Investigate of in situ sludge reduction in sequencing batch biofilm reactor: Performances,mechanisms and comparison of different carriers

Biofilm is an effective simultaneous denitrification and in situ sludge reduction system, and the characteristics of different biofilm carrier have important implications for biofilm growth and in situ sludge reduction. In this study, the performance and mechanism of in situ sludge reduction were compared between FSC-SBBR and SC-SBBR with constructed by composite floating spherical carriers (FSC) and multi-faceted polyethylene suspension carriers (SC), respectively. The variation of EPS concentration indicated that the biofilm formation of FSC was faster than SC. Compared with SCSBBR, the FSC-SBBR yielded 0.16 g MLSS/g COD, almost 27.27% less sludge. The average removal rates of COD and NH₄⁺-N were 93.39% and 96.66%, respectively, which were 5.21% and 1.43% higher than the average removal rate of SC-SBBR. Investigation of the mechanisms of sludge reduction revealed that, energy uncoupling metabolism and sludge decay were the main factors for sludge reduction inducing 43.13% and 49.65% less sludge, respectively, in FSC-SBBR. EEM fluorescence spectroscopy and SUVA analysis showed that the hydrolytic capacity of biofilm attached in FSC was stronger than those of SC, and the hydrolysis of EPS released more DOM contributed to lysis-cryptic growth metabolism. In additional, Bacteroidetes and Mizugakiibacter associated with sludge reduction were the dominant phylum and genus in FCS-SBBR. Thus, the effect of simultaneous in situ sludge reduction and pollutant removal in FSC-SBBR was better.

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Co-application of energy uncoupling and ultrafiltration in sludge treatment: Evaluations of sludge reduction,supernatant recovery and membrane fouling control

• Effects of metabolic uncouplers addition on sludge reduction were carried out. • TCS addition effectively inhibited ATP synthesis and reduced sludge yield. • The effluent quality such as TOC and ammonia deteriorated but not significantly. • Suitable dosage retarded biofouling during sludge water recovery by UF membrane. Energy uncoupling is often used for sludge reduction because it is easy to operate and does not require a significant amount of extra equipments (i.e. no additional tank required). However, over time the supernatant extracted using this method can deteriorate, ultimately requiring further treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using a low-pressure ultrafiltration membrane process for sludge water recovery after the sludge had undergone an energy uncoupling treatment (using 3,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS)). Energy uncoupling was found to break apart sludge floc by reducing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content. Analysis of supernatant indicated that when energy uncoupling and membrane filtration were co-applied and the TCS dosage was below 30 mg/L, there was no significant deterioration in organic component removal. However, ammonia and phosphate concentrations were found to increase as the concentration of TCS added increased. Additionally, due to low sludge concentrations and EPS contents, addition of 30–60 mg/L TCS during sludge reduction increased the permeate flux (two times higher than the control) and decreased the hydraulic reversible and cake layer resistances. In contrast, high dosage of TCS aggravated membrane fouling by forming compact fouling layers. In general, this study found that the co-application of energy uncoupling and membrane filtration processes represents an effective alternative method for simultaneous sludge reduction and sludge supernatant recovery.     

Simple model of sludge thickening process in secondary settlers

In wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), a secondary settler acts as a clarifier, sludge thickener, and sludge storage tank during peak flows and therefore plays an important role in the performance of the activated sludge process. Sludge thickening occurs in the lower portions of secondary clarifiers during their operation. In this study, by detecting the hindered zone from the complete thickening process of activated sludge, a simple model for the sludge thickening velocity, u _s = aX ^b (a = 0.9925SSVI _3.5, b = 3.541ln(SSVI _3.5)+12.973), describing the potential and performance of activated sludge thickening in the hindered zone was developed. However, sludge thickening in the compression zone was not studied because sludge in the compression zone showed limited thickening. This empirical model was developed using batch settling data obtained from four WWTPs and validated using measured data from a fifth WWTP to better study sludge thickening. To explore different sludge settling and thickening mechanisms, the curves of sludge thickening and sludge settling were compared. Finally, it was found that several factors including temperature, stirring, initial depth, and polymer conditioning can lead to highly concentrated return sludge and biomass in a biologic reactor.     

Mechanism on minimization of excess sludge in oxic-settling-anaerobic (OSA) process

The oxic-settling-anaerobic (OSA) process is a promising wastewater treatment technique for efficiently reducing sludge production and improving the stability of process operation. In this paper, the possible factors of sludge reduction such as sludge decay, uncoupled metabolism, and anaerobic oxidation with low sludge production were discussed in the OSA process. It has been confirmed that sludge decay is the decisive cause in the OSA process, accounting for 66.7% of sludge production reduction. Sludge decay includes hydrolysis and acidogenesis of dead microorganisms and particle organic carbon adsorbed in sludge floc and endogenous metabolism. By batch experiments, it has been proven that there is energetic uncoupling in the OSA system since microorganisms were exposed to alternative anaerobic and aerobic environment. It accounts for about 7.5% of sludge production reduction. Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) released from the anaerobic sludge tank in the OSA process was used as the substrate for cryptic growth. The substrate was used for anoxic denitrifying, anaerobic phosphorus release, sulfate reduction, and methane production. These anaerobic reactions in the sludge anaerobic tank have lower sludge production than in the aerobic oxidation when equivalent SCOD is consumed, which may lead to approximately 23% of sludge reduction in the OSA process. It has been concluded that multiple causes resulted in the minimization of excess sludge in the OSA system. The microbial community structure and diversity of sludge samples from the CAS (conventional activated sludge) and OSA systems were investigated by 16 SrDNA PCR-DG-DGGE (polymerase chain reaction-double gradient-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis). DGGE profile and cluster analysis showed more abundant species in the OSA system contrasting to microbial communities in the CAS system.     

污水处理中的污泥减量新技术

污水好氧处理会产生大量污泥，剩余污泥的处理成本高昂，减少污泥产量势在必行。文章介绍了代谢解偶联、增加维持能量消耗、隐性生长、微型动物捕食、高溶解氧工艺和膜生物反应器等污泥减量技术，比较了各种技术的优缺点，指出了不同技术结合将成为污泥减量技术的发展方向。     

Effects of temperature on pyrolysis products of oil sludge

Temperature is the determining factor of pyrolysis, which is one of the alternative technologies for oil sludge treatment. The effects of final operating temperature ranging from 350 to 550°C on pyrolysis products of oil sludge were studied in an externally-heating fixed bed reactor. With an increase of temperature, the mass fraction of solid residues, liquids, and gases in the final product is 67.00%–56.00%, 25.60%–32.35%, and 7.40%–11.65%, and their corresponding heat values are 34.4–13.8 MJ/kg, 44.41–46.6 MJ/kg, and 23.94–48.23 MJ/Nm³, respectively. The mass and energy tend to shift from solid to liquid and gas phase (especially to liquid phase) during the process, and the optimum temperature for oil sludge pyrolysis is 500°C. The liquid phase is mainly composed of alkane and alkene (C₅–C₂₉), and the gas phase is dominantly HC_S and H₂.     

Metabolic uncoupler, 3,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide addition for sludge reduction and fouling control in a gravity-driven membrane bioreactor

• Effects of metabolic uncoupler TCS on the performances of GDMBR were evaluated. • Sludge EPS reduced and transformed into dissolved SMP when TCS was added. • Appropriate TCS increased the permeability and reduced cake layer fouling. • High dosage aggravated fouling due to compact cake layer with low bio-activity. The gravity-driven membrane bioreactor (MBR)system is promising for decentralized sewage treatment because of its low energy consumption and maintenance requirements. However, the growing sludge not only increases membrane fouling, but also augments operational complexities (sludge discharge). We added the metabolic uncoupler 3,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) to the system to deal with the mentioned issues. Based on the results, TCS addition effectively decreased sludge ATP and sludge yield (reduced by 50%). Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS; proteins and polysaccharides) decreased with the addition of TCS and were transformed into dissolved soluble microbial products (SMPs) in the bulk solution, leading to the break of sludge flocs into small fragments. Permeability was increased by more than two times, reaching 60–70 L/m²/h bar when 10–30 mg/L TCS were added, because of the reduced suspended sludge and the formation of a thin cake layer with low EPS levels. Resistance analyses confirmed that appropriate dosages of TCS primarily decreased the cake layer and hydraulically reversible resistances. Permeability decreased at high dosage (50 mg/L) due to the release of excess sludge fragments and SMP into the supernatant, with a thin but more compact fouling layer with low bioactivity developing on the membrane surface, causing higher cake layer and pore blocking resistances. Our study provides a fundamental understanding of how a metabolic uncoupler affects the sludge and bio-fouling layers at different dosages, with practical relevance for in situ sludge reduction and membrane fouling alleviation in MBR systems.     

