Describe with a neat sketch the principle and operation of Biological & Chemical Sewage treatment

plant.

(a) What do you meant by B.O.D. What is the significance of B.O.D.

(b) What are the discharge criteria according to MARPOL Regulations?
(c) What routine maintenance is carried out on such Sewage treatment plant?

Aerobic (Biological) Treatment plant (Flow through system)

PRINCIPLE
1. The basic principle of the working of a biological treatment plant is decomposition of the raw
sewage.
2. This process is done by aerating the sewage chamber with fresh air.
3. The aerobic bacteria survive on this fresh air and decompose the raw sewage which can be
disposed of in the sea.
4. Air is a very important criterion in the functioning of the biological sewage plant because if air is not
present, it will lead to the growth of anaerobic bacteria, which produces toxic gasses that are
hazardous to health.
5. Also, after decomposition of the sewage with anaerobic bacteria, a dark black liquid causes
discolouration of water which is not accepted for discharging. Thus in a biological sewage treatment
plant, the main aim is to maintain the flow of fresh air.
OPERATION
1. The sewage treatment unit shown above consists of three important chambers.
2. Sewage enters the aeration chamber via a coarse mesh filter and through the primary chamber
where large solids are broken down.
3. The aeration chamber is where the main biological action takes place. Here air blowers mounted on
the outside of the unit oxygenate and stir the effluent and bacteria mix via a series of pipes and
nozzles. The sewage remains in this aeration tank for some time.
4. Incoming sewage displaces some effluent of the settling tank (or hopper) where under inactive
conditions biological floc, activated sludge and bacteria, settle out and is returned to the aeration
chamber via air lift pumps also driven by the blowers.
5. A second transfer pipe scum's the surface of the settling tank and returns it back to the aeration
chamber.
6. This returned sludge contains the bacteria to digest the incoming sewage. Thus the importance of
this floc return can be seen
7. In the last chamber, the clear liquid produced from the settling tank is overflown and the liquid is
disinfected with the help of chlorine. This is done because of the presence of the e-Coli bacteria
present in the liquid. To reduce these bacteria to acceptable level chlorination is done. Moreover, to
reduce the e-Coli, the treated liquid is kept for a period of at least 60 minutes. In some plants,
disinfection is also done with the help of ultraviolet radiation.
8. If the ship is in restricted or near coastline then the sewage will be discharged into the holding tank;
otherwise, the sewage is discharged directly into the sea when a high level is reached and is
disposed of automatically until low-level switch activates.

a)BOD AND SIGNIFICANCE OF BOD FOR WASTEWATER

1. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed (i.e.
demanded) by aerobic biological organisms to break down organic material present in a
given water sample at certain temperature over a specific time period.
2. The BOD value is most commonly expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed per litre of
sample during 5 days of incubation at 20 °.
3. The higher the BOD value, the greater the amount of organic matter or “food” available for
oxygen consuming bacteria.
4. If the rate of DO consumption by bacteria exceeds the supply of DO from aquatic plants,
algae photosynthesis or diffusing from air, unfavourable conditions occur.
5. Depletion of DO causes stress on aquatic organisms, making the environment unsuitable
for life. Further, dramatic depletion can lead to hypoxia or anoxic environments.
Annex IV- Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships

Chapter 3 - Equipment and control of discharge

b)Regulation 11 - Discharge of sewage
1 the discharge of sewage into the sea is prohibited, except when:

• the ship is discharging comminuted and disinfected sewage using a system approved by the
Administration (in accordance with regulation 9.1.2 of this Annex) at a distance of more than 3
nautical miles from the nearest land, or sewage which is not comminuted or disinfected at a
distance of more than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land, provided that, in any case, the
sewage that has been stored in holding tanks shall not be discharged instantaneously but at a
moderate rate when the ship is en route and proceeding at not less than 4 knots; the rate of
discharge shall be approved by the Administration based upon standards developed by the
Organization; or
• the ship has in operation an approved sewage treatment plant which has been certified by the
Administration (to meet the operational requirements referred to in regulation 9.1.1) of this
Annex, and
1. the test results of the plant are laid down in the ship's International Sewage Pollution Prevention
Certificate; and
2. additionally, the effluent shall not produce visible floating solids nor cause discoloration of the
surrounding water.

