ABSTRACT
Biological systems, such as activated sludge, often comprise the backbone of the process technology which is utilized for treating municipal and industrial wastewaters. With the increasing regulatory constraints and requirements that pollution control managers must face, activated sludge systems in both the public and private sectors will be expected to deliver better effluent quality on a more consistent basis. This will require a control strategy which can react to variations in influent waste characteristics such as changes in waste components, in strength of the waste, or in flow rate. Also, pollution control professionals need to be increasingly concerned with controlling the levels of toxicity and organics in effluent streams. Toxic components of influent waste must be considered from two viewpoints: 1) their effect on the treatment process and its primary function, removal of the influent COD; and 2) pass-through of toxic materials into the plant effluent.
