Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Technology

Corporate Technical Training Programme

Pertecnica Engineering Training

1. Programme Overview

The Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Technology programme is designed to develop technical competencies in the treatment of domestic and municipal wastewater for safe discharge, reuse and environmental protection.

The programme provides comprehensive knowledge of sewage characteristics, physical treatment, biological treatment, clarification, disinfection, sludge management, plant equipment, process monitoring and operational maintenance.

Participants will gain practical understanding of conventional and advanced sewage treatment technologies used in municipal infrastructure, industrial facilities, commercial buildings and wastewater recycling projects.

2. Training Objectives

Upon completion of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Understand sewage characteristics and wastewater treatment requirements.
• Identify the major stages of sewage treatment and their functions.
• Understand preliminary, primary, secondary and tertiary treatment processes.
• Understand biological wastewater treatment principles.
• Monitor aeration, dissolved oxygen and biological treatment performance.
• Understand sludge handling, treatment and disposal systems.
• Identify STP equipment and interpret process flow diagrams and P&IDs.
• Monitor treated wastewater quality and discharge parameters.
• Identify operational problems and implement corrective actions.
• Apply preventive maintenance and operational safety practices.

3. Detailed Training Modules

Module 1: Sewage Characteristics and Preliminary Treatment

Key areas covered:

• Introduction to sewage treatment plants and their applications
• Sources and characteristics of domestic and municipal sewage
• Wastewater composition and treatment requirements
• Physical, chemical and biological characteristics of sewage
• BOD, COD, TSS, TDS, pH and other wastewater parameters
• Sewage collection systems and pumping stations
• Screening and removal of floating materials
• Coarse and fine screens
• Grit chambers and grit removal systems
• Oil and grease removal
• Equalization tanks and flow balancing
• Sewage pumps, lift stations and pipelines
• Preliminary treatment process flow diagrams

Practical exposure:

• Sewage sampling and preliminary quality assessment
• Identification of screening and grit removal equipment
• Understanding sewage pumping systems
• Interpretation of preliminary treatment PFDs

Module 2: Primary Treatment Technology

Key areas covered:

• Principles of primary wastewater treatment
• Physical separation of suspended solids
• Primary sedimentation and clarification
• Primary clarifier types and configurations
• Rectangular and circular settling tanks
• Settling velocity and detention time
• Surface overflow rate and solids removal efficiency
• Primary sludge collection and removal
• Sludge scrapers and sludge withdrawal systems
• Scum removal and floating material management
• Primary treatment performance monitoring
• Operational problems and troubleshooting

Practical exposure:

• Identification of primary clarifier equipment
• Understanding sedimentation tank operation
• Primary sludge removal procedures
• Clarifier performance assessment

Module 3: Biological Treatment Technology

Key areas covered:

• Principles of biological wastewater treatment
• Microorganisms and their role in sewage treatment
• Aerobic, anaerobic and anoxic treatment processes
• Activated sludge process (ASP)
• Extended aeration technology
• Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)
• Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)
• Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)
• Biological nutrient removal
• Nitrification and denitrification
• Organic matter degradation and BOD reduction
• Biomass growth and microbial activity
• Food-to-microorganism ratio (F/M)
• Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS)
• Sludge retention time (SRT)
• Hydraulic retention time (HRT)
• Biological process performance monitoring
• Biological treatment troubleshooting

Practical exposure:

• Identification of biological treatment equipment
• Understanding biological process flow diagrams
• Monitoring MLSS, DO and process parameters
• Understanding biomass characteristics and process stability

Module 4: Aeration and Oxygen Transfer Technology

Key areas covered:

• Principles of oxygen transfer in wastewater treatment
• Aerobic biological treatment requirements
• Mechanical aeration systems
• Diffused aeration systems
• Fine-bubble and coarse-bubble diffusers
• Surface aerators and submersible aerators
• Aeration blowers and air distribution systems
• Oxygen transfer efficiency
• Dissolved oxygen (DO) monitoring and control
• Airflow requirements and blower capacity
• Aeration tank mixing and circulation
• Energy efficiency in aeration systems
• Aeration equipment maintenance
• Common aeration problems and troubleshooting

Practical exposure:

• Identification of aeration equipment
• Understanding blower and diffuser systems
• DO measurement and monitoring
• Aeration system inspection and troubleshooting

Module 5: Secondary Clarification and Sludge Recirculation

Key areas covered:

• Principles of secondary clarification
• Separation of biological solids from treated wastewater
• Secondary clarifier design and configurations
• Clarifier hydraulics and settling characteristics
• Sludge blanket monitoring
• Return activated sludge (RAS) systems
• Waste activated sludge (WAS) systems
• Sludge recirculation pumps
• Sludge settling and settleability testing
• Sludge volume index (SVI)
• Solids loading rate and surface overflow rate
• Clarifier performance monitoring
• Sludge bulking, foaming and washout
• Secondary clarification troubleshooting

Practical exposure:

• Identification of secondary clarifier equipment
• Understanding RAS and WAS flow systems
• Sludge settling tests
• Clarifier operational performance assessment

Module 6: Tertiary Treatment and Disinfection

Key areas covered:

• Objectives of tertiary and advanced sewage treatment
• Pressure sand filters and rapid sand filters
• Dual-media and multimedia filtration
• Activated carbon filtration
• Disc filters and cloth media filters
• Membrane filtration and polishing systems
• Nutrient removal and phosphorus reduction
• Advanced wastewater treatment for reuse
• Chlorination and sodium hypochlorite dosing
• Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection
• Ozone disinfection technology
• Contact tanks and disinfection contact time
• Residual chlorine monitoring
• Microbiological water quality monitoring
• Treated wastewater reuse and recycling
• Tertiary treatment troubleshooting

