A novel multistage anoxic/aerobic process with sludge regeneration zone (R-MAO) for advanced nitrogen removal from domestic sewage

To achieve advanced nitrogen removal from actual municipal sewage, a novel multistage anoxic/aerobic process with sludge regeneration zone (R-MAO) was developed. The reactor was used to treat actual domestic sewage and the nitrogen removal capacity of the sludge regeneration zone (R zone) was investigated during the long-term operation. The best performance was obtained at the R zone's Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP) of -50±30 mV and hydraulic residence times (HRT) of 1.2 hr. The average effluent COD, TN, NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N of the R-MAO process were 18.0±2.3, 7.5±0.6, 1.0±0.5 and 4.6±0.4 mg/L, respectively, with the corresponding removal efficiency of COD, TN and NH₄⁺-N were 92.9%±1.0%, 84.1%±1.5% and 97.5%±1.1%. Compared to the sole MAO system, the TN removal efficiency of the R-MAO increased by 10.1%. Besides, under the optimal conditions, the contribution of the R zone in the R-MAO that removal COD, TN, NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N were 0.36, 0.15, 0.032 and 0.82 g/day. High-throughput sequencing results showed that uncultured_bacterium_f_Burkholderiaceae (5.20%), OLB8 (1.04%) and Ottowia (1.03%) played an important role in denitrification in the R zone. This study provided effective guidance for the design and operation of the R-MAO process in domestic sewage treatment.     

DGGE/TGGE方法在土壤微生物群落研究中的应用

变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)或温度梯度凝胶电泳(TGGE)已成为环境微生物学领城比较微生物群落多样性和检测种群动力学的重要分子手段,本文介绍了DGGE/TGGE方法在土壤微生物群落研究中的应用进展及存在的缺陷,并提出了改进建议.     

Effects of oxygen and water content on microbial distribution in the polyurethane foam cubes of a biofilter for SO2 removal

The performance of a biofilter for off-gas treatment relies on the activity of microorganisms and adequate O_2 and H_2O. In present study, a microelectrode was applied to analyze O_2 in polyurethane foam cubes(PUFCs) packed in a biofilter for SO_2 removal. The O_2 distribution varied with the density and water-containing rate(WCR) of PUFCs. The O_2 concentration dropped sharply from 10.2 to 0.8 mg/L from the surface to the center of a PUFC with 97.20%of WCR. The PUFCs with high WCR presented aerobic–anoxic–aerobic areas.Three-dimensional simulated images demonstrated that the structure of PUFCs with high WCR consisted of an aerobic "shell" and an anoxic "core", with high-density PUFCs featuring a larger anoxic area than low-density PUFCs. Moreover, the H_2O distribution in the PUFC was uneven and affected the O_2 concentration. Whereas aerobic bacteria were observed in the PUFC surface, facultative anaerobic microorganisms were found at the PUFC core, where the O_2 concentration was relatively low. O_2 and H_2O distributions differed in the PUFCs, and the distribution of microorganisms varied accordingly.     

Revealing the anaerobic acclimation of microbial community in a membrane bioreactor for coking wastewater treatment by Illumina Miseq sequencing

The dynamic change of microbial community during sludge acclimation from aerobic to anaerobic in a MBR for coking wastewater treatment was revealed by Illumina Miseq sequencing in this study. The diversity of both Bacteria and Archaea showed an increase–decrease trajectory during acclimation, and exhibited the highest at the domestication interim. Ignavibacteria changed from a tiny minority(less than 1%) to the dominant bacterial group(54.0%) along with acclimation. The relative abundance of Betaproteobacteria kept relatively steady, as in this class some species increased coupled with some other species decreased during acclimation. The dominant Archaea shifted from Halobacteria in initial aerobic sludge to Methanobacteria in the acclimated anaerobic sludge. The dominant bacterial and archaeal groups in different acclimation stages were indigenous microorganisms in the initial sludge, though some of them were very rare. This study supported that the species in"rare biosphere" might eventually become dominant in response to environmental change.     

