Sulphide biooxidation in activated sludge diffusion process: microbiological and biochemical effects

Sulphide was adopted as odorous compound in a simulation of AS Diffusion, an
interesting process to treat odors at wastewater treatment plants by diffusing odorous air into
aerobic basins. Its behaviour were experimentally evaluated along with its effects on the biomass
and the biological processes supposed by some author in an AS diffusion test. Two bench scale
sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were fed in parallel on real primary sewage and monitored after
adding increasing concentrations of sulphide to one of them. In this reactor, an average sulphide
removal of 94% was measured. Microbial biochemical activity and composition did not show
relevant variations after the addition of sulphide, and the good features of activated sludge flocs
were maintained also in terms of sludge settleability