SEQUENCING BATCH REACTOR

PHASED OPERATION FOR

BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT
REMOVAL
TO ACCOMPLISH BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL IN A SBR, 5
OR 6 SEQUENCED PHASES ARE USED.
 MIXED-
FILL

REACT-
IDLE FILL

DECANT REACT

SETTLE
MIXED- FILL PHASE

 AS THE REACTOR IS FILLED A MECHANICAL MIXER IS USED TO

STIR THE CONTENTS TO ACCOMPLISH COMPLETE MIXING
 AN ANAEROBIC ENVIRONMENT MAY BE CREATED TO
FERMENT ORGANIC MATTER IN THE INCOMING
WASTEWATER, TO PRODUCE VOLATILE FATTY ACIDS WHICH
ARE REQUIRED FOR THE GROWTH AND PROLIFERATION OF
PHOSPHOROUS-ACCUMULATING ORGANISMS (PAOs) SUCH
AS ACINOBACTER. THE REACTOR IS FILLED TO ITS MAXIMUM
OPERATING VOLUME.
 MIXING OF THE WASTEWATER DURING THE FILL PHASE IS
NORMALLY ACCOMPLISHED BY A MECHANICAL MIXER.
 REACT-FILL PHASE
 AERATION IS INITIATED TO ALLOW BOD AND NITRIFICATION TO OCCUR.
 TIMERS ARE USED TO ALLOW THE AERATION SYSTEM TO BE TURNED ON AND
OFF SO THAT BOTH AEROBIC AND ANOXIC CONDITIONS CAN BE
MAINTAINED AT VARIOUS TIMES DURING THIS PHASE.
 AN ANOXIC ENVIRONMENT IS DESCRIBED AS ONE IN WHICH A LOW D.O.
CONCENTRATION EXISTS (< 0.5 mg/L), HOWEVER, BOUND OXYGEN IN THE
FORM OF NITRITES (NŌз) AND NITRATES (NŌₓ) ARE ACCEPTABLE.
 WHEN ANOXIC CONDITIONS EXIST, HETEROTROPHIC DENITRIFYING
MICROORGANISMS OXIDIZE ORGANIC MATTER (AS MEASURED BY BOD OR
COD) AND USE NITRATES (THAT WERE GENERATED DURING NITRIFICATION)
AS ELECTRON ACCEPTORS, REDUCING THEM TO NITROGEN GAS.
 THE MIXER IS NORMALLY TURNED ON WHEN AERATION IS TURNED OFF, TO
KEEP THE CONTENTS OF THE REACTOR WELL-MIXED.
REACT PHASE

 SERVES AS A POLISHING STEP WHEN BIOLOGICAL

NUTRIENT REMOVAL (BNR) IS BEING ACHIEVED IN AN SBR.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PHASE, AN ANOXIC
ENVIRONMENT EXISTS TO COMPLETE DENITRIFICATION
THAT WAS INITIATED DURING THIS PHASE.
 AERATION IS TURNED BACK ON TO KEEP THE BIOMASS
AEROBIC AT THE START OF THE DECANT PHASE.
SETTLE PHASE

SEPARATION OF THE BIOMASS FROM THE

WASTEWATER TO PRODUCE A CLARIFIED
SUPERNATANT.
AERATION AND MIXING ARE TERMINATED TO
ALLOW THE BIOMASS TO SETTLE QUIESCENT
CONDITIONS.
DECANT PHASE/ SLUDGE WASTE

 CLARIFIED SUPERNATANT IS DECANTED OR WITHDRAWN

FROM THE REACTOR BY SOME TYPE OF DECANTING
MECHANISM. SLUDGE IS NORMALLY PUMPED OF THE
BOTTOM OF THE SBR FOR 3-4 MINUTES DURING EACH
CYCLE.
 THE VOLUME OF WASTEWATER THAT IS DECANTED MUST
BE EQUALIZED IN A HOLDING OR A POST-EQUALIZATION
BASIN, AS DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY.
IDLE PHASE

IS IMPLEMENTED WHEN MULTIPLE SBR ARE USED

TO TREAT A CONTINUOUS FLOW. ONE REACTOR
IS BEING FILLED, WHILE A SECOND REACTOR WILL
BE IN IDLE MODE. AIR MAY BE CYCLED ON AND
OFF TO KEEP THE BIOMASS AEROBIC. TYPICALLY,
THIS PHASE IS OMITTED WHEN SBR’S ARE
OPERATED TO ACCOMPLISH BNR.
SBR PHASE TOTAL CYCLE VOLUME (%) MIXER AERATION
TIME (%)

MIXED-FILL 16-28 25-100 ON ON

REACT-FILL 22-33 100 ON (WHEN ON/OFF

AERATION IS
OFF)
REACT 16-21 100 ON ON

SETTLE 16-17 75 OFF OFF

DECANT 12-16 75-25 OFF OFF

IDLE 5-8 25 OFF ON/OFF

TRY THIS! DESIGN OF A SBR

 DESIGN A SBR WWTP TO TREAT AN AVERAGE DAILY FLOW

OF 1 MGD AND A PEAK FLOW OF 2.4 MGD. USE TWO
SQUARE SBRs A FOUR CYCLE PER DAY OPERATING
SCHEME, AND A LOW-WATER-LEVEL (LWL) OF TEN FEET.
DETERMINE:
A.) THE VOLUME OF EACH SBR
B.) DIMENSIONS OF EACH SBR
THANK YOU
AND GOD
BLESS!