Waste Treatment

Processes

Anaerobic Digestion

Sludge Handling
50%

of the cost, 90% of the headache

Process

Objectives:

Reduce the volume (Remove water)

Reduce the organic content
Reduce # of micro-organisms and pathogens
Stabilize the Sludge
2

Sludge Thickening
Wasted

sludge (both primary and wasteactivated) is thickened - the solids content is

increased by removing some of the liquid

Makes handling the sludge more manageable

Reduces the required size for the anaerobic
digesters and storage tanks
Minimizes the energy requirements for
subsequent processes such as heat drying

Typically

accomplished by physical means

3

Read textbook pages 1488 - 1489.

Metcalf and Eddy

Gravity Thickening

Metcalf and Eddy

Centrifugal Thickening

Metcalf and Eddy

Centifugal Thickening

Sludge

Primary sludge
~ 45,000 mg/L solids
Contains untreated
biodegradable material

Thickened wasted activated

sludge
~ 40,000 mg/L solids
Contains active biomass

Anaerobic Digestion

Involves methanogenic bacteria which grow

on very simple carbon sources

2 General Types of Methanogens:

1.

2.

H2-utilizing methanogens
4 H2 + CO2 CH4 + 2H20
Acetoclastic methanogens
CH3COOH CH4 + CO2
Strict anaerobes (O2 is lethal)
9

Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic growth is a very slow process

Typically operate at higher temperatures (35 C is optimal

for methanogenic bacteria) to get high levels of conversion
and minimize the reactor volume
Methanogens grow best at pH 7.0 - control the pH closely

By thickening the solids before digestion, the

amount of water that needs to be heated is
minimized

Reduces energy requirements and cost

10

Anaerobic Digestion

Objectives
Destruction of organic material

1.

Reduce the oxygen demand of the sludge - thereby

making it more stable and suitable for release to the
environment
Accomplished through oxidation
Methane is formed in the process
Methane can be used to run the heating system for the
anaerobic digester

Pathogen Destruction

2.

Anaerobic digestion at 35 C and at a solids retention time

of 15 days will lead to a high level of pathogen destruction
11

Anaerobic Digestion

Objectives
3.

Increase dewaterability of the final

sludge

Wasted activated sludge cannot be thickened to

more than 5% (50,000 mg/L)
Primary sludge can be thickened to as much as
6%
Sludge after anaerobic digestion can be
thickened to as much as 130,000 mg/L
If dewatering is applied after digestion, the
sludge can be thickened to as much as 25%
12

Anaerobic Digestion

Methanogenic degradation of complex

substrates requires a concerted effort of
many bacterial species

Three Stage Process:

1.
2.
3.

Hydrolysis and Fermentation

Acetogenesis and dehydrogenation
Methanogenesis

13

Step 1

Hydrolysis and Fermentation

Performed

by various facultative bacteria

Does not reduce the COD of the sludge

Carbohydrates simple sugars

Proteins amino acids
Sugars and amino acids fatty acids and
alcohols (fermentation)
Lipids long chain fatty acids

Hydrolysis of lipids is the rate-limiting step

Important for the design of the digesters
14

Step 2

Acetogenesis and Dehydrogenation

Organic acids and alcohols are further degraded
by bacteria to produce acetic acid and H2

Step 3

Methanogenesis
4 H2 + CO2 CH4 + 2H20
CH3COOH CH4 + CO2

Virtually all COD into the digester ends up as methane

Methanogenic bacteria have a very low yield - only a
small amount of biomass is produced
15

Anaerobic Digestion
Decomposition

of organic and inorganic

matter in the absence of oxygen
Main process used for the stabilization of
sludge from municipal WW treatment

Advances in the design of digesters have made

the process relatively economical
There are beneficial uses for the digested sludge
Methane produced in the digestion can be used
as fuel
16

Heterotrophs vs Methanogens
Activated Sludge
(Heterotrophs)

Anaerobic Digestion
(Methanogens)

Bacteria

Archaea

Assume they require aerobic

growth conditions

Strict anaerobic growth

conditions

Typical yield range:

0.3 - 0.5 g VSS/g bCOD

Typical yield range:

0.05 - 0.10 g VSS/g COD

max at 20 C:

max at 35 C:

3 - 13.2 d-1

0.3 - 0.38 d-1

Tables 8-10 and 10-10 in the text provide ranges for other parameters.

