title: Monitoring activated sludge settling properties using image analysis.
abstract: The goal of this study is to develop a monitoring system for activated sludge properties, as this is an essential tool in the battle against filamentous bulking. A fully automatic image analysis procedure for recognising and characterising flocs and filaments in activated sludge images has been optimised and subsequently used to monitor activated sludge properties in a lab-scale installation. The results of two experiments indicate that the image information correlates well with the Sludge Volume Index. It is shown that, at the onset of filamentous bulking, there is an increase in total filament length on the one hand, and a change in floc shape on the other hand.
authors.affiliation: BioTeC-Bioprocess Technology and Control, Chemical Engineering Department, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, W de Croylaan 46, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jenné
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Banadda
authors.forename: I Y
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Smets
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Van Impe
mesh_terms: D001331:Automation; D019149:Bioreactors; D005427:Flocculation; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012722:Sewage; D012984:Software; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage