ST.ANNE COLLEGE LUCENA INC.

A21765 ENGINEERING UTILITIES - 1 BASIC

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

CASTONES, LIMUEL D.

B.S. CIVIL ENGINEERING

September 21, 2023

 Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)
Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is a process of purification of Sewage water and reusing for
Gardening, Agricultural and other general Purpose.

Treated Sewage water is purified and maintained as per the Pollution control board norms. STP
are mandatory in most of the industries, housing colonies, apartments etc. STP are equipped with
high Precision component with advance technology.

Many are confused between STP & ETP. While Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) is a mechanism
or process used to treat the wastewater prior to release into the environment or its reuse. Sewage
Treatment Plant (STP) is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household /
industrial sewage, both runoffs (effluents)

Following are few STP process & System commonly used in India.

 Activated Sludge Process

Activated sludge (AS) is a process dealing with the treatment of sewage and
industrial wastewaters and developed around 1912-1914. There is a large varity of
design, however, in principle all AS consist of three main components: an aeration tank,
which serves as bio reactor; a settling tank ("final clarifier") for seperation of AS solids
and treated waste water; a return activated sludge (RAS) equipment to transfer settled AS
from the clarifier to the influent of the aeration tank (Fig. 1). Atmospheric air or in rare
cases pure oxygen is introduced to a mixture of primary treated or screened sewage (or
industrial wastewater) combined with organisms to develop a biological floc ("Activated
Sludge" AS). The mixture of raw sewage (or industrial wastewater) and biological mass
is commonly known as Mixed Liquor. Typically, dry solids concentrations of mixed
liquor (MLSS) range from 3 to 6 g/L. With all activated sludge plants, the concentration
of biodegradable components present in the influent is reduced due to biological (and
sometimes chemical) processes in the aeration tank. The removal efficiency is controlled
by different boundary conditions, e.g. the hydraulic residence time (HRT) in the aeration
tank, which is defined by aeration tank volume divided by the flow rate. Other factors
are: Influent load (BOD5, COD, Nitrogen,...) in relation to the AS solids present in the
aeration tank (Food:Microorganism Ratio, F:M Ratio), oxygen supply, temperature, etc.
At the effluent of the aeration tank, mixed liquor is discharged into settling tanks and the
supernatant (treated waste water) is run off to be discharged to a natural water or undergo
further treatment before discharge. The settled AS is returned to the head of the aeration
tank (RAS) to re-seed the new sewage (or industrial wastewater) entering the tank and to
ensure the desired MLSS concentration in the aeration tank. Due to biological growth
(and solids present in the raw waste water which are only partly degraded), excess sludge
eventually accumulates beyond the desired MLSS concentration in the aeration tank. This
amount of solid (called Waste Activated Sludge WAS) is removed from the treatment
 process to keep the ratio of biomass to food supplied (sewage or wastewater) in balance
and the F:M ratio in a defined range. WAS is stored away from the main treatment
process in storage tanks and is further treated by digestion, either under anaerobic or
aerobic conditions prior to disposal.

 Moving Bio Bed Reactor (MBBR)

The MBBR process utilizes floating plastic carriers (media) within the aeration
tank to increase the amount of microorganisms available to treat the wastewater. The
microorganisms consume organic material. The media provides increased surface area for
the biological microorganisms to attach to and grow in the aeration tanks. The increased
surface area reduces the footprint of the tanks required to treat the wastewater. The media
is continuously agitated by bubbles from the aeration system that adds oxygen at the
bottom of the first compartment of the aeration tank. The microorganisms consume
organic material. When compared to conventional secondary treatment it provides
superior efficiency and value.

In fact the MBBR media or biochips utilized exclusively by Ecologix have an active
surface area > 4000 m2/m3 which is up to six (6) times greater than any competing media
available on the market today.
The MBBR is a complete mix, continuous flow through process which is based on the
biofilms principle that combines the benefits of both the activated sludge process and
conventional fixed film systems without their disadvantages.

 Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR)

A MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR (MBR) is a process which combines a
microfiltration or ultrafiltration membrane unit with a suspended growth bioreactor, and
is now widely used in both municipal and industrial WasteWater Treatment Plants
(WWTPs).

