Sludge retention time impacts on polyhydroxyalkanoate productivity in uncoupled storage/growth processes.

The process involving mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) and waste-based substrates emerged as an alternative solution to reduce the market price of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). The selection of an efficient MMC that displays a significant PHA accumulation potential and a high growth rate is considered a key factor for the MMC PHA production feasibility. This study used a pilot plant to investigate the dynamics of growth vs storage in a mixed culture fed with fermented fruit waste under uncoupled carbon and nitrogen feeding. Varying sludge retention times (SRTs) (2 and 4 d) and organic loading rates (OLRs) (from 2.6 to 14.5 gCOD.L-1.d-1) were imposed for this purpose. Results showed that, regardless of the OLR imposed, cultures selected at lower SRT grew faster and more efficiently using stored PHA. However, they had inferior specific storage rates and accumulation capacity, resulting in lower PHA productivity. Additionally, the polymer storage yield was independent of the SRT, and was directly linked with the abundance of putative PHA-storers in the MMC. The high PHA productivity (4.6 ± 0.3 g.L-1.d-1) obtained for the culture selected at 4 d of SRT was 80% above that obtained for the lower SRT tested, underlining the importance of achieving a good balance between culture growth and accumulation capacity to increase the viability of the PHA-producing process from wastes.

[Shortening SRT of Intermittent Gradient Aeration to Realize Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal in Short-range SNEDPR System].

This study explored the effect of sludge retention time (SRT) on ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) under intermittent gradient aeration, as well as the effect of the short-range nitrification endogenous denitrification phosphorus removal system on the treatment of low C/N ratio domestic sewage. In this study, an SBR reactor was used to cultivate aerobic granular sludge, using actual domestic sewage as the influent substrate. As the SRT decreased from 50 d to 30 d, the specific ammonia oxidation rate increased from 3.16 mg·(g·h)-1to 4.38 mg·(g·h)-1, and the specific nitrite oxidation rate decreased from 3.4 mg·(g·h)-1to 1.8 mg·(g·h)-1. The activity of NOB decreased by about 44%, resulting in short-range nitrification within the system. With an SRT of 30 d, the maximum nitrite accumulation was 6.93 mg·L-1. Because the reduced SRT led to a slight decrease in sludge concentration within the system, an aeration reduction strategy was adopted after 40 d, according to the DO curve. When the final SRT was 30 d, the effluent COD concentration was 40.76 mg·L-1, the TN concentration was 12.4 mg·L-1, the TP concentration was 0.31 mg·L-1, and the simultaneous removal of C, N and P was realized. Thus, a stable short-range nitrification endogenous denitrification phosphorus removal system was finally obtained. At the same time, the EPS content of aerobic granular sludge was negatively correlated with SRT, the protein content increased from 66.7 mg·g-1 to 95.1 mg·g-1, and the polysaccharide content remained in the range of 12.1-17.2 mg·g-1, indicating that the decreased SRT had a great effect on the protein content. With an SRT of 30 d, the PN/PS value was maintained at approximately 6.2, and the structural stability of aerobic granular sludge can be maintained under such conditions.

Continuous waste activated sludge and food waste co-fermentation for synchronously recovering vivianite and volatile fatty acids at different sludge retention times: Performance and microbial response.

A practical approach of synchronously recovering vivianite and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) by food waste (FW) and waste activated sludge (WAS) co-fermentation in continuous operation was investigated. Approximately 82.88% P as high-purity vivianite (95.23%) and 7894 mg COD/L VFAs were finally recovered. The simultaneous addition of FW and FeCl3 contributed to the fermentation conditions by adjusting pH biologically and increasing the concentration of organic substrates, which enhanced the Fe3+ reduction efficiency and microbial activities (e.g., hydrolases and acidogenic enzymes). Microbial analysis found the functional bacteria related to Fe3+ reduction and VFAs generation were further enhanced and enriched. Besides, results indicated that the efficiencies of Fe2+ and P release and VFAs recovery were highly linked to SRT, the satisfactory fermentation performance was obtained at SRT of 6 d. This research would provide a practical waste recycling technology to treat FW and WAS simultaneously for recovering vivianite and VFAs synchronously.

Living on the edge: Prospects for enhanced biological phosphorus removal at low sludge retention time under different temperature scenarios.

