ENV E 324 DEFINITIONS

A CTIVATED SLUDGE (AS): engineered process in which high concs. of cultured microorganisms are
contacted with WW containing organic matter. Consists of large #’s of bacteria primarily responsible for
assimilating & degrading organic matter.

AS BULKING: poor settling sludge due to growth of filamentous bacteria, SRT too ↑, & microaerobic
condition; V of a given m of sludge increases when poor settling occurs at SVI>150mL/g.

AS PROCESS: bioreactor/aeration tank to final (secondary) clarifier/sedimentation tank to RAS line; aerobic
heterotrophic bacteria degrade organic matters; VSS typically <15g/m3; operated in stationary phase;
target DO conc. in aeration tank =2.0mg/L.

ADVANCED TREATMENT : removal of refractory organics, heavy metals, & dissolved inorganic solids for
reuse.

AEROBE : microorganism that requires molecular O, cannot grow without it; capable of aerobic respiration.

AEROBIC ZONE: PHB metabolized for new cell synthesis, oxidizes to release energy that’s used to form
Poly-P bonds in the cell storage, leading to uptake of orthophosphates within cell.

ALKALINITY: inorganic non-metallic process parameter constituent that measures buffering capacity of
WW. Milliequivalent m of CaCO3 = 50mg/meq.

AMMONIUM -N: in untreated domestic WW; created from hydrolyzation of ON by heterotrophic bacteria;
removed from WW using bio. nitrification & denitrification process; sequentially oxidized to nitrite &
then to nitrate

ANAEROBE: microorganism that cannot grow in the presence of O as it is toxic to them.

ANAEROBIC ZONE: provides favorable condition for PAO growth with short HRTs (0.5-1h) where fraction
of BOD fermented to acetate & consumed by PAOs which produce intracellular storage products, PHB,
& release orthophosphates

ARRHENIUS RELATIONSHIP : estimation of temp. effects on reaction rates (i.e. bio. reaction rate, settling
characteristics, gas transfer rates).

AUTOTROPH : microorganism classified by inorganic C source.

AUTOTROPHIC NITRIFYING BACTERIA: can build organic molecules by using energy obtained from inorganic
sources (i.e., NH4 or nitrite)

BACTERIA : prokaryotic microorganisms which are one to several μm in length.

BENCH-SCALE STUDY : tests conducted in the laboratory with small quantities of samples to answer specific
treatment questions.

BINARY FISSION : reproduction in bacteria which creates new cells with genetic similarity.

BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD): amount of O required by bacteria while biodegrading organic
compounds under aerobic conditions; measures, aggregately, quantity of biodegradable organic
compounds without differentiating specific organic compounds; ~200mg/L in domestic WW.

CARBONACEOUS BOD (CBOD): BOD measured when nitrification reaction is suppressed; found with BOD
test.
 ENV E 324 DEFINITIONS

NITROGENOUS BOD (NBOD): O demand associated with oxidation of ammonia to nitrate.

BOD TEST : determines approx. quantity of O required to bio.ly stabilize organic matter present, size of
WWTPs, efficiency of treatments, & compliance with WW discharge permits.

BOD5: parameter of organic pollution applied to both WW & surface water over 5-days.

BIOLOGICAL DENITRIFICATION : nitrate (employed as an e- acceptor instead of O) reduced to gaseous N;

occurs under anoxic conditions, typically mediated by a range of facultative heterotrophic bacteria;
necessary to provide sufficient e- donor in the form of organic C for energy (rbCOD or methanol/acetate).

BIOLOGICAL NITRIFICATION : occurs under aerobic conditions, mediated by species of autotrophic aerobic
bacteria where ammonium-N is sequentially oxidized to nitrite & then to nitrate; ↑ O 2 requirement by 30-
40% of that required for cBOD removal; pH of 7.0-8.5, ↓with lower temp.

BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL (BNR): process for nutrients removal from WW before it is discharged into
surface water

BIOLOGICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL : P can be removed bio.ly by a group of microbes known as P-

accumulating organisms (PAOs); removed when biomass is wasted

BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT REACTOR : design based on using mass balances across defined volume for each
specific constituent of interest

BIOLOGICAL WASTE TREATMENT: processes which attempt to reproduce, under accelerated, engineered
conditions, the natural decay process which would occur in rivers/lakes if wastes were discharged
untreated

BIOLOGICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT: microbes remove contaminants; goal is to ↓BOD & SS to

acceptable level & remove nutrients, often using aerobic AS treatment processes; relies upon ability of
organisms to utilize contaminants as substrates (food); can be engineered by providing suitable enviro.
conditions & process parameters; O2, NO3-, & SO42- are common e- acceptors.

