Evaluation of membrane bioreactor for hypersaline oily wastewater treatment

Produced water is a significant waste stream generated in association with oil and gas production. It contains high concentrations of hydrocarbon constituents and different salts. In this study, a membrane sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) was used to treat synthetic and real produced water. The MSBR was evaluated in terms of biodegradation of hydrocarbons in the synthetic produced water with various organic loading rates (OLR) (0.281, 0.563, 1.124, 2.248, and 3.372 kg COD/(m³ day)), cycle time (12, 24, and 48 h), and membrane performance. The effects of salt concentrations at different total dissolved solids (TDS) (35,000, 50,000, 100,000, 150,000, 200,000, and 250,000 mg/L) on biological treatment of the pollutants in the synthetic and real wastewater were studied. At an OLR of 1.124 kg COD/(m³ day), an HRT of 48 h and TDS of 35,000 mg/L, removal efficiencies of 97.5%, 97.2%, and 98.9% of COD, total organic carbon (TOC), and oil and grease (O&G), respectively were achieved. For the real produced water, removal rates of 86.2%, 90.8%, and 90% were obtained for the same conditions. However, with increasing salt content, the COD-removal efficiencies of the synthetic and real produced water were reduced to 90.4% and 17.7%, respectively at the highest TDS.     

Media surface properties and the development of nitrifying biofilms in mixed cultures for wastewater treatment

Plastic was tested to select biofilm support media that would enhance nitrification in the presence of heterotrophs. Eight different types (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, nylon, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl chloride and tufnol) were immersed in an aerobic fed-batch reactor receiving domestic settled wastewater. Nitrification rates did not correlate with biomass concentrations, nor surface roughness of the plastics as measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The maximum nitrification rate of 1.5 g/m² d^?1 was obtained from biofilms growing on PTFE which had the lowest surface adhesion force (8 nN). Nitrification rates for the biofilms were inversely correlated with the attraction forces as measured by AFM.     

Water treatment sludge for phosphate removal from the effluent of UASB reactor treating municipal wastewater

Aluminium-based water treatment sludge was used as a coagulant for removing/recovering phosphate from the effluent of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating municipal wastewater. The effect of three variables, namely sludge dose, initial pH and fresh coagulant (poly-aluminium chloride, PACl) dose was studied using response surface methodology. About 87% phosphate removal could be obtained at the optimum conditions of sludge dose 13.8 g/L, initial pH 6, and fresh PACl dose 5.8 mg Al/L. In order to achieve a similar phosphate removal, a dose in the range of 30–40 mg Al/L of fresh PACl was required. The results suggest that water treatment sludge can be reused as a coagulant for post-treatment of UASB reactor effluent treating municipal wastewater and can be considered as a promising alternative for removing phosphate which can substantially reduce the consumption of fresh PACl. The sludge generated during this process could potentially be used in land application which results in recycling of phosphate.     

Rotating biological contactors for wastewater treatment – A review

Rotating biological contactors (RBCs) for wastewater treatment began in the 1970s. Removal of organic matter has been targeted within organic loading rates of up to 120 g m⁻² d⁻¹ with an optimum at around 15 g m⁻² d⁻¹ for combined BOD and ammonia removal. Full nitrification is achievable under appropriate process conditions with oxidation rates of up to 6 g m⁻² d⁻¹ reported for municipal wastewater. The RBC process has been adapted for denitrification with reported removal rates of up to 14 g m⁻² d⁻¹ with nitrogen rich wastewaters. Different media types can be used to improve organic/nitrogen loading rates through selecting for different bacterial groups. The RBC has been applied with only limited success for enhanced biological phosphorus removal and attained up to 70% total phosphorus removal. Compared to other biofilm processes, RBCs had 35% lower energy costs than trickling filters but higher demand than wetland systems. However, the land footprint for the same treatment is lower than these alternatives. The RBC process has been used for removal of priority pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products. The RBC system has been shown to eliminate 99% of faecal coliforms and the majority of other wastewater pathogens. Novel RBC reactors include systems for energy generation such as algae, methane production and microbial fuel cells for direct current generation. Issues such as scale up remain challenging for the future application of RBC technology and topics such as phosphorus removal and denitrification still require further research. High volumetric removal rate, solids retention, low footprint, hydraulic residence times are characteristics of RBCs. The RBC is therefore an ideal candidate for hybrid processes for upgrading works maximising efficiency of existing infrastructure and minimising energy consumption for nutrient removal. This review will provide a link between disciplines and discuss recent developments in RBC research and comparison of recent process designs are provided (Section 2). The microbial features of the RBC biofilm are highlighted (Section 3) and topics such as biological nitrogen removal and priority pollutant remediation are discussed (Sections 4 Biological nutrient removal in RBCs, 5 Priority pollutant remediation in RBCs). Developments in kinetics and modelling are highlighted (Section 6) and future research themes are mentioned.     

