Flow characteristic and wastewater treatment performance of a pilot-scale airlift oxidation ditch

A pilot-scale airlift oxidation ditch using bubble diffuser and baffle as aerator was operated in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to investigate its flow characteristic and wastewater treatment performance. Compared with the conventional oxidation ditch process, effective depth and oxygen utilization efficiency of this new process was improved by underwater aeration. Furthermore, it had a reversed velocity distribution, which decreased from the bottom to the top on vertical section. Velocity measurement showed that a velocity over 0.2m/s at the bottom was sufficient to prevent sludge settlement during long term operation. Application of these concepts would save land area and energy consumption by about 25%―50% and 55%, respectively. In this new system, organic biodegradation and nitrification could be well achieved. Denitrification could occur steadily in the straight part by adjusting the airflow rate. An average TN removal rate of 63% was achieved with dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations between 0.6mg/L and 1.5mg/L. The main pollutants in the effluent could meet the strictest discharge standard (COD<50mg/L, NH₄⁺―N<5mg/L, and TN<15mg/L) in China now.     

Optimization of phosphorus removal in uniFed SBR system for domestic wastewater treatment

The characteristic of phosphorus removal and appropriate change of the traditional operation modes were investigated in UniFed sequencing batch reactor (SBR) laboratory-scale apparatus (40 L), treating actual domestic wastewater with low ratios of C/N (2.57) and C/P (30.18), providing theoretical basis for actual application of wastewater treatment plant. UniFed SBR system with its unique operation mode had the distinct superiority of phosphorus removal. On this occasion, the effect of volumetric exchange ratio (VER) and the method of influent introduction for phosphorus removal were studied. When the carbon source became the limiting factor to phosphorus release, the higher the VER, the lower the phosphorus concentration in the effluent. Three different influent patterns, including one-time filling, four-time filling, and continuous filling with the same quantity of wastewater could increase the release rate of anaerobic phosphorus from 0.082 to 0.143 mg·P·(L·min)^-1. Appropriate change of the traditional operation modes could optimize the efficiency of phosphorus removal. When the feed/ decant time was extended from 2 h to 4 h, the phosphorous removal efficiency increased from 59.93% to 88.45% without any external carbon source. In the mode of alternation of anoxic-aerobic (A/O) condition, phosphorous removal efficiency increased from 55.07% to 72.27% clearly. The carbon source in the influent can be used adequately, and denitrifying phosphorus removal was carried out in anoxic stage 2 (A2). This mode was optimal for the treatment of actual domestic wastewater with low C/N and C/P ratios.     

厌氧-好氧生物除磷影响因素的控制

采用厌氧-好氧生物除磷工艺,研究了两个关键因子--化学需氧量与磷的比值和污泥负荷对系统除磷效果的影响及其控制.结果表明,原污水中化学需氧量与磷的比值越高,厌氧放磷越多,越有利于除磷;厌氧放磷与厌氧吸收碳源呈正相关;并且,进水化学需氧量与磷的比值的变化对整个系统碳源污染物的去除效果不会产生明显的影响.试验发现,厌氧条件下聚磷菌贮存碳源的多寡并不完全依赖于高能磷酸键水解提供的能量,原污水中化学需氧量越多,越有利于厌氧碳源的贮存.若要达到好的除磷效果,系统的污泥负荷必须控制在0.21～0.5 kg/(kg·d)之间,且污泥负荷越高,除磷效果越佳.     

纤毛状生物膜脱氮除磷工艺调试研究

纤毛状生物膜脱氮除磷工艺(CNR)是一种高效的生物脱氮除磷工艺.好氧池中纤毛状生物膜填料的添加,固化了大量世代时间长的硝化菌,提高了硝化反应速度,而且成功地解决了好氧段硝化菌与聚磷菌的泥龄矛盾.通过对天津某污水处理厂进行CNR工艺中试,得出结论如下:填料比表面积大,微生物附着量高达1 350～1 500g·m~(-2);填料容易挂膜、脱膜,无堵塞现象,更不需要反冲洗,维护管理简单;填料上形成的生物膜中,微生物体系稳定,种群丰富,微生物相包括钟虫(vorticella)、轮虫(rotaria)、表壳虫(arcella)、吸管虫(tokophrya)等;采用CNR工艺对污水处理,常规项目的去除率均达到80%以上,出水水质除总氮达到一级B标准,其他均达到<城镇污水处理厂污染物排放标准>(GB 18918-2002)的一级A排放标准.     