1) Bioreactor:
In a wastewater treatment process, a bioreactor is specifically-designed chamber
to support a biologically active environment, namely where bacteria and protozoa (the so-
called biomass) can grow and consume some (or all) the substances within the raw
wastewater.

They can be aerobic (to remove organic matter and oxidize ammonia to nitrate), anoxic
(to remove nitrogen from nitrates to nitrogen gas) or anaerobic (to remove organic
matter), depending on the presence of oxygen and nitrates or their absence. Typically,
membranes are installed after aerobic or anaerobic bioreactors (respectively, the MBR
and the An MBR processes).
 There are three types of bioreactors:

Suspended growth bioreactors, where the biomass grows into flocs;

Attached growth (or biofilm) bioreactors, where the biomass grows attached to carriers;
Hybrid bioreactors, which combines suspended and attached growth.
Typically, suspended growth bioreactors are these ones used for MBR processes. If
properly designed, hybrid bioreactors can be used as well.

2) Membranes:
In the MBR process, membranes act as a solid-liquid separation device, keeping the
biomass within the bioreactor before discharging the treated effluent to the nature.
Basically, they take the place of clarifiers used in the conventional activated sludge
(CAS) process.

Both micro- (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membranes can be used in MBR applications.
Typically, UF membranes are the preferred choice because of their superior separation
characteristics (thus, being able to remove some colloids and viruses as well) and lower
fouling tendency (because of the smaller pore size, they have a lower risk of pore
clogging).

 Electro Coagulation System

The Electrocoagulation reactor is the reactor that electrochemically treats the
wastewater. The treatment will remove the COD/BOD particles, Silica, TSS, Turbidity,
Heavy metals, Hardness, partly nitrogen components, phosphate, and colour. All these
components will be captured in the coagulation flocs and will be removed from the water
by sedimentation or flotation.

 Sequential Bio Reactor (SBR)

A typical process flow schematic for a municipal wastewater treatment plant
using an SBR is shown in Figure 1. Influent wastewater generally passes through screens
and grit removal prior to the SBR. The wastewater then enters a partially filled reactor,
containing biomass, which is acclimated to the wastewater constituents during preceding
cycles. Once the reactor is full, it behaves like a conventional activated sludge system,
but without a continuous influent or effluent flow. The aeration and mixing is
discontinued after the biological reactions are complete, the biomass settles, and the
treated supernatant is removed. Excess biomass is wasted at any time during the cycle.
Frequent wasting results in holding the mass ratio of influent substrate to biomass nearly
constant from cycle to cycle. Continuous flow systems hold the mass ratio of influent
substrate to biomass constant by adjusting return activated sludge flowrates continually
 as influent flowrates, characteristics, and settling tank underflow concentrations vary.
After the SBR, the “batch” of wastewater may flow to an equalization basin where the
wastewater flowrate to additional unit processed can be is controlled at a determined rate.
In some cases the wastewater is filtered to remove additional solids and then disinfected.
As illustrated in Figure 1, the solids handling system may consist of a thickener and an
aerobic digester. With SBRs there is no need for return activated sludge (RAS) pumps
and primary sludge (PS) pumps like those associated with conventional activated sludge
systems. With the SBR, there is typically only one sludge to handle. The need for gravity
thickeners prior to digestion is determined on a case by case basis depending on the
characteristics of the sludge.

 Rotating Bio Reactor (RBC)

The wastewater is typically pumped into a tank or channel that contains the RBC
discs. As the wastewater flows over the discs, the microorganisms in the biofilm remove
organic matter and other contaminants from the wastewater. The treated wastewater is
discharged into an effluent tank or discharged directly into the receiving water body. The
efficiency of an RBC bioreactor depends on several factors, the size and design of the
bioreactor, disc rotational speed, and microbial population in the biofilm RBCs are
generally effective for treating wastewater with low to moderate organic loads. They are
used for various applications, including municipal and industrial wastewater treatment
and treating wastewater from small communities or remote locations.
RBC systems are biological treatment processes that use a series of rotating discs to
support a fixed-film biological community that treats wastewater. On the other hand, the
activated sludge process (ASP) is a biological treatment process that uses a suspended-
growth microbial culture to treat wastewater. ASP involves the aeration of wastewater
mixed with a culture of microorganisms that consume organic matter, nitrogen, and
phosphorus. The mixture is then separated from the microbial culture by sedimentation,
and the treated wastewater is discharged. ASP is widely used in large-scale wastewater
treatment plants due to its ability to handle high flows and its relatively high removal
efficiencies. RBC and ASP are both commonly used biological wastewater treatment
technologies with advantages and disadvantages.

