International Journal of Environmental Engineering and Management

ISSN 2231-1319 Volume 4, Number 1 (2013), pp. 73-88

© Research India Publications
http://www.ripublication.com

FBBR and MBBR Bioreactors for Sewage Treatment

Suresh Kumar D.# and Dr. Sekaran V.*

#
PhD Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Karpagam University,
Coimbatore, India.
*
Principal, Raja College of Engineering & Technology, Madura, India.
E-mail: 1surea63@yahoo.co.in, 2vsek01@yahoo.com

Abstract

The bioreactors are either aerobic or anaerobic. They are suspended growth or
attached growth. Bioreactors degrade contaminants in water with
microorganisms through attached or suspended biological systems. In
suspended growth systems, such as activated sludge, fluidized beds, or
sequencing batch reactors, contaminated ground water is circulated in an
aeration basin where a microbial population aerobically degrades organic
matter and produces CO2, H2O, and new cells. The cells form a sludge, which
is settled out in a clarifier, and is either recycled to the aeration basin or
disposed. In attached growth systems, such as upflow fixed film bioreactors,
rotating biological contactors (RBCs), and trickling filters, microorganisms
are established on an inert support matrix to aerobically degrade water
contaminants. The microbial population may be derived either from the
contaminant source or from an inoculum of organisms specific to a
contaminant. Nutrients are often added to the bioreactors to support the
growth of microorganisms. Bioreactors are a long-term technology. The
process may take up to several years. Various types of bioreactors and their
values are reviewed in this paper.
Keywords: Aerobic, Anaerobic, AFB, ASP, Attached Growth, Biogas,
Bioreactors, FAB, FBBR, MBBR, Resource Recovery, Suspended Growth,
UASB.

Introduction
Bioreactors
Bioreactors are vessels in which a chemical process occurs by means of
biochemically active substances or organisms. The chemical process can be either
aerobic or anaerobic. The process is done under a particular temperature, residency
time, and pH value.
74 Suresh Kumar D et. al.

Advantages of Bioreactors
 The bioreactors are relatively small and compact.
 The operation and maintenance costs are low.

Disadvantage of Bioreactors
 Careful control of the reactor vessel is required in environmental conditions
such as pH, temperature, and oxygen content.
 Discharged treated water again requires additional treatment.

Applications of Bioreactors
 Widely used for cell culture and fermentation.
 In pharmaceutical drug production.
 For VOC and headspace analysis.
 For municipal wastewater treatment.
 Tissue or cell growth.
 Chemical reactions.

Aerobic Wastewater Treatment

Simply put, aerobic wastewater treatment refers to the removal of organic pollutants
in wastewater by bacteria that require oxygen to work. Water and carbon dioxide are
the end products of the aerobic wastewater treatment process. Bacteria that thrive in
oxygen-rich environments work to break down and digest the wastewater inside the
aerobic treatment plant or system. This process is called aerobic digestion.

Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment

Anaerobic wastewater treatment is a process whereby bacteria digest biosolids in the
absence of oxygen. One major feature of anaerobic digestion is the production of
biogas, which can be used in generators for electricity production or in boilers for
heating purposes. This, plus the fact that aerobic wastewater treatment requires a
method for the introduction of oxygen into the process, makes anaerobic wastewater
treatment generally more cost effective.

Suspended Growth Technology

Suspended Growth Technology is the basis of Extended Aeration treatment systems
wherein a pre-determined amount of air is delivered and introduced into sewage
wastewater. Common methods of diffusion into the wastewater are by either coarse or
fine bubble diffusers.
Suspended Growth systems take the principle of pumping air into sewage
wastewater to create a mixing action of air and sewage wastewater. This mixing
action is designed to keep the organic matter in suspension and cause the oxygen in
the air to develop the naturally occurring aerobic bacterial microorganisms to become
active. The aerobic microorganisms digest the sewage while in suspension. The
bioreactors used for this technology is called Fixed Bed Bioreactors (FBBR).
FBBR and MBBR Bioreactors for Sewage Treatment 75

