WASTEWATER

ENGINEERING
Secondary Treatment
Week-16
26-Dec-2020
CONCEPT OF BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
• The colloidal and dissolved solids, mainly organic in nature, still
remain in the effluent from the PST because the removal of colloidal
solids by simple sedimentation takes longer time, while the reduction
of dissolved solids requires their stabilization or conversion into such
solids which can then be removed by gravity settling.
• Fortunately, the mixed population of micro-organisms, naturally
present in the wastewater, is able to utilize the colloidal and
dissolved biodegradable organic matter as their food for their growth
and multiplication. So, to remove the colloidal and dissolved solids
from primary effluent, the wastewater is further treated normally
using biomass as agent.
• This is further treatment of wastewater is called secondary treatment
and since it usually employs biological processes, it is also termed
biological treatment of wastewater.
Processes According to Microbial Maintenance in
the System
• Secondary treatment systems are classified as fixed-film or
suspended-growth systems.

Fixed-film or attached growth: In this case, the microorganisms

in the reactor remain attached to some inert packing material or
medium, e.g. Trickling Filter, rotating biological contactor, etc.

Suspended-growth Process: When the microorganisms are

maintained as suspension in the reactor by appropriate mixing
method, the process is known as suspended growth process,
e.g. activated sludge process, oxidation ditch, aerated lagoon,
etc.
Secondary
• Secondary
• Contaminants
• BOD – 90% Removed
• TSS – 90% Removed
• Processes
• Trickling Filter – rotating disk
• Activated Sludge – Suspended and mixed
• Oxidation ponds – lagoons
(promote contact between microbes and contaminants)
Secondary Sedimentation
• Secondary clarifier at a rural treatment plant.
• Some secondary treatment methods include a secondary
clarifier to settle out and separate biological floc or filter
material grown in the secondary treatment bioreactor.
• List of alternative secondary treatment methods:
• Activated sludge
• Aerated lagoon
• Aerobic granulation
• Constructed wetland
• Membrane bioreactor
• Rotating biological contactor
• Trickling filter
Attached Growth Biological WW treatment Systems

Trickling Filters

Rotating biological
contactors
Trickling filter
• A trickling filter is a type of wastewater treatment system. It
consists of a fixed bed of rocks, lava, coke, gravel, slag,
polyurethane foam, sphagnum peat moss, ceramic, or plastic
media over which sewage or other wastewater flows downward
and causes a layer of microbial slime (biofilm) to grow, covering
the bed of media. Aerobic conditions are maintained by
splashing, diffusion, and either by forced air flowing through the
bed or natural convection of air if the filter medium is porous.
• The terms trickle filter, trickling biofilter, biofilter, biological
filter and biological trickling filter are often used to refer to a
trickling filter. These systems have also been described as
roughing filters, intermittent filters, packed media bed filters,
alternative septic systems, percolating filters, attached growth
processes, and fixed film processes.
 Flow Diagram for Trickling Filters

Recycle

Final
clarifier

Final
Influent effluent

Primary Waste
clarifier sludge
Trickling
filter
Trickling Filters
• The trickling filter or biofilter consists of a bed of permeable
medium of either rock or plastic
• Microorganisms become attached to the media and form a
biological layer or fixed film. Organic matter in the wastewater
diffuses into the film, where it is metabolized. Periodically,
portions of the film slough off the media
Advantages/Disadvantages
Disadvantages
Advantages
• High
Goodcapital
qualitycosts
(80-90% BOD5 removal) for 2-stage
• efficiency
Clogging ofcould reach 95%
distributors or beds
Moderate
• Snail, operating
mosquito and costs
insect(lower than activated sludge)
problems
• Withstands shock loads better than other biological
processes
Trickling
Filters
Trickling Filters
• Not a true filtering or sieving process
• Material only provides surface on which bacteria to grow
• Can use plastic media
• lighter - can get deeper beds (up to 12 m)
• reduced space requirement
• larger surface area for growth
• greater void ratios (better air flow)
• less prone to plugging by accumulating slime
Trickling Filters

Filter Material
Typical Trickling Filter
Trickling Filter
• Tank is filled with solid media
• Rocks

• Plastic

• Bacteria grow on surface of media

• Wastewater is trickled over media, at top of tank

• As water trickles through media, bacteria degrade BOD

• Bacteria eventually die, fall off of media surface

• Filter is open to atmosphere, air flows naturally through media

• Treated water leaves bottom of tank, flows into secondary clarifier

• Bacterial cells settle, removed from clarifier as sludge

• Some water is recycled to the filter, to maintain moist conditions

 Typical Modular and Random Packed
Plastic Media

Schematic diagrams of modular and random packed media used

in fixed-film treatment systems (Source: Bordacs and Young, 1998)
Leonard W. Casson, Ph.D., P.E., DEE

Random Packing
Leonard W. Casson, Ph.D., P.E., DEE

Structured Media
Bio-towers
Trickling Filter System
Trickling Filter Process
Bacteria Removal
Types of Trickling Filters
• Standard or low rate
• single stage rock media units
• loading rates of 1-4 m3 wastewater/m2 filter cross-sectional area-
day
• large area required
Types of Trickling Filters
• High rate
• single stage or two-stage rock media units
• loading rates of 10-40 m3 wastewater/m2 filter cross-sectional area-
day
• re-circulation ratio 1-3
Types of Trickling Filters
• Super rate
• synthetic plastic media units
• modules or random packed
• specific surface areas 2-5 times greater than rock
• much lighter than rocks
• can be stacked higher than rocks
• loading rates of 40-200 m3 wastewater/m2 filter cross-sectional
area-day
• plastic media depths of 5-10 m
 Design Criteria for Trickling Filters
T a b le 1 0 .5
T y p ic a l D e s ig n C r it e r ia f o r T r ic k li n g F il t e r s
I te m L o w - r a te f ilte r H ig h - r a te f ilte r S u p e r- ra te f ilte r
H y d r a u l ic lo a d in g ( m 3 /m 2- d ) 1 - 4 10 - 40 40 - 200
O r g a n ic lo a d in g ( k g B O D 5 /m 3 - d ) 0 .0 8 - 0 .3 2 0 .3 2 - 1 .0 0 .8 - 6 .0
D e p th (m ) 1 .5 - 3 .0 1 .0 - 2 .0 4 .5 - 1 2 .0
R e c ir c u la tio n r a tio 0 1 - 3 1 - 4
F ilte r m e d ia R o c k , s la g , e tc . R o c k , s la g ,
s y n th e tic s
F ilte r f lie s M any F e w , la rv a e a re Few or none
w ash e d a w a y
S lo u g h in g I n te r m itte n t C o n t in u o u s C o n t in u o u s
D o s in g in te rv a ls < 5 m in < 15 s C o n t in u o u s
E f flu e n t U s u a l ly fu l ly N it r i f i e d a t l o w N it r i f i e d a t l o w
n it r if ie d lo a d in g s lo a d in g s
National Research Council Equations
VELZ Design Equation
Example 9.1: Using Velz equation, determine the filter depth of a low rate
trickling filter, if settled ultimate BOD is 100 mg/l and desired effluent BOD5 is
20mg/l, Assume other deign criteria.