CHAPTER 2

CLASSIFICATION OF EFFLUENT
TREATMENT PROCESSES
Course Learning Outcome

At the end of this chapter the student should be able:

 Explain the aerobic biological oxidation and

anaerobic fermentation.
 Explain and determine the biological nitrification,
denitrification and phosphorus removal.
 The main objective of biological treatment of
wastewater are:
1) To coagulate and remove both organic and
inorganic non-settleable colloidal particles
from primarily treatment
2) To stabilized the dissolved organic matter
(BOD) that remains present from primary
treatment
Decomposition of waste
 The type of electron acceptor available for
catabolism determine the type of decomposition
(aerobic , anaerobic, anoxic) used by mixed culture
of microorganism.
 Each type of decomposition has particular
characteristic that affect it use in waste treatment.
 Biological processes treatment system classified into
two categories depending on the operational condition
necessary for microbial metabolism or the method by
which the microorganism are maintained in the system :

A) Process according to operational conditions

i) Aerobic process
ii) Anaerobic process
iii) Facultative process
iv) Anoxic process
B) Process according to microbial maintenance
in the system
i) Suspended growth process
ii) Attached growth of fixed film process
 Table 7.2 shows the major biological treatment process used for wastewater
treatment
2.1 OPERATIONAL CONDITION
2.1.1 Aerobic processes

 The process that essentially requires the presence of molecular

oxygen for metabolic activity of microorganisms is call an aerobic
process.
 The process can be design to supply required oxygen either naturally
(as in trickling filter, aerobic stabilization ponds)
 Or by artificial/mechanical means (as in activated sludge process,
aerated lagoons) in the reactor
 The process fail In the absence of oxygen
 Organic material can be oxidize aerobically than by any other
type decomposition

 The final product are oxidize to a very low energy level, more
stable end product

 Large amount of energy release in aerobic oxidization, most of

aerobic microorganism are capable of high growth rate

 Aerobic decomposition method of choice for dilute wastewater

BOD5 less 500 mg/L

 For high strength wastewater BOD5 greater 1000 mg/L

aerobic decomposition not suitable because difficulty in
supplying oxygen and large amount sludge production
2.1.2 Anaerobic process

 The process that operate in the absence of molecular oxygen in the

reactor for the growth of microbes and normally fails in the present of
excessive oxygen is call anaerobic process e.g anaerobic sludge
digester and anaerobic up flow filters
2.1.3 Facultative Process
 The process that operate both in the present or
absence of oxygen in the reactor for the growth of
facultative bacteria called a facultative process, e.g
facultative stabilization ponds
 2.2 MICROBIAL MAINTENANCE

2.2.1 Suspended growth

 When the microorganism are maintained as suspension in the

reactor by an appropriate mixing method. Examples activated
sludge process, oxidation ditch, aerated lagoon.

 Mostly used in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment are

operated with +ve oxygen concentration (aerobic)

 Anaerobic suspended growth process used for high organic

concentration and organic sludge.

 It involved the production of an activated mass of microorganism

capable of stabilizing a waste under aerobic condition

 In aeration tank, contact time is provided for mixing and aerating

influent wastewater with microbial suspension (mixed liquor
suspended solid-MLSS or mixed liquor volatile suspended solid-
MLVSS)
 Mechanically equipment used to provide mixing and transfer
O2 into the process.

 Mixed liquor flows to clarifier and microbial suspension is

settled and thickened

 Settled biomass call activated sludge (contain activated

microorganism) return to aeration tank to continued
biodegrade of influent organic material

 Formation of floc (50-20μm) removed by gravity settling

leaving clear liquid as treated effluent
2.2.2 Attached growth or fixed film process

 The microorganism (responsible for the conversion of organic

material/nutrient) in the reactor remain attach to some inert packing
material or medium eg trickling filter, rotating biological contactor

 The organic matter/nutrients are removed from wastewater flowing

past the attach growth known as biofilm.

 Packing material used include rock, gravel, slag ,sand, redwood and
a wide range of plastic and other synthetic materials.

 Can be operated as aerobic or anaerobic

 The packing can be submerge completely in liquid or not submerge,

with air/gas space above the biofilm layer
2.3 TREATMENT FUNCTION
Primary purpose of biological wastewater treatment
1)Remove organic constituents and compound to
prevent excessive DO depletion in receiving water
from municipal/industrial discharge
2) Remove colloid and suspended solid and the
creation of nuisance conditioning in receiving water
3) Reduce the concentration of pathogenic organism
release to receiving water
2.3.1 Aerobic Biological Oxidation

Process Description

 The removal of BOD can be accomplished in suspended growth

or attached (fixed film) growth treatment processes.

 Both require sufficient contact time between the wastewater and

heterotrophic microorganism and sufficient oxygen and nutrient.

 At the initial biological uptake of the organic material, more than

½ of it oxidized and the reminder is assimilated as new biomass,
which may be further oxidized by endogenous respiration.

 The excess biomass produced each day is removed and

processed to proper operation and performance.

 The biomass separated from treated effluent by gravity

separation
Microbiology
 Protozoa
play important role in aerobic biological treatment
processes.
consuming free bacteria and colloid particulates,
protozoa aid effluent clarification
required a longer SRT than aerobic heterotrophic
bacteria
Prefer DO > 1 mg/L and sensitive to toxic material
 Aerobic attach growth have much complex microbial than
activated sludge (suspended growth) containing bacteria,
fungi, protozoan, rotifier and possibily annelid warms
 A number of nuisance microorganism (bulking sludge-
biological floc has poor settling characteristic) can also
develop in activated sludge
 Bulking sludge-high effluent suspended solid and poor
treatment performance
 Another nuisance – foaming- bacteria Nocardia and Microthrix
which hydrophobic cell surface and attach to air bubble
surface– they stabilized the bubble cause a foam.
Stoichiometry

Electron
acceptor

Electron
donor

 Organic+ oxygen  CO2 + H2O + energy

oxidation
 C6H12O6 (s) + 6 O2 (g) → 6 CO2 (g) + 6 H2O (l) + heat

 Energy + organics  new cell growth synthesis

 Growth Kinetics

dX  SX
 k X
max

dt Ks  S d
or
 SX
rg  max
k X
Ks  S d

Where
μmax=maximum specific growth rate of biomass (time-1)
S=growth limiting or soluble substrate concentration at ½ μmax
Ks=half velocity constant
X= concentration of biomass mg/L
Kd= endogenous decay rate constant d-1maximum specific
rg= rate biomass production rate g VSS/m3.d
Environmental factor

•pH in range 6-9 is tolerable, optimal at near 7

•A reactor DO concentration of 2 mg/L is commonly used.

•Sufficient nutrients (N and P) must available for amount COD to be

treated.
 2.3.2 Anaerobic fermentation
 2.3.3 BIOLOGICAL NITRIFICATION
 Two-step biological process in which ammonia NH4-N is oxidize to
nitrite (NO2-N) and nitrite is oxidized to nitrate (NO3-N)

 The need of nitrification treatment:

1) effect of ammonia- DO concentration and toxicity to fish
2) remove nitrogen to control eutrophication

 Nitrification can be accomplish in both suspended growth (figure 7.19)

and attach growth (after BOD removal in separated system design for
nitrification)
 2 steps nitrification involving in 2 groups of bacteria
 Oxidize ammonianitrite (Nitrosomonas)
 Oxidize nitritenitrate (Nitrobacter)

 Other autotrophic bacteria genera (prefix with Nitroso-,

Nitrosococus, Nitrosospira, Nitrosolobus, Nitrosorobrio)

 Other autotrophic bacteria genera (prefix with Nitro-,

Nitrococus, Nitrospira, Nitrospina, Nitroeystis)
 Ammonia oxidizing bacteria AOB

 Nitrite oxidizing bacteria  NOB

 Nitrification is affected by number of environmental
factor:
 1) pH-sensitive
 decline at pH <6.8
 Optimum at pH 7.5 to 8
 At pH 5.6-6 the rate only 10-20% of rate at pH 7
 At low alkalinity water, alkalinity were added (lime, soda ash,
sodium bicarbonate, magnesium hydroxide
 2) Toxicity
 toxic compound including solvent organic chemical, amines,
proteins, tannins, phenolic, alcohol, cyanates, ether,
carbamates and benzene
 Good indicator of the present of organic toxic at low
concentration
 Nitrification rate inhibited even though bacteria continue to
grow and oxidize ammonia and nitrite but significantly
reduced rate
Growth kinetics
The growth rate of Nitrosomonas controls the overall conversion
reaction.For nitrification systems operated at temperatures below 28 C,
ammonia oxidation kinetics are
rate limiting. Thus, designs are based on saturation kinetics for ammonia
oxidation
Nitrification rates are affected by the DO concentration in suspended
growth processes. The rates increase up to DO concentrations of 3 to 4
mg/L. To account for the effects of DO, Equation 22-27 is modified as
follows:
2.3.4 BIOLOGICAL DENITRIFICATION
 The biological reduction to nitric oxide, nitrous oxide
and nitrogen gas
 2 modes of nitrate removal are term
assimilating and dissimilating nitrate reduction.

NH4-N is not Coupled to respiratory electron transport

available chain and nitrate/nitrite is used as an
independent of DO electron acceptor for oxidation
reduction organic/inorganic electron donor
of nitrate to
ammonia for cell
synthesis
 The most common process used in municipal wastewater treatment
plants is known as the Modified Ludzak-Ettinger (MLE) process.
 It consists of an anoxic tank followed by an aeration tank.
 Nitrification occurs in the aeration tank. Nitrate produced in the
aeration tank is recycled back to the anoxic tank.
 Organic substrate in the influent wastewater provides the electron
donor for oxidation-reduction reactions using nitrate. The process is
also known as preanoxic denitrification
 An alternative process called postanoxic denitrification removes the
BOD first in an aeration tank.
 Denitrification occurs in a second tank that is anoxic. The electron
donor source is from endogenous decay.
Microbiology.
 Both heterotrophic and autotrophic organisms are capable of
denitrification.
 A large number of genera have been identified. Most of the bacteria
are facultative anaerobes.
 Pseudomonas species are the most common.

Stoichiometry
 The nitrate reduction reactions involve the following steps:
The oxygen equivalent of nitrate and nitrite is useful in design when the
total oxygen required for nitrification-denitrification is to be calculated.
For nitrate it is 2.86 g of O 2 /g of NO 3 - N.
For nitrite it is 1.71 g of O 2 /g of NO 2 - N.
 From the steady state COD balance it can be shown that the bsCOD
removed is oxidized or accounted for in cell growth
 The substrate utilization rate expression given by
Equation 22-19 is modified by a term to show a
lower utilization rate in the anoxic zone

Where η = fraction of denitrifying bacteria in the

biomass, g VSS/ g VSS
 2.3.5 Phosphorous Removal