What is Activated Sludge?
The activated sludge process is a biological wastewater treatment process that uses microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, to speed up decomposition of organic matter. Activated sludge is an aerobic process requiring oxygen for treatment. As the microorganisms grow and reproduce, waste materials are removed.
Activated sludge is a process in sewage treatment in which air or oxygen is forced into sewage liquor to develop a biological floc which reduces the organic content of the sewage. In all activated sludge plants, once the sewage has received sufficient treatment, excess mixed liquor is discharged into settling tanks and the supernatant is run off to undergo further treatment before discharge. Part of the settled material, the sludge, is returned to the head of the aeration system to re-seed the new sewage entering the tank. The remaining sludge is further treated prior to disposal. Activated sludge: Biomass produced in raw or settled wastewater (primary effluent) by the growth of organisms in aeration tanks in the presence of dissolved oxygen. The term “activated” comes from the fact that the particles are teeming with bacteria, and protozoa. Activated sludge is different from primary sludge in that the sludge contains many living organisms which can feed on the incoming wastewater. Act
Activated sludge is a term used both to refer to a widely utilized wastewater treatment process, and to the solid compounds which result from that process. The activated sludge technique is one of the most commonly used methods for handling human waste in municipal settings around the world, and it can also be employed in the treatment of industrial wastewater. The goal is to remove as much solid organic material from the wastewater as possible, to facilitate further stages in the water treatment. This process was developed in the early 20th century, as researchers worked to cope with wastewater on a large scale in a hygienic and efficient way. Prior to wastewater treatment, effluent was simply released into waterways, carrying a heavy load of bacteria and other unwanted organisms along with it, and this caused numerous human health problems along with issues in the natural environment. Wastewater treatment plants were devised to cope with this problem. In the activated sludge method,
Activated sludge is a biomass produced in raw or settled wastewater (primary effluent) by the growth of organisms in aeration tanks in the presence of dissolved oxygen. The term “activated” comes from the fact that the particles are teeming with bacteria, and protozoa. Activated sludge is different from primary sludge in that the sludge contains many living organisms which can feed on the incoming wastewater. The activated sludge process is a wastewater treatment method in which the carbonaceous organic matter of wastewater provides an energy source for the production of new cells for a mixed population of microorganisms in an aquatic aerobic environment. The microbes convert carbon into cell tissue and oxidized end products that include carbon dioxide and water. In addition, a limited number of microorganisms may exist in activated sludge that obtain energy by oxidizing ammonia nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen in the process known as nitrification. Bacteria constitute the majority of micr
Product that results when primary effluent is mixed with bacteria-laden sludge and then agitated and aerated to promote biological treatment, speeding the breakdown of organic matter in raw sewage undergoing secondary waste treatment. Try searching Activated Sludge across the entire website. Related glossary terms: Activated Carbon Granular Activated Carbon Treatment Industrial Sludge Municipal Sludge Sewage Sludge Sludge Sludge Digester –> A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | <-- Search again View Laboratory Acronyms... View EPA Data Qualifier (Flag) Abbreviations... Suggestions? This Laboratory Terms page continues to expand and improve. If you have suggestions for improvement, we would enjoy hearing from you. Please contact the webmaster here.
