What is Trickling Filter

Trickling filter is an attached growth process i.e. process in which microorganisms responsible for
treatment are attached to an inert packing material. Packing material used in attached growth processes
include rock, gravel, slag, sand, redwood, and a wide range of plastic and other synthetic materials.

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Tricking filter is essentially a biofiltration, and has the ability to accomplish the following functions;
 Remove BOD,
 Add oxygen,
 Remove carbon dioxide,
 Remove excess nitrogen and other inert gasses,
 Remove turbidity and clarify the water, and
 Remove various organic contaminants.

Process Description
 The wastewater in trickling filter is distributed over the top area of a vessel containing non-
submerged packing material.
 Air circulation in the void space, by either natural draft or blowers, provides oxygen for the
microorganisms growing as an attached biofilm.
 During operation, the organic material present in the wastewater is metabolised by the biomass
attached to the medium. The biological slime grows in thickness as the organic matter abstracted
from the flowing wastewater is synthesized into new cellular material.
 The thickness of the aerobic layer is limited by the depth of penetration of oxygen into the
microbial layer.
 The micro-organisms near the medium face enter the endogenous phase as the substrate is
metabolised before it can reach the micro-organisms near the medium face as a result of
increased thickness of the slime layer and loose their ability to cling to the media surface. The
liquid then washes the slime off the medium and a new slime layer starts to grow. This
phenomenon of losing the slime layer is called sloughing.
 The sloughed off film and treated wastewater are collected by an under drainage which also
allows circulation of air through filter. The collected liquid is passed to a settling tank used for
solid- liquid separation.

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Classification of Trickling Filters
1. Low Rate Filters They are also known as standard rate or conventional rate filters. The settled
sewage is applied to the filter bed and after trickling through it, passes through the final sedimentation
tank for removal of most of the stabilized solids.
2. High Rate Filters In case of high rate trickling filters the settled sewage is applied at much higher
rate than for the low rate filter. The high rate filters of modern advancements also function on the
same lines and having the same construction detail but with the difference that provision is made in
them for recirculation of sewage through the filter by pumping a part of the filter effluent to the
primary settling tank (or the dosing tank of trickling filter) and re-passing it through filter.

Recirculation of High Rate Trickling Filters

To increase the load rate of trickling filter the sewage is an essential and important feature of high
rate filters. The recirculation consists in returning portion of the treated sewage to the treatment
process (i.e. filter).

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Advantages of Recirculation
o It dilutes the influent with better quality water and this making it fresh and reduces odor.
o It maintains a uniform rate of organic and hydraulic loading.
o It provides longer contact of the applied sewage with the bacterial film on the contact media
and accelerating the biological oxidation process.
o It increases the efficiency by reducing the BOD load generally.

Comparison of low rate and high rate trickling filters

Design Feature Low Rate High Rate Filter
Filter
1. Hydraulic loading, 1 - 4 10 - 40
m3/m2.d
2. Organic loading, kg 0.08 - 0.32 0.32 - 1.0
BOD / m3.d

3. Depth, m. 1.8 - 3.0 0.9 - 2.5

4. Recirculation ratio 0 0.5 - 3.0 (domestic wastewater) upto 8 for strong
industrial wastewater.

 The effect of temperature on the BOD removal efficiency

Where,
ET = BOD removal efficiency at To C, %
E20 = BOD removal efficiency at 20o C, %

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Trickling Filter

Advantages of Trickling Filter

Advantages
o Simple and reliable biological process.
o Suitable in areas where large tracts of land are not available for land intensive treatment
systems.
o May qualify for equivalent secondary discharge standards.
o Effective in treating high concentrations of organics depending on the type of medium used.
o Appropriate for small- to medium-sized communities.
o Rapidly reduce soluble BOD5 in applied wastewater.
o Durable process elements.
o Low power requirements.
o Moderate level of skill and technical expertise needed to manage and operate the system

Disadvantages
o Additional treatment may be needed to meet more stringent discharge standards.
o Possible accumulation of excess biomass that cannot retain an aerobic condition and can
impair TF performance (maximum biomass thickness is controlled by hydraulic dosage rate,
type of media, type of organic matter, temperature and nature of the biological growth).
o Requires regular operator attention.
o Incidence of clogging is relatively high.
o Requires low loadings depending on the medium.
o Flexibility and control are limited in comparison with activated-sludge processes.
o Vector and odor problems.
o Snail problem

DESIGN OF TRICKLING FILTERS

Generally trickling filter design is based on empirical relationship to find the required filter volume
for a designed degree of wastewater treatment.
Types of equations:
1. NR equations (National Research Council of USA)
2. Rankins Equation
3. Eckenfeldr equation
4. Galler and Gotaas equation

The NRC equation will be covered in this course. They are applicable to both low rate (standard) and
high rate filters.

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NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (NRC) FORMULAS.
The NRC formulas have resulted from extensive analysis of operational records from stone-media
trickling filter plants serving typical installations. Based on its data analyses, NRC developed the
following formulas for predicting the stone-media trickling filter performance at 20 oC.

