Abstract
The presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a wastewater treatment system can significantly affect the uptake of heavy metals by sludge particulates. The characteristics of DOM, its concentration, and the solution pH are important parameters governing the heavy metals uptake reaction. The characteristics of DOM of various wastewater and sludge (primary, secondary, and tertiary) samples collected from four municipal wastewater treatment plants were investigated. Results showed that the dissolution of DOM from sludge is significantly affected by pH and suspended solids concentration. Results also showed that DOM contains two discrete acid groups that are available for metals complexation. The site concentration and acidity constants were determined by an alkalimetric titration method. For all DOM samples studied, the acidity constants, pK(aA) and pK(aB), were 5.3 and 9.5, respectively. Based on the acidity constants and the Fourier transform infrared spectra, it is believed that the acid sites consist of carboxylic and amino functional groups. The density of the first acid site was approximately 10-5 mol/mg chemical oxygen demand for all samples studied. However, the density of the second acid site varied significantly among the DOM samples investigated.
Recommended Citation
J. Wang et al., "Acid Characteristics Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Wastewater," Water Environment Research, vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 1041 - 1048, Wiley, Jan 1998.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.2175/106143098X123372
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Publication Status
Full Access
Keywords and Phrases
Acid sites; Acidity constants; Dissolved organic matter; Functional groups; Heavy metals; Sludge; Wastewater
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1061-4303
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 Wiley, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 1998