The document summarizes a presentation on advances in biological wastewater treatment systems. It discusses the national scenario for sewage treatment in India and provides an overview of biological treatment processes. It describes different suspended growth and attached growth treatment systems, including conventional activated sludge process (ASP), sequencing batch reactors (SBR), membrane bioreactors (MBR), trickling filters, and rotating biological contactors (RBC). It also discusses nitrification, denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX), and challenges with conventional ASP. The document provides examples of sewage treatment plants in Jaipur, including their processes, capacities, and operational power consumption.

1. Advances in Biological waste water
treatment systems
❖ Prof. A.B. Gupta
❖ Professor, Department of Civil Engineering,
❖ Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur
21st IPC, Jaipur, March 19, 2016

2. OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
⮚ National scenario for sewage treatment
⮚ An overview of biological process-
fundamentals and recent research inputs to suit
the changing disposal norms
⮚Different options for suspended growth and
fixed film systems, their application and
limitations
⮚The changing scenario- from disposal to reuse

3. 3
India Landscape
1.8
Market Trends :
⮚ GDP growth… High growth rates expected driven by internal
consumption and international demand.
⮚ Rising Middle Class … As big a market as any leading
European country. Awareness & Acceptance of technology,
Subsidizing energy efficient pumping systems. Seeking quality.
⮚ Urbanization and Infrastructure development … 2nd &
3rd tier cities pick up momentum … building & municipal
segment growth
⮚ Government Focus … Focus on Infrastructure
development… Water supply and wastewater recycle projects,
highways, bridges & irrigation schemes
1.05B 1.3B
Real GDP Growth / Population
9.6%
8.2%
Challenges:
⮚ Infrastructure … Governments has now liberalized this sector allowing private player. Will
continue slow growth for next two years.
⮚ Fresh Water Scarcity … India has 14% of World population on only 4% of its water resource. In
its path of becoming the most populous nation, lot of investment in water redistribution, treatment
and conservation.
⮚ Urbanization … Has just started with almost 500 million people expected to urbanize over the
next 40 years. Huge investments in buildings and municipal segment is forecasted.
⮚ Low coverage of sewage treatment in all types of cities including metropolis
Positive
driver
Negative
driver
Neutral

4. 4
Municipal Corporations-Overview
1. The Municipal WW treatment technology adopted in India can be
broadly classified as:
1. ASP (Conventional & Extended Aeration, SBR) – 60%
2. UASB/UASB-Polishing Ponds – 15%
3. Aerated Lagoons & Stabilization Ponds – 20%
4. Trickling Filters/SAF/Fluidized Aerobic Bed – 10%
5. Micro STPs & MBR – 5%
1. However the preferred technology is ASP type largely due to the lesser
capital cost & simpler operation. MBR technology has major limitation
owing to its high capital cost and recurring membrane cost every 3-4
years which can be 25-40% of the total project cost.
Municipal Corporations - Overview

5. BIOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF WASTE
WATER TREATMENT
Biological TP: a method of contact between
microbes and substrate. Suitable
temperature, pH, nutrients etc. are required
for microbial growth. Such a growth results
into the ‘removal’ of substrate.

6. Role of microbes
-
SINGLE
BACTERIUM
2.0μm
ORGANIC
POLLUTANT
AND NUTRIENTS
(C,P,N,O,Fe,S…)
GROWTH - CELL DIVISION
INCREASE IN BIOMASS
(assimilation)
CO2 evolved
(dissimilation)
O2
consumption
Controlled release of energy
Slow Burning!

