Do bench-scale test results scale up well to full scale?
The correlation between bench- and full-scale test results will depend on a variety of factors, including how well the bench-scale test was designed and performed, the difference in wastewater volume treated between bench- and full-scale treatment, the type of technology tested, the contaminants in the wastewater treated, and other factors. If a bench-scale test is well designed and performed, it should scale up well. However, the scale-up invariably results in some difference from bench-scale results due to the different equipment, operating conditions, and other parameters at the full scale. Although the bench-scale test can provide valuable information for the design and operation of a full-scale treatment system, it is commonly necessary to adjust the full-scale treatment system design and operating parameters to optimize performance. For scaling up from a bench-scale test to a large-volume full-scale treatment system, it may be advisable to perform a pilot-scale treatability test
