Behaviour of bacterial extracellular polymeric substances from activated sludge: a review

Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) are the predominant constituents of activated sludge and dramatically affect its properties. As EPS constitute as much as 50-90% of the solid phase of sludge, the use of EPS may bring a great reduction in sludge volume and mass, which have been great environmental interest. In this paper, results of over 60 publications related to structure, composition, storing condition, extraction and characteristics of EPS and their influences on behaviours of EPS is analysed. Possible application of EPS in heavy metal contamination is also discussed, together with a brief consideration of possible research interests.