Sponsor Area

Environmental Issues

Question
CBSEENBI12002021

Describe how do ‘flocs’ and ‘activated sludge’ help in sewage treatment.

Solution

Roles of ‘flocs’ and ‘activated sludge’ in sewage treatment are as follows: Flocs These are masses of bacteria held together by slime and fungal filaments to form mesh-like structures. Flocs are used during the secondary sewage treatment in the aeration tank to increase the rate of decomposition. The microbes digest a lot of organic matter, converting it into microbial biomass and releasing a lot of minerals. As a result, BOD of the sewage reduces. As the BOD of waste is reduced to 10-15% of raw sewage, it is passed into settling tanks. In these tanks, flocs are allowed to undergo sedimentation. Activated Sludge The sediment of settling tank is called activated sludge. A part of it is used as inoculum in aeration tanks. The remaining part is passed into a large tank called anaerobic sludge digester. In these tanks, anaerobic microbes are present that digest the organic mass as well as aerobic microbes of activated sludge. The remaining sludge is used as manure or compost.