Nitrification activity in the presence of 2-chlorophenol using whole nitrifying cells and cell-free extracts: batch and SBR assays.

Kinetic assays with a nitrifying consortium with whole nitrifying cells amended with 5 mg 2-CP-C/L and 100, 200, 300, or 500 mg NH4+-N/L were carried out in batch and nitrifying sequencing batch reactor (SBR) cultures. No nitrification activity was observed in batch assays with 100 mg NH4+-N/L and 5 mg 2-CP-C/L. Nevertheless, increasing the ammonium concentration from 200 to 500 mg NH4+-N/L allowed simultaneous ammonium and nitrite oxidation even in the presence of 5 mg 2-CP-C/L plus the halogenated compound consumption. Under these conditions, the ammonium monooxygenase enzyme participated in 2-CP consumption. Complete nitrification and simultaneous elimination of 5 mg 2-CP-C/L were achieved in the SBR amended with 200-500 mg NH4+-N/L. The inhibitory effect of 2-CP on the nitrite oxidation process completely disappeared under these conditions. Assays with nitrifying cell-free extracts, ammonium (100 mg NH4+-N/L), and 2-CP (5 mg 2-CP-C/L) were also conducted. In the absence of 2-CP, the nitrifying cell-free extracts maintained up to 60% of the nitrifying activity compared to whole-cells. Contrary to whole-cell assays, cell-free extracts were capable of simultaneously oxidizing ammonium and consuming 2-CP. However, the inhibitory effect of 2-CP on nitrification was still present as lower specific rates of ammonium consumption and nitrate production were obtained. Thus, these assays indicate that the presence of 2-CP affects both, the ammonium transport mechanism and the activity of nitrifying enzymes. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03764-z.

Characterization and anaerobic digestion of highly concentrated Mexican wine by-products and effluents.

Wine production has increased in recent years, especially in developing countries such as Mexico. This increase is followed by an increase of winery effluents that must be treated to avoid environmental risks. However, little information is available about the characteristics of these effluents and the possible treatments. This paper aimed to characterize the effluents and by-products generated by the Mexican winery industry and to evaluate the performance and stability of the anaerobic treatment using a single-stage and a two-stage process. Results showed that the winery effluents had a high content of biodegradable organic matter, with chemical oxygen demand (COD) values ranging from 221 to 436 g COD/L. The single-stage anaerobic process was able to treat an organic loading rate of 9.6 kg COD/(m3 d); however, it was unstable and highly dependent on the addition of bicarbonate alkalinity (0.31 g NaHCO3/g COD removed). The two-stage process was more stable working at a higher organic load (12.1 kg COD/(m3 d)) and was less dependent on the addition of bicarbonate (0.17 g NaHCO3/g COD removed). The results highlight the potential of the winery effluents to produce methane through anaerobic digestion in a two-stage process, making wine production more sustainable.

The hydraulic retention time influences the abundance of Enterobacter, Clostridium and Lactobacillus during the hydrogen production from food waste.

The influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the microbial communities was evaluated in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (AnSBR) using organic waste from a restaurant as the substrate. The relationship among Lactobacillus, Clostridium and Bacillus as key micro-organisms on hydrogen production from organic solid waste was studied. The effect of the HRT (8-48 h) on the hydrogen production and the microbial community was evaluated. Quantitative PCR was applied to determine the abundance of bacteria (in particular, Enterobacter, Clostridium and Lactobacillus genera). An AnSBR fermentative reactor was operated for 111 cycles, with carbohydrate and organic matter removal efficiencies of 80 ± 15·42% and 22·1 ± 4·49% respectively. The highest percentage of hydrogen in the biogas (23·2 ± 11·1 %), and the specific production rate (0·42 ± 0·16 mmol H2 gVSadded -1 d-1 ) were obtained at an HRT of 48 h. The decrease in the HRT generated an increase in the hydrogen production rate but decreasing the content of the hydrogen in the gas. HRT significantly influence the abundance of Enterobacter, Clostridium and Lactobacillus during the hydrogen production from food waste leading the hydrogen production as well as the metabolic pathways. The microbial analysis revealed a direct relationship between the HRT and the presence of fermentative bacteria (Enterobacter, Clostridium and Lactobacillus genera). Clostridium sp. predominated at an HRT of 48 h, while Enterobacter and Lactobacillus predominated at HRTs between 8 and 24 h. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Significance and Impact of the Study: It was demonstrated that hydrogen production using food waste was influenced by the hydraulic retention time (HRT), and closely related to changes in microbial communities together with differences in metabolic patterns (e.g. volatile fatty acids, lactate, etc.). The decrease in the HRT led to the dominance of lactic acid bacteria within the microbial community whereas the increase in HRT favoured the emergence of Clostridium bacteria and the increase in acetic and butyric acids. Statistical data analysis revealed a direct relationship existing between the HRT and the microbial community composition in fermentative bacteria. This study provides new insight into the relationship between the bioprocess operation and the microbial community to understand better and control the biohydrogen production.

