Effects of temperature and dissolved oxygen on hydrolysis of sewer solids

Effects of temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) on kinetics of microbial t ransformation processes of suspended sewer sediment particles, suspended wa stewater particles and wastewater were investigated. Microbial activity was estimated by the oxygen uptake rate. The effects were studied under condit ions where biomass had not acclimated to changed temperature or DO conditio ns. Hydrolysis processes limited the availability of organic substrates for the aerobic microbial growth. The effects of temperature were interpreted applying an Arrhenius relationship. The average Arrhenius constants found f or sewer sediment particles and wastewater particles differed significantly from the average Arrhenius constant found for wastewater. The effects of d issolved oxygen concentration were interpreted applying a saturation type r elationship. No differences between sewer sediment particles, wastewater pa rticles and wastewater were found for the oxygen saturation coefficients. ( C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.