不同进水有机物浓度下移动床生物膜反应器(SBMBBR)脱氮除磷特性

考察了不同进水有机物浓度下厌氧/好氧序批式移动床生物膜反应器（SBMBBR）污染物去除特性,实验结果表明,SBMBBR能够实现低碳源污水中氮和磷的同步去除,在进水TN和TP浓度分别为116.7 mg.L-1和11.5 mg.L-1、COD浓度为456 mg.L-1的条件下,TN和TP去除率分别达到94.3%和92.2%以上.反应器除磷是基于常规生物除磷和反硝化除磷过程实现的,脱氮主要是基于好氧段发生的同时硝化反硝化（SND）作用而完成.由于生物膜内部存在的DO扩散梯度,在好氧阶段混合液DO浓度不断提高的条件下反应器内具有良好SND反应的发生.进水COD浓度由149 mg.L-1提高至456 mg.L-1的过程中,反应器硝化效果不变,反硝化和除磷效果改善.反应器在好氧阶段pH值基本维持在7.0—7.1之间,为各类菌群的生长创造了条件.碱度变化较pH值更能反映硝化和反硝化反应发生的程度.反应器中微生物相丰富,生物膜以丝状菌为骨架,其上附着大量的球状菌和杆状菌,而悬浮活性污泥中丝状菌较少,形成了由细菌、真菌到原生动物和后生动物的复杂的生态体系,为系统取得稳定的污水处理效果提供了有效的保证.     

Practical consideration for design and optimization of the step feed process

Based on the anoxic/oxic (A/O) step feed process, a modified University of Cape Town (UCT) step feed process was developed by adding an anaerobic zone and adjusting sludge return pipeline. Performance evaluation of these two types of processes was investigated by optimizing operational parameters, such as the anaerobic/anoxic/oxic volumes, internal recycle ratios, and sludge retention times, for removal of chemical oxygen demanding (COD), nitrogen, and phosphorus. Results showed high removal efficiencies of COD of (85.0±1.7)%, ammonium of (99.7±0.2)%, total nitrogen (TN) of (85.5±1.7)%, phosphorus of (95.1±3.3)%, as well as excellent sludge settleability with average sludge volume index of (83.7±9.5) L·mg^-1 in the modified UCT process. Moreover, (61.5±6.0)% of influent COD was efficiently involved in denitrification or phosphorus release process. As much as 35.3% of TN was eliminated through simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process in aerobic zones. In addition, the presence of denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms (DNPAOs), accounting for approximately 39.2% of PAOs, was also greatly beneficial to the nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Consequently, the modified UCT step feed process was more attractive for the wastewater treatment plant, because it had extremely competitive advantages such as higher nutrient removal efficiencies, lower energy and dosages consumption, excellent settling sludge and operational assurance.     

全程补碳的A~2/O工艺对同步脱氮除磷的影响

为解决A2/O工艺处理低浓度城市生活污水的碳源问题,采用了甲醇、葡萄糖、乙酸分别作为A2/O系统的碳源,结果表明,甲醇作为系统外加碳源最经济、最合适,其中TN、TP去除率分别达到75.81%和76.21%,NO-x-N被去除时间为30 min.研究最大化利用碳源,得到外加碳源甲醇在厌氧/缺氧/好氧区段的投加比例为1∶2∶0、投加量为400 mg·L-1,硝酸盐回流比为250%时,系统运行效果最佳,TN、NH3-N和TP去除率分别为90.56%、96.67%和92.56%,出水浓度分别为12.3 mg·L-1、4.1 mg·L-1和0.45 mg·L-1,达到GB18918—2002一级A类标准.通过一段时间的运行,在缺氧段发生了反硝化吸磷的现象,有利于碳源的节省和系统的高效运行.     

