Section Six
INDUSTRIAL WASTES-E. MEATPACKING
WASTES
89    PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF A CONTINUOUSLY FED,
INTERMITTENTLY DECANTED ACTIVATED SLUDGE
PLANT RECEIVING A HIGH AMMONIA PACKING
HOUSE WASTE
John D. Reinhard, Civil Engineer
City of Atlanta Technical Services
Atlanta, Georgia 30301
John A. Gordon, Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, Tennessee 38505
Kevin S. Young, Vice-President
J. R. Wauford & Company, Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Jackson, Tennessee 38305
INTRODUCTION
The cyclical modification of the activated sludge process involves the separation of carbon removal,
nitrification, denitrification and sedimentation processes temporally in a single reactor rather than
spatially in separate reactors as in the conventional activated sludge process. Little information is
available in the literature concerning the limits of this process under actual full-scale operating
conditions. A continuously fed-intermittently decanted (CF1D) cyclical activated sludge plant treating
summer flows of 4 MGD and winter flows of 6 MGD began operation in Union City, Tennessee in
October 1986. The design and startup of this facility are documented by Young.1,2
The Union City facility utilizes the ICEAS(m version of the CFID cyclical activated sludge process
developed by Austgen-Biojet Waste Water Systems, Inc. The facility treats a combined municipal/
industrial waste flow. Approximately 20% of the influent flow is the effluent from a slaughterhouse/
meat processing operation anaerobic lagoon pretreatment facility contributing high ammonia and
high inert suspended solids waste loads. Approximately 15% of the influent flow is the discharge
from a prewashed denim jeans operation contributing a high inorganic suspended solids waste load.
Design parameters are summarized in Table I. During the study period reported in this chapter, the
ICEASlm process was stressed by high ammonia and suspended solids waste loads.
The removal efficiencies of the Union City ICEASlm process under both hydraulic and waste load
stresses are presented in this chapter for carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD5), ammonia nitrogen (NHrN), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), oxidized nitrogen (NOx-N), total nitrogen,
phosphorus and total suspended solids (TSS).
PROCESS DESCRIPTION
The Union City ICEASlm process utilizes equal air-on and air-off time periods during each cycle.
This protocol is reported to offer optimal nitrification/denitrification performance.5 This periodic
operation exposes the incoming wastewater to alternating aerobic and anoxic periods and has been
demonstrated in bench and full-scale CFID reactors to achieve effective nitrogen removal while
obtaining near tertiary removal levels of TSS and BOD5.4,5,6 By controlling the aerobic and anoxic
time periods, excellent removal of phosphorus is reported.7,8
44th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, © 1990 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118.
Printed in U.S.A.
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