The digestibility of waste activated sludges.

Laboratory digestion studies using waste activated sludges (WAS) were conducted to compare the digestion performance between anaerobic and aerobic processes. Nine samples of WAS from seven wastewater treatment plants were collected and batch-digested under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions for 30 days at 25 degrees C. The cation content of wastewater (both floc and solution phases) and solution biopolymer (protein and polysaccharide) was measured before and after digestion and compared with volatile solids destruction data. The study revealed that each digestion process was associated with a distinct biopolymer fraction, which accounted for differences in volatile solids reduction under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The anaerobic digestion data showed strong correlations between soluble protein generation, ammonium production, percent volatile solids reduction, and floc iron (Fe). These data suggest that the amount of volatile solids destroyed by anaerobic digestion depends on the Fe content of floc. In aerobic digestion, polysaccharide accumulated in solution along with calcium and magnesium. For aerobic digestion, correlations between divalent cation release and the production of inorganic nitrogen were found. This implies that divalent cation-bound biopolymer, thought to be lectin-like protein, was the primary organic fraction degraded under aerobic conditions. The results of the study show that the cation content in wastewater is an important indicator of the material that will digest under anaerobic or aerobic conditions and that some of the volatile solids will digest only under either anaerobic or aerobic conditions.     

Anaerobic digestion of livestock and poultry manures spiked with tetracycline antibiotics

Abstract

We investigated the anaerobic degradation of tetracycline antibiotics (tetracycline [TC], oxytetracycline [OTC] and chlortetracycline [CTC]) in swine, cattle, and poultry manures. The manures were anaerobically digested inside polyvinyl chloride batch reactors for 64?days at room temperature. The degradation rate constants and half-lives of the parent tetracyclines were determined following first-order kinetics. For CTC the fastest degradation rate was observed in swine manure (k?=?0.016?±?0.001 d^?1; half-life = 42.8?days), while the slowest degradation rate was observed in poultry litter (k?=?0.0043?±?0.001 d^?1; half-life = 161?days). The half-lives of OTC ranged between 88.9 (cattle manure) and 99.0?days (poultry litter), while TC persisted the longest of the tetracycline antibiotics studied with half-lives ranging from 92.4?days (cattle manure) to 330?days (swine manure). In general, the tetracyclines were found to degrade faster in cattle manure, which had the lowest concentrations of organic matter and metals as compared to swine and poultry manures. Our results demonstrate that tetracycline antibiotics persist in the animal manure after anaerobic digestion, which can potentially lead to emergence and persistence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment when anaerobic digestion byproducts are land applied for crop production.     

挥发性脂肪酸对厌氧干式发酵产甲烷的影响

为了提高中温干式厌氧间歇发酵效率,研究了发酵过程中间产物———挥发性脂肪酸对产甲烷的影响。实验分2批进行,第1批在牛粪发酵过程中分别添加乙酸、丙酸和丁酸,第2批发酵添加易产生挥发酸的厨余垃圾混合发酵。结果显示,添加单一挥发酸的发酵过程中,添加丙酸的产甲烷速度较慢,因为丙酸降解生成乙酸的速度较慢,减慢了甲烷的形成;混合发酵过程厨余垃圾产甲烷速度比牛粪快,发酵过程产生2个产气高峰;牛粪和厨余垃圾固体物质含量比在11∶1到5∶1范围内较好,比牛粪单独发酵产气多,产酸高但不酸败,产生的挥发酸主要是乙酸和丙酸,其中比例为7∶1混合发酵的产甲烷速率最大,为4.89 mL/(g VS·d)。实验表明,牛粪厌氧干式发酵过程添加一定量的厨余垃圾可加快挥发酸的产生并提高挥发酸产量,从而提高甲烷的产量,但是总挥发酸长时间超过10 000 mg/L,pH降到不适于产甲烷菌生长的范围时,将抑制甲烷的生成,挥发酸积累导致厌氧发酵酸败。     

Bacterial responses to temperature during aeration of pig slurry

The temperature effect on total anaerobic and aerobic bacterial growth in pig slurry was studied using low level batch aeration treatments. Five bioreactors were built using Plexiglas tubes to perform five temperature treatments (5 degrees C, 10 degrees C, 15 degrees C, 20 degrees C, and 25 degrees C). An airflow rate of 0.129 L/min/L manure was used to aerate manure contained in all reactors. Data showed that temperature had a profound impact on the aerobic counts in pig slurry during the aeration process. When the temperature increased from 15 degrees C to 25 degrees C, the average oxidation-reduction potential decreased from +40 mV to -60 mV, accompanied by a 75% reduction of aerobic bacteria in the manure. At 25 degrees C, the anaerobic counts were consistently higher than aerobic counts for most of days. A quadratic relationship was observed between the aerobic counts and the oxidation-reduction potential with a correlation coefficient of 0.8374. To reduce odor generation potential, the oxidation-reduction potential in the manure should be maintained at +35 mV or higher.     

