Sewage Treatment Plant

An Overview

Introduction

Effluent from hospitals contain chemicals(pharmaceuticals and other chemicals) and

microbial agents in the form of contaminants(see below) in addition to possessing the
domestic sewage characteristics
o Chemicals: antibiotics, cytostatic agents, anesthetics, disinfectants, platinum,
mercury, rare earth elements, iodinated contrast media, estrogens; Propagules:
antibiotic-resistant propagules
The common methods of wastewater treatment are:
o Activated Sludge Process(ASP)
o Membrane Bio Reactor(MBR) System
o Decentralized Water Treatment System(DEWATS)
o Reed Bed Sewage Treatment System

Activated sludge process

An aerobic process where air is pumped through the sludge, activating the microbes
which digest the pollutants
Has the following stages:
o Primary treatment raw sewage is screened to remove large debris
o Secondary treatment Air is pumped to activate the microbes to consume the
pollutants to form sludge (biomass) Sludge is dewatered and used as manure +
water is pumped to a clarifier(clear water tank)
o Tertiary treatment Clarified water filtered in pressure sand and activated sand
filters to remove suspended impurities along with substantial reduction in BOD
and COD Final disinfection using chlorination or ozonation or UV treatment
water used for non-potable purposes
Most of the plants in India are ASP very susceptible to input fluctuations(frequent in
India) resulting in problems in operation

MBR system

Superior system very compact

Biological decomposition + Membrane separation of sludge
Drawbacks requires skilled operators or very high automation

DEWATS

Developed for the need of developing economies

Anaerobic + Aerobic treatment system

Low-cost system + minimal operator intervention

No mechanical equipment required entirely gravity-based
Methane can be extracted for cooking or other purposes
Requires tertiary plant for re-usable water

Reed Bed

Entirely eco-friendly
Sewage left into a water body with aquatic plants which naturally introduce oxygen into
the water thereby digesting the pollutants
Space-intensive1

Capacity determination(indicative)
The capacity is determined using the approximate consumption of 150 liters per
capita per day(lpcd).
Component
Hospital
750 beds @135lcpd*
Quarters
Doctors

Inflow in lpd

Remarks

101,250
54,000

4 person equivalent in each

house

Lecturer
College and hostel

81,000
135,000
1000 student average
Total(approx.): 371,350 lpd = 371 KLD
*litres per capita per day

Capacity of STP needed:

Approx. 300 500 KLD

Required Runtime:

20-22 hours a day

http://www.indiawaterportal.org/questions/frequently-asked-questions-faq-waste-water-sewage-treatment-plantsstp-bangalore-karnataka#whatisww

Typical Process in an STP

Stages in an STP

Bar screen chamber

Coarse bar screens to prevent entry of debris
Components: epoxy-coated bar screen(2 in Nos. in each chamber), retention
tank/chamber to allow passage of 2.5-3 times the avg. flow rate @ 1m/s
Grit/grease trap
To separate grease/oil/fatty substances
Components: baffles, long tank/chamber
Retention time: 5-20 mins at peak flow
Equalization Tank
First collection tank in the process
Collects the inflow at fluctuating rates over a period of time and homogenizes
a batch of sewage to treatment
This reduces the load on the STP
Components: Tank, pumps to carry water to the aeration tank, aircompressor(common/attached)
Capacity: to hold 4-6 hrs of average hourly flow in the peak hours
Diffusers (Air volume per hour required): 1.2-1.5 x volume of tank or 2.5-3.0
Cum/Sqm
Raw sewage lift pumps
2 Nos.
Capacity: delivers sewage at a rate slightly higher than actual flow rate of STP
Aeration tank
Function: to maintain high population of microbes mixture is called
MLSS(Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids)
Components: tank, inlet/outlet and recirculation pipes, air-compressor, internal
baffles
Air: 50-60 cum/hr for every kg of BOD
Secondary Clarifier/Settling tank
Purpose: to thicken the sludge an produce clear supernatant water
Components: Inverted-funnel tank, center-feed well/influent well, launders,
pumps
2 x Direct-suction electric pump to remove sludge settled a the bottom every
30 mins(using timer circuit)
Mechanized Clarifier tank
Mechanically enabled for large projects
Components: circular tank, motors to run squeegees, sludge transfer, pumps to
deliver sludge and water
Sludge recirculator
Activated sludge biological treatment system = Aeration tank + Settling tank +
sludge recirculation system
Optimum desired age of microbes = 25-30 days. This is maintained using this
system
Components: 2 x Pumps, valves and pipes

