Full-scale phosphorus recovery from digested waste water sludge in Belgium – part I: technical achievements and challenges

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Marchi ◽  
S. Geerts ◽  
M. Weemaes ◽  
S. Wim ◽  
V. Christine
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Phosphorus Recovery ◽  
Water Line ◽  
Recovery Potential ◽  
Reference Situation ◽  
Solids Content

To date, phosphorus recovery as struvite in wastewater treatment plants has been mainly implemented on water phases resulting from dewatering processes of the sludge line. However, it is possible to recover struvite directly from sludge phases. Besides minimising the return loads of phosphorus from the sludge line to the water line, placing such a process within the sludge line is claimed to offer advantages such as a higher recovery potential, enhanced dewaterability of the treated sludge, and reduced speed of scaling in pipes and dewatering devices. In the wastewater treatment plant at Leuven (Belgium), a full-scale struvite recovery process from digested sludge has been tested for 1 year. Several monitoring campaigns and experiments provided indications of the efficiency of the process for recovery. The load of phosphorus from the sludge line returning to the water line as centrate accounted for 15% of the P-load of the plant in the reference situation. Data indicated that the process divides this phosphorus load by two. An improved dewaterability of 1.5% of dry solids content was achieved, provided a proper tuning of the installation. Quality analyses showed that the formed struvite was quite pure.

Benefits and drawbacks of thermal pre-hydrolysis for operational performance of wastewater treatment plants

2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1547-1553 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Phothilangka ◽  
M. A. Schoen ◽  
B. Wett
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Ammonia Release ◽  
Hydrolysis Process ◽  
Solids Content

This paper presents benefits and potential drawbacks of thermal pre-hydrolysis of sewage sludge from an operator's prospective. The innovative continuous Thermo-Pressure-Hydrolysis Process (TDH) has been tested in full-scale at Zirl wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), Austria, and its influence on sludge digestion and dewatering has been evaluated. A mathematical plant-wide model with application of the IWA Activated Sludge Model No.1 (ASM1) and the Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1 (ADM1) has been used for a systematic comparison of both scenarios—operational plant performance with and without thermal pre-hydrolysis. The impacts of TDH pre-hydrolysis on biogas potential, dewatering performance and return load in terms of ammonia and inert organic compounds (Si) have been simulated by the calibrated model and are displayed by Sankey mass flow figures. Implementation of full scale TDH process provided higher anaerobic degradation efficiency with subsequent increased biogas production (+75–80%) from waste activated sludge (WAS). Both effects—enhanced degradation of organic matter and improved cake's solids content from 25.2 to 32.7% TSS—promise a reduction in sludge disposal costs of about 25%. However, increased ammonia release and generation of soluble inerts Si was observed when TDH process was introduced.

Analysis and balance of phosphorous removal from wastewater at urban wastewater treatment plant

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-151
Author(s):  
Peter Lukac ◽  
Lubos Jurik
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Phosphorus Recovery ◽  
Anaerobic Sludge ◽  
Biological Phosphorus Removal ◽  
The Mean

Abstract:Phosphorus is a major substance that is needed especially for agricultural production or for the industry. At the same time it is an important component of wastewater. At present, the waste management priority is recycling and this requirement is also transferred to wastewater treatment plants. Substances in wastewater can be recovered and utilized. In Europe (in Germany and Austria already legally binding), access to phosphorus-containing sewage treatment is changing. This paper dealt with the issue of phosphorus on the sewage treatment plant in Nitra. There are several industrial areas in Nitra where record major producers in phosphorus production in sewage. The new wastewater treatment plant is built as a mechanicalbiological wastewater treatment plant with simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, sludge regeneration, an anaerobic zone for biological phosphorus removal at the beginning of the process and chemical phosphorus precipitation. The sludge management is anaerobic sludge stabilization with heating and mechanical dewatering of stabilized sludge and gas management. The aim of the work was to document the phosphorus balance in all parts of the wastewater treatment plant - from the inflow of raw water to the outflow of purified water and the production of excess sludge. Balancing quantities in the wastewater treatment plant treatment processes provide information where efficient phosphorus recovery could be possible. The mean daily value of P tot is approximately 122.3 kg/day of these two sources. The mean daily value of P tot is approximately 122.3 kg/day of these two sources. There are also two outflows - drainage of cleaned water to the recipient - the river Nitra - 9.9 kg Ptot/day and Ptot content in sewage sludge - about 120.3 kg Ptot/day - total 130.2 kg Ptot/day.

scholarly journals Antibiotic Resistance Genes Dynamics at the Different Stages of the Biological Process in a Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plant

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna Zerva ◽  
Ioanna Alexandropoulou ◽  
Maria Panopoulou ◽  
Paraschos Melidis ◽  
Spyridon Ntougias
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Biological Process ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Additional Treatment ◽  
Full Scale

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) highly contribute to the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. In this work, the diversity of ermF, ermB, sul1 and int1-enconding genes was examined in the influent, the mixed liquor and the effluent of a full-scale WWTP. Based on the clones analyzed, similar genotypes were recorded at all process stages. However, distinct genotypes of int1 were responsible for the expression of sul1 and ermF genes in Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, respectively. Due to the detection of similar ARGs profiles throughout the biological process, it is concluded that additional treatment is needed for their retention.