Among the above system, the most commonly used systems presently in the market are below:

SBR-Sequencing Batch Reactor– is an activated sludge process used for waste-water treatment.
To reduce the organic matters, oxygen is bubbled through the mixture of wastewater and
activated sludge.

MBR-Membrane Bio Reactor – is the combination of the membrane process and a biological
waste-water treatment process. It is one of the most widely used processes.
MBBR-Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor – is a biofilm process which requires less space than
activated sludge systems. This process was invented in the late 1980s.

MBR and SBR sewage water treatment systems are type of activated sludge process. But when
we talk about differences – the method used in both the processes to separate the liquid from the
treated wastewater is different. The technology used by SBR is phase separation that is gravity
setting method, while MBR uses the membrane – and the use of a physical barrier for separation
gives more importance to this process as it increases the advantages.

The other difference is the ability of the sewage treatment plants to operate at high biomass
concentrations for mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS). The MBR treatment plant is
considered to overpower others here as it operates at an MLSS of around 12,000 mg/l. On the
other hand, the SBR treatment plan works at 3,000 mg/l. Advantages that MBR provides because
of this is it takes smaller process basins as compared to others – overall resulting in smaller plant
footprint (around 50-70%) as compared to SBR process.

Less turbidity is a sign of clean water. MBR has less than 0.2 NTU effluent turbidity – Another
benefit that MBR provides. It reduces the burden on the ultimate disinfection system. At the time
of operation, the membrane opening is less than 0.1μm – and without dis-infection it has the
capacity to achieve 6-log dismissal of bacteria and 3-log of virus. SBR system cannot get values
this low. Here, the usual membrane opening is 10μm which is quite large.

MBR requires less involvement of the operators as the process is quite easy. Many of the plants
require operators to keep an eye on the task of settling characteristics of the sludge – keeping in
mind all the factors involved here. along with the analysis, adjustments have to be made to keep
it settled. Lack in this process can affect the effluent quality.Other difference is the amount of
waste sludge produced by the plants. Again, because of the ability to operate at much higher
sludge retention time, the MBR system tops the chart with lesser waste sludge than SBR.

When we talk about the MBBR process – it requires less space than the activated sludge systems
because of the concentrated biomass. Moreover, the efficiency of the system is less dependent on
the final sludge separation. Unlike activated sludge systems, MBBR does not require recycling
of the sludge. Other advantages include – high effective sludge retention time and lower sludge
production. We see some difference in the treatment plants. However, if there are no restrictions
on the footprints and a project doesn’t require any reuse – SBR is a good system. It is cost-
effective and takes care of the process required. On the other hand, for reduced footprint and
higher quality effluent, MBR is considered the better choice. While MBBR is also a
consideration for many municipal and industrial waste-water treatment processes.
REFERENCES:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/most-common-types-sewage-treatment-plants-stp-francis-
antony

https://www.iwapublishing.com/news/activated-sludge-
process#:~:text=There%20is%20a%20large%20varity,AS%20from%20the%20clarifier%20to

https://www.ecologixsystems.com/system-
mbbr/#:~:text=The%20MBBR%20process%20utilizes%20floating,microorganisms%20to%20att
ach%20and%20grow.

https://www.pcimembranes.com/articles/membrane-bioreactors-mbr-for-wastewater-
treatment/#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20membrane%20bioreactor,WasteWater%20Treatment%
20Plants%20(WWTPs).

https://www.lenntech.com/processes/electrocoagulation.htm#:~:text=3.-
,The%20EC%20system,components%2C%20phosphate%2C%20and%20colour.

https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/sbr_new.pdf

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-
4441/15/10/1913#:~:text=A%20rotating%20biological%20contactor%20(RBC)%20bioreactor%
20is%20a%20wastewater%20treatment,wastewater%20%5B28%2C29%5D.