The determination of fertiliser quality of the formed struvite from a WWTP.

Struvite from nutrient-rich wastewaters has been identified as a potential substitute for commercial mineral fertilisers, with the added benefit of reducing threats to global food security by prolonging phosphate rock reserves. A fertilisation test using grass (Brachiaria brizantha Marandú) and a sand column leaching test was conducted to determine the agronomic effectiveness of struvite precipitates produced from the supernatant of dewatered sewage sludge (centrate) from a municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The performance of this struvite as a fertiliser was compared with biosolids and commercial fertilisers (Urea and Triple15). The results show that the concentration of heavy metals in struvite was lower than in biosolids and below the limits of Colombia and European fertiliser regulations. Struvite increased the uptake of N and P in grass, resulting in crop yields similar to other treatments tested. Struvite use as an effective slow-release fertiliser is highly dependent on the size of crystal particles, particularly in achieving low P losses, but resulted in high N loss in the sand columns tested; N loses from struvite were higher than in the commercial fertilisers due to the struvite small particle size. Therefore, struvite represents a suitable opportunity to recover and recycle nutrients from municipal sewage sludge, facilitating the effective reuse of P and N in agriculture and uptake by plants.

Fate of faecal pathogen indicators during faecal sludge composting with different bulking agents in tropical climate.

In recent years, composting has increasingly been promoted as a reliable method for sanitizing Faecal Sludge (FS) from onsite sanitation systems, particularly where there are opportunities to use the recovered nutrients in agriculture. However, there remain gaps in our understanding of the fate of infectious faecal pathogens during composting, particularly in tropical climates. This study investigated the influence of different locally available bulking agents on the inactivation efficiency of composting by tracking the fate of four key indicator organisms (E. coli, Salmonella spp., Enterococci spp., and viable helminth eggs). Dewatered FS was mixed with different bulking agents - i.e. Sawdust (SD), Coffee husks (CH) and Brewery waste (BW). Compost piles of FS:SD, FS:CH, and FS:BW in a volumetric ratio of 1:2 were set-up in duplicate (3 m3 each), composted on a pilot scale and monitored weekly for the survival of pathogen indicators for a period of 15 weeks. The study findings suggest that the different bulking agents have a statistically significant (p < 0.05) effect on the temperature evolution and survival of pathogen indicators in compost. CH was the most suitable bulking agent for composting with FS as piles containing CH exhibited higher pathogen inactivation efficiency and shorter inactivation periods of 6 weeks compared to 8 weeks for SD and BW piles. Time-temperature was the most important factor responsible for pathogen inactivation. However, other mechanisms such as indigenous microbial and toxic by-products such as NH4+-N also played an important role in the inactivation of pathogens. The results suggest that co-composting of FS with a sawdust, coffee husk or brewery waste for 8 weeks with thermophilic temperatures of about 48-60 °C sustained in the composting piles for more than 38 days, using 7 days turning frequency, is sufficient to ensure complete sanitization of FS before reuse in agriculture.

Effect of filter media thickness on the performance of sand drying beds used for faecal sludge management.

The effect of sand filter media thickness on the performance of faecal sludge (FS) drying beds was determined in terms of: dewatering time, contaminant load removal efficiency, solids generation rate, nutrient content and helminth eggs viability in the dried sludge. A mixture of ventilated improved pit latrine sludge and septage in the ratio 1:2 was dewatered using three pilot-scale sludge drying beds with sand media thicknesses of 150, 250 and 350 mm. Five dewatering cycles were conducted and monitored for each drying bed. Although the 150 mm filter had the shortest average dewatering time of 3.65 days followed by 250 mm and 350 mm filters with 3.83 and 4.02 days, respectively, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) attributable to filter media thickness configurations. However, there was a significant difference for the percolate contaminant loads in the removal and recovery efficiency of suspended solids, total solids, total volatile solids, nitrogen species, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand, with the highest removal efficiency for each parameter achieved by the 350 mm filter. There were also significant differences in the nutrient content (NPK) and helminth eggs viability of the solids generated by the tested filters. Filtering media configurations similar to 350 mm have the greatest potential for optimising nutrient recovery from FS.

