Discover the Editor's Choice: From each issue of the leading journal Water Science & Technology the core team of editors select one outstanding paper to make Open Access and share across IWA Publishing platforms.
IWA Publishing is pleased to announce that the 29th Editor's Choice Paper, chosen by Marie-Noelle Pons, is now Open Access:
Correlating sludge constituents with digester foaming risk using sludge foam potential and rheology
Kota Nishiguchi and Mari K. H. Winkler
https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2020.180
Why was this paper selected for Editor's Choice?
Microthrix parvicella is a well-known old foe in activated sludge plants, but it can also induce foaming in an anaerobic digester. In this paper, the authors have investigated three full-scale anaerobic digesters where foaming accidents have occurred. They have discussed the practical application of foam evaluation methods presenting different levels of sophistication: foam potential, viscometer ramp test, filaments counting, and DNA extraction followed by qPCR for bacterial species identification. The experimental methods are well explained and compared and the work can be particularly useful to plant managers facing foaming problems in their anaerobic digesters. I recommend reading this paper for both its scientific aspects and its practical usefulness in full-scale plants.
Marie-Noelle Pons, Editor.