Boron removal from produced water using electrocoagulation

Produced water is the largest wastestream of oil and gas exploration but its chemical composition hinders its beneficial use. Effective treatment and reuse of produced water can mitigate scarcity of fresh water, especially in arid areas. Presence of inorganic compounds such as boron in produced water renders its beneficial use difficult. In this study, boron removal from produced water was investigated. Synthetic wastewater was prepared simulating the range of boron concentrations in produced water. Four operating parameters pH (3–11), charge loading (1200–3600 Ah/m³), contact time (15–90 min) and concentration (10–30 mg/L) were selected and their optimum conditions investigated. The obtained optimum conditions were applied to treat real produced water. Residual boron concentration of 0.3 mg/L was obtained from initial boron concentration of 15 mg/L in real produced water at optimum conditions of pH 7, charge loading 2400 Ah/m³ and contact time 90 min. Boron adsorption could be represented by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Electrocoagulation can be used for the effective removal of boron from produced water.     

Drop in dry mass and organic substance content in the process of autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion

This paper presents the results of a study of a sludge subjected to the (ATAD) process – Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion occurring in a two-stage installation operated in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Olecko, Poland. The study of the sludge and the analysis of obtained results were conducted over 2011 and 2014. The subject of the study was a thickened sludge in an intermediate tank from which it was next transferred to facility reactors. The stabilization of processed sludge was evaluated analyzing the change in the dry mass (DS) content in the sludge. Measurements were carried out in thickened sludge samples and after the ATAD process. Collected results were then subjected to a statistical analysis and it was determined to which extent as resulted from the subject process the dry mass and the dry organic mass (VS) content was changing in the sludge. Also, it was analyzed how the oxygen chemical demand (COD) was changing. The dry mass content in the thickened sludge was from 60 g/l to 160 g/l. After the process, this amount was from 35 to 76 g/l. Similarly, the organic mass content in a dry sludge mass changed from initial values within a range of 44–135 g/l to 23–60 g/l after the ATAD process. Also, the organic substance content expressed as COD decreased from 80 to 467 g O₂/l in a thickened sludge to 51–261 g O₂/l in the sludge after the process. The article presents conclusions from the result of the conducted study as well as personal experience.     

Disintegration of municipal waste activated sludge by simultaneous combination of acid and ultrasonic pretreatment

The individual and simultaneous effects of acid and ultrasonic pretreatment on the disintegration of municipal waste activated sludge (WAS) were investigated based on chemical properties of WAS. In the combination of acid and ultrasonic pretreatment methods (ultrasonic-acid pretreatment), lowering pH accelerated and enhanced the disintegration of waste biological sludge. Therefore, the same disintegration efficiency (obtained by ultrasonic pretreatment alone) was achieved by the combined pretreatment in shorter sonication times. Optimum pretreatment conditions were ultrasonic power density of 1.0 W/mL and pretreatment time of 10 min for ultrasonic pretreatment alone, and ultrasonic power density of 1.0 W/mL, pretreatment time of 10 min and initial sludge pH of 2.0 for the combined pretreatment. Sludge disintegration degrees were about 30% and 40% under these optimized conditions, respectively. Optimum sludge concentration was found to be 1.0% total solid (TS) content for the combined pretreatment. As a result, ultrasonic-acid pretreatment has been determined as a new and effective combined sludge pretreatment method to improve the sludge disintegration.     