Attached Growth Technology

Attached Growth Technology is based also on the introduction of air to the sewage
but with the application of a material (media) for the microorganisms to attach
themselves to in order for them to growth and digest sewage.
The method of air introduction may be either by an active or passive method. The
Active method is using a mechanical means of air introduction such as, but not
limited to, an air pump or fan. The Passive method is by allowing the surrounding
atmospheric air to simply make contact with the sewage.
The media used for the microorganisms to attach to range from plastic, glass,
foam, peat, sand, gravel to textile fabrics. Setting aside the method of air introduction
and media type, the attached growth technology is generally designed around the
principle of an amount of surface area of the media for the microorganisms to attach
to. The media in contact with the sewage wastewater allows for the microorganisms
to attach to the media and digest the sewage as it passes by. The organic matter
attached to the media reduces the amount of solids in suspension. The media also acts
as biological filter that filters organic matter.
In attached growth systems the biomass is not in a constant state of suspension but
is attached to the media. Attached Growth systems are therefore a more robust system
in their ability to handle a temporary increase in the volume and concentration of
incoming sewage due to the filtering effect of the media. Surges of sewage are
buffered by the presence of the media by slowing the flow and allowing for the
attached microorganisms to digest the sewage.
The benefits of attached growth are typically a smaller footprint and higher level
of treatment. Sludge (biosolids) build up for removal and disposal will vary
dependent on the specific attached growth technology selected. The bioreactors used
for this technology is called Moving Bed Bioreactors (MBBR).

Aerobic Treatment Units

Fixed Bed Bioreactors
 Activated Sludge Process (ASP).
 Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR).
 Aerated Lagoon (AL).
 Extended Aeration Process (EA).
 Membrane Biological Reactors (MBR).
Moving Bed Bioreactors
 Trickling Filters (TF).
 Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC).
 Fluidized aerobic bed bioreactors (FAB).

Anaerobic Treatment Units

Fixed Bed Bioreactors
 Batch Fed (BF).
 Once or Intermittent Fed (OIF).
76 Suresh Kumar D et. al.

 Continuous Stirred Reactor-Fed daily with solid recycle (CSR).

 Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB).
 Baffle Reactor-Fed daily without solid recycle (BR).
 Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR).
 Plug Flow.
Moving Bed Bioreactors
 Expanded Bed (EB).
 Anaerobic Fluidized Bed (AFB).
 Anaerobic Filters (AF).
 Rotating Biological Disc (RBD).
Fixed Bed Bio Reactor (FBBR)/ Activated Sludge Process
Activated sludge is a process for treating sewage and industrial wastewaters using air
and a biological floc composed of bacteria and protozoa. The most common
suspended growth process used for municipal wastewater treatment is the activated
sludge process. The process involves air or oxygen being introduced into a mixture of
screened, and primary treated sewage or industrial wastewater combined with
organisms to develop a biological floc which reduces the organic content of the
sewage. This material, which in healthy sludge is a brown floc, is largely composed
of saprotrophic bacteria but also has an important protozoan flora mainly composed
of amoebae, Spirotrichs, Peritrichs including Vorticellids and a range of other filter
feeding species.
The combination of wastewater and biological mass is commonly known as
mixed liquor. In all activated sludge plants, once the wastewater has received
sufficient treatment, excess mixed liquor is discharged into settling tanks and the
treated supernatant is run off to undergo further treatment before discharge. Part of
the settled material, the sludge, is returned to the head of the aeration system to re-
seed the new wastewater entering the tank. This fraction of the floc is called return
activated sludge (R.A.S.). Excess sludge is called surplus activated sludge (S.A.S.) or
waste activated sludge (W.A.S). W.A.S is removed from the treatment process to
keep the ratio of biomass to food supplied in the wastewater in balance, and is further
treated by digestion, either under anaerobic or aerobic conditions prior to disposal.
Many sewage treatment plants use axial flow pumps to transfer nitrified mixed
liquor from the aeration zone to the anoxic zone for denitrification. These pumps are
often referred to as internal mixed liquor recycle pumps (IMLR pumps). The raw
sewage, the RAS, and the nitrified mixed liquor are mixed by submersible mixers in
the anoxic zones in order to achieve denitrification.
Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR)/ Fluidized Aerobic Bioreactor FAB
This technology is essentially the same as activated sludge except that the media
suspended in the reactor offers additional surfaces for the microbes to grow and this
in turn maximizes the growth of microbes in a given volume of aeration tank
compared to the conventional aeration without the media and to that extent, it does
appear preferable. Diffused aeration is of course needed. FAB technology is akin to
FBBR and MBBR Bioreactors for Sewage Treatment 77

