Activated Sludge Treatment

1 Comment / Microbiology / By Supriya N

Activated sludge treatment can define as a conventional method, which can separate the solid
wastes, suspended organic matter, soluble matter and parasites. It is a biological system that makes
the use of living bacterial flocs to degrade the organic matter of the sewage and industrial waste in
aerated bioreactors.

Activated sludge treatment involves a series of stages, which firstly separates the raw or primary
sludge, then separates the waste activated sludge and finally involves disinfection and clarification of
the effluent. Therefore, it contributes a significant role in the control of water pollution by
eliminating the undesired chemicals, particulate matter and parasites from the sewage and industrial
waste.

Content: Activated Sludge Treatment

1. Definition

2. Variables

3. Notes

4. Process

5. Advantages

6. Disadvantages

7. Conclusion

Definition of Activated Sludge Treatment

Activated sludge treatment can define as the wastewater treatment plant, which eliminates the
particulate matter like sand, unwanted inorganic and organic wastes and harmful microorganisms
from the sewage waste. The process is followed by the primary, secondary and tertiary treatment
methods.

Primary treatment is a physical method, which involves the separation of large solid matter like
leaves, sand, gravel particles etc. Secondary treatment is a biological method, which separates the
suspended and soluble organic matter by making the use of bacterial flocs. Tertiary treatment is a
chemical method, which is a final stage to disinfect the secondary effluent by making the use of
chlorine gas.

Variables used in the Activated Sludge Treatment

While studying the activated sludge treatment, we must have an idea of the terms given below:

Water pollution

It can define as the accumulation of invaluable physical, biological and chemical waste, which alters
the appearance and potability of the water. Ground water generally gets polluted when it flows
through water channels, while the surface water gets contaminated by waste released from the
various kind of establishments.
Water pollutants

It includes chemical wastes (like heavy metals, VOCs), physical wastes (like vegetable remainings,
sand, gravel etc.) and biological waste (such as coliform bacteria in the human and animal’s faeces).
Water pollutants change the water quality or make it undesirable or unpotable for human
consumption.

Activated sludge

It can define as waste formed in the secondary treatment by the oxidation of organic matter by
the bacterial flocs under aerated condition. The coarse particles, colloids, suspended or dissolved
matter etc. deposits at the bottom of the aeration basin is termed as sludge. This sludge contains
active biomass of aerobic microbes like bacteria, fungi, protozoans etc. that decompose the waste
into activated sludge under aerated condition.

Sedimentation

It is a physical process facilitating the solid-liquid separation based on the size and density of the
particles suspended in the solution—the coarse particles deposits at the bottom as sediment out of
fluid via gravitational force. In the case of wastewater treatment, the sediment is called sludge.

Flocculation

This method facilitates the clumping of particles suspended in a liquid, which generally appears
as flocs that settle down towards the base of chamber or reactor. In simple words, it is
the aggregation of small colloids towards the bottom out os liquid mixture by the use of flocculating
agents.

Biodegradation

It is a process of removing organic and inorganic waste via active biomass of microorganisms, which
cause decomposition of the organic matter into a simpler form. In this, the products formed after
the biodegradation are environment-friendly or does not cause any destruction to the environment.

Disinfection

This is a chemical process used to destroy or deactivate the pathogenic microorganisms by using
various disinfectants (like chlorine, ozone, etc.) in order to make the water potable for human
consumption.

Mixing regime

It can define as the process of mixing of the contents in a bioreactor, followed by either plug flow or
complete mixing. There is a lateral mixing of the contents in plug flow mixing, while in a complete
mixing the contents are mixed or distributed uniformly. This factor may affect the oxygen
requirement, the susceptibility of the microorganisms to shock load, conditions within the bioreactor
etc.

Retention time

It can define as the average time, in which wastewater remains in the aerobic digester. It is also
called hydraulic retention time or sludge retention time.

Important Notes
 1. The main objective of traditional activated sludge treatment is to recycle the activated
sludge of sewage and industrial waste.

