The Environmental Engineering Specialist

Tomher Enviironmenttall Sdn.. Bhd.. ((828805--D)) Tomher Env ronmen a Sdn Bhd 828805 D Mile 16.5, Jln Bukit Giling, Off Jln Tuaran Lama, P.O. Box A-83, 89357 Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia. Tel: 6(088)-788999, Fax: 6(088)-793111 Email: info@tomher.com.my, www.infinity.mytomher.com

THE COMPLEXITY OF EXTENDED AERATION ((EA)) SEWAGE THE COMPLEXITY OF EXTENDED AERATION EA SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEMS TREATMENT SYSTEMS Desiign Parameters Des gn Parameters
Sewage is a complex mixture of soluble and insoluble components which are broken down (termed digested) under aerobic conditions by micro-organisms in an aerated sewage treatment system. The components and control parameters of extended aeration (EA) sewage treatment systems can be summarised as follows 1. BOD (biological oxygen demand) measures as mg/l is a function of how many people use the toilet system and is made up of both the soluble and insoluble components of the sewage 2. SS (suspended solids) measure as mg/l and is a measure of the insoluble components of the sewage 3. Aeration which takes place in an aeration tank and can vary between 18 and 36 hours but is normally 24 hours and the DO (dissolved oxygen) measured in mg/l should not be less than 2mg/l and the higher the better because the sewage breakdown termed digestion is designed to take place in an aerobic environment. 4. MLSS (mixed liquor suspended solids) measured in mg/l is the mass of suspended solids in the aeration tank. This value reduces as a function of the digestion by bacteria in the aeration tank

The Complexity of Extended Aeration

(EA) Sewage Treatment S ystems

5. RAS (returned activated sludge) measures as a percentage as is typically 40 to 50% sludge return from the settlement tank to the aeration tank to stabilise the MLSS value, see below 6. SVI (sludge volume index) which is a measure of the sludge in the aeration tank and is a comparison of the sludge that settles in 30 minutes compared to the actual MLSS value. The SVI should in general be less than 100 and higher values indicate more desludging in the settlement tank is required and with too much old sludge can result in bulking where the sludge in the settlement tank does not settle efficiently and can cause major operational problems and, in the worst cases, possibly overflow the settlement tank

Conttroll Parametters Con ro Parame ers

TYPICAL EXTENDED AERATION (EA) SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM

Raw Sewage Aeration tank (24 hours) Settlement tank Final discharge

air Recycled activated sludge

Sludge discharge

The main problem with EA sewage plants is control of the returned activated sludge (RAS) to the aeration tank; too little means poor treatment and too much results in sludge bulking and sludge carryover In the final effluent. Trained operatives are essential

The above is a simple flow diagram representing an EA sewage treatment system. It is not the intention here to show how to design and operate an EA plant but to show how complex the operational control can be. If the sewage flow rate entering the system was a constant, life would be easy but it is not; the flow rate peaks three times a day (known as the diurnal effect) at

The Complexity of Extended Aeration

(EA) Sewage Treatment S ystems

breakfast, lunch and dinner times. The control range for the MLSS is 2000 to 6000mg/l; some specialists use a tighter range of 3000 to 5000mg/l which only adds to the operational difficulties. The F/M ratio is the most important control parameter where F is the feed (BOD) and M is the mass (MLSS). The BOD and MLSS vary throughout the day and, based on a BOD of 250mg/l and an MLSS range of 2000 to 6000mg/l, the ratio is normally controlled between 0.016 and 0.04. This ratio can vary slightly depending on the sewage strength (BOD value) and MLSS control parameters.

So the sewage plant operative has to control the F/M ratio by varying the RAS and it can be difficult. Also at the same time the operative must keep the SVI within the acceptable limits. Loss of control of any of these parameters can lead to bulking of the sludge which can be a major headache with sludge pouring from the top of the settlement tank in bad cases.

Inffiiniity BiioSollv Sewage Treattmentt In n ty B oSo v Sewage Trea men

INFINITY BIOSOLV ENHANCED EXTENDED AERATION (EEA) SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM

Raw Sewage

R1 3 hours

R2 3 hours

Settlement tank

Final discharge

air

air

Sludge discharge to drying beds

R1: Reactor 1 aeration tank R2: Reactor 2 aeration tank

The Complexity of Extended Aeration

(EA) Sewage Treatment S ystems

On the previous page is a flow diagram showing the simplicity of the Inffiiniitty BiioSollv sewage In n y B oSo v treatment system and it can be seem that it is substantially easier to operate with no sludge recycling and hence no F/M ratios to control, no RAS and also no SVI to control. The system is termed an Enhanced Extended Aeration (EEA) system. As a result of the ease of operation, the standard of labour to operate and control an EEA is substantially lower than with an EA system. As can be seen the total aeration time is only around 6 hours (3 hours in each aeration tank) compared to 24 hours in the conventional EA resulting in a smaller foot print and a lower power requirement.