17

Effect of H2

Effective anaerobic digestion requires a diverse

microbial community
Hydrogen gas partial pressure is the key to
balancing the reactions and populations present in
the reactor

Formation of acetic acid and H2 by anaerobic oxidation is

inhibited by high ppH2

Methanogens cannot use organic acids other than acetic

acid
H2-utilizing methanogens must remove H2 as fast as it is
produced to allow anaerobic oxidation to proceed

18

Effect of pH

Acid forming bacteria (pH 4.5 - 5) are much more

tolerant of low pH than methanogens (pH 7.0)
Production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) decreases
the sludge pH

Normally counterbalanced by buffering associated with

cellular CO2 production

Imbalances reduce the pH of the system, impairing

methanogenesis

Stuck or Sour digester

Compounding problem - requires immediate attention
19

Effect of Temperature

Acid forming bacteria have a much higher maximum

specific growth rate (max) that changes more dramatically
with temperature, as compared to methanogens

Where:

kT k 20

(T 20)

kT = reaction-rate coefficient at temp. T (C)

k20 = reaction-rate coefficient at 20 C
= temperature-activity coefficient
T = temperature (C)
20

Digester Design Factors

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

******Solids retention time******

Hydraulic retention time
Temperature
Alkalinity
pH
Presence of inhibitory substances
Nutrient availability
Methane production
21

Single-Stage Digestion

Uniform feeding is important

Metcalf and Eddy Figure 14-20
Total solids are reduced by ~ 50 %
22
May have fixed or floating covers (Methane + Oxygen = Trouble)

Two-Stage Digestion

Not common in current practice

First tank is for digestion
Second tank is primarily for storage

23

Metcalf and Eddy Figure 14-20

Basic Model for Anaerobic

Digestion (AD)

Want to know:
1.
2.
3.

Simple model: CSTR with no recycle

Quantity of solids leaving the digester

VSS and TSS destruction in the digester as a function of the
SRT
How much methane is produced
HRT = SRT ( = c = V/Q)

No additional equations will be provided on the

equation sheet - develop the relationships from basic
mass balances and understanding of the process
24

AD Model Assumptions

Design based on the rate-limiting step - breakdown of volatile

fatty acids (VFAs)

Non-biodegradable fractions of COD remain unchanged by the

digestion process

Heterotrophic bacteria only decays and the COD associated

with decay will be accumulated as VFAs available to the
methanogens

Complete hydrolysis and fermentation of biodegradable

organic matter -> fully available to methanogens

Use the kinetics for the growth of the methanogens to

determine the minimum SRT, then use this value with a safety
factor to determine the operating conditions
25

Minimum SRT Calculation

min

K vfa Svfa,available

Svfa,available (max,m k d ,m ) K vfa k d ,m

Where:

umax,m = maximum specific growth rate for the methanogens

Kd,m = decay rate for the methanogens

26

Factor of Safety for Growth

It is necessary to provide a factor of safety for

methanogen growth (prevent stuck digester) and
headspace
Use a factor of safety of at least 2.5

design 2.5 min

The ministry of the environment requires at least 15

days SRT at 35 C

Compare with your calculation and select the larger value

27

Heterotroph Mass Balance

Assume there is no growth - only decay

Perform a mass balance on the digester for the
heterotrophic bacteria:

