WEFTEC® 2003

COLD TEMPERATURE BNR USING INTEGRATED FIXED-

FILM/ACTIVATED SLUDGE (IFAS) HYBRID TECHNOLOGY

Sarah B. Hubbell and Dr. Curtis McDowell

Brentwood Industries, Inc.
PO Box 605
Reading, PA 19603, USA

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the results of a full-scale demonstration project at the Donner Summit
Public Utility District to upgrade the plant for cold weather BNR using a Looped Cord
fixed-film media known as AccuWeb. DSPUD, located in Soda Springs, CA, received
a strict new ammonia and nitrate permit from the California Board of Water Quality. The
two existing circular activated sludge package plants have a design average dry weather
flow of about 520,000 gpd combined, but nitrification was unlikely due to extremely cold
influent wastewater; as low as 4 degrees C, during the winter. A potential solution
involved the addition of a high surface area fixed-film media to enhance the Sludge Age
of the mixed liquor and the addition of an anoxic zone at the influent end of the aeration
basin for denitrification. The AccuWeb fabric was mounted on stainless steel frames and
placed directly into the mixed liquor of the aeration basins to create a growth site for a
fixed population of biomass in addition to the current suspended growth population. This
hybrid system is known in the wastewater community as Integrated Fixed-Film/Activated
Sludge (IFAS) Technology.

KEYWORDS: Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge, IFAS, BNR, Media

INTRODUCTION

In October 2001 the Donner Summit Public Utility District in Soda Springs, CA received
a strict new ammonia and nitrate permit from the California Board of Water Quality.
This small plant atop the Sierra Nevada mountains serves a community of a few hundred
year-round residents and thousands of avid skiers during weekends and holidays from
November to March. The flow and concentration of BOD and ammonia to the plant
varies widely depending on how many vacationers there are at any given time in the ski
resort communities of Soda Springs and Serene Lakes. The two existing circular
activated sludge package plants are together designed for an average dry weather flow of
about 520,000 gpd, but with the influent wastewater getting down to 4 degrees C during
the winter they had little hopes of nitrifying at the current flows. Additionally, desired
new construction had been halted in the ski resorts until a plant upgrade would be
undertaken to meet the new permit and allow up to 820,000 gpd to the plant.

The raw influent to the plant goes to an equalization tank where the flow to the treatment
units is controlled by a pinch valve. The existing headworks consisted of a comminutor,
Parshall flume, and flow splitter box with edged weirs to ratio the flow to the two

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treatment units. The original of the two package plants has a 63 ft. outer diameter with a
37 ft. diameter clarifier in the center. Approximately half of the annular volume is used
for aerobic biological activated sludge treatment and the other half is for aerobic
digestion of the sludge. This plant has a rated capacity of 0.3 mgd. The second package
plant, Unit No. 2, was built in 1985 and has an outer diameter of 50 ft. and a 32 ft.
diameter clarifier in the middle. It too has a zone for activated sludge treatment and a
zone for aerobic digestion.

For the necessary plant improvements the Utility contracted the engineering firm
DeWante & Stowell to find an appropriate and cost effective solution. Many alternatives
were considered, and an initial investigation was done into building a third package plant
of similar type to the two existing units. Due to the extremely rocky terrain at the plant
and a lack of any open space, the costs for building a third unit were extremely high.
Additionally there was concern that any amount of suspended growth treatment would
have trouble maintaining nitrification at the extremely low wastewater temperatures that
were common to Donner Summit. Other non-biological alternatives were examined
including breakpoint chlorination and ion exchange ammonia removal. When it became
apparent that the plant would also have to denitrify, the focus turned back to trying to
maximize the biological processes in the existing tankage.

Figure 1 – Unit No. 2 in the foreground in front of the control building and Unit No. 1.
The equalization basin and admin building can be see in the background.

Finally a solution was proposed that involved a plant retrofit to a BNR process known as
Modified Ludzig-Ettinger (MLE), as well as the addition of a high surface area fixed film
media. The media, known as AccuWeb, was a fabric web material mounted on stainless
steel frames placed directly into the mixed liquor of the aeration basins to create a growth
site for a fixed population of biomass in addition to the current suspended growth

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 WEFTEC® 2003

population. This hybrid type of system is known in the wastewater community as

Integrated Fixed-Film/Activated Sludge (IFAS) Technology.

PROCESS DESIGN

Detailed computer modeling was performed using the commercially available BioWin
activated sludge software developed by Envirosim that showed how the plant would be
expected to perform at temperatures as low as 4 degrees C, with and without the
additional fixed-film media. The influent wastewater characteristics that are typical were
used for the computer modeling and are shown in Table 1 below:

PARAMETER Quantity or Concentration

BOD Total (5 day) 150 mg/l
BOD Soluble (5 day) 76 mg/l
TSS 136 mg/l
Ammonia 30 mg/l
Nitrate 0 mg/l
Alkalinity as CaCO3 375 mg/l
pH 6.8-8.5
Temperature 6 degrees Celsius

Table 1 – Influent Wastewater Conditions

A process diagram was setup in Biowin to predict the plant performance under these
conditions. The flow diagram is depicted in Figure 2:

Figure 2 – Biowin Process Flow Diagram

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The modeling indicated that in order to reach the permit levels of nitrification and
denitrification in the extreme cold temperatures the SRT needed to be at least 18 days.
To achieve this the aerobic digester sections of both plants would have to be converted to
activated sludge aeration basins, and fixed-film media would have to be added to both
plants to create the necessary biomass populations. The mixed liquor suspended solids
(MLSS) concentration in the activated sludge would need to be 6000 mg/l, an
impossibility given the small clarifiers. The results of the modeling are shown in Figure
3 below.