The system utilises plastic carriers as shown above that are just less dense that water and float in the sewage liquor when not charged with biofilms. They have an exceedingly high surface area to volume ratio and the biofilms that develop inside the housings as shown on the photograph on the right are protected from attrition as the carriers move around in the highly aerated liquor. The number of carriers required to accommodate the incoming BOD are calculated and the BOD is effectively removed in Reactor # 1. Unlike in an EA system, the urea/ammonia removal requirement is also calculated and it is converted to nitrate in Reactor # 2. The organic phosphate is also converted to inorganic phosphate.

The Infinity aeration system is nearly 7 times more efficient than conventional aeration systems and adds to the efficacy of the Inffiiniitty BiioSollv system; see next page. In n y B oSo v

The Complexity of Extended Aeration

(EA) Sewage Treatment S ystems

The liquor from Reactor # 2 enters the settlement tank by displacement where the highly digested sludge settles and the clear liquor passes vertically through a tilted plate clarifier prior to discharge over a V notch weir. The treated liquor is high in nitrates and phosphates and is ideal for irrigation or hydroponics. The liquor can also be further treated to make it suitable for recycling for flushing toilets. This helps save water.

The Malaysia Standard A for discharge control is 20mg/l BOD and 50 mg/l suspended solids (known as a 20:50 requirement). The final effluent from an Inffiiniitty BiioSollv is around 5:15 In n y B oSo v which is about four times superior to Malaysian Standard A. The settled sludge is of a far higher quality than with an EA system having undergone a greater degree of digestion and can be pumped to drying beds to produce a high quality mulch. The mulch can be spread around the base of trees and bushes; in hot weather it reduces ground water losses due to evaoporation and in wet weather releases nutrients into the soil.

Both the final liquid discharge and the sludge from the Inffiiniitty BiioSollv are virtually odourless. In n y B oSo v

The Complexity of Extended Aeration

(EA) Sewage Treatment S ystems

EA
Raw sewage Aeration tank 24 hours Settlement tank Final Discharge (20:50)

air
Recycled activated sludge

Sludge discharge to drying beds

EEA
Raw sewage
R1 3 hours R2 3 hours

Settlement tank

Final Discharge (5:10)

air

air

Sludge discharge to drying beds

The above drawings are a pictorial comparison of the EA and EAA systems and confirm that the complexity of the EA system. On the next page is a tabulated comparison of the two systems.

The Complexity of Extended Aeration

(EA) Sewage Treatment S ystems

COMPARISON OF THE INFINITY BIOSOLV SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEMS COMPARISON OF THE INIT BIOS V SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEMS AND CONVENTIONAL EXTENDED AERATION SEWAGE SYSTEMS AND CONVENTIONAL EXTENDED AERATION SEWAGE SYSTEMS
Item
Balance tank sizing Aeration bubble size Aeration efficiency Aeration power requirement F and M ratio control Recycled activated sludge (RAS) RAS problems SVI control BOD removal efficiency Ammonia removal efficiency Sludge quality Final discharge quality Footprint Power requirement Plant operation Maintenance

Infinity BioSolv System

Same Fine 3mm diameter bubbles Nearly 7 times greater Low utilising ring blowers Not required Non Non Non High High Excellent for drying beds Excellent At least 30% smaller Savings up to 30% Simple Simple

Conventional EA System
Same Typically 20mm diameter bubbles Poor Higher utilising Roots Blowers Yes & trouble some Yes & trouble some Can be very troublesome Can be very troublesome Can be troublesome Can be troublesome Sludge bulking can occur Variable Much larger Higher Complicated Complicated

Tomher Enviironmentall Sdn.. Bhd.. (828805-D) Tomher Env ronmenta Sdn Bhd (828805-D)
Mile 16.5, Jln Bukit Giling, Off Jln Tuaran Lama, P.O. Box A-83, 89357 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Tel: 6(088)-788999, Fax: 6(088)-793111, Email: info@tomher.com.my, www.infinity.mytomher.com

The Complexity of Extended Aeration

(EA) Sewage Treatment S ystems