Abiotic association of phthalic acid esters with humic acid of a sludge landfill

The abiotic association between phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and humic substances (HS) in sludge landfill plays an important role in the fate and stability of PAEs. An equilibrium dialysis combined with ¹⁴C-labeling was used to study the abiotic association of two abundant PAEs (diethyl phthalate and di-n-butyl phthalate) with humic acid (HA) isolated from a sludge landfill with different stabilization times and different molecular weights. Elemental analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) suggested that high K _A value of HA was related to the high aromatic content and large molecular weight of HA. The results indicated that the association strength of PAEs with HA depended on both the properties of the PAEs and the characteristics of HA. The K _A values of the association were strongly dependent on solution pH, and decreased dramatically as the pH was increased from 3.0 to 9.0. The results suggested that nonspecific hydrophobic interaction between PAEs and HA was the main contributor to the association of the PAEs with HA. The interactive hydrogen-bonds between the HA and the PAEs molecules may also be involved in the association.     

Immobilization of some metals in contaminated sludge by zeolite prepared from local materials

In this study, zeolite was prepared from cheap local Egyptian clay (kaolin) and characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, SEM. The prepared zeolite was used as a binder for immobilization of the metals Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Zn²⁺ in contaminated sewage sludge. Different leaching tests were conducted to determine the efficiency of the prepared zeolite for metal stabilization. The leaching of the metals from stabilized sludge decreased as the zeolite amount increased. It was found that 10% of zeolite is sufficient for the stabilization of all metal ions under investigation. It was suggested that the metal uptake mechanism by zeolite was by an ion-exchange mechanism. Examination of the solidified sample for its compressive strength after curing for 28 days yielded a value of 0.83?MPa, which indicates that the treated sludge was well solidified and safe to be used in a wide variety of applications, for instance as a raw material for pavement blocks.     

超声波对剩余污泥化学调理的影响

以污泥脱水性能与沉降性能为指标,研究了超声波预处理对剩余污泥经阳离子聚丙烯酰胺（CPAM）进行化学调理时污泥减量效果的影响。试验结果表明,单独采用CPAM对剩余污泥进行化学调理时的ρ（最佳添加量）为120 mg.L-1,污泥滤饼含水率为81.2%;单独采用超声波处理剩余污泥时的最佳声能密度为0.04 W.mL-1,此时的滤饼含水率为80.4%。而当在采用CPAM对剩余污泥进行化学调理前先进行超声波预处理后,污泥滤饼含水率降至72.2%。试验结果表明这种联合处理方式不仅使剩余污泥的脱水性能大为改善,并且最佳CPAM投加量降低至60 mg.L-1,最佳超声声能密度降至0.03 W.mL-1,这表明联合处理方法降低了污泥处理成本。     

Combined ultrasound with Fenton treatment for the degradation of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in textile dying sludge

To develop an effective method to remove the toxic and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CPAHs) from textile dyeing sludge, five CPAHs were selected to investigate the degradation efficiencies using ultrasound combined with Fenton process (US/Fenton). The results showed that the synergistic effect of the US/Fenton process on the degradation of CPAHs in textile dyeing sludge was significant with the synergy degree of 30.4. During the US/Fenton process, low ultrasonic density showed significant advantage in degrading the CPAHs in textile dyeing sludge. Key reaction parameters on CPAHs degradation were optimized by the central composite design as followed: H₂O₂ concentration of 152 mmol/L, ultrasonic density of 408 W/L, pH value of 3.7, the molar ratio of H₂O₂ to Fe²⁺ of 1.3 and reaction time of 43 min. Under the optimal conditions of the US/Fenton process, the degradation efficiencies of five CPAHs were obtained as 81.23% (benzo[a]pyrene) to 84.98% (benz[a]anthracene), and the benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaP_eq) concentrations of five CPAHs declined by 81.22–85.19%, which indicated the high potency of US/Fenton process for removing toxic CPAHs from textile dyeing sludge.     

