Apparatus for Assessing Sulfide Generation Rates from Sewer Slimes

Abstract

The construction and operation of a rotating-drum reactor to measure sulfide generation rates from sewer slimes is described. Whereas the existing procedures were developed for essentially domestic sewage, the described experimental approach can be applied equally well to domestic sewage or to sewage containing a high proportion of industrial effluent. The effects of changes in parameters (such as pH, temperature, and industrial waste content) on the sulfide-producing potential of a sewage can be readily assessed using the apparatus. The apparatus can be used in the lab or in the field to provide information that may assist a sewerage authority to assess toxicity problems and to justify and specify acceptance requirements for industrial wastes. The general procedure for operation of the reactor is outlined by briefly describing an investigation of the relative contribution made by industrial sewage from a paper mill to sulfide generation from a mixture of this waste with a domestic sewage.