The Infuence of the Depth of the Secondary Sedimentation Tanks on the Sedimentation Efficiency at Bromma Sewage Treatment Plant

Abstract

Bromma sewage treatment plant is the second largest plant in Stockholm with a design flow of 160,000 m3/d. The wastewater is treated mechanically, chemically by pre-precipitation with ferrous sulphate, and biologically by the activated sludge process. The requirements for the plant are 8 mg BOD7/l, 0.4 mg P/l and 2 mg NH4+-N/l. The requirement for ammonia refers to the period July-October. In order to meet those rather stringent requirements, the biological step was expanded 3 years ago with 6 new sedimentation tanks. The 6 new tanks have the same area as the 6 old ones but they have only a depth of 3.7 m compared with the depth of the old tanks, 5.7 m. Experience from the first years of operation of the new tanks is that these tanks are more sensitive and less efficient than the older ones. It seems that the effluent suspended solids concentration from the old tanks is less influenced by rapid flow variations than the concentration in the effluent from the new secondary sedimentation tanks. During the nitrification period denitrification takes place to some degree in the secondary sedimentation tanks. This may cause loss of solids and it has been observed that the deeper old tanks usually produce an effluent of better quality and seem to be less influenced by denitrification than the new ones.