activated sludge

British  

noun

1. a mass of aerated precipitated sewage added to untreated sewage to bring about purification by hastening decomposition by microorganisms

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Example Sentences

These plants can magnify antibiotic resistance by giving genes that confer the resistance the opportunity to spread among different types of bacteria in activated sludge, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s the name — Activated Sludge.

From Washington Post

Most plants use activated sludge treatment, which uses bacteria to break down solids that come in from the wastewater.

From Scientific American

A substantial concentration of organics in the waste water because of water loss could allow the use of methane- and energy-producing anaerobic digestion, rather than energy-consuming aerobic systems, such as activated sludge.

From Nature

Her research team estimates that, at commercial scale, the cost of this new technology would be comparable to that of today’s commonly used activated sludge systems, even if one neglects the value of excess electricity sales.

From Scientific American