三江平原湿地土壤活性有机碳组分特征及其与土壤酶活性的关系

对三江平原3种主要类型天然湿地(毛苔草湿地、小叶章湿地、岛状林湿地)O-20cm土壤活性有机碳(土壤微生物量碳、土壤可溶性有机碳)特征进行了研究,分析了不同湿地的土壤活性有机碳与土壤总有机碳及酶活性间的关系.结果表明:不同类型湿地的土壤活性有机碳组分含量存在较大的差异,土壤活性有机碳、土壤总有机碳及土壤脲酶、蔗糖酶、淀粉酶、过氧化氢酶的变化趋势具有基本近似的特征.表现为毛苔草湿地>小叶章湿地>岛状林湿地;土壤微生物量碳、可溶性有机碳与土壤总有机碳和酶活性存在显著正相关关系,其中,酶活性与土壤微生物量碳相关性最为显著.另外.毛苔草湿地土壤MBC/SOC、DOC/SOC的比值低于其它2种类型湿地,表明毛苔草湿地生物活性有机碳库的周转速率低.淹水抑制了微生物和酶的分解作用,有利于土壤有机碳的累积.因此,沼泽湿地水文条件的变化将会对土壤碳累积与分解过程产生较大的影响.     

Removal of tetrachlorobisphenol A and the effects on bacterial communities in a hybrid sequencing biofilm batch reactor-constructed wetland system

SBBR-CW system was proposed to effectively treat wastewater containing TCBPA. CW unit contributed more than SBBR to the removal of TCBPA. TCBPA changed the composition and structure of bacterial community in the system. GAOs massively grew in SBBR, but did not deteriorate TP removal efficiency. Tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA) released into the sewage may cause environmental pollution and health risk to human beings. The objective of this study was to investigate the removal of TCBPA and bacterial community structures in a laboratory-scale hybrid sequencing biofilm batch reactor (SBBR)-constructed wetland (CW) system. The results showed that the removal efficiency of chemical oxidation demand (COD), ammonia, total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the SBBR-CW system was 96.7%, 97.3%, 94.4%, and 88.6%, respectively. At the stable operation stage, the system obtained a 71.7%±1.8% of TCBPA removal efficiency with the influent concentration at 200 mg/L. Illumina MiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene revealed that the presence of TCBPA not only reduced the bacterial diversity in the SBBR-CW system, but also altered the composition and structure of bacterial community. After the addition of TCBPA, Proteobacteria increased from 31.3% to 38.7%, while Acidobacteria and Parcubacteria decreased greatly in the SBBR. In contrast, Acidobacteria replaced Proteobacteria as the dominant phylum in the upper soils of CW. The results indicated that TCBPA stimulated the growth of GAOs in the SBBR without deteriorating the phosphorus removal due to the presence of sufficient carbon sources. The ammonia oxidizing bacteria, Nitrosomonas, and denitrification bacteria, Hyphomicrobium and Pseudomonas, were inhibited by TCBPA, resulting in a decreasing the removal efficiency of TN and ammonia.     

Removal of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in artificial composite soil treatment systems and diversity of microbial communities

• Novel ACST allowed biodegradation to effectively remove adsorbed SMX and TMP. • Ammonia and nitrite were efficiently removed in ACSTs and water quality was improved. Four artificial composite soil treatment systems (ACSTs) fed with reclaimed water containing trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) were constructed to investigate SMX and TMP biodegradation efficiency, ammonia and nitrite removal conditions and the microbial community within ACST layers. Results showed SMX and TMP removal rates could reach 80% and 95%, respectively, and removal rates of ammonia and nitrite could reach 80% and 90%, respectively, in ACSTs. The MiSeq sequencing results showed that microbial community structures of the ACSTs were similar. The dominant microbial community in the adsorption and biodegradation layers of the ACSTs contained Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Nitrospirae. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were considerably dominant in the ACST biodegradation layers. The entire experimental results indicated that Nitrosomonadaceae_uncultured, Nitrospira and Bacillus were associated with nitrification processes, while Bacillus and Lactococcus were associated with SMX and TMP removal processes. The findings suggest that ACSTs are appropriate for engineering applications.     

