Online Course
Trickling Filters and Rotating Biological Contactors
Run a fixed-film plant with confidence: how the biofilm treats wastewater, what the filter and RBC equipment does, how recirculation and loading work, what the lab tests tell you, and how to handle sloughing, ponding, flies, odors and equipment problems.
Course Details
- Certificate
- 1.0 hour
- Time
- About 70 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 attached growth and the biofilm community, compare fixed film with suspended growth, and know the tests and control levers.
- Describe trickling filter equipment: rock and plastic media, distributor arms, distribution quality, underdrains, ventilation and safe rounds.
- Explain recirculation ratio, hydraulic and organic loading, shock and peak loads, low flow and wetting, and using trends before adjusting.
- Build a monitoring plan: representative samples, BOD and COD, TSS, ammonia and nitrate, pH, temperature, DO, percent removal and data quality.
- Explain sloughing, why solids must be removed, the clarifier after the filter, seasonal patterns and responding to high effluent TSS.
- Describe RBC shafts, media, drives and bearings, staging, covers, rotation and immersion, biofilm appearance and taking a stage offline.
- Troubleshoot ponding, filter flies, odors, cold weather and ice, uneven distribution, RBC shaft and bearing problems and abnormal biofilm.
- Keep daily rounds, good records, shift handovers, preventive maintenance, work orders, housekeeping, backup readiness and compliance.
What's Inside 8 parts, 74 pages
Fixed-Film Treatment 10 pages
- Attached Growth
- The Biofilm Community
- Why Fixed Film: Pros and Cons
- How Treatment Occurs
- Carbon Removal and Nitrification
- The Tests You Will See
- Temperature and Wastewater Changes
- Following the Process Flow
- Your Control Levers
- Module 1 Checkpoint
Trickling Filter Equipment 9 pages
- What a Trickling Filter Does
- Rock Media
- Plastic Media
- Distributor Arms
- Distribution Quality
- Underdrains
- Natural and Forced Ventilation
- Safe Filter Rounds
- Module 2 Checkpoint
Recirculation and Loading 9 pages
- Why Plants Recirculate
- Recirculation Ratio
- Hydraulic Loading
- Organic Loading
- Organic Load Example
- Shock and Peak Loads
- Low Flow and Wetting
- Using Trends Before Adjusting
- Module 3 Checkpoint
Monitoring and Laboratory Tests 9 pages
- Building a Monitoring Plan
- Representative Samples
- BOD and COD
- TSS and Solids Patterns
- Ammonia, Nitrate, and Alkalinity
- pH, Temperature, and Dissolved Oxygen
- Percent Removal
- Data Quality and Alarms
- Module 4 Checkpoint
Sloughing and Solids 10 pages
- What Sloughing Means
- Why Solids Must Be Removed
- The Clarifier After the Filter
- Normal and Abnormal Sloughing
- Seasonal Sloughing
- Solids and Effluent BOD
- Settling Observations
- Solids Handling Coordination
- Responding to High Effluent TSS
- Module 5 Checkpoint
Rotating Biological Contactors 9 pages
- RBC Process Basics
- Shafts and Media
- Drives, Bearings, and Alignment
- Staging
- RBC Covers and Enclosures
- Rotation and Immersion
- Biofilm Appearance
- Taking an RBC Stage Offline
- Module 6 Checkpoint
Common Operating Problems 9 pages
- Ponding
- Filter Flies
- Odors
- Cold Weather and Ice
- Uneven Filter Distribution
- RBC Shaft and Bearing Problems
- Abnormal RBC Biofilm
- Structured Troubleshooting
- Module 7 Checkpoint
Daily Rounds, Maintenance, and Records 9 pages
- A Consistent Daily Round
- What Good Records Contain
- Shift Handover
- Preventive Maintenance
- Work Orders and Condition History
- Cleaning and Housekeeping
- Emergency and Backup Readiness
- Compliance and Continuous Improvement
- Module 8 Checkpoint
More Details
Who It's For
Wastewater operators at any level, supervisors, lab staff and people studying to become operators. No experience needed.
Format
74 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.