ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the results of a study which developed basis of design data for an autotrophic activated sludge process to treat process wastewaters from an ash agglomerating fluidized-bed gasification process. Trace elements data for the bioreactors indicated little apparent difference between the influent and effluent quality associated with biooxidation treatment because the majority of the trace elements were present at low concentrations. The wastewaters for the biological treatability study were collected during a test burn of a non-tar producing coal gasification process development unit. The low sludge yield of a chemoautotrophic process is a major factor in process design because it specifies an operational system that does not require a large capital investment for sludge handling facilities. The necessary coefficients to mathematical models which establish basic operation criteria were determined by operating bench-scale biological reactors at various substrate loadings and evaluating each system for substrate removal, sludge production, and oxygen requirements.
