Aerobic and anaerobic membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment.

An aerobic bioreactor and an anaerobic bioreactor, each coupled with a microfiltration membrane filter (MBR), were operated at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) with primary effluent from the City of Elmhurst, Illinois, municipal-wastewater-treatment plant. The soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal performance of the anaerobic MBR system was similar to that of the aerobic MBR under the same operational conditions, without the added cost of aeration. The results indicated that the solids deposition rate on the membrane surface was lower in the case of anaerobic MBR compared to the aerobic MBR, indicating possible lower loss in water-flux rates. This research found that an anaerobic MBR is a feasible and economical option for municipal-wastewater-treatment plants seeking COD removal by a biological process followed by a separate nitrification and denitrification system.     

Performance of a submerged membrane bioreactor system for biological nutrient removal.

A pilot submerged membrane bioreactor coupled with biological nutrient removal was used to treat the primary effluent at a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Long-term experiments were conducted by varying hydraulic retention time from 6 to 8 hours and solids retention time from 20 to 50 days, respectively. The performance was assessed by monitoring key wastewater parameters, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen, and phosphorus concentration in individual anoxic, anaerobic, aerobic, and membrane separation zones. Results showed that the tested system can consistently achieve COD, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal efficiencies at 80 to 98%, 70 to 93%, and 89 to 98%, respectively. Effluent COD remained low as a result of efficient solid retention, even though there was great variation in influent quality. However, total nitrogen increased proportionally with influent concentration. At a 50-day solids retention time, higher COD and nitrogen oxides specific utilization rates in the anoxic zone resulted in a high production of nitrogen oxides in the subsequent aerobic zone.     

Treatment of food industry waste by bench-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket-anoxic-aerobic system.

An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB)-anoxicaerobic system was used for treatment of tomato and bean processing wastewater. At various hydraulic retention times, ranging from 0.7 to 5 days, excellent removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia-nitrogen (NH4-N), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen was achieved with final effluent BOD/TSS/NH4N concentrations of less than 15/15/1 mg/L. Biogas yield in the UASB reactor varied from 0.33 to 0.44 m3/kgCODremoved. The kinetics of anaerobic treatment were investigated. The yield coefficient was 0.03 gVSS/gCOD; maximum specific growth rate was 0.24 day(-1); Monod half velocity constant was 135 mgCOD/L; and specific substrate utilization rate was 3.25 gCOD/gVSS x d. Nitrification and denitrification kinetics were studied in batch experiments, and the rates were comparable with those in the continuous flow system.     

Decolorization and biodegradation of dye wastewaters by a facultative-aerobic process

BACKGROUND: Dye wastewater is one of the main pollution sources of water bodies in China. Conventional biological processes are relatively ineffective for color removal, the development of alternative treatment methods will become important. Our subjective was that of introducing a new biotreatment technology which combined a facultative biofilm reactor (FBR) with an aerobic reactor (AR) to treat a dye wastewater. The efficiencies of color and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and the mechanism of dye degradation were investigated. METHODS: The anthraquinone acid dye (acid blue BRLL) concentration, organic loading rate (OLR) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) were varied in the experiments to evaluate the treatment efficiency and process stability. The biodegradation products were detected by infrared (IR) and high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results demonstrated that the facultative biofilm process was more effective for decolorization than the anaerobic stage of an anaerobic-aerobic process. Most color removal occurred in the facultative reaction (maximum to 88.5%) and the BOD (biochemical oxygen demand): COD of the FBR effluent increased by 82.2%, thus improving the biodegradability of dyes for further aerobic treatment. The dye concentration, OLR and HRT will be the factors affecting decolorization. Color removal efficiency falls as the influent dye concentration increases, but rises with increased HRT. The infrared and HPLC-MS analyses of the effluents of FBR and AR reveal that the dye parent compound was degraded in each reactor during the process. CONCLUSION: The Facultative-aerobic (F-A) system can effectively remove both color and COD from the dye wastewater. The FBR played an essential role in the process. The average overall color and COD in the system were removed by more than 93.9% and 97.1%, respectively, at an OLR of 1.1 kg COD m(-3) d(-1) and at the HRT of 18-20 hours in the FBR and 4-5 hours in the AR. The color removal mechanism in each reactor was not only a sort of biosorption on the floc materials, but even more an effect of biodegradation, especially in the facultative process. Recommendation and Outlook. In applying the F-A system to treat a dye wastewater, the control of facultative processes and the set up of appropriate operation conditions appear to be critical factors. Also, it is suggested a moderate COD loading rate and about a 24-hour HRT will favor the F-A system.     

