Hello, are you talking about ...
Published by Michael Martin, Deputy Asset & Technical DIrector at SUEZ International
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Good question. Of direct interest to me is a polyvinyl alcohol polymer sitting in domestic waste water (a by-product of certain household products normal usage). Specifications allow for different dissolving temperatures, so it may still be a solid polymer and not fully dissolved when reaching waste water processing.
Biodegradation specifications require up to 18 days in contact with a bacteria that is common in active sludge but not common in the environment or especially oceanic water - so if it is not retained for long enough in this environment, polymers may survive - undissolved and not biodegradable - into open water.
What I am trying to get my head around is:
Will it be typical for domestic waste water to be subjected to active sludge bacteria for a matter of hours, for a matter of days or for a matter of weeks? What are the typical upper and lower contact times?
I don't know the terminology well enough to tell you if that is about solid retention or hydraulic retention...do you need extra data?
Published by Nick Stene Dip DigM, Director and Digital Marketing Consultant