Sludge Digestion

Prof Izharul Haq Farooqi

Incharge, Environmental Engineering Section
Department of Civil Engineering
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Sludge Digestion
• Sludges from wastewater treatment plants pose serious environment
threat and must be rendered inert before disposal.
• Biodegradation is one of the most common methods of sludge
digestion as it converts sludge to non cellular end products.
• Sludge digestion reduces the volume of thickened sludge and it
render it relatively pathogen free.
• Aerobic or Anaerobic digestion may be used. However, anaerobic
digestion of sludge is preferred as it produces considerably less
biomass and produces methane which may be used as a fuel.
Standard Rate Anaerobic Digester
• Sludge treatment and disposal costs
accounts nearly 50% of the total cost of
sewage treatment plant.
• Reactors for anaerobic digesters consists
of closed tanks with floating covers to
accommodate volume change due to
sudden addition and withdrawal of
sludge. Conical bottom facilitates sludge
withdrawal.
• Sludge is fed to the digester on
intermittent basis and the supernatant is
withdrawn and sent to secondary
treatment system. The digested sludge is
stored in the bottom and is disposed to
sludge drying beds.
Two Stage High Rate Anaerobic Digesters
• High rate digesters are more efficient
and often require less volume than
single stage digesters. In the first stage
the sludge is mechanically mixed to
ensure better contact between the
organics and the bacteria.
• The unit is heated to increase the
metabolic rate of the microorganisms,
thus speeding up the digestion
process.
• In the second stage the sludge is
allowed to stratify and separate into
layers. Little gas is generated in the
second stage. The second stage has a
floating cap and is equipped for gas
recovery.
Design Parameters for anerobic digesters
Parameters Standard Rate High Rate
Solids Retention Time, d 30-90 10-20
Volatile Solids Loading, kg/m3.d 0.5 – 1.6 1.6 – 6.4
Digested Solids Concentration, % 4-6 4-6
Volatile Solids Reduction, % 35-50 45-55
Gas Production, m3/kg VSS added 0.5 – 0.55 0.6 – 0.65
Methane Content, % 65 65
Design of sludge digester
• The volume of standard rate digester depends upon loading rates,
digestion periods, solids reduction and sludge storage and is given by
• (V1 + V2)
• V= t1 + V2t2
• 2
• V = Volume of digester in m3
• V1 = raw sludge loading rate, m3/d
• V2 = digested sludge accumulation rate, m3/d
• t1 = digestion period, d
• t2 = digested sludge storage period , d
Design Problem
• The thickened sludge from a sludge thickener handling sludge from an activated
sludge plant is to be digested anaerobically in a standard rate digester. The sludge
is known to be 70% organic and 30% inorganic in nature. Approximately 60% of
the organic fraction is converted to liquid and gaseous end products after 30 days
period. The digested sludge has a solids content of 5% and must be stored for
periods upto 90 days. Determine the volume requirement for a single stage
standard rate anaerobic digester.
• Details of Activated Sludge Plant is as follows:
Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge
Influent S.S. 250 mg/L Primary clarifier 25 m Primary 5.0% solids
diameter
Influent BOD 250 mg/L Aerator Volume 2900 m3 Secondary 1.0 %
Effluent BOD 20 mg/L MLSS in aerator 3500 mg/L Thickened 4.0 %
Flow 20000 m3/d
Source: Environmental Engineering by Peavy,
H.S., Rowe D.R. and Tchobanoglous G
Variation of F/M and Yield of Cells Variation of SOR and SS and BOD
Removal
Solution
• Assume 60% S.S. removal and 30% BOD removal from primary clarifier.
• Solids removed from primary clarifier is
• MP = 20000 m3/d x 250 g/m3 x 0.6 x 1 kg/1000 g =3000 kg/d
• As primary sludge is 5% solids, volume of sludge become
• VP= 3000/(1000 x 0.05) = 60 m3/d
• F/M = 20000 x 0.7 x 250/(2900 x 3500) = 0.345
• From the plot for F/M of 0.345, Y = 0.4
• Therefore solids from secondary clarifier = excess cells = Y x BOD removed
• = 20000 x(0.7x250 – 20) x 0.4 = 1080000 g/d or 1080 kg/d
• Volume of secondary sludge = 1080/(1000x0.01) [ 1% solids]
• = 108 m3/d
• Total Mass of solids to the thickener = 3000 + 1080 = 4080 kg/d
• Total Volume of Sludge to the thickener = 60 + 108 = 168 m3/d
• Total volume of thickened sludge = 4080/(1000 x 0.04) = 102 m3/d
• Percent volume reduction achieved by thickener =(168 – 102) x 100
• 168
• = 39.3 %
• V1 = raw sludge loading rate = 102 m3/d
• Total mass of solids = 4080 kg/d
• Organic fraction = 0.7 x 4080 = 2856 kg/d
• Organic fraction remaining = 0.4 x 2856 = 1142.4 kg/d
• Inorganic fraction remaining = 0.3 x 4080 = 1224 kg/d
• Total mass of sludge remaining = 1142.4 + 1224 = 2366.4 kg/d
• Digested sludge accumulation rate = 2366.4/(1000x0.05)
• = 47.328 m3/d
• Digester volume is given by
• (V1 + V2)
• V= t1 + V2t2
• 2
• = (102 + 47.328) x 30 + 47.328 x 90
• 2
• = 6499.44 m3