Simulation of long-term nutrient removal in a full-scale closed-loop bioreactor for sewage treatment: an example of Bayesian inference

In this study, the performance of nitrogen and phosphorus removal in a full-scale closed-loop bioreactor (oxidation ditch) system was simulated using the ASM2d model. Routine data describing the process for two years were compiled for calibration and validation. To overcome the identifiability problem, the classic Bayesian inference approach was utilized for parameter estimation. The calibrated model could describe the long-term trend of nutrient removal and short-term variations of the process performance, showing that the Bayesian method was a reliable and useful tool for the parameter estimation of the activated sludge models. The anoxic phosphate uptake by polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAO) contributed 71.2% of the total Poly-P storage, which reveals the dominance of denitrifying phosphorus removal process under the oxygen limiting conditions. It was found that 58.7% of the anoxic Poly-P storage and denitrification by PAO in the reactor was achieved in the aerated compartment, implying that the PAO’s anoxic activity was significantly stimulated by the low dissolved oxygen (DO) level in this compartment due to the oxygen gradient caused by brush aerator.     

Denitrification and phosphorus uptake by DPAOs using nitrite as an electron acceptor by step-feed strategies

Denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms (DPAOs) using nitrite as an electron acceptor can reduce more energy. However, nitrite has been reported to have an inhibition on denitrifying phosphorus removal. In this study, the step-feed strategy was proposed to achieve low nitrite concentration, which can avoid or relieve nitrite inhibition. The results showed that denitrification rate, phosphorus uptake rate and the ratio of the phosphorus uptaken to nitrite denitrified (anoxic P/N ratio) increased when the nitrite concentration was 15 mg·L^-1 after step-feeding nitrite. The maximum denitrification rate and phosphorus uptake rate was 12.73 mg NO2-–N·g MLSS-1?h-1 and 18.75 mg PO43-–P·g MLSS-1?h-1, respectively. These rates were higher than that using nitrate (15 mg·L^-1) as an electron acceptor. The maximum anoxic P/N ratio was 1.55 mg PO43--P?mg NO2--N-1. When the nitrite concentration increased from 15 to 20 mg NO2--N?L-1 after addition of nitrite, the anoxic phosphorus uptake was inhibited by 64.85%, and the denitrification by DPAOs was inhibited by 61.25%. Denitrification rate by DPAOs decreased gradually when nitrite (about 20 mg·L^-1) was added in the step-feed SBR. These results indicated that the step-feed strategy can be used to achieve denitrifying phosphorus removal using nitrite as an electron acceptor, and nitrite concentration should be maintained at low level (<15 mg·L^-1 in this study).     

三种生物除磷工艺的比较

比较了Ａ／Ｏ法、Ａ＾２／Ｏ法和ＳＢＲ法生物除磷工艺。结果表明，它们的除磷效果好；污染含磷量达６％以上、除磷系数达０．０４左右，是常规好氧生物处理的３倍。在系统除磷系数相同的条件下，Ａ＾２／Ｏ法取好，是常规好氧法的３倍；ＳＢＲ法次之，高速率Ａ／Ｏ法因不能经反硝化作用脱氮，去氮效果与常规好氧法相同。     

Research on polyhydroxyalkanoates and glycogen transformations: Key aspects to biologic nitrogen and phosphorus removal in low dissolved oxygen systems

