What are the performance indicators of Activated Sludge Processes?
The most popular continuous biological treatment procedure is activated sludge which is commonly utilized for secondary wastewater treatment. The process of activating sludge is a constant one. The activated sludge technique is commonly used to treat both home and industrial wastewater.
Aerobic activated sludge and anaerobic granular activated sludge are two types of activated sludge. It is a complex macro-flocculation microbial symbiotic, made up of a variety of microorganisms, organic and inorganic colloids, and suspended materials in either case.
Components of Activated sludge treatment
The three basic components of the basic activated sludge treatment method are as follows:
1. Aeration tanks, either single or several, in which the microorganisms responsible for wastewater treatment are suspended and aerated.
2. Clarifiers or liquid-solids separation tanks to separate activated sludge flocs from treated wastewater gravity settling, and
3. Recycle system to return settled sludge from clarifiers to aeration tanks.
Requirements of activated sludge system to function properly
The following are the basic requirements for the activated sludge system to function properly:
a) There should be enough soluble and easily degradable organic matter in the wastewater, and there should be enough dissolved oxygen in the combined solution.
b) In the pond, activated sludge should be suspended;
c) The activated sludge must be constantly refluxed, and the leftover sludge should be removed as needed, keeping the mixed liquid at a constant concentration of activated sludge.
The treatment performance of activated sludge is based on microbial metabolic processes that lower the organic content of wastewater. The development of settleable bacterial flocs, which may be removed by gravity settling in the clarifiers, is an important characteristic of the activated sludge process (secondary sedimentation tanks). Part of the settled sludge is returned to the aeration system's head to re-seed the new sewage entering the aeration tanks after the clarifiers. Excess sludge is a portion of settled sludge that is collected from the process and processed further before disposal.
Performance indicators of Activated Sludge process
Processes are benchmarked using performance indicators, which are part of what is commonly referred to as metric benchmarking.
Only if each operator is able to recognize system changes and trends and make the appropriate decisions to successfully mitigate potential adverse events, can activated sludge operations be successful. Rather than being dependent on rigorous application of generic laws, these judgments should reflect judgement obtained from a thorough grasp of the biological and chemical principles at action, as well as previous experience with the system.
Because the successful operation of activated sludge is dependent on live organisms that are greatly impacted by their surroundings, it is impossible to set up efficient rigorous operating regulations.
The following are the primary indicators of activated sludge process operations:
a) Oxygen dissolved in water
b) Rate of return of activated sludge
c) Rate of waste of activated sludge
Aside from these essential operational indicators, efficient operation of activated sludge necessitates regular evaluation of the following operational control parameters:
i) Examination of activated sludge under a microscope
ii) Measurements of sludge volume index SVI
iii) Control of mixed liquor respiration rate or nitrification rate
iv) Controlling the depth of the sludge blanket in clarifiers
Professionals in the water quality business can provide more extensive assistance and specialized recommendations when it comes to selecting the proper wastewater treatment for residential or industrial water producing sectors. Netsol Water products and solutions can provide the water your plant requires at every stage!
For further assistance or product-purchase related query,
Call us on +91-9650608473;
Or write us at enquiry@netsolwater.com