MBBR except that instead of the media in suspension, the media is kept stationary
and fluidized in the aeration tank.
Advantages
 There are no limitations of height as long as compressors can be suitably used.
 Circular structures can be used to economize on construction costs & time.
 The structures can be easily covered for indoor air quality when needed.
 Requires lower footprints compared to conventional activated sludge.
 Easy to operate and maintain.
Disadvantages
 The area per unit volume of the media offered by various vendors are different
and also each vendor advocates his own criteria for the relative ratio of
volume of media to volume of aeration tank, which makes it difficult to bring
about a common and validated standard design criteria.
 The quality of plastic of media varies.
 The verification of whether the media is moving about the entire volume of
the tank or merely clumping at the top layers and if so the method of mixing it
up through the tank volume without shearing of the biomass on it are issues of
infirmity and which may need gentle movers of the media through the volume
of the tank.
 Furthermore, the media is a patented product.
 Higher energy input if used without biomethanation
Fixed Bed Bio Reactor (FBBR)/ Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB)
Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) technology, normally referred to as UASB
reactor, is a form of anaerobic digester that is used in the treatment of wastewater.
The UASB reactor is a methanogenic (methane-producing) digester that evolved from
the anaerobic clarigester.
UASB uses an anaerobic process whilst forming a blanket of granular sludge
which suspends in the tank. Wastewater flows upwards through the blanket and is
processed (degraded) by the anaerobic microorganisms. The upward flow combined
with the settling action of gravity suspends the blanket with the aid of flocculants.
The blanket begins to reach maturity at around 3 months. Small sludge granules begin
to form whose surface area is covered in aggregations of bacteria. In the absence of
any support matrix, the flow conditions create a selective environment in which only
those microorganisms, capable of attaching to each other, survive and proliferate.
Eventually the aggregates form into dense compact biofilms referred to as "granules".
Biogas with a high concentration of methane is produced as a by-product, and this
may be captured and used as an energy source, to generate electricity for export and
to cover its own running power. The technology needs constant monitoring when put
into use to ensure that the sludge blanket is maintained, and not washed out (thereby
losing the effect). The heat produced as a by-product of electricity generation can be
reused to heat the digestion tanks.
78 Suresh Kumar D et. al.

Advantages
 Low land demand.
 Reduction of CH4 emissions from uncontrolled disposal/”open” treatment
(ponds) due to enclosed treatment and gas collection.
 Reduction of CO2 emissions due to low demand for foreign (fossil) energy
and surplus energy production.
 Low odour emissions in case of optimum operation.
 Hygienic advantages in case of appropriate post-treatment.
 Low degree of mechanization.
 Few process steps (sludge and wastewater are treated jointly).
 Low sludge production, high sludge quality.
 Low demand for foreign exchange due to possible local production of
construction material, plant components, spare parts.
 Low demand for operational means, control and maintenance.
 Correspondingly low investment and operational costs.
Disadvantages
 Demand for know-how.
 Insufficient standardisation and adaptation for several implementation
possibilities.
 Economically not feasible in colder climates with sewage temperature lower
than 15°C.
 Methane and odour emissions (also of end-products) in case of inappropriate
plant design or operation.
 Insufficient pathogen removal without appropriate post-treatment
 Sensitivity towards toxic substances.
 Long start-up phase before steady state operation, if activated sludge is not
sufficiently available.
 Uncertainties concerning operation/ maintenance due to still low local
availability of know-how and process knowledge.
Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR)/ Anaerobic fluidized bed reactor
In the anaerobic fluidized bed, the media for bacterial attachment and growth is kept
in the fluidized state by drag forces exerted by the upflowing wastewater. The media
used are small particle size sand, activated carbon, etc. Under fluidized state, each
media provides a large surface area for biofilm formation and growth. It enables the
attainment of high reactor biomass hold-up and promotes system efficiency and
stability. This provides an opportunity for higher organic loading rates and greater
resistance to inhibitors. Fluidized bed technology is more effective than anaerobic
filter technology as it favors the transport of microbial cells from the bulk to the
surface and thus enhances the contact between the microorganisms and the substrate.
These reactors have several advantages over anaerobic filters such as elimination
of bed clogging, a low hydraulic head loss combined with better hydraulic circulation
FBBR and MBBR Bioreactors for Sewage Treatment 79

