SCHOOL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

ENGINEERING CAMPUS
UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA

EAP 315/3 : WASTEWATER ENGINERING

TUTORIAL 3 (not to be submitted)

1. A sewer flows 70 % full of wastewater at minimum flow rate which is about 4,060 m3/day
with Qfull of 42,682 m3/day. If the Vfull is 92,448 m/day, find the minimum velocity of the
wastewater.
(Answer : v= 0.615 m/s)

2. Design a separate sewer which flows 70 % full at Q maximum for a town with a population of
100,000. Water consumption rate of this town is 225 litre/capita.day. An allowable slope is
1:600. Assume Qmaximum as 4.7p-0.11, where p in thousands. Use Manning Equation in your
calculation, Q = (1/n)AR2/3s1/2 where Q=flowrate, A=area, R= Wet perimeter, s=
allowable slope and n = Manning constant (Take n = 0.0013).

(Answer :D=0.692 m. Choose suitable size)

3. A town receives 20 MGD (90,000 m3/day) of peak water supply. If 25 % of supplied

water is not flowing into the sewerage system, design a cast iron separate sewer which
flows 70 % full. An allowable slope of this sewer is 1:650.

(Answer : D=0.978 m; Vfull=1.197 m/s; v=1.365 m/s)

4. Design a cast iron separate sewer which flows 70 % full at Q maximum for a town with
12,500 houses and 200 shop houses with an average area of 900 m2 each. An allowable
slope is 1:600. Assume the ratio of Qmaximum to Qaverage and Qaverage to Qminimum is in
accordance with the Guidelines for Developers : Sewage Treatment Plant Volume IV,
1998 and MS1228 (1991).
(Answer : D=0.891 m. Choose suitable size)

5. (a) A wastewater from a town with a population of 2,500 is mechanically screen at the
treatment plant. If the storage period of screenings is set to be 5 days at peak flow,
using the data in Appendices, compute the required maximum surface area of the
screenings tank. Take screen opening as 20 mm and the depth of the tank as 2.5 m.

(Answer : As=0.24 m2)

(b) If the maximum velocity through the screening tank in Question 5 (a) is 1m/minute
and the bar width is 10 mm, calculate the appropriate width of screening tank if the
depth of wastewater in the tank is 1 m.
(Answer : W=2.52 m)

6. (a) A wastewater from a town with population of 1,000 PE is mechanically screen at the
treatment plant. If the storage period of screenings is set to be 7 days at peak flow,
using Figure 1.0, compute the required maximum surface area of the screenings
tank. Take water consumption rate as 225 litre/capita.day, screens opening as 25
mm and the depth of the tank as 4 m.

(Answer:As=0.0685 m2)

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 (b) If the the bar width in Question 6 (a) is 10 mm and the maximum velocity through
the screening tank is 1m/minute, compute the appropriate width of screening tank if
the depth of wastewater in the tank is 1 m.
(Answer : W=1.03 m)

7. (a) A wastewater from a town with population of 1,000 PE is mechanically screen at the
treatment plant. About 270 kg of screenings is retained for 7 days at the screen.
Determine the screen opening at Qpeak if the density of screenings is 900 kg/m 3.

(Answer : S=23.5 mm)

(b) If the maximum velocity through the screening tank in Question 7 (a) is 1 m/minute
and the bar width is 10 mm, calculate the appropriate width of screening tank if the
depth of wastewater in the tank is 1 m.

(Answer : W=1.047 m)

8. (a) Three wastewater samples has the same BOD5 value of 200 mg/L. However the k1
value is different i.e 0.10, 0.15 0.25 day-1. Determine the ultimate BOD for each
sample.
(Answer : Lo1=293 mg/L; Lo2=243 mg/L; Lo3=212 mg/L)

(b) The value of BOD5 for a wastewater at 20ºC is 240 mg/L. If k1 is 0.1 day-1, find

(i) BOD1 at 13 oC. (Answer : 47 mg/L)

(ii) BOD5 at 15 oC. (Answer : 189 mg/L)

9. A BOD analysis produced the following data:

BOD5 =300 mg/L

k1 at 20C = 0.16 days-1

Calculate the ultimate BOD, Lo.

Given , BODt = Lo (1-10-k1t)
(Answer : 357 mg/L)

10. An experiment to determine the ultimate BOD for wastewater at 20C with 5%
dilution has the data as given in Table 1. Saturated Dissolved Oxygen value for
dilution water is 9.00 mg/L.

Table 1: BOD experiment data

Day Final Dissolved Final Dissolved

Oxygen for Sample Oxygen for Control
(mg/L) (mg/L)
1 7.10 8.50
2 6.10 8.50
3 5.10 8.40
4 4.20 8.40
5 3.90 8.40
6 3.50 8.30
7 3.00 8.20

Using Thomas Method, determine the Lo and k1 values for the above sample.

