Columnar Biological Treatability of AOC under Oligotrophic Conditions
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 123, Issue 3
Abstract
The biological treatability of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in drinking water was investigated under oligotrophic conditions. AOC of the simulated feed was provided with model compounds such as glucose, acetate, or glycerol at 1 mgC/L. The bioreactors were initially inoculated with Pseudomonas fluorescens strain P17, an indigenous organism isolated from water-distribution systems, to initiate biological activity. Cellimmobilization techniques investigated consisted of entrapment in calcium (Ca) alginate beads and carrier-binding with Type-Z carrier. It was found that reactors packed with either alginate beads or Type-Z carrier were operational at stable conditions over a period of two years without any loss of metabolic functionality. Excellent removal of influent substrates was obtained by all reactor types at hydraulic retention times ranging from 6 to 30 min. Type-Z carrier appears to be the preferred choice of biocarrier because of its inorganic structure and simplicity of immobilization. The steady-state, average effluent AOC and total organic carbon (TOC) from bioreactors packed with Type-Z carrier ranged from 9 to 28 μgC/L and from 0.23 to 0.32 mgC/L, respectively, when the operating hydraulic retention times varied from 20 to 30 min. Maintaining a low level of AOC in finished water helps minimize microbial regrowth in a water-distribution system.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 123 • Issue 3 • March 1997
Pages: 290 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Mar 1, 1997
Published in print: Mar 1997
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