Use of solid phosphorus fractionation data to evaluate phosphorus release from waste activated sludge.

Waste activated sludge (WAS) can become an important source of phosphorus (P). P speciation was examined under anaerobic conditions, with different pH (4, 6 and 8) and temperatures (10, 20 and 35 °C). Aqueous P was measured and an extraction protocol was used to find three solid phosphorus fractions. A pH of 4 and a temperature of 35 °C gave a maximum of 51% of total P solubilized in 22 days with 50% of total P solubilized in 7 days. Batch tests indicate that little pH depression is needed to release non-apatite inorganic P (including microbial polyphosphate), while a pH of 4 rather than 6 will release more apatite inorganic P, and that organic P is relatively more difficult to release from WAS. Fractionation analysis of P in WAS can aid in design of more efficient methods for P recovery from WAS.

Kinetic and physiological evaluation of ammonium and nitrite oxidation processes in presence of 2-chlorophenol.

The effect of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) on ammonium and nitrite-oxidizing processes was kinetically evaluated in batch cultures with nitrifying sludge at steady state. Assays with ammonium or nitrite as energy source and 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg 2-CP-C/l were conducted. Control assays without 2-CP were also performed. Ammonium-oxidizing activity was completely inhibited at the different 2-CP concentrations, whereas nitrite-oxidizing activity was present as nitrite was completely consumed and converted to nitrate irrespectively of 2-CP concentration. In the presence of 2.5 and 5.0 mg 2-CP-C/l, no significant effect on specific rates of nitrite consumption and nitrate production was observed, but a significant decrease on these parameters was observed at 10.0 mg 2-CP-C/l. The nitrifying sludge previously exposed to 2-CP was unable to completely recover its ammonium and nitrite oxidation capacity. Nevertheless, complete 2-CP consumption was achieved in all assays. The effect of 2-CP on ammonium oxidation was observed at kinetic and metabolic pathway level, whereas the effect on nitrite oxidation was observed only at kinetic level. The results obtained in this work evidenced that in order to achieve a successful nitrification process the presence in wastewater of even 2.5 mg 2-CP-C/l should be avoided.

Practical automatic control of a sequencing batch reactor for toxic wastewater treatment.

This paper investigates the application of a practical and robust control strategy for the operation of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) used for toxic wastewater treatment. The strategy sets the operational conditions of the SBR based on the on-line information collected during the previous batch. In particular, it sets the exchange volume of the reactor, as well as the batch reaction duration by optimizing the amount of mass of substrate in the influent treated per time unit. The optimization uses an experimentally calibrated mathematical model of the previous SBR cycle, found using the on-line dissolved oxygen concentration measurement data. The results show the applicability of the methodology to treat synthetic wastewater containing 4-chlorophenol as model toxic compound as sole source of carbon and energy. It correctly detects changes in the influent concentration and appropriately sets the operational parameters of the process.

Treatment of fatty solid waste from the meat industry in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor: start-up period and establishment of the design criteria.

An anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (AnSBR) was used to treat the dissolved air flotation skimmings from a cooked pork meat plant. During the start-up period, the reactor was operated in fed-batch mode for 25 days and 7 batches were treated. The SBR was inoculated with sludge taken from a reactor treating distillery vinasse. The results showed that this kind of sludge is a very good source of inoculum for digesters treating residues with a high content in fats and long-chain fatty acids because it was able to adapt very rapidly to the new substrate and, from the second batch on, the sludge was already able to metabolize the fatty residue at quite high rates. The AnSBR was then operated with 5 batches per week for 110 days and the quantity of VS added per batch was regularly increased until the maximum treatment capacity of the reactor (i.e. maximum loading rate) was reached. The maximum organic loading rates were found to be 0.16 g VS/g VSS d, or 0.224 g VS/g VSS.batch when the reactor is fed 5 times a week. The biodegradability of the skimmings was very high, with more than 97% of TS removal, and the methane production was 880+/-90 mL of methane/g of VS(added).

Controlled operation of a membrane SBR for inhibitory wastewater treatment.

This work presents the design and practical implementation of a control strategy for the operation of a sequencing batch reactor with a submerged membrane. The bioreactor is used for treating wastewater that is inhibitory for sufficiently high concentrations. The strategy combines the use of a robust feeding strategy to ensure biodegradation near an optimal unknown concentration value, using only the dissolved oxygen concentration as feedback signal, and a strategy to minimize membrane fouling based on flux and transmembrane pressure measurements during filtration. The strategy was tested on a 10 L laboratory bioreactor treating synthetic wastewater containing 4-chlorophenol as inhibitory model compound and sole source of carbon. Experimental results show the applicability of the proposed strategy.

