GROUP ASSIGNMENT

IINTRODUCTION
A plant producing a wide range of dairy-based products discharges its wastewater to the local
sewage system after primary treatment. As is typical in such plants, the wastewater varies
considerably in both flow and quality. The values below show the observed ranges of what is
discharged to sewer over a typical week:
Flow: 500 - 700 m3/day
BOD: 350 - 450 mg/L
However, the regional sewage treatment plant is nearing its maximum capacity and the water
authority is insisting that the plants wastewater be further treated before it is discharged to
sewer. Thus the company has recently been advised that any future discharge should have a
maximum BOD level of 5 mg/L. Your consulting company has been contracted to carry out
preliminary sizing calculations for a secondary treatment plant.
As is often the case in consulting work, this project will be carried out in small groups (of up
to three people). In any design process, there is rarely a single correct answer. An important
aspect of engineering design is the ability to make realistic assumptions. The assumptions you
make will influence the answers you get. Thus in your final report, it is essential that you make
it clear what assumptions you have made and why you think that these are reasonable.

PHASE 1: SUBSTRATE REMOVAL KINETICS

An Internet search provides laboratory data for wastewater from a skimmed milk plant that is
being successfully treated in an aerobic digester where the volatile suspended solids (VSS) has
been measured as around 3000 mg/L.
The biomass growth rate (rx in mg VSS/L.hr) was found to be adequately described by the
equation:

S
rx 0.18 X 0.0025 X
100 S

where S is the substrate level (in mg BOD per L).

The yield (Y) was reported to be 0.6 mg VSS/mg BOD.

Question 1
Sketch the behaviour of the specific growth rate ( in hr-1) as a function of S over the likely
range of interest (ie S up to 500 mg/L). Indicate on this sketch what happens to when S <<
100 and when S >> 100, as well as showing the value of S at which = 0.5max.

Question 2
What is the biomass growth rate (rx in mg VSS/L.hr) when S = 5, 50 and 250 mg/L for the
measured VSS loading. Note that X can be taken as equivalent to the VSS loading in an aerobic
reactor.

CHNG5005 (Group Assignment) Page 1

Question 3
Comment on the importance of the endogenous respiration term in the published expression
for rx .

PHASE 2: INITIAL MASS BALANCE CALCULATIONS

A basic aerobic digestion system consists of the following units:
A mixer (to combine the fresh feed with recycled activated sludge).
An aerated digester.
A clarifier (producing a treated wastewater overflow and a sludge underflow).
A splitter (producing a recycled sludge stream and a wasted sludge stream).

For preliminary calculations, the following assumptions may be made:

The digester is a single, well-mixed reactor (ie essentially a CSTR).
Substrate consumption (and biomass generation) only occurs in the digester.
Substrate consumption can be adequately described by Monod kinetics with no rate
restrictions imposed by oxygen transfer limitations.
The clarifier operates perfectly (ie all biomass in the feed to the clarifier reports to the
underflow stream).

Question 4
Discuss how reasonable each of the above assumptions is likely to be for a real plant.

Question 5
Such systems are typically operated so that F:M (ie the food to microorganism ratio) falls in the
range 0.2 0.5. Explain the consequences of operating outside this accepted range.

As explain in class,
Substrate loading rate (kg / day )
F :M
Biomass (kg)

Question 6
Using the above assumptions, develop a set of mass balance equations that describe this basic
aerobic digestion system. Clearly note any additional assumptions that you make.

CHNG5005 (Group Assignment) Page 2

Question 7
Develop an Excel spreadsheet that solves your mass balance model using Solver. Your model
should give the substrate level (in mg BOD/L) and the biomass level (in mg VSS/L) at all key
points around the circuit, as well as the required digester volume (in m3), and the hydraulic and
solids retention times (in days) .
This spreadsheet should have the following characteristics:
It should allow the user to readily change any operational variable or circuit parameter.
It should make clear how the mass balance equations are solved, noting that in various
scenarios it will be necessary to solve the model for different sets of variables.
In terms of the above considerations, the spreadsheet should be nicely formatted so as
to assist external assessment.
Solving your model will require you to determine (or set) values for the circuit parameters ,
and . The first two determine the recycle activated sludge flowrate or RAS (ie Q where Q is
the feed flowrate to the circuit) and the wasted activated sludge flowrate or WAS (ie Q), while
is the fraction of biomass entering the secondary clarifier that reports to the underflow
stream). At this stage, you should set = 1 (ie you have a perfect clarifier).

