Back to results

Virginia Tech

The effects of cations on activated sludge characteristics

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This research was prompted by a field study performed at the Celanese Corporation Wastewater Treatment Plant, Narrows, VA., in which calcium chloride addition had improved sludge characteristics that were believed to have deteriorated because of sodium hydroxide additions for pH control. Research objectives were to determine whether the observed improvements during the full-scale plant study were caused by the addition of divalent cations and whether the deterioration of the sludge was due to sodium ion additions. Bench-scale, activated sludge reactors were fed wastewater from the Celanese plant to model plant conditions. Sodium was added in an attempt to cause deterioration of the sludge characteristics. Magnesium and calcium were used as divalent cations to try to improve the sludge characteristics. Results of the study indicated that the magnitude of the effects seen in the full-scale plant study could not be reproduced in the laboratory. Magnesium produced little or no effect on the system and calcium improved the sludge characteristics slightly. Sodium caused deterioration of the sludge but not as dramatically as the full-scale study. This suggested that sodium alone did not adversely affect the sludge but rather, sodium hydroxide might have been combined with organics in the waste which then affected the system.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Environmental Planning
Department dc:contributor.department
Environmental Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
1987

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Segall, Martha
Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Novak, John T.
  • Randall, Clifford W.
Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Boardman, Gregory D.

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-11202012-040215
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/45911

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Segall, Martha. The effects of cations on activated sludge characteristics. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45911