Indirect Polyphosphate Quantification in Activated Sludge

Abstract

Abstract An indirect biological method is presented to quantify the amount of polyphosphates in activated sludge obtained from wastewater treatment plants removing phosphate biologically. The method is based upon the property of such sludges to degrade polyphosphate reserves under anaerobic conditions as a result of acetate addition thereby releasing inorganic phosphate into solution. The addition of an excess of acetate ensures the consumption of any oxygen and nitrate, and the depletion of intracellular polyphosphates available for acetate storage. Thus, this new method offers a much easier approach than those previously available to quantify polyphosphate, one of the two storage polymers involved in the mechanism of biological phosphate removal.