and a greater surface area per unit of reactor volume. Finally, the capital cost is lower
due to reduced reactor volumes. However, the recycling of effluent may be necessary
to achieve bed expansion as in the case of expanded bed reactor. In the expanded bed
design, microorganisms are attached to an inert support medium such as sand, gravel
or plastics as in fluidized bed reactor.
However, the diameter of the particles is slightly bigger as compared to that used
in fluidized beds. The principle used for the expansion is also similar to that for the
fluidized bed, i.e. by a high upflow velocity and recycling.

Advantages of Anaerobic fluidized bed reactor

The fluidized bed process claims various potential advantages over other high rate
anaerobic reactors such as upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors, filter
reactors and downflow stationary fixed film reactor (DSFF).
These are high sludge activity, high treatment efficiency, no clogging of reactors,
no problems of sludge retention, least chance of organic shock loads and gas hold up
as well as small area requirements.

Disadvantages
 Problems due to long start-up times due to biolayer formation on the carrier.
 Difficulties due to control of biolayer thickness.
 High energy consumption due to very high liquid recirculation ratio.
 High investment cost for liquid distribution to obtain uniform fluidization
especially in a large scale plant.

Materials and Methods

From the above four types of bioreactors, the Anaerobic Fluidized Bioreactor type is
not used in anywhere in India. The remaining three types are largely used. For this
study purpose, three different STPs are considered.

Sewage Treatment Plant at Haridwar

Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of
Uttarakhand, India. The River Ganges, after flowing for 253 kilometres from its
source at Gaumukh at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier, enters the Indo-Gangetic
Plains of North India for the first time at Haridwar, which gave the city its ancient
name, Gangadwára. Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to
Hindus. Haridwar is the headquarters and the largest city of the district. Today, the
city is developing beyond its religious importance, with the fast developing industrial
estate of State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL).

The STP was commissioned in the year 1993 on Activated Sludge Process (ASP)
with a capacity of 18 MLD. The type of the STP is Aerobic with Suspended Growth
Technology. The reactor is called Fixed Bed Biological Reactor.
80 Suresh Kumar D et. al.

Table-2.1.1: Influent and Effluent Characteristics.

Parameters Influent characteristics Effluent characteristics

SS 300 mg/l < 30 mg/l
BOD 250 mg/l. < 20 mg/l
COD 400 mg/l < 100 mg/l
pH 7-7.5 7-8
Coliform Count <106-107 (Assumed) <103 at the CCT outlet

Total Expenditure for the Year 2005-2006

The total expenditure of the sewage treatment plant for the year 2005-2006 is
obtained from the office of the Ganga Pollution Control Unit, Uttaranchal Peyjal
Nigam, Haridwar, and is as below:

Total Expenditure for the Year 2005-2006.

Establishment Charges -Rs 48,54,816/-

Electricity Charges -Rs 24,24,700/-
Maintenance -Rs 6,00,000/-
TOTAL -Rs. 78,79,516/-
Rate per 1 MLD -Rs. 4,37,800/-

Resource Recovery
Table-2.1.2: Resource Recovery.
Resource Recovery Rs in lakh /year
Treated effluent at the rate of Rs 800 /hectare/year 0.96
Digested sludge cakes, of Rs 80/cum 2.00
Eucalyptus trees 5.00
Mature poplar trees, Rs 40 lakhs/ 5 years 8.00
Growing vegetables by paying an annual lease 0.18
Total 16.14

Gas Production
The gas produced per million litre of sewage=96 m3.The projected Biogas production
is 1728 m3. The Actual Biogas production is 430 m3. C.V.of Biogas is 21.24 MJ/kg.
Table-2.1.3: Energy Production from Biogas
Total Energy production per day 0.88 MWh/day
Cost of E.B. Power savings=0.88 MWh/day X365 days X 3.00 X1000
=Rs.963600/year.
Cost of E.B. Power savings per 1MLD=Rs.963600 / 18 MLD=Rs. 0.54 lakhs/year.
FBBR and MBBR Bioreactors for Sewage Treatment 81