BIOLOGICAL /C HEMICAL PHOSPHORUS : removes P in tertiary/advanced treatment.

BIOMASS (X): mass of microorganisms in a bio. treatment process; conc. expressed in VSS.

CELL DEATH : cell lysis occurs with release of cellular materials into liquid for consumption by other
bacteria; cell wall isn't dissolved.

CELL DEBRIS: cell wall remains as nonbiodegradable particulate matter in system; represents ~10-15% of
original cell weight; measured as VSS & contributes to total VSS conc. measured in reactor mixed liquor;
rate of production of cell debris is directly proportional to endogenous decay rate

TOTAL & S OLUBLE CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD): O equivalent or organic material in WW that can be
oxidized chemically using dichromate in acid solution; ~500mg/L in domestic WW.

ULTIMATE CARBONACEOUS BOD (UBOD): O required to complete the oxidation of organic C in oxidation,
synthesis, & endogenous respiration.
 ENV E 324 DEFINITIONS

BIODEGRADABLE COD (bCOD): for a given SRT, its removal equals the O + biomass VSS remaining (in
terms of an O eqv.)

SOLUBLE COD ( SCOD):

BIODEGRADABLE SOLUBLE COD (bsCOD): an approx. to BOD5 used in design calcs. for bio. processes; a
water quality (WW) parameter which is an appropriate representation of the fraction of COD that is
rbCOD.

R EADILY BIODEGRADABLE COD (rbCOD): mostly soluble, similar to UBOD; can be degraded in an aeration
tank by aerobic bacteria.

SLOWLY BIODEGRADABLE COD (sbCOD): mostly particulate, similar to particulate UBOD or 1.42bVSS; some
can be degraded by aerobic bacteria.

NON -BIODEGRADABLE PARTICULATE COD (nbpCOD): particulate, similar to particulate COD minus particulate
UBOD or 1.42nbVSS.

NON -BIODEGRADABLE SOLUBLE COD (nbsCOD): mostly particulate, similar to soluble COD minus soluble
UBOD; always present & largely retained in effluent.

CHEMOTROPH : microorganism classified by chem. energy

COLIFORM BACTERIA: Gram negative straight rods, facultative anaerobes which ferment lactose & produce
acid + gas within 48h at 35°C; oxidase -, catalase +. Belong to Enterobacteriaceae family of
Gammaproteobacteria; sensitive indicator of fecal contamination & pathogens in water

DEATH PHASE : substrate depleted so that no growth occurring & change in biomass conc. Is due to cell
death.

DILUTION (D OR P): volume of the original sample.

DISINFECTION : removed pathogens in tertiary/advanced treatment

E NDOGENOUS DECAY COEFFICIENT (b): accounts for loss in cell mass due to oxidation of internal storage
products for energy for cell maintenance, death, & predation by organisms.

E NDOGENOUS DECAY : decrease in cell mass which is proportional to conc. of organisms present

E NHANCED BIOLOGICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL (EBPR) PROCESS : PAOs accumulating P in cell mass (0.2-0.3g
P/g VSS) at level much higher than ordinary heterotrophic microbes (0.01-0.02g P/g VSS) for P removal;
consists of an anaerobic zone followed by an aerobic zone; maintained at SRT>2.5d@20oC in aerobic
stage, DO>1mg/L, pH>6.5.

E NVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER (E NVE): develops bio. treatment systems using the basic principles, & design
bioreactors that enhance degradation rates or functionality.

E SCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI): species of total coliform group specific to intestinal tract of humans/warm-
blooded animals associated with fecal contamination; bacterial indicator that divides every 20min.

E UKARYOTE : may or may not be a microorganism with nucleus, membrane-bound organelles; are large &
are single cell or multicellular (i.e. algae, protozoa, fungi, plant, animal).
 ENV E 324 DEFINITIONS

E UTROPHICATION : caused by release of nutrients into surface waters; causes summer algal blooms, low DO,
kills fish, etc.

E XOGENEOUS : provided from outside.

E XPONENTIAL GROWTH PHASE: bacterial cells multiplying at max. rate since no limitation due to
substrate/nutrients; biomass growth curve increases exponentially but still affected by temp.

FACULTATIVE AEROBES: versatile microorganisms that grow under aerobic & anaerobic conditions.

