F/M Ratio

Presented by:
Group No-

Name ID
Md. Shafiul Alam Fahad 1512060032

Bishmoy Bhattacharjee 1512060034

Bijit Swarnakar 1512060036

Md. Safiur Rahman 1512060040

Sumon Deb Nath 1512060048

 Introduction

The F/M ratio is a process control number that helps to determine the proper
number of microorganisms for the system.
To do this calculation, we will need the following information:

• Influent Flow into activated sludge system (Flow MGD)

• Influent CBOD (mg/l) concentration into aeration tank.
• Mixed Liquor Volatile Suspended Solids Concentration (mg/l)
• Volume (in gallons) of aeration system

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The purpose of F/M ratio is to control the efficiency of activated sludge
process.
For the activated sludge process to operate properly there must be a balance
between the food entering the bioreactor and the microorganisms in the
bioreactor.
When the F:M ratio is high, the bacteria are active and multiply rapidly
but they are also more dispersed in suspended growth bioreactors. Because
of that dispersion, a high F:M ratio creates an environment where the
bacteria will not form a good, large, dense floc. For that reason, a high F:M
ratio will often result in a poor settling sludge in the secondary clarifier and a
turbid effluent.
A low F:M ratio means there are many microorganisms but there is a limited
amount of food. Only when the food supply is limited do bacteria begin to
develop a thicker slime layer, lose their motility, and begin to clump together
to form a dense floc that will settle well in the clarifier.
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The graphic below shows how the bacterial population relates to the food supply.
As we can see, a very high F:M ratio, or a very low F:M ratio will result in
dispersed floc that will not settle well in the secondary clarifier.

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 Fundamentals of F/M Ratio

The term Food to Microorganism Ratio (F/M) is actually a measurement of

the amount of incoming food ( lbs of Influent CBOD) divided by the lbs of
Microorganisms in the system. Some calculations also include the volume of
activated sludge in clarifiers, the one demonstrated here does not.

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 F or Incoming Food Calculation Process

1. We have to know the CBOD of the influent into activated sludge

2. We also need to know the flow(MGD)
3. The equation is provided below:

F= Influent Flow (MGD) X Influent CBOD Concentration (mg/l) X

8.34

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 M or Volume of Microorganisms Calculation Process

1. We need to know the volume of aeration system

2. It will be required to know the concentration of Volatile Solids in the aeration
system (MLVSS) or Mixed Liquor Volatile Suspended Solids.
3. M= Aeration System Volume (in Millions of Gallons) X MLVSS X 8.34

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 One sample example for calculating the F/M ratio
To Calculate the Ratio: F/M

Suppose,
Facility Flow = 1.2 MGD Influent CBOD= 230 mg/l.
1.2 X 230 X 8.34 = 2301.84 Lbs Coming In
F= 2301
Aeration System Volume 250,000 gal / 1,000,000 = 0.25MG
MLVSS = 2500mg/l
0.25 X 2500 X 8.34 = 5215 Lbs of Microorganisms under Aeration
M = 5212
2301/5212 = 0.44 F/M Ratio
Which belongs to the standard F/M ratio of 0.25 to 0.50.
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Thank You.