Combination of ozonation with conventional aerobic oxidation for distillery wastewater treatment

Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted in order to investigate the effect of ozone as pre-aerobic treatment and post-aerobic treatment for the treatment of the distillery wastewater. The degradation of the pollutants present in distillery spent wash was carried out by ozonation, aerobic biological degradation processes alone and by using the combinations of these two processes to investigate the synergism between the two modes of wastewater treatment and with the aim of reducing the overall treatment costs. Pollutant removal efficiency was followed by means of global parameters directly related to the concentration of organic compounds in those effluents: chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the color removal efficiency in terms of absorbance of the sample at 254 nm. Ozone was found to be effective in bringing down the COD (up to 27%) during the pretreatment step itself. In the combined process, pretreatment of the effluent led to enhanced rates of subsequent biological oxidation step, almost 2.5 times increase in the initial oxidation rate has been observed. Post-aerobic treatment with ozone led to further removal of COD along with the complete discoloration of the effluent. The integrated process (ozone-aerobic oxidation-ozone) achieved approximately 79% COD reduction along with discoloration of the effluent sample as compared to 34.9% COD reduction for non-ozonated sample, over a similar treatment period.     

Modeling of vapor intrusion from hydrocarbon-contaminated sources accounting for aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation

A one-dimensional steady state vapor intrusion model including both anaerobic and oxygen-limited aerobic biodegradation was developed. The aerobic and anaerobic layer thickness are calculated by stoichiometrically coupling the reactive transport of vapors with oxygen transport and consumption. The model accounts for the different oxygen demand in the subsurface required to sustain the aerobic biodegradation of the compound(s) of concern and for the baseline soil oxygen respiration. In the case of anaerobic reaction under methanogenic conditions, the model accounts for the generation of methane which leads to a further oxygen demand, due to methane oxidation, in the aerobic zone. The model was solved analytically and applied, using representative parameter ranges and values, to identify under which site conditions the attenuation of hydrocarbons migrating into indoor environments is likely to be significant. Simulations were performed assuming a soil contaminated by toluene only, by a BTEX mixture, by Fresh Gasoline and by Weathered Gasoline. The obtained results have shown that for several site conditions oxygen concentration below the building is sufficient to sustain aerobic biodegradation. For these scenarios the aerobic biodegradation is the primary mechanism of attenuation, i.e. anaerobic contribution is negligible and a model accounting just for aerobic biodegradation can be used. On the contrary, in all cases where oxygen is not sufficient to sustain aerobic biodegradation alone (e.g. highly contaminated sources), anaerobic biodegradation can significantly contribute to the overall attenuation depending on the site specific conditions.     

A comparison of membrane bioreactor and conventional-activated-sludge mixed liquor and biosolids characteristics.

Characteristics and behavior of raw and digested mixed liquor derived from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and a full-scale activated-sludge (FSAS) facility were compared. The accumulation of nondegradable chemical oxygen demand in the MBR appears to play an important role in increasing the observed biological yield coefficient (Y(obs)), reducing average floc size, decreasing total suspended solids/total solids and volatile suspended solids/volatile solids (VS) ratios, and reducing specific-oxygen-uptake rates of the mixed liquor relative to FSAS-derived biological solids. Membrane bioreactor sludges exhibited lower VS destruction following 30 days mesophilic-anaerobic and aerobic digestion when compared to FSAS sludges. Significant deterioration in dewatering behavior was observed for the FSAS biosolids after anaerobic digestion and, to a lesser extent, following aerobic digestion. In comparison, digestion had a small affect on dewatering efficiency and conditioner requirements for MBR biosolids. Full-scale facilities using membrane separation may need to tailor digestion and dewatering processes to the specific characteristics of MBR sludges.     

