Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Phosphorus defficiency and sludge bulking.

I Turtin1, A Vatansever, F Dilek Sanin

  • 1Department of Environmental Engineering, Middle East Technical University, 06531 Ankara, Turkey.

Environmental Technology
|July 27, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Phosphorus deficiency in activated sludge systems causes sludge bulking, a problem that hinders wastewater treatment efficiency. Fortunately, this issue can be resolved by reintroducing phosphorus to the system.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

ANOVA-based comparative study for landfill age and climate impacts on landfill leachate characteristics.

Environmental monitoring and assessment·2026
Same author

Bio-Aging of polyethylene during anaerobic and aerobic digestion.

Bioresource technology·2025
Same author

Fate and effect of Polyamide-6 microplastics in mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion.

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)·2024
Same author

Microplastics and organics - A comparative study of sorption of triclosan and malachite green onto polyethylene.

Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research·2023
Same author

Fate and effects of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics during anaerobic digestion of alkaline-thermal pretreated sludge.

Waste management (New York, N.Y.)·2022
Same author

Comprehensive analysis and modeling of landfill leachate.

Waste management (New York, N.Y.)·2022

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Microbiology
  • Wastewater Treatment Engineering

Background:

  • Sludge settling is critical for activated sludge process efficiency.
  • Sludge bulking, characterized by poor microbial biomass settling, significantly reduces treatment plant performance.
  • Understanding factors affecting sludge settleability is crucial for optimizing wastewater treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of phosphorus deficiency on activated sludge bulking.
  • To examine the influence of varying magnesium and calcium ion concentrations on sludge bulking under phosphorus-limited conditions.
  • To explore the potential for curing phosphorus-induced sludge bulking.

Main Methods:

  • Operated six semi-continuous activated sludge reactors with synthetic wastewater at an 8-day sludge age.
  • Manipulated phosphorus levels and introduced three different concentrations of magnesium and calcium ions (5, 10, 20 meq l(-1)).
  • Monitored sludge volume index (SVI) daily, performed microscopic examination, and conducted chemical analyses on sludge samples.

Main Results:

  • Phosphorus deficiency was confirmed to induce sludge bulking.
  • Microscopic analysis revealed distinct floc structures in reactors with varying cation concentrations.
  • Increasing phosphorus concentration effectively cured the sludge bulking problem.

Conclusions:

  • Phosphorus deficiency is a direct cause of sludge bulking in activated sludge systems.
  • Cation concentrations (magnesium and calcium) influence floc structure under phosphorus limitation.
  • Restoring phosphorus levels is a viable strategy to mitigate and resolve sludge bulking caused by phosphorus deficiency.

Related Experiment Videos