Disintegration of waste activated sludge by different applications of Fenton process

Oxidative disintegration of municipal waste activated sludge (WAS) using conventional Fenton (Fe²⁺ + H₂O₂, CFP) and Fenton type (Fe⁰ + H₂O₂, FTP) processes was investigated and compared in terms of the efficiency of sludge disintegration and enhancement of anaerobic biodegradability. The influences of different operational variables namely sludge pH, initial concentration of Fe²⁺ or Fe⁰, and H₂O₂ were studied in detail. The optimum conditions have been found as catalyst iron dosage = 4 g/kg TS, H₂O₂ dosage = 40 g/kg TS and pH = 3 within 1 h oxidation period for both CFP and FTP. Kinetics studies were performed under optimal conditions. It was determined that the sludge disintegration was happened in two stages by both processes: rapid and subsequent slow disintegration stages and rapid sludge disintegration stage can be described by a zero-order kinetic model. The effects of oxidative sludge disintegration under the optimum conditions on anaerobic digestion were experienced with biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay in batch anaerobic reactors. Total methane production in the CFP and FTP pre-treated reactors increased by 26.9% and 38.0%, relative to the untreated reactor (digested the raw WAS). Furthermore, the total chemical oxygen demand reductions in the pre-treated reactors were improved as well.     

Partial nitritation of landfill leachate with varying influent composition under intermittent aeration conditions

The start-up and operation of a partial nitritation sequencing batch reactor for the treatment of landfill leachate were carried out on intermittent aeration mode. Partial nitrite accumulation was established in 15 days after the mode was changed from continuous aeration to intermittent aeration. Despite the varying influent composition, partial nitritation could be maintained by adjusting the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and the air flow rate. An increase in the air flow rate together with a decrease in air off duration can improve the partial nitritation capacity and eventually result in the development of granular sludge with fine diameters. A nitrogen loading rate of 0.71 ± 0.14 kg/m³/d and a COD removal rate of 2.21 ± 0.13 kg/m³/d were achieved under the conditions of an air flow rate of 19.36 ± 1.71 m³ air/m³/h and an air on/off duration of 1.5 min/0.7 min. When the ratio of total air flux (TAF) to the influent loading rate (ILR) was controlled at the range of 163–256 m³ air/kg COD, a stable effluent NO₃^?–N/NO_x^?–N (NO₂^?–N plus NO₃^?–N) ratio below 13% was achieved. Interestingly, the effluent pH was found to be a good indicator of the effluent NO₂^?–N/NH₄⁺–N ratio, which is an essential parameter for a subsequent anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) reactor.     

Effects of high ammonia loads on nitrogen mass balance and treatment performance of a biotrickling filter

A biotrickling filter packed with coal slag as packing medium was continuously used for more than 9 months under high ammonia loading rates of up to 140 g/m³/h. Nitrogen mass balance and microbial community analysis were conducted to evaluate the inhibitory effects of high ammonia concentration and metabolic by-products on the rates of nitrification. Ammonia removal efficiency reached above 99% at an empty bed retention time of as low as 8 s when inlet concentrations were below 350 ppm. The maximum and critical elimination capacities of the biotrickling filter were 118 g/m³/h and 108.1 g/m³/h, respectively. Kinetics analysis results showed that less than 2.5 s was required for the biotrickling filter with pH control to treat ammonia at concentrations of up to 500 ppm in compliance with the Taiwan EPA standard (outlet NH₃ < 1 ppm). Results of mass balance and microbial community analysis indicated that complete removal was mainly contributed by the activities of autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria and not by physical absorption or adsorption at low loading rates. However, at high inlet loadings, ammonium became the dominant by-product due to inhibitory effects of high ammonia concentration on the bacterial community.     

