A

Presentation
on
Oxidation Ponds & Lagoons
 Oxidation Ponds
What are Oxidation Ponds ?
Oxidation Pond is an open, flow through earthen basin of
controlled shape specially design and constructed to treat
sewage and bio-degradable industrial waste by natural
processes involving bacteria and in many instances algae.
Types Of Oxidation ponds
Aerobic Ponds
Anaerobic Ponds
Facultative Ponds
Maturation or Tertiary Ponds
Applications
Type of Ponds Applications
Aerobic Nutrient removal, treatment of soluble
organic waste & effluents from waste water
treatment plants.
Anaerobic Treatment of domestic and industrial wastes.

Facultative Treatment of untreated screened waste water

and industrial wastes.
 Symbiosis
Algae
Solar
New Energy
Algae
CO2, NH3, H2O
O2

Organic New
Bacteria Bacteria
Bacteria
Aerobic Ponds
The aerobic pond is shallow pond in which light penetrates
to the bottom there by maintaining active algal
photosynthesis through out the entire system.

Aerobic Ponds contain dissolved oxygen (DO) throughout

the entire depth of the pond all the time.

Treatment is accomplished through the stabilization of

organic wastes by aerobic bacteria and algae.
Dissolved oxygen can be introduced into a pond through several means:

 Algae, like other plants, emit dissolved oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis.

 Wind, blowing across the surface of a pond, will cause oxygen to be absorbed into
the water.

 Mechanical aeration devices agitate the water surface to cause spray and waves so
that oxygen can be absorbed from the air. Some mechanical devices include paddle
wheels, mixers, and rotating brushes.

 Diffused aeration utilizes a blower system to discharge air into the water. The air
stream is broken into fine bubbles; the smaller the bubbles, the greater the oxygen
transfer.
 Light Energy from Sun

ALGAE New Algal

Biomass

Organics
New
from Bacterial
AEROBIC BACTERIA
Waste Biomass
Water
Variations in Aerobic Ponds

Diurnal(daily) variation in DO concentration

Diurnal variation in pH

Extreme values of these, in either direction may be

detrimental to microbial activity.
Design Considerations
Parameter Value
Depth in mts. 0.15-.5
Retention time (day) 2-6
BODu loading( lb/acre-day) 100-200
BODu removal(%) 80-90
Algae concentration(mg/l) 100-200
Re-circulation ratio 0.2-2.0
Effluent suspended solids 150-350
concentration(mg/l)
Problems
Nuisance vegetation
Inhibitory temperatures
Shock loads
Anaerobic Ponds
These ponds requires no D.O. for microbial activity
as the organisms use O2 from compounds such as
NO3, SO4 as their hydrogen acceptors and give end
product such as methane, carbon dioxide etc.
 Anaerobic Ponds function without dissolved oxygen (DO)
throughout any of its depth. Treatment is accomplished by anaerobic
bacteria at the bottom of the pond, which ferment the sludge.

 Anaerobic ponds have a depth of eight (8) to twenty (20) feet, and a
typical detention time of 20 to 50 days. A deep sludge blanket covers the
bottom of these ponds, while a scum layer covers the surface. The scum
layer is important to the pond because:

 It helps to minimize offensive odors

 It blocks transfer of DO through surface contact

 It helps insulate the pond or lagoon to ensure ideal conditions for sludge
fermentation.
Anaerobic decomposition
 It take place in two separate but inter related steps :-
1. Decomposition of dissolved organic waste by acid
producing bacteria to organic acids (such as acetic
propionic acid) and,

2. Further decomposition of these acids to the end

products of methane, carbon dioxide and water by
methane producing bacteria.
 H2O, CO2

Organic Wastes
Acid producing Bacteria
Bacterial
Cells

H2O, CO2, CH4

Methane producing
bacteria
Bacterial Cells
Facultative Ponds
Facultative Ponds contain a supernatant (upper) layer that is
aerobic, and lower layers that are anaerobic.

