In this blog we are going to tell you about Difference Between Oxidation Pond and Oxidation Ditch, so read this blog carefully to get the complete information.
As we all know, due to our daily activities or because of factories, a lot of water gets dirty. It is really important to treat this wastewater. For this different types of wastewater treatment processes are used. Two such popular and important methods of treating wastewater are oxidation ponds and oxidation ditches. Both are secondary treatment methods of wastewater and have unique advantages. Continue reading the article to know more about these wastewater treatment processes along with the key differences between them.
What is Oxidation Pond?
Oxidation Pond is a large, shallow pond that is designed to treat wastewater by the interaction of sunlight, bacteria, and algae. This process is also known as lagoons and stabilization ponds. In general, oxidation ponds utilize microorganisms like bacteria, algae, and the energy of sunlight to stabilize the wastewater. An oxidation pond is constructed 1 to 1.5 m deep inside the soil and is given with inlet and outlet systems. In early times also, symbiotic algae and bacterial growth helped treat wastewater under the sunlight. This is the reason oxidation points are considered biological systems which are useful for the treatment of wastewater. It is mainly the secondary treatment method that allows natural purification and acceleration of the stabilization of wastewater including domestic sewage, trade waste, and industrial effluents. This method of treatment has many advantages including cost-effectiveness in terms of construction, maintenance, and energy requirements.
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What is Oxidation Ditch?
An Oxidation Ditch is a modified activated sludge that includes a biological treatment process by using long solid retention times to remove the biodegradable organics. In general, this process is a complex system but it can be modified to approach the plug flow conditions as well. It can be described as rotating biological contactors and aerated lagoons that are different kinds of secondary treatment of wastewater. This system usually depends on the growth of various microbes that can reduce the organic matter which occurs in wastewater. It is made in an oval shape similar to a race track. There are a lot of advantages of oxidation ditch including easy maintenance, does not affect by load fluctuations, forming little amount of sludge, and can also easily be controlled.
Key Differences between Oxidation Pond and Oxidation Ditch
The key difference between an oxidation pond and an oxidation ditch is that an oxidation pond is a large and shallow pond that is designed to treat wastewater with the help of interaction of sunlight, bacteria, and algae whereas an oxidation ditch is a modified activated sludge which utilizes biological treatment process that involves long solid retention times for the removal of biodegradable organics from the water.
The following are some key differences between oxidation pond and oxidation ditch as mentioned below:
- The shape of an oxidation pond is rectangular whereas the shape of an oxidation ditch is oval like a race track.
- Another major difference between an oxidation pond and an oxidation ditch is that an oxidation pond is known for its cost-effectiveness in terms of construction, maintenance, and energy requirement whereas an oxidation ditch is easy to maintain and is hardly affected by load fluctuations and also forms a little amount of sludge. Oxidation ditch can also be controlled by changing the rotation of the rotor and thus require comparatively little energy for the operation of the efficiency.
Advantages of Oxidation Ponds
Oxidation ponds come in different shapes and sizes and are designed in a variety of ways. So there are many advantages of Oxidation ponds that make them one of the best wastewater treatment strategies. The following are some advantages of oxidation ponds as mentioned below:
- Oxidation ponds are simple to assemble or easy to build.
- It is cost-effective as it can be made in different ways.
- It is Low-cost maintenance so you do not have to spend much money on repairing it.
- Disinfection is not needed for effluent.
- It is able to handle a wide range of hydraulic loads.
- It is excellent for use in small towns and tropical areas.
- It handles many forms of wastewater such as industrial or municipal wastewater.
Advantages of Oxidation Ditch
Oxidation Ditch wastewater treatment requires more land than traditional treatment plants but this technique is quite effective and has so many advantages. Some of the advantages of oxidation ditch are as mentioned below:
- The Oxidation Ditch process is more reliable than other biological treatment processes as it needs constant water level and continuous discharge.
- It is resilient to the effect of shock load or hydraulic surge due to long hydraulic retention time and full mixing.
- It produces less sludge than other biological treatment processes as only 15% of actual BOD ends up as sludge.
- It is an energy-efficient operation that results in reduced energy costs.
Oxidation Pond and Oxidation Ditch Overview
Oxidation ponds and oxidation ditches are two methods of treating wastewater but they are completely different from each other in terms of construction and way of treatment. Here is the infographic that presents the difference between an Oxidation pond and an Oxidation ditch in tabular form for side by side comparison between these two:
| Basis | Oxidation Pond | Oxidation Ditch |
| Meaning | The oxidation pond is a large and shallow pond that is specially designed to treat wastewater by making an interaction of sunlight, bacteria, and algae. | Oxidation ditch is modified activated sludges that consist of biological treatment processes that use long solid retention times for the removal of biodegradable organics from the water. |
| Shape | Oxidation ponds are basically rectangular in shape. | Oxidation ditches are made of oval shapes like a race track. |
| Benefits | Some of the benefits of oxidation ponds include cost-effectiveness in their construction, maintenance, and energy requirements. | Some of the benefits of oxidation ditches include being easy to maintain, not being affected by load fluctuations, and forming a little amount of sludge. It can easily be controlled by changing the rotation of the rotor and needs a little energy for the operation of the efficiency in comparison to other techniques. |
| Use | Oxidation ponds are also known as lagoons or stabilization ponds and are mainly used for stabilizing domestic, trade, and industrial waste. It is a secondary treatment method of treating wastewater. | Oxidation ditches are mainly used for removing biodegradable organics. It is mainly used for the treatment of sewage from small communities. |
The bottom line
So overall, the main difference between an oxidation pond and an oxidation ditch is that an oxidation pond is a large and shallow pond that is designed to treat wastewater with the help of sunlight bacteria and algae whereas an oxidation ditch is a modified activated sludge that includes a biological treatment process. We hope that this article was helpful and now you have understood the difference between the two terms.
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Conclusion
We Hope this blog is sufficient enough to provide the information about Difference Between Oxidation Pond and Oxidation Ditch. Thanks for reading this blog.