7. Important organisms in w/w
treatment
• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Nemotodes

8. Important organisms in w/w
treatment
• Protozoa • Rotifers, ciliates,
crustaceans
Stentor Celops
Param
ecium

9. Conventional ASP
9

10. Disinfection of water using
Chlorine, U.V., or Ozone or
combinations thereof-
directions for future

11. CHLORINE DISINFECTION
ADVANTAGES
• They have broad-spectrum
germicidal potency.
• They show a good degree
of persistence in water
distribution systems.
• Their easily measurable
residual properties can be
monitored in water
networks after treatment
and/or delivery to users
• This method is economic
and cost-effective
DISADVANTAGES
• The chlorine residual, even
at low concentrations, is
toxic to aquatic life and
may require dechlorination
• All forms of chlorine are
highly corrosive and toxic.
Thus, storage, shipping,
and handling pose a risk
• Chlorine oxidizes certain
types of organic matter,
creating more hazardous
compounds DPBs

12. UV DISINFECTION

13. UV DISINFECTION UNIT

14. UV DISINFECTION
ADVANTAGES
• Effective at inactivating
most viruses, spores, cysts
• It is a physical process
rather chemical hence
eliminates the need to
handle, transport, or store
toxic/ corrosive chemicals.
• No residual that can be
harmful to humans or
aquatic life.
• shorter contact time
compared to other
disinfectants
DISADVANTAGES
• Low dosage may not
effectively inactivate some
viruses, spores, and cysts.
• Re-vegetation of microbes
in case of partial exposure
• Preventive maintenance
important to control
fouling of tubes.
• Turbidity and TSS in the
wastewater can render UV
disinfection ineffective

15. Ozonation: +/-
• Advantages:
– rapid reaction rate,
• dissolved ozone half-life only 0-15 sec (Bullock et al.,
1997);
– few harmful reaction by-products in freshwater;
– oxygen is produced as a reaction end-product.
• Disadvantages:
– ozone is dangerous to humans and fish.

16. Chlorine Disinfection limitation…
Figure 1: Total Coliform count (per 100ml)
removal profile for chlorine dose of 5 ppm &
17.5 ppm (Dinesh et al., 2011)

18. Nitrate toxicity
• WHO Standards (45 mg/l)
• Methaemoglobinaemia
• GIT cancers
• Methaemoglobinaemia – A problem of all age
groups
• Cytochrome b5 reductase adaptation
• Recurrent Stomatitis
• Recurrent Diarrhea in children
• Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infection in children
• (Gupta et al., 1999a; 1999b; 2000a; 2000b;
2001; 2007; 2008)
New dimensions

19. Biological Nitrogen Removal..

20. Nitrification:
• biological conversion of ammonium/ammonia to
nitrate
• two-step process
• Step1: Nitrosomonas convert ammonia and
ammonium to nitrite
NH4
+ + 1.5O2
Nitrosomonas NO2
- + 2H+ + H2O
• Step2: Nitrobacter convert nitrite to nitrate
NO2
- + .5O2
Nitrobacter NO3
-

21. Nitrification and Biological Oxidation:
• Classified on the basis of degree of separation
of carbon oxidation & Nitrification-
1. Combined System
2. Separate System

24. Selection of System:
• When BOD5/TKN >5 combined carbon & oxidation
process used.
• when BOD5/TKN <3 separate system is used.
Where,
BOD5 = Biological oxygen demand
TKN = Total Kejeldahl Nitrogen

25. Denitrification:
• biological reduction of nitrate (NO3
-) to nitrogen gas
(N2)
• The process is performed under anoxic conditions,
when the dissolved oxygen concentration is less than
0.5 mg/L, ideally less than 0.2 mg/L
• When bacteria utilize nitrate as terminal electron
acceptor, the nitrate is reduced to N2 in a series of
steps:
• NO3 → NO2 → NO → N2O → N2

26. Flow Diagrams for Denitrification:

27. Advances in Biological N- removal…
• Two important points to note about TP
• i) The specific nitrifying activity of TP is 10 – 103
times lower than that of autotrophs much higher
compared to those of other heterotrophic
nitrifiers (103 - 104 times lower) (Robertson and
Kuenen,1988).
• Growth of TP as heterotroph is much higher than
that of the autotrophs (the μmax for
Nitrosomonas europea 0.03 - 0.05 h-1, that of TP
approx 0.4 h-1) (Robertson & Kuenen,1988)
• The aerobic denitrification rates were much
higher than het nitrification rates of TP- extra
capacity to take nitrate or nitrite coming from
other routes (Gupta 1997)