For a single stage, The NRC equation for BOD removal at 20oC
100
𝐸1 =
𝑤1
1 + 0.44√
𝑉𝐹

For two stage, The NRC equation for BOD removal at 20oC
100
𝐸2 =
0.44 𝑤
1 + 1 − 𝐸 √𝑉. 2𝐹
1

Where,

And
1+𝑅
𝐹=
(1 + 0.1𝑅)2
F represents the average number of passes of the influent organic matter through the filter

The effect of temperature on the BOD removal efficiency

ET = BOD removal efficiency at To C, %

E20 = BOD removal efficiency at 20o C, %

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Example:
Calculate the BOD loading, hydraulic loading, BOD removal efficiency, and effluent BOD
concentration of a single-stage trickling filter based on the following data:
–Design assumptions:
•Influent flow =1530 m3/d
•Recirculation ratio = 0.5
•Primary effluent BOD = 130 mg/L
•Diameter of filter = 18 m
•Depth of media = 2.1 m
•Water temperature =18oC

Solution
(1) BOD loading rate (kg/m3/d)
 BOD load = BOD Conc. x Influent flow
= 130 mg/L x 1530 m3/d =198.9 kg/d
 Volume of filter = surface area of filter x depth
= π (18 m x 18m)/4 X 2.1 m = 533 m3
 BOD loading rate = BOD load / volume of filter
=0.37 kg/m3/d
(2) Hydraulic loading rate (m3/m2/d)
 Total flow to the media = influent + recirculation flow
= 1530 m3/d + (1530 m3/d x 0.5)
 Surface area of filter = π (18 m x 18m)/4 = 254 m3
 Hydraulic loading rate = Total flow to the media / area of filter = 9.04 m3/m2/d

(3) Effluent BOD (mg/L)

 BOD removal efficiency for first-stage filter at 20oC, %

100
𝐸=
𝑤
1 + 0.44√𝑉𝐹

1+𝑅 1 + 0.5
𝐹= 2
= = 1.36
(1 + 0.1𝑅) (1 + (0.1 ∗ 0.5)2

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 100
𝐸1 = = 99%
0.37
1 + 0.44√
533 ∗ 1.36

E18 =E20 (1.035)18-20 =99(1.035)-2 =92.4%

Therefore,
Effluent BOD (mg/l) = 130mg/l*(100-92.4)/100 =9.88mg/l

Example 2:
Determine the dimensions of a high rate trickling filter for the following data
i. Sewage flow =3.0MLD
ii. Recirculation ratio =15
iii. BOD of raw sewage =250mg/l
iv. BOD removed in primary tank =25%
v. Final effluent BOD desired = 30Mg/l
What will be the diamater of a standard trickling filter for the above requirement.
(reticulation ratio =0)
Solution
 Total BOD present in raw sewage =3.0*106 *250*10-6 =750 kg/day
 BOD entering per day in the filter units =0.75*750 =562.5kg
 Permissible BOD Concentration in the effluent =30mg/l
 BOD allowed to go into the effluent = 30*10-6*3*106 =90kg
562.5−90
 Efficiency of the filter= ∗ 100 = 84%
562.5

100 100
𝐸= 𝑤
, or 84 = 562.5
1+0.44√ 1+0.44√
𝑉𝐹 𝑉𝐹

1+𝑅 1+1.5 100

𝐹 = (1+0.1𝑅)2 = (1+(0.1∗1.5)2 = 1.89, then 84 = ,
562.5
1+0.44√
𝑉+1.89

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  V=1588m3
 Assume depth =1.5m
 Surface area =1588/1.5 =1058.66m2
 Diameter of filter = 36.7m

b) For Stanadard(low)trickling filter

R=0
1+𝑅 1+0 100
𝐹 = (1+0.1𝑅)2 = (1+(0.1∗0)2 = 1, 84 = 562.5
1+0.44√
𝑉+1

 V= 3000m3
 Assume depth of 1.5m
 Surface area =2000m2
 Diameter =50.46m

Example 3
A municipal wastewater having a BOD of 200 mg/L is to be treated by a two-stage trickling filter.
The desired effluent quality is 25 mg/L of BOD. If both of the filter depths are to be 1.83 m and the
recirculation ratio is 2:1, find the required filter diameters.
–Design assumptions:
•Influent flow =7570 m3/d
•Recirculation ratio = 2
•Depth of media = 1.83 m
•Water temperature =20oC
•BOD removal in primary sedimentation = 35%
•E1=E2 = 0.65

Solution
The efficiency of the primary treatment =35%
The influent BOD to the trickling filter =200*0.65=130mg/l
The efficiency of first trickling filter given =655

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1st Stage
W1 (BOD applied (kg/day) =?
7570 ∗ 1000 𝑙 130 ∗ 10−6 𝑘𝑔
𝑊1 = 𝑄 ∗ 𝐵𝑂𝐷𝑖𝑛 = ∗ = 984.1 𝑘𝑔/𝑑𝑎𝑦
𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑙
and
1+𝑅 1+2
𝐹 = (1+0.1𝑅)2 = (1+(0.1∗2)2 = 2.083

100
𝐸=
𝑤
1 + 0.44√𝑉𝐹

100
65 =
984.1
1 + 0.44√𝑉 ∗ 2.083

Solving,
 V1=315.46m3
 Depth of filter given =1.83m
 Surface area =315.46/1.83=172.38m2
 Diameter =14.8m = 15m

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2nd stage
The effluent from first trickling filter =?, it is 65% efficient
Bod to influent to 2nd filter =130*0.35 =45.5 mg/l
The efficient of second filter =65% given
R=2 and F = 2.083
7570 ∗ 1000 𝑙 45.5 ∗ 10−6 𝑘𝑔
𝑊2 = 𝑄 ∗ 𝐵𝑂𝐷𝑖𝑛 = ∗ = 344.44 𝑘𝑔/𝑑𝑎𝑦
𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑙
100
𝐸2 =
0.44 𝑤
1 + 1 − 𝐸 √𝑉. 2𝐹
1

100
65 = 0.44 344.44
1+ √
1−0.65 𝑉.2.083

Solving,
V2 = 902.88
 Depth given =1.83
 Surface area =902.88/1.83 =493.37m2
 Diameter =25.06 =25.5m

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