Activated Sludge Treatment Process – Concept and System Design

Activated Sludge Treatment is a biological wastewater treatment process which speeds up waste decomposition by adding Activated sludge into wastewater, and the mixture is aerated and agitated for a specified amount of time there by allowing the activated sludge to settle out by sedimentation and is disposed of (wasted) or reused (returned to the aeration tank). It is to everyone’s advantage for a community to be able to treat its wastewater in the most economical way. The activated sludge process has the advantage of producing a high quality effluent for a reasonable operating and maintenance costs. The activated sludge process uses microorganisms to feed on organic contaminants in wastewater, producing a highquality effluent. The basic principle behind all activated sludge processes is that as microorganisms grow, they form particles that clump together. These particles (floc) are allowed to settle to the bottom of the tank, leaving a relatively clear liquid free of organic material and suspended solids. An attempt has been made in the present paper to explain and conceptualize designed parameters relevant to Activated Sludge Treatment Process. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________