28. Advances in Biological N- removal-
Thiosphaera pantotropha…
• Advantages of a single sludge system containing T.
pantotropha over conventional process
• i) No prior carbon removal step required before
nitrification.
• ii) No external carbon source needed for
denitrification.
• iii) Lesser buffer quantity needed
• iv) No acclimation problems as faced in a single
stage oxic-anoxic system
• V) In a single stage aerobic RBC, both C and N were
brought below the EPA norms for sewage as well as
industrial waste
• (Gupta et al., 1992, 1994; Kshirsagar et al., 1995; Gupta, 1997; Gupta & Gupta
1999, 2001; Gupta et al. 1994)

29. AnAmmOx (Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation)
• oxidation of ammonium to dinitrogen gas (N2) with
nitrite as the electron acceptor (Mulder et al., 1995)
• Discovered at the Kluyver Laboratory, Delft University
of Technology, Netherlands in 1995
• autotrophic bacteria (Planctomycetes, Candidatus
Brocadia anammoxidans)
• No need for the multi-step process of aerobic
nitrification and heterotrophic denitrification.
• overall catabolic reaction is:
NH4
+ + NO2
− → N2 + 2H2O

30. AnAmmOx (Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation) advantages...
• Being an autotrophic process, there is no requirement for a
carbon source and the biomass yield is also low (Strous et al.,
1998).
• HRT of the order of 6 h, and a nitrogen
loading rate of 0.31 mg N/(L d) could
result in getting rid of two priority
pollutants simultaneously
(Ali Akbar et al., 2013)
• Ideal for fertilizer industry waste

32. Aerated Lagoons
• Lagoons are deep waste stabilization ponds -like
bodies of water or basins designed to receive, hold,
and treat wastewater for a predetermined period of
time by artificial means of aeration.
• They are better suited for warm, sunny climates,
where they are less likely to freeze.
• HRT = 3 TO 60 days.

34. Attached Growth Systems

35. Trickling Filter
Biofilm or bacterial film or biomass is
grown or developed on solid medium.
Such as rocks, stone pieces, synthetic
medium etc. This media is randomly
packed in reactor. Wastewater is
applied on the top through a rotating
arm and it trickles down of the bottom.
In its travel to the bottom of TF,
wastewater is brought into the centre of
biofilm attached to the medium. The
process may be depicted as shown
below.

36. Changing Scenario
for
Wastewater treatment
1980 2010
36

37. Sewage disposal to recycle
Resi &
Commercial
Buildings
Sewage Treatment
Plant
Previously
DISPOSAL
Resi &
Commercial
Buildings
Sewage
Treatment Plant
Presently
0%
DISPOSAL
Recycle
100% RECYCLE
for Non Drinking
Applications 37

38. …Changing Scenario
Low Tech
Low Cost
L1
Cost Benefit
Analysis
38

39. Disposal and recycle norms…
Parameter Disposal
norms
Recycle norms
Low end reuse High end reuse
TSS 100 < 5 < 1 ntu
BOD 100 < 10 Nil
COD 250 < 50 Nil
SDI No limit No limit < 3
TKN 100 No limit < 1
T- N No limit No limit < 5
T- P 5 No limit < 1
Bacteria No limit No limit Nil
39

40. …Cost Benefit Analysis
1. Benefit vs Additional cost
1. Payback of Additional cost
1. Life cycle analysis
40

41. Centralized vs. Decentralized Treatment Systems
• Current “conventional” practice:
– Design of larger treatment systems (>3500 m3/day)
• Capture of economies of scale
• However, small communities have different
characteristics and needs
– Bringing wastewater from many small sources to one single
location for treatment may not always be the best option.

