Abstract
The molecular-weight distribution (MWD) of wastewater dissolved-organic carbon (DOC) was determined in samples from seven full-scale wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs) that use different biological treatments (air activated sludge [air-AS], pure-oxygen AS [O2-AS], and trickling filters). The research objective was to determine how different biological treatments influenced the MWD of wastewater DOC. Primary sedimentation effluent DOC from most of the WWTPs exhibited a skewed distribution toward the low-molecular-weight fraction (MWF) (40 to 50%, <0.5 K Daltons [KDa]). The Air-AS effluent DOC exhibited a centrally clustered distribution, with the majority of DOC in the intermediate MWF (0.5 to 3 KDa). The O2-AS effluent DOC exhibited a skewed distribution toward the high MWF (>3 KDa). The removal of DOC by air- and O2-AS bacteria followed trends predicted by a macromolecule degradation model. Trickling-filter effluent DOC exhibited a skewed distribution toward the high MWF (50% DOC, >3 KDa).
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 253-262 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Water Environment Research |
Volume | 78 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2006 |
Keywords
- Air-activated sludge
- Dissolved-organic carbon
- Extracellular polymers
- Molecular-weight distribution
- Pure-oxygen-activated sludge
- Soluble microbial products
- Ultrafiltration membranes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Chemistry
- Ecological Modeling
- Water Science and Technology
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Pollution