• Blog
  • Wastewater Testing
  • Bioaugmentation Applications
  • Useful Information
  • About Us
BIOLOGICAL WASTE TREATMENT EXPERT
Contact Us

SV30 - going beyond the 30 min sludge level number to give valuable information

4/9/2018

 
The SV30 is possibly the easiest test done by wastewater treatment system operators. Fill a wide cylinder or settleometer with aeration basin MLSS and allow to settle for 30 minutes. This test is designed to give you settling rates for the MLSS and an estimate of how well secondary clarification will work. If all things are in good shape, just reading the 30 minute number is enough. However if you have problems with filamentous or non-filamentous bulking, secondary clarifiers have become undersized (either by hydraulic or solids carrying rate), denitrification, or have problems with pin-floc, fines, or turbidity - you should do more than just read the number after 30 minutes. Here is how to take advantage of settling tests using SV30 equipment.
  • Monitor settling rate every 5 minutes during the SV30 test. You want the MLSS to settle but not too fast. Old sludge rapidly drops, but leaves turbidity and pin floc in the supernatant. Younger sludge settles more slowly, yet captures more of the small solids that contribute to pin floc or turbidity.
  • Don't dump the sample after 30 minutes. Allow to settle for several hours and monitor compaction (secondary clarifiers run in the hours not minutes. If after time you see floating sludge and small bubbles, you can have denitrification. If a secondary clarifier is denitrifying, you can find the maximum solids inventory time before you start to see problems.
  • If the MLSS does not compact well, you can confirm filaments or non-filamentous bulking with a microscopic exam. The amount of compaction can be correlated to what you see under the microscope which is less subjective that other filament abundance estimate methods.
  • Rapid deflocculation - mainly an industrial WW phenomenon - spills happen in industrial WW. The first sign of problems is an increase in turbidity, free-bacteria in solution, and floating solids. The SV30 test can help detect spills - just look at supernatant turbidity and floating solids.
  • Filamentous bulking often makes a rough layer on top of the MLSS line in the SV30 test. If you have rough MLSS with a steel-wool or mesh appearance, you have filamentous organisms extending from the floc.
  • MLSS color - color helps indicate sludge age and microbial makeup. Note the MLSS color!
Above are the most common SV30 test extensions that I use. Do you have any other observations that relate to effluent quality or clarifier performance? If so, please comment.

Comments are closed.

    Author

    Erik Rumbaugh has been involved in biological waste treatment for over 20 years. He has worked with industrial and municipal wastewater  facilities to ensure optimal performance of their treatment systems. He is a founder of Aster Bio (www.asterbio.com) specializing in biological waste treatment.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Picturepest, marcoverch, perzonseowebbyra, Picturepest, Picturepest, dsearls, dungodung, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, aqua.mech, vastateparksstaff, hile, Aaron Volkening, amishsteve, Neil DeMaster, mklwong88, KOMUnews, Picturepest, kaibara87