Integrated physicochemical and biological treatment process for fluoride and phosphorus removal from fertilizer plant wastewater

The phosphate fertilizer industry produces highly hazardous and acidic wastewaters. This study was undertaken to develop an integrated approach for the treatment of wastewaters from the phosphate industry. Effluent samples were collected from a local phosphate fertilizer producer and were characterized by their high fluoride and phosphate content. First, the samples were pretreated by precipitation of phosphate and fluoride ions using hydrated lime. The resulting low- fluoride and phosphorus effluent was then treated with the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process to monitor the simultaneous removal of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Phosphorus removal included a two-stage anaerobic/aerobic system operating under continuous flow. Pretreated wastewater was added to the activated sludge and operated for 160 days in the reactor. The operating strategy included increasing the organic loading rate (OLR) from 0.3 to 1.2 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L.d. The stable and high removal rates of COD, NH4(+)-N, and PO4(3-)-P were then recorded. The mean concentrations of the influent were approximately 3600 mg COD/L, 60 mg N/L, and 14 mg P/L, which corresponded to removal efficiencies of approximately 98%, 86%, and 92%, respectively.     

Measuring biomass specific ammonium, nitrite and phosphate uptake rates in aerobic granular sludge

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology offers the possibility to remove organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in a single reactor system. The granular structure is stratified in such a way that both aerobic and anaerobic/anoxic layers are present. Since most of the biological processes in AGS systems occur simultaneously, the measurement and estimation of the capacity of specific conversions is complicated compared to suspended biomass. The determination of the activities of different functional groups in aerobic granular sludge allows for identification of the potential metabolic capacity of the sludge and aids to analyze bioreactor performance. It allows for comparison of different sludges and enables improved understanding of the interaction and competition between different metabolic groups of microorganisms. The most appropriate experimental conditions and methods to determine specific ammonium, nitrite and phosphate uptake rates under normal operation of AGS reactors were evaluated and described in this study. Extra biomass characterization experiments determining the maximum uptake rate of these compounds on optimized conditions were performed as well to see how much spare capacity was available. The methodologies proposed may serve as an experimental frame of reference for investigating the metabolic capacities of microbial functional groups in biofilm processes.     

Anaerobic treatment of high-saline wastewater using halophilic methanogens in laboratory-scale anaerobic filters.

The presence of a high concentration of sodium in wastewater is considered inhibitory for anaerobic biological treatment. This research was designed to investigate the potential use of halophilic methanogens and a mixed culture of halophilic methanogens and digester sludge, in anaerobic filters, for treatment of organic pollutants in high-saline wastewater at 35 degrees C. Data related to startup of the filters are presented. Both halophilic and mixed-culture anaerobic filters were able to operate at a sodium chloride concentration of 35 g/L, at organic loading rates (OLRs) of 6.2 and 5 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/m(3) x d, respectively. The COD removal efficiency was as high as 80%, and the systems were able to maintain a low volatile fatty acids concentration of 500 mg/L. No significant difference in COD removal was observed between the halophilic filter and the mixed-culture filter. Increasing the salt concentration to 37 g/L at an OLR of 3 kg/m(3) x d caused system failure.     

Enhancement of chemical-oxygen demand and color removal of distillery spent-wash by ozonation.

