California Wastewater Treatment Operator Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the California Wastewater Treatment Operator Exam. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with detailed explanations to boost your readiness. Prepare with confidence and aim for success!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What type of treatment is primarily used to thicken sludge instead of dewatering it?

Activated sludge process
Trickling filtration
DAF - Dissolved Air Flotation
RBC - Rotating Biological Contactor

The correct answer is: DAF - Dissolved Air Flotation

The correct choice focuses on the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) process, which is primarily utilized for the thickening of sludge. In a DAF system, microscopic air bubbles are generated and introduced to the mixed liquor, causing the smaller solid particles and some of the suspended solids to rise to the surface, where they can be removed as a thickened sludge. This process effectively increases the concentration of solids, making it instrumental in thickening rather than explicitly dewatering. In contrast, the activated sludge process primarily involves the treatment of wastewater and biological processes aimed at reducing the organic matter content. Trickling filtration uses a fixed film process where microbial growth on media treats the wastewater but does not focus on thickening sludge. Similarly, the Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) employs a different biological treatment strategy that revolves around the rotation of media to provide surface area for biological growth, but it is not specifically designed for sludge thickening. Each of these alternatives serves a distinct function in wastewater treatment rather than the sludge thickening process that DAF is known for.