Fig. 4: Sludge characteristics of pilot-scale micron-medium biofilm composite sludge (MMBCS) system.

a Images of microscopy. b Scanning electron microscopy photograph. c Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS). d Sludge volume index (SVI). e Particle size distribution and fractal dimension. f Size interval distribution. For (c and d), the shaded area represents the standard deviation. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (samples n = 3).