Technical Proposal

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Waste Water Treatment Plant

For Colony Waste Water
Of
Alliance Sugar Mills (pvt.) Ltd. Ubauro Sindh.

1
Technical Proposal

1. Scope of Services

Proposal for Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP). The technical Proposal has been
prepared for the services that include design and supervision of Waste Water Treatment
Plant.

2. Technical Proposal
2.1 Design Basics

The technical proposal is based upon the total flow rate of 13m3 per hour and
pollution load of COD – 519 ppm and BOD – 155 ppm.

3. Inlet Parameters
Flow – 13 m3 /hr
COD – 519 ppm
BOD – 155 ppm
TDS – 977 ppm
TSS – 148 ppm
4. Outlet Parameters
COD – 150
BOD – 80
TSS – 0 to 200
TDS – 0 to 3500
5. Process Selection

By considering pollution load, flow and category of waste water as typical domestic
sewage. The selected process is RBC (Rotating Biological Contactor). RBCs are a fixed film,
aerobic, biological wastewater treatment system. Physically, they consist of parallel,
deformed discs mounted perpendicularly on a shaft that is slowly rotated in a tank through
which the wastewater to be treated is passed. The shaft is mounted above the water level in
the tank. A schematic drawing follows.

2
Technical Proposal

Figure 1: Simplified Schematic of Rotating Biological Contactor

During the treatment process, microbes that remove the organic material in the
wastewater (by using the organic material as a food source) attach themselves to the disc
surfaces. They grow in a thin biofilm, whose thickness is controlled by the shearing force of
the discs being rotated through the water. By rotating out of the water into the atmosphere,
the microorganisms, growing on the disc, are provided oxygen. The surplus
microorganisms that are sheared off the discs are carried with the wastewater to clarifiers
where they are separated from the treated wastewater by settling out. The settled solids
are then pumped from the bottom of the clarifier a sludge. The surplus sludge is withdrawn
on sludge drying bed.

6. Design Basics

By considering the pollution load and category of waste water as typical domestic
sewage. The RBC disc rollers series Model B 200-60-1 will be installed with the disc
diameter of 2 meters. The overall dimensions will be as follows;

Total Width = 2.00 m

Total Length = 5.75 m
Total Height = 2.15 m

7. Merits of Process Selection

3
Technical Proposal

Fixed film processes have several advantages over the activated sludge process,
which is the most common suspended growth process. Also, advances in design have been
made, eliminating fixed film processes previous disadvantages. Therefore, there is
increasing interest in fixed film processes in the wastewater treatment industry. Some of
the advantages of fixed film systems are as follows;

• Low Energy Usage – RBCs uses approximately one half the amount of energy used
by the activated sludge process.
• Process Stability with Load Variations – Since the microorganisms in a fixed film
system are attached to a media, they cannot wash out with increased flows. Also
fixed film systems generally have a greater mass of microorganisms, making them
better able to handle organic load increases. The activated sludge process, on the
other hand, is more susceptible to performance deterioration due to hydraulic and
organic load variations. Rapid flow increases tend to wash microorganisms out of
the aeration tank at precisely the time that a high concentration is needed.
Sometimes the microorganisms are even washed out of the system with the clarifier
effluent. Rapid changes in organic loads can result in significantly reduced
performance as a result of too few microorganisms in the system relative to the
organic load.
• Low Solids Generation – Fixed film systems generate fewer, more concentrated
solids than activated sludge. This results in smaller clarifiers and reduces the size of
solids handling systems. The literature reports that the mass of solids produced by
typical fixed film systems is 10% to 20% less than for activated sludge, due to the
longer solids retention time.
• More Reliable Liquid/Solids Separation – The technical literature regarding
activated sludge is filled with advice on how to avoid filamentous growth, foaming,
dispersed growth, and other situations that lead to poor liquid/solids separation
and poor effluent quality. Fixed film systems seldom experience such problems
since the surplus bacteria generated slough off the media in relatively large, easily
settled floc.