These are neither fully aerobic nor fully anaerobic. They are
often about 1 to 2 m in depth and favor algal growth along with
the growth of aerobic, anaerobic and facultative
microorganisms. Such ponds are predominantly aerobic during
day light as well as for some hours of the light. In the few
remaining hours the pond bottom may turn anaerobic.
Zones of facultative pond

1) Aerobic zone
2) Anaerobic zone
3) Facultative zone

The decomposition of incoming organic waste and

products of anaerobic decomposition is done by
facultative bacteria.
 Wind
Sunligh
t CO2

alga
e
(CO2, NO2, PO4, SO4)

Aerobic
O2

Zone
Biomass
Aerobic
Bacteria
Facultative

Anaerobi
Organic acids &

c Zone
Zone

Compounds of C, N, P, S
Biomass

Anaerobi
c Zone
Anaerobic
Bacteria
Sludge Blanket
Impermeable lining
Maturation / Tertiary Ponds
These are similar to aerobic ponds but are very lightly
loaded with organic wastes. Generally used for upgrading
effluents from conventional secondary treatment
processes.
Reasons For Poor Performance of
Oxidation Pond
 DO level in the pond during night & early morning hours
was almost zero.
 BOD removal efficiency was only 60-70%
LAGOONS
 Lagoons are deep waste stabilization ponds -like
bodies of water or basins designed to receive, hold,
and treat wastewater for a predetermined period of
time by artificial means of aeration.
 In the lagoon, wastewater is treated through a
combination of physical, biological, and chemical
processes.
TYPES OF LAGOONS
According to the microbial activity in the aerated
lagoons-
Aerobic aerated lagoons.
Facultative aerated lagoons.
AEROBIC AERATED LAGOONS
 Dissolved oxygen is present throughout much of the
depth of aerobic lagoons.
 They tend to be much shallower than other lagoons.
 They are better suited for warm, sunny climates, where
they are less likely to freeze.
 HRT = 2 to 10 days
 SS concentration between 60 to 300mg/l
 The BOD removal is of order of 75 to 85%
 Oxygenation requirement is of order of .7 to 1.3 kg per
kg of BOD removed.
Units of aerobic lagoon
1) The mechanical surface aerators so that solids do not
settle to bottom of tank.

2) The other unit is settling tank for removal of

suspended solids .
FACULTATIVE AERATED LAGOONS
 Three types of zones are present
Aerobic Zone.
Anaerobic Zone.
Facultative Zone.
 HRT is higher than aerobic lagoons because time
requires for the solids to settle and for many pathogens
viruses to either die off or settle out.
Facultative lagoons
 Detentions time ranges from 3 to 5 days .

 BOD removal are of order 75 to 90%

Two, Three, or Four Lagoons Are Better
Than One
 Each lagoon cell has a different function to perform,
and a different kind of lagoon design may be used for
each cell.

In Series
When lagoons operate in
series, more of the solid
material in the wastewater,
such as algae, has an
opportunity to settle out
before the effluent is
disposed of.
In Parallel
This system design is
particularly useful in
cold climates or where
lagoons are covered
with ice for parts of the
year
Operation And Maintenance
For Aerobic Lagoons

Any earthen structures used as impoundments must be periodically

inspected. If left unchecked, rodent damage can cause severe
weakening of lagoon embankments.

In submerged diffused aeration, the routine application of HCl gas

in the system is used to dissolve accumulated material on the
diffuser units

The use of submerged perforated tubing for diffused aeration

requires maintenance and cleaning on a routine basis to maintain
design aeration rates
Operation And Maintenance
For Facultative Lagoons
Most facultative lagoons are designed to operate by gravity flow.
The system is not maintenance intensive and power costs are
minimal because pumps and other electrically operated devices
may not be required.

Earthen structures used as impoundments must be inspected

for rodent damage.
Applicability
Type of Lagoon Application
Aerobic Lagoon Municipal and industrial wastewaters of
low to medium strength.

Facultative Lagoon Treated raw, screened, or primary settled

municipal wastewater and biodegradable
industrial wastewaters.
Limitations
For Aerated Lagoons
Aerated lagoons may experience ice formation on the water
surface during cold weather periods
Reduced rates of biological activity also occur during cold
weather
Formation of ice on Floating Aerators.
For facultative Lagoons
The inability of the process to meet a 30 mg/L limit for TSS
due to the presence of algae in the effluent.
Odors may be a problem in the spring and fall during periods of
excessive algal blooms and unfavorable weather conditions
Thanks