SEAA2922

WASTEWATER ENGINEERING
ACTIVATED SLUDGE SYSTEM

https://kenkidryer.com/2020/03/14/about-conventional-activated-sludge/
From Lecture 2……

Microbes are characterized according to the

utilisation of dissolved oxygen

• Aerobe  use dissolved oxygen (DO)

during the decomposition of organic
compound
• Anaerobe  use other source of electron
acceptor (e.g. NO3-, SO42-) during the
decomposition of organic compound
• Facultative  able to survive in both of
the above conditions
 Types of Microbiological Processes

Aerobic Anoxic Anaerobic

• Process occur in the • Process occur in the • Process occur in the
presence of oxygen absence of oxygen absence of oxygen
• For organic removal and • Denitrification • For organic removal
nitrification (high strength wastes)
and denitrification

Suspended Growth Attached Growth

• Microbes are maintained in suspension by
appropriate mixing methods
• E.g. Activated sludge process (involves
production of activated mass or microbes
capable in degrading the organic wastes
under aerobic conditions)
• Microbes in suspension are known as mixed
liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and mixed
liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS)
• Microbes responsible for the degradation of
organic materials or nutrients are attached to
an inert packing material – biofilm
• Most commonly used – tricking filter (aerobic
process)
3
 Bacterial Growth
Lag Phase Stationary Phase
Time for microbes to adapt Biomass concentration is
to their new environment relatively constant
(pH, salinity, temperature) Growth = Death

Substrate
Biomass
Concentration

Time
Exponential Growth Phase Death Phase
Bacteria multiply at their maximum rate Limited substrate –
(unlimited substrate and nutrients). The biomass concentration
only interference for their growth is decrease owing to cell
temperature death 4
 Bacterial Growth
Gravimetric analysis (dry
the filtered solids from
aeration tank at 550°C)
• Biomass yield
g biomass produced
Biomass Yield, Y 
g substrate utilized

Substrate removed

– Organic substrates (g biomass/g organic substrate) – (g

biomass/g COD removed) or (g biomass/g BOD
removed)
– Nitrification (g biomass/g NH4-N oxidized)
– Anaerobic degradation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to
produce methane (g biomass/g VFAs used)

5
 Bacteria Growth Kinetics
• Substrate utilization rate (g/m3.day)
kXS Saturation type kinetics
rsu =−
Ks+S (substrate limited - pseudo-first order )
k = Maximum specific substrate utilization rate , g substrate/g biomass.d
X = Biomass concentration, g VSS/m3
Ks = Half velocity constant, substrate concentration at one- half the
maximum specific substrate utilization rate, g/m3
S = Substrate concentration, g/m3
µmax = Maximum specific growth rate,
g new cells/g cells.d
k
μmax = kY
0.5k

µ𝑚𝑎𝑥XS
rsu =−
𝑌(Ks+S) Ks 6
 Bacterial Growth Kinetics
• Rate of biomass growth with soluble
substrates
– Biomass growth rate is proportional to
substrate utilization rate
– Biomass decay is proportional to the biomass
present
– Therefore, net biomass growth/production rate
is represented by

7
 Bacteria Growth Kinetics
• Biomass growth rate (soluble substrate) (g VSS/m 3.d)
rg =maximum growth rate− death rate
𝑋𝑆 µ𝑚𝑎𝑥XS
rg = µmax 𝐾𝑆 +𝑆
- kdX rsu =−
𝑌(Ks+S)
kXS
rg =−Yrsu −kd X =Y −kd X
Ks +S

• Specific biomass growth rate (g VSS/g VSS.d)

rg kS
µg = = Y −kd
𝑋 Ks +S
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 ACTIVATED SLUDGE SYSTEM
• Suspended growth type
• Unique – the name activated sludge refers to
the return sludge (biomass) where these
microorganisms were very “active” in
removing soluble organic matter from solution.
• Wastewater is continuously fed into an aerated
tank, where the microorganism metabolize and
biologically flocculate the organics.
Two major components
Component 1 Component 2
Sedimentation
Aeration
tank/secondary settling
tank/reactor
tank/final clarifier
INFLUENT TREATED
FROM EFFLUENT
PRIMARY
CLARIFIER Clear supernatant
from the final
clarifier is the plant
SLUDGE
effluent
WASTED RETURN
SLUDGE

Excess activated sludge is Microorganisms (activated

wasted from the system to sludge/biomass) are settled in the final
maintain the proper clarifier and returned to the aeration
food/microorganism ratio tank.
(F/M) and sludge age to
ensure optimum
operation.
 AERATION TANK
Organic Matter + O2 CO2 + H2O + new cells

– Organic matter decompose in aerobic condition

– Air (oxygen) is supplied through:
Mechanical aerator or diffuser
Or both
Air supply also gives mixing in wastewater
– Combination of wastewater, suspended solids
and microorganisms is called “mixed liquor
suspended solids (MLSS)”
Aeration Tank
Diffusers
Mechanical Surface Aerator
 Secondary settling tank /sedimentation tank

Solid separation unit in

which the cells (biomass)
from the reactor are
separated (settled) and
partially is returned to the
reactor.
Advantages
• High quality of effluent (95% BOD
removal)
• Effluent quality is controlled by sludge
return

Disadvantages
• Need high skill labour
• High capital, operation and maintenance
costs
Modification
• Step aeration
• Tapered aeration
• Oxidation-ditch
• Extended aeration (EA)
• Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)
Step Aeration:
Influent addition at intermediate points
provides more uniform BOD removal
throughout tank
Tapered Aeration:
Air is added in proportion to BOD exerted
Oxidation Ditch: plan view
 ~60% STPs

https://liantadbir.com/en/processes/extended-aeration-activated-sludge-eaas/
https://www.iwapublishing.com/news/sequencing-batch-reactor
https://flocqua.com/solutions-and-technologies-for-water-and-wastewater/sequencing-batch-reactor-sbr/
REACTOR DESIGN
&
MASS BALANCE
Types of Reactors

