• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.503-509
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• 2003

COD fractionation of primary settled municipal wastewater was conducted by respirometry. RBCOD (Readily Biodegradable COD) fraction was analyzed to be 21% of influent TCOD. However, SCOD fraction, analyzed by physical separation using $0.45{\mu}m$ membrane filter, was about 31% of TCOD. Therefore, 10% of soluble inert COD was comprised in TCOD. It means that kinetic analysis of activated sludge system was impossible because serious error would be occurred if SCOD was used as a biodegradable soluble component instead of RBCOD estimated from respirometry. In this study, RBCOD fraction of raw wastewater could be analyzed by respirometry within the error range of 57%. In addition, SBCOD (Slowly Biodegradable COD) content could be determined by kinetic simulation of the experimental results. SBCOD showed about 2-fold higher fraction (38% of TCOD) as compared with RBCOD.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.551-558
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• 2007

From the view point of biological wastewater treatment, C/N ratio is one of the most important factor in biological nutrient removal process. However, municipal sewage in Korea is characterized by extremely low content of carbon source and relatively higher portion of N source. Accordingly, it is necessary to dose external carbon source in order to obtain higher degree of carbon source within the process. In this study, the effects of pH pretreatment as an alternative plan for increasing carbon source on the cell disruption and COD solubility of waste activated sludge were conducted under well defined experimental conditions. During 5 hours, the value of COD solubilization rate ($S_R$) at pH 11.5 is approximately 4.4 times higher than the value of $S_R$ at pH 9.5. It is expected that the level of SCOD increased due to the result from cell disruption. However, VSS/TSS ratio was not significantly changed after 5 hours. As Alkalinity changes gradually from less than 15, 30 and 60 meq NaOH/L, average RBCOD/SCOD fraction showed 34, 36 and 45%,respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.197-205
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• 2004

Batch test methods have developed for a long time to measure kinetic and stoichiometric parameters which are required to perform steady state design and mathematical modelling of activated sludge processes. However, at various So/Xo ratios, abnormal behaviors of ordinary heterotrophic organism in batch tests have been reported in many researches. Thus, in this research, abnormal behaviors of heterotrophs in batch tests were investigated at various So/Xo conditions by measuring and interpreting oxygen utilization rate. As So/Xo ratio increased, the calculated values of maximum specific growth rates, ${\mu}_{H,max}$ and $K_{MP,max}$, increased. However, at a certain point of So/Xo (around 10mgCOD/mgMLAVSS), ${\mu}_{H,max}$ and $K_{MP,max}$ values started to decrease. According to this observation, three prominent behaviours of heterotrophs were identified at various So/Xo conditions. (1) At low So/Xo region (below 5 mgCOD/mgMLAVSS), the oxygen utilization rate of heterotrophs in batch tests were almost stable and consequently yielded lower maximum specific growth rate. (2) At high So/Xo region (up to 5~10 mgCOD/mgMLAVSS), oxygen utilization rate incresed sharply with time and indicated more upward curvature than the predicted OUR with conventional activated sludge model, which consists of single hetetrotrophs group. Thus, in this region, competition model of two organisms, fast-grower and slow-grower, seemed to be appropriate. (3) At extremely high So/Xo region (over 10mgCOD/mgMLAVSS), significant oxygen utilization rate was still observed even after depletion of readily biodegradable COD. This might be caused by retarded utilization of intermediates which were generated by self inhibition mechanism in the process of RBCOD uptake.