Distillery spent-wash has very high organic content (75,000 to 125,000 mg/L chemical-oxygen demand [COD]), color, and contains difficult-to-biodegrade organic compounds. For example, anaerobic treatment of the distillery spent-wash used in this study resulted in 60% COD reduction and low color removal. Subsequent aerobic treatment of the anaerobic effluent resulted in enhancement of COD removal to 66%. In this paper, the effect of ozonation on various properties of the anaerobically treated distillery effluent, including the effect on its subsequent aerobic biodegradation, was investigated. Ozonation of the anaerobically treated distillery effluent at various ozone doses resulted in the reduction of total-organic carbon (TOC), COD, COD/TOC ratio, absorbance, color, and increase in the biochemical-oxygen demand (BOD)/COD ratio of the effluent. Further, ozonation of the anaerobically treated distillery effluent at an ozone dose of 2.08 mg/mg initial TOC and subsequent aerobic biodegradation resulted in 87.4% COD removal, as compared to 66% removal when ozonation was not used.     

Evaluation of the treatment efficiencies of paper mill whitewaters in terms of organic composition and toxicity

The efficiency of several lab scale treatments (aerobic, anaerobic and ozone or combination of these) was evaluated using two packaging board mill whitewaters. The effect of the different treatments on the elimination of the organic load, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the toxicity was tested as well as the relationship between these parameters. Biocides, phenolic compounds, surfactants, plasticiziers and wood extractives were identified in untreated and treated whitewaters by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) or gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A strong dependency on the water type and treatment efficiency was observed, being the combination of anaerobic and aerobic treatments the best option to reduce the organic contaminants in these waters, although in some cases, the toxicity did not decrease. However, ozone as post-treatment permitted a further reduction of organic compounds, toxicity and COD.     

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in an aerobic reactor with granular sludge originating from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor.

Anaerobic granular sludge, obtained from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor at a brewery waste treatment station, was cultured for 3 months under aeration conditions until the diameter of sludge was in the range 1.8 to 2.6 mm. The aerobic granular sludge gathered acquired the ability of catalyzing simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) and was applied in the study of the process of nitrogen removal in a bioreactor. The ratio between chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium-nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) concentration in the influent was found to be an important factor influencing the process of SND. The final percentage removal of NH4(+)-N reached 100% under the optimal condition of 500 mg/L COD and 0.39 NH4(+)-N/COD. Intermediate products, such as nitrite-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen, were also analyzed to clarify the SND process with the aerobic granular sludge.     

Load maximization of a liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed bioreactor for nitrogen removal from synthetic municipal wastewater

A novel liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed bioreactor (LSCFB) configured with anoxic and aerobic columns and lava rock as the biofilm carrier was used to treat synthetic municipal wastewater. Four different empty bed contact times (EBCTs) of 0.82, 0.65, 0.55, and 0.44 h were examined to optimize nutrient removal capability of the system. The LSCFB demonstrated tertiary effluent quality organic and nitrogen removal efficiencies. Effluent characteristics of the LSCFB were soluble biological oxygen demand (SBOD)10 mg l(-1) and total nitrogen (TN)<10 mg l(-1) at organic loading rate (OLR) of 5.3 kg m(-3)d(-1) and nitrogen loading rate of 0.54 kg Nm(-3)d(-1). Remarkably low yields of 0.14, 0.17, 0.19, and 0.21 g VSS g(-1)COD were observed at OLR of 2.6, 3.2, 4.1 and 5.3 kg COD m(-3)d(-1), where increment of biomass growth and detachment rate were also experienced with increasing OLR. However the system demonstrated only 30% phosphorus removal, and mass balances along the anoxic and aerobic columns showed biological phosphorus removal in the system. Organic mass balance showed that approximately 40% of the influent COD was utilized in the anoxic column and the remaining COD was oxidized in the aerobic column. The system is very efficient in nitrification-denitrification, with more than 90% nitrification of ammonium and overall nitrogen removal in the LSCFB was 70+/-11% even at an EBCT of 0.44 h.     

