Sludge Bulking

Sludge Bulking
PAPR 3531
Bulking Sludge
General definition:
A secondary (biological) sludge with poor
settling and compaction characteristics
Bulking sludges are more of a concern with activated

sludge treatment but also can occur in aerated
stabilization basins
Significance
Why care?
High TSS and associated BOD

(~0.1-0.8 lb BOD/lb TSS) in
effluent, possibly resulting in
a permit violation
Difficulty in achieving desired
solids in RAS and therefore
difficulty in controlling
activated sludge system
Origins of High TSS and/or

Sludge Settling Problems
Equipment design and condition (mechanical
problems):
Uneven flow splitting (parallel clarifiers)

Inlet and outlet structures (flow distribution, velocity
dissipation)
Flocculation chamber
Weir placement and condition
Sludge removal mechanism
Hydraulic overloading or surges
Solids overloading or surges
Wind-created or thermal-induced currents
Origins of High TSS and/or

Sludge Settling Problems
Problems related to solids
characteristics:
Pin floc (from high shear/over-aeration,

low F/M, toxicity)
Dispersed growth (from high F/M, low
nutrients)
Rising sludge (from anaerobic gases)
Severe foam or scum (from surfactants,
high F/M or low F/M filaments)
Viscous bulking
Filamentous bulking
Viscous Bulking
a.k.a. slime, polysaccharide, hydrous, non-filamentous or

zoogloeal bulking
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) surround
bacterial cells and consist of carbohydrates (i.e.,
polysaccharides), proteins, and other substances
EPS is critical to ability of bacteria to flocculate, settle,
and dewater
With viscous bulking, polysaccharide content is higher
than normal, which causes the density of bacteria to be
reduced (poor settling)
Generally caused by nutrient deficiency (not enough
nitrogen or phosphorus)
Filamentous Bulking
The most common of settling and
compaction problems
Filamentous Bulking
The culprits: Filamentous
organisms (bacteria, possibly
fungi)
Their shape is long and narrow

(length >> width)
They remove BOD (good)
In small concentrations they provide
physical support to flocs (good)
At high concentrations they interfere
with settling in secondary clarifiers
(bad)
Filamentous Bulking Characteristics
Poor compaction of sludge blanket (high

blanket level)
If there is a supernatant, it is usually very clear
High Sludge Volume Index (SVI)
Large, strong flocs, but they settle poorly
Filamentous bacteria predominate, as can be

seen with MLSS sample and a 100x microscope
Activated Sludge Under the Microscope

Good floc structure
Poor floc structure
Sludge Volume Index (SVI)
It is the volume in mL of one gram of settled sludge

It is measured with a settling test using a 1-liter
graduated cylinder* and a 30-min. settling time
SVI = (settled volume in mL/L)(1000 mg/g)

initial MLSS in mg/L
As SVI increases, the likelihood of higher effluent

TSS increases
SVI > 150 mL/g often defined as bulking sludge, but
a too high SVI is treatment-plant specific
* Or larger-diameter settleometer
Is this a bulking sludge?

Settled sludge volume
(SSV30) = 930 mL/L
MLSS = 3,000 mg/L = 3 g/L
SVI = (930 mL/L)/(3 g/L)
SVI = 310 mL/g
Bulking? Yes (> 150)
Is it a problem?
SVI as a Function of Filaments
Palm, J.C.; Jenkins, D.; and Parker, D.S. 1980. Relationship between organic loading, dissolved oxygen
concentration and sludge settleability in the completely-mixed activated sludge process. Journal of the
Water Pollution Control Federation. 52(10):2484-2506.
Remedial Measures
Treat the symptom (may be a short-term or
long-term solution)
Add settling or weighting aids at secondary

clarifier
Polymers
Lime
Ferric chloride
Alum
Remedial Measures
Treat the symptom (continued)
Add toxic agents

Oxidants (chlorine/hypochlorite,
peroxide)
2 - 10 lb Cl2/day/1000 lb MLSS
Proprietary biocides
pH shock (usually add acid)
Remedial Measures
Eliminate the cause (longer-term solution)
Specific conditions have been associated with the

proliferation of certain filament types
Identify probable cause(s)/condition(s) by identifying
the predominant filamentous organisms (identification
requires expertise)
If necessary, examine or collect other information to
confirm the probable cause(s)
Make operational and/or equipment changes to correct
the problem
Causes of Filamentous Outbreaks

(Conditions Favoring Filaments)
Common causes for activated sludge treatment

plants in the paper industry:
Septicity (high sulfide and/or volatile organic acid levels)
Low F/M ratio (less than ~0.2 - 0.3)
Low dissolved oxygen (less than ~2 mg/L, but a function

of F/M & temperature)
Nutrient deficiency (nitrogen or phosphorus, or possibly
trace metals)
Richard, M.G. 1997. Recent changes in the prevalence and causes of bulking filamentous bacteria in
pulp and papermill activated sludge systems. TAPPI Proceedings - Environmental Conference &
Exhibition, 553-556.

