scholarly journals Ecology of the Microbial Community Removing Phosphate from Wastewater under Continuously Aerobic Conditions in a Sequencing Batch Reactor

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 2257-2270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johwan Ahn ◽  
Sarah Schroeder ◽  
Michael Beer ◽  
Simon McIlroy ◽  
Ronald C. Bayly ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT All activated sludge systems for removing phosphate microbiologically are configured so the biomass is cycled continuously through alternating anaerobic and aerobic zones. This paper describes a novel aerobic process capable of decreasing the amount of phosphate from 10 to 12 mg P liter−1 to less than 0.1 mg P liter−1 (when expressed as phosphorus) over an extended period from two wastewaters with low chemical oxygen demand. One wastewater was synthetic, and the other was a clarified effluent from a conventional activated sludge system. Unlike anaerobic/aerobic enhanced biological phosphate removal (EBPR) processes where the organic substrates and the phosphate are supplied simultaneously to the biomass under anaerobic conditions, in this aerobic process, the addition of acetate, which begins the feed stage, is temporally separated from the addition of phosphate, which begins the famine stage. Conditions for establishing this process in a sequencing batch reactor are detailed, together with a description of the changes in poly-β-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and poly(P) levels in the biomass occurring under the feed and famine regimes, which closely resemble those reported in anaerobic/aerobic EBPR processes. Profiles obtained with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis were very similar for communities fed both wastewaters, and once established, these communities remained stable over prolonged periods of time. 16S rRNA-based clone libraries generated from the two communities were also very similar. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)/microautoradiography and histochemical staining revealed that “Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis” bacteria were the dominant poly(P)-accumulating organisms (PAO) in both communities, with the phenotype expected for PAO. FISH also identified large numbers of betaproteobacterial Dechloromonas and alphaproteobacterial tetrad-forming organisms related to Defluviicoccus in both communities, but while these organisms assimilated acetate and contained intracellular PHA during the feed stages, they never accumulated poly(P) during the cycles, consistent with the phenotype of glycogen-accumulating organisms.

1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 237-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Carucci ◽  
M. Majone ◽  
R. Ramadori ◽  
S. Rossetti

This paper describes a lab-scale experimentation carried out to study enhanced biological phosphate removal (EBPR) in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The synthetic feed used was based on peptone and glucose as organic substrate to simulate the readily biodegradable fraction of a municipal wastewater (Wentzel et al., 1991). The experimental work was divided into two runs, each characterized by different operating conditions. The phosphorus removal efficiency was considerably higher in the absence of competition for organic substrate between P-accumulating and denitrifying bacteria. The activated sludge consisted mainly of peculiar microorganisms recently described by Cech and Hartman (1990) and called “G bacteria”. The results obtained seem to be inconsistent with the general assumption that the G bacteria are characterized by anaerobic substrate uptake not connected with any polyphosphate metabolism. Supplementary anaerobic batch tests utilizing glucose, peptone and acetate as organic substrates show that the role of acetate in the biochemical mechanisms promoting EBPR may not be so essential as it has been assumed till now.


2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Dries

On-line control of the biological treatment process is an innovative tool to cope with variable concentrations of chemical oxygen demand and nutrients in industrial wastewater. In the present study we implemented a simple dynamic control strategy for nutrient-removal in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treating variable tank truck cleaning wastewater. The control system was based on derived signals from two low-cost and robust sensors that are very common in activated sludge plants, i.e. oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and dissolved oxygen. The amount of wastewater fed during anoxic filling phases, and the number of filling phases in the SBR cycle, were determined by the appearance of the ‘nitrate knee’ in the profile of the ORP. The phase length of the subsequent aerobic phases was controlled by the oxygen uptake rate measured online in the reactor. As a result, the sludge loading rate (F/M ratio), the volume exchange rate and the SBR cycle length adapted dynamically to the activity of the activated sludge and the actual characteristics of the wastewater, without affecting the final effluent quality.


