Toward better understanding and feasibility of controlling greenhouse gas emissions from treatment of industrial wastewater with activated sludge

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been recognized as important sources for anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. The objective of the study was to thoroughly investigate a typical industrial WWTP in southern Taiwan in winter and summer which possesses the emission factors close to those reported values, with the analyses of emission factors, mass fluxes, fugacity, lab-scale in situ experiments, and impact assessment. The activated sludge was the important source in winter and summer, and nitrous oxide (N₂O) was the main contributor (e.g., 57 to 91 % of total GHG emission in a unit of kg carbon dioxide-equivalent/kg chemical oxygen demand). Albeit important for the GHGs in the atmosphere, the fractional contribution of the GHG emission to the carbon or nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment was negligible (e.g., less than 1.5 %). In comparison with the sludge concentration or retention time, adjusting the aeration rate was more effective to diminish the GHG emission in the activated sludge without significantly affecting the treated water quality. When the aeration rate in the activated sludge simulation was reduced by 75 %, the mass flux of N₂O could be diminished by up to 53 % (from 9.6 to 4.5 mg/m²-day). The total emission in the WWTP (including carbon dioxide, methane, and N₂O) would decrease by 46 % (from 0.67 to 0.36 kg CO₂-equiv/kg COD). However, the more important benefit of changing the aeration rate was lowering the energy consumption in operation of the WWTP, as the fractional contribution of pumping to the total emission from the WWTP ranged from 46 to 93 % within the range of the aeration rate tested. Under the circumstance in which reducing the burden of climate change is a global campaign, the findings provide insight regarding the GHG emission from treatment of industrial wastewater and the associated impact on the treatment performance and possible mitigation strategies by operational modifications.

     

Partition of Volatile Organic Compounds in Activated Sludge and Wastewater

Abstract

The Henry’s law constant is important in the gas-liquid mass transfer process. Apparent dimensionless Henry’s law constant, or the gas-liquid partition coefficient (K’ _H), for both hydrophilic (methanol, isopropyl alcohol, and acetone) and hydrophobic (toluene and p-xylene) organic compounds in deionized (DI) water, a wastewater with a maximum total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of 700 mg/L, and DI water mixed with a maximum activated sludge suspended solid (SS) concentration of 40,000 mg/L were measured using the single equilibrium technique at 293 K.

Experimental results demonstrate that the K’ _H of any of the test volatile organic compounds varied among three situations. First, the K’_H of the hydrophilic compounds in mixed liquor with the maximum SS concentration was 9–21% higher than those in DI water. Second, those for toluene and p-xylene were 77% and 93% lower, respectively, in the mixed liquor with the maximum SS concentration. Third, the K’_H values of all of the test compounds in the wastewater were only 10% lower than those in DI water.

A model was developed to relate K’ _H with wastewater DOC and the SS concentration in the activated sludge using an organic carbon-water partition coefficient and activated sludge-water partition coefficient as model parameters. The model was verified and model parameters for test compounds estimated.     

Spatial variations of Pb in the vertical zone of the soil-plant system in the Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve

The characteristics of vertical and horizontal variations of lead element (Pb) in soil-plant system of vertical zone in Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve(CNNR)were studied.The results showed that Pb concentrations in soils of vertical zone are all above 25mg/kg,and the average Pb concentration of each soil zone negatively correlates its degree of variation,i.e.brown coniferous forest soil zone has the lowest average Pb concentration of four soil zones,and the highest horizontal variation;however,mountain soddy forest soil has the highest average Pb concentration,and the lowest horizontal variation;the average concentration of plant Pb of each plant zone is lower than the worldwide average level of Pb in plant(Clarke),respectively,and plant Pb content order is consistent with soil Pb content order,but their horizontal variations are different from those in soil zones,the variation of mountain tundra forest zone is highest,but Betula ermanii forest zoner the lowest.Vertical variation of plant Pb is obviously higher than that in soils with variation coefficient of 89.76%;the enrichment capability of plant for Pb is depended on the plant types and the different organs of plant;parent material and parent rock,pH values,soil organic matter and soil particle fraction etc.are the main factors influencing variations of Pb contant in soil-plant system of vertical zone in CNNR.     

Partition of volatile organic compounds in activated sludge and wastewater

The Henry's law constant is important in the gas-liquid mass transfer process. Apparent dimensionless Henry's law constant, or the gas-liquid partition coefficient (K'H), for both hydrophilic (methanol, isopropyl alcohol, and acetone) and hydrophobic (toluene and p-xylene) organic compounds in deionized (DI) water, a wastewater with a maximum total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of 700 mg/L, and DI water mixed with a maximum activated sludge suspended solid (SS) concentration of 40,000 mg/L were measured using the single equilibrium technique at 293 K. Experimental results demonstrate that the K'H of any of the test volatile organic compounds varied among three situations. First, the K'H of the hydrophilic compounds in mixed liquor with the maximum SS concentration was 9-21% higher than those in DI water. Second, those for toluene and p-xylene were 77% and 93% lower, respectively, in the mixed liquor with the maximum SS concentration. Third, the K'H values of all of the test compounds in the wastewater were only 10% lower than those in DI water. A model was developed to relate K'H with wastewater DOC and the SS concentration in the activated sludge using an organic carbon-water partition coefficient and activated sludge-water partition coefficient as model parameters. The model was verified and model parameters for test compounds estimated.     

TiO2-NB/pg-C3N4可见光催化降解17α-乙炔雌二醇的机理

通过煅烧自制的TiO₂纳米带（TiO₂-NB）和多孔氮化碳（pg-C₃N₄）制备出新型的TiO₂纳米带/多孔氮化碳（TiO₂-NB/pg-C₃N₄）光催化剂,优化了其制备条件,并用于可见光条件下催化降解雌激素活性最强的17α-乙炔雌二醇（EE2）.通过SEM、TEM、XRD、UV-vis DRS、PL、XPS和BET等手段对催化剂结构和表面物理化学性质进行表征和分析.结果表明,B型TiO₂纳米带均匀负载至多孔氮化碳薄片上,形成TiO₂-NB/pg-C₃N₄复合光催化剂.最优条件下制备的TiO₂-NB/pg-C₃N₄降解EE2的速率常数（0.02537min^-1）分别是TiO₂-NB （0.00197min^-1）和pg-C₃N₄（0.0077min^-1）的12.88倍和3.29倍.自由基捕获实验结果显示超氧自由基（·O₂^-）是TiO₂-NB/pg-C₃N₄可见光催化降解EE2的主要活性物种.HPLC-MS中间体检测结果显示,可能的降解中间体主要有4个,提出可能的降解途径,而且通过MCF-7雌激素活性测试法可知降解过程产物的雌激素活性基本消除.