Characteristic of COD removal and sludge settleability in biological treatment of hypersaline wastew

In order to investigate the feasibility of biological treatment of hypersaline wastewater produced from toilet flushing with seawater at low temperature, pilot-scale studies were established with plug-flow activated sludge process at low temperature (5-9℃) based on bench-scale experiments. The critical salinity concentration of 30 g/L, which resulted from the cooperation results of the non-halophilic bacteria and the halophilic bacteria, was drawn in bench-scale experiment. Pilot-scale studies showed that high COD removal efficiency, higher than 85 %, was obtained at low temperature when 30 percent seawater [ seawater/( seawater + sewage) ] was introduced. The salinity improved the settleability of activated sludge, and average SV dropped down from 38%to 22. 5% after adding seawater. Sludge bulking could be forborne effectively because filamentous bacteria couldn' t subsist under high salinity concentration.