1991 ◽  
Vol 23 (4-6) ◽  
pp. 755-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Okada ◽  
A. Murakami ◽  
C. K. Lin ◽  
Y. Ueno ◽  
T. Okubo

Laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) activated sludge processes were operated using synthetic wastewater to clarify the effects of sludge retention time(SRT) and organic substrates on the accumulation of bio-P-bacteria. The accumulation of bio-P-bacteria could be enhanced by wide variation in concentration of organic substrates by giving a short fill period and sufficient anaerobic conditions. However, the accumulation could not be enhanced in the reactor operated with SRT less than 25 d in spite of the higher, more than 0.1 d−1, specific growth rates observed in the isolated strains of bio-P-bacteria. The specific growth rates of bio-P-bacteria were estimated at 0.040 d−1, 0.030 d−1 and 0.035 d−1 in the SBR activated sludge processes fed with sodium acetate (A), glucose and polypeptone (GP) and polypeptone (P), respectively. Therefore, a large sludge retention time would be necessary for the accumulation of bio-P-bacteria. Volatile fatty acids (VFA), such as sodium acetate (A), seemed to be more effective than other organic substrates (GP and P) for the accumulation of bio-P-bacteria in activated sludge ecosystems.


2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (12) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.-S. Shin ◽  
S.-Y. Nam

A separate sludge system incorporating sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for sequestered denitrification and an immobilized fixed-film reactor for nitrification was investigated in this study. Emphases were placed on the preservation of organic matter as an electron donor for denitrification and the improvement of nitrification efficiency by using an immobilization technique with alginate coating. To preserve organic materials in the sludge required for denitrification, a study was made with a contact process. The contactor, when operated with a short detention time, gave incomplete metabolism of organic matter. With 64% of the influent soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) was adsorbed to activated sludge within 30 min. The specific mass of organic matter uptaken was 55 mg SCOD/g mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), which enhanced the denitrification efficiency up to 63% in the following denitrification step. Thus, the required COD in the proposed system can be saved up to 63% as an available electron donor for the conventional aerobic process. The immobilized nitrification unit showed over 90% of nitrate production rate up to 50 mg/l of influent ammonia load.


1991 ◽  
Vol 23 (7-9) ◽  
pp. 1405-1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simón González-Martinez ◽  
Peter A. Wilderer

Biological phosphate removal was achieved in a laboratory scale fixed bed biofilm reactor. To create the conditions required to enrich for phosphate accumulating bacteria, the reactor was periodically filled and drained, and the aerator periodically turned on and off (Sequencing Batch Reactor strategy). The reactor performed very effectively, but it took several weeks to reach steady-state. The highest phosphate uptake rates were observed when sequestration of the organic substrates was accomplished at an early stage of the anaerobic process phase, and release of phosphate at the expense of sequestered or stored substrates (endogenous phosphate release) was encouraged. In the range between 15°C to 25°C, the temperature had only minor effects. The biofilm dry weight contained about 5 per cent phosphate.


Author(s):  
Ogbebor Daniel ◽  
Ndekwu, Benneth Onyedikachukwu

Aim: The study aimed at designing a wastewater treatment method for removal of (Biological Oxygen Demand) BOD5 using Sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Study Design: SBR functions as a fill-and-draw type of activated sludge system involving a single complete-mix reactor where all steps of an activated sludge process take place. Methodology: The intermittent nature of slaughterhouse wastewaters favours batch treatment methods like sequence batch reactor (SBR). Attempts to remediate the impact of this BOD5 on the stream, led to the design of a sequence batch reactor which was designed to treat slaughterhouse effluent of 1000 L. Results: The oxygen requirement for effective removal of BOD5 to 95% was determined to be 21.10513 kgO2/d, while L:B  of 3:1 was considered for the reactor. Also, air mixing pressure for the design was 0.16835 bar, while settling velocity was . Conclusion: To ensure proper treatment of BOD5 load of the slaughterhouse, a sequencing Batch reactor of 1000 litre carrying capacity was designed. For effective operation of this design, the pressure exerted by the mixing air was 0.16835 bar which was far greater than the pressure exerted by the reactor content and the nozzle. Settling velocity of 0.0003445 m/s for 0.887 hrs was required for the reactor to be stable and a theoretical air requirement of 1.6884 m³/d was calculated. Hence the power dissipated by the rising air bubbles to ensure efficient mixing of oxygen in the reactor was calculated as 26530003.91 Kilowatts. With these design parameters, the high BOD5 load downstream of the river can be treated to fall below the FMEnv recommended limit of 50 mg/l.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Michalska ◽  
Izabela Greń ◽  
Joanna Żur ◽  
Daniel Wasilkowski ◽  
Agnieszka Mrozik