scholarly journals Gross Solids Content Prediction in Urban WWTPs Using SVM

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 442
Author(s):  
Vanesa Mateo Pérez ◽  
José Manuel Mesa Fernández ◽  
Francisco Ortega Fernández ◽  
Joaquín Villanueva Balsera
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Preliminary Treatment ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Plant Operations ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
Solids Content

The preliminary treatment of wastewater at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is of great importance for the performance and durability of these plants. One fraction that is removed at this initial stage is commonly called gross solids and can cause various operational, downstream performance, or maintenance problems. To avoid this, data from more than two operation years of the Villapérez Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in the northeast of the city of Oviedo (Asturias, Spain), were collected and used to develop a model that predicts the gross solids content that reaches the plant. The support vector machine (SVM) method was used for modelling. The achieved model precision (Radj2 = 0.7 and MSE = 0.43) allows early detection of trend changes in the arrival of gross solids and will improve plant operations by avoiding blockages and overflows. The results obtained indicate that it is possible to predict trend changes in gross solids content as a function of the selected input variables. This will prevent the plant from suffering possible operational problems or discharges of untreated wastewater as actions could be taken, such as starting up more pretreatment lines or emptying the containers.

Molecular biological methods (DGGE) as a tool to investigate nitrification inhibition in wastewater treatment

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 165-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kreuzinger ◽  
A. Farnleitner ◽  
G. Wandl ◽  
R. Hornek ◽  
R. Mach
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Plant Laboratory ◽  
Biological Methods

Incomplete nitrification at an activated sludge plant for biological pre-treatment of rendering plant effluents led to a detailed investigation on the origin and solution of this problem. Preliminary studies revealed that an inhibition of ammonia oxidising microorganisms (AOM) by process waters of the rendering plant was responsible for the situation. We were able to show a correlation between the existence of specific AOM and nitrification capacity expressed as oxygen uptake rate for maximal nitrification (OURNmax). Only Nitrosospira sp. was found in the activated sludge of the rendering plant and another industrial wastewater treatment plant with problems in nitrification, while reference plants without nitrification problems showed Nitrosomonas spp. as the predominant ammonia oxidising bacteria. By accompanying engineering investigations and experiments (cross-feeding experiments, operation of a two-stage laboratory plant) with molecular biological methods (DGGE - Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) we were able to elaborate an applicable solution for the rendering plant. Laboratory experiments with a two-stage process layout finally provided complete nitrification overcoming the inhibiting nature of process waters from the rendering plant. DGGE analysis of the second stage activated sludge from the laboratory plant showed a shift in population structure from Nitrosospira sp. towards Nitrosomonas spp. simultaneous to the increase of nitrification capacity. Nitrification capacities comparable to full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants could be maintained for more than two months. As the design of wastewater treatment plants for nitrification is linked to the growth characteristics of Nitrosomonas spp., established criteria can be applied for the redesign of the full-scale plant.

Boosting nitrification with the BABE technology

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 63-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.H.J.G. Berends ◽  
S. Salem ◽  
H.F. van der Roest ◽  
M.C.M. van Loosdrecht
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Nitrifying Bacteria ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Main Process ◽  
Model Studies ◽  
Full Scale Tests

Over the past years there has been a growing interest for compact, simple, low cost and robust technologies to upgrade wastewater treatment plants for nitrogen removal. The BABE (Bio Augmentation Batch Enhanced) technology is such a new concept. This patented system for biological treatment of sludge liquor – the effluent produced from digested sludge – uses a new principle, boosting the nitrifying bacteria in a side stream in such a way that the activated sludge in the main process is augmented. This augmentation increases the nitrification capacity of the wastewater treatment plant (wwtp). Experiments on a practical scale have demonstrated the effective and stable operation of the BABE technology. Model studies supported by the results of the full-scale tests showed that the technology can be applied in several situations, i.e. 1) introducing nitrification at high loaded wwtps; 2) enhancing nitrification at wwtps with incomplete nitrification; 3) enlarging denitrification at wwtps with complete nitrification. Most likely this year a full-scale application will be realized in the Netherlands at a wwtp with insufficient nitrification throughout the year.

Performance and operating experiences of the first Scandinavian full-scale Discfilter installation for tertiary phosphorus polishing with preceding coagulation and flocculation

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 459-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kängsepp ◽  
J. Väänänen ◽  
K. Örning ◽  
M. Sjölin ◽  
P. Olsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
First Year ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Coagulation And Flocculation ◽  
Pre Treatment

Microscreening (using Discfilters) is a widely used technology for suspended solids removal in tertiary effluent streams of wastewater treatment plants. Several pilot studies have shown the feasibility of using coagulation and flocculation in combination with microscreens for advanced phosphorus removal, but the number of full-scale references is still limited. In summer 2014, the first Scandinavian full-scale Discfilter installation with 2-stage chemical pre-treatment (coagulation and flocculation) was started up at the Arvidstorp wastewater treatment plant in Trollhättan (Sweden). The results obtained during the first year of operation proved that low suspended solids and total phosphorus effluent values could be achieved (<5 and <0.2 mg/l, respectively). These results were obtained even during heavy rainfall, when biologically and primary treated water were mixed at the influent of the Discfilter installation, before the coagulation and flocculation tanks. Further analysis of the results showed that Discfilter in combination with coagulant and polymer pre-treatment is a robust and reliable technology with low energy demand (34 Wh/m3) and a high recovery (1.9 ± 0.4% of influent flow discharged as reject).

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