Sludge equipment

Standard activated sludge equipment.

Standard activated sludge equipment, in which aerobic bacteria ingest organic substances such as sugars and protein. The sugar and protein are then metabolized into water and carbon dioxide. This process is widely used by wastewater treatment facilities to prevent environmental pollution.

The principle and its configuration are quite simple. The wastewater in the storage
tank is transferred into the aeration tank. Inside the tank, aerobic bacteria are
activated through air bubbles to decompose BOD components by oxidation. Then in the sedimentation separation tank the bacteria (sludge) are separated by difference of specific gravity, followed by discharging the supernatant fluid.

There are several concerns during the daily operation of the equipment, particularly
bulking phenomenon due to proliferation of fungi. When the bulking occurs, it will
float. When this occurs in the sedimentation separation tank, the bacteria (sludge)
are not able to separate by difference of specific gravity. Sludge is then mixed
with the treated water, deteriorating water quality of the effluent.

The sedimentation separation tanks part of solid liquid separation is replaced
by a MF membrane separator. The membrane filter element is submerged in the aeration tank and clear treated water is sectioned out from the element instead of using the sedimentation separation tank. Accordingly, this activated sludge equipment has merits, such as solving the bulking problem. In addition, the treated quantity per unit volume increases and the excess sludge decreases by increasing MLSS concentration.