Note that an alternative to setting is to provide a value for the biomass concentration in the
overflow from the clarifier.
Explain clearly your reasons for the values of and chosen.

Assumptions:

Sa= 5 mg BOD / L
Sa= 0 mg VSS / L
Clarifier works ideally (=1). Xe = 0 mg VSS / L
Substrate concentration is equal in both outflows of the clarifier. Se = Sr = 5 mg BOD / L
MLSS to MLVSS ratio: 0.75 (0.7-0.8 range average)

Operation Parameters:

4 < HRT < 24 hours

4 < SRT < 20 days
0.1 < F:M < 0.5
2000 < MLSS < 5000 mg/L

CHNG5005 (Group Assignment) Page 3

Question 8
Estimate the amount of oxygen dissolved in the digester at any one time (using an indicative
DO level of 3 mg/L) and how much oxygen (in kg/hr) is required by the biomass in the digester.
By comparing these two estimates, comment on the aeration efficiency needed for the digester.

PHASE 3: IMPACT OF OPERATING PARAMETERS

Your Excel spreadsheet model can be used to investigate a range of design and operational
scenarios.

Question 9
Examine the sensitivity of your aerobic digester circuit to parameters , and . In looking at
such sensitivity issues, it may be useful to define a base case set of conditions around which
changes are then made.

Question 10
Examine the sensitivity of your base case aerobic digester circuit to anticipated flow and BOD
variations.

Question 11
In a membrane bioreactor system, the clarifier is replaced by a membrane based separator that
ensures essentially no biomass leaves in the treated wastewater stream (ie ~ 1). Such a system
means that the biomass concentration in the digester can be substantially increased (up to
around 8000 mg VSS/L). Use your Excel spreadsheet to examine this option.

PHASE 4: REDUCING DIGESTER VOLUME

If the digester is modelled as a single well-mixed CSTR, then the reaction rates (for both
substrate consumption and biomass generation) are quite low, as the substrate concentration
within the total digester volume is the same as that leaving the system (ie around 5 mg /L). One
way to reduce digester volume is to use internal baffles so that the digester behaves like several
CSTRs in series.

CHNG5005 (Group Assignment) Page 4

Question 12
Develop a mass balance model that describes the case where the digester consists of three well-
mixed reactors in series. Assume that all reactors have the same volume. Clearly note any
additional assumptions that you make.

Question 13
Estimate the volume (in m3) of a three CSTRs in series digester required to give an exit
substrate concentration of 5 mg BOD/L.

Question 14
If the digester operated as a plug-flow reactor, then the substrate and biomass concentrations
along its length can be obtained by solving the following coupled differential equations:

dS r
S
dV Q

dX rX

dV Q

The initial conditions (ie the values of S and X at V = 0) for these equations are the values
leaving the mixer where fresh feed and recycled sludge are combined. Q is the volumetric
flowrate through the digester.
(i) Derive the above equations by carrying out substrate and biomass balances over a
differential slice of a plug-flow reactor.
(ii) By simultaneously solving these equations (eg using Matlab), estimate the volume (in
m3) of a plug-flow digester required to give an exit substrate concentration of 5 mg
BOD/L.

Question 15
Comment on the relative size of the digester volumes required for the three cases where the
digester is modelled as a single CSTR, three CSTRs in series, and a plug-flow reactor.
Is attempting to minimise digester volume a good idea in this case?

CHNG5005 (Group Assignment) Page 5

PHASE 5: CLIENT CONSIDERATIONS
Your company presents its initial findings to the management team from the food production
company. At this meeting, a number of issues are raised by the client:
(a) What aeration option would you recommend for the digester, and can you provide an
estimate of the power requirements and electricity costs?
(b) How would you suggest designing/operating the secondary treatment plant given that
the feed flow and BOD loading are both quite variable and can change in a relatively
short period of time?
(c) What size clarifier would you recommend for this secondary treatment plant, and what
are the major advantages and disadvantages of not using a clarifier but designing the
plant as a membrane bio-reactor system?
(d) How much waste sludge would this plant produce per day and what is the most cost-
effective treatment option in your opinion?
(e) What are the major advantages and disadvantages of treating this wastewater in an
anaerobic (rather than an aerobic) digestion system?

Question 16
Address each of the issues raised above. Remember that here the client is not looking for highly
detailed technical information but rather wants a brief, informed opinion from a (well-paid)
consulting company that will assist him in deciding on the most cost-effective way of
complying with the new discharge requirements of the local water authority.

CHNG5005 (Group Assignment) Page 6