Microscale hydrodynamic analysis of aerobic granules in the mass transfer process.

The internal structure of aerobic granules has a significant impact on the hydrodynamic performance and mass transfer process, and severely affects the efficiency and stability of granules-based reactors for wastewater treatment. In this study, for the first time the granule complex structure was correlated with the hydrodynamic performance and substrates reactions process. First, a series of multiple fluorescence stained confocal laser scanning microscopy images of aerobic granules were obtained. Then, the form and structure of the entire granule was reconstructed. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics study was carried out for the hydrodynamic analysis. Two different models were developed on the basis of different fluorescence stained confocal laser scanning microscopy images to elucidate the roles of the granule structure in the hydrodynamic and mass transfer processes of aerobic granules. The fluid flow behavior, such as the velocity profiles, the pathlines and hence the hydrodynamic drag force, exerted on the granule in a Newtonian fluid, was studied by varying the Reynolds number. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of dissolved nutrients (e.g., oxygen) was acquired by solving the convection-diffusion equations on the basis of the reconstructed granule structure. This study demonstrates that the reconstructed granule model could offer a better understanding to the mass transfer process of aerobic granules than simply considering the granule structure to be homogeneous.

Characterization of multiporous structure and oxygen transfer inside aerobic granules with the percolation model.

The characteristics of aerobic granules for wastewater treatment are greatly related to their complex internal structure. However, due to the limitation of characterizing methods, information about the granule internal morphology and structure is very sparse, and mechanism of mass transfer process is yet unclear. In this work, the internal structure of aerobic granules was explored using nitrogen adsorption method and confocal laser scanning microscopy technique. It was found that aerobic granules had multiporous structure with cross-linked gel matrix structure. With a consideration of the hydrodynamic regime and the porous structure of granules, a two-dimensional percolation model was established to describe the mass transfer in granules. With the approaches, interesting and useful results regarding the pore distribution and mass transfer in aerobic granules have been obtained. The results demonstrate that the intragranule convection could enhance mass transfer, hence ensure an efficient and stable operation of aerobic-granule-based reactors. Such approaches might also be applicable to characterizing the multiporous structure and mass transfer of other microbial aggregates for wastewater treatment.

[Microbial Properties of Different Size Aerosols at Human Average Respiratory Height During Fog-haze Days].

Size distribution and microbial population structure are typical characteristics of bioaerosols that are relevant to human health. The concentrations and population structure of bioaerosols associated with size-segregated airborne particulate matter at human average respiratory height were studied using a 6-stage Andersen impactor during and after fog-haze days in the area of Beijing. The results showed that the size distribution of the cultured microbial populations was uneven during fog-haze days, and that the microbial concentration and the difference in the population structure of the size-segregated airborne particulate matter were higher during than after the fog-haze days. During the fog-haze days, Bacillus sp. was the dominant bacteria present in bioaerosols of >3.3 µm, whereas Bacillus sp. and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were the dominant bacteria in bioaerosols of <3.3 µm. In contrast, after the fog-haze days, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was dominant in all the bioaerosol sizes. Five species (Alternaria sp., Penicillium italicum, Talaromyces stollii, Cladosporium sp., and Davidiella sp.) were detected as the dominant fungi in the bioaerosols >3.3 µm during the fog-haze days, and only Alternaria sp. was detected in the bioaerosols >3.3 µm after fog-haze. Penicillium italicum and Talaromyces stollii were also detected in the bioaerosols of <3.3 µm during and after the fog-haze. There were significant differences in the concentration and population structure of the size-segregated airborne particulate matter at human average respiratory height collected during and after the fog-haze days. The high concentration of microorganisms and the relatively complex population at human average respiratory height on haze days indicate that the potential risks of the microbiological characteristics of the bioaerosols to human health cannot be ignored.

[Acclimatization and Community Structure Analysis of the Microbial Consortium in Nitrate-Dependent Anaerobic Methane Oxidation].

Methane oxidation coupled with denitrification is an effective way to reduce the discharge of nitrate and methane. The anaerobic sludge from a laboratory wastewater treatment facility, anaerobic sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, and soil from a landfill were selected as inoculum to enrich the consortium for anaerobic methane oxidation in cooperation with nitrate reduction. The investigation of methane oxidation was carried out in these systems. The results showed that the maximum methane consumption rate of 0.05 mg·d-1 was obtained when the anaerobic sludge from a wastewater treatment plant served as inoculum. The population of bacteria and archaea were assayed by the clone library method. The Methanosarcinales and Methanomicrobiales were present in methane oxidation as methane oxidizing archea. The Pseudomonas, Clostridia, and Thermomonas were identified as nitrate reducing bacteria in the process of nitrate reduction. Both the methane conversion rate and microbial population varied with the amount of nitrate. The nitrate reduction bacteria were Pseudomonas and Clostridia when the nitrate concentration was 200 mg·L-1. The Pseudomonas and Thermomonas emerged when the nitrate concentration increased to 500 mg·L-1, and the rate of methane conversion was increased by 34.7%. The results provided science evidence for the co-treatment of methane and nitrate.

