Characteristics of microfauna and their relationships with the performance ofan activated sludge plant in China
ZHOU Kexin , XU Muqi , LIU Biao , CAO Hong
DOI:
Received June 01, 2007,Revised August 24, 2007, Accepted , Available online
Volume 20,2008,Pages 482-486
- Summary
- References
- Related Articles
The occurrence and abundance of the microfauna groups were compared with the physico-chemical and operational parameters of
the Baoding Lugang Sewage Treatment Plant in China. Attached and crawling ciliates were the dominant groups of ciliates. Crawling
ciliates and testate amoebae showed a strong association with e uent BOD5 (biochemical oxygen demand). Therefore, these two groups
are likely to be useful bioindicators since their number decreased as the process produced poor quality e uent. Testate amoebae also had
significant negative correlations with e uent TN (total nitrogen), NH4
+-N, SS (suspended solids) and SVI (sludge volumetric index),
which means that this group of ciliates may be indicators of good performance of the activated sludge system. Carnivorous ciliates
and flagellates had significant positive correlations with SVI, suggesting that these two groups may be indicators of bad settlement
conditions of sludge. As identification of the microfauna species is di cult and time-consuming, we recommend using microfauna
functional groups to evaluate the performance of the activated sludge system.