In this paper, a study was conducted on the effect of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and glycogen transformations on biologic nitrogen and phosphorus removal in low dissolved oxygen (DO) systems. Two laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBR1 and SBR2) were operating with anaerobic/aerobic (low DO, 0.15–0.45 mg·L^-1) configurations, which cultured a propionic to acetic acid ratio (molar carbon ratio) of 1.0 and 2.0, respectively. Fewer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), total PHA, and glycogen transformations were observed with the increase of propionic/acetic acid, along with more poly-3-hydroxyvalerate (PHV) and poly-3-hydroxy-2-methyvalerate (PH2MV) shifts. The total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was 68% and 82% in SBR1 and SBR2, respectively. In the two SBRs, the soluble ortho-phosphate (SOP) removal efficiency was 94% and 99%, and the average sludge polyphosphate (poly-P) content (g·g-MLVSS^-1) was 8.3% and 10.2%, respectively. Thus, the propionic to acetic acid ratio of the influent greatly influenced the PHA form and quantity, glycogen transformation, and poly-P contained in activated sludge and further determined TN and SOP removal efficiency. Moreover, significant correlations between the SOP removal rate and the (PHV+ PH2MV)/PHA ratio were observed (R²>0.99). Accordingly, PHA and glycogen transformations should be taken into account as key components for optimizing anaerobic/aerobic (low DO) biologic nitrogen and phosphorus removal systems.     

Field experiment on biological contact oxidation process to treat polluted river water in the Dianchi Lake watershed

In this study two types of biological contact oxidation processes (BCOP), a step-feed (SBCOP) unit and an inter-recycle (IBCOP) unit, were designed to investigate the treatment of heavily polluted river water. The Daqing River, which is the largest pollutant contributor to the Dianchi Lake, one of the most eutrophic freshwater lakes in China, was taken for the case study. It was found that the SBCOP had higher adaptability and better performance in the reduction of COD, TN, and TP, which made it applicable for the treatment of polluted river water entering the Dianchi Lake. Nitrification rate was observed to be greatly affected by the influent temperature. During each season, the nitrification in the SBCOP was higher than that in the IBCOP. TN removal efficiency in the SBCOP was higher than that in the IBCOP during the winter and spring but poorer during the summer, possibly due to the inhibition of denitrification by higher dissolved oxygen level in the summer. Moreover, symbiotic algaebacteria growth may be conducive to the removal of pollutants.     

Fate and removal of typical pharmaceutical and personal care products in a wastewater treatment plant from Beijing: a mass balance study

The fate and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has received great attention during the last decade. Numerous data concerning concentrations in the water phase can be found in the literature, however corresponding data from sludge as well as associated mass balance calculations are very limited. In the present study, the adsorbed and dissolved concentrations of 9 PPCPs were investigated in each unit of a WWTP in Beijing, China. Based on the calculation of mass balance, the relative mass distribution and removal efficiency of each target compound was obtained at each process. The amount of PPCPs entering into the WWTP ranged from 12 g·d^–1 to 3848 g·d^–1. Five target compounds (caffeine, chloramphenicol, bezafibrate, clofibric acid, and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) were effectively removed, with rates of 57%–100%. Negative removal efficiencies were obtained for sulpiride, metoprolol, nalidixic acid, and carbamazepine, ranging from -19% to -79%. PPCPs mainly existed in dissolved form (≥92%) in both the raw influent and the final effluent. The sludge cake carried a much lower amount of PPCPs (17 g·d^–1) compared with the discharged effluent (402 g·d^–1). In A²/O treatment tanks, the anaerobic and anoxic tanks showed good performance for PPCPs removal, and the amount of adsorbed PPCPs was increased. The results reveal that both the dissolved and the adsorbed phases should be considered when assessing the removal capacity of each A²/O tank.     

Feedforward control for nitrogen removal in a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic-oxic plant for municipal wastewater treatment

To improve the efficiency of nitrogen removal with lower energy consumption, the study of feedforward control was carried out on a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (AAO) plant for the treatment of municipal wastewater. The effluent qualities of the pilot plant under different control strategies were investigated. The results indicated that the change of external recycle was not a suitable approach to regulate the sludge concentration of plug-flow reactors; adjusting the aeration valve and dissolved oxygen set-point according to ammonia load could overcome the impact of influent fluctuation; and the denitrification potential could be estimated based on the transit time of anoxic zone and the relative content of carbon resource entering the anoxic zone. Simple feedforward control strategies for aeration and internal recycle were subsequently proposed and validated. The nitrogen removal was successfully improved in the pilot plant. The effluent total nitrogen had decreased by 29.9% and was steadily controlled below 15 mg·L^-1. Furthermore, approximately 38% of the energy for aeration had been saved.     