2. It makes the use of physical techniques like sedimentation in both the primary and
secondary treatment to separate and filter the bulky, solid or particulate waste.

3. Activated sludge treatment also uses different aerobic bacterial flocs so that they can further
degrade the suspended and soluble organic waste.

4. It also uses a chemical method of disinfection in order to kill or deactivate the growth and
reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms, especially coliforms.

5. The biodegradation of organic matter occurs inside the aeration tank or basin, which is
provided with the blower or air compressor to maintain the aerobic condition.

6. Its retention time is in between 5-14 hours.

7. This method of wastewater treatment aids maximum elimination of coarse particles, BOD,
COD and pathogenic microorganisms or parasites.

Activated Sludge Process

The whole process is divided into primary, secondary and tertiary treatment methods, where each
uses different mechanics to produce effluent from the wastewater.

Primary Treatment

It involves a series of operation like:

Screening: The raw-sewage waste goes into the bar rack screening via pipe inlets, in which the coarse
solids like rags, debris etc. are eliminated by interception. This step efficiently removes the floatable
matter and algae.
Grit disposal: It is carried out in the grit chamber, in which particles like sand, gravel, cinders etc.
deposit at the bottom relative to their different densities.

Pre-treatment or Primary sedimentation: It is accomplished by the use of primary clarifier or a basin,

where water has a certain retention time where the heavy organic solids can sediment (suspended
solids). This step ensures elimination of the suspended solids (about 50-70%) and the BOD (nearly
25-40%).

Secondary Treatment

It is the most crucial step of the wastewater treatment, which filters out the effluent from the waste
activated sludge. The secondary treatment involves a series of operation, such as:

Aeration tank: It a bioreactor which contains the primary or raw sludge and a microbial suspension.
Aeration tank is provided with an air compressor, which maintains the continuous airflow within the
reactor. Inside the aeration basin, the microorganisms utilize or decompose the organic matter in
order to release carbon dioxide, water, energy and simpler compounds.

Secondary sedimentation: It makes the use of clarifier settler, which further facilitates the solid-
liquid separation of the waste activated sludge. The solid waste settled at the bottom of the
secondary clarifier is further recycled into the aeration tank via return sludge pump. In contrast, the
wastewater from the activated sludge is further subjected to disinfection.

Tertiary Treatment

It is the final stage, in which the secondary effluent is treated chemically to ensure the release of
high-quality effluent.

Media or Membrane filtration: The remaining particulate matter, dissolved solutes and microbes in
the secondary effluent is then separated out by employing ultra-filtration or micro-filtration
technique.

Disinfection: The wastewater coming out of the secondary treatment is called secondary effluent,
which can be either subjected to UV-disinfection, chlorination or ozonation.
Advantages

 The process of activated sludge treatment releases high-quality effluent (wastewater

released from the sewage).

 It ensures the maximum reduction of BOD and parasites upto 99% during the secondary
treatment of wastewater.

 Activated sludge process can resist different organic and hydraulic shock load.

 The activated sludge treatment plant can be established in the minimal land area compared
to the water stabilization pond.

 It also ensures maximum removal of nutrients like N2, K, Ph from the organic matter.

Disadvantages

 The activated sludge process requires high capital.

 It also requires a continuous electricity supply.

 Its operation and maintenance require skilled labour-power.

 The process cannot be established at the community level.

 The construction of an activated sludge plant requires expert design, and generally, all are
equipment’s are not locally available.

 Effluent from the wastewater requires proper disinfection and appropriate discharge.

Conclusion

Therefore we can conclude that the activated sludge treatment is a widely accepted model for the
processing of solid-liquid domestic and industrial waste. It makes the use of microbial flocs (contains
bacteria and protozoa), oxygen (for cell respiration) and sludge recycling system (activated sludge is
processed back). The effluent produced by the activated sludge treatment is free of contaminants
and can be safely disposed into the surface water.