X H ,o
XH
1 kd , H c

As the SRT increases, the amount of active

heterotrophic biomass in the effluent decreases

28

Debris Mass Balance

Debris (XD) can enter the digester in the influent

(XDo) stream and is also generated during biomass
decay
Perform a debris mass balance on the digester :

k
d ,H
c
X D X Do f d X H ,o

1 k d , H c

Where fd = debris fraction of the degraded biomass

(fd ranges from ~ 0.08 - 0.20)
29

VFAs for Methanogens

Multiple

Sources:

Soluble biodegradable COD (Ss)

Biodegradable particulate COD (Xs)

Decay of heterotrophic biomass

Svfa,available

k
d ,H
c
Ss X S (1 f d ) X H ,o

1 k d , H c
30

Effluent VFA and Formation of

Methanogenic Bacteria
CSTR

without recycle

Svfa

K vfa (1 c k d ,m )

c (max,m k d ,m ) 1

X m Ym

(Svfa,available Svfa )
1 c k d ,m
31

Methane Production

COD balance can be performed in order to

determine the amount of methane produced
CODin = Q(SSo + XSo + XHo + XDo)

CODout = Q(Svfa + XH + Xm + XD)

CODin = CODout + CODmethane produced

CH4 + 2O2 CO2 + 2H2O

64 g COD/mol CH4
32

Methane Production

Use the ideal gas law to calculate the volume

produced per day (V=nRT/P)
Textbook example 7-9, p. 633 - Effect Of Temp!
Volume of methane produced per day:

FCH 4

mCH 4 RT
64P

Where mCH4 is mass-COD of CH4 produced/time

33

Methane Gas Production

Conversion

of COD to methane gas

Consider glucose (C6H12O6)
Show:

0.35 L CH4/g COD consumed at STP

34

Anaerobic Treatment of a
Single Compound
Assume

a single substrate is fed to an

anaerobic digester at a flowrate of 1 L/day
and at a concentration of 10,000 mg COD/L.
The effluent COD concentration is to be less
than 500 mg-COD/L and the transformation
will be carried out by methanogens.

REMEMBER:

ALWAYS DRAW A DIAGRAM!

35

Determine:

The SRT [50 days]

The reactor volume [50 L]
The recommended design volume [125 L]
The volume of methane produced per day under standard
conditions in the designed reactor [3.3 L/d]
Volume of methane produced at 35 C [3.72 L/d]

Given:

max= 0.15 d-1

kd=0.03 d-1

Kvfa=1000 mg COD/L

Ym=0.03 mg VSS/mg COD

36

 Previously:

min
If

K vfa Svfa,available

Svfa,available (max,m k d ,m ) K vfa k d ,m

Svfa,available >> Kvfa:

min
And:

(max,m k d ,m )

design 2.5 min

Digester Volume
When

designing the digester, it is important to

include additional head space for the
methane gas that is produced during the
anaerobic digestion
Typically, an additional 25% volume is
included in the design
This increase in volume does not influence
the SRT
38

Anaerobic Treatment of Mixed

Composition Sludge
Consider a waste treatment plant where the primary sludge and wasted
activated sludge (WAS) are blended and sent to an anaerobic digester. The
combined sludge is determined to have the following characteristics:
Combined Sludge Flow

m3/day

210

TSS

mg-TSS/L

21619

VSS

mg-VSS/L

17073

Soluble biodegradable COD

mg-COD/L

87

Soluble non biodegradable COD

mg-COD/L

29

Particulate biodegradable COD

mg-COD/L

18733

Active biomass concentration

mg-COD/L

1256

Biomass debris

mg-COD/L

989

Particulate non-biodegradable COD

mg-COD/L

9413

39

Design of the Anaerobic

Digester

The digester is to be operated at an SRT of 15 days,

according to the Ministry of the Environments minimum
regulations
Assume the following parameters apply:

max, m= 0.27 d-1,

kd,m= 0.03 d-1

Kvfa = 2000 mg COD/L

Ym= 0.03 mg COD/mg COD

kd,h = 0.22 d-1

fd = 0.2

VSS/TSS for particulate organic fraction = 0.90 mg VSS/mg TSS

40

Calculate:

