Start-up and maturation phases of a full-scale, high-rate anaerobic pond bioreactor® plus improved facultative ponds to treat municipal wastewater

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Peña ◽  
A. Aponte ◽  
A. F. Toro

Results of the start-up and maturation phases of a full-scale, high-rate anaerobic pond bioreactor (HRAPB)® plus improved facultative ponds (IFPs) to treat municipal wastewater are presented (CODt: 759 mg L−1, CODf: 219 mg L−1, S-SO42–: 102 mg L−1, and Cr+: 1,500 μgL−1). The start-up of the HRAPB® comprised, first, the application of a selective pressure increasing up-flow velocity rates. Second, batch stages between successive rates were allowed until 70% of the initial CODf was removed. The IFPs were left in batch and ended when in-pond Chlorophyll-a concentration reached 800 μgL−1. Subsequently, the system underwent gradual maturation and reached effluent concentrations of CODt: 223 mg L−1, CODf: 50 mg L−1, and Cr+: 60 μgL−1. The actual efficiency of the system compared with the expected design efficiency was lower given the characteristics of the influent wastewater biochemical oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand ratios < 0.4, presence of Cr+ >1,000 μgL−1, and variations in both conductivity (500–4,500 μScm−1) and pH (6.5–10.5 units). Nonetheless, the system exhibited an adaptation state in less than 1.5 months and yielded an ST/SV ratio of 0.46, and specific methanogenic activity of 0.43 g-CH4-CODg−1SV−1d−1 for HRAPB®; the in-pond Chlorophyll-a was on average 1,200 μgL−1 in the IFPs, which demonstrated the robustness of these eco-technologies in tropical conditions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 510
Author(s):  
Elza R. Mikheeva ◽  
Inna V. Katraeva ◽  
Andrey A. Kovalev ◽  
Dmitriy A. Kovalev ◽  
Alla N. Nozhevnikova ◽  
...  

This article presents the results of the start-up of continuous production of biohydrogen from cheese whey (CW) in an anaerobic filter (AF) and anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) with a polyurethane carrier. Heat and acid pretreatments were used for the inactivation of hydrogen-scavengers in the inoculum (mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic sludge). Acid pretreatment was effective for thermophilic anaerobic sludge to suppress methanogenic activity, and heat treatment was effective for mesophilic anaerobic sludge. Maximum specific yields of hydrogen, namely 178 mL/g chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 149 mL/g COD for AFB and AF, respectively, were obtained at the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 4.5 days and organic load rate (OLR) of 6.61 kg COD/(m3 day). At the same time, the maximum hydrogen production rates of 1.28 and 1.9 NL/(L day) for AF and AFB, respectively, were obtained at the HRT of 2.02 days and OLR of 14.88 kg COD/(m3 day). At the phylum level, the dominant taxa were Firmicutes (65% in AF and 60% in AFB), and at the genus level, Lactobacillus (40% in AF and 43% in AFB) and Bifidobacterium (24% in AF and 30% in AFB).


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 812-820
Author(s):  
Roche Clement ◽  
Manic Gildas ◽  
Lacroix Isabelle

Abstract Industrial full-scale application of high-rate dissolved air floatation (DAF) in the municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Grenoble (France) has highlighted outstanding performance results leading to new design-to-cost perspectives. The integration of DAF technology to treat the returns from the backwash waters of submerged biological aerated filters (BAF) (nitrification stage) has demonstrated removal efficiencies that allow further room for global process optimization. The results obtained on nitrifying BAF backwash water showed a DAF outlet water concentration of less than 25 mg.L−1 of total suspended solids at 25 m.h−1, with only polymer conditioning. Such high clarification performance allows leveraging of valuable cost optimization of global process design integration. Direct discharge from DAF's outlet into the receiving body can be implemented. Hydraulic and solid return loads can therefore be significantly reduced at the inlet of the WWTP. Moreover, floated sludge extracted from the DAF units achieved 4.4% dryness on average. The high thickening operational performance of this DAF technology is able to produce sludge directly compatible with anaerobic digestion. These full-scale results demonstrate that Suez's GreenDAF™-BWW technology in such application can leverage new rooms for design improvement for BAF treatment and total cost optimization of both the mainstream water treatment line and sludge line.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1840-1850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nitin Kumar Singh ◽  
Absar Ahmad Kazmi ◽  
Markus Starkl

