Date
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Time
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Location Name
Ballroom C
Name
Evaluation & Design of Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) for Grassland STP
Track
Cleanwater Technology
Description
This presentation will discuss the Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) treatment process with particular focus on selection of this technology for the new Grassland Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), which has potential to become the first AGS installation in the state of Tennessee. As background, the AGS process was first developed in the early 1990s, piloted in 2005 and constructed in full scale in Garmerwolde, Netherlands in 2009. The process uses sludge granules for simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal in the granules’ aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic zones. The enhanced settleability of granules also allows for shorter settling phases and higher MLSS concentrations. GMC, along with Riviera Utilities in Foley, AL, and Aqua-Aerobics, assisted in facilitating the first full-scale AGS installation in the U.S., which began operation in early 2020. This case study centers on the Grassland STP, which is owned by Limestone Water Utility Operating Company and located within the Grassland community in Franklin, TN. Due to aging and undersized infrastructure, the STP required replacement to adequately serve its customer base. The primary challenge with upgrading and upsizing the biological process has been the stringent total nitrogen (TN) limit of the receiving stream, the Harpeth River. After an evaluation of multiple treatment technologies, the Granite AGS™ Aerobic Granular Sludge process by Parkson Corporation was chosen as the basis of design due to lower O&M cost relative to other technologies, familiarity of operators with SBR-style biological process, and economical cost of equipment. The proposed Grassland STP began design in May 2024 and is scheduled to bid and begin construction in Summer or Fall 2025.