• Blog
  • Wastewater Testing
  • Bioaugmentation Applications
  • Useful Information
  • About Us
BIOLOGICAL WASTE TREATMENT EXPERT
Contact Us

Low-Cost Wastewater Treatment using Lagoon Systems

6/26/2014

 
Picture
Lagoons are one of the oldest and most cost-effective ways to treat municipal wastewater. Lagoon treatment systems are often found in rural and small municipalities where enough land is readily available. Even with the latest generation of wastewater permits with BOD/COD, TSS, ammonia and phosphate removal required for needed effluent treatment; a lagoon system offers the easiest to operate at the lowest cost for many facilities and towns.

There are four types of lagoons seen in field practice: 

  1. Anaerobic Lagoons - are deep impoundments suited for treating higher strength wastewater including meat processing, dairy, and feed lot wastes. With a depth of 8 - 15 feet, the wastewater separates into layers with a cap of grease and solids forming a barrier to oxygen which allows for true anaerobic microbes to thrive in the deeper regions of the lagoon. Facultative and fermentative anaerobes degrade organics into short chain fatty acids utilized by the methanogenic organaisms. With a sufficient retention time and absence of oxygen, the anaerobic lagoon produces methane and carbon dioxide while removing substantial quantities of BOD/COD.

  2. Facultative Lagoons - are used to treat moderate strength wastewater such as that found in domestic waste. Oxygen for aerobic microbes is provided by wave action and algae growth. Further down in the lagoon, activity transitions to microaerophilic (D.O. <0.25 mg/L), and finally to the true anaerobic zone on the bottom. Designed based on organic (BOD) loading, lagoons should receive between 13 - 70 lbs/acre/day with a residence time of 20 - 180 days based on location and average temperatures.

  3. Aerated Lagoons - a common modification of facultative lagoons includes the addition of mechanical aeration. In this system there is less seasonal variation in treatment efficiency, and the BOD loadings can be increased over facultative lagoons. Treatment time (given by hydraulic detention time) is also reduced. Aerated lagoons are commonly used to treat pulp & paper and municipal wastewater where a facultative system is either too large or cannot adequately meet treatment needs. BOD removal in lagoon systems can be upwards of 95%.

  4. Polishing Ponds - are a low loading lagoon found at the end of more aggressive biological treatment. Designed to remove solids by gravity separation, a polishing pond can also remove some of the remaining BOD while also allowing for ammonia removal (nitrification). Polishing ponds are often designed for a BOD loading of 15 - 25 lbs/acre/day with a retention time of 10 - 20 days. UV light from the sun also works to lower fecal counts in wastewater.
Mark Johnson
5/2/2019 12:53:21 pm

I am interested in setting up a lagoon pond in the center of 12 homes organised in a circle around the lagoon pond where we can plant fish.

John MacMillan
9/11/2020 10:04:55 am

Please give a cost of a system that may serve, for example, 700 people.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Erik Rumbaugh has been involved in biological waste treatment for over 20 years. He has worked with industrial and municipal wastewater  facilities to ensure optimal performance of their treatment systems. He is a founder of Aster Bio (www.asterbio.com) specializing in biological waste treatment.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Picturepest, marcoverch, perzonseowebbyra, Picturepest, Picturepest, dsearls, dungodung, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, aqua.mech, vastateparksstaff, hile, Aaron Volkening, amishsteve, Neil DeMaster, mklwong88, KOMUnews, Picturepest, kaibara87