Testing of active sludge to ensure stable operation of urban treatment facilities

The stability of the operation of urban biological treatment facilities depends on the availability of operational methods for monitoring the state of activated sludge. However, to date, the problems of methodological development and practical application of tests of the state of activated sludge have not been completely solved. Physiological and biochemical analysis of activated sludge of urban wastewater treatment plants and laboratory nitrification biofilm formed during the processing of saline industrial wastewater was performed. The H2 scavenging activity in the respiratory metabolism of the activated sludge microbiocenosis was calculated based on the values of the dehydrogenase activity of the sludge. The ratio of the rate of H2 acceptance and the rate of consumption of O2 by activated sludge approached the theoretical one, that is, the indicators objectively reflected the oxidizing capacity of the sludge. The ratio of the rate of CO2 formation and the rate of O2 consumption was 1.5, which indicated that the sludge in wastewater consumes substances more oxidized than carbohydrates. The activity of H2 scavenging in the respiratory metabolism of nitrifying biofilms from a laboratory nitrifier was calculated based on the values of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase activity. And in this case, the ratio of the rate of H2 acceptance and the rate of consumption of O2 by the biofilm approached 8, which indicates their objectivity in assessing the nitrifying capacity of the biofilm.