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 (Answer : kLo-1/3=0.32; k2/3/6Lo1/3=0.0128; k1=0.433/k)

12. A sedimentation tank is needed for treating wastewater from a residential area based on the
data as given in Table 1:

Table 1: Design data

Premis type Data

Single storey medium cost house 500
Double storey semi-detached house 200
Double storey shop house 50
Ground floor – 6.1m x 12.65m
First floor – 6.1m x 15.54m
Petrol station 1
Day school @ 1,500 pupils 1
Mosque @ 1,000 people 1
Dry market @30 stalls

(a) Based on the data in Appendices, design the above sedimentation with sketch. Limit
your answer to the dimension, retention time, surface loading rate @ surface outflow
rate and weir loading rate.

(Answer : PE=4,303; SLR=22.97 m3/m2.day;

WLR=516.8 m3/m.day, V=323 m3; L:W=3:1=22.5:7.5 m)

(b) Determine the volume of wet sludge in m3/day that will be produced by the
sedimentation tank in (a) if the value of suspended solids (SS) in the treatment plant
is 300 mg/L. Assume the efficiency of the tank as 70 % and the specific gravity of
wet sludge is 1.03.
(Answer : V=0.1974 m3/day)

13. Based on the design parameter given in Appendix 1 and Table 4.5, design a secondary
sedimentation tank (rectangular) by using the following data:

Population Equivalent (PE) = 2000

Mixed Liquor Suspended Solid (MLSS) = 4000 mg/L

Table 4.5 : Design Parameter for Secondary Sedimentation Tank,

Guideline for Developers Volume IV, 1998

Parameter PE ≤ 5000
Minimum detention time at Qpeak (hours) <2
Surface outflow rate at Qpeak (m3/m2.day) ≤ 30
Weir loading rate at Qpeak (m3/m2.day) 150-180
Minimum depth (m) 3
Solid loading rate at Qpeak (kg/m2.day) <150
Flowrate Qpeak

Limit your design to the dimension, retention time, surface outflow rate (SOR) @ surface
loading rate, solid loading rate (SLR), weir loading rate and check your calculation for
each parameter.

(Answer : V=74.14 m3; t=1.82 hours; SOR=43.5 m3/m2.day;

SLR=175 kg/m2.day; WLR=13 m3/m.day; Redesign)
14. Determine the SVI value based on the following data:
MLVSS = 2,500 mg/L

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 MLVSS settled in 30 minutes = 100 mL/L
Sludge = 65% organic

(Answer : 40 mL/gram)

15. A conventional activated sludge treatment plant is designed to treat the wastewater
produced by 3,724 PE. The retention time of an aeration tank is 7 days and
MLVSS/MLSS ratio is 0.75. Assume that the BOD rate as 55 gram/capita.day and
water consumption rate as 225 litre/capita.day. Design the tank at 1 DWF. Find the:

(i) Volume of aeration tank (Answer : V=5863.3 m3)

(ii) F:M ratio if MLVSS is 1,726 kg/day.

(Answer : 0.012 kg BOD/kg MLSS.hari)

(iii) The quantity of oxygen required by an activated sludge treatment plant is 220
kg/day. If the plant receives an average of 837.9 m 3/day wastewater, compute the
MLSS value of this plant based on the following data :

BOD5 = 250 mg/L

Remaining BOD in 5 days = 40%

(Answer :1,085 mg/L)

16. An aeration tank of a conventional activated sludge process is having the following data :

Volume = 250 m3
Discharge = 0.1 m3/s
Sludge wastage rate = 100 m3/day
Volatile Suspended Solids = 285 mg/L
Volume of sludge settled in 30 minutes = 200 mL/L
Sludge Volume Index = 80 mL/g
Volatile Suspended Solids represent 0.75 of Suspended Solids

Calculate the sludge age for the above tank. (Answer : θc= 16.4 days)

17. An aeration tank of a conventional activated sludge process is having the following data:

Flowrate = 1,500 m3/day

BOD5 = 250 mg/L
F:M = 0.3
MLSS = 2,500 mg/L
y = 0.5 mg/mg
kd = 0.06 day-1
c = 10 days

Only 60% of BOD is degraded in 5 days.

Determine:

(i) Volume of suitable aeration tank. (Answer : V =500 m3)

(ii) Retention time of tank. (Answer : t = 8 hours)

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 (iii) Required quantity of oxygen in kg/day. (Answer : O2 = 385.06 kg/day)

(iv) Required power of mixing in Watt. The minimum mixing is 20 Watt/m 3.