2 The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to ships operating in the waters under the jurisdiction of a
State and visiting ships from other States while they are in these waters and are discharging sewage in
accordance with such less stringent requirements as may be imposed by such State.

3 When the sewage is mixed with wastes or waste water covered by other Annexes of MARPOL 73/78, the
requirements of those Annexes shall be complied with in addition to the requirements of this Annex.

Extra info-Regulation 9 - Sewage systems

1 Every ship which, is required to comply with the provisions of this Annex shall be equipped with one of
the following sewage systems:

.1 a sewage treatment plant which shall be of a type approved by the Administration, taking into
account the standards and test methods developed by the Organization, or
.2 a sewage comminuting and disinfecting system approved by the Administration. Such system shall
be fitted with facilities to the satisfaction of the Administration, for the temporary storage of sewage
when the ship is less than 3 nautical miles from the nearest land, or
.3 a holding tank of the capacity to the satisfaction of the Administration for the retention of all sewage,
having regard to the operation of the ship, the number of persons on board and other relevant factors.
The holding tank shall be constructed to the satisfaction of the Administration and shall have a means
to indicate visually the amount of its contents.
C)Maintenance and Checks

An efficient running of a sewage treatment plant on a ship requires periodic maintenance and daily
checks of the system. Failure to do so can lead to an output that cannot be discharged into the
sea, blockage of pipelines, and even failure of some parts.

There are several factors that results in smooth working of a sewage treatment plant on a ship and
this article enumerates all the maintenance and checks for that smooth running.

1. During daily rounds the pressure of the system should be checked and should be within the
limits.

2. The air lift return should be checked to make sure the system is working properly. This is usually
checked by the flow through the clear plastic pipe present on the installation. A clear sludge can be
seen flowing through the tubes back to the aeration chamber.

3. Over a period of time, the sludge content in the aeration tank due to the recycling of the sludge
from settling tank and fresh sewage increases. This sludge content or suspended solid particle is
measured in mg/liter. The method of checking it is to take sample in a conical flask provided by the
manufacturer and filling it up to 1000ml mark. The sample is then allowed to be settled and reading
of sludge content is checked.

The sludge content should not be above the 200 mark, but if it is above the 200 mark, the tank has
to be emptied for increasing the performance. In some ships this is checked by filtering the sample
through a pre-weighed pad which is dried and re-weighed. This also depends from manufacturer to
manufacturer, but is done every week.

4. Also the bio-pack is added every week to the plant to increase efficiency. The bio-pac contains
aerobic bacteria which get activated when mixed with hot water.

5. The chlorination of the sample should be between 1-5 ppm and accordingly the dosing has to be
increased or decreased.

6. The level of biological oxygen demand (BOD) is also checked and it should not be above 50
mg/liter. The sample is checked by incubating the sample at 20 degrees and well oxygenating the
same. The amount of oxygen absorbed over a period of five days is measured. This is done to
check the oxygen required for full breakdown of sewage after it has been treated by aerobic
bacteria.

7. The internal coating of the sewage treatment plant should be checked for cracking and
blistering. If any kind of damage is found then we first need to empty the tanks and then necessary
repairs to be performed. Special precautions should be taken before entering the tank as it may
contain toxic gases that cause suffocation. The gases should be checked by drager tube, a special
tube in which samples of various gases are taken before entering.
When it is made sure of the absence of toxic gases, entry is made with the mask and gloves. After
completion of work the area has to be disinfected. Later, hands should be properly scrubbed and
overalls be thoroughly washed.

8. If the sewage treatment plant is fitted with UV disinfectant system instead of the chlorination
system, the UV lamp has to be changed as recommended by the manufacturer.

9. High and low level limit switches should be checked for auto cut-in and cut-out of the discharge
to over-board pump.

10. Make sure the stand-by sewage discharge pump is put on auto during the working of the
sewage treatment plant.

In case of a blockage of the sewage line there is a connection for back flushing which uses sea
water. This is to be used to unclog the sewage pipelines; however, it is to note that all valves are
closed and only the necessary valves are open, for it might back flush from WC of the cabins.

Generally, stewards are instructed for using chemicals provided by various manufacturers such as
Drew Marine and Unitor during washing so that no blockages of lines are caused. However, there
shouldn’t be any overuse of these chemical as it would lead to killing of aerobic bacteria which will
decrease the efficiency of the plant and other problems. The amount of chemicals is to be as per
manufacturer recommendation.