Evaluation of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment sludge stabilization in Istanbul

Stabilization levels of activated sludge samples generated from different full scale municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants were investigated. Anaerobic and aerobic stabilization tests were further applied in order to decrease the organic contents of sludges based on Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyses. The decrease in VSS and TOC in municipal wastewater sludge during aerobic stabilization was 40 and 75%, respectively. The loss of heterotrophic biomass activity assessed with respirometric evaluation and the aid of modeling for aerobic stabilization of municipal sludge was also approximately 75%. Aerobic stabilization had generally a more pronounced positive effect on the toxicities of sludges compared to anaerobic stabilization, with the municipal sludges showing no toxicity after aerobic stabilization.