ASTM_E_1798_-_96_2008.pdf

Designation:E 1798 96(Reapproved 2008)Standard Test Method forAssessing Treatability or Biodegradability,or Both,ofOrganic Chemicals in Porous Pots1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1798;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon(e)indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This test method covers simulating the activated sludgesewage treatment process and therefore gives a measure of theextent of biodegradation or removal likely to occur duringsewage treatment.1.2 Assessment of treatability or biodegradability,or both,of water soluble organic compounds in the porous pot testrequires dissolved organic carbon(DOC)measurements orspecific chemical analysis.1.2.1 Dissolved organic carbon(DOC)measurements,rela-tive to the controls,can be used to calculate the removal of thetest chemical or water soluble residues by the porous pottreatment(see 12.3).The DOC measurements do not identifywater soluble chemicals.Specific chemical analysis,on theother hand,can be used to identify and quantify the parent testchemical or(if standards are available)any water solubleresidues formed by the porous pot treatment.A specificchemical analytical method must have a limit of detection(LOD)#0.1 mg/L in water or#0.1 mg/Kg in solids.1.3 The feature that distinguishes this test from otheractivated sludge simulation tests is the retention of the acti-vated sludge in a porous liner,that eliminates the need for asecondary clarifier and facilitates control of the critical param-eter,the sludge retention time(SRT).1.4 Porous pots can be completely sealed and testsusing14C-labeled test compounds are then possible.Carbondioxide in the exhaust gas and bicarbonate in the effluent canbe used together to assess the extent of mineralization,andlevels of radiolabel in the sludge and in the aqueous phase mayalso be determined.1.5 By simultaneously measuring the efficiency of the potsin removing DOC,it is also possible to determine whether thetest compound has any adverse effect on normal sewagetreatment processes.1.6 The SI units given in parentheses are for informationonly.1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.For specific hazardstatements see Section 6.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E 178 Practice for Dealing With Outlying Observations3.Terminology3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:3.1.1 aeration chamberthe interior volume of the porousliner or candle that holds the activated sludge.3.1.2 activated sludge(mixed liquor)a heterogeneousmixture,suspended in sewage influent,consisting of a varietyof microorganisms(primarily bacteria)formed into flocculentparticles,that is cultured for the purpose of removing organicsubstrates and certain inorganic constituents from wastewatersby metabolic uptake and growth on these substrates.Normaloperating concentrations of activated sludge in aeration unitsrange from 2000 to 5000 mg/L(1).33.1.3 biochemical oxygen demand(BOD)the biochemicaloxygen demand,measured as the amount of oxygen used forrespiration during the aerobic metabolism of an energy sourceby acclimated microorganisms.Carbonaceous BOD is a mea-sure of the amount of oxygen used during the metabolism of anorganic substrate and represents the amount of COD that hasbeen oxidized biologically at any time.Nitrogenous BOD is ameasure of the amount of oxygen required for the biologicaloxidation of inorganic nitrogen compounds(nitrification).BOD5is the biochemical oxygen demand after five days ofincubation(1).3.1.4 biodegradationdestruction of chemical compoundsby the biological action of living organisms(2).1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E47 onBiological Effects and Environmental Fate and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee E47.04 on Environmental Fate and Transport of Biologicals andChemicals.Current edition approved Feb.1,2008.Published April 2008.Originallyapproved in 1996.Last previous edition approved in 2001 as E 178996(2001).2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3The boldface numbers given in parentheses refer to a list of references at theend of the text.1Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959,United States.3.1.5 chemical oxygen demand(COD)the amount ofoxygen required to oxidize the organic matter in a givensample under the best possible analytical conditions for maxi-