Water Environment Research Open Access Article Examines Thickened Waste Activated Sludge

The open access article in the September 2018 issue of Water Environment Research (WER) investigates the unbiodegradable fraction of particulate chemical oxygen demand (PCOD) in thickened waste activated sludge.

“In their paper on thickened waste activated sludge, Chowdry et al. used long-term anaerobic studies operated at detention times between 16.7 – 33.3 d (corresponding to organic loading rates of 1.21 – 3.47 kg/L m^3) to determine the fraction of unbiodegradable particulate COD,” said Tim Ellis, WER editor-in-chief. “They found a value of 0.28 which agreed well with the fraction of unbiodegradable volatile suspended solids that was determined to be 0.26. This study provides additional information for the design and operation of anaerobic digestion processes to achieve volume reduction, pathogen destruction, and energy recovery from waste active sludge.”

Selected WER articles such as this one are available free to the public on a monthly basis through an open access program. In addition, authors can pay a fee to make their accepted articles open access. Click here to download “Estimation of the Unbiodegradable Fraction of Thickened Waste Activated Sludge” by Mohammad M. I. Chowdhury; George Nakhla; and J Zhu.

Published by the Water Environment Federation since 1928, WER is a popular professional journal that features peer-reviewed research papers and research notes, as well as state-of-the-art and critical reviews on original, fundamental, and applied research in all scientific and technical areas related to water quality, pollution control, and management. WER is available in both print and online formats and receives approximately 400 new research submissions each year.

About WEF
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 35,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment. As a global water sector leader, our mission is to connect water professionals; enrich the expertise of water professionals; increase the awareness of the impact and value of water; and provide a platform for water sector innovation. To learn more, visit www.wef.org.