BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT

OF WASTEWATER
Biological treatment process:
 Biological treatment is a wastewater treatment
process which involves biological medium to
remove the oxidisable compounds.
 This process is used to reduce the organic load of
textile effluents.
 Most of the dyes and chemicals used in the
textile industry have low biodegradability. Most of
these dyes resist aerobic biological treatment, so
adsorbents, such as bentonite clay or activated
carbon, are added to biological treatment
systems in order to eliminate non-biodegradable
or microorganism-toxic organic substances
produced by the textile industry.
There are two common biological
treatment processes:-
 Aerobic treatment
 Anaerobic digestion
Aerobic biological treatment:
In this process we use microbes in
the presence of oxygen for the
stabilisation of organic materials.
air

Organic matter + microorganisms End products + additional

microorganisms
Types of aerobic biological
treatment process:-
 Stabilization ponds
 Aerated lagoons
 Trickling filters
 Activated sludge
STABILIZATION PONDS
Stabilization ponds:
 Stabilization pond technology - sometimes also called facultative pond
technology - is a natural method for wastewater treatment.
 Shallow ponds, typically 1-2 m deep.
 Decomposed by symbiotic action of algae and bacteria. Algae utilize
CO 2 , sulphates, nitrates, phosphates, water and sunlight and gives
oxygen that is available to bacteria and other microbes.
 Top layer is aerobic while the bottom layer is anaerobic. Stabilization
ponds use no aerators.
 Stabilization ponds are particularly well suited for tropical and
subtropical countries because the intensity of the sunlight and
temperature are key factors for the efficiency of the removal processes.
 Stabilization ponds have the advantage of very low operating costs
since they use no energy compared to other wastewater treatment
technologies.
 Stabilization ponds are used for municipal waste water treatment in
many countries .
Types of stabilization pond:
Stabilization ponds consist of shallow man-made
basins comprising a single or several series of
anaerobic, facultative or maturation ponds.
 Anaerobic pond: The primary treatment takes place
in the anaerobic pond, which is mainly designed for
removing suspended solids, and some of the soluble
element of organic matter (BOD).
 Facultative pond: During the secondary stage in the
facultative pond most of the remaining BOD is
removed through the coordinated activity of algae
and heterotrophic bacteria.
 Maturation pond:The main function of the tertiary
treatment in the maturation pond is the removal of
pathogens and nutrients (especially nitrogen).
AERATED LAGOONS
Aerated lagoons
 An aerated lagoon or aerated basin is a holding
and/or treatment pond provided with artificial
aeration to promote the biological oxidation of
wastewaters. This process use oxygen (or air) and
microbial action to bio-treat the pollutants in
wastewaters.
 Based on suspended growth process .
 The aerated lagoon system consists of large pond or
tank that is equipped with mechanical aerators to
maintain an aerobic environment and to prevent
settling of the suspended biomass.
 Required longer residence time.
 The effluent from the aerated lagoon may flow to a
settling tank for removal of suspended solids.
Types of aerated lagoons:
 Suspension mixed lagoons: In this system
sufficient energy provided by the aeration
equipment to keep the sludge in suspension.
But COD removed is relatively little.
 Faculative lagoons: in this system insufficient
energy provided by the aeration equipment to
keep the sludge in suspension and solids
settle to the lagoon floor. The biodegradable
solids in the settled sludge then degrade
anaerobically.
Methods of aerating lagoons :
 Floating surface aeration:
This system achieve 80 to 90% removal of BOD with retention times
of 1 to 10 days.
In a surface-aerated system, the aerators provide two functions:
-transfer air into the basins
-mixing required for dispersing the air and for contacting the reactants

 Submerged diffused aeration:

