Fate of water soluble azo dyes in the activated sludge process

The objective of this study was to determine the partitioning of water soluble azo dyes in the activated sludge process (ASP). Azo dyes are of concern because some of the dyes, dye precursors, and/or their degradation products such as aromatic amines (which are also dye precursors) have been shown to be, or are suspected to be, carcinogenic. Specific azo dyes were spiked at 1 and 5 mg/L to pilot-scale treatment systems with both liquid and sludge samples collected. Samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an ultraviolet-visible detector. Mass balance calculations were made to determine the amount of the dye compound in the waste activated sludge (WAS) and in the activated sludge effluent (ASE). Of the 18 dyes studied, 11 compounds were found to pass through the ASP substantially untreated, 4 were significantly adsorbed onto the WAS, and 3 were apparently biodegraded.