Trickling Filter Process

1 Comment / Microbiology / By Supriya N

Trickling filter process is one of the types of aerobic wastewater treatment. It is a fixed-bed
bioreactor that is the part of secondary wastewater treatment, which eliminates the coarse particles,
suspended organic and inorganic waste, small colloids etc. out of the primary effluent. A trickling
filter is also called biological filter, as it makes the use of active microbial mass as a bioweapon to
degrade the waste out of primary sewage.

Unlike activated sludge treatment, the trickling filter follows an attached growth system inspite of
suspended growth system. In this article, we will highlight the design or construction, operation,
types, advantages and disadvantages of the trickling filter.

Content: Trickling Filter Process

1. Definition

2. Operation

3. Design

4. Types

5. Advantages

6. Disadvantages

7. Conclusion

Definition of Trickling Filter Process

Trickling filter process can define as the biological system, which tends to separate or degrade the
maximum organic and inorganic waste (up to 85%) out of the primary or raw sludge via the slime
layer. The designing of a trickling filter unit includes a support structure, pebble or plastic filled media
and rotary distributor.

It works under the aerobic conditions and makes the use of aerobic microbes so that they can
exploit or oxidize the organic matter into a simpler form. The filter bed is placed below the pebble
filled media, which aids the separation of secondary effluent out of waste activated sludge. The final
effluent is released from the outlet pipe and further treated with disinfectants like chlorine, UV,
ozone etc. to make it safe for disposal.

Operation

The trickling filter process goes through a series of operation, which involves the following stages:
Introduction of the settled sewage

The raw or primary sewage from the primary clarifier tank enters the trickling filter tank at a steady
rate. The sewage must be primarily treated via a series of operations like screening, grit removal and
primary clarifiers to prevent clogging in the trickling filter system. Primary influent that enter the
trickling filter unit is free from coarse objects, suspended solids, rags etc. A dosing device (tipping
bucket) is a piece of equipment allowing the supernatant to flow upwards to the arms of the
perforated rotary distributor.

Sewage flushing

The primary sewage flushes downward via a perforated rotary distributor, which evenly distribute
the sewage over the filter matrix. The filter bed is packed with constituents like rock, gravel, redwood,
synthetic material etc. that acts as a media for the attachment of the microorganisms. Therefore, the
trickling filter is the best example of an attached growth system, in which biomass is directly
associated with the media instead of sewage suspension.

Passage through the filter media

The filter media is chiefly composed of porous media that increases the surface area for the
decomposition of the organic matter by the microorganisms. Trickling filters are generally available
as the standard rate and high rate filter, in which both have different hydraulic and organic loading
rate. It is also provided with air vents and backwashing to avoid odour, fly breeding and to clog
problems.

Pollutant degradation

The microorganisms attached to the filter bed utilize organic waste as a food material. The pollutants
like organic and inorganic waste in the sewage suspension go through
the absorption and adsorption into and over the filter bed by the microbial slime layer.

Oxygen utilization by the microorganisms

The treated primary sewage splashes through the arm of a rotary distributor provide the oxygen
supply in the form of dissolved oxygen. Oxygen is drawn into the filter media via vacuum or chimney
effect. The bio-film layer uses the dissolved oxygen trapped within the filter media and oxidize the
organic compounds by releasing carbon dioxide gas, water and other oxidized end products.

Slime layer

It also refers as a slime layer, which contains aerobic biomass of the surface of the filter bed up to
the thickness of 0.1-0.2mm. In contrast, the remaining area contains anaerobic biomass. The above
surface containing aerobic microbes is considered as the rapid growth phase region, as the
microorganisms harness direct sunlight and maximum amount of oxygen to degrade the organic
waste.

In contrast, the lower surface containing anaerobic microorganisms is considered as the oxygen-
deficient region, in which the microbes enter the endogenous phase to utilize their own cell for the
growth. After a certain point, the biofilm layer thickens gradually by the organic matter
decomposition, and later it sloughs off into the liquid flow and further separated inside the clarifier
or sedimentation tank out of effluent.

