Articles & Issues

Language: English

Conflict of Interest: In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Publication history: Received January 14, 2010
Accepted May 24, 2010

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

All issues

Minimization of excess sludge and cryptic growth of microorganisms by alkaline treatment of activated sludge

Suk-Hyun Na Ho-Kyung Shon¹ Jong-Ho Kim^2†

School of Applied Environmental Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Korea ¹Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), P. O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia ²School of Applied Chemical Engineering & The Institute for Catalysis Research, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Korea

jonghkim@chonnam.ac.kr

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, January 2011, 28(1), 164-169(6), 10.1007/s11814-010-0334-0

Download PDF

Abstract

Sludge solubilization was induced by the alkaline-thermal treatment to investigate the cryptic growth and reduction of a large amount of activated sludge produced from wastewater treatment. Activated sludge was divided into lysate, supernatant fraction and particulate fraction for a biodegradability test by cryptic growth. Sludge was reduced up to 78% at pH 13 and 44% at pH 10 using the single alkaline-thermal treatment. Also, it was found that alkalinethermal treatment at pH 13 increased the quantity of intracellular components generated by cell lysis and promoted the power of significant cell destruction. The neutralization of pH after the solubilized activated sludge led to high biodegradability of organic carbon sources generated by cell lysis. This can be utilized in minimizing activated sludge.

Keywords

Activated Sludge Alkaline-thermal Treatment Sludge Reduction Cell Lysis Cryptic Growth

References

Lee NM, Welander T, Water Res., 30, 1781 (1996)
Rensink JH, Rulkens WH, Water Sci. Technol., 36, 171 (1997)
Rocher M, Goma G, Begue AP, Louvel L, Rols JL, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 51(6), 883 (1999)
Ryan FJ, J. Gen. Microbiol., 21, 530 (1959)
Mason CA, Hamers G, Bryers JD, Fems Microbiol. Rev., 39, 373 (1986)
Yasui H, Shibata M, Water Sci. Technol., 30, 11 (1994)
Kamiya T, Hirotsuji J, Water Sci. Technol., 38, 145 (1998)
Rocher M, Roux G, Goma G, Pilas-Begue A, Louvel L, Rols JL, Water Sci. Technol., 44, 437 (2001)
Saby S, Djafer M, Chen GH, Water Res., 36, 656 (2002)
Tanaka S, Kobayashi T, Kamiyama KI, Lolita M, Bildan S, Water Sci. Techol., 35, 209 (1997)
Canales A, Areilleux A, Rols JL, Goma G, Huyard A, Water Sci. Technol., 30, 97 (1994)
APHA, AWWA, WEF, Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 19th Ed. American Public Health Association, Baltimore, MD (1995)
Reasoner DJ, Geldreich EE, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 49, 1 (1985)
Morono Y, Takano S, Miyanaga K, Tanji Y, Unno H, Hori K, Biotechnol. Lett., 26(5), 379 (2004)
Na SH, Miyanaga K, Unno H, Tanji Y, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 72(2), 386 (2006)
Salvado H, Gracia MP, Amigo JM, Water Res., 29, 1041 (1995)
Muller JA, Water Sci. Technol., 44, 121 (2001)