Removal of sugars by activated sludge

doi:10.1016/0043-1354(68)90062-6

Water Research

Volume 2, Issue 6, August 1968, Pages 427-447

https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(68)90062-6 Get rights and content

Abstract

1.
(1) The diurnal variation of concentration of sugars and volatile fatty acids in fresh and settled sewage at three sites was determined. Little loss of sugar occurred on settlement at two sites, where settlement was carried out aerobically.
2.
(2) The sugars normally present in sewage were removed from solution by activated sludge at much the same rate as was added glucose (40–50 mg/g/hr).
3.
(3) The Michaelis constants for sugars were in the region of 10 mg/l at 20°.
4.
(4) No simple relation was found between BOD loading and the ability of a sludge to remove sugars, but in general the higher the “sugar loading” the greater the activity of the sludge.
5.
(5) Activated sludge acquired very high, though variable, activity towards glucose on addition of this sugar to the sewage treated but, unlike pure cultures of two species of bacteria tested, the sludge lost this activity when fed with further amounts of the sugar alone in quick succession.
6.
(6) Evidence of sequential oxidation of glucose and fructose was inconclusive.
7.
(7) At the point of complete, or near complete, removal of sugar from solution, variable proportions of the theoretical amounts of oxygen were taken up, namely 10–30 per cent for glucose and 8–26 per cent for sucrose.
8.
(8) No evidence of formation of significant amounts of poly-β-hydroxybutyric acid was found in activated sludge grown on sewage receiving normal amounts of glucose, though the presence of 0–5 per cent polymer in sludge was established.
9.
(9) It is concluded that biochemical removal of soluble substrates is not a limiting factor in the activated-sludge process, so that any limitation on the load applied would appear to involve flocculation or separation of sludge particles.

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Sequential substrate removal in heterogenous populations
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Sensitive colorimetric method for determination of fructose

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Kroon G. T. M. van der (1966) Delft University, private...