Continuous-flow mixed reactors in series

26
 Types of Reactors
Plug flow reactor

Serpentine configuration plug flow reactor/ Baffled reactor

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 Mass Balance
• The mass balance concept is based on the
fundamental physical principle that matter
can neither be created nor destroyed.
• A balance on a continuous processes at
steady state may be written as:
Input + Generation = Output + Consumption
 Mass Balance for
Suspended Growth
• General mass balance
Q, So, Xo (Q-Qw). S, Xe

Qr
Sludge recycle ratio 
Qin

Qr. S, XR Qw. S, XR

Accumulation = Inflow – Outflow + Generation

Accumulation = Inflow – Outflow + Generation
Biomass Incoming Outgoing Net growth of biomass
accumulated biomass biomass in the system
Substrate (BOD, Incoming Outgoing Substrate
COD) accumulated substrate substrate utilized/generated
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 Mass Balance for Biomass
Biomass Accumulated = Biomass In - Biomass Out + Biomass Growth

Biomass Accumulated =
Biomass In– (Biomass Effluent + Biomass Waste sludge) + Biomass Growth

Aeration tank Final Clarifier

INFLUENT/ TREATED
RAW EFFLUENT
SEWAGE , S, X
Qo, So, Xo Qo – Qw
Xe, S
SLUDGE
WASTED RETURN Qr, XR Qu, XR
SLUDGE

Qw, XR
 Mass Balance for Biomass
• Biomass
In Out Biomass growth

dX
 QX o  Qr X R  (Q  Qw) X e  Qr X R  Qw X R  rgV
dt
Insignificant Qout = Q + Qr – Qw – Qr

Q, So, Xo (Q-Qw). S, Xe
At steady-state,
biomass growth = dead biomass.
Therefore, rate of change = 0 V, S, X

Qr. S, XR Qw. S, XR
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 Mass Balance for Biomass
• Biomass
Biomass Biomass
Effluent In
(Q  Qw) X e  Qw X R  Qo X o  rgV
Biomass Biomass
Wasted Growth
sludge

rg =maximum growth rate− death rate

𝑋𝑆
rg = µmax - kdX
𝐾𝑆 +𝑆

 max XS
(Qo  Qw ) X e  Qw X u  Qo X o  V (  kd X )
Ks  S 32
 Mass Balance for Biomass
 max XS
Qo X o  V (  k d X )  (Qo  Qw ) X e  Qw X R
Ks  S
Biomass Biomass Biomass Biomass
In Growth Effluent Wasted sludge

Where;
Qo,Qw = Influent and waste-sludge flow rate, m3/d
Xo, X, Xe, XR = biomass concentrations in influent, reactor,
effluent and clarifier underflow(waste sludge),
respectively, kg/m3
So, S = soluble food concentration in the influent
and reactor, respectively, kg/m3
V = volume of reactor, m3
Ks = half saturation constant,kg/m3
µmax = maximum growth rate constant, d-1
kd = endogenous decay rate constant, d-1
 Assume: The influent and effluent biomass concentrations are
negligible compared to biomass at other points in the system
ko XS
Qo X o  (  k d X )  (Qo  Qw ) X e  Qw X R
Ks  S

Biomass Biomass Biomass Biomass

In Growth Effluent Wasted sludge

 max XS
V(  k d X )  Qw X R
Ks  S

 max S Qw X R
  kd
Ks  S VX
 Mass Balance for Substrate (Food)
Food accumulated = Food In - Food Out - Food Consumed
Food Accumulated =
Food In – (Food Effluent + Food Wasted Sludge) - Food Consumed

Aeration tank Final Clarifier

INFLUENT/ TREATED
RAW EFFLUENT
SEWAGE , S, X
Qo, So, Xo Qo – Qw
Xe, S
SLUDGE
WASTED RETURN Qr, Xu Qu, Xu
SLUDGE

Qw, Xu
 Mass Balance for Substrate (Food)
• Substrate
In Out Food consumed

dS
 Qo S o  Qr S  (Qo  Qw ) S  Qr S  Qw S  rsuV
dt

Qout = Qo + Qr – Qw – Qr

At steady-state,
Substrate is consumed Qo, So, Xo (Qo-Qw). S, Xe
immediately. Therefore, rate of
change = 0 V, S, X

dS
 QSo  QS  rsuV
dt Qr. S, XR Qw. S, XR 36
Mass Balance for Substrate (Food)
• Substrate

Qo S o  Qo S  rsuV
kXS µ𝑚𝑎𝑥XS
rsu =− =−
Ks+S 𝑌(Ks +S)

Qo  max XS
(So  S ) 
V Y (KS  S )
 max S Y  Qo 
  ( S o  S )
(KS  S ) X V 

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 Biomass Substrate
 max S Qw X R max S Y  Qo 
  kd   ( So  S )
Ks  S VX (KS  S ) X  V 

Qw X R Y  Qo 
  ( S o  S )  k d
VX XV 
Aerobic Tank The average time that cell microbes “stay” in
Hydraulic Retention Time the reactor  Sludge Age/Mean Cell
Residence Time/Solid Retention time
V VX
t  HRT  tc  SRT 
Qo Qw X R

1 Y (So  S ) Rearrange
SRT  Y ( So  S ) 
  kd X   
SRT X ( HRT ) HRT  1  (kd ) SRT 