System Optimization of Sequencing Batch Reactor using Municipal and Synthetic Wastewater

Abstract

Effective management of the water resources and control of its pollution are becoming increasingly more important for healthy environment. Because of the industrialization, urbanization water sources are dirtied to much an extent. Natural form of pollutants have always been present in the surface water bodies. But as the civilization evolved through, human activity levelled up the amount and changed the nature of pollutant entering the watercourses. Sequencing batch reactor is a type of batch reactor with complete mixing and works on the principal of fill and draw basis. It has 4 basic cycles which goes on sequence wise i.e. fill, react, settle, decant. SBRs are the upgraded version of the conventional activated sludge process as it requires less space and is cost effective. In SBR equalisation, clarification and aeration is done in single basin and gives better efficiency than the conventional process. In SBR the returned activated sludge is not required as it contains sludge in the single basin. In the present study we used laboratory scale SBR treating domestic and synthetic wastewater. The reactor was fabricated using transparent acrylic sheet. Height of the reactor is 21 cm and internal diameter is 19 cm in which the working height is 11 cm and 5 cm is for freeboard and 5 cm from the bottom for sludge. In the first phase of the study synthetic wastewater was used and was run for different cycle time i.e. (6h, 8h, and 12h). Different parameters were studied like COD & TDS with their maximum removal efficiency observed was 86.6 %, 88%, 90% & 82 %, 84%, 88%. Similarly for domestic wastewater the maximum removal efficiency for COD &BOD (4h, 6h &8h) was 84%, 87.2%, 90.7% & 87%, 90%, 93% respectively. Removal efficiencies for various parameters like TSS, TDS, TS, DO were also studied for both domestic & synthetic and we obtained justified efficiencies for both the wastewaters.