In these plants, a biotic
floc is created which provides the required substrate. Package plants are designed
and fabricated by specialty engineering firms in dimensions that allow for their
transportation to the job site in public highways, typically width and height of 12
by 12 feet. Length varies with capacity with larger plants being fabricated in
pieces and welded on site. Steel is preferred over synthetic materials (e.g., plastic)
for its durability. Package plants are commonly variants of extended aeration, to
promote the 'fit & forget' approach required for small communities without
dedicated operational staff. There are various standards to assist with their design.
Oxidation ditch
In some areas, where more land is available, sewage is treated in large round or
oval ditches with one or more horizontal aerators typically called brush or disc
aerators which drive the mixed liquor around the ditch and provide aeration.[4]
These are oxidation ditches, often referred to by manufacturer's trade names such
as Pasveer, Orbal, or Carrousel. They have the advantage that they are relatively
easy to maintain and are resilient to shock loads that often occur in smaller
communities (i.e. at breakfast time and in the evening). Oxidation ditches are
installed commonly as 'fit & forget' technology, with typical design parameters of
a hydraulic retention time of 24 48 hours, and a sludge age of 12 20 days. This
compares with nitrifying activated sludge plants having a retention time of 8
hours, and a sludge age of 8 12 days.
Surface-aerated basins
Further information: Aerated lagoon
A Typical Surface-Aerated Basing (using motor-driven floating aerators)

Most biological oxidation processes for treating industrial wastewaters have in

common the use of oxygen (or air) and microbial action. Surface-aerated basins
achieve 80 to 90% removal of BOD with retention times of 1 to 10 days.The
basins may range in depth from 1.5 to 5.0 metres and utilize motor-driven aerators
floating on the surface of the wastewater. In an aerated basin system, the aerators
provide two functions: they transfer air into the basins required by the biological
oxidation reactions, and they provide the mixing required for dispersing the air
and for contacting the reactants (that is, oxygen, wastewater and microbes).
Typically, the floating surface aerators are rated to deliver the amount of air
equivalent to 1.8 to 2.7 kg O2/kWh. However, they do not provide as good
mixing as is normally achieved in activated sludge systems and therefore aerated
basins do not achieve the same performance level as activated sludge units.
Biological oxidation processes are sensitive to temperature and, between 0 C and
40 C, the rate of biological reactions increase with temperature. Most surface
aerated vessels operate at between 4 C and 32 C.