Activated Sludge Treatment and

SBRs ATUs

Pre-class questions
Name 4 components necessary to have
an activated sludge system for
wastewater treatment.

Aeration tank
Sludge recycle
Clarification tank
Oxygen supply
Sludge wasting

clarifier
Oxygen supplied
Flow, Q
Aeration Tank

Effluent

BOD
TKN
TSS
Sludge recycle

Waste sludge

Clarifiers for small system should be designed at hydraulic loads

of 200 gal/d-ft2 compared to 600 gal/d-ft2 for larger systems
Why is that?

What is the definition of MCRT?

Mean cell residence time
average time bacteria and solids are in the aeration tank
Also more commonly called solids retention time (SRT)
MCRT or SRT =
lbs of solids in reactor or aeration tank divided by the lbs wasted per day
The lbs wasted per day on average equals the lbs produced per day.
If a system has shorter SRT, a larger fraction of its solids are removed per day
Thus less solids in system, less bacteria to consume food
and lower efficiency
But the removal efficiency is in general only a problem
when the SRT gets below some critical level

Why do you suppose nitrification system requires a

longer MCRT, per Table 7-10.

The ammonia oxidizing bacteria have

slower kinetics
grow slower than heterotrophic bacteria
need more time to achieve the same
efficiency of substrate removal

Define SVI and what does it indicate about

an activated sludge system?
SVI is the volume in mL that 1.0 gr (dry
weight) of sludge occupies after 30
minutes of settling.
Higher SVI means poorer settling

Example

2 liter cylinder
sludge conc. = 3000 mg/L
settled volume at 30 min = 600 mL
SVI =
mL/g

High Growth of Filaments

Sludge Volume Index > 300 mL/g
Prefer SVI = <150 mL/g

What does SBR stand for?

Sequencing Batch Reactor
One tank used for aeration and settling
Steps

Feed or fill
React
Settle
Decant effluent withdrawal
Idle

Batch-Fed Activated Sludge

Process:
TIME

Fill

Mix

Aerate

Settle Withdraw Idle

20 - 30 React 30 -40% 15 - 20%15 - 20 %

%
Cycle %

Rules to remember about activated

sludge treatment
They all produce excess sludge that has to be
removed and disposed
Oxygen is required at sufficient rate
2.0 to 2.5 lb O2/lb BOD including nitrification
Provided with proper aeration design

Conservative designs needed for small systems

High peak flows (3-4 times average daily

Most of the flow can be in a few hours each day
18 to 24 hour aeration time good baed on avg flow
Clarifies at 200 gpd/ft2 based on average flow

Design Guidelines
Nitrification
Temperature, 0C
10
15
20

Min. SRT, days

20
15
10

Nitrification
Temperature, 0C
10
15
20

Min. SRT, days

20
15
10

SRT, days

Oxygen Required

5
10
15
18
20
25
30
40
60

lb O2/lb BODr
1.03
1.17
1.26
1.30
1.32
1.36
1.39
1.43
1.48

y = 0.183Ln(x) + 0.7559
X=SRT

Oxygen Required
SRT, days
5
10
15
18
20
25
30
40
60

lb O2/lb BODr
1.03
1.17
1.26
1.30
1.32
1.36
1.39
1.43
1.48

y = 0.183Ln(x) + 0.7559
X=SRT

y = 0.9967x-0.2453

With primary

Net sludge
Yield Values

y = 1.2463x-0.1184
No
primary

settling
y

settling

Net Yield,
=

Net Yield

SRT, days

g TSS/g BOD

g TSS/g BOD

1.23

25

0
0.87
.
0.82
9
9
0.75
6
0.69
7
x
0.66
0.60
0
0.57
.
2
0.53
4
0.48
5
3
0.45

30

0.42

0.82

40

0.38

0.82

60

0.33

0.82

2
4
6
7
10
12
15
20

1.18
1.09
1.03
1.00
0.94
0.91
0.87
0.82
0.82

Simple activated sludge design

Important to check vendor unit supply
Is the tank volume sufficient?
Is the oxygen supply sufficient at peak loads?
Is the clarification area sufficient?
Did they estimate sludge production accurately?
Is sludge handling design adequate?

Package Units for small flows

Modules installed in ground for <~30,000
gal/day
Field assembly for <200,000 gal/day
Large usually engineered and concrete or
steel tank construction
Modules contain clarifier, sometimes filter
Include aeration blowers and pumps etc.
Electrical controls

Treats flow for

about 40 homes
SBR system

Small Flow
WWT
Plant Owner

SBR System components

Tank (depth can vary from 6 ft to 25 ft)

Decant system and effluent pump
Aeration and mixing equipment
Feed pump
Effluent collection chamber
Level sensors
Computer controller for cycle times and on/off
controls
Influent valves for multiple tanks

Effluent Quality from well-designed

well operated SBRs

BOD
TSS
NH4-N
NO3-N

< 8.0 mg/L

< 8.0 mg/L
< 1.0 mg/L
<10.0 mg/L

Advantages
Single tank design provides simple
installation
Quiescent settling provides low effluent
TSS
Can provide good nitrogen removal if
properly designed and enough carbon and
alkalinity
Can be used to provide flow equalization

Disadvantages?

Key design elements

SRT gets total volume
Cycle Times
Fill Volume/decant volume
VF

Vs

Effluent volume = fill volume

Vs = settled volume
VF = fill volume
VF+VS= total tank liquidvolume
VF/VT= critical design parameter
What is a good value for VF/VT?

Given the following for a 2 tank SBR system, what is the time per cycle of fill,
aerate, settle, decant and idle and what is the aeration time per cycle?
Average Flow = 10,000 gal/d = 416.6 gal/hr
Based on SRTand load, volume/tank = 10,000 gallons
Assume: VF/VT = 0.20
Settle time
Decant time
Idle time

= 1.0 hr
= 0.5 hrs
= 0.3 hrs

Typical Design (2 tanks)

Average Flow = 10,000 gal/d = 416.6 gal/hr
Based on SRTand load, volume/tank = 10,000 gallons
Assume: VF/VT = 0.20, VF=0.2(10000) = 2000 gallons
# of cycles per day/tank =10,000 gal/day divided by 2 tanks
divided by 2000 gal/cycle
= (10000)/(2*2000gal/fill) = 2.5 per day per tank
Cycle time = 24/2.5 = 9.6 hrs
Total cycle time = Tfill+Taerate+Tsettle+Tdecant+Tidle = 9.6 hrs
Fill time,
= 2000 gal/416.6 gal/hr = 4.8 hrs
Settle time
= 1.0 hr
Decant time
= 0.5 hrs
Idle time
= 0.3 hrs
Aeration/react time = 9.6-4.8-1.0-0.5-0.3 =3.0 hrs

Fraction of aeration time =3/9.6 = 0.31