7 mT static magnetic exposure enhanced synthesis of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate by activated sludge at low temperature and high acetate concentration

The effect of 7 mT (milliTesla) SMF (static magnetic field) on poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production was studied at an acetate concentration of 260 Cmmol l^?1 and temperature of 10 °C. The SMF decreased the specific acetate uptake rate by 29%, but increased the maximum PHB content and the yield of PHB on acetate by 32 and 28% respectively. The ratio q_P/(q_S ? q_P), which described specific PHB production rate over the difference between specific acetate uptake rate and specific PHB production rate, was introduced for evaluation of the ratio of carbon flux into PHB synthesis and into the TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle. This value reached 2.3 when activated sludge culture was exposed to magnetic field of 7 mT, which was 1.1 times higher than the q_P/(q_S ? q_P) value obtained without magnetic exposure. Therefore, the SMF promoted diversion of more acetyl-CoA towards PHB synthesis and could offset adverse effects of high acetate concentration and low temperature. These results provide evidence that SMF enhances PHB production by activated sludge.     

Continuous nitrifying granular sludge bioreactor: Influence of aeration and ammonium loading rate

Granulation of nitrifying bacteria was investigated in a continuous bubble column bioreactor. Then, the combined effect of aeration and ammonium loading rates on dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration as well as nitrification process was evaluated in the system using an experimental design technique. After 120 days, stable nitrifying granules with average diameter of 1.4 mm and settling velocities of 55 m/h were obtained. The influence of increasing ammonium loading rate (ALR) was found to be more significant than decreasing aeration rate on the reduction of DO concentration inside the nitrifying bioreactor. The system could handle the ALR values of 0.48–1.92 gNH₄⁺-N/L d with the ammonium removal efficiency from 65% to nearly 100% at the tested airflow rates of 2.5 and 4.5 L/min. At the low aeration, the complete ammonium conversion to nitrate was replaced with nitrite when the ALR increased to 1.44 gNH₄⁺-N/L d. At the high aeration, however, almost complete nitrification was achieved except the high ALR in which the nitrite accumulation was observed up to 38%. The study demonstrated that the continuous bioreactor had a considerable performance for obtaining stable nitrifying granules to have nitrite accumulation under control with changing the ratio of aeration rate and ALR.     

Removal mechanism of trace oxytetracycline by aerobic sludge

To investigate the mechanism of removal of selected pharmaceuticals in activated sludge systems, laboratory-scale batch experiments were conducted to assess the adsorption and degradation behavior of trace oxytetracycline (OTC). The adsorption equilibrium of OTC was observed in 30 min and the adsorption process could be well described by a pseudo-second-order model with a rate of 0.362 L μg^?1 min^?1. The OTC adsorption rate decreased with increasing temperature and could be fitted by the Freundlich isotherm. The linear partition coefficients (K_d) were 1.19, 0.999, and 0.841 L g^?1 at temperatures of 15, 20, and 25 °C, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the adsorption of OTC onto the inactivated sludge was spontaneous (ΔG = ?16.7 to ?17.0 kJ mol^?1), enthalpy-driven (ΔH = ?24.9 kJ mol^?1), entropy-retarded (ΔS = ?27.4 J (mol K)^?1), and predominantly a physical adsorption.     

Biohydrogen production using waste activated sludge as a substrate from fructose-processing wastewater treatment

