Respirometric measurement of kinetic parameters: effect of activated sludge floc size

The variation of activated sludge floc size with the mixing intensity of a mechanically stirred respirometer, expressed in terms of the mean energy dissipation rate, was characterized using a photometric dispersion analyzer. The floc size decreased rapidly when the energy dissipation rate was increased from 1.33 × 10^-3 to 2.68 × 10^-3 W/kg. Experiments were performed to investigate the effect of floc size on the oxygen saturation coefficient measured under the condition of acetate oxidation. The respirometric data were interpreted by considering only the kinetics of biochemical reactions. The variation of the oxygen saturation coefficient with mixing intensity was found to correlate with the variation of floc size with mixing intensity. The oxygen saturation coefficient was found to decrease from 0.23 to 0.08 mg/L when the mean energy dissipation rate was increased from 1.33 × 10^-3 to 2.68 × 10^-3 W/kg. The dependence of the oxygen saturation coefficient on floc size or mixing intensity suggests the presence of mass transfer resistances in large flocs.