Clarified water sump

Buffer tank between secondary and tertiary treatment stages - Handles
overflows from the clarifier
Non-potable water in a well-run STP, water from here can be directly
pumped to be used for irrigation/gardening reducing the load on tertiary
treatment system
Minimum retention: 30 mins
Tank to be aerated to keep the microbes alive
Should hold enough water to backflush the filters fully
Filter Feed Pumps
Purpose: take water from the clarified water sump and pass it through pressure
sand and activated carbon filters installed in series
Capacity based on hours of operation of the filters and in conjunction with the
capacity of the intermediate clarifier sump
Discharge head of the filters: 1.5 2.0 kg/cm2 to overcome the pressure
differential across the filters
One pump on standby like others
Open impeller type or non-clog, solid-handling (NC-SH) type of pump
selected for raw sewage lifting
Disinfection of Treated Water
Most common methods
1. Chlorination
2. Ozonation
3. UV radiation
Sodium Hypochlorite(Hypo) available in 10-12% strength commercially
used for chlorination
Contact period: 20-30 mins
Components: tank, electronically-metered dosage pump
Excess Sludge Handling
Excess biomass is bled out to be treated
Five step process:
1. Sludge removal through sludge recirculation pipeline
2. Storage stored under aeration
3. Conditioning mixed with polymers and chemicals to condition it
4. Dewatering in a filter press/sludge-bag/centrifuge
5. Disposal
Miscellaneous Equipment
Electric Generator-sets on stand-by
Trained operators and thorough supervision
Civil Structures
Comprehensive ventilation system
Laboratory
Valves, Meters and monitors

Sample Calculations for a typical Sewage Treatment Plant

Avg. sewage generated = 350 KLD(Consider)

Capacity of collection sump = 60 Cum
Area of the sump = 12.6 Sq.m
Size of bar screen required = 1.3 Sq.m area with 1700mm width
Volume of aeration tank = 75 Cum
Area occupied by the tank = 17 Sq.m
Hydraulic retention time = 10 hrs
Sludge generated per day = 72 kg/day
Time taken to dry the bed = 7 days
No. of sludge drying beds required = 2
Area for sludge drying beds = 16.55 Sq.m
Cost Estimate(approx.):
o Civil and construction cost: Approx. Rs. 25,00,000
o Equipment, erection and installation: Rs. 20 45 Lakhs (excluding tertiary
treatment equipment)

DEWATS Decentralized Water Treatment System

Components of Cost
o Human resource cost = 42%
o Cement, bricks, sand, gravel = 38%
o Steel = 8%
o Pipes, fittings, planks, poles = 10%
o Others = 2%
Area requirement and cost heads

Componen
t

Settler
Reactor
Planted
filter
Storage
sump
Polishing
Pond
Misc
Total :

Area
requirement
in Sq.m

Capacity of the
Component in
Cum

175 - 250

350 -

350 - 500
250
1750 - 0

1050 -

0 - 0
350 - 500
0 - 0
375
2625 - 0

1400 -

500
150
0
200
0

350 -

500

308 0 -

440
0

Approx. cost of the

component
Rs.
Rs. 10,00,000 - 15,00,000
Rs.
Rs. 4,00,000 - 60,00,000
Rs.
Rs. 30,00,000 - 45,00,000
Rs.
Rs. 10,00,000 - 15,00,000
Rs. 5,00,000 Rs. 5,00,000 Rs.
1,00,00,000 -

Rs. 7,50,000
Rs. 7,50,000
Rs.1,50,00,
000

Drawback: recommended for small STP for large scale STPs, modules of 100KLD max
capacity may be used