FACULTATIVE AEROBIC BACTERIA: bacteria that can use O or nitrate/nitrite as e- acceptors when O is not
available

FERMENTATION : non-exogenous e- acceptors with low energy yield

FINAL/TERMINAL ELECTRON ACCEPTOR : organic molecule, O, or inorganic e- acceptor such as nitrate, sulfate,
etc.

FOOD TO MICROORGANISM RATION (F/M): measure of the mass of food available per unit mass of
microorganism; balance between substrate & biomass conc.

GENERATION/DOUBLING TIME: time required for a cell to divide.

GROWTH RATE LIMITING SUBSTRATE : essential requirement for cell growth, often the e- donor as other
requirements usually available in excess

HALF-VELOCITY CONSTANT (KS): substrate conc. At ½ the max. specific substrate utilization rate.

HETEROTROPH : microorganism classified by organic C source.

HETEROTROPHIC BACTERIA: use organic compounds as C source for cell synthesis; hydrolyze ON to
ammonium-N.

HYDRAULIC RESIDENCE TIME (HRT): indicates average time liquid WW or soluble compounds remain in
bioreactor in contact with microorganisms

HYPERTHERMOPHIC : thermophile microorganism that can grow in 75°C+.

INDICATOR /SURROGATE MICROORGANISM : uses selected groups of bacteria to indicate potential fecal
contamination of water. Must be present with fecal contamination, # of survival characteristics ≥ that of
the pathogen, of warm-blooded animal intestine origin, can’t reproduce outside host, isolation &
quantification > the pathogen, and shouldn’t be able to multiply in water.

I NORGANIC SOLIDS : are in influent WW (TSS-VSS) & biomass (10-15% by dry weight); are insoluble &
assumed captured in mixed-liquor solids & removed in wasted solids.

KINETIC COEFFICIENTS : determined from bench-scale testing or full-scale plant test results & vary as a
function of WW source, microbial pop., & temp.; represents net effect of microbial kinetics on
simultaneous degradation of variety of different WW constituents

LAG PHASE: time required for organisms to acclimate to new enviro. before significant cell division &
biomass production.
 ENV E 324 DEFINITIONS

MASS B ALANCE : indicated flowrates (kg/L/s) for mass of constituent entering/leaving the system &
appropriate reaction rate terms for depletion/production of the constituent within the system.

MEASURED SOLIDS P RODUCTION (P X): sum of solids in system effluent flow & solids intentionally wasted.

MESOPHILIC : microorganism with moderate temp. range, ~20°C-45°C.

METABOLISM : energy balance (production & use) in cells; involves many biochemical reactions in which
electrons are passed from one molecule to another

METALLIC CONSTITUENTS : macro & micro nutrients, toxic at elevated concs., watch for them for reuse.

MICHAELIS-MENTEN EQUATION : models the substrate utilization rate for soluble substances.

MICROAEROPHILE : microorganism that requires an extremely low conc. of O for growth.

MICROBES: removes contaminants; use organic compounds for energy generation & growth; transfer e’s
from organic compounds (oxidized) to appropriate e- acceptors (reduced); from this e- transfer process,
microbes generate ATP energy.

MICROBIAL GROWTH : rapid & simple increase in cell #.

MICROBIAL GROWTH CURVE: represent what occurs in a batch reactor in which, at t=0, substrate & nutrients
are present in excess & only a very small pop. of biomass exists. As substrate is consumed, 4 distinct
growth phases develop sequentially.

MICROBIAL METABOLISM : converts the fuel in food into energy, harvesting it from glucose & other organic
molecules (i.e. fats, amino acids), conserving it as ATP.

MIXED LIQUOR (ML): the (homogeneous) mixture of solids (biomass + other) & WW in a bioreactor of AS
system.

MIXED LIQUOR SUSPENDED SOLIDS (MLSS): conc. of SS in aeration tank (2000-4000mg/L); helps determine
aeration tank V when compatible with sludge settling characteristics & clarifier design

MIXED LIQUOR VOLATILE SUSPENDED SOLIDS (MLVSS): includes all the biomass X grown on various
substrates plus the nbVSS; MLVSS nbVSS conc. is affected by the amount of nbVSS in the influent WW,
the amount of nbVSS wasted per day, & the amount of cell debris produced from cell decay

MODIFIED BARDENPHO PROCESS: BNR with combined N & P removal with BOD removal & nitrification in
main aerobic stage, denitrification in pre-anoxic stage, P removal in main aerobic & anaerobic stages,
additional denitrification in post-anoxic stage, & stripping of residual N2 from solution & minimize
release of P in final clarifier in final aerobic stage

MONOD EQUATION : expresses specific microbial or biomass growth rate in variety of enviro. bio. treatment
processes in which the limiting substrate is available to the microorganisms in a dissolved form

NET BIOMASS GROWTH RATE (rx): the net active rate of microbial growth or production per unit reactor V,
applicable in both batch & cont. culture systems; is the biomass growth rate less the endogenous
respiration rate

NET BIOMASS YIELD (YBio): estimate of amount of active microorganisms in system; ratio of net biomass
growth rate to substrate utilization rate
 ENV E 324 DEFINITIONS

NITRIFICATION -DENITRIFICATION P ROCESS: removes N in tertiary/advanced treatment.

