Biodegradability of Detergents and Its Effects on Municipal Wastewater Activated Sludge.
Abstract
Battelle was contracted by the United States Air Force to conduct a laboratory study to examine the potential impacts, as well as the fate, of 20 detergents on the wastewater treatment plant in Heath, Ohio. The 20 detergents selected for this study were being considered for use by the Aerospace Guidance and Metrology Center located at Newark Air Force Base in Newark, Ohio, as substitutes for various types of solvents. The study was conducted in three phases. The first phase evaluated the inhibition potential of the detergents based on the concentration-dependent changes in the respiration of activated sludge cultures. The second phase examined the potential fate of the detergents by monitoring their biodegradation. The final phase was conducted to determine how two types of washwater might impact the wastewater treatment plant in Heath, Ohio, the plant that receives Newark Air Force Base's wastewater. All experiments were conducted using cultures obtained from the Heath plant. In order to be able to monitor the effects of the detergents, the experiments were conducted at detergent concentrations much higher than the Heath plant would experience. The results from the first phase of the study indicated that the detergents were inhibitory to the activated sludge cultures. The concentrations at which the detergents inhibited the cultures were much higher than would be seen at the Heath plant even under a 'worst case' scenario. Based on the potentials for discharge of these washwaters from Newark Air Force Base, it was concluded that there would be no significant impact on the respiration of the activated sludge organisms at the Heath plant.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 17, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA308308
Entities
Organizations
- Battelle Memorial Institute