I.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Biological treatment for only organic carbon removal was studied in the scope of this project.
Organic carbon removal is done according to EU standards since discharging wastewater into
waterbody with higher concentration than standards can lead to the depletion of natural
oxygen resources.

Earlier on the basic calculations, environmental affects on bacteria which is mainly pH and
temperature is considered and bacterial growth kinetics are worked on. In addition to bacterial
kinetics studies, total volume of oxidation ditch reactor is calculated as XXX m. Number of
tanks are chosen as X, which have dimensions as X, Y & Z for each.

Later on, RAS, WAS and blower capacity are calculated.

As a result, all necessary informations for building a conventional activated sludge system
including only carbon removal are achieved.

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II. INTRODUCTION

Wastewater treatment is designed to safeguard public health and to protect the environment.
Wastewater (sewage) is 99 percent water and usually contains:

Organic material solid organic wastes such as food scraps, toilet wastes, paper etc.
(including leaves/wood etc from storm water in ltration). Food processing and textile
industries contribute large quantities of organic materials, ie fruit/vegetable pulp, wool etc.

Grease and oils household wastes contain cooking oil/

fat, soap and body oils from baths / showers. Industrial wastes can contain greasy organic
compounds and inorganic (mineral) oils.

Inorganic material wastewater contains sand, silt and gravel (grit). Most of this comes
from stormwater in ltration.

Nutrients our bodies need nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen and these are naturally
excreted in our wastes. Some industrial wastes also contain nutrients.

Metals tiny amounts of metals, ie iron, copper and zinc, are naturally present in human
wastes. Others such as lead, chromium and cadmium can be present from stormwater run-off
and industry.

Chemicals as a result of household cleaning (eg dish washing detergents and shampoos) or
through process wastes from industry, many different chemicals are contained in wastewater,
some of which are toxic.

Micro-organisms bacteria, viruses and other micro- organisms that live in the human gut
and are excreted in large numbers. Most of these organisms are harmless and some are even
bene cial. Sick people, however, can excrete large numbers of pathogenic (disease-causing)
micro- organisms, which end up in the wastewater flow.

The contents of the stream will vary depending on the season, day, time and the type of
industries being served [1].

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Wastewater treatment is closely related to the standards and/or expectations set for the
effluent quality. Wastewater treatment processes are designed to achieve improvements in the
quality of the wastewater.

The various treatment processes may reduce:

i. Suspended solids (physical particles that can clog rivers or channels as they settle
under gravity)

ii. Biodegradable organics (e.g. BOD) which can serve as food for microorganisms in
the receiving body. Microorganisms combine this matter with oxygen from the water
to yield the energy they need to thrive and multiply; unfortunately, this oxygen is also
needed by fish and other organisms in the river. Heavy organic pollution can lead to
dead zones where no fish can be found; sudden releases of heavy organic loads can
lead to dramatic fishkills.

iii. Pathogenic bacteria and other disease causing organisms These are most relevant
where the receiving water is used for drinking, or where people would otherwise be in
close contact with it; and

iv. Nutrients, including nitrates and phosphates. These nutrients can lead to high
concentrations of unwanted algae, which can themselves become heavy loads of
biodegradable organic load Treatment processes may also neutralize or removing
industrial wastes and toxic chemicals. This type of treatment should ideally take place
at the industrial plant itself, before discharge of their effluent in municipal sewers or
water courses.

Widely used terminology refers to three levels of wastewater treatment: primary, secondary,
and tertiary (or advanced).

Primary (Mechanical) Treatment;

Primary treatment is designed to remove gross, suspended and floating solids from raw
sewage. It includes screening to trap solid objects and sedimentation by gravity to remove
suspended solids. This level is sometimes referred to as mechanical treatment, although
chemicals are often used to accelerate the sedimentation process. Primary treatment can
reduce the BOD of the incoming wastewater by 20-30% and the total suspended solids by
some 50-60%. Primary treatment is usually the first stage of wastewater treatment. Many
advanced wastewater treatment plants in industrialized countries have started with primary
treatment, and have then added other treatment stages as wastewater load has grown, as the
need for treatment has increased, and as resources have become available [2].

Secondary (Biological) Treatment;

Biological treatment removes the dissolved organic matter that escapes primary treatment.
This is achieved by microbes consuming the organic matter as food, and converting it to
carbon dioxide, water, and energy for their own growth and reproduction. The biological
process is then followed by additional settling tanks (secondary sedimentation") to remove
more of the suspended solids. About 85% of the suspended solids and BOD can be removed
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by a well running plant with secondary treatment. Secondary treatment technologies include
the basic activated sludge process, the variants of pond and constructed wetland systems,
trickling filters and other forms of treatment which use biological activity to break down
organic matter [2].

Tertiary (Advanced) Treatment;

Tertiary treatment can remove more than 99 percent of all the impurities from sewage,
producing an effluent of almost drinking-water quality. The related technology can be very
expensive, requiring a high level of technical know-how and well trained treatment plant
operators, a steady energy supply, and chemicals and specific equipment which may not be
readily available. An example of a typical tertiary treatment process is the modification of a
conventional secondary treatment plant to remove additional phosphorus and nitrogen.

Disinfection, typically with chlorine, can be the final step before discharge of the effluent.
However, some environmental authorities are concerned that chlorine residuals in the effluent
can be a problem in their own right, and have moved away from this process. Disinfection is
frequently built into treatment plant design, but not effectively practiced, because of the high
cost of chlorine, or the reduced effectiveness of ultraviolet radiation where the water is not
sufficiently clear or free of particles [2].

