A NEW METHOD FOR EXTRACTION OF EXOPOLYMERS FROM ACTIVATED SLUDGES

The exopolymeric matrix that surrounds the biomass greatly contributes to the efficiency of activated sludge systems. To study the compositi on of this matrix a preliminary extraction method is required. In this work three extraction methods (vapor, sonication and combined treatme nt by sonication and Dowex resin) were used and compared with a new me thod which uses glutaraldehyde. The extraction effectiveness was estim ated by measuring the total protein, the total organic carbon in the e xtracted solutions and by determining the monosaccharide constituents of the extracted polysaccharides. The proposed new method proved to be the most suitable because it extracted a great quantity of organic ma tter without disrupting the cells. (C) 1998 IAWQ. Published by Elsevie r Science Ltd.