Submerged diffused air is essentially a form of a diffuser grid inside a
lagoon. There are two main types of submerged diffused aeration
systems for lagoon applications:
o floating lateral and
o submerged lateral.
Both these systems utilize fine or medium bubble diffusers to provide
aeration and mixing to the process water. The diffusers can be
suspended slightly above the lagoon floor or may rest on the bottom.
Flexible airline or weighted air hose supplies air to the diffuser unit from
the air lateral (either floating or submerged).
TRICKLING FILTERS
Trickling filters:
 A trickling filter consists of a bed of rocks,
gravel, slag, peat moss, or plastic media
over which wastewater flows downward
and contacts a layer (or film) of microbial
slime covering the bed media.
 A trickling filter is also often called a trickle
filter, trickling biofilter, biofilter, biological
filter or biological trickling filter.
 It is the oldest and most well characterized
treatment technologies.
 cross-section of the contact face of the bed of
media in a trickling filter

complete trickling filter system

Principle:
 Aerobic conditions are maintained by forced air flowing
through the bed or by natural convection of air.
 The process involves adsorption of organic compounds in the
wastewater by the microbial slime layer,
 Diffusion of air into the slime layer to provide the oxygen
required for the biochemical oxidation of the organic
compounds.
 The end products include carbon dioxide gas, water and other
products of the oxidation.
 As the slime layer thickens, it becomes difficult for the air to
penetrate the layer and an inner anaerobic layer is formed.
 The treated water effluent from industrial wastewater trickling
filters is very often subsequently processed in a clarifier-settler
to remove the sludge that sloughs off the microbial slime layer
attached to the trickling filter media.
Components of trickling filters:
 A bed of filter medium upon which a
layer of microbial slime is promoted and
developed.
 An enclosure or a container which
houses the bed of filter medium.
 A system for distributing the flow of
wastewater over the filter medium.
 A system for removing and disposing of
any sludge from the treated effluent.
Types of trickling filters:
Industrial wastewater trickling filters
consist of two types:
 Large tanks or concrete enclosures filled
with plastic packing or other media.
 Vertical towers filled with plastic packing
or other media.
The availability of inexpensive plastic
tower packings has led to their use as
trickling filter beds in tall towers, some
as high as 20 meter.
ACTIVATED SLUDGE
ACTIVATED SLUDGE
PROCESSES
 Activated sludge is a process for
treating sewage and industrial
wastewaters using air and a biological
floc composed of bacteria and
protozoans.
 Activated sludge is also the name
given to the active biological material
produced by activated sludge plants.
PURPOSE:-
 oxidizing carbonaceous matter: biological
matter.
 oxidizing nitrogeneous matter: mainly
ammonium and nitrogen in biological
materials.
 removing phosphate.
 driving off entrained gases carbon dioxide,
ammonia, nitrogen, etc.
 generating a biological floc that is easy to
settle.
 generating a liquor that is low in dissolved or
suspended material
General Principles of activated
sludge:
 Raw water: water entering the system
 Mixed Liquor : the mix of raw water and activated
sludge.
 RAS: activated sludge extracted from the system
and mixed with raw water to form the mixed liquor.
 WAS: or Surplus activated sludge (SAS): excess
activated sludge that is extracted from the system to
be directed to sludge treatment.
 Sludge age: the average time biological that the
sludge stays in the system. In simpler words, it can
be defined as the average age of bacteria in the
system.
 
GENERAL
ARRANGEMENT
The general arrangement of an
activated sludge process for removing
carbonaceous pollution includes the
following items:
Aeration tank where air (or oxygen) is
injected in the mixed liquor.
Settling tank (usually referred to as
"final clarifier" or "secondary settling
tank") to allow the biological flocs to
settle, thus separating the biological
sludge from the clear treated water.
PROCESS FLOW
PRIMARY TREATED WASTEWATER INTRODUCED IN THE AERATION TANK

MIX WITH AIR/ OXYGEN+ ORGANISMS

MIXER SEND TO CLARIFIER SETTLER

ALLOW THE MIXER TO STAND

TREATED WATER A FRACTION OF FLOC RECYCLED EXCESS

DISCHARGED SLUDGE
REMOVED
Types of activated sludge plants:
Package plants
 These types of plant consist hybrid treatment processes often involving the use of aerobic
sludge to treat the incoming wastewater.
 In such plants the primary settlement stage of treatment may be omitted.
 In these plants, a biotic floc is created which provides the required substrate.