[Effects of Heat and Heat-alkaline Treatments on Disintegration and Dissolved Organic Matter in Sludge].

The hydrolysis of sludge organic matter is the rate-limiting step of anaerobic sludge digestion. Because pretreatments can effectively convert the solid organic matter into dissolved organic matter, it can improve the degradation rate and methane conversion rate of organic matter. In this study, the effects of heat and heat-alkaline treatments (two common pretreatments) on the composition, relative molecular weight distribution, and structure of dissolved organic matter in sludge were studied. The results showed that the heat and heat-alkaline treatments released a large amount of organic matter, which resulted in the SCOD increasing 21.9 times (heat treatment) and 47.8 times (heat-alkaline treatment). These pretreatments changed the molecular weight distribution of dissolved organic matter and decreased the molecular weight of the organic matter to the greatest degree. The results of three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy showed that both of the pretreatments can hydrolyze protein, the main component of sludge soluble organic matter, with the heat-alkaline treatment being more significant. In dissolved organic matter, the byproducts of the microorganisms and humic acids are not easily hydrolyzed further by the two pretreatments. In addition, the two pretreatments led to the appearance of new organic structures and the change and even disappearance of the original organic matter.

[Characteristics of Bioaerosols Emitted from WWTP with SBR Treatment Process].

Sampling sites were located in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with a sequencing batch reactor activated sludge process to investigate the characteristics of bioaerosol emissions. The results indicated that bioaerosols were detected from each treatment section of the WWTP, and concentrations of bioaerosols were in the range of 82-1525 CFU·m-3. The coarse screen, aeration tank, and sludge dewatering house were the main sources of bioaerosols. The dominant species in each treatment section was Cyanobacteria, and the other main bacterial taxa were Aeromonas, Peptostreptococcaceae, Moraxellaceae, Chroococcidiopsis, Sphingomonas, Arcobacter, and Acinetobacter. Among the identified bacterial genera, Aeromonas, Arcobacter, Acinetobacter, and Sphingomonas were potential pathogens. Bioaerosol concentration and abundance decreased along the vertical and horizontal directions. Appropriate temperature and relative humidity benefited the survival of bioaerosols in the air (P<0.01), whereas a negative relationship between bioaerosol concentration and wind speed was observed (P<0.05). Although exposure risks caused by bioaerosols were negligible in this study, the accumulation of bioaerosols would increase potential health risks. The bioreactor for odor treatment could effectively reduce bioaerosol emissions.

Control factors of partial nitritation for landfill leachate treatment.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) technology has potential technical superiority and economical efficiency for the nitrogen removal from landfill leachate, which contains high-strength ammonium nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) and refractory organics. To complete the ANAMMOX process, a preceding partial nitritation step to produce the appropriate ratio of nitrite/ammonium is a key stage. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal conditions to acquire constant partial nitritation for landfill leachate treatment, and a bench scale fixed bed bio-film reactor was used in this study to investigate the effects of the running factors on the partial nitritation. The results showed that both the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and the ammonium volumetric loading rate (N(v)) had effects on the partial nitritation. In the controlling conditions with a temperature of 30 +/- 1 degrees C, N(v) of 0.2-1.0 kg NH4(+)-N/(m3 x d), and DO concentration of 0.8-2.3 mg/L, the steady partial nitritation was achieved as follows: more than 94% partial nitritation efficiency (nitrite as the main product), 60%-74% NH4(+)-N removal efficiency, and NO2(-)-N/NH4(+)-N ratio (concentration ratio) of 1.0-1.4 in the effluent. The impact of temperature was related to N(v) at certain DO concentration, and the temperature range of 25-30 degrees C was suitable for treating high strength ammonium leachate. Ammonium-oxidizing bacteria could be acclimated to higher FA (free ammonium) in the range of 122-224 mg/L. According to the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis result of the bio-film in the reactor, there were 25 kinds of 16S rRNA gene fragments, which indicated that abundant microbial communities existed in the bio-film, although high concentrations of ammonium and FA may inhibit the growth of the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and other microorganisms in the reactor.

