DAB 30102

WASTEWATER
TREATMENT
 OBJECTIVE
In the end of this chapter the student should be
able to:

explain the main principles of wastewater

treatment processes
explain the sludge treatment
identify sources and characteristic of wastewater
 What is wastewater?
Wastewater is sewage, storm water, and water
that has been used for various purposes around
the community.
Unless properly treated, wastewater can harm
public health and the environment.
Most communities generate wastewater from both
residential (domestic wastes) and nonresidential
sources (offices, businesses, department stores,
restaurants, schools, hospitals, industrial and etc.)
 Where does it all go!
Where does the When you flush the
water from the toilet where does the
washer go? contents go?

By gravity flow, the waste is on its way to wastewater

treatment plant

WWTP
 4.1 WASTEWATER SOURCES AND
There are two typesCHARACTERISTICS
of domestic sewage: blackwaterwastewater
from toilets, & graywaterwastewater from all sources except
toilets.

Blackwater and
graywater have
different
characteristics, but
both contain
pollutants and
disease-causing
 Storm water is a nonresidential source and carries
trash and other pollutants from streets, as well as
pesticides and fertilizers from yards and fields.
Because of the variety of nonresidential wastewater
characteristics, communities need to assess each source
individually or compare similar types of nonresidential
sources to ensure that adequate treatment is provided.
Wastewater from some nonresidential sources also may
require additional treatment steps. For example,
storm water should be collected separately to prevent
the flooding of treatment plants during wet weather.
Trash and other large solids from storm sewers often are
removed by screens.
Industrial Wastewater

7
 A range of wastewater characteristics are shown
in Table 1. the characteristics are categorized to
physical, chemical and biological. Some of the
contaminants are concerned is wastewater
treatment and the reason is tabulated in Table 2.
 Table 1 :
Wastewat
er
Characteri
stics
 Table 2: Important Contaminant Concerned
in Wastewater Treatment
CONTAMINATS REASON FOR IMPORTANCE
Suspended solids Can lead to development of sludge deposits and anaerobic
conditions when untreated wastewater is discharged in the
aquatic environment.
Biodegradable Composed principally of proteins, carbohydrates and fats,
organics biodegradable organics are measured most commonly in terms of
BOD and COD. If discharged untreated to the environment, their
biological stabilization can lead to the depletion of natural oxygen
resources and to the development of septic conditions.
Pathogens Communicable disease can be transmitted by the pathogenic
organisms in wastewater
Nutrients Both nitrogen and phosphorus, along with carbon are essential for
growth. When discharged to the aquatic environment these
nutrient can lead to the growth of undesirable aquatic life. When
discharge in excessive amounts on land, they can also lead to the
groundwater pollution.
Priority pollutants Organic and inorganic compounds selected on the basis of their
known or suspected carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, teratogenicity
or high acute toxicity.
Wastewaters can be classified as:
Domestic wastewater Industrial wastewater
- a.k.a municipal/sanitary - generated by large &
wastewater, simply sewage. medium scale industries.
- used water which has been - manufacturing industries
discharged from the residential, produce a large volume of
commercial and industrial area of high strength wastewaters.
a city, and collected through
sewage system.
- generally is 99.9% water and
contains only 0.1% of organic
and inorganic solids and also
microorganism(bacteria).
 Table 3:
Typical
Contaminants
Concentration
Table 4: Average Characteristics of
Selected Industrial Wastewater
Manufactur Milk Meat Synthetic Chlorophen
er Processing Packing Textile olic
BOD (mg/L) 1000 1400 1500 4300
COD (mg/L) 1900 2100 3300 5400
Total Solid 1600 3300 8000 53000
(mg/L)
Nitrogen 300 1000 2000 1200
(mg/L)
Phosphorus 50 150 30 0
(mg/L)
pH 7 7 5 0
Temperature 29 28 - 7
C
Grease - 500 - -
(mg/L)
 The majority of manufacturing wastes are more amenable
to biological treatment after dilution with domestic
wastewater.
Basically, BOD concentrations in industrial wastewater
ranged from 5-20 times greater than for domestic
wastewater.
Total solids also greater but vary in character from colloid
and dissolved organics food processing wastewater to
predominantly inorganic salt, such as the chlorophenolic
waste.
Suspended solids concentrations relative to BOD is
important when considering conventional primary
sedimentation and secondary biological treatment.
 In general the
average
wastewater flow
may vary from
60-130% of the
water used in
community.
Figure 1 : Household Wastewater Generation
WASTE WATER TREATMENT PROCESS
3 STAGES OF WATER TREATMENT
PRIMARY
- solids are separated
SECONDARY
- dissolved biological matter is converted into a
solid mass by using water-borne bacteria
- 95% of the suspended molecules should be
removed
TERTIARY
- biological solids are neutralized then disposed,
and treated water may be disinfected
chemically or physically
 TYPES OF TREATMENT