含固率对牛粪常温厌氧消化的影响

在常温、pH值为7.0下,采用10 L玻璃瓶作为反应器对含固率(TS)分别为2%、6%、10%和14%的4组牛粪溶液进行厌氧消化实验,系统运行48 d,分析了厌氧消化过程中的COD(化学需氧量)、pH、VFA(挥发性脂肪酸)和产气量的变化。结果表明,进料TS是影响牛粪厌氧消化产气效果的重要因素,调节牛粪进料TS至10%,可以使其厌氧消化获得最佳的产气效果,COD去除率为24.6%,产气中甲烷含量为56.1%。     

Biohydrogen production from dairy manures with acidification pretreatment by anaerobic fermentation

Background, aim, and scope  

Hydrogen is a clean and efficient energy source and has been deemed as one of the most promising carriers of new energy for the future. From an engineering point of view, producing hydrogen by mixed cultures is generally preferred because of lower cost, ease of control, and the possible use of organic waste as feedstock. The biological hydrogen production has been intensively studied in recent decades. So far, most investigates of biohydrogen production are still confined to using pure carbohydrates and carbohydrate-rich wastewater. Nowadays, the large amounts of livestock manure, which come from cattle feedlots, poultry, and swine buildings, are causing a major environmental issue because it has become a primary source of odors, gases, dust, and groundwater contamination. The increasingly stringent requirements for pollution control on livestock manures are challenging the scientific community to develop new waste treatment strategies. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop nonpolluting and renewable energy source utilizing the organic waste (e.g., livestock manure). It is well known that anaerobic digestion had successfully been used for the disposal of manures to produce methane in the last two decades. Recently, an alternative strategy has been developed to convert livestock manures (e.g., dairy manures) to biohydrogen as a high value-added clean energy source instead of methane. However, little information is available on hydrogen production from dairy manure via the mixed anaerobic microbe. As far as we know, the hydrogen production is habitually accompanied with production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate, which are also an optimal feedstock for production of methane by anaerobic digestion. Provided that the biohydrogen production from dairy manure is further combined with the anaerobic digestion of the effluent from the producing hydrogen reactor that would be a one-stone two-bird paradigm, it not only produces a clean and readily usable biologic energy but also cleans up simultaneously the environment in a sustainable fashion.     

Bioenergy production from diluted poultry manure and microbial consortium inside Anaerobic Sludge Bed Reactor at sub-mesophilic conditions

In this study, anaerobic treatability of diluted chicken manure (with an influent feed ratio of 1 kg of fresh chicken manure to 6 L of tap water) was investigated in a lab-scale anaerobic sludge bed (ASB) reactor inoculated with granular seed sludge. The ASB reactor was operated at ambient temperature (17–25°C) in order to avoid the need of external heating up to higher operating temperatures (e.g., up to 35°C for mesophilic digestion). Since heat requirement for raising the temperature of incoming feed for digestion is eliminated, energy recovery from anaerobic treatment of chicken manure could be realized with less operating costs. Average biogas production rates were calculated ca. 210 and 242 L per kg of organic matter removed from the ASB reactor at average hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 13 and 8.6 days, respectively. Moreover, average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of ca. 89% was observed with suspended solids removal more than 97% from the effluent of the ASB reactor. Influent ammonia, on the other hand, did not indicate any free ammonia inhibition due to dilution of the raw manure while pH and alkalinity results showed stability during the study. Microbial quantification results indicated that as the number of bacterial community decreased, the amount of Archaea increased through the effective digestion volume of the ASB reactor. Moreover, the number of methanogens displayed an uptrend like archaeal community and a strong correlation (?0.645) was found between methanogenic community and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration especially acetate.     

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.     