Microbial activity in a combined UASB-activated sludge reactor system

A combined upflow anaerobic sludge bed-activated sludge (UASB-AS) reactor system with consistently wasting of excess biomass was used to treat suspended-solids pre-settled piggery wastewater (COD=2000 mg l(-1), total Kjeldahl nitrogen TKN=400 mg l(-1), suspended solids=250-400 mg l(-1)). Thus, the activity of nitrogen-related microbial groups in each individual bioreactor was investigated. When the granules retention time (GRT) of 20-50 d in the UASB reactor, the solids retention time (SRT) of 10-25 d in the AS reactor and the recycle-to-influent ratio (Re) of 1 were maintained, the combined system removed 95-97% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 100% of TKN and 54-55% of total nitrogen (TN). Denitrification and methanogenesis occurred in the UASB reactor so that both biochemical processes contributed to most of the COD removal and, complete nitrification (most of the TKN removal) occurred in the AS reactor. Compact granules with good settling abilities developed in the UASB reactor, and rapid rates of granulation of break-up granules in the UASB reactor were confirmed by experiments. The activity of nitrifiers and denitrifiers (an=0.68-0.87; adn=0.55-0.70) and the calculated specific nitrification and denitrification rates (qn=0.26-0.47 mg NH4+ -N mg VSS(-1)d(-1); qdn=0.046-0.076 mg NOx- -N mg VSS(-1)d(-1)) significantly increased with decreasing SRT and GRT, respectively. Accordingly, the combined UASB-AS reactor system should be regarded a promising alternative for the removal of organic carbon and nitrogen from piggery wastewater.     

Characteristics of electrolysis, ozonation, and their combination process on treatment of municipal wastewater.

The characteristics of municipal wastewater treatment by electrolysis, ozonation, and combination processes of electrolysis and aeration using three gaseous species (nitrogen [N2], oxygen [O2], and ozone [O3]) were discussed in this research using ruthenium oxide (RuO2)-coated titanium anodes and stainless-steel (SUS304) cathodes. Electrolysis and electrolysis with nitrogen aeration were characterized by a rapid decrease in 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BODs) and total nitrogen and a slow decrease in chemical oxygen demand (COD). In contrast, ozonation, electrolysis with oxygen aeration, and electrolysis with ozone aeration were characterized by transformation of persistent organic matter to biodegradable matter and preservation of total nitrogen. The best energy efficiency in removing BOD5 and total nitrogen was demonstrated by electrolysis, as a result of direct anodic oxidation and indirect oxidation with free chlorine produced from the chloride ion (Cl-) at the anodes. However, electrolysis with ozone aeration was found to be superior to the other processes, in terms of its energy efficiency in removing COD and its ability to remove COD completely, as a result of hydroxyl radical (*OH) production via cathodic reduction of ozone.     

Comparison of Aerobic and Anaerobic Biotreatment of Municipal Solid Waste

Abstract

To increase the operating lifetime of landfills and to lower leachate treatment costs, an increasing number of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are being managed as either aerobic or anaerobic bioreactors. Landfill gas composition, respiration rates, and subsidence were measured for 400 days in 200-L tanks filled with fresh waste materials to compare the relative effectiveness of the two treatments. Tanks were prepared to provide the following conditions: (1) air injection and leachate recirculation (aerobic), (2) leachate recirculation (anaerobic), and (3) no treatment (anaerobic). Respiration tests on the aerobic wet tank showed a steady decrease in oxygen consumption rates from 1.3 mol/day at 20 days to 0.1 mol/day at 400 days. Aerobic wet tanks produced, on average, 6 mol of carbon dioxide (CO₂)/kg of MSW as compared with anaerobic wet tanks, which produced 2.2 mol methane/kg of MSW and 2.0 mol CO₂/kg methane. Over the test period, the aerobic tanks settled on average 35%, anaerobic tanks settled 21.7%, and the no-treatment tank settled 7.5%, equivalent to overall mass loss in the corresponding reactors. Aerobic tanks reduced stabilization time and produced negligible odor compared with anaerobic tanks, possibly because of the 2 orders of magnitude lower leachate ammonia levels in the aerobic tank. Both treatment regimes provide the opportunity for disposal and remediation of liquid waste.     

