INT-dehydrogenase test for activated sludge process control.

Dehydrogenase activity assay of activated sludge using the redox dye 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyltetrazolium chloride (INT) was investigated. INT-dehydrogenase activity (INT-DHA) was directly proportional to INT dosage and inversely proportional to bio-mass concentration over limited ranges. INT dosages exceeding 2.5m/M were toxic to dilute activated sludge suspensions. INT-DHA was greatest near pH 9, whereas the peak oxygen uptake rate (OUR) occurred at pH 8. Both INT-DHA and OUR varied inversely with sludge age, but INT-DHA was the more sensitive of the two parameters to this variable. Consistently good and highly significant correlations between INT-DHA and OUR of chlorine stressed activated sludge were found at sludge ages ranging 2.2-7.0 days.