Effect of chemical dose on phosphorus removal and membrane fouling control in a UCT-MBR

Phosphorus removal was enhanced effectively by dosing aluminum sulfate and effluent phosphorus concentration was lower than 0.5 mg/L. Sludge activity was not inhibited but improved slightly with addition of aluminum sulfate. EPS concentrations both in mixed liquid and on membrane surface were decreased, contributing to the effective mitigation of membrane fouling. To enhance phosphorus removal and make the effluent meet the strict discharge level of total phosphorus (TP, 0.5 mg/L), flocculant dosing is frequently applied. In this study, the performance of aluminum sulfate dosing in a University of Cape Town Membrane Bioreactor (UCT-MBR) was investigated, in terms of the nutrients removal performance, sludge characteristics and membrane fouling. The results indicated that the addition of aluminum sulfate into the aerobic reactor continuously had significantly enhanced phosphorus removal. Moreover, COD, NH₄⁺-N and TN removal were not affected and effluent all met the first level A criteria of GB18918-2002. In addition, the addition of aluminum sulfate had improved the sludge activity slightly and reduced trans-membrane pressure (TMP) increase rate from 1.13 KPa/d to 0.57 KPa/d effectively. The membrane fouling was alleviated attributed to the increased average particle sizes and the decreased accumulation of the small sludge particles on membrane surface. Furthermore, the decline of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) concentration in mixed sludge liquid decreased its accumulation on membrane surface, resulting in the mitigation of membrane fouling directly.     

生物硫铁生成菌的选育及其在重金属废水处理中的应用

为开发高效经济、环境友好的重金属废水处理技术,采用亨盖特(Hungate)厌氧技术分离出一株产生物硫铁复合材料的硫酸盐还原菌(Sulfate reducing bacteria,SRB),命名为SRB2,并对该菌株进行了生理特性、培养工艺和废水处理研究.菌体杆状稍有弯曲,革兰氏阴性菌,最佳碳源为乳酸钠.pH范围5.0～9.0,最适pH 7.0,最适温度为35℃,培养3 d生物硫铁量和硫化物含量能达最大值,分别为2.85 g L-1、358.048 mg L-1.正交试验结果表明,乳酸钠9.0 g L-1+组合氮源1.5 g L-1+硫酸亚铁10.0 g L-1时生物硫铁产量最高.16S rDNA序列分析表明,菌株与脱硫弧菌属Desulfovibriodesulfuricans strain 734同源性为99%.采用生物硫铁处理重金属Cu2+、Pb2+、Cd2+废水,结果表明生物硫铁能快速处理含Cu2+、Pb2+、Cd2+废水,2 min去除率达99.8%以上.因此,生物硫铁在各类重金属废水处理与重金属废水污染事故应急处理中具有较好的应用前景.     

Spatial variations in the N2O emissions and denitrification potential of riparian buffer strips in a contaminated urban river

Spatial variations in the N₂O emissions and denitrification potential of riparian buffer strips (RBS) in a polluted river were examined. The river received large pollutant inputs from urban runoff and wastewater discharge, resulting in impaired water quality in the river and downstream reservoir. The potential for nitrogen removal by RBS was evaluated by measuring in situ N₂O emission fluxes in static closed chambers and sediment denitrification potentials with acetylene inhibition techniques. The results showed that N₂O emission fluxes decreased from the upstream (16.39 μg/(m²·h)) to downstream (0.30 μg/(m²·h)) sites and from the water body to upland sites. The trend in decreasing N₂O emission fluxes in the downstream direction was mainly associated with sediment/soil textures (clay loam→sandy soil) and sediment/soil water contents and was also related to the vegetation along the RBS and nutrients in the sediments/soils. The correlation coefficient was highest (r=0.769) between the N₂O emission flux and sediment/soil water content. Sediment/soil denitrification potentials under N-amended and ambient conditions were higher (highest 32.86 mg/(kg·h)) for the upstream sites, which were consistent with in situ N₂O flux rates.