The present study summarizes the start-up performance and lessons learned during the start-up and optimization of a pilot-scale plant employing integrated fixed film activated sludge (IFAS) process treating actual municipal wastewater. A comprehensive start-up was tailored and implemented to cater for all the challenges and problems associated with start-up. After attaining desired suspended biomass (2,000–3,000 mg/L) and sludge age (∼7 days), the average biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals were observed as 77.3 and 70.9%, respectively, at optimized conditions, i.e. hydraulic retention time (HRT), 6.9 h; return sludge rate, 160%. The influent concentrations of COD, BOD, total suspended solids, NH3-N, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were found to be in the range of 157–476 mg/L, 115–283 mg/L, 152–428 mg/L, 23.2–49.3 mg/L, 30.1–52 mg/L and 3.6–7.8 mg/L, respectively, and the minimum effluent concentrations were achieved as ∼49 mg/L, 23 mg/L, 35 mg/L, 2.2 mg/L, 3.4 mg/L and 2.8 mg/L, respectively, at optimum state. The present system was found effective in the removal of pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, 79%; Salmonella spp., 97.5%; Shigella spp., 92.9%) as well as coliforms (total coliforms, 97.65%; faecal coliforms, 80.35%) without any disinfection unit. Moreover it was observed that the time required for the stabilization of the plant was approximately 3 weeks if other parameters (sludge age, HRT and dissolved oxygen) are set to optimized values.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 632-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pusker Regmi ◽  
Becky Holgate ◽  
Dana Fredericks ◽  
Mark W. Miller ◽  
Bernhard Wett ◽  
...  

This paper deals with an almost 1-year long pilot study of a nitritation-denitritation process that was followed by anammox polishing. The pilot plant treated real municipal wastewater at ambient temperatures. The effluent of high-rate activated sludge process (hydraulic retention time, HRT = 30 min, solids retention time = 0.25 d) was fed to the pilot plant described in this paper, where a constant temperature of 23 °C was maintained. The nitritation-denitritation process was operated to promote nitrite oxidizing bacteria out-selection in an intermittently aerated reactor. The intermittent aeration pattern was controlled using a strategy based on effluent ammonia and nitrate + nitrite concentrations. The unique feature of this aeration control was that fixed dissolved oxygen set-point was used and the length of aerobic and anoxic durations were changed based on the effluent ammonia and nitrate + nitrite concentrations. The anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) bacteria were adapted in mainstream conditions by allowing the growth on the moving bed bioreactor plastic media in a fully anoxic reactor. The total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal performance of the entire system was 75 ± 15% during the study at a modest influent chemical oxygen demand (COD)/NH4+-N ratio of 8.9 ± 1.8 within the HRT range of 3.1–9.4 h. Anammox polishing contributed 11% of overall TIN removal. Therefore, this pilot-scale study demonstrates that application of the proposed nitritation-denitritation system followed by anammox polishing is capable of relatively high nitrogen removal without supplemental carbon and alkalinity at a low HRT.


2019 ◽  
pp. 513-525
Author(s):  
C. B. Majumder ◽  
Anil Kr. Mathur ◽  
Vedprakash Kapse

The industrialization in the developing countries causes severe problems in collection,treatment and disposal of organic effluents. The situation leads to public health andenvironmental problem. Therefore, various high rate anaerobic treatments has beenemerged as a variable alternative for the treatment of many industrial and domesticwastewater containing organic wastes. In this study high rate Upflow Anaerobic SludgeBlanket (UASB) reactor has been critically analyzed, discussed and designed as thesolution of above problem. According to that a UASB reactor has been fabricated forlaboratory study. The UASB system appeared to be economically cost effective ascompared to other systems. This paper also focuses on the principle of startup,operational performance, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, methaneproduction rate, and specific methanogenic activity in the UASB reactor. In the presentstudy, reactor was started initially with mixture of molasses and glucose (50% each)solution with organic loading rate (OLR) 0.933 g COD/L day. Thereafter, OLR is beingincreased in steps. After 15 days of startup of reactor, molasses solution was applied. Thetemperature (35e° C), pH (6.8±0.4), and nutrients requirement were maintained. In thisstudy COD: N: P ratio were maintained at 300: IO: l by adding urea for nitrogen andpotassium di-hydrogen phosphate for phosphorus. For a change of OLR up to 13.33gCOD/L day, all above-mentioned parameter were studied. The removal efficiency andgas production rate depend on activity of granules. A typical organic degrading granule iscomposed of micro-colonies of Methanothrix and several syntropic micro -colonies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (8) ◽  
pp. 1658-1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuwen Chen ◽  
Qibin Wang ◽  
Hanlu Yan ◽  
Cheng Chen ◽  
Jinfeng Ma ◽  
...  

Abstract Mathematical models based on instant environmental inputs are increasingly applied to optimize the operation of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for improving treatment efficiency. This study established a numerical model consisting of the activated sludge module ASM3 and EAWAG bio-P module, and calibrated the model using data from a full-scale experiment conducted in a WWTP in Nanjing, China. The calibrated model was combined with online sensors for water temperature, chemical oxygen demand, -N and -P to optimize and dynamically adjust the operation of the WWTP. The results showed that, compared to the original default operation mode, the effluent water quality was significantly improved after optimization even without supplementation of external carbon or alkalinity, and the required aeration rate in spring, summer, autumn, and winter was reduced by 15, 41, 33 and 11%, respectively. The study indicated that there was the potential for application of closed-loop automatic control to regulate operating parameters to improve wastewater treatment processes through the integration of data on influent characteristics and environmental conditions from sensors, and results from simulation models.


