Attached Growth Biological WW

treatment Systems
 Biofilm Systems
• Biofilm
– a biological slime layer
– bacteria in biofilm
degrade organics
– biofilm will develop
on almost anything
 Types of Biofilm Systems
• Trickling filters
• Rotating biological contactors
• Fluidized bed reactors
• Biofilters
• Wetlands systems
• Sequencing batch biofilm reactors
(many of these can be aerobic or anaerobic)
Trickling
Filters
 Flow Diagram for Trickling Filters
Recycle

Final
clarifier

Final
Influent effluent

Primary Waste
clarifier sludge
Trickling
filter
 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
 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
• 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
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
Table 10.5
Typical Design Criteria for Trickling Filters
Item Low-rate filter High-rate filter Super-rate filter
Hydraulic loading (m3/m2-d) 1-4 10 - 40 40 - 200
Organic loading (kg BOD5/m3-d) 0.08 - 0.32 0.32 - 1.0 0.8 - 6.0
Depth (m) 1.5 - 3.0 1.0 - 2.0 4.5 - 12.0
Recirculation ratio 0 1-3 1-4
Filter media Rock, slag, etc. Rock, slag,
synthetics
Filter flies Many Few, larvae are Few or none
washed away
Sloughing Intermittent Continuous Continuous
Dosing intervals < 5 min < 15 s Continuous
Effluent Usually fully Nitrified at low Nitrified at low
nitrified loadings loadings
 Design Equation (NRC)

1
Single stage E1  0.5
 QCin 
1  4.12 
 VF 
E1 = fraction of BOD5 removal for first stage at 20 oC, including recirculation
and sedimentation
Q = wastewater flow rate, m3/s
Cin = influent BOD5, mg/L
V = volume of filter media, m3
R = Qr/Q
F = recirculation ratio 1 R
F
3
(1  0.1R ) 2
Qr = recirculation flow rate, m /s
 Design Equation (NRC)
Second stage 1
E2 
4.12  QCe 
1  
1  E1  VF 

E2 = fraction of BOD5 removal for second stage filter at 20 oC, including

recirculation and sedimentation

Ce = effluent BOD5 concentration from first stage, mg/L

ET  E20 (T 20)
 Example
Given: Question:
Single-stage, low rate trickling filter BOD5 of the effluent
Volume of filter = 1,443 m3
Hydraulic loading = 1,900 m3/d
F = 2.78; Cin = 150 mg/L
Solutions:

1. Hydraulic loading: Q = (1,900 m3/d) (1d /86400 s) = 0.022 m3/s

2. Efficiency: 1
E1  0.5
 (0.022)(150) 
1  4.12 
 (1443)(2.78) 
 0.8943
3. Concentration of BOD5: Ce = (1-0.8943)(150) = 15.8 mg/L
Rotating Biological Contactor

Rotating Biological Contactors,

commonly called RBC’s, are used in
wastewater treatment plants
(WWTPs). The primary function of
these bio-reactors at WWTPs is the
reduction organic matter.
 RBC Schematic
Film of Microorganisms

Rotation
Leonard W. Casson, Ph.D., P.E., DEE

Wastewater
Rotating Biological Contactors
 Rotating Biological Contactors
• RBCs constructed of plastic media on a long shaft
• Media is submerged in a tank
• Shaft rotates media through water
• Bacteria grow on media, degrade BOD in water
• Bacteria get air by exposure to atmosphere
• Bacteria eventually die, fall off media surface
• Dead bacteria and other solids are removed in the secondary clarifier
• Media up 12 feet in diameter
• Shafts as long as 25 feet

• Media areas up to 180,000 square feet per shaft

 Rotating Biological Contactors

Primary
Settling

Secondary
Settling
Sludge
Treatment

Sludge Treatment
Flow Diagram for RBCs
Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC)

Single RBC
Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC)

Defective RBC’s at the Easton Wastewater Treatment Plant

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

Package RBC System