(Answer : P =10 kW)

18. Your consultant firm has been appointed to design an activated sludge treatment plant
for a new housing scheme. Design data for this project is given in Table 1 and Table 2
below:

Table 1: Proposes new housing scheme - Taman Seri Gading

Type of premises Data

Single storey medium cost house 391
Double storey medium cost house 72
Double storey semi-detached house 94
Double storey shop house 40
Ground floor – 6.1m x 12.65m
First floor – 6.1m x 15.54m
Light industry1 @ 30 workers each 36
Petrol station 1
Day school @ 1,000 pupils 1
Surau @ 200 people 1
Wet market @ 30 stalls 1

1
Not including processed waste

Table 2: Design data for Activated Sludge Treatment Plant

Parameter Data
BOD5 Influent (mg/L) 250
MLVSS/MLSS 0.75
Retention time (hours) 7

Design an appropriate aeration tank for this treatment plant. Limit your answer to the:

(i) Volume of tank

(Answer : PE=3,724; V=244.4 m3)

(ii) F:M ratio if MLVSS is x kg/day

(Answer : F:M = 0.312 kg BOD/kg MLSS.day)

(iii) Quantity of oxygen required if the MLSS increased is 154 mg/L. Only 60% of BOD is
degraded in 5 days.
(Answer : O2 = 220 kg/day)

(iv) SVI value if the sludge settled in 30 minutes is 200 mL during the test.

(Answer : SVI = 73 mL/gram)

19. A trickling filter receives wastewater from a housing area based on the following
data:

Total number of houses = 200

Mosque = 1
Number of residents use the mosque = 100

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 Quantity of media at trickling filter = 50 metric tonnes
Density of media = 950 kg/m3
Void = 50%
Influent BOD5 value = 250 mg/L
Design at 1 DWF

Calculate the Volumetric Organic Loading for this filter.

(Answer : VOL = 2.18 kg BOD/m3.day)

20. A cylindrical trickling filter plant is having a Volumetric Organic Loading of 0.764 kg
BOD5/m3 .day. If the growth volume of media is 982 m3 where 55% is void, calculate
the:

(i) Organic Loading of this plant in kg/day.

(Answer : 375 kg/day)

(ii) BOD5 value which entering the plant in mg/L if Population Equivalent used is
1,500 people.
(Answer : BOD5 = 111 mg/L)

21. A residential area with Population Equivalent of 500 is having the BOD Load of 0.045
kg/day. Determine the suitable dimension of the facultative pond for treating the
wastewater if the Aerial Organic Loading is 0.050 kg BOD/m 2.day and the retention time
is 20 days. Take length to width ratio of the pond as 3:1.

(Answer : V=450 m3; x=12.25 (width), 3x=36.75 m (length), d=1 m)

22. (a) Design a rectangular septic tank for a population of 100 people. Take length to width
ratio as 3 : 1 and the depth of the tank as 1.5 m.

(Answer : 1.25 x 6.75 x 1.5 m)

(b) Design a septic tank which is used to treat the wastewater from 3 bungalows and 2
shop houses in Manjung District. The area of each shop houses is 800 m2. Take
length to width ratio as 3 : 1, the depth of the tank as 1.5 m and retention time as 1
day.
(Answer : PE=63; V=14.18 m3)

23. Given the BOD5 value of a domestic wastewater from an area with a population of 2,000
people is 350 mg/L. If the water consumption rate is 225 litre/capita.day, suggest the
surface area for each of the following tank:

(i) Oxidation pond with the Aerial Organic Loading as 200 kg BOD5/ha.day.

(Answer : 875 m2)

(ii) Trickling filter with 3m depth and Volumetric Organic Loading as 0.8 kg BOD5/m3.day.

(Answer : 72.92 m2)

(iii) Activated sludge process which having F:M ratio as 0.3 kg BOD5/kg MLSS.day and the
depth of the tank as 3 m. Given, MLSS = 2,500 mg/L.

(Answer : 77.78 m2)

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24. A wastewater flow from a housing area with an organic content equivalent to 12.5 kg/day
is to be treated by a Rotating Biological Contactor plant (RBC). This plant is using 3
series RBC system. Each series is 5 meter long with 30 disks per meter. The diameter of
disk is 2 m. Calculate the Organic Loading of this plant in gram BOD 5/m2.day

(Answer : 4.42 gram BOD/m2.day)

25. Given that the value of BOD5 load for Taman Anggerik in Ipoh is 150 kg/day. Taman
Anggerik is having 200 houses and a musolla which can accommodate 200 people. There
are few options of wastewater treatment that can be considered for this area. Suggest :

(i) The suitable surface area of aerated lagoon if the depth is 3 m and Volumetric Organic
Loading is 0.25 BOD5/m3.day.
(Answer : 199.98 m2)

(ii) The suitable Organic Loading for a single series of Rotating Biological Contactor which
is 3 m long with 50 disks per meter. Take the diameter of the disk as 2 m.

(Answer : 0.16 kg BOD/m2.day)

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