Optimization of animal manure vermicomposting based on biomass production of earthworms and higher plants

The goal of this study was to optimize the mixture of swine manure (SM) and cattle manure (CM) used in the vermicomposting process, seeking to increase the manure biodegradation rate and enhance the biomass production of both earthworms and higher plants. To achieve this goal, physico-chemical parameters were determined to assess the final compost quality after 50 days of vermicomposting. The different manure ratios used to produce the composts (C) were as follows (SM:CM, % m/m basis): C1 100:0, C2 (75:25), C3 (50:50), C4 (25:75), and C5 (0:100). In addition, the earthworm biomass and the phytoproductivity of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants grown in mixtures (1:1) of natural soil and the most viable vermicomposts were investigated. The C1 and C2 compost compositions were associated with high earthworm mortality rates. The C3 compost provided the highest mineral concentrations and C5 showed the highest lettuce yield (wet biomass). The results verify that stabilized cattle manure is an excellent substrate for the vermicomposting process and that fresh swine manure must be mixed with pre-stabilized cattle manure to ensure an optimized vermicomposting process, which must be controlled in terms of temperature and ammonia levels. It is concluded that small livestock farmers could add value to swine manure by applying the vermicomposting process, without the need for high investments and with a minimal requirement for management of the biodegradation process. These are important technical aspects to be considered when circular economy principles are applied to small farms.     

Anaerobic and aerobic transformations affecting stability of dewatered sludge during long-term storage in a lagoon

The goal of this work was to study long-term behavior of anaerobically digested and dewatered sludge (biosolids) in a lagoon under anaerobic and aerobic conditions to determine the stability of the final product as an indicator of its odor potential. Field lagoons were sampled to estimate spatial and temporal variations in the physical-chemical properties and biological stability characteristics such as volatile solids content, accumulated oxygen uptake, and soluble protein content and odorous compound assessment. The analyses of collected data suggest that the surface layer of the lagoon (depth of above 0.15 m) undergoes long-term aerobic oxidation resulting in a higher degree of stabilization in the final product. The subsurface layers (depth 0.15 m below the surface and deeper) are subjected to an anaerobic environment where the conditions favor the initial rapid organic matter degradation within approximately the first year, followed by slow degradation.     

Anaerobic mesophilic treatment of cattle manure in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor with prior pasteurization

Different autonomous communities located in northern Spain have large populations of dairy cattle. In the case of Asturias, the greatest concentration of dairy farms is found in the areas near the coast, where the elimination of cattle manure by means of its use as a fertilizer may lead to environmental problems. The aim of the present research work was to study the anaerobic treatment of the liquid fraction of cattle manure at mesophilic temperature using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor combined with a settler after a pasteurization process at 70 degrees C for 2 hr. The manure used in this study came from two different farms, with 40 and 200 cows, respectively. The manure from the smaller farm was pretreated in the laboratory by filtration through a 1-mm mesh, and the manure from the other farm was pretreated on the farm by filtration through a separator screw press (0.5-mm mesh). The pasteurization process removed the pathogenic microorganisms lacking spores, such as Enterococcus, Yersinia, Pseudomonas, and coliforms, but bacterial spores are only reduced by this treatment, not removed. The combination of a UASB reactor and a settler proved to be effective for the treatment of cattle manure. In spite of the variation in the organic loading rate and total solids in the influent during the experiment, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the effluent from the settler remained relatively constant, obtaining reductions in the COD of approximately 85%.     

腐熟蓝藻与厌氧污泥混合厌氧发酵特性

采用批次小试实验对不同腐熟程度的蓝藻进行厌氧发酵产沼气实验研究。结果表明,新鲜蓝藻在30-35℃时腐熟7 d后,可在35℃的厌氧温度下获得最高的产气速率和246 mL/g COD的产气量,产气潜力为354 mL/g（VS）。厌氧反应15 d后,累计产气量、COD和VFA浓度趋于稳定。淀粉酶和脱氢酶的活性在厌氧反应初期受到抑制,蛋白酶活性和辅酶F420浓度在厌氧系统中逐渐增加,分别在第6天达到27.66μmol/（g VS·min）和第15天达到0.62μmol/g（VS）。15-18d是腐熟蓝藻适宜的中温厌氧发酵时间,少于以新鲜蓝藻为基质的厌氧消化时间。蓝藻腐熟过程促进了厌氧反应,腐熟7 d的蓝藻厌氧系统具有更高的微生物活性和产甲烷能力。     

Implications of urine-to-feces ratio in the thermophilic anaerobic digestion of swine waste.

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of swine manure represents a potential waste treatment technology to address environmental concerns, such as odor emissions and removal of pathogenic microorganisms. However, there are concerns relative to the stability of this process when swine manure is the sole substrate. In this study, the potential of biogas production from swine manure as the sole substrate under thermophilic (50 degrees C) conditions was investigated in the laboratory, to determine whether separation of urine and feces as part of the waste collection process would benefit anaerobic digestion. Effluent from a continuously stirred tank reactor was used as the inoculum for batch tests, in which the substrate contained three different concentrations of urine (urine-free, as-excreted urine-to-feces ratio and double the as-excreted urine-to-feces ratio). Inocula were acclimated to these same urine-to-feces ratios to determine methane production. Results show that both urine-free and as-excreted substrates were not inhibitory to anaerobic inocula. Anaerobic microorganisms can be readily acclimated to substrate with double the as-excreted urine concentration, which contained nitrogen concentrations up to 7.20 g/L. Cumulative methane production reached similar levels in the batch tests, regardless of the substrate urine concentration.     