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The toxicity of four organic solvents commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry to activated sludge
1992, Water Research
The ISO activated sludge respiration inhibition test was evaluated as a tool for assessing the treatability of pharmaceutical wastewaters. The EC₅₀ values of four test chemicals: ethylene glycol, methanol, isopropanol and acetone, were determined using different combinations of sludge and substrate types. The coefficient of variation of EC₅₀ results within-batch was found to be 3.7% and between-batch variations ranged from 7.8 to 13.5% using sludge from a municipal treatment plant. Between-source variations were 6.72–54.05% depending on the combination of sludge and substrate used and the test chemical. The method was found to be inexpensive, rapid and accurate in terms of reproducibility and variability.
Activated sludges as animal feed: A review
1989, Biological Wastes
In this review, the possibility of using activated sludges as animal feed is discussed. After a brief description of the activated sludge process fundamentals, the chemical composition of the sludges is given (CHON, protein, amino-acid, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, etc.). Feeding experiments using activated sludges from various sources indicate the suitability of the sludge as a feed supplement. A following section deals with the modifications of the conventional activated sludge process for protein production from wastewater. The factors maximizing the nutritional value of the sludges are also discussed.
A few problems associated with the use of some activated sludges as a feed supplement are mentioned but these problems can be solved on the basis of p present technology.
Influence of accumulation capacity of activated sludge microorganisms on kinetics of glucose removal
1983, Water Research
The kinetics of COD removal in nonproliferating glucose-acclimated activated sludge systems was studied. A general differential equation describing this process involves a rate constant for COD removal due to storing processes (zero order), a rate constant for COD removal due to accumulation processes (first order), and an apparent volumetric accumulation capacity. In their dependence on values of these constants, the courses of COD removal can be linear, nonlinear or combined.
The rate constant of accumulation capacity (AC) saturation was found to be independent on the initial concentration of biomass and dependent on the type of cultivation or on the composition of a mixed culture. It varied from 1.8 to 2.6 h⁻¹ with activated sludge cultivated semicontinuously (nonfilamentous) and from 0.8 to 1.0 h⁻¹ with activated sludge cultivated continuously in a completely mixed unit (highly filamentous).
It was found that activated sludge microorganisms cultivated semicontinuously possessed an apparent specific AC as high as 600–750 mg g⁻¹, whereas those cultivated continuously in a completely mixed unit had their AC_s totally saturated. After a 6-h period of aeration (regeneration) without the presence of an exogenous substrate, the latter microorganisms possessed an apparent specific AC of 174 mg g⁻¹.
Cultivation of a mixed bacterial population of sewage origin in the chemostat
1979, Water Research
Bacteria of distinctive colony morphology isolated from the biological stage of two typical sewage treatment works have been continuously cultured in a complex nutrient medium. Changes in the composition of the mixed population have been monitored by viable counts on casein, glycerol yeast extract agar and Christensen's agar. A selection of suitable species was attempted upon the basis of growth in pure and mixed batch culture. A reproducible mixed bacterial population has been cultured continuously for 170 h at a dilution rate of 0.166 h⁻¹. An increase in the dilution rate to 0.2 h⁻¹ did not prevent the maintenance of a mixed bacterial population, but caused changes in the population size, of individual species.
Removal of organic acids by activated sludges
1979, Water Research
Removal of coexisted volatile organic acids was studied using three kinds of activated sludges; treated with sewage, digested night soil and undiluted night soil at the plant scale and laboratrial experiment. Concentration of volatile fatty acids in sewage were too low to be detected, meanwhile 5–28 ppm of acetic acid were detected in influent of aeration tank of digested night soil treatment plant, and 1335–5340 ppm of acetic acid were detected in night soil. Removal rates of acetic acid were 35.9 mg g⁻¹ h⁻¹ by sewage activated sludge, 33.6 mg g⁻¹ h⁻¹ by digested night soil activated sludge and 16.9 mg g⁻¹ h⁻¹ by undiluted night soil activated sludge under coexisting volatile fatty acids. This difference depends on the number of bacteria in the activated sludge. Dissimilation percentage of acetic, propionic, butyric and valeric acids were similar results in these activated sludges.
Accumulation of reserve polysaccharide in activated sludges treating carbohydrate wastes
1977, Water Research
Activated sludge from the actual plants was used to treat industrial wastes rich in carbohydrate, in order to determine the capacity of sludge to accumulate polysaccharide and the role of such accumulation in the removal of carbohydrate from the wastes.
The capacity to accumulate reserve polysaccharide was relatively high for sludges treating wastes with a high ratio of carbohydrate BOD to toal BOD, such as confectionery, fruit juice and soft drink wastes. With wastes having a relatively low percentage of carbohydrate BOD, such as kraft pulp, yeast culture and brewery wastes, the capacity to accumulate reserve polysaccharide was lower than that of the former sludges, even though the wastes contained a relatively large amount of carbohydrate. The sludges with the high capacity to accumulate polysaccharide also showed a high initial rate of glucose removal, although a definite realtionship was not observed between the activity of the sludges to remove glucose and the respiratory activity with glucose.

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^∗: Present address: Simon Carves Ltd., Cheadle Heath, Stockport, Cheshire.

^†: Present address: Nature Conservancy, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands, Lancashire.

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Water Research

Abstract

References (27)

The rôle of contact stabilization in the treatment of industrial waste water and sewage: a progress report

Wat. Pollut. Control

Thesis

Isolation, identification and metabolic rôle of the sudanophilic granules of Zoogloea ramigera

Appl. Microbiol.

Some aspects of endogenous metabolism

Bact. Rev.

Water Pollution Research 1961

Studies on the bacterial flora of sewage

Fundamental considerations in biological treatment of effluents

Trans. Instn chem. Engrs

Quantitative and qualitative shock loading of activated sludge systems

J. Wat. Pollut. Control Fed.

Basic biochemical considerations during metabolism in growing versus respiring systems

Sequential substrate removal in heterogenous populations

J. Wat. Pollut. Control Fed.

Bacteriology of activated sludge

Sensitive colorimetric method for determination of fructose

Analyt. Chem.

Cited by (14)

The toxicity of four organic solvents commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry to activated sludge

Activated sludges as animal feed: A review

Influence of accumulation capacity of activated sludge microorganisms on kinetics of glucose removal

Cultivation of a mixed bacterial population of sewage origin in the chemostat

Removal of organic acids by activated sludges

Accumulation of reserve polysaccharide in activated sludges treating carbohydrate wastes