From Filament ID to Full-System Insight: How Aster Bio Helps You Control Filamentous Bulking
Filamentous bulking is one of those problems every wastewater operator encounters eventually. You spot the tell‑tale signs—poor settling, rising sludge blankets, cloudy effluent—and the microscope confirms it: a filament is driving the issue. But identifying the...
How to Collect MLSS for Microscopic Examination Using a Transfer Pipette
Small disposable transfer pipettes are preferred for MLSS samples because they make collection simple, clean, and consistent. They allow users to pull a small representative volume with minimal handling, reduce the risk of cross-contamination, and can be sealed...
Understanding System Shocks in Wastewater Treatment: What Operators Need to Know
Even well‑run wastewater treatment systems face sudden, destabilizing events known as process shocks. These shocks disrupt biological activity, upset clarifiers, and threaten permit compliance — often with little warning. While every plant is unique, most upsets...
Why Your Aeration System Never Hits Its “Clean-Water” OTE
We know the story: the diffuser grid was rated well in clean-water testing, but real basins rarely perform the same. This post explains why real-world oxygen transfer efficiency (OTE) commonly lands 40–70% below clean-water standard oxygen transfer efficiency...
AOB/NOB Inhibition in Wastewater Treatment: Technical Considerations
In wastewater treatment, the biological conversion of ammonia to nitrate (nitrification) is a two-step process performed by Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) and Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria (NOB). Because these organisms are chemolithoautotrophic and have slow growth...
Attached vs. Suspended Growth: How Biomass Retention Really Shapes Process Performance
A clear difference between MBBR (attached‑growth) and suspended‑growth activated sludge is how much living biomass each system can maintain—and how that living fraction behaves under real operating conditions. The contrast shapes treatment capacity, stability, and...
How fast do nitrifiers really grow?
If you’ve ever wondered why Nitrite spikes show up during startup—or why hot summers can throw your system off—you’re really asking about one thing: replication rates. Nitrosomonas (AOB) and Nitrospira (NOB) are the most common wastewater chemolithoautotrophic...
Spirillum in Wastewater: What These Spiral Bacteria Reveal About Your System’s Health
When you look at activated sludge under the microscope, you usually focused on the big players— metazoa, protozoa, floc size/density, and the filamentous organisms that can make or break settling performance. But sometimes the most important clues come from the...
Loosely Bound vs. Tightly Bound EPS: Why the “Glue” of Your Floc Determines Settling and Compaction
In every activated sludge system, the quality of your solids handling comes down to one thing: how well your biomass sticks together. Operators often focus on filaments, MLSS, or clarifier hydraulics when troubleshooting settling issues — but the real story is...
Spring Algae Blooms in Wastewater Polishing Ponds: Prevention & Control
Spring algae blooms are a familiar challenge for many wastewater treatment facilities that operate polishing ponds—also known as maturation, tertiary, or finishing lagoons. These shallow systems follow secondary treatment and rely on natural processes to further...