title: On-line viable biomass measurement and estimation of the specific growth rate of activated sludge from municipal wastewater treatment.
abstract: In order to control wastewater processes, on-line measurements of important process variables are crucial. This contribution focuses on the applicability of the Biomass Monitor for on-line viable biomass measurement of activated sludge from a municipal wastewater plant. In addition, the specific growth rate of the sludge is estimated on-line, based on the information derived from the device under study. Compared to dry weight measurements, the Biomass Monitor hardware offers the advantage of a biologically more appropriate observation of the biomass by only taking into account the viable cells in the population. The optimal measurement frequency of the biomass monitoring device for the given experimental conditions has been determined. Furthermore, the capacitance readings have been correlated with off-line analyses of dry weight of the sludge during the experimental phase in which no death of cells occurred. Finally, an evaluation of the estimator of the specific growth rate including its tuning is presented.
authors.affiliation: BioTeC-Bioprocess Technology and Control, Department of Food and Microbial Technology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kardinaal Merceierlaan 92, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: November
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Van Impe
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D001530:Belgium; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors; D004867:Equipment Design; D005285:Fermentation; D007700:Kinetics; D009862:Online Systems; D014504:Urban Health; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical