Toxic effects of inhibitors in biological wastewater treatment processes

Toxic effects of inhibitors on microbial growth in the activated sludge process were demonstrated by a kinetic model. The effects of pH and biomass concentration on the degree of inhibition were described. The applicability of the kinetic model to describe the inhibitory effects with respect to various growth measuring parameters like respiration rate, ATP analysis, first and zero order reaction rates were illustrated. The inhibitory effects of heavy metals on the nitrification and denitrification processes were established. Experimental data from other investigations were used to prove the applicability of the model.