Biohydrogen production by dark fermentation in a series of batch tests under different environmental control conditions was evaluated to determine the optimal initial cultivation pH and temperature for a continuous-flow kinetic test to validate the kinetic model system. The waste activated sludge (WAS) from fructose-processing manufacturing was used as the model substrate for biohydrogen production. The batch experiments for biohydrogen production were conducted in a 6 l bioreactor. Fifteen batch kinetic tests were investigated when pH was controlled at 6, 7, 8 and 9 as well as the temperature was controlled at 37 °C, 45 °C and 55 °C, respectively. The experimental results indicated that the optimal operational condition for hydrogen production occurred while pH was 7 and temperature was 55 °C with the highest hydrogen production of 7.8 mmol. The optimal recovery time for hydrogen was 25 h in the batch experiments. Furthermore, the kinetic test of biohydrogen production was performed by anaerobic mixed microbial culture in the continuous-flow experiment when pH and temperature was maintained at 7 and 55 °C. Approximately 60% and 7% of substrate solution was converted into acetate and hydrogen, respectively, at the steady state. Roughly only 0.77% and 2.7% of substrate solution was converted into propionate and butyrate, respectively, at a steady-state condition. The experimental and modeling approaches presented in this study could be employed for the design of pilot-scale and full-scale anaerobic biohydrogen fermentors using food-processing waste activated sludge (WAS) as a substrate solution.     

Chemical conversion of paper industry effluents into carboxymethylcellulose

The synthesis of carboxymethylcellulose was investigated using effluents containing short cellulose fibers. Carboxymethylcellulose was synthesized according to the slurry process using different amount of sodium hydroxide and different incubation times at 30 °C after the etherification reaction as variables. Characterization of the product was conducted by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, degree of substitution, average degree of polymerization, water imbibing capacity, color, rheological properties, apparent viscosity and trace elements content. Incubation time slightly increased the yield of the reaction and the degree of substitution during the first 12 h. The reaction yield and degree of substitution both decreased when the initially concentration of NaOH was increased from 7.0 g/mL to 10.5 g/mL. The carboxymethylcellulose obtained was darker and had lower hydration properties than commercial samples. Trace elements content suggests that the product could be only used in paint factories or building materials industries.     

Achieving stable partial nitritation using endpoint pH control in an SBR treating landfill leachate

The feasibility of using endpoint pH control to achieve stable partial nitritation (PN) in an SBR for landfill leachate treatment was investigated. By imposing a fixed-time anoxia followed by variable-time aeration in an SBR cycle, successful partial nitritation was maintained for 182 days at a nitrogen loading rate of 0.30–0.89 kg/m³/day. The effluent NO₂⁻-N/NH₄⁺-N ratio and the effluent NO₃⁻-N concentration were 1.30 ± 0.22 and 16 ± 9 mg/L, respectively. High free ammonia (FA) and low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were inhibition factors of nitrate formation. The termination of aeration at a suitable endpoint pH was the key to achieve an effluent NO₂⁻-N/NH₄⁺-N ratio close to the stoichiometric value. This endpoint pH control strategy represents practical potentials in the engineered application of combined PN–ANAMMOX processes.     

Effects of heavy metals on planting watercress in kailyard soil amended by adding compost of sewage sludge

Mixture of sewage sludge with organic garbage was alternatively composted by aerobic and anaerobic technology for 60 days. A basin-scale experiment was performed by planting watercress with kailyard (KY) soil amended with the compost. The results show that average total organic carbon (TOC) increases from 98.45% to 787.69%, and average total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) increases to 98.53%, 27.34%, and 41.62%, respectively. The results of watercress in 6 pot experiments with a control treatment show that biomass production increases from 76.47% to 312.00% with the increase of addition of compost from 50 g to 150 g per pot but decreases from 312.00% to 102.29% with the addition of compost to soil and further increases from 150 g to 400 g per pot. The optimal amount of compost added to KY soil is 0.4 g of compost 1 kg of KY soil. Heavy metals accumulated by watercress demonstrate that Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn in the crop are much lower than the limited levels of Chinese criteria for vegetables. KY soil is proper to be amended with compost of sewage sludge without threat of bio-magnification of heavy metals to planting watercress.     