MECHANICAL TREATMENT
Influx (Influent)
Removal of large objects
Removal of sand and grit
Primary Sedimentation
BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
Trickling bed filter
Activated sludge
CHEMICAL TREATMENT
Disinfection
Waste Water Treatment Process
Preliminary Treatment
Removal of waste water constituents
such as rags, sticks, floatable grit, and
grease that may cause maintenance
or operational problem with the
treatment operations, processes, and
ancillary systems
 PRELIMINARY TREATMENT

Remove large objects

Ex: sticks, rags, toilet paper, tampons
Raked screen
Clog equipment in sewage treatment
plant
Preliminary
Treatment
Preliminary treatment consists of
following units
Screening: removal of floating matter.
Grit Chamber: removal of sand and grits.
Comminuters: grinding large size suspended
solids
Floatation Units: removal of oil and grease
Skimming Tanks
Flow Measuring units such as partial flume
Pumps
 Screening

Initially,woodchips,leaves,aquaticplants
andfloatingimpuritiesareremovedby
thescreeningprocess.
Afterthescreening,amorecompact
suspendedmaterialwillberemovedto
allowwatertoflowthroughthechamberin
whichitwillsettletothebottom.
 The purpose of
screeningprocess

Restricttheentryofsuspendedsolids
suchasgarbageinthewatertreatment
plant.
Preventpump,pipeandequipmentfrom
cloggingordamage.
Launchedawatercourseforthenext
process.
 Screening
These consist of bars usually spaced three-quarter
inches to six inches. Those most commonly used
provide clear openings of one to two inches.
They are usually set at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees
with the vertical.
The racks or screens may be cleaned either
manually or by means of automatically operated
rakes.

29
 Grit Chamber

Wastewater usually contains a relatively large amount of

inorganic solids such as sand, cinders and gravel which
are collectively called grit
Grit chambers are usually located ahead of pumps or
comminuting devices, and if mechanically cleaned,
should be preceded by coarse bar rack screens. The
detention period is usually between 20 seconds to 1.0
minute.

31
Grit Chamber

32
In this device all of the
wastewater flow passes
through the grinder
assembly

The grinder consists of a

screen or slotted basket, a
rotating or oscillating cutter
and a stationary cutter

Solids pass through the

screen and are chopped or
shredded between the two
cutters
Floatation Unit

34
 Skimming Tanks
A skimming tank is a chamber so arranged that the
floating matter like oil, fat, grease etc., rise and remain
on the surface of the waste water.
The chamber is a long trough shaped structure divided
up into two or three lateral compartments by vertical
baffle walls.
A theoretical detention period of 3 minutes is enough.
The floating matter can be either hand or mechanically
removed.