Sewage Treatment Plant at Pimpri Chinchwad-Pune

The Sewage Treatment Plant at Pimpri Chinchwad-Pune is located at Sangvi, Pune.
The Capacity of the treatment plant is 15 MLD and the technology adopted is FAB.
This technology produced much small quantity of sludge and what is more, this
sludge requires no further treatment such as digestion, due to the fact that it produces
digested sludge which does not smell like that in conventional plant. Because of this
reason, biogas cannot be produced by this technology. The type of the STP is Aerobic
with Attached Growth Technology. The reactor is called Moving Bed Biological
Reactor.
Table-2.2.1: Influent and Effluent Characteristics.

Parameters Influent characteristics Effluent characteristics

SS 300 mg/l < 50 mg/l
BOD 200-250 mg / l < 30 mg/l
COD 400-500 mg / < 100 mg/l
pH 7-7.5 7-8
Coliform Count <10 -107 (Assumed)
6 3
<10 at the CCT outlet

Sewage Treatment Plant at Saharanpur

Saharanpur is an industrial town of western UP. The population of the town as per
1991 census was 3, 73,904. One STP of 38 MLD with UASB technology and
polishing pond was constructed. The type of the STP is Anaerobic with Suspended
Growth Technology. The reactor is called Fixed Bed Biological Reactor.
Table-2.3.1: Influent and Effluent Characteristics.

Parameters Influent characteristics Effluent characteristics

SS 400 mg/l < 50 mg/l
BOD 200 mg /l < 30 mg/l
COD 320 mg /l < 100 mg/l
pH 7-7.5 7-8
Coliform Count <106-107 (Assumed) <103 at the CCT outlet

Total Expenditure for The Year 2005-2006

The expenditure for the sewage treatment plant for the year 2005-2006 is furnished
below. These particulars are obtained from the Nagarpalika office, Saharanpur.
Total Expenditure for the Year 2005-2006
Establishment Charges -Rs 35,49,600/-
Electricity Charges -Rs 2463370/-
Maintenance -Rs 6,00,000/-
Total -Rs. 6612970/-
Rate per 1 MLD -Rs. 174025/-
82 Suresh Kumar D et. al.

Resource Recovery
Table-2.3.2: Total Resource Generation.

Resource generation Value

From power generation Rs. 16.04 Lakhs
From the sale of sludge Rs. 01.88 Lakhs
Sale of fish Rs. 00.25 Lakh
Total Rs. 18.17 Lakhs

Gas Production
The gas produced per MLD of sewage=143 m3.
Projected gas production=3310.45 m3.
Energy production per day is1.84 MWh/day and the Cost of E.B. Power
savings=Rs.26.20 lakhs/year. The Cost of E.B. Power savings per 1MLD is Rs. 0.69
lakhs/year.

Summary of STPs
The summary of all the eight STPs for the capacity of the plants, type of technology
adopted, the annual maintenance charges and the resource recovery from the STPs are
furnished in Table.
Table-2.4.1: Summary of STPs
STPs O&M Charges Resource O&M Charges R.R.
(Rs. in lakhs) Recovery per 1 MLD (Rs. per 1 MLD
(Rs. in lakhs) in lakhs) (Rs. in lakhs)
Haridwar 78.80 16.14 4.378 0.90
Pune 42.00 - 2.800 nil
Saharanpur 66.13 18.17 1.740 0.482

Results and Discussions

The effluent characteristics of all the three STPs are tabulated below. The Haridwar
STP is seems to be a higher degree of treatment. The remaining two are having the
same degree of treatment and little bit lesser degree than the Haridwar unit.
Table-3.1: Summary Effluent Characteristics of STPs.
Parameters Effluent Characteristics
Haridwar Pune Sahranpur
SS < 30 mg/l < 50 mg/l < 50 mg/l
BOD < 20 mg/l < 30 mg/l < 30 mg/l
COD < 100 mg/l < 100 mg/l < 100 mg/l
pH 7-8 7-8 7-8
3 3
Coliform Count <10 <10 <103
FBBR and MBBR Bioreactors for Sewage Treatment 83

EFFLUENT STANDARD

VALUE mg/lit.
100

50

0
SS HARI SAHARN
BOD TOWN

COD

Chart–3.1: Effluent Standards

From the study of the above three STPs, it has been observed that different
resources are recovered from these STPs in varied quantity and sustainability. Each
recovered resources has been analyzed subsequently.