Comparison of aerobic and anaerobic biotreatment of municipal solid waste

To increase the operating lifetime of landfills and to lower leachate treatment costs, an increasing number of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are being managed as either aerobic or anaerobic bioreactors. Landfill gas composition, respiration rates, and subsidence were measured for 400 days in 200-L tanks filled with fresh waste materials to compare the relative effectiveness of the two treatments. Tanks were prepared to provide the following conditions: (1) air injection and leachate recirculation (aerobic), (2) leachate recirculation (anaerobic), and (3) no treatment (anaerobic). Respiration tests on the aerobic wet tank showed a steady decrease in oxygen consumption rates from 1.3 mol/day at 20 days to 0.1 mol/day at 400 days. Aerobic wet tanks produced, on average, 6 mol of carbon dioxide (CO2)/kg of MSW as compared with anaerobic wet tanks, which produced 2.2 mol methane/kg of MSW and 2.0 mol CO2/kg methane. Over the test period, the aerobic tanks settled on average 35%, anaerobic tanks settled 21.7%, and the no-treatment tank settled 7.5%, equivalent to overall mass loss in the corresponding reactors. Aerobic tanks reduced stabilization time and produced negligible odor compared with anaerobic tanks, possibly because of the 2 orders of magnitude lower leachate ammonia levels in the aerobic tank. Both treatment regimes provide the opportunity for disposal and remediation of liquid waste.     

准好氧矿化垃圾反应床＋超声／芬顿联用技术处理垃圾渗滤液

针对垃圾渗滤液污染物浓度高、可生化性差等特点,采用准好氧矿化垃圾反应床＋超声／芬顿联用技术对垃圾渗滤液进行预处理。准好氧矿化垃圾床处理后渗滤液中COD、氨氮、总磷、色度的去除率分别为80％、85％、92％和85％。通过单因素实验和正交实验,确定了超声／Fenton法最佳工艺条件。经该组合工艺后,渗滤液中COD、氨氮、总磷和色度的最高去除率分别可达96％、86％、94％和95％,且出水无臭,颜色为淡黄色,BOD5／COD从0．16增至0．35左右,可生化性基本满足后续生物处理需要,且COD、总磷这2个指标达到《生活垃圾填埋场污染控制标准》（GB16889—2008）规定的排放标准。     

Chemical composition associated with different particle size fractions in municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastewaters

A more detailed characterization of particulate organic matter in wastewater streams is needed to improve solid-liquid separation and biological processes for wastewater treatment. The objective of this paper was to evaluate particle size distributions and the associated chemical composition for municipal, industrial, and agricultural waste streams. Most of the organic matter in these wastewaters was larger than a molecular weight of 10(3) amu and therefore would require extracellular hydrolysis before any bacterial metabolism. Particle size distributions were significantly different for the studied waste streams. In municipal wastewater, the organic matter was evenly distributed in all eight size fractions ranging from 10(3) amu up to 63 microm. The industrial and agricultural wastewaters, however, contained mainly soluble organic matter (<10(3) amu) and larger particles (>1.2 microm for the industrial and >10 microm for the agricultural waste) leaving a gap in the size range of large macromolecules and colloids. The relative protein and carbohydrate concentrations varied for the different size fractions compared to the measured chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the corresponding size fraction. Thus, the design of the solid-liquid separation at a treatment plant could be used to purposefully modify the overall chemical composition of the organic matter before further biological treatment. Particle size distributions will influence design and operation of biological nutrient removal processes such as denitrification or biological phosphorus removal that may be carbon limited if a large fraction of the organic matter is composed of large particles with slow hydrolysis rates. Measured particle size distributions for the different waste streams in this study (municipal, industrial, agricultural) were significantly different requiring specific approaches for treatment plant design.