A laboratory study was conducted into the effects of the treatment of activated sludge effluent with different oxidants on the biodegradability of the organic substances. It was found that, under the experimental conditions described, ozone increased the biodegradability, whereas chlorine had no apparent significant effect. The effect of continuous oxidative pretreataent of activated sludge effluent on microbial populations and the biological activated carbon used subsequently in the process also was studied. It was found that ozone, particularly at a dosage of about 5 mg/L promoted biological activity, while chlorine and oxygen (in addition to the dissolved oxygen already in the effluent) had no significant effect on the biological population size.