Power Generation
There are plenty of differences between the power production as per the sludge
generation and as per actual. The quantity of power generated (MWh) and its
economical values (Rs. in lakhs) for the sewage treatment plants at Haridwar and
Saharanpur are tabulated below. The values for 1MLD plant are also tabulated. The
existence of higher volume percentage of carbon-di-oxide and the short loading of the
STP are some of the reasons of low power generation.
Table-3.2: Comparison of Power Generation
STPs Capacity in Energy generation Energy generation for 1 MLD
MLD MWh Rs. in lakhs (Rs. in lakhs)
Haridwar 18 321 9.64 0.54
Saharanpur 38 672 26.19 0.69

ENERGY PER 1 MLD

VALUE RS. IN LAKHS

0.5

0
ASP UASB

ENERGY STP

Chart–3.2: Power Generation per 1 MLD Plant.

84 Suresh Kumar D et. al.

Cost Comparison of Technologies

Haridwar has ASP based STP. Pune has FAB based STP. Saharanpur has UASB
based STP. So, we have to compare the cost of the STPs based on the technology
adopted. Table shows the Unit area required for STP, the unit cost of construction of
STP and the unit cost of annual O&M of STP for 1 MLD capacity.
Table-3.3: Cost Comparison.
Description Unit Uasb+Pp Fab ASP
Flow MLD 1 1 1
Unit area of STP required ha 0.17 0.02 0.20
Unit cost of construction of STP Rs. in Lakhs 40.00 50.00 45.00
Unit cost of annual O&M of STP Rs. in Lakhs 2.76 4.50 3.50
UNIT AREA REQUIRED FOR 1 MLD PLANT

0.2

0.15

0.1
AREA IN ha

0.05

0
UASB ASP

UNIT AREA STP TECHNOLOGY

Chart-3.3: Area required for 1 MLD Plant.

CONSTRUCTION COST AND O&M

COST
60
COST RS. IN LAKHS

40

20

0
UASB FAB ASP
CONSTRUCTION
O&M COST
STP TECHNOLOGY

Chart–3.4: Cost of Construction and O&M Cost for 1 MLD Plant.

FBBR and MBBR Bioreactors for Sewage Treatment 85

Sludge Production
The quantity of sludge produced as per theoretical is calculated are tabulated below.

Table-3.4: Sludge Production (Rs. in lakhs).

Name of the Sludge Cost of sludge @ Rs. Cost of sludge/ 1

town production/ 80.00/ m3 (Rs. In MLD
year in m3 lakhs) (Rs. in lakhs )
Haridwar 3124 2.50 0.14
Pune 1288 1.03 0.07
Saharanpur 5866 4.69 0.12

SLUDGE PER 1 MLD PLANT

0.14
COST RS. IN LAKHS

0.12
0.1
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0
1 2 3
1- HARIDWAR,
2- PUNE,
3- SAHARANPUR SLUDGE

Chart-3.5: Sludge Production per 1 MLD Plant.

Full Utilization of Resource Recovery

The Resources are not fully utilized in all the STPs. Most of the biogas is flared-up
instead of utilizing it for power production. The quantity of power production is
reduced due to the existence of higher volume percentage of carbon-di-oxide in the
biogas. The quantity of biogas will always be reduced due to short loading of the
STP. The bio manure sale is also not satisfactory in many cases due to unawareness
of the farmers. To find out the best technological option, it is necessary to calculate
the resource recovery from the treatment plants on full utilization of all resources. If
all the resources are fully utilized, the remuneration from resource recovery for all the
eight STPs will be varying with actual. The values thus calculated are tabulated in
Table.
86 Suresh Kumar D et. al.

Table-3.5: Resource Recovery for all the eight STPs (Values: Rs. In lakhs).

