Online Course
Activated Sludge Process Control for Wastewater Operators
See activated sludge as a living system and control it from evidence: oxygen and mixing, settling tests, solids inventory, return and waste flows, sludge age, the microscope, upsets and the daily round.
Course Details
- Certificate
- 1.0 hour
- Time
- About 65 minutes
- To pass
- 80% or better on the final
- Price
- Free in most places. $20, or $150 for a yearly pass in Alabama, Arizona, Idaho and South Carolina. See prices
For You
Pick your state or province to see if this course counts.
Your progress
Checking your course record…
What You'll Learn
- Explain how suspended-growth treatment works: microorganisms and food, floc, oxygen and mixing, and the return and waste flows.
- Run aeration: blowers, diffusers and surface aerators, measuring dissolved oxygen, choosing a target and responding to low DO.
- Run and read settling tests: sampling, the settleometer, settling behavior, SVI, diluted tests and floating sludge.
- Track solids inventory: MLSS and MLVSS, solids mass, where solids are stored, RAS concentration and flow, and WAS.
- Use sludge age and F/M: what they mean, how they are calculated, how wasting and temperature change them, and choosing a strategy.
- Use the microscope: wet mounts, floc, filaments, flagellates, ciliates, rotifers and what each suggests.
- Troubleshoot upsets: bulking, foaming, pin floc, rising sludge, overloads, toxic loads, first response and recovery.
- Run the day: operator rounds, daily measurements, trends, instrument checks, shift handoff, records and when to call for help.
What's Inside 8 parts, 72 pages
How Activated Sludge Works 9 pages
- The Living Treatment Process
- Microorganisms and Food
- Floc Formation
- Oxygen and Mixing
- The Return Flow
- The Waste Flow
- Flow Through the Process
- Control the Whole System
- Module 1 Checkpoint
Aeration and Dissolved Oxygen 9 pages
- What Aeration Must Do
- Blowers and Air Delivery
- Diffusers and Surface Aerators
- Measuring Dissolved Oxygen
- Choosing a DO Target
- Air Distribution and Demand
- Aeration and Energy
- Responding to Low DO
- Module 2 Checkpoint
Settling Tests and Sludge Volume 9 pages
- Why Operators Test Settling
- Collecting the Sample
- Running the Settleometer Test
- Reading Settling Behavior
- Sludge Volume Index
- Diluted Settling Tests
- Delayed Floating Sludge
- Trending Settling Results
- Module 3 Checkpoint
Solids Inventory and Return Control 9 pages
- Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids
- Mixed Liquor Volatile Solids
- Calculating Solids Mass
- Where Solids Are Stored
- Return Activated Sludge Concentration
- Setting Return Flow
- Measuring Waste Solids
- Solids Mass Balance
- Module 4 Checkpoint
Sludge Age and Food-to-Microorganism Ratio 9 pages
- Meaning of Sludge Age
- Calculating MCRT
- How Wasting Changes Sludge Age
- Meaning of F/M
- Calculating F/M
- F/M and Process Appearance
- Temperature and Sludge Age
- Choosing a Control Strategy
- Module 5 Checkpoint
Microscopy and What Operators See 9 pages
- Why Use a Microscope
- Preparing a Wet Mount
- Floc Under the Microscope
- Filamentous Organisms
- Flagellates and Amoebae
- Free-Swimming Ciliates
- Stalked Ciliates and Crawlers
- Rotifers and Larger Organisms
- Module 6 Checkpoint
Common Process Upsets 9 pages
- A Method for Troubleshooting
- Filamentous Bulking
- Foaming
- Pin Floc and Cloudy Effluent
- Rising Sludge
- Hydraulic and Organic Overloads
- Toxic or Inhibitory Loads
- First Response and Recovery
- Module 7 Checkpoint
Daily Process Control and Records 9 pages
- A Purposeful Operator Round
- What to Measure Each Day
- Trend Sheets and Control Charts
- Verify Instruments and Alarms
- Shift Handoff
- Maintenance and Operations
- Compliance Records
- When to Call for Help
- Module 8 Checkpoint
More Details
Who It's For
Wastewater operators at any level and people studying to become operators. No experience needed.
Format
72 narrated pages with short checks and a final. Built by a working wastewater operator (Washington Group III).
Where Does This Course Count?
A course counts toward your continuing education credit only once your state or province accepts it. Today our courses count in Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, where courses need no pre-approval, and we are asking more states. Ask us to add your state or province.
Do I Need an Account?
Yes, to take the course. Signing in lets us record your time and issue your certificate. This page, the topic pages and the practice questions need no account.
Can I Skip Ahead?
No. Each page has a minimum time before the next one opens, and your time is recorded.
What Do I Get When I Finish?
A certificate of completion from Operator Master for 1.0 hour, once you pass the final with 80% or better. Your operator certificate or license always comes from your state, not from Operator Master.