4
Technical Proposal

• Easy to Operate – Fixed film systems operate with little operator intervention and
monitoring and generally use simple, low maintenance equipment. With activated
sludge, the operator must constantly be aware of conditions that could lead to
poorly settling sludge or inadequate BOD removal. This requires continual
monitoring of the wastewater quality, the type of microorganisms in the aeration
basin, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the aeration basin, the rate at which the
biological solids settle and how well they compact, and other conditions. To address
system changes, the operator must adjust the number of biological solids in the
system, the amount of oxygen provided, the rate of return of biological solids from
the clarifier to the aeration basin and may have to make other process adjustments.
All of these require operator attention and time. Further, activated sludge plants
occasionally experience periods of poor performance due to poorly settling solids.
During these times, the operator must take steps to respond that often involve even
more intensely monitoring plant conditions. Also, activated sludge systems often
use high speed rotating equipment and aeration devices that require frequent
maintenance.
• No Sludge Return – In order to maintain a large mass of microorganisms in the
system, activated sludge plants need to return activated sludge that settles in the
secondary clarifiers back to the aeration tank. This requires pumping and
operational control. This requires energy, pump maintenance, and close process
monitoring. Since the required mass of microorganisms in the
• Less Land Required – Fixed film processes can achieve more treatment on less
land than conventional activated sludge systems.
8. Physical Description
7.1 Media
• Biological Slime Growth -A biological slime grows on the media which contains the
bacteria and microorganisms which supply treatment of the wastewater.This
process is very similar to a trickling filter. The biological slime growth develops
from the bacteria and microorganisms present in the wastewater. Typically, a layer
1/16 to 1/8 inch of biological slime grows attached to media discs. Media is

5
Technical Proposal

composed of high-density plastic circular discs or sheets usually 12 feet in diameter.

Spacing between sheets provides space for distribution of wastewater and air.
Corrugations increase the available surface area and enhance structural stability.
• Rotation of Media - The media is rotated on a shaft into the wastewater, then into
the atmosphere to provide oxygen. Together, the media and the shaft are referred to
as the drum. The drum rotates about 1.5 revolutions per minute (rpm) by either a
mechanical or compressed air drive. Approximately 40% of media surface is
immersed in the wastewater at any given moment.
• Appearance of Media - A gray, shaggy appearing biological slime is indicative of a
system designed strictly for BOD removal. A brown, thinner, less shaggy biological
slime is indicative of a nitrifying system.
• Sloughing –Sloughing is the term used to refer to the process in which excess
microbial growth separates from the media and is washed to the secondary
clarifiers with the treated wastewater. The excess slime will settle out in the
secondary clarifiers and be removed from the system. Natural biological sloughing
will occur from any fixed film reactor. It is a normal consequence of media growth.
7.2 Shaft
The shaft supports and rotates the media when mechanical drives are utilized for
rotation of the “drum.” It simply supports the media when air drives are utilized for
rotation of the “drum.” The typical maximum length is 27 feet long with a maximum of 25
feet occupied by media.

7.3 Drive Assembly

There are two types of drive assemblies: mechanical drives and air drives.

• A mechanical drive is attached directly to the shaft and is the type of drive that is
used most often.
• An air drive consists of deep plastic cups attached to the perimeter of the media, an
air header located beneath the media and an air compressor. The release of air into
the cups creates a buoyant force that causes the shaft to turn.
7.4 Reactor Basin

6
Technical Proposal

The reactor basin is the physical tank that contains the media, shaft and drive
assembly (covered by a cover), through which the wastewater flows.

7.5 Cover
Covers are made of fiberglass for durability and lightweight handling. Typically, they
conform to the general shape of the media and provide appropriate ventilation or removal
during warm weather operation. An RBC is generally covered because of climate condition
reasons. The cover protects the slime from freezing and it also prevents rain from washing
the slime away from the media. The cover prevents exposure to sunlight, which prevents
growth and buildup of algae and deterioration of the plastic media due to ultraviolet light.
The cover also provides protection for operators from sun, rain, snow and wind while
performing maintenance.