Parameters Haridwar Pune Saharanpur

Annual maintenance charges 78.80 42.00 66.13
R.R. from treated effluent 0.96 nil nil
R.R. from digested sludge cakes 2.50 1.03 4.69
R.R. from growing vegetables, gross and trees 13.18 nil nil
Aquaculture nil nil 0.25
Total 16.64 1.03 4.94
Total per 1 MLD 0.92 0.069 0.13
Savings in expenditure due to power 9.63 nil 26.20
generation
Savings in expenditure due to power 0.535 nil 0.689
generation per 1 MLD
Total Resource Recovery per 1 MLD 1.455 0.069 0.819
Annual maintenance charges per 1 MLD 4.378 2.800 1.740

R.R CUM AMC

VALUE RS. IN LAKHS

0
ASP UASB
RR
STP TECHNOLOGY
AMC

Chart-3.6: Comparison of Resource Recovery with Expenditure for 1 MLD Plant.

Conclusion

(1) Haridwar has ASP based STP. Pune has FAB based STP. Saharanpur has
UASB based STP.
(2) The ASP and UASB based sewage treatment plant are biogas producing
plants. The FAB based plants are not capable of producing biogas.
(3) The FAB based STPs are higher and the UASB based STPs are lesser in
Construction cost. The ASP based STPs are in between the above two.
(4) The ASP based STPs are higher and the UASB based STPs are lesser in
Annual Maintenance cost. The FAB based STPs are in between the above
two.
FBBR and MBBR Bioreactors for Sewage Treatment 87

(5) As for as Resource Recovery is concern, ASP is the higher one. UASB is
moderate. There are little bit chances for Resource Recovery in the FAB
based STPs.
(6) If O& M Charges are properly monitored, ASP technology will also be
economical.
(7) FAB technology is costlier than the other technologies. With the acute
shortage of land and require higher degrees of treatment, FAB technology
may be adopted.
(8) In normal condition, the most economical option is found to be UASB
technology.

References
[1] Success Story of Resource Recovery Sewage Treatment Plant at Kankhal,
Haridwar-(www.envfor.nic.in /news /feb99 /ss_ rrec.html visited on
31.05.2007).
[2] AHEC, ‘Performance review of Yamuna action plan in various towns’, IIT
Roorkee, 2002.
[3] Thermax Ltd., ‘Sewage Treatment Plant of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal
Corporation’, Pune (Maharashtra, India), 2005.
[4] Pinnacle Environmental Technologies Inc., A Discussion Paper on the Merits
of Attached Growth versus Suspended Growth Technology for Sewage
Wastewater Treatment
(http://pinnacleenvironmental.com/file_download/5/Fixed+vs+Suspended.pdf
,www.envfor.nic.in/news/feb99/b.burden.html visited on 04.03.2013).
[5] Aerobic Wastewater Treatment Vs Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment
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[6] Recent Trends In Technologies in Sewerage System, Ministry of Urban
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visited on 04.03.2013)
[7] Consultancy report of Kuster+Hager Civil Engineers Ltd, Enhancing the
Performance of the Activated Sludge Process CH-8730 Uznach Ulrich
Bretscher, Chem. Eng.,
(http://typo3.kuster.hager.ch/fileadmin/dokumente/EnhanceingPerformance.p
df visited on 04.03.2013)
[8] FRTR Remediation Technologies Screening Matrix and Reference Guide,
Version 4.0 (http://www.frtr.gov/matrix2/section4/4-42.html visited on
05.03.2013).
88 Suresh Kumar D et. al.

Authors Profile

Suresh kumar D received the M.Tech. degree in Conservation of

Rivers and Lakes from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee,
India, in 2007.Currently doing PhD in Civil Engineering Department
at Karpagam University, Coimbatore, India. His research interest
includes urban water supply and sewerage systems, sewage
treatment plants, municipal solid waste management, limnology, and
Artificial Neural Network.
Dr.Sekaran V received the M.E. degree in Public Health engineering
from Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore, India, in 1985 and also
received PhD in Civil Engineering at Anna University, Chennai,
India in 2009. His research interest includes urban water supply and
sewerage systems, sewage treatment plants, municipal solid waste
management, limnology, and Artificial Neural Network.