Sludge concentration dynamic distribution and its impact on the performance of UNITANK.

UNITANK is a biological wastewater treatment process that combines the advantages of traditional activated sludge process and sequencing batch reactor, which is divided into Tank A, B and C. In this study, the sludge distribution and its impact on performance of UNITANK were carried out in Liede Wastewater Plant (WWTP) of Guangzhou, China. Results showed that there was a strong affiliation between Tank A and B of the system in sludge concentration distribution. The initial sludge concentration in Tank A could present the sludge distribution of the whole system. The sludge distribution was mainly influenced by hydraulic condition. Unsteady sludge distribution had an impact on variations of substrates in reactors, especially in decisive reactor, and this could lead to failure of system. Settler could partially remove substrates such as COD and NO3-N, but there was adventure of sludge deterioration. The rational initial sludge concentration in Tank A should be 4000-6000 mg/L MLSS.

Sludge reduction with Tubificidae and the impact on the performance of the wastewater treatment process.

To reduce excess sludge, a Tubificidae reactor was combined with an integrated oxidation ditch with vertical circle (IODVC), and a new integrated system was developed for wastewater treatment. A pilot-scale of this integrated system was tested to investigate the sludge reduction with Tubificidae and the impact on effluent quality and sludge production. The dominant worm was Branchnria Sowerbyi in the Tubificidae reactor after inoculation of Branchnria Sowerbyi and Limnodrilns sp., and the maximal volume density of wet Tubificidae in vessels of the Tubificidae reactor was 17600 g/m3. Two operational modes, treating the excess sludge (first mode) and the returned sludge (second mode) of IODVC by the Tubificidae reactor, were used in this experiment. The results showed that the excess sludge reduction rate was 46.4% in the first mode, and the average sludge yield of the integrated system was 6.19 x 10(-5) kg SS/kg COD in the second mode. Though the sludge returned to IODVC via the Tubificidae reactor, it had little impact on the effluent quality and the sludge characteristics of the IODVC. No new type of recalcitrant substance in the supernatant was discharged into the environment when the sludge was treated by Tubificidae. The experimental results also indicated that no significant changes occurred on the viscosity, specific resistance, and the floc size distribution of the sludge.

Effects of thermally pretreated temperature on bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge.

Hydrogen can be obtained by anaerobic fermentation of sewage sludge. Therefore, in this paper the effects of thermally pretreated temperatures on hydrogen production from sewage sludge were investigated under different pre-treatment conditions. In the thermal pretreatment, some microbial matters of sludge were converted into soluble matters from insoluble ones. As a result, the suspended solid (SS) and volatile suspended solid (VSS) of sludge decreased and the concentration of soluble COD (SCOD) increased, including soluble carbohydrates and proteins. The experimental results showed that all of those pretreated sludge could produce hydrogen by anaerobic fermentation and the hydrogen yields under the temperatures of 121 degrees C and 50 degrees C were 12.23 ml/g VS (most) and 1.17 ml/g VS (least), respectively. It illuminated that the hydrogen yield of sludge was affected by the thermally pretreated temperatures. Additionally, the endurance of high hydrogen yield depended on the translation of microbial matters and inhibition of methanogens in the sludge. The temperatures of 100 degrees C and 121 degrees C (treated time, 30 min) could kill or inhibit completely the methanogens while the others could not. To produce hydrogen and save energy, 100 degrees C was chosen as the optimal temperature for thermal pretrcatment. The composition changes in liquid phase in the fermentation process were also discussed. The SCOD of sludge increased, which was affected by the pretreatment temperature. The production of volatile fatty acids in the anaerobic fermentation increased with the pretreatment temperature.

[Evaluating the Significance of Odor Gas Released During the Directly Drying Process of Sludge: Based on the Multi-index Integrated Assessment Method].

Co-processing of sewage sludge using the cement kiln can realize sludge harmless treatment, quantity reduction, stabilization and reutilization. The moisture content should be reduced to below 30% to meet the requirement of combustion. Thermal drying is an effective way for sludge desiccation. Odors and volatile organic compounds are generated and released during the sludge drying process, which could lead to odor pollution. The main odor pollutants were selected by the multi-index integrated assessment method. The concentration, olfactory threshold, threshold limit value, smell security level and saturated vapor pressure were considered as indexes based on the related regulations in China and foreign countries. Taking the pollution potential as the evaluation target, and the risk index and odor emission intensity as evaluation indexes, the odor pollution potential rated evaluation model of the pollutants was built according to the Weber-Fechner law. The aim of the present study is to form the rating evaluation method of odor potential pollution capacity suitable for the directly drying process of sludge.