Influence of pH on hydrothermal treatment of swine manure: Impact on extraction of nitrogen and phosphorus in process water.

This study investigates the influence of pH on extraction of nitrogen and phosphorus from swine manure following hydrothermal treatment. Conditions include thermal hydrolysis (TH) at 120°C and 170°C, and hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) at 200°C and 250°C in either water alone or in the presence of 0.1M NaOH, H2SO4, CH3COOH or HCOOH. Phosphorus extraction is pH and temperature dependent and is enhanced under acidic conditions. The highest level of phosphorus is extracted using H2SO4 reaching 94% at 170°C. The phosphorus is largely retained in the residue for all other conditions. The extraction of nitrogen is not as significantly influenced by pH, although the maximum N extraction is achieved using H2SO4. A significant level of organic-N is extracted into the process waters following hydrothermal treatment. The results indicate that operating hydrothermal treatment in the presence of acidic additives has benefits in terms of improving the extraction of phosphorus and nitrogen.

A comparison of product yields and inorganic content in process streams following thermal hydrolysis and hydrothermal processing of microalgae, manure and digestate.

Thermal hydrolysis and hydrothermal processing show promise for converting biomass into higher energy density fuels. Both approaches facilitate the extraction of inorganics into the aqueous product. This study compares the behaviour of microalgae, digestate, swine and chicken manure by thermal hydrolysis and hydrothermal processing at increasing process severity. Thermal hydrolysis was performed at 170°C, hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) was performed at 250°C, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) was performed at 350°C and supercritical water gasification (SCWG) was performed at 500°C. The level of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the product streams was measured for each feedstock. Nitrogen is present in the aqueous phase as organic-N and NH3-N. The proportion of organic-N is higher at lower temperatures. Extraction of phosphorus is linked to the presence of inorganics such as Ca, Mg and Fe in the feedstock. Microalgae and chicken manure release phosphorus more easily than other feedstocks.

Nitrification-denitrification in waste stabilisation ponds: a mechanism for permanent nitrogen removal in maturation ponds.

A pilot-scale primary maturation pond was spiked with (15)N-labelled ammonia ((15)NH(4)Cl) and (15)N-labelled nitrite (Na(15)NO(2)), in order to improve current understanding of the dynamics of inorganic nitrogen transformations and removal in WSP systems. Stable isotope analysis of delta(15)N showed that nitrification could be considered as an intermediate step in WSP, which is masked by simultaneous denitrification, under conditions of low algal activity. Molecular microbiology analysis showed that denitrification can be considered a feasible mechanism for permanent nitrogen removal in WSP, which may be supported either by ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) or by methanotrophs, in addition to nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB). However, the relative supremacy of the denitrification process over other nitrogen removal mechanisms (e.g., biological uptake) depends upon phytoplanktonic activity.

Nitrogen removal in maturation waste stabilisation ponds via biological uptake and sedimentation of dead biomass.

In this work a set of experiments was undertaken in a pilot-scale WSP system to determine the importance of organic nitrogen sedimentation on ammonium and total nitrogen removals in maturation ponds and its seasonal variation under British weather conditions, from September 2004 to May 2007. The nitrogen content in collected sediment samples varied from 4.17% to 6.78% (dry weight) and calculated nitrogen sedimentation rates ranged from 273 to 2868 g N/ha d. High ammonium removals were observed together with high concentrations of chlorophyll-a in the pond effluent. Moreover, chlorophyll-a had a very good correlation with the corresponding increment of VSS (algal biomass) and suspended organic nitrogen (biological nitrogen uptake) in the maturation pond effluents. Therefore, when ammonium removal reached its maximum, total nitrogen removal was very poor as most of the ammonia taken up by algae was washed out in the pond effluent in the form of suspended solids. After sedimentation of the dead algal biomass, it was clear that algal-cell nitrogen was recycled from the sludge layer into the pond water column. Recycled nitrogen can either be taken up by algae or washed out in the pond effluent. Biological (mainly algal) uptake of inorganic nitrogen species and further sedimentation of dead biomass (together with its subsequent mineralization) is one of the major mechanisms controlling in-pond nitrogen recycling in maturation WSP, particularly when environmental and operational conditions are favourable for algal growth.

