Response of dissolved oxygen to changes in influent organic loading to activated sludge systems

Abstract

The major objective of this investigation was to examine the response of the activated sludge process to transient organic loadings and to evaluate the applicability of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and oxygen uptake rate as process control variables. A modified laboratory-scale activated sludge unit was used to continuously measure the ambient dissolved oxygen level. The change of the dissolved oxygen concentration responded to variations in the influent composition of the wastewater. First, the system was maintained at steady-state and system variables were measured for soluble TOC, MLVSS and oxygen uptake rate. The organic shock loading was induced by increasing or decreasing the baseline feeding of TOC concentration. As soon as a transient loading occurred the DO levels in the system were continuously monitored with the DO analyzer. A simplified material balance equation for dissolved oxygen in the system was developed and the dynamic behavior of oxygen uptake rate was examined. It was demonstrated that under transient conditions the changes in the dissolved oxygen concentration reflected the variations in the exogenous respiration rate of the biomass in the system due to fluctuations in the influent waste characteristics. Based upon the rapid response to the shock loading and the correlation of the change in the DO level to the magnitude of the shock loading, the two variables (DO concentration and oxygen uptake rate) generated from this biological monitor showed potential as a control variable for the activated sludge process.