• Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), the amount of dissolved oxygen used by

microorganisms in the biological process of metabolizing organic matter in water. The more organic matter
there is (e.g., in sewage and polluted bodies of water), the greater the BOD; and the greater the BOD, the
lower the amount of dissolved oxygen available for higher animals such as fishes. The BOD is therefore a
reliable gauge of the organic pollution of a body of water. One of the main reasons for treating wasterwater
prior to its discharge into a water resource is to lower its BOD—i.e., reduce its need of oxygen and thereby
lessen its demand from the streams, lakes, rivers, or estuaries into which it is released.

• Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) is the concentration of suspended solids in the
mixed liquor, usually expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/l).If MLSS content is too high the process
is prone to bulking and the treatment system becomes overloaded, this can cause the dissolved
oxygen content to drop with the effect that organic matters are not fully degraded and biological
‘die off’. Conversely, if the MLSS content is too low the process is not working efficiently, and is likely
to be wasting energy whilst not treating the effluent effectively.The typical control band is 2,000 to
4,000 mg/l.

• MVLSS is generally defined as the microbiological suspension in the aeration tank of an

activated-sludge biological wastewater treatment plant.The biomass solids in a biological waste water
reactor are usually indicated as total suspended solids (TSS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS). The mixture
of solids resulting from combining recycled sludge with influent wastewater in the bioreactor is termed
mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS). The solids are are
comprised of biomass, nonbiodegradable volatile suspended solids (nbVSS), and inert inorganic total
suspended solids (iTSS).

• The hydraulic retention time (HRT) in wastewater treatment plant is a measure at an average
length of time holding the wastewater in a tank. The hydraulic retention time, also known as hydraulic
residence time or t, is a measure of the average length of time that a soluble compound remains in a
constructed bioreactor. Hydraulic retention time is the volume of the aeration tank divided by the influent
flowrate: where using SI Units Volume is in [m³] and Influent flowrate is in [m³/h]. HRT is usually expressed in
hours.

• The F/M ratio is a process control number that helps you to determine the proper number of
microorganisms for your system. To determine the amount of incoming food (F), you need to know the CBOD
of the influent into your activated sludge(aeration) system. You also need to know the flow(MGD). So to
calculate the amount of food we do the following calculation:
F= Influent Flow (MGD) X Influent CBOD Concentration (mg/l) X 8.34

• Sludge Age...
A low sludge age tends to produce a light, fluffy, buoyant type of sludge particle commonly referred to as
straggler floc, which settles slowly in a final clarifier. This will be witnessed in a clarifier when these
buoyant, fluffy sludge particles are being pulled over the weirs even though the effluent may be crystal
clear.

A high sludge age or too many solids in the system tends to produce a darker, more granular type of
sludge particle, commonly called pin floc, which settles too fast in a final clarifier. Pin floc is observed as
many fine tiny floc particles coming over the final clarifier weirs leaving a very turbid effluent.

Operational Parameters that can be changed inorder to discourage the growth of bacteria

• Polymer and Coagulant Addition

There exist several methods of chemical addition to enhance activated sludge settling. Most used
are synthetic, high molecular weight, anionic polymers alone or in combination with cationic
polymers that serve to overcome the physical effects of filaments on sludge settling. These are
usually added to the MLSS as it leaves the aeration basin or to the secondary clarifier center
well.

• Chlorination
Two toxicants, chlorine and hydrogen peroxide, have been used successfully to control
filamentous organisms and stop a bulking episode. Chlorine is most widely used as it is
inexpensive and available on-site at most plants, and only this will be discussed here.
Chlorination for bulking control is widespread, used by more than 50% of plants.
The goal of chlorination is to expose the activated sludge to sufficient chlorine to damage
filaments extending from the floc surface while leaving organisms within the floc largely
untouched. Filamentous and floc-forming bacteria do not appear to significantly differ in their
chlorine susceptibility. Chlorine dosage is adjusted such that its concentration is lethal at the floc
surface but is sublethal within the floc, due to chlorine consumption as it penetrates into the floc.
This is analogous to "peeling an orange" and removing the filaments attached to its surface. It
should be pointed out that chlorination is not a cure-all for all activated sludge microbiological
problems. Chlorination will actually make problems worse if the problem is non-filamentous,
e.g. slime bulking or poor floc development.