A citrus plant struggled with poor settling in the clarifier of its wastewater treatment, which caused the sludge blanket to remain high. Even at a low flow rate of 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD), the high sludge blanked allowed less than 18” of free board. The slightest flow increase caused solids to carry over the weir with the effluent. Since the citrus plant frequently produced wastewater flows 1.5 to 2.5 MGD, the wastewater treatment plant continued to suffer from solids washout and clarifier effluent total suspended solids (TSS) excursions. The citrus plant wastewater treatment was a 6 million gallon per day (MGD) traditional aeration system with secondary clarification.
The Wastewater Manager’s overall objective was to obtain better settling in the secondary clarifier by improving the quality of the biological sludge. High sludge blankets and solids washouts were occurring frequently. A sludge volume index (SVI) of 200 indicated a poor quality sludge with bulking problems. All attempts to cure the bulking, including return sludge chlorination, provided little relief.
To activate the biological processes in the treatment system, Probiotics Solutions® BIO ENERGIZER® was fed directly into the influent flume at the aeration basin. Return activated sludge (RAS) chlorination was continued.
Sludge settling rates began to improve after about 30 days of treatment with BIO ENERGIZER®. A 50% improvement in SVI reduced the sludge blanket and put a stop to TSS excursions into the effluent, improving operation efficiency of the citrus plant wastewater treatment.
Probiotic Solutions® BIO ENERGIZER® is a formulation of nutrients, organic acids, natural biological stimulants, and energy systems that balance the natural microbial ecosystem to increase bio-oxidation capacity in lagoon systems.
Related Posts
Food Processing Wastewater Treatment Solutions
Experience the world’s most efficient wastewater remediation products, for operational stability of food processing wastewater treatment facilities.
Probiotic Solutions® Sponsors Wastewater Microbiology & Process Control 2-Day Course
Probiotic Solutions® is sponsoring a Wastewater Microbiology course with microbiologist & certified operator Dr. Toni Glymph-Martin in Arizona on April 11-12, 2023. The 2-day in-person course will cover various key topics related to wastewater microbiology including, but not limited to, microscopy, filamentous bacteria, etc. Attendees will also get a chance to participate in various hands-on
Bio Energizer® Cuts Sludge Hauling Costs for Potato Wastewater Treatment Plant
A wastewater treatment plant in Pennsylvania was experiencing process control problems when new potato waste stream flows increased by 26%. The additional load was causing filamentous issues in the sequencing batch reactor (SBR), settlability problems, and increased sludge hauling costs. The engineer was unable to maintain the 8-foot decant level in the sequencing batch reactor