Approximate minimum nutrient residuals

(measured before secondary clarifier):
Ammonia (NH4+): 1 mg/L as N
Orthophosphate (PO43-): 0.5 mg/L as P
Some mill treatment plants with strict permit

limits for phosphorus are able to operate
successfully at lower levels of orthophosphate
(as low as ~0.1 mg/L)

Less common causes for paper industry treatment

plants:
Low pH (<6.5) or pH swings

Nature of the BOD (high amount of easily degraded
organic matter)
Filament Types in Pulp and

Paper Activated Sludge Systems
FILAMENT TYPE
ASSOCIATED CONDITION
More prevalent:
Thiothrix II
septicity; low nutrients (N)
Thiothrix I
Nostocoida limicola II
septicity
Type 0914
septicity
H. hydrossis
low dissolved oxygen
Nostocoida limicola III
septicity; low nutrients (P)
Type 1851
low organic loading (low F/M)
Type 1701
Type 021N
(N) = nitrogen deficiency
(P) = phosphorus deficiency
Filament Types in Pulp and

Paper Activated Sludge Systems
FILAMENT TYPE
ASSOCIATED CONDITION
Less prevalent:
Type 0092
septicity
Type 0411
septicity
Type 0675
Sphaerotilus natans
Type 0041
Type 0581
septicity
Type 0803
Type 0211
septicity
Richard, M.G. 1997. Recent changes in the prevalence and causes of bulking filamentous bacteria in pulp and
papermill activated sludge systems. TAPPI Proceedings - Environmental Conference & Exhibition, 553-556.
Eliminating the Cause

Operational and/or equipment changes
might involve:
Add (more) nutrient
Increase aeration
Raise F/M
Install a selector
Selectors
A selector is an initial contact zone (separate tank or

sectionalized compartment) of short duration (15-60
min. HRT) where primary effluent and RAS are combined
so that the F/M ratio is high and the DO level is
controlled.
A selector may be aerated (aerobic) or not (anaerobic or
anoxic).
Selectors are little used in the paper industry (~dozen
mills or so in US). Most are aerobic. Generally seem to
work. NOT suitable solution for low nutrients.
This really is a clarifier
Thanks to Paul Klopping of Callahan and Brooks for permission to

use most of the photographs that appear in these lecture notes.

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Sludge Bulking

Bulking sludges are more of a concern with activated

High TSS and associated BOD

Origins of High TSS and/or

Uneven flow splitting (parallel clarifiers)

Origins of High TSS and/or

Pin floc (from high shear/over-aeration,

a.k.a. slime, polysaccharide, hydrous, non-filamentous or

Their shape is long and narrow

Filamentous Bulking Characteristics

Poor compaction of sludge blanket (high

If there is a supernatant, it is usually very clear

High Sludge Volume Index (SVI)

Large, strong flocs, but they settle poorly

Filamentous bacteria predominate, as can be

Activated Sludge Under the Microscope

Poor floc structure

Sludge Volume Index (SVI)

It is the volume in mL of one gram of settled sludge

SVI = (settled volume in mL/L)(1000 mg/g)

As SVI increases, the likelihood of higher effluent

Is this a bulking sludge?

SVI as a Function of Filaments

Add settling or weighting aids at secondary

Add toxic agents

Specific conditions have been associated with the

Causes of Filamentous Outbreaks

Common causes for activated sludge treatment

Septicity (high sulfide and/or volatile organic acid levels)

Low F/M ratio (less than ~0.2 - 0.3)

Low dissolved oxygen (less than ~2 mg/L, but a function

Causes of Filamentous Outbreaks

Approximate minimum nutrient residuals

Some mill treatment plants with strict permit

Causes of Filamentous Outbreaks

Less common causes for paper industry treatment

Low pH (<6.5) or pH swings

Filament Types in Pulp and

septicity; low nutrients (N)

septicity; low nutrients (N)

low dissolved oxygen

Nostocoida limicola III

septicity; low nutrients (P)

low organic loading (low F/M)

low dissolved oxygen

septicity; low nutrients (N)

(N) = nitrogen deficiency

(P) = phosphorus deficiency

Filament Types in Pulp and

low organic loading (low F/M)

low dissolved oxygen

low organic loading (low F/M)

low organic loading (low F/M)

Eliminating the Cause

Add (more) nutrient

A selector is an initial contact zone (separate tank or

This really is a clarifier

Thanks to Paul Klopping of Callahan and Brooks for permission to

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