Microwave treatment and struvite recovery potential of dairy manure

Microwave digestion of liquid dairy manure was tested for the release of nutrients, such as orthophosphates, ammonia-nitrogen, magnesium, calcium and potassium, both with and without the aid of an oxidizing agent (hydrogen peroxide). The orthophosphate to total phosphorus ratio of the manure increased from 21% to greater than 80% with 5 minutes of microwave treatment. More than 36% of total chemical oxygen demand (t-COD) of the manure was reduced when microwave digestion was assisted with peroxide addition. In addition, the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) distribution shifted to simpler chain acids (acetic acid in particular) with an increase in operating temperature. In the second part of the study, digested manure with increased soluble phosphate was tested for the recovery of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) at different pH. It was found that up to 90% of orthophosphate can be removed from the solution. Overall, it was concluded that the oxidizing agent-assisted microwave digestion process can be used upstream of anaerobic digestion, following which the anaerobically digested manure can be used for struvite recovery. Thus, this microwave digestion process presents the potential for enhanced efficiencies in both manure digestion and struvite recovery.     

Microwave treatment and struvite recovery potential of dairy manure

Microwave digestion of liquid dairy manure was tested for the release of nutrients, such as orthophosphates, ammonia-nitrogen, magnesium, calcium and potassium, both with and without the aid of an oxidizing agent (hydrogen peroxide). The orthophosphate to total phosphorus ratio of the manure increased from 21% to greater than 80% with 5 minutes of microwave treatment. More than 36% of total chemical oxygen demand (t-COD) of the manure was reduced when microwave digestion was assisted with peroxide addition. In addition, the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) distribution shifted to simpler chain acids (acetic acid in particular) with an increase in operating temperature. In the second part of the study, digested manure with increased soluble phosphate was tested for the recovery of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) at different pH. It was found that up to 90% of orthophosphate can be removed from the solution. Overall, it was concluded that the oxidizing agent-assisted microwave digestion process can be used upstream of anaerobic digestion, following which the anaerobically digested manure can be used for struvite recovery. Thus, this microwave digestion process presents the potential for enhanced efficiencies in both manure digestion and struvite recovery.     

Water-extractable phosphorus in biosolids: implications for land-based recycling.

Phosphorus-based nutrient management will inevitably be required for land application of biosolids. Water-extractable phosphorus (WEP) in livestock manures is an indicator of phosphorus loss from agricultural watersheds and this study evaluated its use for biosolids. The WEP to total phosphorus percentage (PWEP) in 41 biosolids (representing a variety of wastewater and solids treatment processes) was compared to dairy and poultry manures and triple superphosphate fertilizer. The mean PWEP for conventionally treated and stabilized biosolids was 2.4%, which was significantly lower than inorganic fertilizer (85%), dairy manure (52%), and poultry manure (21%). Low biosolids PWEP is attributed to elevated aluminum and iron content from chemical additions during wastewater treatment and solids dewatering operations. Facilities using biological phosphorus removal had the highest mean biosolids PWEP (approximately 14%), whereas heat-dried biosolids had the lowest average PWEP (< approximately 0.5%). Paired samples of digested cake and the corresponding biosolids treated by processes to further reduce pathogens (i.e., thermal treatment, composting, and advanced alkaline stabilization) showed that these processes tended to reduce biosolids PWEP. Biosolids composition and processing mode exert a controlling influence on the potential for off-site phosphorus migration at land-application sites. Nutrient management policies for land-based recycling should account for the widely varying potential of organic amendments to cause soluble phosphorus losses in runoff and leaching.     

