| activated sludge | See: activated sludge method. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| activated sludge method | A method of sewage disposal in which the sewage is treated with 15% bacterially active, liquid sludge, which is produced by repeated vigorous aeration of fresh sewage to form floccules or sediment; when this flocculation process is complete, the resulting activated sludge contains large numbers of bacteria, together with yeasts, molds, and protozoa, which actively effect the oxidation of organic compounds; this mixture is piped to a sedimentation tank, the effluent from which is completely treated sewage. (05 Mar 2000) |
| activated sludge process | <procedure> A method of treating sewage and wastewater through microbial oxidation. Sewage previously treated in settling tanks is aerated to encourage the growth of nonpathogenic aerobic microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, moulds and protozoans) which break the organic matter down into carbon dioxide, water and simple salts. After this activated sludge is produced, the wastewater undergoes further processing through anaerobic digestion, filtering and chlorination. (29 Dec 1997) |
| sludge | 1. Mud; mire; soft mud; slush. 2. Small floating pieces of ice, or masses of saturated snow. 3. <chemical> See Slime. Sludge hole, the hand-hole, or manhole, in a steam boiler, by means of which sediment can be removed. Origin: CF. Slush. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| upflow sludge blanket | <apparatus> An apparatus for anaerobic digestion in which the microbes form thick flocculations that are kept suspended near the bottom of the reaction tank. (09 Oct 1997) |
| anaerobic digestion | A biochemical process by which organic matter is decomposed by bacteria in the absence of oxygen, producing methane and other byproducts. (05 Dec 1998) |
| buccal digestion | That part of digestion carried on in the mouth; e.g., the action of salivary amylases. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pancreatic digestion | Digestion in the intestine by the enzymes of the pancreatic juice. (05 Mar 2000) |
| gastric digestion | That part of digestion, chiefly of the proteins, carried on in the stomach by the enzymes of the gastric juice. Synonym: peptic digestion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| peptic digestion | That part of digestion, chiefly of the proteins, carried on in the stomach by the enzymes of the gastric juice. Synonym: peptic digestion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| primary digestion | Digestion in the alimentary tract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| salivary digestion | The conversion of starch into sugar by the action of salivary amylase. (05 Mar 2000) |
| secondary digestion | The change in the chyle effected by the action of the cells of the body, whereby the final products of digestion are assimilated in the process of metabolism. (05 Mar 2000) |
| digestion | 1. The act or process of digesting; reduction to order; classification; thoughtful consideration. 2. <physiology> The conversion of food, in the stomach and intestines, into soluble and diffusible products, capable of being absorbed by the blood. 3. <medicine> Generation of pus; suppuration. Origin: F. Digestion, L. Digestio. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| double digestion | <molecular biology> Treating DNA with two different restriction enzymes, or enzymes which will cleave DNA at specific nucleotide sequences. (09 Oct 1997) |