ABSTRACT
The general experimental plan specified bench scale continuous flow activated sludge reactors to be used to treat a synthetic wastewater containing selected organic priority pollutants. In addition, specific concern has been focused on the volatilization or stripping of organics during biological wastewater treatment. Activated sludge for initial seeding was obtained from a local municipal activated sludge plant. The wastewater fed to the reactors was a synthetic wastewater containing ethylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, glucose, glutamic acid, acetic acid, phenol, ammonium sulfate, phosphoric acid, salts, and the specific priority pollutant under study. The systems received a wastewater comprised of a synthetic improved the effluent quality but also was responsible for reducing off-gas emission for toluene. The fact that the systems were closed could probably have had a significant effect on the stripping of benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene. In addition, when powdered activated carbon was added to the reactor, very low levels of benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene were observed in the effluent.