Enhanced nitrification in integrated floating fixed-film activated sludge (IFFAS) system using novel clinoptilolite composite carrier

Novel carriers with favorable electrophilicity and hydrophilicity were prepared. Novel carriers had the capability of nitrification-enhancing. NH₄⁺-N removal efficiency of IFFAS process rose up to 20% with novel carriers. Nitrosomonadales and Nitrospirales were identified as the functional nitrifiers. The population of Nitrospirales increased by 4.51%. The integrated floating fixed-film activated sludge (IFFAS) process is an ideal preference for nitrification attributing to the longer sludge age for nitrifiers. However, as the core of this process, conventional carriers made of polymer materials usually exhibit negative charge and hydrophobicity on the surface, which is unbeneficial to nitrifying biofilm formation. In this study, novel clinoptilolite composite carriers with favorable hydrophilicity, positive charge and nitrification-enhancing capability were made and implemented in IFFAS system. In comparison with conventional carriers, the novel clinoptilolite composite carriers displayed positive charges on the surface (11.7±1.1 mV, pH 7.0) with increased hydrophilicity (surface contact angle dropped to 76.7°). The novel-carriers-based reactors achieved significantly better NH₄⁺-N removal efficiency at different influent concentrations, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and shock loads (NH₄⁺-N removal efficiency rose up to 20% comparing with the control reactors filled with polyethylene (PE) carriers or activated sludge). High-throughput sequencing (HTS) results indicated the novel clinoptilolite composite carriers provided favorable niche for more types of bacteria, especially for Nitrosomonadales and Nitrospirales (the functional nitrifiers in the system). The population of Nitrospirales increased by 4.51% by using novel clinoptilolite composite carriers comparing with using PE carriers, which ensured enhanced nitrification process. This study was expected to provide a practical option for enhancing wastewater nitrification performance with the novel clinoptilolite composite carrier.     

Shipboard bilge water treatment by electrocoagulation powered by microbial fuel cells

Reveals the synergy between microbial fuel cells and electrocoagulation. Demonstrates MFC-ECC shipboard wastewater treatment is advantageous. MFC-ECC integration enables energy neutral bilge water treatment. Ships generate large amounts of wastewater including oily bilge water, blackwater and greywater. Traditionally they are treated separately with high energy consumption. In this study we demonstrate the feasibility that these waste streams can be treated using an integrated electrocoagulation cell (ECC) and microbial fuel cell (MFC) process, which not only synergized the contaminants removal but also accomplished energy neutrality by directly powering EC with MFC electricity. Results showed that MFC stack powered ECC removed 93% of oily organics, which is comparable to the performance of an external DC voltage powered ECC. In the meantime, more than 80% of COD was removed from MFCs when fed with either acetate or municipal wastewater. Moreover, the ECC electrode area and distance showed notable effects on current generation and contaminants removal, and further studies should focus on operation optimization to enhance treatment efficiency.     

Persistence and dissipation of synthetic pyrethroid pesticides in red soils from the Yangtze River Delta area

Laboratory incubation trials were conducted to investigate the effects of several factors on the persistence as well as the dissipation of three synthetic pyrethroid pesticides in red soils obtained from the Yangtze River Delta region in China. The pyrethroids selected for investigation were cypermethrin, fenvalerate, and deltamethrin, which continue to be used extensively to control pests on farmland in the region despite the concern that they are highly toxic to certain vertebrate and mammalian species. Data from this exploratory study showed that the dissipation half-lives (T _1/2) tended to correlate with soil pH and soil organic matter contents, but not with soil cation-exchange capacity. The T _1/2 values were seen to be shorter in soil samples fertilized with glucose than without. The rates of pyrethroid dissipation also tended to increase with increasing initial soil concentration, but were largely unaffected by whether the pesticides were present in the soil separately or as a mixture. Another noteworthy observation is that microbial activity appeared to dominate the degradation process. Findings of this type could offer valuable clues for future research directions in reducing pesticide persistence in soil, which in turn could lead to the ultimate reduction of environmental pollution caused by pyrethroid application to farmland in the region. Project supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences (Project No. KSCX2-YW-N-038) and the National Key Basic Research Support Foundation (973), China (No. 2002CB4108010).