Practical exposure:

• Identification of tertiary treatment equipment
• Filter operation and backwashing
• Disinfection system inspection
• Treated wastewater sampling and quality testing

Module 7: Sludge Treatment and Management

Key areas covered:

• Sources and characteristics of sewage sludge
• Primary sludge and biological sludge
• Sludge thickening and concentration
• Gravity thickening and mechanical thickening
• Sludge stabilization and digestion
• Aerobic and anaerobic digestion
• Sludge dewatering technologies
• Filter presses and belt filter presses
• Centrifugal sludge dewatering
• Sludge drying beds and mechanical drying
• Sludge cake handling and transportation
• Sludge disposal and beneficial reuse
• Sludge management regulations and safety
• Sludge treatment equipment maintenance

Practical exposure:

• Identification of sludge treatment equipment
• Understanding sludge dewatering systems
• Sludge handling and operational safety
• Sludge management process flow interpretation

Module 8: STP Instrumentation, Automation and Process Control

Key areas covered:

• STP process instrumentation and control
• Flowmeters and level measurement systems
• pH and ORP sensors
• Dissolved oxygen sensors
• Turbidity and suspended solids monitoring
• Pressure and differential pressure transmitters
• MLSS and sludge blanket measurement
• PLC-based STP automation
• SCADA monitoring and control
• Automatic chemical dosing systems
• Blower and pump control systems
• Alarm management and interlocks
• Process data logging and reporting
• Instrument calibration and maintenance

Practical exposure:

• Identification of STP instrumentation
• Understanding PLC and SCADA interfaces
• Interpretation of process control diagrams
• Instrument inspection and calibration procedures

Module 9: STP Equipment, Operation and Maintenance

Key areas covered:

• Sewage pumps and pumping systems
• Screens, conveyors and grit removal equipment
• Mixers and agitators
• Aeration blowers and diffusers
• Clarifiers and sludge scrapers
• RAS and WAS pumping systems
• Filter systems and backwashing equipment
• Chemical dosing pumps and storage tanks
• Sludge dewatering equipment
• Valves, pipelines and fittings
• Preventive and predictive maintenance
• Equipment inspection and lubrication
• Pump and blower troubleshooting
• Mechanical and electrical safety
• Lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures
• Plant commissioning and operational readiness

Practical exposure:

• Equipment identification and inspection
• Preventive maintenance planning
• Understanding equipment maintenance checklists
• Troubleshooting common plant equipment failures

Module 10: STP Process Monitoring, Troubleshooting and Compliance

Key areas covered:

• STP process flow diagrams and P&IDs
• Sewage treatment mass balance fundamentals
• Wastewater quality sampling and analysis
• BOD and COD monitoring
• TSS and turbidity monitoring
• pH and dissolved oxygen monitoring
• MLSS, SVI and sludge settling characteristics
• Treated wastewater quality assessment
• Process performance and treatment efficiency
• Common STP operational problems
• Sludge bulking and foaming
• Low dissolved oxygen and poor treatment performance
• High BOD and COD in treated effluent
• Odour control and process stability
• Environmental discharge standards and compliance
• Treated wastewater reuse requirements
• Operational documentation and reporting

Practical exposure:

• STP performance evaluation using operating data
• Identification of process abnormalities
• Troubleshooting case studies
• Preparation of operational monitoring reports

4. Plant Equipment and Systems Covered

• Sewage collection and pumping systems
• Coarse and fine screening equipment
• Grit removal systems
• Equalization tanks and mixers
• Primary and secondary clarifiers
• Biological treatment reactors
• Aeration blowers and diffusers
• Mechanical and submersible aerators
• RAS and WAS pumping systems
• Tertiary filtration systems
• Chlorination and UV disinfection systems
• Sludge thickening and dewatering equipment
• Chemical dosing systems
• Flowmeters, sensors and process instrumentation
• PLC, SCADA and automation systems
• Valves, pipelines and associated equipment

5. Process Monitoring and Wastewater Quality

Participants will understand the monitoring of:

• pH
• Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
• Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
• Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
• Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
• Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
• Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS)
• Sludge Volume Index (SVI)
• Flow rate and hydraulic loading
• Residual chlorine
• Ammonia and nitrogen compounds
• Phosphorus and nutrient parameters
• Microbiological parameters

6. Industrial and Commercial Applications

The training programme is applicable to:

• Municipal sewage treatment plants
• Industrial wastewater and sewage treatment facilities
• Residential townships and gated communities
• Commercial buildings and IT parks
• Hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Hotels and hospitality establishments
• Educational institutions and campuses
• Airports, railway stations and infrastructure projects
• Manufacturing and processing industries
• Wastewater recycling and reuse projects

7. Training Methodology

8. Recommended Programme Duration

Recommended duration: 5 working days

The programme duration can be customized based on the client’s requirements, existing plant technology and participants’ experience.

9. Target Participants

• Graduate and diploma engineers
• Civil engineers
• Environmental engineers
• Chemical engineers
• Mechanical engineers
• Electrical engineers
• STP operators and supervisors
• Wastewater treatment technicians
• Process and maintenance engineers
• Utility and facility management personnel
• Project and commissioning engineers
• Environmental compliance personnel

10. Learning Outcomes

After completing the programme, participants will have the technical foundation to understand sewage treatment plant operations, identify major equipment, monitor biological and physical treatment processes, interpret process documentation, support maintenance activities and troubleshoot common STP operational problems.

Certification: Pertecnica Certificate of Completion in Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Technology, subject to successful completion of the programme and assessment.