35
Skimming Tank

36
 Primary Treatment
Removal of a portion of the suspended solids
and organic matter from
the wastewater.
 Primary treatment
The objective - the removal of settle-able organic and inorganic
solids by sedimentation, and the removal of materials that will
float (scum) by skimming
Approximately 25 to 50% of the incoming biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD5), 50 to 70% of the total suspended solids (SS), and
65% of the oil and grease are removed during primary treatment
Some organic nitrogen, organic phosphorus, and heavy metals
associated with solids are also removed during primary
sedimentation
In many industrialized countries, primary treatment is the
minimum level of pre-application treatment required for
wastewater irrigation
It may be considered sufficient treatment if the wastewater is
used to irrigate crops that are not consumed by humans or to
irrigate orchards, vineyards, and some processed food crops
 Contd
Primary sedimentation tanks or clarifiers may be round or
rectangular basins, typically 3 to 5 m deep, with hydraulic
retention time between 2 and 3 hours

Settled solids (primary sludge) are normally removed from

the bottom of tanks by sludge rakes that scrape the sludge
to a central well from which it is pumped to sludge
processing units

Scum is swept across the tank surface by water jets or

mechanical means from which it is also pumped to sludge
processing units
Sedimentation tank and
clarifiers
Typical sedimentation tanks:

(a)rectangular horizontal flow

tank;

(b)circular, radial-flow tank;

(c) hopper-bottomed, upward

flow tank
In large sewage treatment plants (> 7600 m 3/d), primary sludge is
most commonly processed biologically by anaerobic digestion
In the digestion process, anaerobic and facultative bacteria
metabolize the organic material in sludge, thereby reducing the
volume requiring ultimate disposal, making the sludge stable
(nonputrescible) and improving its dewatering characteristics
Digestion is carried out in covered tanks (anaerobic digesters),
typically 7 to 14 m deep
The residence time in a digester may vary from a minimum of
about 10 days for high-rate digesters (well-mixed and heated) to 60
days or more in standard-rate digesters
Gas containing about 60 to 65% methane is produced during
digestion and can be recovered as an energy source
In small sewage treatment plants, sludge is processed in a variety
of ways including: aerobic digestion, storage in sludge lagoons,
Anaerobic Digester
 Advanced Primary Treatment
Enhanced removal of suspended solids
and organic matter from the
wastewater. Typically accomplished by
chemical addition or filtration known as
Coagulation and Flocculation.
 Primary Treatment
Primary treatment consists of following
processes/units
Sedimentation Primary Settling Tanks
Coagulation Secondary Settling Tank
Flocculation
 Performance criteria (established to monitor and improve day-by
day performance):
i. Influent flow rates and their variation (daily variation)
ii. Influent waste strength rates and its variation
iii. Recycle influent streams, from activated sludge to seepage,
supernatants from sludge dewatering, washing from tertiary
filter process.
. The performance of a primary clarification is not solely dependent
on influent flow variations. For instance, plants that may have
been over designed for flow may find that the retention time in
the tank is not the 2 hours of original design.
. Excessive retention time leads to septicity as there is no mixing in
primary sedimentation.
. Removal rates of 50-70% for suspended solids and 25-40% BOD 5
can be achieved. This removal may decrease with the increasing
of surface overflow rate.
Primary Treatment Process
Sedimentationis primary treatment
Process.
Sedimentationis a physicalwater
treatmentprocess used to settle out
suspended solids in water under the
influence ofgravity.
 Removal Efficiency of Primary
Treatment Process :
Removal efficiency of Biological Oxygen Demand
(B. O.D.) in primary treatment process is 30%

Removal efficiency of Total Suspended Solids

(T.S.S.) in primary treatment process is 60%
Typical Primary Treatment Plant with
preliminary treatment process
Sedimentation Tank
 EXAMPLE 1
Design a primary circular settling tank (clarifier) to remove 60% of
the SS if the average flow is 5000 m3/day with a peak factor of
2.5. To achieve 60% SS reduction and 40% BOD reduction, a
surface overflow rate (SOR) of 40 m3/day/m2 is required. Assume
the side wall depth is 3m. Find the volume of tank and what is
SOR for peak flows.
Solution:
Surface area required = Q/ SOR
= (5000 m3/day) / (40 m3/day/m2)
= 125 m2
With depth 3m then, volume = 125 m2 x 3m
= 375 m3
 At peak flows,
SOR = (2.5 x 5000 m3/day) / 125 m2
= 100 m3/day.m2

