A quick system for estimating the purification performance of waste water treatment plants based on the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of activated sludge; Sistema rapido de estimacion de los rendimientos en depuracion de una EDAR en funcion de las caracteristicas macroscopicas del fango activado

Microbiological studies of activated sludge require time, specialized staff and the arduous task of identifying and analysing the results, which is not usually within the scope of every laboratory. This article raises the possibility of carrying out a simplified study of active sludge, based on its macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, which produces a sludge index value that is directly related to the percentage reduction of solids in suspension, COD and BOD in the waste water treatment plant. In addition, this sludge index would also provide the possibility of quickly obtaining a historical record of biological quality values using a simple protocol that could be use for comparisons. (Author) 10 refs.