8.1.1.10.
DESIGN OF A TRICKLING FILTER USING THE
NRC EQUATIONS
A municipal wastewater with a flow rate of 1.0 Mgd (3,785 m3 /d) and a BOD 5 of 240 mg/L is to be treated by a two-stage
trickling filter system. The effluent wastewater is to have a BOD 5 of 20 mg/L. Both filters are to have a depth of 7 feet (2.1 m)
and a recirculation ratio of 2. Filter media will consist of rock. Size both stages of the trickling filter assuming the efficiency (E)
of each stage is the same.
Calculation Procedure:
1. Find the efficiency of the trickling filters
The modern trickling filter, shown in Fig. 7, consists of a bed of highly permeable medium to which microorganisms are
attached and through which wastewater is percolated or trickled. The filter media usually consists of either rock or a variety of
plastic packing materials. The depth of rock varies but usually ranges from 3 to 8 feet (0.91 to 244 m). Trickling filters are
generally circular, and the wastewater is distributed over the top of the bed by a rotary distributor.
Filters are constructed with an underdrain system for collecting the treated wastewater and any biological solids that have
become detached from the media. This underdrain system is important both as a collection unit and as a porous structure
through which air can circulate. The collected liquid is passed to a settling tank where the solids are separated from the treated
wastewater. In practice, a portion of the treated wastewater is recycled to dilute the strength of the incoming wastewater and to
maintain the biological slime layer in a moist condition.
The organic material present in the wastewater is degraded by a population of microorganisms attached to the filter media.
Organic material from the wastewater is absorbed onto the biological slime layer. As the slime layer increases in thickness, the
microorganisms near the media face lose their ability to cling to the media surface. The liquid then washes the slime off the
media, and a new slime layer starts to grow. The phenomenon of losing the slime layer is called “sloughing” and is primarily a
function of the organic and hydraulic loading on the filter.
Figure 7. Cutaway view of a trickling filter. (Metcalf & Eddy, Wastewater Engineering: Treatment,
Disposal, and Reuse, 3rd Ed., McGraw-Hill.)
Two possible process flow schematics for a two-stage trickling filter system are shown inFig. 8.
The NRC equations for trickling filter performance are empirical equations, which are primarily applicable to single and
multistage rock systems with recirculation.
The overall efficiency of the two-stage trickling filter is calculated using:
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Using the influent and effluent BOD 5 values presented in the problem statement, the overall efficiency is:
Figure 8. Two-stage trickling filter process flow schematics.
Also, overall efficiency = E 1 + E 2 (1 − E 1 ), and E 1 = E 2 .
where E1 = The efficiency of the first filter stage, including recirculation and settling (%)
E2 = The efficiency of the second filter stage, including recirculation and
settling (%)
Substituting E 1 for E 2 , setting up as a quadratic equation, and solving for E 1 :
Therefore, the efficiency of each trickling filter stage is 71.2 percent.
2. Analyze the first stage filter
For a single stage or first stage rock trickling filter, the NRC equation is
where W = BOD 5 loading to the filter, lb/d (kg/d)
V = Volume of the filter media, 10 3 ft 3 (m 3 )
F = Recirculation factor
2a. Compute the recirculation factor of the filter
Recirculation factor represents the average number of passes of the influent organic matter through the trickling filter. The
recirculation factor is calculated using
where R = Recirculation ratio = Q r/Q
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Q r = Recirculation flow
Q = Wastewater flow
Using values from above, the recirculation factor is
2b. Compute the BOD5loading for the first stage filter
The BOD 5 loading for the first stage filter is calculated using
Using values from above, the BOD 5 loading for the first stage filter is
2c. Compute the volume and diameter of the first stage filter
Therefore, the volume of the first stage trickling filter is calculated as follows:
Using the given depth of 7 feet (2.1 m), and a circular trickling filter, the area and diameter of the first stage filter are
3. Analyze the second stage filter
The BOD 5 loading for the second stage trickling filter is calculated using
where W′ = BOD 5 loading to the second stage filter
W′ = (1 − 0.712)(2002 lb/d) = 577 lb BOD 5 /d (261.9 kg/d)
The NRC equation for a second stage trickling filter is
Using terms defined previously and values calculated above, the volume of the second stage trickling filter is
The area and diameter of the second stage filter are
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4. Compute the BOD5loading and hydraulic loading to each filter
The BOD 5 (organic) loading to each filter is calculated by dividing the BOD 5 loading by the volume of the filter in 103 ft 3 (m 3 ):
BOD 5 loading for a first stage filter in a two stage system typically ranges from 60 to 120 lb/103 ft 3 ·d (0.96 to 1.93 kg/m 3 ·d).
The second stage filter loading typically ranges from 5 to 20 lb/10 3 ft 3 ·d (0.08 to 0.32 kg/m 3 ·d).
The hydraulic loading to each filter is calculated as follows:
First stage filter:
Second stage filter:
Hydraulic loading for two stage trickling filter systems typically ranges from 0.16 to 0.64 gal/min·sq.ft. (0.11 to 0.43 L/s·m2 ).
Related Calculations. In practice, the diameter of the two filters should be rounded to the nearest 5 ft (1.52 m) to accommodate
standard rotary distributor mechanisms. To reduce construction costs, the two trickling filters are often made the same size.
When both filters in a two-stage trickling filter system are the same size, the efficiencies will be unequal and the analysis will be
an iterative one.
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