NUTRIENTS (N & P): N & P; release causes eutrophication in surface waters

OBLIGATE AEROBE : microorganism with an absolute requirement for O to grow.

OBLIGATE /S TRAIGHT AEROBE: microorganisms that live only in the absence of O as it is poisonous to them.

OBSERVED BIOMASS YIELD (Yobs): based on actual measurements of biomass production & substrate
consumption & is less than synthesis yield because of cell loss concurrent with cell growth.

OBSERVED SOLIDS YIELD (Y obs): estimate of amount of sludge produced; accounts for actual solids production
that would be measured for the system, rel. to substrate removal

ORGANIC MATTER : contains stored chem. energy, which allows it to act as food for various organisms who
consume & metabolize it.

OXYGEN DEMAND: O required for biodegradation of carbonaceous material, determined from mass balance
using [bCOD] of WW treated & amount of biomass wasted from system daily.

PARTICULATE COD ( PCOD):

PARTICULATE SUBSTRATE CONVERSION RATE (rxs): rate-limiting process dependent on particulate substrate &
biomass concs..

PATHOGENS : potentially disease-causing organism; can be bacteria, protozoa, & viruses.

PHOSPHORUS -ACCUMULATING ORGANISMS (PAO S): group of microbes that can bio.ly remove P using EBPR,
accumulating P in cell mass at the level much higher than ordinary heterotrophic microbes. Growth
kinetics within same order magnitude of aerobic heterotrophic in AS process

PHOTOTROPH : microorganism classified by light energy.

PILOT -SCALE TESTING : Studies conducted at test beds at a scale larger than bench-scale, to establish the
suitability of a process in the treatment of a specific WW under specific enviro. conditions & to obtain
data that can be used for full-scale design.

POST-DENITRIFICATION : employs rbCOD from the WW as e- donor

PRELIMINARY TREATMENT : physical treatment process which uses screening & grit removal to remove larger
inorganic & floating particles & some SS.

PRE-DENITRIFICATION : employs either external C source (methanol) or relies on endogenous decay of

bacteria.

PRIMARY TREATMENT : removal of portion of SS & organic matter mainly using physical treatment (gravity
settling), sometimes adding chem. coagulant. Goal is 50-60% SS reduction & 20-30% BOD reduction.

PROKARYOTE : microorganism with no nucleus or membrane-bound organelles; small (0.5-5μm), always

single cell (i.e. bacteria, archaea).

PROTOZOA : larger microorganisms that feed upon bacteria & are indicative of effective treatment
conditions which produce relatively clear effluent (i.e. rotifers, stalked ciliates)
 ENV E 324 DEFINITIONS

PSYCHROPHILIC : cold-loving microorganism, grows at 0°C, or -10°C to 20°C.

R ATE OF OXYGEN UPTAKE (rO): related stoichiometrically to substrate utilization rate & microbial growth
rate.

REDOX/OXIDATION-R EDUCTION R EACTION : electron-releasing & electron-accepting reactions where one

compound loses e’s (donor) vs. the other receives e’s (acceptor); generates energy for microorganisms

RESIDENCE TIME : determines volume of bioreactor; typically longer for nutrients removal & operation at
low temp.

R ESPIRATION : exogenous e- acceptors with high energy yield; O consumed for endogenous respiration.

SECONDARY TREATMENT: removal of biodegradable organic matter & SS using bio. treatment (i.e. AS);
includes disinfection. Reduces BOD, bsCOD, SS, N, & P.

SEPARATE -SLUDGE SYSTEM: uncommon; optimize C oxidation & nitrification separately

SINGLE-SLUDGE SYSTEM: BOD & ammonium are removed in a single tank; requires extended SRTs
compared to the systems designed for BOD removal alone; SRT of 10–20 days at 10 oC, 4-7 days at 20oC.

SLUDGE HANDLING & T REATMENT: combines physical/chem./bio. process to reduce sludge V for
landfill/land application with thickening, anaerobic digestion, dewatering, & incineration/landfill.