Possible solutions for sludge dewatering in China

In China, over 1.43×10⁷ tons of dewatered sewage sludge, with 80% water content, were generated from wastewater treatment plants in 2007. About 60% of the COD removed during the wastewater treatment process becomes concentrated as sludge. Traditional disposal methods used by municipal solid waste treatment facilities, such as landfills, composting, or incineration, are unsuitable for sludge disposal because of its high water content. Disposal of sludge has therefore become a major focus of current environmental protection policies. The present status of sludge treatment and disposal methodology is introduced in this paper. Decreasing the energy consumption of sludge dewatering from 80% to 50% has been a key issue for safe and economic sludge disposal. In an analysis of sludge water distribution, thermal drying and hydrothermal conditioning processes are compared. Although thermal drying could result in an almost dry sludge, the energy consumption needed for this process is extremely high. In comparison, hydrothermal technology could achieve dewatered sewage sludge with a 50%–60% water content, which is suitable for composting, incineration, or landfill. The energy consumption of hydrothermal technology is lower than that required for thermal drying.     

Influence of some parameters on adsorption rate and toxicity of cadmium in activated sludge

The influence of pH, competitor ions (NaNO₃) and aerobic and anaerobic stabilization of activated sludge on the cadmium uptake by activated sludge solids was investigated. Above 0.08 mg L^‐1 cadmium in solution, biosorption was found to follow the Freundlich isotherm. Active cellular uptake of soluble cadmium does not appear to be a significant mechanism of the biosorption. In addition, the cadmium uptake is not completely reversible. The adsorption of cadmium by activated sludge seems to involve a physico‐chemical mechanism with especially weak electrostatic interactions with ion‐exchange reaction. The optimum adsorption pH was 7.5. Adsorption is influenced by sodium ion concentrations up to an equivalent conductivity of 10 000 μS cm^‐1. Aerobic and anaerobic stabilization of activated sludge increase systematically the initial adsorption capacities. Respirometric measurements were done to evaluate the inhibitive effects of cadmium on activated sludge. Monod's equation and the equation of non‐competitive inhibition were used to describe the toxicity related to cadmium uptake. These two equations appear to be complementary.     

城市污泥干燥研究进展

随着城市污水处理厂不断增加,城市污泥的产量也大幅度增长。减量化是城市污泥资源化的首要步骤,而干燥是城市污泥减量化最有效的方法之一。本文简述了城市污泥的干燥特性及各种干燥方法,并对各种方法的优缺点进行比较,得出利用太阳能和通过种植植物对污泥进行干燥是较为经济可行的污泥干燥方法。在提倡可持续发展理念及能源危机不断恶化的情况下,这两种方法在污泥干燥方面的应用将具有广泛前景。     

Bioleaching of spent Ni-Cd batteries and phylogenetic analysis of an acidophilic strain in acidified sludge

Biohydrometallurgy is a novel method to recycle discarded batteries, in which sewage sludge is used as microorganisms and culture due to the presence of indigenous Thiobacilli. A two-step continuous flow leaching system consisting of an acidifying reactor and a leaching reactor was introduced to achieve the bioleaching of spent nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries. The acid supernatant produced in the acidifying reactor by the microorganisms with ferrous ions as the substrate was conducted into the leaching reactor to dissolve electrode materials. The efficiency of a batch treatment of batteries was examined. The results showed that the complete dissolution of two AA-sized Ni-Cd batteries with 0.6 L/d acid supernatant took about 30, 20, and 35 days for Ni, Cd, and Co, respectively. But the dissolution ability of the three metals was different. Cd and Co can be leached mostly for pH below 4.0 while the complete dissolution of Ni can be achieved for pH below 2.5. Meanwhile, a strain (named Thiooxidans. WL) accounting for the reduction of pH in the acidified sludge was isolated and sequenced. It was identified to be 100% similar to Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain Tf-49 based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The relevant phylogenetic tree constructed indicates that the strain should be classified into genus Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans.     

Improvement of sludge dewaterability with modified cinder via affecting EPS

The relationship between the improvement of sludge dewaterability and variation of organic matters has been studied in the process of sludge pre-conditioning with modified cinder, especially for extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the sludge. During the conditioning process, the decreases of total organic carbon (TOC) and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) were obviously in the supernatant especially for the acid modified cinder (ACMC), which could be attributed to the processes of adsorption and sweeping. The reduction of polysaccharide and protein in supernatant indicated that ACMC might adsorb EPS so that the tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) decreased in sludge. In the case of ACMC addition with 24 g·L^–1, SRF of the sludge decreased from 7.85 × 10¹² m·kg^–1 to 2.06 × 10¹² m·kg^–1, and the filter cake moisture decreased from 85% to 60%. The reconstruction of “floc mass” was confirmed as the main sludge conditioning mechanism. ACMC promoted the dewatering performance through the charge neutralization and adsorption bridging with the negative EPS, and provided firm and dense structure for sludge floc as skeleton builder. The passages for water quick transmitting were built to avoid collapsing during the high-pressure process.

