Advanced Activated Sludge
Level 3 of the activated sludge series. Nutrient removal, filaments and foam, aeration control and energy, the clarifier state point, toxicity and multi-day troubleshooting, worked step by step at a fictional training plant.
CEUs not yet approved, for learning only
Who it is for
Experienced operators, leads, supervisors and process engineers who already set RAS and WAS rates and figure SRT and F/M, and operators preparing for advanced certification. Best taken after Level 2, Activated Sludge Process Control.
Format
Online, self-paced: 9 modules with the instructor's lessons, calculators, "try it" questions and a check after each module, plus a downloadable 53-page student manual with 28 worked examples.
Length and price
4 hours (240 minutes of instruction), $160.
The activated sludge series
Start with Basics, then move up. Each level builds on the one before.
Level 1: Activated Sludge Basics
How it works, the bugs, rounds, the settleometer, the microscope and basic math. See Basics.
Level 2: Activated Sludge Process Control
SRT, F/M and SVI, RAS and WAS rates, clarifier loadings and troubleshooting. See Process Control.
Level 3: Advanced Activated Sludge
This course. Nutrient removal, filaments, aeration, the state point, toxicity and case studies. Assumes the Level 2 material.
What you will learn
Taught by Brad Musick. 9 modules. Examples come from the White River Resource Recovery Facility (WRRRF), a fictional training plant.
- Start here (10 min)How the course works, the 8 objectives, what you should already know from Level 2, the White River training plant and a self-check quiz.
- Nitrification kinetics and aerobic SRT (30 min)Temperature-corrected growth and decay, minimum and design aerobic SRT, the MLSS to hold it, DO as a lever, and a seasonal design curve.
- Denitrification and nitrogen removal (30 min)What denitrifiers need, MLE recycle math, the internal recycle oxygen penalty, anoxic zone capacity, the alkalinity balance and methanol dosing.
- Biological and chemical phosphorus removal (25 min)PAOs, VFAs and the anaerobic zone, secondary release, alum dose, chemical sludge and alkalinity use.
- Filaments and foam in depth (30 min)An identification key, causes by filament type, selectors, the washout clock, foam traps and a RAS chlorination program with its risks.
- Aeration control and energy (30 min)An oxygen demand budget, DO and ammonia-based aeration control, side streams, diffuser turndown, blower pressure and most-open-valve control.
- Clarifier state point and capacity (30 min)Building and reading a state point diagram, thickening and clarification limits, capacity as SVI changes, and calibrating the settling model.
- Toxicity, inhibition and industrial loads (20 min)Early signs, respirometry, slug dilution, free ammonia, recovery time and working with the pretreatment program.
- Multi-day case studies and practice (25 min)Four White River cases: a blower outage, a storm, a first flush and getting ready for winter, plus 20 practice problems with an answer key.
Learning objectives
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Calculate temperature-corrected nitrifier growth and decay, the minimum and design aerobic SRT, and the MLSS needed to hold it, and use design curves against operating data to set seasonal targets.
- Explain the conditions denitrification needs and calculate MLE nitrate removal, the internal recycle oxygen penalty, anoxic zone capacity, the alkalinity balance and supplemental carbon doses.
- Explain enhanced biological phosphorus removal (PAOs, VFAs, the anaerobic zone and secondary release) and calculate chemical phosphorus doses, chemical sludge and alkalinity use.
- Identify common filaments and foam organisms by their key features, link each type to its likely causes, choose a selector or process correction, and calculate a RAS chlorination program with its risks.
- Explain DO control, ammonia-based aeration control and blower and diffuser limits, and calculate an oxygen demand budget, air savings, diffuser turndown and blower pressure.
- Construct and read a clarifier state point diagram, check thickening and clarification limits, estimate clarifier capacity as SVI changes, and calibrate the settling model with plant tests.
- Recognize inhibition and toxicity, quantify them with respirometry, estimate slug concentrations and free ammonia, plan recovery and work with the pretreatment program.
- Troubleshoot multi-day process upsets by reading trends, linking causes across the process and choosing and checking a response, using four White River case studies.
Instructor, completion rules and credit
Instructor
Brad Musick, 45 years in wastewater treatment, Class IV operator in Indiana and Hawaii, and former superintendent of two Indiana plants. Each module has an "Ask the instructor" link: Brad reads every question and replies by email.
How you complete it
Work through the 9 modules in order. Each module ends with a 4-question check; you need 3 of 4 to open the next module. The final quiz opens after every check is passed and about 230 minutes of study are logged. It has 20 questions drawn from all 8 objectives; you need 80 percent, with up to 3 attempts, then instructor review. After you pass and fill in a short course evaluation, you get a certificate of completion in the name you enroll with.
Continuing education credit
CEUs not yet approved, for learning only. Check with your certifying body about what it accepts before you enroll.
Access
90 days of online access from purchase: the course, the student manual (up to 3 downloads), the final quiz and your certificate. A certificate you earn can be reprinted later.
What you need
A computer or tablet with a current web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari) with JavaScript on, an internet connection, a PDF reader for the manual, and a scientific calculator (the math uses exponents and natural logs). The study timer counts time only while a module page is open and in front, and you have been active in the last 5 minutes.
Prefer it live?
Brad can teach this course live over Microsoft Teams or on-site at your plant. See on-site training or contact us.
What operators take away
- A seasonal aerobic SRT target built from nitrifier kinetics, and the MLSS it takes.
- MLE recycle, anoxic capacity, alkalinity and carbon math you can run on your own data.
- A filament identification workflow linked to causes and corrections, and a safe RAS chlorination plan.
- An oxygen and air budget, with checks on diffuser turndown and blower pressure.
- A state point diagram you can build, read and calibrate for your clarifiers.
- A respirometry method for suspected toxic loads, and a recovery plan.
- Four multi-day case studies, 20 practice problems and a final quiz that tests all 8 objectives, with a certificate of completion from Wastewater Academy™ when you pass it.
- A student manual to download (comes with the class).
Look inside
A few sample pages from the student manual. Tap a page to open it full size.
These are sample pages only. The full student manual comes with the class.
Register
4 hours, $160.
CEUs for this class are not yet approved in any state. If you need CEU credit, please do not buy this class until CEUs are approved; we will announce approval here. Purchase is for learning only.
Need CEU credit? Ask us to tell you when CEUs are approved (tell us your state and this class), or email help@ActivatedSludge.com.
Registration is open for learning only. At checkout you confirm that you understand this class has no CEU credit yet.
After you pay, you are taken to a page where you start the online course and download the student manual. The final quiz opens after the 9 modules and their checks, and you get a certificate of completion from Wastewater Academy™ when you pass it and complete the course evaluation. Online access, including the course, manual, quiz, and certificate, lasts 90 days from purchase. To see the style of questions first, try a free practice quiz.
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