42. Decentralized Treatment Systems
WHERE to consider (according to USEPA)?
• Where the operation and management of existing onsite systems must be
improved
• Where the community or facility is remote from existing sewers
• Where localized water reuse opportunities are available
• Where fresh water for domestic supply is in short supply
• Where existing wastewater treatment plant capacity is limited and
financing is not easily available for expansion
• Where, for environmental reasons, the quantity of effluent discharged to
the environment must be limited
• Where the expansion of the existing wastewater conveyance from
treatment facilities would involve unnecessary disruption to the community
• Where specific wastewater constituents are of environmental concern.

43. limitations of conventional activated
sludge process…how to overcome?
43

44. Nomenclature:

45. RBC at MNIT

46. Rotating Media Bio Reactor
Filters

47. Powder
coated
Body
PLC
Panel

48. 48
Sequence Batch Reactor (SBR)
1. Fill 3. Settle
4. Decant
2. React (Aerate)
Screened /
degritted
Influent TWL
Efflu
ent
Slud
ge
5. Idle

49. 49
Screened Influent
Baffle Wall Decanter
Pre-react Chamber
Main-react
Chamber
Effluent Discharge
Diffusers
Mixers
SAS
Pumps
SBR

50. 50
SBR Basin Equipment
Dissolved
Oxygen
Ultrasonic
Level
Float Switch
Penstock
Effluent
Influent
From
Inlet Works
M
M
Decanter
M
To SAS
Storage
SAS Pump
S
Grid 2
Grid 1 Grid 3
M Air Flow
Blowers
Air Purge
Air Inlet Valve

51. Outlet quality (all units in ppm)
Srno Parameter SBR ASP
1. BOD 10 30
2. COD 50 250 – 300
3. TSS 10 100
4. TN <5 No change
5. TP <1 No change
51

52. it is a very high efficiency process with
outlet quality as feed to
Reverse Osmosis ….
Membrane Bio - Reactor
Technology
52

53. MBR System Schematics
INLE
T
AIR
53

54. Outlet quality (all units in ppm)
S. N. Paramete
r
SBR MBR ASP
1. BOD 10 5 30
2. COD 50 25 250 – 300
3. TSS 10 < 0.5 100
4. TN <5 <5 No change
5. TP <1 <1 No change
5. SDI - <3 -
54

55. Sewage treatment works in Jaipur
• North sewage treatment
works
Year of
commissioning
1979
Capacity 27 MLD
Process Diffused aeration
Effluent disposal Jalmahal Lake/
irrigation
Year of
commissioning
2006
Capacity 125 MLD.
Process Diffused
aeration
Effluent disposal irrigation
• South sewage treatment
works

56. STP Jaipur North 2001/2003

57. STP Jaipur North 2007

58. STUDY LOCATION- DELAWAS TONK ROAD JAIPUR
Sewerage coverage area south Jaipur
General layout of STP Inlet unit STP, Delawas
■ Water supply- about- 400 MLD, Population-35.00 lacs
■ Sewerage coverage- about 65-70% area, No intermediate
pumping in laid sewer system
■ Major area divided in two parts (for sewer network)
■ South area- 125 MLD
■ North east area- 27 + 50 MLD
■ New coverage-
■ East south- 30 MLD
■ North west- 30 MLD
■ West- Not covered through under ground sewer

59. OPERATIONAL POWER CONSUMPTION
at STP

60. Gas holders and power generation unit
Gas
holder

61. O$M Cost analysis(Jangid, 2016)
*Power generation through bio gas produced at STP installed in year 2009 and fully
put to operation from February-2010 and power from grid was taken during peak
flow demand.
** Power charges increased in year 2011-12 due to less power generation
O & M Charges of 62.50
MLD STP
( year-wise)
Cost per month (Rs. in lacs)
Average Power
charges paid / month
Average O&M cost
paid / month
Average total
monthly paid
O&M Cost
I year ( operation
started in Sept-2006
( 2006-07)
13.6 2.66 16.26
II year ( 2007-08) 14.10 2.82 17.07
III year ( 2008-09) 14.90 2.98 18.23
IV year ( 2009-10) 15.75 3.16 19.91
V year ( 2010-11) 4.16* 3.36 7.52
VI year (2011-12) 6.45** 3.36 9.81