Improving disintegration and acidification of waste activated sludge by combined alkaline and microwave pretreatment

The individual alkaline or microwave pretreatment has been proved to be effective in disintegration and acidification of waste activated sludge (WAS). In this study, the effects of combined alkaline and microwave pretreatment at different pH and specific energy input (Es) on WAS disintegration were investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). Combined pretreatment achieved disintegration degree (DD) of 65.87% at Es of 38,400 kJ/kg TS and pH 11.0. The ANOVA further demonstrated that pH showed more significant effect on DD than Es. Anaerobic batch experiment results showed that combined pretreatment not only significantly improved volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulation but also shortened the time for the highest VFAs accumulation. The maximal VFAs accumulation (1500 mg COD/L) obtained at Es of 28,800 kJ/kg TS and fermentation time of 72 h, which was about two times that of the treatment without microwave (850 mg COD/L) at 96 h. The analysis of VFAs composition showed that the VFAs mainly consisted of acetic and iso-valeric acids, accounting for 57.3–70.1% of total VFAs.     

Decolorization of synthetic Methyl Orange wastewater by electrocoagulation with periodic reversal of electrodes and optimization by RSM

Treatment of Methyl Orange (MO), an azo dye, synthetic wastewater by electrocoagulation with periodic reversal of the electrodes (PREC) was examined. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the influence of experimental conditions for color removal (CR), energy consumption (ENC), electrode consumption (ELC) and sludge production (SP) per kg MO removed (kg(MO_r)) with optimal conditions being found to be pH 7.4, solution conductivity (к) 9.4 mS cm⁻¹, cell voltage (U) 4.4 V, current density (j) 185 mA cm⁻², electrocoagulation time (T) 14 min, cycle of periodic reversal of electrodes (t) 15 s, inter-electrode distance (d) 3.5 cm and initial MO concentration of 125 mg L⁻¹. Under these conditions, 97 ± 2% color was removed and ENC, ELC and SP were 44 ± 3 kWh kg(MO_r)⁻¹, 4.1 ± 0.2 kg(Al) kg(MO_r)⁻¹ and 17.2 ± 0.9 kg(sludge) kg(MO_r)⁻¹, respectively. With the enhanced electrochemical efficiency resulting from the periodic electrode reversal, the coefficients of increased resistance and decreased current density between the two electrodes in the PREC setup were 2.48 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm⁻² min⁻¹ and 0.29 mA cm⁻² min⁻¹, respectively, as compared to 7.72 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm⁻² min⁻¹ and 0.79 mA cm⁻² min⁻¹ as measured for the traditional electrocoagulation process. The rate constant of decolorization was also enhanced by 20.4% from 0.152 min⁻¹ in the traditional electrocoagulation process to 0.183 min⁻¹ in the PREC process. These performance characteristics indicate that the PREC approach may be more promising in terms of practical application, as a cost-effective treatment, than conventional electrocoagulation for textile dye removals.     

Evaluation of decentralized treatment of sewage employing bio-contact oxidation reactor integrated with filter bed

A bio-contact oxidation reactor integrated with filter bed (COR-FB) was developed for decentralized treatment of sewage, which consisted of a biofilm reactor and a gravitational filter bed. It has been investigated to treat municipal wastewater for reuse. The evaluation of COR-FB performance demonstrates that it produced good quality effluent regarding carbonaceous compound, nitrogenous compound, suspended solid and fecal coliform. The efficiencies of COD, NH₄⁺-N, TN, TP and turbidity removal were 90.7%, 81.4%, 64.6%, 60.1% and 96.7%, respectively. The residual geometric mean of fecal coliform counts in the final effluent of COR-FB was only 7.8 × 10³ MPN/10³ ml, corresponding to removal value of 3.8 log 10. However, TP removal indicates the necessity of an addition of a bagger and mud valve or an enhanced chemical phosphorus removal prior to treated water reuse. Microfauna communities were monitored in COR-FB, which was found to contain 5 genres and 19 species in the biofilm layer. Also, a simple kinetics model for COR-FB was developed based on the influent, effluent soluble COD concentration and the reaction time by regression simulation. In general, available data proved that COR-FB system can be recommended as a compact and cost-effective technology for decentralized treatment of sewage, especially for developing countries.