[Treatment of Flue Gas from Sludge Drying Process by A Thermophilic Biofilter].

A thermophilic biofilter was employed to treat the flue gas generated from sludge drying process, and the performance in both the start period and the stationary phase was studied under the gas flow rate of 2 700-3 100 m3 x h(-1) and retention time of 21.88-25.10 s. The results showed that the thermophilic biofilter could effectively treat gases containing sulfur dioxide, ammonia and volatile organic compounds (VOC). The removal efficiencies could reach 100%, 93.61% and 87.01%, respectively. Microbial analysis indicated that most of the population belonged to thermophilic bacteria. Paenibacillus sp., Chelatococcus sp., Bacillus sp., Clostridium thermosuccinogenes, Pseudoxanthomonas sp. and Geobacillus debilis which were abundant in the thermophilic biofilter, had the abilities of denitrification, desulfurization and degradation of volatile organic compounds.

Enhanced biological nutrients removal using an integrated oxidation ditch with vertical circle from wastewater by adding an anaerobic column.

Compared to conventional oxidation ditches, an integrated oxidation ditch with vertical circle (IODVC) has the characters of concise configuration, simple operation and maintenance, land saving and automatical sludge returning. By the utilization of vertical circulation, an aerobic zone and an anoxic zone can be unaffectedly formed in the IODVC. Therefore, COD and nitrogen can be efficiently removed. However, the removal efficiency of phosphorus was low in the IODVC. In the experiment described, a laboratory scale system to add an anaerobic column to the IODVC has been tested to investigate the removal of phosphorus from wastewater. The experimental results showed that the removal efficiency of TP with the anaerobic column was increased to 54.0% from 22.3% without the anaerobic column. After the acetic sodium was added into the influent as carbon sources, the mean TP removal efficency of 77.5% was obtained. At the same time, the mean removal efficiencies of COD, TN and NH3-N were 92.2%, 81.6% and 98.1%, respectively, at 12 h of HRT and 21-25 d of SRT. The optimal operational conditions in this study were as follows: recycle rate = 1.5-2.0, COD/TN > 6, COD/TP > 40, COD loading rate = 0.26-0.32 kgCOD/(kgSS x d), TN loading rate = 0.028-0.034 kgTN/(kgSS x d) and TP loading rate = 0.003-0.005 kgTP/(kgSS x d), respectively.

Designing principles of an ecological water storage basin on coastal saline: a case study.

The degradation of water source environment becomes serious problems accompanying with rapid urbanization in China. Ecological engineering provides ecologically sound and cost-effective solution to solving this problem. As a case study, a 15 hm2 ecological water storage basin for a water plant was designed and constructed on the TEDA area in Tianjin City. Located on saline, the construction of this project has to face serious difficulties, such as high salinity, scarce seed banks of macrophytes, and strong winds. Freshwater replacement, soil amendation and macrophytes planting at the basinshore, wooden water breaker and plastic membrane installation and other measures were conducted for the assistance of plant community establishment. The result showed that the chloride concentration in the basin water decreased from 11600 mg/L to less than 100 mg/L, and the chloride content in the basin sediment decreased from 2.1 % to 0.35% after freshwater soaking. The introduced macrophytes of 8 species all survived and 11 other macrophytes species were occurred in the basin. A new ecosystem was created with increased biological diversity in the original saline, and the water quality was improved. This ecological water storage basin also provided a pleasing landscape for local people.

[Performance and Mechanism of Ferric Tannate in the Removal of Inorganic Nitrogen from Wastewater].

A novel adsorbent material-ferric tannate was synthesized, and performances and mechanisms of NH4(+) -N, NO2(-) -N and NO3(-) -N were investigated via batch adsorption experiments. The results indicated that ferric tannate exhibited preferential adsorption for NH4(+) -N and NO2(-) -N. When the mass ratios of ferric tannate to NH4(+) -N and ferric tannate to NO2(-) -N were both 200, the removal efficiencies were both higher than 95%. The adsorption behaviors were analyzed with adsorption kinetic models, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm adsorption models, and Weber-Morris equation. The results implied that NH4(+) -N and NO2(-) -N were adsorbed on the surface of ferric tannate in the forms of monolayer and multilayer, respectively. The pseudo-second order kinetic model was more suitable to describe the adsorption processes, and the external particle diffusion and surface adsorption played the key roles in the adsorption process. NH: -N could be combined with negative oxygen ions which distributed on the external surface of ferric tannate by the electrostatic interaction, whereas NO2(-) -N could be combined with ferric ions in ferric tannate by the electrostatic interaction and coordination. The present study provided scientific evidence for the application of ferric tannate as a potential adsorbent in the future.

