Aerobic treatment system

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An aerobic treatment system or ATS, often called (incorrectly) an aerobic septic system, is a
small scale sewage treatment system similar to a septic tank system, but which uses
an aerobic process for digestion rather than just the anaerobic process used in septic systems.
These systems are commonly found in rural areas where public sewers are not available, and may
be used for a single residence or for a small group of homes.
Unlike the traditional septic system, the aerobic treatment system produces a high quality secondary
effluent, which can be sterilized and used for surface irrigation. This allows much greater flexibility in
the placement of the leach field, as well as cutting the required size of the leach field by as much as
half.[1]
Contents
[hide]

1 Process

2 Types of aerobic treatment systems

o

2.1 Fixed film systems

2.2 Continuous flow, suspended growth aerobic systems

2.3 Retrofit or portable aerobic systems

2.4 Composting toilets

3 Comparison to traditional septic systems

o

3.1 Effluent quality

4 See also

5 References

6 External links

Process[edit]
The ATS process generally consists of the following phases:

Pre-treatment stage to remove large solids and other undesirable substances from the
wastewater; this stage acts much like a septic system, and an ATS may be added to an existing
septic tank to further process the primary effluent.

Aeration stage, where the aerobic bacteria digest the biological wastes in the wastewater.

Settling stage to allow any undigested solids to settle. This forms a sludge which must be
periodically removed from the system.

Disinfecting stage, where chlorine or similar disinfectant is mixed with the water, to produce
an antiseptic output.

The disinfecting stage is optional, and is used where a sterile effluent is required, such as cases
where the effluent is distributed above ground. The disinfectant typically used is tablets of calcium
hypochlorite, which are specially made for waste treatment systems.[2] Unlike the chlorine tablets
used in swimming pools, which is stabilized for resistance to breakdown in ultraviolet light, the
tablets used in waste treatment systems is intended to break down quickly in sunlight. Stabilized
forms of chlorine will persist after the effluent is dispersed, and can kill off plants in the leach field.
Since the ATS contains a living ecosystem of microbes to digest the waste products in the water,
excessive amounts of items such as bleach or antibiotics can damage the ATS environment and
reduce treatment effectiveness. Non-digestible items should also be avoided, as they will build up in
the system and require more frequent sludge removal. [3]

Types of aerobic treatment systems[edit]

Small scale aerobic systems generally use one of two designs, fixed-film systems, or continuous
flow, suspended growth aerobic systems (CFSGAS). The pre-treatment and effluent handling are
similar for both types of systems, and the difference lies in the aeration stage. [1]

Fixed film systems[edit]

Fixed film systems use a porous medium which provides a bed to support the biomass film that
digests the waste material in the wastewater. Designs for fixed film systems vary widely, but fall into
two basic categories (though some systems may combine both methods). The first is a system
where the media is moved relative to the wastewater, alternately immersing the film and exposing it
to air, while the second uses a stationary media, and varies the wastewater flow so the film is
alternately submerged and exposed to air. In both cases, the biomass must be exposed to both
wastewater and air for the aerobic digestion to occur. The film itself may be made of any suitable
porous material, such as formed plastic or peat moss. Simple systems use stationary media, and
rely on intermittent, gravity driven wastewater flow to provide periodic exposure to air and
wastewater. A common moving media system is the rotating biological contactor (RBC), which uses

disks rotating slowly on a horizontal shaft. Approximately 40 percent of the disks are submerged at
any given time, and the shaft rotates at a rate of one or two revolutions per minute. [1]

Continuous flow, suspended growth aerobic systems [edit]

CFSGAS systems, as the name imply, are designed to handle continuous flow, and do not provide a
bed for a bacterial film, relying rather on bacteria suspended in the wastewater. The suspension and
aeration are typically provided by an air pump, which pumps air through the aeration chamber,
providing a constant stirring of the wastewater in addition to the oxygenation. A medium to promote
fixed film bacterial growth may be added to some systems designed to handle higher than normal
levels of biomass in the wastewater.[1]

Retrofit or portable aerobic systems[edit]

Another increasingly common use of aerobic treatment is for the remediation of failing or failed
anaerobic septic systems, by retrofitting an existing system with an aerobic feature. This class of
product, known as aerobic remediation, is designed to remediate biologically failed and failing
anaerobic distribution systems by significantly reducing thebiochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)
and total suspended solids (TSS) of the effluent. The reduction of the BOD5 and TSS reverses the
developed bio-mat. Further, effluent with high dissolved oxygen and aerobic bacteria flow to the
distribution component and digest the bio-mat.

