Characterisation and biodegradation of settleable organic matter for domestic wastewater

Abstract

Biodegradation of settled COD is studied by evaluating the associated OUR profile obtained in an aerated batch reactor. Hydrolysis was selected, as in current modelling, as the rate-limiting step for O2 consumption. Settled COD was found to incorporate a significant fraction of active biomass that needs to be accounted for in the evaluation. The analysis of the OUR profile yielded a significantly slower hydrolysis mechanism for settled COD, compared to its soluble slowly biodegradable counterpart. WaterSA Vol.28(3) 2002: 299-306