Molasses v/s Methanol as BOD

[SteveWag]

I have a client with an activated sludge treatnent plant. This plant serves a tourist community and winter time flows drop to about 2% of design flow. The operator is thinking about supplying supplemental food during the winter.

I am thinking of methanol or molasses(animal feed grade).

Any thoughts about feeding some ammonia as well?

Thanks Guys!

 

[bimr]

You can feed any type of nutrient that you want. It just needs to be inexpensive and ideally would not generate excess waste solids.

I would skip the ammonia. It will not help any.

It is typical practice for resort facility wastewater treatment plants to subdivide the treatment process into trains such that portions of the treatment plant can be brought online as required by the system demand.

 

[40mile]

For an inexpensive high BOD source, you might consider waste glycol, since the generators should pay you to take it. The testing requirements for acceptance depend largely on the plant's permit.

 

[rodhouser]

Methanol can be a good food source to get things goingj, depending on local availability. Another approach is to import WAS from a nearby WWTP. Add the WAS or methanol about a month before the flows arrive to give the process time to acclimate and build up biomass in the aearation basin.

Another strategy is to minimize the amount of sludge that is wasted for the month preceding the onset of high flows.

Another approach is to add some equalization storage at the font-end of the plant. That will allow the operators to gradually ramp up the flows through the aeration basin(s).