2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 1218-1225 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. O'Reilly ◽  
M. Rodgers ◽  
E. Clifford

A novel technology suitable for centralised and decentralised wastewater treatment has been developed, extensively tested at laboratory-scale, and trialled at a number of sites for populations ranging from 15 to 400 population equivalents (PE). The two-reactor-tank pumped flow biofilm reactor (PFBR) is characterised by: (i) its simple construction; (ii) its ease of operation and maintenance; (iii) low operating costs; (iv) low sludge production; and (v) comprising no moving parts or compressors, other than hydraulic pumps. By operating the system in a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) mode, the following treatment can be achieved: 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) reduction; nitrification and denitrification. During a 100-day full-scale plant study treating municipal wastewater and operating at 165 PE and 200 PE (Experiments 1 and 2, respectively), maximum average removals of 94% BOD5, 86% TSS and 80% ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N) were achieved. During the latter part of Experiment 2, effluent concentrations averaged: 14 mg BOD5/l; 32 mg CODfiltered/l; 14 mg TSS/l; 4.4 mg NH4-N/l; and 4.0 mg NO3-N/l (nitrate-nitrogen). The average energy consumption was 0.46–0.63 kWh/m3treated or 1.25–1.76 kWh/kg BOD5 removed. No maintenance was required during these experiments. The PFBR technology offers a low energy, minimal maintenance technology for the treatment of municipal wastewater.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Santiago-Díaz ◽  
M. L. Salazar-Peláez

The objective of this work was to assess the performance during the start-up phase of a Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB)-septic tank for municipal wastewater treatment in Mexico City. A lab scale UASB-septic tank (62 L total volume, acrylic), consisting of three chambers treated high strength municipal wastewater at ambient temperature (16 °C–24 °C), under 72 h Hydraulic retention time (HRT) during three months. Total and soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD), total biological oxygen demand (BOD5), total solids and total suspended solids (TSS) removals were 75.2 ± 6.5%, 54.8 ± 6.7%, 64.2 ± 4.8%, 25.9 ± 5% and 82.9 ± 5%, respectively. These results are comparable with the removals reported in other works with similar arrangements; and are similar even with average removals of COD, BOD and TSS in UASB reactors installed in Latin America. The good performance obtained showed that it is possible to achieve a short start-up period with UASB-septic tank if it is inoculated with anaerobic sludge. These findings also evidenced the feasibility and reliability of the UASB-septic tank system for decentralized wastewater management in Mexico.


1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milos Krofta ◽  
Dusan Miskovic ◽  
David Burgess ◽  
Edward Fahey

The objective of this study was to provide clarified municipal wastewater effluent at the turbidity level of less than 2.0 NTU and reuse for landscape irrigation (golf course). For that purpose, during pilot -study first was used a combined flotation-filtration module-clarifier alone (Alternative I). A particularly designed configuration of the primary flotation unit and combined flotation-filtration clarifier, as a modular clarification system was used in the next step of the investigation (Alternative II). In addition, start up of the full scale plant was performed as well. In the first phase of this study, the impact of the type and concentration of coagulant and flocculant was tested. As a result, mechanisms of flocculation were proposed. Only under the moderate hydraulic loads (75.7-151.4 LPM) during pilot tests by Alternative I, was it possible to reach satisfactory turbidity reduction. By the Alternative II, the clarification performance was improved under the higher hydraulic load (302.8 LPM). The kinetics of the investigated flotation systems were assesed by empirical flotation models. Based on the pilot-study, Alternative II is recommended in order to reduce the high solids loadings under a higher hydraulic load, and it provided irrigation water at a required rate of 3785 m3/d during start up and optimization of the full scale plant.


2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 2353-2360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Postacchini ◽  
Krishna M. Lamichhane ◽  
Dennis Furukawa ◽  
Roger W. Babcock ◽  
F. E. Ciarapica ◽  
...  

This paper conducts a comparative assessment of the environmental impacts of three methods of treating primary clarifier effluent in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) through life cycle assessment methodology. The three technologies, activated sludge (AS), high rate anaerobic-aerobic digestion (HRAAD), and trickling filter (TF), were assessed for treatment of wastewater possessing average values of biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids of 90 mg L−1 and 70 mg L−1, respectively. The operational requirements to process the municipal wastewater to effluent that meets USEPA regulations have been calculated. The data for the AS system were collected from the East Honolulu WWTP (Hawaii, USA) while data for the HRAAD system were collected from a demonstration-scale system at the same plant. The data for the TF system were estimated from published literature. Two different assessment methods have been used in this study: IMPACT 2002+ and TRACI 2. The results show that TF had the smallest environmental impacts and that AS had the largest, while HRAAD was in between the two but with much reduced impacts compared with AS. Additionally, the study shows that lower sludge production is the greatest advantage of HRAAD for reducing environmental impacts compared with AS.


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