ABSTRACT
The pilot system feed consisted of raw pharmaceutical wastewater and a nominal amount of sanitary waste. This wastewater is pumped from the influent of the Waste Treatment System and is recycled through a one inch header in the pilot plant. Individual peristaltic pumps supply feed to each of the pilot aeration systems directly from the recycle line providing feed identical to the full scale system. A change in reactor configuration from three aeration basins in parallel flow to series flow proved successful at the pilot scale in reducing the filamentous population and improving settling characteristics. Many researchers have shown that reactor configuration plays a significant role in the cause of filamentous bulking. As an activated sludge aeration system approaches a plug flow configuration it is less likely to experience filamentous bulking. The pilot system feed consisted of raw pharmaceutical wastewater and a nominal amount of sanitary waste.
