[Activity of microorganisms in activated sludge in relation to the concentration of mercury in sewage]

Activated sludge from the refinery of a plant producing synthetic rubber was shown to adsorb mercury ions contained in the sewage. As a result, the content of microorganisms in the sludge as well as the activity of dehydrogenase decreased. The quantity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells was 40 x 10(6) per 1 ml in a chemically defined medium without mercury ions, 20 x 10(5) per 1 ml in the water after the first sedimentation tank (0.07 to 0.08 mg Hg per litre), and 10 x 10(6) per 1 ml in the water of sewage common to the whole plant (0.13 to 0.14 mg Hg per litre). The use of the phage-resistant P-aeruginosa T-76 culture adapted to synthetic organic pollutants contained in the sewage of the plant together with the activated sludge of the refinery increased the biological activity of the sludge and improved the quality of purification in terms of dehydrogenase activity and chemical uptake of oxygen.