Donner Summit WWTP

SRT vs. MLSS and NH3-N @ 50% RAS Recycle and 10 oC

80 8000

70 7000

60 6000
NH3-N
Concentration of NH3-N (mg/L)

(mg/l)
50 5000

MLSS (mg/l)
MLSS (mg/l)
40 4000

30 3000

20 2000
Design Point
(with AccuWeb)
10 2 ppm NH3-N 1000

0 0
5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23
SRT (days)

Figure 3 – SRT vs. MLSS and NH3-N Results from BioWin modeling

Since this would be a major undertaking with a relatively new technology, a

demonstration project was proposed which would treat just a portion of the influent flow
using the existing aeration basin volume filled with the AccuWeb fixed-film media. One
media module 6’Wx6’Lx11’D would be placed in an anoxic zone at the influent end of
the basin. Nitrified effluent from the aerobic zone would be recirculated back to the
anoxic zone for denitrification. Another six modules of the same size would fit into the
aerobic zone of the aeration basin. Each of the seven modules supports 5,750 ft2 of web
media, one inch hexagonal mesh, in vertical sheets spaced three inches apart. The

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 WEFTEC® 2003

approximate biomass contribution anticipated is 250 lbs per module. Figure 4 shows the
layout of Unit No. 2 with the media modules in the MLE configuration.

Anoxic IFAS Zone

for
Denitrification Influent Sludge
(One AccuWeb Frame) 100 gpm Recycle
Pump

Baffle Wall, supported by

Two Mixed the Anoxic AccuWeb
Liquor Fans

AcuuWeb IFAS
Frames
Six (6) each

Aerobic
Digester

Aerobic IFAS Zone

Clarifier

Internal
Mixed Liquor
Recycle Pump

Figure 4 – Unit No. 2 Demonstration System Diagram

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 WEFTEC® 2003

IMPLEMENTATION

In June of 2002 the demonstration project was funded to retrofit the existing aeration
section of the Unit #2 package plant with the proposed MLE and IFAS process. New ¼
inch screens were added to the plant to prevent rags and trash from collecting on the
media. New centrifugal pumps for return activated sludge, waste activated sludge, and
internal nitrate recycle were added to replace old airlift pumps. Alkalinity addition with
soda ash was automated to assist with nitrification. In August Unit #2 was dewatered and
AccuWeb media frames were installed. The seven installed media frames were 6 ft. (W)
x 6 ft. (L) x 11 ft. (H) with 1 inch mesh web installed on them. The frames were
anchored to the floor and were equipped with fine bubble diffusers mounted beneath the
AccuWeb media. The first frame supported a baffle designed to section the basin into an
anoxic denitrification zone with mixers to maintain solids suspension. Figure 5 below
shows one of the modules being dropped into the activated sludge basin with a crane.

Figure 5 – One of Seven AccuWeb Fixed-film Media Modules

Being Installed in Plant No. 2

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RESULTS

In September the system was started up and seeded with nitrifying mixed liquor from a
nearby plant. Unit #2 which had not been nitrifying previously began to remove
ammonia in the first few weeks. In mid-October the temperature of the water began to
drop, from around 17 degrees C in September, down to 8 degrees C by early November.
Despite this rapid drop in water temperature, the plant continued to produce effluent with
ammonia concentrations below 1 mg/l. The new internal mixed liquor recycle pumps
which were necessary for denitrification were installed mid-November, so data on the
nitrate removal was collected beginning in December and continuing through the cold
winter months. Through the month of December the wastewater temperature averaged
below 7 degrees C and the effluent ammonia from the plant with the IFAS media in it
averaged below 0.5 mg/l. The temperature data for this time period is shown in Figure 6
below.

Mixed Liquor Temperature Values for Donner Summit

ML Temp Poly. (ML Temp

Unit #2 Unit #2)

16

14

12
Temperature oC

10

4
09/21/02

10/05/02

10/19/02

11/02/02

11/16/02

11/30/02

12/14/02

12/28/02

01/11/03

Date

Figure 6 – Temperature Trend During Startup of IFAS System

Unfortunately around December 23rd Donner Summit experienced a major winter storm
which dropped several feet of snow and knocked out the electricity to the plant for a few
days. Problems with the emergency power backup caused the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) to
drop to almost zero in the aerobic zone and shut off the return activated sludge (RAS)
pump for some time. Donner Summit often experiences these major snowfalls in the
winter and the operation of the plant during this time becomes secondary to the snow

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 WEFTEC® 2003

removal process. The plant superintendent refers to the plant as being in “survival mode”
during these times so operation data does not get collected and process control issues
temporarily go unresolved. Also just before this event the operators made the decision to
begin wasting a significant amount of sludge on a daily basis. The combination of these
circumstances appears to have caused the plant to stop nitrifying at the end of December.
The effluent ammonia data from Plant No. 2 from startup with the IFAS media till the
plant upset at the end of December is shown in Figure 7.