Solar photoassisted advanced oxidation process of azo dyes.

Advanced oxidation processes assisted with natural solar radiation in CPC type reactors (parabolic collector compound), was applied for the degradation of three azo dyes: acid orange (AO7), acid red 151 (AR151) and acid blue 113 (AB113). Fenton, Fenton like and ferrioxalate-type complexes showed to be effective for degrade the azo linkage and moieties in different extensions. Initially, the best dose of reagents (Fe(3 + )-H(2)O(2)) was determined through a factorial experimental design, next, using response surface methodologies, the reagent consumption was reduced up to 40%, maintaining in all cases high decolourisation percentages (>98%) after 60 min. of phototreatment. In this work, it was also studied the effect of concentration changes of the influent between 100-300 mg/L and the operation of the photocatalytic process near neutral conditions (pH 6.0-6.5) by using ferrioxalate type complex (FeOx).

Anaerobic digestion of gelatinous water at laboratory and pilot scale and nitrogen inhibition.

The anaerobic digestion of the liquid residue (gelatinous water) coming from the production of fat from animal residue, was studied at laboratory and pilot scale. Biodegradability (>98%) and biogas potential (675 mL of biogas/g of COD(applied)) of this wastewater are very high. However, due to the high content on nitrogen, an inhibition of the anaerobic activity was observed for quite low concentrations of N-NH(3). Dilution of the wastewater and pH regulation in the reactor around 7.3 are the 2 solutions which were investigated to overcome the nitrogen inhibition at industrial scale. These two solutions were validated at laboratory scale in an anaerobic SBR and then onsite at pilot scale in a continuous reactor. A stable anaerobic digestion was observed in both reactors showing that no nitrogen inhibition was obtained when N-NH(3) concentration in the reactor was kept low.

Evaluation of an optimal fill strategy to biodegrade inhibitory wastewater using an industrial prototype discontinuous reactor.

This work presents the results and discussions of the application of an optimally controlled influent flow rate strategy to biodegrade, in a discontinuous reactor, a synthetic wastewater constituted by 4-chlorophenol. An aerobic automated discontinuous reactor system of 1.3 m3, with a useful volume of 0.75 m3 and an exchange volume of 60% was used. As part of the control strategy influent is fed into the reactor in such a way as to obtain the maximal degradation rate avoiding inhibition of microorganisms. Such an optimal strategy was able to manage increments of 4-chlorophenol concentrations in the influent between 250 and 1000 mg/L. it was shown that the optimally controlled influent flow rate strategy brings savings in reaction time and flexibility in treating high concentrations of an influent with toxic characteristics.

Comparison of two types of inocula during acclimation and stable operation for nitrophenol biodegradation in an anaerobic-aerobic SBR.

This work presents a comparison of two inocula used for the acclimation of two anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch bioreactors used for toxic wastewater treatment. The bioreactors were acclimated with different types of sludge: one coming from an anaerobic wastewater treatment plant and the other one from a conventional aerobic activated sludge plant. The model toxic compound was p-nitrophenol, which is reduced to p-aminophenol during the initial anaerobic phase of the reaction, and later mineralized during a posterior aerated reaction phase. Biodegradation of the compounds was monitored using UV/Vis spectrophotometry. After acclimation stabilization of the sludge and of the process was also monitored. Results show that there is no significant difference in acclimation times and stability of the process between the two employed inocula, and thus an originally anaerobic inoculum presents no apparent advantage over a more easily accessible aerobic one.

Effect of starvation on activity and viability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145 degrading 4-chlorophenol.

The evolution of degradsation capacity and in the viability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145 acclimated to 25 mg4CP/L degradation and, later, exposed to starvation periods of 24, 48, 72, 96, 132 and 156 hours was studied. Degradation rate heterotrophic plate count and cell cytometry were used to evaluate the starvation influence. Results demonstrated that the exposition of P. aeruginosa to starvation produces a decrease in the viability and activity for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol.

Degradation of acid orange 7 by a controlled anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor.

The degradation of a mono azo dye in an automated and controlled anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is described in this work. The experiments were conducted with a synthetic wastewater containing acid orange 7 as the model compound to degrade and glucose as the co-substrate in a molar relationship 1:40 (substrate/co-substrate). It was possible to control the anaerobic and aerobic stages, using the redox potential (ORP) as the only control variable. The strategy detects an inflection point in the ORP signal, indicating the end of the reaction. The efficiency of removal of total organic carbon was between 85% and 90%. Azo dye was removed with 85% efficiency during the anaerobic stage.

