Industrial processes, in particular in chemical and pharmaceutical production, almost always result in waste or side products that require further treatment. Both environmentally benign and least-cost processes are needed, while also allowing the best possible recycling of material. Apart from chemical and mechanical treatment, microbe-based biological methods have become a prime choice for efficient and sustainable wastewater processing.

This concise introduction to the fundamentals of biological treatment of wastewater describes how to model and integrate biological steps into industrial processes. It first covers the chemical, physical and biological basics before taking the reader on to applications, technologies, equipment and process specifics, with modeling methods a prominent feature throughout the text.

From the contents: Introduction Wastewater Characteristics Microbial Metabolism Determination of Stoichiometric Equations for Catabolism and Anabolism Measurements of Mass Transfer and Respiration Rates Kinetics Aerobic Treatment of Wastewater Loaded with Dissolved Organics Nitrogen Removal Biological Phosphorus Removal Biological Wastewater Treatment with Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal Anaerobic Treatment of Wastewater Loaded with Dissolved Organics Membrane Technology in Biological Wastewater Treatment Assessment and Selection of Aeration Systems Simple Models for Biofilm Reactors Modeling Activated Sludge Processes Processing of Water, Recovering of Materials and Treatment of Wastewater Integrated into the Production Process