The design of new wastewater treatment plants with the aim of capturing organic matter for energy recovery is a current focus of research. Operating with low sludge residence time (SRT) appears to be a key factor in maximizing organic matter recovery. In these new configurations, it is assumed that phosphorus is chemically removed in a tertiary step, but the integration of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) into these short-SRT systems seems to be an alternative worth studying. A key point of this integration is to prevent the washout of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAO) despite the low SRT applied. However, the minimum SRT required to avoid PAO washout depends on temperature, due to its effects on reaction kinetics, gas transfer rates, biomass growth and decay rates. This work includes a wide range of short and long-term experiments to understand these interactions and shows which combinations of SRT and temperature are detrimental to PAO growth. For example, an EBPR system operating at 20 °C and SRT = 5 d showed good performance, but EBPR activity was lost at 10 °C. EBPR operated at SRT = 10 d had 86% P removal at 20 °C but decreased to 71% at 15 °C and progressively lost its activity at lower temperature. The temperature coefficient obtained for PAO show a low degree of temperature dependence (θ = 1.047 ± 0.014), and should be considered when designing short-SRT systems with EBPR.

[Effect of Different Sludge Retention Time (SRT) Operations on the Nutrient Removal Characteristics of a SNEDPR System].

This study focuses on the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal characteristics in a simultaneous nitrification endogenous denitrification and phosphorus removal (SNEDPR) system operating at different sludge retention time (SRT). Four extended anaerobic/low aerobic (dissolved oxygen:0.5-1.0 mg·L-1)-operated sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) fed with municipal sewage were studied at different SRT of 5, 10, 15, and 25 d. The experimental results show that a shorter SRT at an SRT ≥ 10 d enhances the competitive advantage of PAOs in the system and an efficient phosphorus removal performance of the SNEDPR system was achieved at a SRT of 10 d and 15 d. Especially at an SRT of 10 d; the average PPAOs, An was 68.4%, the PRA and PUA reached 31.9 and 34.3 mg·L-1, respectively. The nitrification performance of the system was not affected by SRT changes. The most efficient nitrogen removal performance was achieved at a SRT of 15 d, with a high average TN removal and SNED efficiencies reaching 89.6% and 71.8%, respectively. At a SRT ≥ 10 d, the COD removal performance of the SNEDPR system was also not affected by SRT changes. The COD removal efficiencies were higher than 78%. However, when the SRT was shortened to 5 d, the C, N, and P performances of the system worsened due to the loss of biomass; the SNED and PO43--P removal efficiencies were as low as 5.7% and 0.5%, respectively. In addition, at an SRT=15 d, the sludge-settling performance of the system was the best. The SV and SVI were 20% and 64 mL·g-1, respectively, and the sludge concentration increased with the extension of the SRT. Under long SRT (25 d) operation, the system showed a good resistance to shock loads, but the sedimentation performance of the sludge deteriorated.

[Influence of Sludge Retention Time on the Performance and Stability of Mesophilic Anaerobic Co-digestion of Food Waste with Waste Activated Sludge].

Two parallel digestion systems of food waste (FW) and waste-activated sludge (WAS) were successfully initiated using a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR), and the effect of different reduction extents of sludge retention time (SRT) on the co-digestion of FW and WAS was investigated. SRT Reduction extents longer than 8.3 d were not conducive to the stable operation of the co-digestion system when the organic load rate (OLR) was increased. The reduction extent of SRT should be reduced gradually from 5 d to 0.9 d to achieve high load and stable operation of the co-digestion of FW and WAS. After a long-term operation (approximately 282 d), the co-digestion reached stable operation at SRT of 9.1 d and OLR (calculated by COD) of (12.9±1.5) g·(L·d)-1. The corresponding methane production, methane yield (calculated by COD), pH, and volatile fatty acid (VFA, calculated by COD) were 3.94-4.25 L·(L·d)-1, 288-302 mL·g-1, 7.80-7.83, and 0.32-0.39 g·L-1, respectively. Additionly, the sludge characteristics of the co-digestion of FW and WAS under a high loading rate were also investigated. The results showed that the primary pathway of methane conversion was through acetic acid during the co-digestion of FW and WAS. Meanwhile, higher methanogenic activity of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and coenzyme F420 concentration were also measured.

Understanding of aerobic sludge granulation enhanced by sludge retention time in the aspect of quorum sensing.

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactors with different sludge retention times (SRTs) were established for enhanced functional microorganism enrichment and granular formation. Results showed that higher total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency and compact granules were achieved in the 6-day-SRT reactor. Also, Xanthomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae and Hyphomonadaceae with AHL-producing and EPS-secreting functions also enriched under 6-day SRT. For investigating the enhanced mechanism of sludge granulation, typical quorum sensing signals of acylated-homoserine-lactones (AHLs) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were analyzed. Tryptophan-and-protein-like substances were major EPS components in granules formed at 6-day SRT. Meanwhile, most detected AHLs, i.e. C8-HSL and 3OHC8-HSL, were correlated positively with contents of tryptophan-and-protein-like substances. According to AHLs add-back test, AHLs especially those with 8-carbon sidechains, played important roles in aerobic sludge granulation via secreting special extracellular proteins by functional microbes enrichment.

