Bioflocculation and Activated Sludge Separation: A PLS Case Study

© 2016 Sedimentation and filtration are the most common techniques for activated sludge separation in wastewater treatment plants. Using partial least squares (PLS), the influence of bioflocculation related variables on removal effiency was assessed. Small particles and dissolved polysaccharides are deemed detrimental for filtration, while hydrophobic large flocs improve the filtration performance. Settling worsens when filaments are present and improves with the presence of large flocs. The potential of using PLS is demonstrated, although more measurements and samples of a wide diversity would improve the modeling performance. Such models can then pinpoint crucial measurements for bioflocculation monitoring in relation to separation performance in wastewater treatment plants.status: publishe