62. Recommended /Modified flow diagram
of 62.50 MLD STP unit-I, Delawas, Jaipur

63. Parameters STP Delawas STP North
Design Flow (Q) 62.5 MLD 27 MLD
Average Influent BOD 300mg/l 285mg/l
Average Effluent BOD 22.5 mg/l 18mg/l
Power consumption per day 8687.14 kWh/day
6447kWh/day
6447kWh/day 6447kWh/day
Energy efficiency 0.50088 kWh/ kg of BOD 0.8943kWh/ kg of BOD
Energy Efficiency Comparison

64. Energy considerations
• ASP STP Jaipur North- 27 MLD- 0.89 kWh/ kg of BOD (ref_ MNIT)
• ASP STP Jaipur South- 62.5 MLD- 0.50 kWh/ kg of BOD (ref_ MNIT)
• ASP Pune – 17 MLD ASP- 1.75, TF- 0.70 kWh/ kg of BOD (ref_ MNIT)
Ref-Compendium..IIT Kanpur prepared for NRCD- MOEF 2009
• Conventional ASP based STPs under YAP- Allahabd 60-80 MLD- 180-225
KWH/MLD
• TF under YAP- 180 KWH/MLD
• UASB under YAP- 10-15 KWH/MLD
• Facultative aerated lagoon under YAP 18 KWH/MLD

65. The case study of Jaipur
• Two scenarios considered
– First, centralized treatment at STP Delawas and
supply treated sewage through a pipeline to the
major green belts- data derived mainly from PHED
report
– Second, isolated RBCs for the desired capacities to
be constructed at individual locations with and
without automation
• Estimates made for a period of 10 years

66. Economic Justification of
Decentralized System

67. Total Cost Estimates
No. of Proposed
Units
Capital Cost Power Cost
for 10 Yrs
10 Yrs O & M
Cost
Total
Without Tertiary Treatment 72 567,000,000 285,592,622 231,292,350 1,083,884,972
7 48,300,000 13,882,975 21,852,830 84,035,805
615,300,000 299,475,596 253,145,181 1,167,920,777
With Tertiary Treatment 72 604,800,000 428,388,933 231,292,350 1,264,481,283
7 52,395,000 20,824,462 21,852,830 95,072,292
657,195,000 449,213,395 253,145,181 1,359,553,575
Fully Automatic Plant 72 642,600,000 428,388,933 42,201,345 1,113,190,278
7 56,490,000 20,824,462 3,468,983 80,783,445
699,090,000 449,213,395 45,670,328 1,193,973,722
Centralized System 1,050,000,000 989,600,000 236,400,000 2,276,000,000

68. UTILITY OF CONSTRUCTED
WETLANDS IN TREATING
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER IN
INDIAN ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS

69. POLLUTANT REMOVAL MECHANISM

70. Conclusion
• Each situation is different and needs to be given dual
consideration
• The selected strategy needs to be developed through
careful planning and detailing and may be public
consultation.
• More attention to properly designed lower-cost,
simpler to operate processes as well as to
decentralized technologies should be given due to
their flexibility of modular development
• Whenever feasible, a reuse component should be
included
• The future is for the advanced technologies and the
life cycle analysis of the treatment options