One of several ways to treat wastewater biologically is to continuously

feed aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic reaction tanks. The combination of
these steps, which are usually positioned in series with recirculating flows,
achieves the significant reduction of organic matter, nitrogen and
phosphorous. A fractions of the resulting sludge is also recirculated while
secondary effluent procedes to teriary treatment.

This configuration requires primary treatment, has the influent and

returned sludge enter the tank at the head end of the basin, mixing is
accomplished by the aeration system, and provides excellent treatment.
On the downside, this modification requires large aeration tank capacity,
higher construction costs, high initial oxygen demand, and is very
sensitive to operation problems, such as bulking [3].

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Growth of bacteria;
Growth of bacteria is the orderly increase of all the chemical constituents of the bacteria.
Multiplication is the consequence of the growth. Death of bacteria is the irreversible loss of
ability to reproduce bacteriaare composed of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, water and trace
elements.
Requirements for bacterial growth are environmental factors effecting growth and sources of
metabolic energy.
Environmental factors effecting growth are;
Presence of nutrients
pH
Presence of Oxygen
Temperature
Ionic Strengh and Osmotic Pressure
Light
Mainly three mechanisms generate metabolic energy. These are fermentation, respiration and
phtosynthesis. An organis to grow, at least one of these mechanisms must be used [4].

Figure 3: Bacterial Growth Curve / Kinetic curve

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During lag phase, bacteria adapt themselves to growth conditions. It is the period where the
individual bacteria are maturing and not yet able to divide. During the lag phase of the
bacterial growth cycle, synthesis of RNA, enzymes and other molecules occurs.

The log phase (sometimes called the logarithmic phase or the exponential phase) is a period
characterized by cell doubling. The number of new bacteria appearing per unit time is
proportional to the present population. If growth is not limited, doubling will continue at a
constant rate so both the number of cells and the rate of population increase doubles with each
consecutive time period. For this type of exponential growth, plotting the natural logarithm of
cell number against time produces a straight line. The slope of this line is the specific growth
rate of the organism, which is a measure of the number of divisions per cell per unit time. The
actual rate of this growth (i.e. the slope of the line in the figure) depends upon the growth
conditions, which affect the frequency of cell division events and the probability of both
daughter cells surviving.

The stationary phase is often due to a growth-limiting factor such as the depletion of an
essential nutrient, and/or the formation of an inhibitory product such as an organic acid.
Stationary phase results from a situation in which growth rate and death rate are equal. The
number of new cells created is limited by the growth factor and as a result the rate of cell
growth matches the rate of cell death. The result is a smooth, horizontal linear part of the
curve during the stationary phase.

At death phase,(Decline phase) bacteria die. This could be due to lack of nutrients, a
temperature which is too high or low, or the wrong living conditions [5].

Process 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:

i. 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.
ii. 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 [6].
iii. 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

6
 leaving as WAS and final effluent[6].
iv. 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 [7]. 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) [8].

Aeration methods;

Diffused aeration: Sewage liquor is run into deep tanks with diffuser grid aeration systems
that are attached to the floor. These are like the diffused airstone used in tropical fish tanks but
on a much larger scale. Air is pumped through the blocks and the curtain of bubbles formed
both oxygenates the liquor and also provides the necessary mixing action. Where capacity is
limited or the sewage is unusually strong or difficult to treat, oxygen may be used instead of
air. Typically, the air is generated by some type of blower or compressor [9].

Surface aerators: Vertically mounted tubes of up to 1 metre diameter extending from just
above the base of a deep concrete tank to just below the surface of the sewage liquor. A
typical shaft might be 10 metres high. At the surface end the tube is formed into a cone with
helical vanes attached to the inner surface. When the tube is rotated, the vanes spin liquor up
and out of the cones drawing new sewage liquor from the base of the tank. In many works
each cone is located in a separate cell that can be isolated from the remaining cells if required
for maintenance. Some works may have two cones to a cell and some large works may have 4
cones per cell[9].

Pure oxygen aeration: Pure oxygen activated sludge aeration systems are sealed-tank reactor
vessels with surface aerator type impellers mounted within the tanks at the oxygen
atmosphere-mixed liquor surface interface. The amount of oxygen entrainment, or DO
(Dissolved Oxygen), can be controlled by a weir adjusted level control, and a vent gas oxygen
controlled oxygen feed valve. Oxygen is generated on site by cryogenic distillation of air,
pressure swing adsorption, or other methods. These systems are used where wastewater plant

7
space is at a premium and high sewage throughput is required as high energy costs are
involved in purifying oxygen[9].

REFERENCES

1. https://www.watercare.co.nz/

2. http://water.worldbank.org/shw-resource-guide/infrastructure/menu-technical-
options/wastewater-treatment

3. http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/env110/lesson10.htm

4. http://generalbacteriology.weebly.com/bacterial-growth.html

5. http://research.nmsu.edu
6. Operation and Control From the Water/ Wastewater Distance Learning Website of the
Mountain Empire Community College in Virginia.

7. Mathematics For Wastewater Operators

8. Eckenfelder, Jr., W. Wesley; Cleary, Joseph G. (2014). Activated Sludge Technologies

for Treating Industrial Wastewaters (1st ed.). DEStech Publications. p. 234. ISBN 978-
1-60595-019-8. Retrieved 29 December 2014.

9. http://www.theinfolist.com/html/en/activated_sludge.html