Biodegradation of high 4-chlorophenol concentrations in a discontinuous reactor fed with an optimally controlled influent flow rate.

This work presents the results of the application of an optimally controlled influent flow rate strategy to biodegrade, in a discontinuous reactor, high concentrations of 4-chlorophenol used as toxic compound model. The influent is fed into the reactor in such a way as to obtain the maximal degradation rate, thus avoiding the inhibition of the microorganisms. The optimal strategy was able to manage increments of toxic concentrations in the influent up to 7,000 mg 4CP/L without any problem. It was shown not only that higher concentrations of toxic could be treated, but also that a reduction in degradation time (around 52%) and in the supplied air volume was obtained.

On-line concentration measurements in wastewater using nonlinear deconvolution and partial least squares of spectrophotometric data.

A procedure for the on-line measurement of concentrations of toxins in wastewater using spectrophotometric data is proposed. The complete absorbance spectrum of a wastewater sample is used to predict the concentrations of all possible substances within. Two techniques are examined. In nonlinear spectral deconvolution, the spectrum is decomposed as a linear combination of base spectra and the coefficients of this deconvolution are used to nonlinearly estimate the concentrations. Under partial least squares analysis, the concentrations are directly estimated as a linear combination of the measured spectrum data. Both techniques show good results for estimating the kinetics of samples taken during the reaction phase in a laboratory anaerobic/aerobic SBR used for p-nitrophenol biodegradation.

Optimal biodegradation of phenol and municipal wastewater using a controlled sequencing batch reactor.

This work presents the results of the application of an optimally controlled influent flow rate strategy to biodegrade, in a discontinuous reactor, a mixture of municipal wastewater and different concentrations of phenol when used as a toxic compound model. The influent is fed into the reactor in such a way to obtain the maximal degradation rate avoiding the inhibition of the microorganisms. Such an optimal strategy was able to manage increments of phenol concentrations in the influent up to 7000 mg/L without any problem. It was shown that the optimally controlled influent flow rate strategy is a good and reliable tool when a discontinuous reactor is applied to degrade an industrial wastewater.

Effect of co-substrate, biomass and sulfate concentration on the performance of a control strategy used to determine the anaerobic stage length of an anaerobic/aerobic SBR degrading p-nitrophenol.

The effect of the p-nitrophenol to propionic acid ratio, the biomass concentration, and the presence of sulfates on the performance of a control strategy of an anaerobic/aerobic SBR degrading p-nitrophenol was studied. The duration of the anaerobic stage was controlled by an algorithm based on the on-line measurement of the oxidation-reduction potential, which indicates the end of the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol. It was observed that no significant influence on the performance of the algorithm was found when the co-substrate, the biomass concentration and the presence of sulfates were varied, indicating the robustness of the control strategy. Only for the case when a low concentration of cosubstrate was used, was there no transformation of p-nitrophenol.

Anaerobic/aerobic treatment of colorants present in textile effluents.

The operation of an anaerobic/aerobic process used to degrade the colorants present in textile wastewater is presented. The objective is to produce water that can be reused. Two particular cases were studied: the degradation of a synthetic wastewater containing the colorant disperse blue 79 (DB79) as a model compound and a real textile effluent containing reactive azo dyes. The biodegradation was achieved using a single tank operated as sequencing batch reactor. It was observed that the DB79 was biotransformed to amines in the anaerobic stage decolorizing the wastewater. The amines formed were subsequently mineralized in the aerobic phase. An increase of toxicity was observed in the anaerobic stage due to the amines formation, but the wastewater was detoxified after the aerobic treatment. Removal efficiencies of DB79 around 92% were observed after the treatment. Around 96% of the initial color of the real wastewater was effectively removed. It was observed that the biomass pre-acclimatized to the degradation of DB79 was more effective for the color removal than a freshly inoculum used.

Influence of the origin of the inoculum on the anaerobic biodegradability test.

Five different sources of inocula were studied to determine its influence on biodegradability tests. Inocula were characterized determining granulometry, specific methanogenic activity, solids content, and volumetric sludge index. Also, the fermentative, aceticlastic, hydrogenophilic, OPHA, and sulfate-reducing groups were determined by the most probable number technique. Anaerobic biodegradability tests were conducted with two different substrates, one easy to degrade (glucose) and a toxic one (phenol). The best performance, in terms of percent of biodegradation and lag time, for both substrates, was obtained with the inoculum from a brewery industry UASB. The results can be explained in terms of the initial activity of the inoculum. The influence of the significant variations found in the specific methanogenic activity of the five inocula studied is discussed, in terms of the microbial composition of the samples. The results emphasized the importance of the selection of an appropriate source of inoculum in order to obtain reliable results.