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Industrial wastewaters typically contain a number of constituents each having unique biodegradation parameters. Therefore kinetic parameters produced from said batch treatability tests are useful for comparing biodegradation rates and biomass estimates but most often do not produce accurate effluent quality estimates.
In activated sludge processes, the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) of the mixed liquor is frequently used to assess the activity of the active biomass, to determine the response of the mixed liquor organisms to changes in wastewater compositions such as may be caused by variantions in industrial wastewater production, and to identify the presence of toxic inputs that can adversely affect wastewater treatment processes. Typically these measurements are made dissolved oxygen depletion in conventional 300-ml BOD bottles. However, there is considerable more value in measuring oxygen uptake for longer times using respirometers that operate on a continuous or semi-continuous basis. Such measurements provide significant insight into the biodegradation characteristics of individual or specific wastewater constituents in the process being monitored. Oxygen uptake reactions can be used to identify and sort out numbers of biodegradation reactions present in activated sludge processes.