SLUDGE VOLUME INDEX (SVI): indication of settling characteristics of sludge; high SVI indicates sludge
settles poorly; desired value <100 to achieve good sludge settling in AS process

SVI EMPIRICAL TEST : volume of 1g dry weight of sludge after 30min of settling, determined by placing
mixed-liquor sample in 1L or 2L cylinder & measuring settled V after 30min & corresponding MLSS
conc.

SOLIDS PRODUCTION : (from a bio. reactor) represents mass of material that must be removed daily to
maintain the process, quantified in terms of TSS, VSS, & biomass.

SOLIDS R ESIDENCE /R ESISTANCE TIME (SRT): avg. t solid biomass, microbial cell, or AS solids remain in
bioreactor (system) to achieve given degree of treatment; key design & operating parameter for AS
process that affects system solids production (total sludge produced daily), determines effluent soluble
substrate & aeration tank biomass conc., & is maintained by amount of solids wasted per day, or by
wasting a given % of the aeration tank V per day to control process performance. Determined by ÷
aeration tank solids mass by the solids removed daily via effluent & wasting; ↑SRT = filamentous
bacteria growth, sludge bulking, ↓sludge settling, ↑biomass decay, cell debris accumulation, ↑diff. b/w
MLVSS & biomass VSS; ↓SRT = pin floc, ↓sludge settling, ↑effluent SS. AKA sludge age or mean cell
retention time.

SOLIDS WASTING RATE (1/SRT): the inverse of SRT; solids wasted per day divided by solids present (a
fraction); = to net biomass growth rate per day

SOLUBLE SUBSTRATE UTILIZATION RATE (rsu): a fraction of total degradable organic substrates; the amount of
substrate removed in the reactor ÷ by the reactor V.

SPECIFIC MICROBIAL GROWTH RATE (μnet): corresponds to change in biomass per day rel. to biomass amount
present; function of substrate conc. & endogenous decay coefficient.
 ENV E 324 DEFINITIONS

S PECIFIC SUBSTRATE UTILIZATION RATE (U): a

STATIONARY PHASE : amount of growth offset by death cells; biomass conc. remains relatively constant with
time.

STEADY -STATE: the rate of change of biomass conc. in reactor (dX/dt) is = to 0.

SUBSTRATE (S): WW/solids constituents used to promote bio. growth; typically organic compounds
expressed in BOD or COD.

SWING ZONE: nitrification zone that can be either aerobic or anoxic by switching diffusers on & off; are
switched manually, mostly seasonally.

TERTIARY TREATMENT: removal of nutrients & residual SS with physical, chemical, & bio. treatment.
Reduces N, P, & pathogens.

THERMOPHILIC : heat-loving microorganisms with an optimum growth temp. of 50°C+.

THERMOTOLERANT/FECAL COLIFORMS : included in sub-group of coliforms, differentiated by their ability to

grow at 44.5°C

TOTAL MIXED-LIQUOR VSS: (in aeration tank) equals biomass conc. plus nbVSS conc. (mass balance),
which is affected by the amount of nbVSS in influent WW, the amount of nbVSS wasted daily, & amount
of cell debris produced from cell decay.

TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS): includes VSS + inorganic solids; total mass of dry solids wasted per day is
based on TSS.

TRUE/SYNTHESIS YIELD (Y): amount of biomass produced during cell synthesis rel. to amount of substrate
degraded

VOLATILE SUSPENDED SOLIDS (VSS): consists of active biomass, cell debris following endogenous decay,
nbVSS in influent WW fed to bio. reactor & other particulate organic matter.

NONBIODEGRADABLE VSS (nbVSS): conc. resulting from cell debris is a relatively small fraction of VSS in
bioreactor used to treat municipal & some industrial WWs. Comes from cell debris from endogenous
respiration & influent WW; fraction of solids in influent largely retained in WAS stream. Typically 60-
100mg/L in untreated WW & 10-40mg/L in primary WW.

VOLUMETRIC ORGANIC LOADING RATE (VL): mass load of a compound per unit volume per unit time; very
important load-based design approach.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESS: design objective to remove BOD & SS using physical & bio. processes
to meet discharge regulation & reduce sludge V; levels are preliminary treatment, primary treatment,
secondary treatment, tertiary/advanced treatment, & sludge handling & treatment.

WASTING : removes excess solids when effluent VSS is low by most commonly removing biomass/sludge
from the clarifier underflow recycle line or from the aeration tank.