Note:
Detention time : Volume/Q
 The mechanism of chemically enhanced primary sedimentation is
to use aeration tank prior to the settling tank. The chemical are
added to the aeration tank.
The amount of sludge produced during primary settling will
depend on the through flow, the total suspended solids and the
efficiency of solids removal. The quantity can be readily
determined from
Sm = Q x TSS X E kg/day
Where,
Sm = sludge quantity, kg/day
Q = through flow, m3/day
TSS = total suspended solid, mg/l
E = removal effeciency
Chemical enhancement sustains the high removal efficiency over
a wide range of removal rates.
 In conventional primary tanks, as the surface overflow rate
increase, the removal efficiency decrease. With chemical
coagulant, the removal efficiencies are almost constant over SOR
range.
Table 1 below shows the comparison of pollutant removal
efficiency for primary treatment.
Parameter With coagulant Without
(%) coagulant (%)
TSS 60-90 40-70
BOD5 40-70 25-40
COD 30-60 20-30
TP (total 70-90 5-10
phosphorus)
Bacteria 80-90 50-60
 EXAMPLE 2
Determine the amount (in kg/day and m3/day) of primary sludge
solids generated in a domestic treatment plant for P.E (total
capacity) 20,000 m3 with an efficiency of TSS removal if 60%.
Given per capita flow 225L/day and TSS concentration 300 mg/l.
Solution:
Q = 20,000 m3 x 225 L/day = 4500,000 m3.L/day
1 L = 0.001 m3
4500,000 m3.L/day = 4500 m3/day
Sm = Q x TSS x E kg/day
= 4500 m3/day x 300 mg/L x 0.6 mg/L
(note:1m3=1000kg)
= 810 kg/day
 Assuming the density of sludge (ps) to be 1000 kg/m3 ,
then the volume of sludge generated daily
V = M / ps
= 810 kg/day / 1000 kg/m3
= 0.81 m3 / day
 EXERCISE 1
Determine the surface area of a primary settling tank sized to handle a maximum
hourly flow of 0.570 m3/s at an overflow rate of 60.0 m/day. If the effective tank
depth is 3.0 m, what is the effective theoretical detention time?
Solution:
Surface area = Q/ SOR
= 0.570 m3/ s / 60.0 m/day
= (0.570 x (60x60x24) m3/day) / (60.0 m/day)
= 820.8 m2 @ 821 m2

Answers:
Volume Surface
= 821 m2 x area
3.0 m= 820.80 or 821 m2
=Detention
2463 m3 time, t0 = 1.2 h

Detention time = Volume/Q

= (2463 m3 x 24h) / 49248 m3 / day
= 1.2 hours
 Secondary treatment
The objective of secondary treatment is the further treatment
of the effluent from primary treatment to remove the
residual organics and suspended solids

Aerobicbiological treatment is performed in the presence of

oxygen by aerobic microorganisms (principally bacteria) that
metabolize the organic matter in the wastewater, thereby
producing more microorganisms and inorganic end-products
(principally CO2, NH3, and H2O)

Severalaerobic biological processes are used for secondary

treatment differing primarily in the manner in which oxygen is
supplied to the microorganisms and in the rate at which
organisms metabolize the organic matter
Contd
High-ratebiological processes are characterized by relatively
small reactor volumes and high concentrations of
microorganisms compared with low rate processes

Consequently, the growth rate of new organisms is much greater

in high-rate systems because of the well controlled environment

The microorganisms must be separated from the treated

wastewater by sedimentation to produce clarified secondary
effluent

The sedimentation tanks used in secondary treatment, often

referred to as secondary clarifiers, operate in the same basic
manner as the primary clarifiers described previously
 The biological solids removed during secondary sedimentation,
called secondary or biological sludge, are normally combined
with primary sludge for sludge processing

Common high-rate processes include the activated sludge

processes, trickling filters or biofilters, oxidation ditches and
rotating biological contactors (RBC)