The emission of volatile compounds during the aerobic and the combined anaerobic/aerobic composting of biowaste

Two different biowaste composting techniques were compared with regard to their overall emission of volatile compounds during the active composting period. In the aerobic composting process, the biowaste was aerated during a 12-week period, while the combined anaerobic/aerobic composting process consisted of a sequence of a 3-week anaerobic digestion (phase I) and a 2-week aeration period (phase II). While the emission of volatiles during phase I of the combined anaerobic/aerobic composting process was measured in a full-scale composting plant, the aerobic stages of both composting techniques were performed in pilot-scale composting bins. Similar groups of volatile compounds were analysed in the biogas and the aerobic composting waste gases, being alcohols, carbonyl compounds, terpenes, esters, sulphur compounds and ethers. Predominance of alcohols (38% wt/wt of the cumulative emission) was observed in the exhaust air of the aerobic composting process, while predominance of terpenes (87%) and ammonia (93%) was observed in phases I and II of the combined anaerobic/aerobic composting process, respectively. In the aerobic composting process, 2-propanol, ethanol, acetone, limonene and ethyl acetate made up about 82% of the total volatile organic compounds (VOC)-emission. Next to this, the gas analysis during the aerobic composting process revealed a strong difference in emission profile as a function of time between different groups of volatiles. The total emission of VOC, NH₃ and H₂S during the aerobic composting process was 742 g ton^-1 biowaste, while the total emission during phases I and II of the combined anaerobic/aerobic composting process was 236 and 44 g ton^-1 biowaste, respectively. Taking into consideration the 99% removal efficiency of volatiles upon combustion of the biogas of phase I in the electricity generator, the combined anaerobic/aerobic composting process can be considered as an attractive alternative for aerobic biowaste composting because of its 17 times lower overall emission of the volatiles mentioned.     

Aerobic treatment of swine manure to enhance anaerobic digestion and microalgal cultivation

Aerobic treatment of swine manure was coupled with anaerobic digestion and microalgal cultivation. A 14-day aerobic treatment reduced the total solid content of swine manure by >15%. Ammonia and carbon dioxide were stripped by the air supplied, and this off-gas was further used to aerate the culture of Chlorella vulgaris. The microalgal growth rates in Bristol medium and the wastewater with the off-gas increased from 0.08 to 0.22 g/L/d and from 0.15 to 0.24 g/L/d, respectively. Meanwhile, the aerobically treated swine manure showed a higher methane yield during anaerobic digestion. The experimental results were used to establish a demonstration unit consisting of a 100 L composter, a 200 L anaerobic digester, a 60 L tubular photobioreactor, and a 300 L micro-open raceway pond.     

High-solids anaerobic digestion of municipal sludge pretreated by thermal hydrolysis

High-solids anaerobic digestion can consistently achieve 55 to 60% volatile solids destruction after thermal hydrolysis pretreatment, which reduces its viscosity and increases the fraction of soluble organic matter. For feed sludge with total solids concentrations between 6.8 and 8.2%, the process is stable at hydraulic retention times of 9 to 12 days, significantly increasing the treatment capacity of existing digesters or, in treatment plants without spare capacity, helping to postpone, reduce, or even avoid costly infrastructure investments. Process stability is related to the high concentration of soluble organic matter in the digesters. High-solids temperature-phased digestion appears to be superior to high-solids mesophilic digestion, with respect to process flexibility and stability, biosolids stabilization, and biogas generation, although ammonia inhibition may have occurred. Implementation of high-solids digestion could significantly reduce operation and maintenance costs of solids-handling operations.     

Co-composting of distillery wastes with animal manures: carbon and nitrogen transformations in the evaluation of compost stability

The aim of this work was to study the viability of recycling the solid wastes generated by the winery and distillery industry by means of co-composting with animal manures, as well as to evaluate the quality of the composts obtained. Two piles, using exhausted grape marc and cattle manure or poultry manure, respectively (at ratios, on a fresh weight basis, of 70:30), were composted by the Rutgers static pile composting system. Throughout the composting process, a number of parameters were monitored, such as pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, water-soluble carbon, water-soluble polyphenols, different forms of nitrogen (organic nitrogen, ammonium and nitrate) and humification indices (humification ratio, humification index, percentage of humic acid-like C, polymerisation ratio and cation exchange capacity), as well as the germination index. Organic matter losses followed first-order kinetics equation in both piles, the highest organic matter mineralisation rate being observed with exhausted grape marc and cow manure. On the other hand, the mixture with the lowest C/N ratio, using exhausted grape marc and poultry manure, showed the highest initial ammonium contents, probably due to the higher and more labile N content of poultry manure. The increase in the cation exchange capacity revealed the organic matter humification during composting. In contrast, other humification parameters, such as the humification ratio and the humification index, did not show the expected evolution and, thus, could not be used to assess compost maturity. Composting produced a degradation of the phytotoxic compounds, such as polyphenols, to give composts without a phytotoxic character. Therefore, composting can be considered as an efficient treatment to recycle this type of wastes, due to composts presented a stable and humified organic matter and without phytotoxic effects, which makes them suitable for their agronomic use.