Behaviour of biopolymeric substances in the activated sludge of an MBR system working with high hydraulic retention time.

This study was undertaken to analyse the activated sludge of a membrane bioreactor (MBR), the behaviour of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) as well as their biopolymers composition, in the activated sludge of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and their influence on membrane fouling were analysed. For the experiment an experimental fullscale MBR working with real urban wastewater at high hydraulic retention time with a variable sludge-retention time (SRT) was used. The MBR system worked in denitrification/nitrification conformation at a constant flow rate (Q = 0.45 m3/h) with a recirculation flow rate of 4Q. The concentrations of SMP in the activated sludge were lower than the concentrations of EPS over the entire study, with humic substances being the main components of the two biopolymers. SMP and, more specifically, SMP carbohydrates, were the most influential biopolymers in membrane fouling, while for EPS and their components, no relation was found with fouling. The SRT and temperature were the operational variables that most influenced the SMP and EPS concentration, causing the increase of SRT and temperature a lower concentration in both biopolymers, although the effect was not the same for all the components, particularly for the EPS carbohydrates, which increased with longer SRTs. Both operational variables were also the ones most influential on the concentration of organic matter of the effluent, due to their effect on the SMP. The volatile suspended solid/total suspended solid (VSS/TSS) ratio in the activated sludge can be applied as a good indicator of the risk of membrane fouling by biopolymers in MBR systems.

Effects of alkali types on waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentation and microbial communities.

The effects of two alkali agents, NaOH and Ca(OH)2, on enhancing waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentation and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) accumulation were studied in semi-continuous stirred tank reactors (semi-CSTR) at different sludge retention time (SRT) (2-10 d). The optimum SRT for SCFAs accumulation of NaOH and Ca(OH)2 adding system was 8 d and 10 d, respectively. Results showed that the average organics yields including soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), protein, and carbohydrate in the NaOH system were as almost twice as that in the Ca(OH)2 system. For Ca(OH)2 system, sludge hydrolysis and protein acidification efficiencies were negatively affected by Ca2+ precipitation, which was revealed by the decrease of Ca2+ concentration, the rise of zeta potential and better sludge dewaterability in Ca(OH)2 system. In addition, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the main microbial functional groups in both types of alkali systems. NaOH system obtained higher microbial quantities which led to better acidification. For application, however, Ca(OH)2 was more economically feasible owning to its lower price and better dewaterability of residual sludge.

Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal at low Sludge Retention Time in view of its integration in A-stage systems.

The two-stage A/B WWTP configuration is being studied as a possible wastewater treatment with low energy consumption or even with a net energy generation. The first phase, A-stage, is designed to remove organic matter at very short Sludge Retention Time (SRT), while the B-stage is based on autotrophic nitrogen removal. However, P-removal in the A/B process usually only relies on precipitation. This work studies the potential inclusion of Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) in the A-stage phase. For this aim, the long-term operation of three different Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR) enriched in Accumulibacter at low SRT was thoroughly monitored for more than three months each one. This work shows that EBPR can be sustained with a minimal SRT of 3.6 d at 25 °C. Lower values, SRT = 3 d, led to the PAO washout because of a reduction in P-release and P-uptake, an increase of the VSS/TSS ratio and a decrease of the P/C ratio. The Yobs could be related to the SRT with the parameters Y = 0.39 ± 0.05 gCODX·g-1CODS and kD = 0.06 ± 0.04 d-1 which leads to a 24% increase of biomass yield when SRT was reduced from 10 to 4 d.

Effects of sludge retention time, carbon and initial biomass concentrations on selection process: From activated sludge to polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulating cultures.

Four sequence batch reactors (SBRs) fed by fermented sugar cane wastewater were continuously operated under the aerobic dynamic feeding (ADF) mode with different configurations of sludge retention time (SRT), carbon and initial biomass concentrations to enrich polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulating mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) from municipal activated sludge. The stability of SBRs was investigated besides the enrichment performance. The microbial community structures of the enriched MMCs were analyzed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). The optimum operating conditions for the enrichment process were: SRT of 5days, carbon concentration of 2.52g COD/L and initial biomass concentration of 3.65g/L. The best enrichment performance in terms of both operating stability and PHA storage ability of enriched cultures (with the maximum PHA content and PHA storage yield (YPHA/S) of 61.26% and 0.68mg COD/mg COD, respectively) was achieved under this condition. Effects of the SRT, carbon concentration and initial biomass concentration on the PHA accumulating MMCs selection process were discussed respectively. A new model including the segmentation of the enrichment process and the effects of SRT on each phase was proposed.

