Size distribution of wastewater COD fractions as an index for biodegradability

Ebru Dulekgurgen*, Serdar Doǧruel, Özlem Karahan, Derin Orhon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

155 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The study proposes direct particle size measurement by sequential filtration and ultrafiltration as a convenient method for wastewater characterization for appropriate treatment technology. It also explores the correlation between particle size distribution (PSD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractionation, as an index for biological treatability. Profiles obtained through PSD-based COD fractionation serve as the fingerprints for wastewaters, and as demonstrated in this study, reflect different pictures for textile wastewater and domestic sewage. PSD-based COD fractionation profiles identify the soluble range below 2 nm as the size interval housing both the soluble inert COD initially present in the wastewater and soluble inert microbial products generated during biological treatment, as also supported by the metabolic fractionation attained through respirometric analyses. Moreover, PSD-based color profiling offers a good index for the fate of biologically resistant chemicals passing through biological treatment. Compatible results obtained from comparative evaluation of PSD-based COD and color profiles provide useful information on the biodegradability of the textile wastewater studied.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)273-282
Number of pages10
JournalWater Research
Volume40
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2006

Keywords

  • Biological treatment
  • COD fractionation
  • Domestic wastewater
  • Particle size distribution
  • Respirometry
  • Textile wastewaters

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