The role of respirometry in maximising aerobic treatment plant efficiency

Wastewater treatment plants are coming under increasing pressure to increase their efficiency of operation. There are two objectives in this. The first is to reduce the cost of treatment. The second is a response to new legislation aimed at reducing the carryover of toxic materials to receiving waters. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to focus on the pivotal role of bacterial respiration in the aerobic treatment process. The importance of respiration in this context is that it is quickly and easily measurable. Using new technologically advanced respirometers it is possible to use respiration measurements for modelling the treatment process, for management of toxicity, and for measuring short term BOD, nitrification capacity, readily degradable BOD treatment capacity, and aeration requirements. Major increases in efficiency are most likely to come from more efficient process control and from the introduction of toxicity management plans for plants that treat industrial wastes