A combination of two of these processes in series (e.g. biofilter

followed by activated sludge) is sometimes used to treat
municipal wastewater containing a high concentration of organic
material from industrial sources
 Activated Sludge
Inthe activated sludge process, the dispersed-growth reactor is
an aeration tank or basin containing a suspension of the
wastewater and microorganisms, the mixed liquor

The contents of the aeration tank are mixed vigorously by

aeration devices which also supply oxygen to the biological
suspension

Aeration devices commonly used include submerged diffusers

that release compressed air and mechanical surface aerators
that introduce air by agitating the liquid surface

Hydraulic retention time in the aeration tanks usually ranges

from 3 to 8 hours but can be higher with high BOD5
wastewaters
 Followingthe aeration step, the microorganisms are separated
from the liquid by sedimentation and the clarified liquid is
secondary effluent

A portion of the biological sludge is recycled to the aeration

basin to maintain a high mixed-liquor suspended solids (MLSS)
level

Theremainder is removed from the process and sent to sludge

processing to maintain a relatively constant concentration of
microorganisms in the system
 Trickling Filters
A trickling filter or biofilter consists of a basin or tower filled with
support media such as stones, plastic shapes, or wooden slats
Wastewater is applied intermittently, or sometimes continuously,
over the media
Microorganisms become attached to the media and form a
biological layer or fixed film
Organic matter in the wastewater diffuses into the film, where it
is metabolized
Oxygen is normally supplied to the film by the natural flow of air
either up or down through the media, depending on the relative
temperatures of the wastewater and ambient air
The thickness of the biofilm increases as new organisms grow
 Periodically, portions of the film slough off the media
The sloughed material is separated from the liquid in a
secondary clarifier and discharged to sludge processing
Clarified liquid from the secondary clarifier is the secondary
effluent and a portion is often recycled to the biofilter to
improve hydraulic distribution of the wastewater over the filter
 Removal Efficiency of
Trickling Filter
The Removal efficiency of Total
Organic Carbon (T. O. C.) from
Trickling Filter is greater than 90%
Working of Trickling Filter
Top view of Trickling Filter
 Rotating Biological Contactors
Rotating biological contactors (RBCs) are fixed-film reactors
similar to biofilters in that organisms are attached to support
media

Inthe case of the RBC, the support media are slowly rotating
discs that are partially submerged in flowing wastewater in the
reactor

Oxygen is supplied to the attached biofilm from the air when the
film is out of the water and from the liquid when submerged,
since oxygen is transferred to the wastewater by surface
turbulence created by the discs' rotation

Sloughedpieces of biofilm are removed in the same manner

described for biofilters
Contd
High-ratebiological treatment processes, in combination with
primary sedimentation, typically remove 85 % of the BOD 5 and
SS originally present in the raw wastewater and some of the
heavy metals

Activated
sludge generally produces an effluent of slightly
higher quality, in terms of these constituents, than biofilters or
RBCs

When coupled with a disinfection step, these processes can

provide substantial but not complete removal of bacteria and
virus

However,they remove very little phosphorus, nitrogen, non-

biodegradable organics, or dissolved minerals.
 Activate Sludge Process
In activated sludge process wastewater
containing organic matter is aerated in an
aeration basin in which micro-organisms
metabolize the suspended and soluble organic
matter.
Activated sludge plant
involves:
wastewater aeration in the presence of a microbial
suspension
solid-liquid separation following aeration
discharge of clarified effluent
wasting of excess biomass, and
return of remaining biomass to the aeration tank.
Removal Efficiency of Activated
Sludge Process :
Metal Removal Efficiency

