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| The sludge in my clarifier is floating to the surface in large clumps. I also see fine bubbles. Will bio-augmentation products help my system? |
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| Bio-augmentation products won’t help unless the problem is caused by a toxic chemical entering your system. As with all process disturbances, the operator must strive to determine the cause. A general overview of the influent flow should be checked for anything unusual such as a toxic chemical flow. The dissolved oxygen in the preceding aeration tank(s) should be checked with a calibrated D.O. meter. The D.O. level should be 1.5 to 4.0 mg/L. The sludge blanket level should be checked with a measuring devise such as a CorePRO. A general “rule of thumb” is that the blanket depth should be no more than 1/4 of the sidewall depth. In other words, a 10’ tank shouldn’t have more than a 2.5’ sludge blanket. Sludge that is rising in clumps with fine bubbles generally is indicative of denitrification. This is a process in which the microorganisms in the sludge goes without oxygen for too long and strips the oxygen off of the nitrate (NO3) in the sludge and forms nitrogen gas (N2). This gas is trapped in the sludge. If enough gas is released, the sludge sticks to the gas and floats to the surface. At this point, the only way to get the sludge to settle out is to break it up with a fire hose. This usually gets the sludge to settle back down. The sludge return rates should be increased to get the sludge back in the aeration tank where there is a viable source of oxygen. |
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