[Effect of SRT on Stability of Yeast-SBR in Treating Oil-containing Wastewater].

Sludge retention time(SRT) is a crucial parameter to influence the stability of biological wastewater treatment systems. Especially, the effects of SRT on yeast-wastewater treatment remain unclear. In this study, mixtures of yeast strains were applied to treat oil-containing wastewater in sequencing batch reactors(SBR) and the effects of sludge retention time(SRT as 5, 10, 20, 40 d) on the removal efficiency of pollutants, contents and composition of extracellular polymeric substances(EPS), yeast cells settleability and yeast communities were investigated. The results showed that the recommended SRT was 5-10 d for the yeast-SBR system; Higher SRT led to decrease of COD removal rate and content of EPS; the tightly-bounded EPS was the major one which consisted of polysaccharides. SRT of 5-40 d had no significant effects on the SVI of yeast cells, however, longer SRT (>20 d) resulted in the increase of mycelial cells and a tendency to produce the filamentous bulking. In the continuous operation of SBR, three extraneous yeast strains capable of utilizing or degrading oil were identified in the systems under the short and long SRT. To conclude, shorter SRT was favorable for the system stability in treating oil-containing wastewater by yeasts.

Biomethanation and microbial community changes in a digester treating sludge from a brackish aquaculture recirculation system.

Using a high-salinity-adapted inoculum and a moderate stepwise-increased organic loading rate (OLR), a stable digester performance was achieved in treating sludge from a brackish aquaculture recirculation system. The specific methane yield was distinctly enhanced, reaching 0.203LCH4/gCODadded, compared to literature values (0.140-0.154LCH4/gCODadded) from the salty sludges. OLR adjustment and the fecal substrate substantially influenced population changes in the digester. Within the bacterial subpopulations, the relative abundance of Bacillus and Bacteroides declined, accompanied by the increase of Clostridium and Trigonala over time. The results show Trigonala was derived from the substrate and accumulated inside the digester. The most abundant methanogen was Methanosarcina in the inoculum and the digestates. The Methanosarcina proliferation can be ascribed to its metabolic versatility, probably a feature of crucial importance for high-salinity environments. Other frequently observed methanogens were outcompeted. The population similarity at the genus level between inoculum and digestates declined during the initial stage and afterwards increased.

Occurrence of trace organic contaminants in wastewater sludge and their removals by anaerobic digestion.

This study aims to evaluate the occurrence of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in wastewater sludge and their removal during anaerobic digestion. The significant occurrence of 18 TrOCs in primary sludge was observed. These TrOCs occurred predominantly in the solid phase. Some of these TrOCs (e.g. paracetamol, caffeine, ibuprofen and triclosan) were also found at high concentrations (>10,000ng/L) in the aqueous phase. The overall removal of TrOCs (from both the aqueous and solid phase) by anaerobic digestion was governed by their molecular structure (e.g. the presence/absence of electron withdrawing/donating functional groups). While an increase in sludge retention time (SRT) of the digester resulted in a small but clearly discernible increase in basic biological performance (e.g. volatile solids removal and biogas production), the impact of SRT on TrOC removal was negligible. The lack of SRT influence on TrOC removal suggests that TrOCs were not the main substrate for anaerobic digestion.

The influence of multivalent cations on the flocculation of activated sludge with different sludge retention times.

The mechanism governing the flocculation of activated sludge (AS) with different sludge retention times (SRTs) was studied in this paper. AS samples were cultivated in 8 lab-scale reactors with SRTs of 5 d, 7.5 d, 10 d, 12.5 d, 15 d, 20 d, 30 d, and 40 d. The bulk solution, loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS), tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), and pellet were extracted for all 8 AS samples. There was a clear trend that the effluent turbidity decreased as the SRT increased, and we deduced that this is because AS samples with longer SRTs have lower interaction energy barriers and lower LB-EPS content. Furthermore, the concentrations of multivalent cations (especially trivalent cations) in the pellets were found to be closely correlated to the AS flocculability, total interaction energy (Wtot), and LB-EPS content. The multivalent (especially trivalent) cations possess greater binding ability, and this ability to bind tightly to AS in large quantities is responsible for the superior flocculability of AS samples with longer SRTs. Hence, the concentrations of multivalent cations in the pellets are an important indicator of AS flocculability. We deduced that variations in the quantities of multivalent cations that tightly bind with the AS rather than remaining in the influent are the core reason behind observed fluctuations in the AS flocculability with different SRTs.