Exploring the operating factors controlling Kouleothrix (type 1851), the dominant filamentous bacterial population, in a full-scale A2O plant.

This study reveals that the abundance of the filament Kouleothrix (Eikelboom type 1851) correlated positively with poor settleability of activated sludge biomass in a Japanese full-scale nutrient removal wastewater treatment plant sampled over a one-year period. 16S rRNA amplicon sequence data confirmed that Kouleothrix was the dominant filament in the plant, with a relative abundance of 3.06% positively correlated with sludge volume index (SVI) (R = 0.691). Moreover, Kouleothrix (type 1851) appeared to form interfloc bridges, typical of bulking sludge, regardless of season. Together with earlier studies that indicated the responsibility of Kouleothrix (type 1851) on bulking events, these data suggest that their high relative abundances alone may be responsible for sludge bulking. 16S rRNA qPCR data for this filament showed changes in its relative abundance correlated with changes in several operational parameters, including mixed liquor temperature, sludge retention time, and suspended solids concentration, and it may be that manipulating these may help control Kouleothrix bulking.

Development of a durable fiber-optic oxygen sensor for harsh underground environments.

This paper focuses on effects of protection with a silicone resin to develop a fiber-optic oxygen sensor with long-term stability and durability in harsh underground environments. Ruthenium (II) complexes were used as oxygen-sensing compounds. A uniform composite film composed of silicone resin and the Ru complex was prepared with spin coating technique. A comparison of dissolved-oxygen (DO) sensitivity between the composite film and a Ru complex film was made by exposing to hot water (80 degrees C). The result of the accelerated degradation test showed that sensitivity of the Ru complex film was stable; meanwhile that of the composite film increased with exposure time in a short period. In order to improve stability, the Ru complex film overcoated with silicone resin was prepared. Differences in sensitivity for saturated DO (8.5 ppm) between with and without the silicone resin overcoating on the Ru complex film were investigated by exposing to the hot water and simulated underground water. These results revealed that the sensitivities and response times of the overcoated films were stable and slow, respectively, compared to those of non-overcoated films. Then, optodes were evaluated for effects of the overcoating on sensing properties by exposing to 100 vol.% oxygen gas. The experiment showed that: (1) the response time was significantly influenced by the thickness of the overcoating; and (2) response speed of the overcoated optode was slow by a factor of about 35 compared to that of the non-overcoated. We concluded that the overcoating was effective in the application to mid- and long-term oxygen monitoring in the harsh environments.

Explosion characteristics of flammable organic vapors in nitrous oxide atmosphere.

Despite unexpected explosion accidents caused by nitrous oxide have occurred, few systematic studies have been reported on explosion characteristics of flammable gases in nitrous oxide atmosphere compared to those in air or oxygen. The objective of this paper is to characterize explosion properties of mixtures of n-pentane, diethyl ether, diethylamine, or n-butyraldehyde with nitrous oxide and nitrogen using three parameters: explosion limit, peak explosion pressure, and time to the peak explosion pressure. Then, similar mixtures of n-pentane, diethyl ether, diethylamine, or n-butyraldehyde with oxygen and nitrogen were prepared to compare their explosion characteristics with the mixtures containing nitrous oxide. The explosion experiments were performed in a cylindrical vessel at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The measurements showed that explosion ranges of the mixtures containing nitrous oxide were narrow compared to those of the mixtures containing oxygen. On the other hand, the maximum explosion pressures of the mixtures containing nitrous oxide were higher than those of the mixtures containing oxygen. Moreover, our experiments revealed that these mixtures differed in equivalence ratios at which the maximum explosion pressures were observed: the pressures of the mixtures containing nitrous oxide were observed at stoichiometry; in contrast, those of the mixtures containing oxygen were found at fuel-rich area. Chemical equilibrium calculations confirmed these behaviors.