Environmental Biotechnology - Theory and Application

Aerobes and Effluents 141

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offtake is typically of high quality. The excess biomass arising is dewatered and
tankered off site, while the supernatant liquor is returned as an inoculant to the
aeration tank.
It is a particularly simple system in principle and clearly illustrates that practical
‘biotech’ solutions do not have to be technologically complex or highly engineered.
However, operational success is only possible given a thorough appreciation of
the biological processes involved and the constraints imposed by particular local
circumstances.