Effects of Temperature and pH on the Settleability of Activated Sludge Flocs

In efficient and economical treatment of wastewaters,the settleability of activated sludge is of prime importance. Efficient settlement in the secondary sedimentation tank is required, both to keep the desired effluent quality and to sustain the necessary amount of microorganisms in the aeration tank. On the other hand, the settleability of microorganisms in the secondary clarifier is very dependent on the physiological and biochemical nature of activated sludge flocs, which are determined by the conditions of the aeration tank. In this research, effects of temperature and pH of aeration basin on settleability of activated sludge were studied. Settleability was measured by zone settling velocity and sludge volume index (SVI). Five different temperatures and four different pH values were operated in the aeration basin. It was found that the settleability of activated sludge is greatly affected by these two parameters.