Soluble microbial products (SMPs) release in activated sludge systems: a review

This review discusses the characterization, production and implications of soluble microbial products (smps) inbiological wastewater treatment. the precise definition of smps is open to talk about, but is currently regarded as“the pool of organic compounds that are released into solution from substrate metabolism and biomass decay”'.some of the smps have been identified as humic acids, polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids, antibiotics,extracellular enzymes and structural components of cells and products of energy metabolism. they adversely affectthe kinetic activity, flocculating and settling properties of sludge. this review outlines some important findings withregard to biodegradability and treatability of smps and also the effect of process parameters on their production.as smps are produced during biological treatment process, their trace amounts normally remain in the effluent thatdefines the highest cod removal efficiency. their presence in effluent represents a high potential risk of toxicby-product formation during chlorine disinfection. studies have indicated that among all wastewaterpost-treatment processes, the adsorption by granular activated carbon combined with biologically induceddegradation is the most effective method for removal of smps. however, it may be concludes that the knowledgeregarding smps is still under progress and more work is required to fully understand their contribution to thetreatment process.