Design
Trickling filter functions as a bioreactor in the secondary wastewater treatment, and its layout
includes the following:

Filter bed: It is a bed chiefly containing crushed rock or other coarse media. The construction of a
filter bed is roughly 6 feet deep and 200 feet in thickness. Settled sewage is flushed evenly over the
filter bed containing organic and inorganic waste via continuously rotating distributor’s arm. Holes
within the rotary distributor arm facilitates the trickling of primary influent and settled sewage
throughout the filter bed.

Microbial film: Within the filter media some aerobic microbes are found on the surface, and some
anaerobic microorganisms are found below the filter media. As the wastewater trickles downward,
the microorganisms associated with the filter media starts utilizing the organic matter of the
wastewater and forms a later called microbial slime. Thus, the microorganisms in the filter media
play a pivotal role in degrading the organic matter in the sewage, thereby minimizes BOD and COD
from the sewage.

Drainage system: The treated wastewater from the trickling filter bed goes down the drainage
system and further undergoes tertiary treatment via membrane filter and disinfection before
secondary sedimentation. A secondary clarifier is a sedimentation unit, which separates the small
colloids, suspended particles etc. at the bottom out of waste fluid.

Besides, the tertiary treatment is also necessary for the safe disposal of the effluent, as this step
eliminates the pathogenic microorganisms. In contrast, the oxidized or decomposed organic matter
sloughed down and recycled back in the trickling filter mediated via return pump.
Types of Trickling Filters

Depending upon the hydraulic and organic shock load, trickling filters can be categorized into two
types, namely high rate and low rate trickling filter. The hydraulic loading rate can define as the
sewage flow (Q) per unit volume (V) of filter bed in a day, while the organic loading rate can define as
the kilograms of BOD (Y5) introduced into the per unit volume (V) in a day.

1. The BOD removal efficiency of both standard and high rate trickling filter is about 75 to 90%.
The nitrification of the primary effluent is relatively higher in low rate filters, whereas high
rate trickling filters produce partially nitrified effluent.

2. Low rate and high rate trickling filter are suitable for the treatment of low to high strength
domestic wastewaters and industrial wastewater.

3. Recirculation of the effluent is not provided in the low rate filters. In contrast, high rate
filters are provided with return pump between the trickling filter tank and secondary clarifier
that aids in effluent recirculation.

To identify the characteristic difference between the two, one can look upon the table given below
that specifies the efficiency and depth of the low and high rate trickling filter.

Properties Low rate trickling filter High rate trickling filter

Hydraulic loading 1-4 m3/m2.d 10-40 m3/m2.d

Organic loading 0.08-0.32 kg BOD/m3.d 0.32-1.0 kg BOD/m3.d

Depth 1.8-3.0 m 0.9-2.5 m

Recirculation ratio 0 0.5-3.0- domestic wastewater

8- strong industrial wastewater

Advantages

 It is a simple and reliable secondary treatment unit of the wastewater.

  It can be used to degrade a variety of organic waste.

 Trickling filter can resist shock loadings.

 It efficiently oxidizes the ammonia or efficient in ammonium oxidation.

 Trickling filter aids to produce effluent free of BOD, COD, nutrients, suspended colloids etc.

 Its construction requires a small land area, unlike constructed wetlands.

Disadvantages

 Its designing requires high capital costs.

 The designing of a trickling filter requires expert skills.

 Its operation and maintenance require regular attention by the skilled labour personnel.

 The trickling filter process is a continuous process, which needs an uninterrupted supply of
electricity and wastewater distribution.

 It sometimes causes flies breeding and odour problem.

 The effluent produced by the trickling filter needs to treated further by the chemical
disinfectants.

 Accumulation of excessive biomass may cause clogging of the TF-unit.

 Not all parts and materials may be locally available.

Conclusion

Therefore, we can conclude that the trickling filter process is one of the attached growth system,
which means that the microorganisms responsible for the degradation of the organic matter are
attached to the non-submerged packing material. It is designed for the secondary treatment of the
primary influent to eliminate the suspended and soluble organic waste along with the nutrients.