A laboratory incubation procedure followed by gas chromatographic detection
was used to measure phosphine production potential in representative waste
water and sewage sludge sources. Phosphine production potential was determi
ned by measuring the rate of phosphine formation in samples incubated under
laboratory conditions over a seven day period when both electron donors an
d the targeted electron acceptor were not limiting factors. Results of our
experiments showed that except the primary effluent and secondary effluent
wastewater samples all other samples studied (influent wastewater, various
type of sludge and sediment sources) produced phosphine. The minimum phosph
ine production potential value (0.39 pg/ml wastewater/day) was measured in
composite influent wastewater samples while the maximum (268 pg/g wet sludg
e/day) was measured in sediment samples collected from an open-air sewage t
reatment plant.