Svfa,available [19590 mg-COD/L]

Confirm that the ministry guideline for the SRT is

the appropriate choice for operating the system
The recommended design volume for the
digester [3940 m3]
Volume of methane produced per day in the
system at 35 C and 1 atm (Careful - biomass is
already in COD units!) [1500 m3/d]

Svfa [1115 mg-COD/L]

Xm [382 mg-COD/L]

XD [1182 mg-COD/L]

% VSS Destruction
VSSin VSSout
%VSSdestruction
100%
VSSin
VSSin

= 17073 mg/L (In this example)

VSSout

= XH + XD + Xm + Xnon-biodeg particultes

Remember to convert from COD to VSS units

VSS destruction ~ 54 %
42

% TSS Destruction
TSSin TSSout
%TSSdestruction
100%
TSSin

TSSin = 21619 mg/L (In this example)

TSSout = FSS + XH + XD + Xm + Xnon-biodeg particultes

Remember to convert appropriately to TSS units (given 0.9 mg

VSS/mg TSS for the particulate organic fraction)

% TSS destruction ~ 47 %

43

Methane is a usable product, and the amount of

biomass produced through AD is low, so why dont
we use it for WW treatment in general?

Slow growth kinetics requires long SRT (large reactor

volumes)
High temperatures required - COD present in WW will not
generate sufficient methane to heat water to 35 C
Effluent is not of sufficient quality
Nitrifiers do not grow under anaerobic conditions
Effluent from the digester usually contains high ammonia
concentrations
Liquid stream from sludge processing is usually fed back
into the AS system

Sludge Handling and Disposal

Heat Drying
Used

to prepare the sludge for incineration or

for sale as fertilizer
Sludge moisture content after drying is ~ 10%

Dried sludge is termed biosolids

The

high cost of drying and relatively low

levels of nutrients in the biosolids have
limited its use as a fertilizer
45

Sludge Handling and Disposal

Incineration

Complete oxidation of the biosolids to produce CO2,

H20, and ash
Advantages:

Maximum volume reduction

Destruction of persistent pathogens and toxins
Potential to obtain energy

Limitations:

Expensive
Requires trained operators and constant monitoring
Environmental impact
Concerns with the disposal of the ashes
46

Ultimate Disposal

Ocean dumping of sludge is discouraged or prohibited

Lagoons can be used for sludge disposal in remote locations

Excess liquid from the lagoon is returned back to the WW treatment

plant

Landfills or land application are the most commonly used methods

of disposal
Landfills are used for disposing sludge, grease, grit, and other solids
Wastes are deposited in a designated area, compacted with a
tractor or roller, and covered with a 30 cm layer of clean solid or
composted sludge to minimize odours and prevent attracting
flies, rodents etc.

47

Land Application

Agricultural lands, forests, golf courses, parks

Concerns with public health risk through direct exposure or
consumption of contaminated crops and groundwater
Controlling factors:

Utilization rate of nutrients by crops and vegetation

Potential of plants to uptake toxic components (mainly metals)
from the sludge
Accumulation of metal and salts in the soil
Aesthetic

Standards and guidelines are developed based on toxicity

studies and bioaccumulation within individual species and
through food chains
48

Review

Anaerobic Digestion
Decomposition

of primary and wasted

activated sludge (WAS) in the absence of
oxygen

Uses methanogenic bacteria

Low biomass yields and methane gas production
Digester modelled as a CSTR without recycle
Design based on volatile fatty acids (from a
variety of sources) as the limiting substrate

49

Review

Anaerobic Digester Design

Relevant

How much methane is produced?

Design Questions:

Solve using COD balance (64 g COD/mol CH4)

Quantity of solids leaving the digester?

What is the % VSS and % TSS destruction across
the digester?

Important

to always keep track of your units!

50