Hauling landfill leachate to offsite urban wastewater treatment plants is a way to achieve pollutant removal. However, the implementation of biological methods for the treatment of landfill leachate can be extremely challenging. This study aims to investigate the effect of blending wastewater with 3.5% and 5.5% of the industrial leachate from the Kalina pond (KPL) on the performance of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and capacity of activated sludge microorganisms. The results showed that the removal efficiency of the chemical oxygen demand declined in the contaminated SBR from 100% to 69% and, subsequently, to 41% after the cotreatment with 3.5% and 5.5% of the pollutant. In parallel, the activities of the dehydrogenases and nonspecific esterases declined by 58% and 39%, and 79% and 81% after 32 days of the exposure of the SBR to 3.5% and 5.5% of the leachate, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of the KPL in the sewage affected the sludge microorganisms through a reduction in their functional capacity as well as a decrease in the percentages of the marker fatty acids for different microbial groups. A multifactorial analysis of the parameters relevant for the wastewater treatment process confirmed unambiguously the negative impact of the leachate on the operation, activity, and structure of the activated sludge.


2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Onuki ◽  
H. Satoh ◽  
T. Mino

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) activated sludge was operated in a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with acetate as the sole carbon source. The microbial community of the sludge was analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) method for about 2 months of start-up period. As a result, the number of major bands decreased during the enrichment, indicating that the microbial community structure was getting simpler. Since the phosphate removal activity was maintained at a high level, the bacteria which still remained at the end can be considered as the important bacteria playing key roles in the present EBPR sludge, maybe polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs). The dominant band in the last sample on the DGGE gel was excised and the DNA recovered from it was sequenced. The sequence was closely related to one of the putative PAOs group which Crocetti et al. (2000) and Hesselmann et al. (1999) have proposed. This PAOs group is closely related to the Rhodocyclus group (b-Proteobacteria). The fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method with the probe specific for this PAOs group and the DAPI staining at a phosphate-probing concentration indirectly showed that these Rhodocyclus related bacteria really accumulated polyphosphate.


2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Majone ◽  
M. Beccari ◽  
S. Di Gregorio ◽  
D. Dionisi ◽  
G. Vallini

The paper describes the start up of a process for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from activated sludge. The excess sludge from a wastewater treatment plant was inoculated in a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) to be enriched under aerobic conditions through intermittent feeding with a mixture of organic acids. Enriching of activated sludge was monitored through the measurement of polymer concentrations either in the mixed liquor or in the microbial biomass. The bacterial population dynamics during the SBR start up was followed through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and the main species present at the steady state were identified. All the measured parameters significantly changed in the SBR during first two weeks after the inoculum was seeded into the reactor, they then stabilized. At the steady state, the SBR produced 2.6 gVSS l−1 d−1, with a PHA content of 11% (on a COD basis). The enriched microbial biomass was then transferred into a batch reactor where the bacterial polymer content was increased through a new feeding. In the final batch stage, maximum storage rate and maximum polymer content in the biomass were 405 mgCOD gCOD−1 h−1 and 44% (on a COD basis), respectively. The PHA storage from the enriched microbial biomass was about 20 times faster and the PHA content was about 4 times higher than that of the inoculated activated sludge. Observations by fluorescence microscopy showed that the majority of microorganisms in the enriched biomass could be stored. Among the numerically most representative genera in the enriched biomass, Thauera, Candidatus Meganema perideroedes, and Flavobacterium were identified.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirosław Szyłak-Szydłowski ◽  
Teresa Korniłłowicz-Kowalska

AbstractThe paper discusses the dynamics of the accumulation of microscopic fungi, depending on the sludge load (Bx), in activated sludge used for landfill leachate pretreatment. The propagule washout from the sludge into pretreated leachates is determined, including genera and species that may threaten environmental health. An increased accumulation of microscopic fungi in sludge flocs occurred at Bx=0.23−0.45 mg chemical oxygen demand (COD) mg−1 d−1. Microscopic fungi were eluted at the maximal Bx value tested of 1.64 mg COD mg−1 d−1. Both the activated sludge and the leachate runoff from the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) pose health risks to the environment due to the occurrence of fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Purpureocillium lilacinum, Cyberlindnera jadinii (C. utilis), Geotrichum candidum and G. fragrans. Their count is sufficient to cause multi-organ infections in homeothermal animals and in humans.


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