Ammonia Data for Donner Summit

Influent NH3-N Eff NH3-N Plant #2

70

60

50
NH3-N (mg/l)

40

30

20

10

0
10/01/02

10/08/02

10/15/02

10/22/02

10/29/02

11/05/02

11/12/02

11/19/02

11/26/02

12/03/02

12/10/02

12/17/02

12/24/02

12/31/02
Date

Figure 7 – Influent and Effluent Ammonia Data from Unit No. 1

The flow split between the two plants is set by an edge weir which under average
conditions sends approximately 40% of the flow to Unit No. 2 and the rest to Unit No. 1.
In the beginning of November the weirs were switched so that the majority of the flow
would go to the IFAS train in order to increase the organic and ammonia load to that train
and promote the growth of a mature biomass population on the fixed-film media. Then at
the end of November when the flows and loads to the plant began increasing as more
skiers came into town, the decision was made to return the weirs to their original
configuration. The flow split data is shown in Figure 8 below.

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Estimated Flow Rates to the System and Units for Donner Summit

Inf. Flow Plant #1 Inf. Flow Plant #2 Flow Split Adjusted 1st time Flow Split Adjusted 2nd time

500,000

450,000

400,000

350,000

300,000
Flow Rate (gpd)

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

0
09/21/02

10/05/02

10/19/02

11/02/02

11/16/02

11/30/02

12/14/02

12/28/02

01/11/03
Date

Figure 8 – Flow Split Data for Donner Summit PUD

Interestingly, this period of time when more flow was going to the IFAS plant, this plant
removed a significant amount more ammonia than Unit No. 1. This data is shown in
Figure 9.
Ammonia Data for Donner Summit

NH3-N Removed Plant #2 NH3-N Removed Plant #1

50.0

45.0

40.0

35.0
NH3-N (lbs/day)

30.0

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0
10/01/02

10/08/02

10/15/02

10/22/02

10/29/02

11/05/02

11/12/02

11/19/02

11/26/02

12/03/02

12/10/02

12/17/02

12/24/02

12/31/02

Date

Figure 9 – Mass Ammonia Removal Comparison of Unit No. 1 and Unit No. 2

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DISCUSSION

The startup of nitrification in the IFAS system was moderately successful. Prior to the
installation of the media, the plant was unable to nitrify and periodically violated BOD
permit levels. The goal was to install the media with at least 4-8 weeks of warmer
influent wastewater, at least 14 degrees C. This goal was created to allow the slow
growing autotrophic nitrifier population to firmly establish themselves on the fixed-film
media. These populations will continue to remove ammonia to very low temperatures but
if they are not firmly implanted on the fixed media they could washout of the suspended
growth and would not be able to repopulate until the water got warmer. Unfortunately
due to construction delays with other piping and equipment installation, the IFAS system
was not started up until October 1, and only had less than three weeks till the wastewater
was below 12 C. As evidenced by the complete loss of nitrification after the plant upset
at the end of December, it appears the startup period in the warmer wastewater was not
long enough. Other plants incorporating AccuWeb IFAS media have reported that in
cold months when the nitrifiers wash out of the suspended growth, the fixed-film
continues to remove ammonia and acts as a reseeder for the suspended growth.
Consequently, IFAS plants are typically able to recover from washout events much more
quickly that conventional activated sludge plants. Interestingly the most recent data from
the month of May shows that the plant has started to remove ammonia once again,
despite the fact that the wastewater is still only 8 degrees C.

Small sample coupons of AccuWeb were weighted and dropped into the mixed liquor for
periodic observation. At the influent end of the aeration basin where the soluble BOD
was highest the coupon appeared to have significant biomass growth after only a few
days. This media is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10 – AccuWeb Sample Coupon

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CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the addition of fixed-film media contributed significant biomass

population allowing the plant to fully nitrify for three months at extremely low
temperatures, down to 5 degrees C. During the cold month of November the IFAS plant
was able to remove an average of three times as much ammonia as the conventional
activated sludge plant. However the plant was upset at the end of December due to a loss
of oxygen and the start of continuous excess wasting. This indicated that the length of
the warm weather start up period of the IFAS system was insufficient to establish an
adequate new nitrifier population. Consequently the demonstration project will continue
to run through this summer to grow more nitrifiers and will be carefully operated and
observed through next winter to verify the effectiveness of the IFAS system.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the operations staff at Donner Summit PUD including
Bob Birch, lead operator, and Paul Schott, operator, for their assistance with collecting
the data necessary for this project. Also we would like to thank Rick Dewante, of
Dewante & Stowell Engineers, for his invaluable design assistance.

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