Date of Award

2017

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Specialization

Environmental Engineering

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

First Advisor

Vinka Oyanedel-Craver

Abstract

In this study, the feasibility of a manometric batch test method to measure biological activity of Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) microbial aerobic and anaerobic communities was investigated. Additionally, the substrate consumption ratio, the N2O emissions from the biological activity of the different microbial populations and the inhibitory effect of stormwater pollutants on the activity and N2O production were investigated as well.

The obtained results from the aerobic tests showed qualitative correspondence with trends described in the literature, but differed greatly in quantitative terms (1 to 2 orders of magnitude). The anoxic test did not produce interpretable results, because values recorded with the manometric method could not be transformed using the method that had been destined for the transformation, and the results were contradictory to what was depicted in the literature. The stormwater toxicity test results were scattered so that an interpretation did not seem feasible, because the values for the experimental duplicates varied so largely that no larger pattern could be established. The trend of the results obtained for the N2O production agree with previous reports, however, because of the unreliability of the fluid analysis results (for example in terms of N2O production per nitrogen) mass balances to corroborate them were not possible to achieve. Overall the experiments did not provide the results that were expected and significant improvements to the methods and a further investigation of the influencing factors are necessary to ensure that the proposed method provide more accurately results.

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