Composting toilets[edit]
Main article: composting toilet
Composting toilets are designed to treat only toilet waste, rather than general residential waste
water, and are typically used with water-free toilets rather than the flush toiletsassociated with the
above types of aerobic treatment systems. These systems treat the waste as a moist solid, rather
than in liquid suspension, and therefore separate urine fromfeces during treatment to maintain the
correct moisture content in the system. An example of a composting toilet is the clivus
multrum (Latin for 'inclined chamber'), which consists of an inclined chamber that separates urine
and feces and a fan to provide positive ventilation and prevent odors from escaping through the
toilet. Within the chamber, the urine and feces are independently broken down not only by aerobic
bacteria, but also by fungi, arthropods, and earthworms. Treatment times are very long, with a
minimum time between removals of solid waste of a year; during treatment the volume of the solid
waste is decreased by 90 percent, with most being converted into water vapor and carbon dioxide.
Pathogens are eliminated from the waste by the long durations in inhospitable conditions in the
treatment chamber.[4]

Comparison to traditional septic systems[edit]

The aeration stage and the disinfecting stage are the primary differences from a traditional septic
system; in fact, an aerobic treatment system can be used as a secondary treatment for septic tank

effluent.[1] These stages increase the initial cost of the aerobic system, and also the maintenance
requirements over the passive septic system. Unlike many other biofilters, aerobic treatment
systems require a constant supply of electricity to drive the air pump increasing overall system costs.
The disinfectant tablets must be periodically replaced, as well as the electrical components (air
compressor) and mechanical components (air diffusers). On the positive side, an aerobic system
produces a higher quality effluent than a septic tank, and thus the leach field can be smaller than
that of a conventional septic system, and the output can be discharged in areas too environmentally
sensitive for septic system output. Some aerobic systems recycle the effluent through a sprinkler
system, using it to water the lawn where regulations approve.

Effluent quality[edit]
Since the effluent from an ATS is often discharged onto the surface of the leach field, the quality is
very important. A typical ATS will, when operating correctly, produce an effluent with less than
30 mg/liter BOD5, 25 mg/L TSS, and 10,000 cfu/mL fecal coliform bacteria. This is clean enough that
it cannot support a biomat or "slime" layer like a septic tank.[5]
ATS effluent is relatively odorless; a properly operating system will produce effluent that smells
musty, but not like sewage. Aerobic treatment is so effective at reducing odors, that it is the preferred
method for reducing odor from manure produced by farms.[6][7][8]

oagulation and Flocculation in Water and

Wastewater Treatment
Coagulation and flocculation are an essential part of drinking water treatment as well
as wastewater treatment. This article provides an overview of the processes and looks at the
latest thinking. Material for this article was largely taken from reference (1).
Coagulation and flocculation are essential processes in various disciplines. In potable water
treatment, clarification of water using coagulating agents has been practiced from ancient times.
As early as 2000 BC the Egyptians used almonds smeared around vessels to clarify river water. The
use of alum as a coagulant by the Romans was mentioned in around 77 AD. By 1757, alum was
being used for coagulation in municipal water treatment in England.
In modern water treatment, coagulation and flocculation are still essential components of the
overall suite of treatment processes understandably, because since 1989 the regulatory limit in
the US for treated water turbidity has progressively reduced from 1.0 NTU in 1989 to 0.3 NTU
today. Many water utilities are committed to consistently producing treated water turbidities of
less than 0.1 NTU to guard against pathogen contamination.
Coagulation is also important in several wastewater treatment operations. A common example is
chemical phosphorus removal and another, in overloaded wastewater treatment plants, is the

practice of chemically enhancing primary treatment to reduce suspended solids and organic loads
from primary clarifiers.
Orthokinetic flocculation arises from induced velocity gradients in the liquid. It is here that
primary particles are induced to approach close enough together, make contact and progressively
form larger agglomerates, or flocs. The principal parameter governing the rate of
orthokinetic flocculation is the velocity gradient applied. The degree or extent of flocculation is
governed by both applied velocity gradients and time of flocculation. These two parameters
influence the rate and extent of particle aggregation and the rate and extent of breakup of these
aggregates.
There are various ways to induce velocity gradients: baffled chambers; granular media beds;
diffused air; spiral flow chambers; reciprocating blades and rotating blades.
For larger water treatment applications, rotating blades are the most common. Examples of
rotating blade type flocculation devices are shown in Figure 7. Generally, such devices are of two
types: horizontal shaft and vertical shaft.
Figure 7. Examples of rotating blade flocculators. Left: vertical paddle
(courtesy Amwell); Center: horizontal (reel) paddle (courtesy WesTech); Right:
axial flow (courtesy top-right: Anco; bottom-right: Philadelphia Mixers)
An advantage of horizontal shaft units is that compartmentalization is simple. With adjacent
sections along the drive shaft carrying different configurations of agitators, different tapered G
values are produced for one particular drive shaft rotational speed.
With most designs of horizontal shaft flocculators, the provision of stators within
the flocculation basin to minimize rotation of the water with the blades is difficult.
The principal advantages of vertical shaft rotary devices are that underwater bearings are not
required; the drive unit is above the water level and the arrangement for stators is simple. These
are of two basic types, axial flow, and turbine flocculators. A disadvantage of turbine flocculators
is that there is a much wider diversity of G values within the flocculation basin for a given mean
velocity gradient - being high in the vicinity of the device and low near the walls of the basin.
Such devices generally provide lowerflocculation performance when compared with devices
accommodating as much of the flocculation basin volume as possible.
Figure 8 compares paddle type, axial flow and turbine flocculators. There was extreme turbulence
trailing the blades of the turbine device, whereas there was little turbulence at the blades of the
axial flow device. The paddle type flocculation device relies on highly localized eddies trailing
behind the blades, turbulent vortices in the corners of square basins, and the drag on the basin

walls, for most of the power input for flocculation. The axial flow flocculating device appeared
to be the preferred form of mechanicalflocculation device.