Al <20%
Mo <20%
As <20%
Pb 20-50%
Mn 20-50%
Ag 20-50%
Cd >50%
Fe >50%
Cr >50%
 Oxidation Ditch
The oxidation ditch is a modified form of
"extended aeration" of activated sludge
process. The ditch consists of a long
continuous channel oval in shape with two
surface rotors placed across the channel.
A Typical Oxidation Ditch
A View of Oxidation Ditch
 EXAMPLE 3
A conventional activated sludge plant without
primary clarification operates under the following
conditions:
Design flow : 8100 m3/day
Influent BOD : 185 mg/L
Suspended solids: 212 mg/L
Aeration basins: 4 units, 12 m square x 4.5
deep
Mixed liquor suspended solid 2600 mg/L
(MLSS):
Recirculation flow: 3800 m3/day
Suspended solids in waste 8600 mg/L
sludge:
Effluent BOD: 15 mg/L
Suspended solids: 15 mg/L
Calculate :
a) Aeration period
b) BOD loading
c) Return activated sludge age
d) F/M ratio
e) Suspended solids and BOD removal
efficiencies
f) Sludge age
Solution:
a) Aeration period
Aeration basin volume = 4 units x (12m x 12m x
4.5m)
= 2592 m3
Aeration period, t = V / Q
= 2592 m3 / 8100 m3/day
= 0.32 day (x24 hours)
= 7.68 hrs @ 7.7 hrs
b) BOD loading = (Q x Concentration BOD) / Volume
= (8100 m3/day x 185 mg/L) / 2592
m3
c) Return activated sludge age
= (Recirculation flow /Q) x 100
= (3800 m3/day / 8100 m3/day) x 100
= 46.9 @ 47%
d) F/M ratio = (Q x Concentration BOD)
F/M= (food to microbes) Volume x MLSS
= (8100 m3/day x 185 mg/L)
2592 m3 x 2600 mg/L
= 0.222 g BOD / day
g MLSS
e) Suspended solids and BOD removal
efficiencies
Suspended solids removal = (212 -15 mg/L) x 100%
= 93%
212
BOD removal = (185 15 mg/L) x 100% = 92%
185
f) Sludge age
SS in the effluent = Q x Concentration SS
= 8100 m3/day x 15 mg/L
= 121,500 m3/day/mg/L
(1kg=1000mg)
SS in waste activated sludge = Q sludge x Concentration
SS sludge

*Q sludge = 150 m3/day = 150 m3/day X 8600 mg/L

= 1290,000 mg/L/m3/day
(1kg=1000mg)
= 1290 kg/m3/day
(1m3=1000L)

Sludge age = Volume x MLSS

SS effluent + SS activated sludge
= 2592 m3 x 2600 mg/L
121 kg/m3/day + 1290 kg/m3/day
= 6739,200 mg/m3/L
(1kg=1000mg)
1411 kg/m3/day
 Tertiary Treatment
Neither primary nor secondary treatment is effective
in removing phosphorus and other nutrients or toxic
substances such as NH3, PO4-3, SO4-2
Wastewater can enrich local waters to create
entropic conditions, including algal blooms and
sufficient loss of oxygen that fish die.
To prevent this, a few water treatment systems use
additional steps to remove ammonia and phosphate,
using additional processing tanks in which specific
bacteria are used to remove ammonia and phosphate.
BOD may be removed by activated carbon
 Tertiary Treatment
Tertiary treatment consists of following
processes and units.
Nitrogen removal
Phosphorus removal
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems
Activated Carbon Adsorption
 Nitrogen Removal
Nitrogen compounds may be removed from wastewater in two ways.
Even after secondary treatment, most of the nitrogen exists as
ammonia. Increasing the pH produces the reaction
NH4+ + OH- NH3 + H2O
Much of the dissolved ammonia gas may then be expelled from the
water into atmosphere.
The ammonia ion in the wastewater may also be oxidized completely
to nitrate by bacteria like Nitrobacter and Nitromonas, in the process
called nitrification:
2NH4+ + 3O2 2NO2- + 2H2O + 4H-
Nitromonas