Oxidation ditch
 In such plant sewage is treated in large round or oval ditches with one or more horizontal
aerators typically called brush or disc aerators which drive the mixed liquor around the ditch and
provide aeration. These are oxidation ditches.
 Advantage : they are relatively easy to maintain and are resilient to shock loads.
 Disadvantage: these types of plant require large space

Deep Shaft
 Where land is in short supply sewage may be treated by injection of oxygen into a pressured
return sludge stream which is injected into the base of a deep columnar tank buried in the
ground. Such shafts may be up to 100 metres deep and are filled with sewage liquor.. The rising
oxygen and injected return sludge provide the physical mechanism for mixing of the sewage and
sludge. Mixed sludge and sewage is decanted at the surface and separated into supernatant
and sludge components.
 Advantage: The efficiency of deep shaft treatment is high.
 Disadvantage: The costs of construction are high.
ANAEROBIC TREATMENT
Anaerobic treatment:
 The use of microbes in the absence of oxygen for the
stabilization of organic material by conversion to methane,
carbon dioxide, new biomass and inorganic products.
 Anaerobic treatment is most suitable for wastewaters with
COD concentrations in the high strength range (>2000 mg/l)
 This system depends on
 Temperature (35-55*c)
 pH (6.5-7.5)
 Alkalinity (1000-6000mg/l)
 Presence of Inhibitors (Toxicity such as ammonia, sulphide,
heavy metal ions, volatile acid )
Anaerobic digestion process:

acid producing bacteria methane producing bacteria

Complex organics organic acid & hydrogen methane &

CO
(acidogen) (methanogenics)
Stages:
Anaerobic digestion process
Three Mechanisms Occurring:
Hydrolysis Process – conversion of insoluble high molecular
compounds (lignin, carbohydrates, fats) to lower molecular
compounds
Acidogenesis Process – conversion of soluble lower molecular
components of fatty acids, amino acids and sugars
(monosaccharides) to lower molecular intermediate products
(volatile acids, alcohol, ammonia, H2 and CO2)
Methanogenesis Process – conversion of volatile acids &
intermediate products to final product of methane and CO2
Reactor configuration:
biogas

 Anaerobic Contact Reactor effluent

 Anaerobic Filter
Filter material

 Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

sludge blanket
 Hibrid Filter
influent
Disadvantages:
Anaerobic processes may also have
disadvantages the main disadvantage is the
SLOW GROWTH of the mathane forming
bacteria. Slow growth rates require a
relatively long detention time.
Anaerobic bacteria are highly susceptible to
inhibition by a large number of compounds
and the process itself is vulnerable to exernal
influences such as temperature, pH, mixing.
 Comparing
Aerobic and Anaerobic Systems:-
Anaerobic Treatment Aerobic Treatment
 Methane is a useful end product.  Requires an energy input.
Thus, it is an energy productive
proce.
 Low production of waste biological
sludge (Y=0,05 VSS/BOD5 )  The problem of excess sludge disposal.
 No energy requirements for
aeration.  Treatment rates are limited by oxygen
 The process can handle high loading transfer.
rates.  Due to low O2 transfer rate, limited BOD
 Anaerobic sludge can be preserved or COD can be applied.
unfed for several months without
any serious deterioration.
 It is difficult to preserve the active
biomass.
 No offensive odor exists since the
process by its nature is totally close.
 Low nutrient requirements.
 Odor Problem.
 Nutrient addition.
Reference
 Environmental Engineering by Mcgraw Hill
 www.scribd.com
Thank You For Your Attention