The optimum substrate to biomass ratio to reduce net biomass yields and inert compounds in biological leachate treatment under pure-oxygen conditions

Abstract

 To investigate the effect of both initially present soluble inert COD (S _I) and soluble inert COD formed by microbial activities (S _PM) on the effluent soluble residual COD (S _R) and to determine biokinetic constants, the pure-oxygen was employed for the batch assays of biological leachate treatment. The results of this work showed that the effluent residual soluble COD was entirely composed of S _I and S _PM, therefore, could not be reduced below 7–10% of total influent soluble COD (S _T0.inf), corresponding to the organics removal efficiency of 93–90%. The value of S _I of leachate, which is associated with the types of wastewaters, was determined as approximately 7.84% of S _T0.inf, and the soluble inert COD by microbial activities was assessed by means of the coefficient f _PM of 0.0474. These results mean that significant amount of feed leachate COD may pass the biological system without any change. On the basis of the concept that microorganisms must satisfy their maintenance energy requirements prior to synthesizing new biomass, a set of batch assays with various ratios of S _T0.inf /X ₀ were carried out to evaluate their effects on the excess biomass production. Decreasing the supply of substrate per unit biomass resulted in gradual decrease in the biomass yields, but, at the same time, it resulted in gradual increase in the bacteria mediated inert COD as a side effect. The optimum ratios of S _T0.inf /X ₀ were concluded as 0.2–0.6 according to the careful consideration of both aspects on the reduction of net sludge yields and inert COD from microbial activities.