2N2- + O2 2NO3-
Nitrobacter

These reactions are slow and require long retention times in aeration
tank as well as suffient DO.
Phosphorus Removal
Phosphate may be removed chemically and biologically.
Mostly chemical method using lime Ca(OH)2 and alum Al2(SO4)3.
Under alkaline conditions, the calcium ion will combine with
phosphate to form calcium hydroxyapatite, a white insoluble
precipitate that is settled out and removed from the wastewater.
Insoluble CaCO3 is also formed and removed and may be recycled
by burning in a furnace.
CaCO3 CO2 + CaO
heat
Quicklime, CaO is then slaked by adding water and forming lime,
that may be reused.
CaO + H2O Ca(OH)2
Biological processes
Over the past 20 years, several biological suspended growth process
configurations have been used to accomplish biological phosphorous
removal. The most important are shown in the following picture.
The principal advantages of biological phosphorous removal are
reduced chemical costs and less sludge production as compared to
chemical precipitation.
In the biological removal of phosphorous, the phosphorous in the
influent wastewater is incorporated into cell biomass, which is
subsequently removed from the process as a result of sludge wasting.
The reactor configuration provides the P accumulating organisms
(PAO) with a competitive advantage over other bacteria. So PAO are
encouraged to grow and consume phosphorous. The reactor
configuration in comprised of an anaerobic tank and an activated
sludge activated tank. The retention time in the anaerobic tank is
about 0.50 to 1.00 hours and its contents are mixed to provide
contact with the return activated sludge and influent wastewater.
BIOLOGICAL PROCESS
 In the anaerobic zone: Under anaerobic conditions, PAO assimilate
fermentation products (i.e. volatile fatty acids) into storage products within
the cells with the concomitant release of phosphorous from stored
polyphosphates. Acetate is produced by fermentation of bsCOD, which is
dissolved degradable organic material that can be easily assimilated by the
biomass. Using energy available from stored polyphosphates, the PAO
assimilate acetate and produce intracellular polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)
storage products. Concurrent with the acetate uptake is the release of
orthophosphates, as well asmagnesium, potassium, calcium cations. The
PHB content in the PAO increases as the polyphosphate decreases.
In the aerobic zone: energy is produced by the oxidation of storage
products and polyphosphate storage within the cell increases. Stored PHB is
metabolized, providing energy from oxidation and carbon for new cell
growth. Some glycogen is produced from PHB metabolism. The energy
released from PHB oxidation is used to form polyphosphate bonds in cell
storage. The soluble orthophosphate is removed from solution and
incorporated into polyphosphates within the bacterial cell. PHB utilisation
also enhances cell growth and this new biomass with high polyphosphate
storage accounts for phosphorous removal. As a portion of the biomass is
wasted, the stored phosphorous is removed from the biotreatment reactor
 Reverse Osmosis Basics
Osmosis:
Osmosis is a natural phenomenon that provides water to all animal and vegetable
cells to support life
Water moves from a high concentration of water (less sugar/salt dissolved in it) to
a low concentration of water (more salt/sugar dissolved in it) across a semi-
permeable membrane
This means that water can cross a selectively permeable membrane from a dilute
solution (less dissolved in it) to a concentrated solution (more dissolved in it)
Osmosis: What is it?

Reference: //ehrig-privat.de

Net Movement of Water Molecules

A semi-permeable membrane is a membrane which

will allow only certain molecules or ions to pass
through
Osmosis is very important in biology as it provides
the primary means by which water is transported in
and out of cells
Reverse Osmosis: What is it?

RO is a form of filtration using osmosis in reverse

Water passes from a more concentrated solution to a less
concentrated solution
To accomplish this a force or pressure MUST be applied
RO requires 1 psi of pressure for every 100 ppm (parts per
million) of TDS(total dissolve solids)
RO is used to remove dissolved solids from water but it can
also improve taste, odor & color of water
RO membranes have the capability to remove particles as
small as ions i.e. magnesium ions or sodium ions
RO membrane will reject most compounds based largely on
size
Dissolved ions, such as salts, carry an electric charge and will
also be rejected by membrane
Osmosis: How does it work?