Ammonia volatilisation in waste stabilisation ponds: a cascade of misinterpretations?

Ammonia volatilisation has generally been reported as, or assumed to be, the main nitrogen removal mechanism in waste stabilisation ponds (WSP). Nitrogen removal via ammonia volatilisation is based on two observations: (a) in-pond pH values can reach high values (>9, even >10), so increasing the proportion of the total ammonia present as the un-ionized form or free ammonia (NH(3)); and (b) in-pond temperatures can also be high, so improving the mass transfer rate of free ammonia to the atmosphere. Consequently, one of the most widely accepted models for ammonia removal in WSP is that reported by Pano & Middlebrooks in 1982, which was developed to reflect the occurrence of these two observations. This work reports how simple mathematical models for ammonia volatilisation in WSP, in spite of the possibility of their giving good predictions, may not accurately describe the main pathways and mechanisms involved in ammonia removal in WSP.

Nitrogen removal in maturation ponds: tracer experiments with 15N-labelled ammonia.

A primary maturation pond (M1) was spiked with labelled ammonium chloride (15NH4Cl) to track ammonium transformations associated with algal uptake and subsequent sedimentation. Conventional sampling based on grab samples collected from M1 influent, water column and effluent, and processed for unfiltered and filtered TKN, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate, found low total nitrogen removal (8%) and high ammonium nitrogen removal (90%). Stable isotope analysis of 15N from suspended organic and ammonium nitrogen fractions in M1 effluent revealed that labelled ammonium was mainly found in the organic fraction (69% of the 15N recovered), rather than the inorganic fraction (5%). Algal uptake was the predominant pathway for ammonia removal, even though conditions were favourable for ammonia volatilization (8.9 < pH <10.1 units, 15.2 < temperature <18.8 degrees C). Total nitrogen was removed by ammonia volatilization at 15 g N/ha d (3%), organic nitrogen sedimentation at 105 g N/ha d (20%), and in-pond accumulation due to algal uptake at 377 g N/ha d (71%). Algal uptake of ammonium and subsequent sedimentation and retention in the benthic sludge, after partial ammonification of the algal organic nitrogen, is thus likely to be the dominant mechanism for permanent nitrogen removal in maturation ponds during warm summer months in England.

Nitrogen removal via ammonia volatilization in maturation ponds.

A simple apparatus was designed to collect ammonia gas coming out from waste stabilization ponds (WSP). The apparatus has a capture chamber and an absorption system, which were optimized under laboratory conditions prior to being used to assess ammonia volatilization rates in a pilot-scale maturation pond during summer 2005. Under laboratory conditions (water temperature = 17.1 degrees C and pH = 10.1), the average ammonia volatilization rate was 2,517 g NH3-N/ha d and the apparatus absorbed 79% of volatilized ammonia. On site, the mean ammonia volatilization rate was 15 g N/ha d, which corresponds to 3% of the total nitrogen removed (531 g N/ha d) in the maturation pond studied. A net nitrogen mass balance showed that ammonia volatilization was not the most important mechanism involved in either total nitrogen or ammonia removal. Nitrogen fractions (suspended organic nitrogen, soluble organic nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) from the M1 influent and effluent showed that ammonia is removed by biological (mainly algal) uptake and total nitrogen removal by sedimentation of dead algal biomass.

Maturation ponds, rock filters and reedbeds in the UK: statistical analysis of winter performance.

Wastewater treatment technologies suitable for serving large populations are generally reliable and reasonably cost-effective, yet they are almost always financially inappropriate for small communities (< 2,000 p.e.). Comparative cost data suggests that waste stabilization ponds should be an attractive option for small communities, yet perceptions relating to land costs, climate and effluent quality have limited their application in the UK. This paper details typical UK land costs, climate and winter performance data for a pilot-scale waste stabilization pond with various upgrading technologies: system A, two tertiary maturation ponds in series; B, two tertiary maturation ponds in series followed by a reed bed channel; C, a control rock filter; D, an aerated rock filter; and E, a constructed wetland. System D was found to perform best, closely followed by system B.