71. References..
• Ali Akbar Babaei, Roza Azadi, Nemat Jaafarzadeh and Nadali Alavi. Application and kinetic evaluation of upflow
anaerobic biofilm reactor for nitrogen removal from wastewater by Anammox process Iranian Journal of Environmental
Health Science and Engineering 2013,1735-2746.
• Gupta A.B, Kshirsagar M.and Gupta S.K. Dissimilatory nitrate reduction under aerobic conditions by Thiosphaera
pantotropha dominated activated sludge. Int. J. Environ. studies,(Short communication) 40, 100, 1992.
• Gupta S.K., A. B. Gupta, and R. C. Gupta “Nitrate toxicity and human health” in Agricultural nitrogen use-
Environmental implications, Editors Y.P. Abrol, N. Raghuram and M.S. Sachdev, Narosa Publishers, 2007.
• Gupta S.K., R. C. Gupta, S. K. Chhabra, Sevgi Eskiocak, A. B. Gupta and Rita Gupta Health issues related to N pollution in
water and air. Current Science, VOL. 94(11) 1469-1477, 2008.
• Gupta S.K., Raja S.M. and Gupta A.B Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification in a rotating biological contactor.
Environ. Technol., 15, 145, 1994.
• Gupta, A.B., Thiosphaera Pantotropha : a sulphur bacterium capable of simultaneous heterotropic nitrification and
aerobic denitrification. Enzymes and microbial technology 21(8), 589-595, 1997.
• Gupta A. B. and S. K. Gupta, Removal of organics and nitrogen from sewage in an aerobic bio-film containing
Thiosphaera pantotropha. Presented at Asian conference on water and wastewater management, Tehran, March, 2-4,
1998. The paper was published in the proceeding, pp 562-580.
• Gupta A.B. and S.K. Gupta “Simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal in a mixed culture aerobic RBD biofilm”
Water Research 33(2), 555-561, 1999.
• Gupta A.B. and Gupta S.K. Simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal from high strength domestic wastewater in an
aerobic RBC biofilm. Water Research, 35(7), 1714-1722, 2001.
• Gupta Sunil K., Gupta R.C., Seth A.K., Gupta A.B., Bassin J.K. and Sushila, S. “Epidemiological evaluation of recurrent
stomatitis, nitrates in drinking water and cytochrome b5 reductase activity”. American Journal of Gastroenterology,
USA, 94 (7), 1808-1812, 1999a.
• Gupta Sunil K., Gupta R.C., Seth A.K., Gupta A.B., Bassin J.K. and Gupta A. Adaptation of cytochrome b5 reductase
activity and methemoglobinemia in areas with high nitrate concentration in drinking water. Bulletin of World Health
Organization, Switzerland, 77(9), 749-753, 1999b.

72. References..
• Gupta S.K., R. C. Gupta, A. B. Gupta, A.K. Seth, J.K. Bassin, A. Gupta and Gupta M.L. Recurrent diarrhoea in areas with
high nitrate in drinking water. Arch. Environ. Health, 56(4)369-373, 2001.
• Gupta S.K., R. C. Gupta, A. B. Gupta, A.K. Seth, J.K. Bassin and A. Gupta Recurrent acute respiratory tract infection in
areas having high nitrate concentration in drinking water. Environmental Health Perspectives, 108, 363-366, 2000a.
• Gupta S.K., R. C. Gupta, A.K. Seth, A. B. Gupta, J.K. Bassin and A. Gupta Methemoglobinemia in areas with high nitrate
concentration in drinking water. National Medical Journal of India, 13(2), 58-61, 2000b
• Kshirsagar M., Gupta A.B and Gupta S.K.Aerobic denitrification studies on activated sludge mixed with Thiosphaera
pantotropha. Environ. Technol. 16, 35, 1995
• Mulder, A.; van de Graff, A. A. Robertson, L.A. & Kuenen, J. G. (1995). Anaerobic ammonium oxidation discovered in
a denitrifying fluidized bed reactor. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 16., 177-184
• Robertson LA, Niel van EWJ, Torremans RAM, Kuenen JG (1988). Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in
aerobic chemostat culture of Thiosphaera Pantotropha. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 54: 2812-2818