Feed water flows into RO unit with the force of line

pressure
Water is forced through membrane by cross flow filtration
Cross flow filtration is most commonly used in RO as it
allows membrane to continually clean itself
Membrane then either rejects or repels contaminants
Two exit streams generated: waste & product stream
Waste stream consists of: A concentrate (reject) stream
which carries contaminants (compounds too large to pass
through membrane)
Permeate stream consists of: Product water which has
been forced through the membrane & is virtually free of TDS
Reverse Osmosis Schematic
RO Membrane:
 Activated carbon
BOD may be removed by
activated carbon adsorption,
which has the added advantage
of removing some inorganic
compounds.
Dirty water is pumped in at the
bottom and clear water exits at
the top.
Microscopic crevices in the carbon
catch and hold colloidal and
smaller particles. As the carbon
column becomes saturated, the
pollutants must be removed from
the carbon in the tube and the
carbon reactivated, usually by
heating in the absence of oxygen.
Sludge Treatment
Sludgerefers to the residual, semi-solid material left from
industrial wastewater, or sewagetreatmentprocesses.

Sustainable sludge handling may be defined as a

socially acceptable, cost-effective method
that meets the requirement of efficient recycling of
resources while ensuring that harmful substances are
not transferred to humans or the environment.

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The basic processes for sludge
treatment is shown in figure:
 Sludge handling processes

1. Thickening
2. Stabilization
3. Conditioning
4. Dewatering
5. Drying
6. Disposal

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1.Thickening
Reduces moisture content
of
sludge
Three types of thickening
Gravity thickening
Air floatation
Centrifugation
2. Stabilization
Objectives
Reduce pathogens
Eliminate offensive odors
Reduce potential for putrefaction
Production of usable gas (methane).

Mechanisms
oBiological reduction of volatile content
oApplication of heat to disinfect sludge

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Methods of stabilization

Alkaline stabilization :
. lime is added to untreated sludge , to raise the PH to 12
or higher .
. Retards microbial reaction .
. Materials such as cement kiln dust ,fly ash are used
instead of lime .
Anaerobic digestion

A biological process that uses bacteria in an oxygen

free environment.
These bacteria converts volatile solids into carbon
dioxide, methane and ammonia .

single stage digester

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Aerobic digestion
Organic part decomposes in presence of
oxygen by micro organisms .
Mostly used in plants with average flow less than
5 MGD .
Bacteria converts organic matter into carbon
dioxide .

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3.Conditioning
In this process sludge solids are treated with chemicals
or other means to prepare sludge for dewatering.
It improves the drainability of digested
sludge. Sludge becomes more amenable to dewatering.
It can be achieved by various methods such as
elutriation, chemical conditioning, heat treatment,
freezing etc.

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4. Dewatering
A physical unit operation used to reduce the moisture
content of sludge
Difficulty due to fact that particles are very fine, colloidal
in nature and possess a gel-like structure due to
polymeric flocculation
Compared to thermal (evaporative processes) for water
reduction, mechanical dewatering is often selected due
to its low energy requirement3

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Methods of dewatering
1. Centrifugation for separating liquids of different densities,
thickening slurries .

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2. Belt filter press- Uses principle of gravity drainage and
mechanically applied pressure.

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5. Drying
Reduces water content
Temp @ 350oC
Process carried out in kiln.
Dried sludge used as soil
conditioner
6. Disposal of Digested Sludge
Spreading on farm land
Dumping ( in abandoned
quarries)
Land filling ( Sanitary)
Sludge lagooning
Composting
Disposing in Inland water
bodies or Sea.
 SUMMARY
Functions of Water Treatment Units
Unit Treatment Function (Removal)
Screening Floating matter
Sedimentation Suspended matter
Coagulation Suspended matter, a part of colloidal matter
and bacteria
Chemical methods Iron, Manganese, etc.
Filtration Remaining colloidal dissolved matter,
bacteria
Disinfection Pathogenic bacteria, Organic matter and
Reducing substances
Softening Hardness
Aeration, chemicals use Colour, Odour, Taste
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Thank
You