Optimization of enrichment processes of pentachlorophenol (PCP) from water samples.

The method of enriching PCP(pentachlorophenol) from aquatic environment by solid phase extraction(SPE) was studied. Several factors affecting the recoveries of PCP, including sample pH, eluting solvent, eluting volume and flow rate of water sample, were optimized by orthogonal array design(OAD). The optimized results were sample pH 4; eluting solvent, 100% methanol; eluting solvent volume, 2 ml and flow rate of water sample, 4 ml/min. A comparison is made between SPE and liquid-liquid extraction(LLE) method. The recoveries of PCP were in the range of 87.6%-133.6% and 79%-120.3% for SPE and LLE, respectively. Important advantages of the SPE compared with the LLE include the short extraction time and reduced consumption of organic solvents. SPE can replace LLE for isolating and concentrating PCP from water samples.

An innovative integrated oxidation ditch with vertical circle (IODVC) for wastewater treatment.

The oxidation ditch process is economic and efficient for wastewater treatment, but its application is limited in case where land is costly due to its large land area required. An innovative integrated oxidation ditch with vertical circle (IODVC) system was developed to treat domestic and industrial wastewater aiming to save land area. The new system consists of a single-channel divided into two ditches(the top one and the bottom one by a plate), a brush, and an innovative integral clarifier. Different from the horizontal circle of the conventional oxidation ditch, the flow of IODVC system recycles from the top zone to the bottom zone in the vertical circle as the brush is running, and then the IODVC saved land area required by about 50% compared with a conventional oxidation ditch with an intrachannel clarifier. The innovative integral clarifier is effective for separation of liquid and solids, and is preferably positioned at the opposite end of the brush in the ditch. It does not affect the hydrodynamic characteristics of the mixed liquor in the ditch, and the sludge can automatically return to the down ditch without any pump. In this study, experiments of domestic and dye wastewater treatment were carried out in bench scale and in full scale, respectively. Results clearly showed that the IODVC efficiently removed pollutants in the wastewaters, i.e., the average of COD removals for domestic and dye wastewater treatment were 95% and 90%, respectively, and that the IODVC process may provide a cost effective way for full scale dye wastewater treatment.

Investigation of factors on a fungal biofilter to treat waste gas with ethyl mercaptan.

The biofilter is cost-effective for the waste gases treatment. The bacterial is the main microorganism in the conventional biofilters. However, it faces some problems on the elimination of hydrophobic compounds. In order to overcome these problems, the biofilters with fungi were developed. The objective of this study is to investigate the factors affecting ethyl mercaptan (EM)-degradation using a fungal biofilter. A laboratory experiment was set up. The effects of loading rate, empty bed residence times (EBRT) and pH on EM degradation were investigated. Over 95% removals of EM could be achieved, under the condition of the influent loadings below 50 g/(m x h). Removal efficiencies improved to 98% with EM loading decreased to 45 g/(m x h). For long EBRT of 58 s corresponding to a low rate of 0.3 m3/h, the EM removal efficiencies of over 98% were observed. However, when EBRT was decreased to 14 s, the removal efficiencies fell under 80%. The pH range of 3-5 was feasible to fungi.

Optimum operation conditions of nitrogen and phosphorus removal by a biofilm-activated-sludge system.

In the biofilm and activated sludge combined system, denitrifying bacteria attached on the fibrous carriers in the anoxic tank, while the sludge containing nitrifying and phosphorus removal bacteria was only recirculated between the aerobic and anaerobic tanks. Therefore, the factors affected and restricted nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal in a traditional A/A/O process were resolved. This paper describes the optimum operation conditions for nitrogen and phosphorus removal using this system.

Addition of anaerobic tanks to an oxidation ditch system to enhance removal of phosphorus from wastewater.

The oxidation ditch has been used for many years all over the world as an economic and efficient wastewater treatment technology. It can remove COD, nitrogen and a part of phosphorus efficiently. In the experiment described, a pilot scale Pasveer oxidation ditch system has been tested to investigate the removal of phosphorus from wastewater. The experimental results showed that influent total phosphorus(TP) was removed for 35%-50%. After this, two anaerobic tanks with total volume of 11 m3 were added to the system to release phosphorus. As a result, the TP removal efficiency increased by about 20%. At an anaerobic HRT of about 6 hours, a TP removal efficiency of 71% was achieved.