Journal
WATER RESEARCH
Volume 38, Issue 11, Pages 2621-2630Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2004.03.022
Keywords
image analysis; mathematical modeling; filamentous bulking; Sphaerotilus natans; floc-forming bacteria
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One of the most common problems in the operation of activated sludge plants is the inability to separate solids from treated effluents in the clarifiers caused by the overgrowth of filamentous micro-organisms (FM) with respect to floc-forming bacteria. In order to develop kinetic models that help to predict bulking events, growth kinetics of the FMs and non-filamentous bacteria (NFB) should be known. This paper addresses the competition of a FM and a NFB in a continuous stirred tank reactor. Experimental observations of the effect of the dilution rate on the composition of the mixed culture were compared to simulated results. Image analysis was used to measure NFB and FM fractions in order to evaluate the proposed mathematical model. Experimental results and numerical simulations showed that low D values favored the growth of FM; on the contrary, when high D values were applied a rapid overgrowth of the NFB were observed. Thus, high D values favored the growth of NFB minimizing the risk of filamentous bulking. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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