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Cadmium uptake by a phytoplankton species in the presence of different inhibitors&

The uptake of cadmium by the Haptophyceae Hymenomonas elongata was studied as regards the energetic processes and Ca‐transport. For this purpose, experiments were carried out in the presence of an uncoupler of the phosphorylation : CCCP and of an inhibitor of calcium channels and also of Ca²⁺‐ATPase : verapamil. To reduce the number of assays, a factorial experimental design was used, in which all variables:— concentration of Cd in the medium—incubation time and—the presence of the inhibitor, are at two levels. In the absence of inhibitor, Cd uptake was found to vary as a function of metal concentration in the medium and of incubation time. CCCP significantly increased Cd uptake by H. elongata at sufficient incubation time. Therefore Cd uptake seemed linked to an energy‐dependent process, involving an ATPase. Verapamil immediately increased Cd uptake, implying an interaction between Cd and Ca.     

Low intensity ultrasound stimulates biological activity of aerobic activated sludge

This work aims to explore a procedure to improve biological wastewater treatment efficiency using low intensity ultrasound. The aerobic activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant was used as the experimental material. Oxygen uptake rate (OUR) of the activated sludge (AS) was determined to indicate the changes of AS activity stimulated by ultrasound at 35 kHz for 0–40 min with ultrasonic intensities of 0–1.2 W/cm². The highest OUR was observed at the ultrasonic intensity of 0.3 W/cm² and an irradiation period of 10 min; more than 15% increase was achieved immediately after sonication. More significantly, the AS activity stimulated by ultrasound could last 24 h after sonication, and the AS activity achieved its peak value within 8 h after sonication, or nearly 100% higher than the initial level after sonication. Therefore, to improve the wastewater treatment efficiency of bioreactors, ultrasound with an intensity of 0.3 W/cm² could be employed to irradiate a part of the AS in the bioreactor for 10 min every 8 h.     

Enhancement of activated sludge performance on ammonium removal by clinoptilolite

This study evaluated the influence of clinoptilolite on the performance of activated sludge system shocked by high concentration of ammonium. The ammonium and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal from the experimental reactor containing clinoptilolite and from the clinoptilolite-free control reactor was determined. The ammonium and COD removal was approximately 8 and 20% higher in the experimental reactor than in the control reactor, respectively. The removal increased with an increase in clinoptilolite concentration over the tested range up to 50?mg?L^?1. The presence of clinoptilolite resulted in the sludge flocs being more compacted with smoother surfaces and edges. Molecular biological analysis revealed that clinoptilolite increased the DNA diversity, richness, and evenness of sludge microbes. The enhanced-performance activated sludge previously treated with clinoptilolite was less influenced by the shock of ammonium than non-treated sludge in terms of the ammonium and COD removal. These results suggest that clinoptilolite enhanced the performance of activated sludge system in the removal of ammonium and COD. Amendment of activated sludge with natural zeolites may thus improve the efficiency of wastewater treatment.     

Heterogeneous Fenton oxidation of dissolved organics in salt-laden wastewater from leather industry without sludge production

This is the first report on the heterogeneous oxidation of dissolved organics in wastewater with little consumption of Fenton’s reagent and without sludge production. The salt-laden wastewater discharged from leather industry has poor biodegradability due to the presence of high total dissolved solids. This wastewater is evaporated in solar evaporation pans. The evaporated residue faces disposal problem due to high concentration of organic and inorganic salts. The present study demonstrates the preparation, characterization and application of mesoporous activated carbon matrix along with Fenton’s reagent for the removal of dissolved organics in wastewater. Free electron-rich mesoporous activated carbon matrices (MAC₇₀₀, MAC₈₀₀ and MAC₉₀₀) were prepared and characterized for surface area, C, H, N, ash content, free electron density and energy gap value. Results show that heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of dissolved organics in the wastewater decreased biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon and dissolved protein, respectively, by 74, 69, 61 and 80% at optimum pH (3.5), H₂O₂ (7.5 mmol/l), FeSO₄.7H₂O (0.3 mmol/l) and MAC₈₀₀ (10 g/l).