scholarly journals Co-treatment of a Carbon Deficient Domestic Wastewater with a Dairy Process Effluent for a Cost-effective Global Solution

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Weinpel ◽  
Vince Bakos ◽  
Andrea Jobbágy

In order to avoid possible toxic and harmful effects on domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as well as to meet influent criteria for the sewer network, industrial facilities are generally obliged to pre-treat their process effluents before discharging. Although industrial inflows may indeed cause operational nuisances (particularly in case of hidden shock-loads and toxic agents), possible effects are highly depending on the origin and quality of the effluent discharged. On the other hand, however, readily biodegradable carbon shortage of domestic wastewater has been commonly becoming the bottleneck of cost-effective biological nutrient (N and P) removal worldwide. The paper draws attention to the promising novel approach of combined wastewater treatment which may offer an optimal solution by shifting the inlet C:N ratio into a favorable range for efficient denitrification and biological excess P-removal. At the start of the study the temporarily decreased treatment efficiency of the domestic WWTP investigated had been basically attributed to the dairy wastewater discharged from an ice cream factory of the catchment area. However, both on-site profile measurements and mathematical simulations suggested that instead of a direct harming effect, aeration was insufficient, and dissolved oxygen concentration had to be increased in the aerobic reactors for efficient nitrification, especially in winter season. The studies also confirmed that with adequate aeration, efficiency of denitrification would have considerably decreased without using the dairy effluent as complementary carbon source or expensive external C-source would have been required. However, in order to save unnecessary aeration costs, overdosing of dairy effluent has to be carefully avoided.


2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Matulova ◽  
P. Hlavinek ◽  
M. Drtil

This paper evaluates the results from a 12-month study of a single-household wastewater treatment plant with submerged membrane module (household MBR plant) that was monitored from winter to winter season. The samples were collected at least twice a week (an intensive research study at real conditions). The household MBR (membrane bioreactor) plant was linked to a family house with 4 residents. In this study the treatment plant was fed by real domestic wastewater. In contrast to most other experiments with small-scale WWTPs (wastewater treatment plants) carried out in laboratories and facilities of large municipal WWTPs (polygons) which guarantee stable and flexible operation but the characteristics of wastewater and activated sludge in these studies usually differ from those that occur in real small-scale/single-household WWTPs. One of the main goals of this research was to test the response of membrane and activated sludge to different conditions during real operation of the household MBR plant, such as a long period of zero influent/load, or vice versa the presence of a large amount of concentrated wastewater (e.g. during the weekend), very low winter temperatures (water temperature below 5–6°C), high pH values, and the presence of domestic detergents.



1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 291-298
Author(s):  
Frits A. Fastenau ◽  
Jaap H. J. M. van der Graaf ◽  
Gerard Martijnse

More than 95 % of the total housing stock in the Netherlands is connected to central sewerage systems and in most cases the wastewater is treated biologically. As connection to central sewerage systems has reached its economic limits, interest in on-site treatment of the domestic wastewater of the remaining premises is increasing. A large scale research programme into on-site wastewater treatment up to population equivalents of 200 persons has therefore been initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment. Intensive field-research work did establish that the technological features of most on-site biological treatment systems were satisfactory. A large scale implementation of these systems is however obstructed in different extents by problems of an organisational, financial and/or juridical nature and management difficulties. At present research is carried out to identify these bottlenecks and to analyse possible solutions. Some preliminary results are given which involve the following ‘bottlenecks':-legislation: absence of co-ordination and absence of a definition of ‘surface water';-absence of subsidies;-ownership: divisions in task-setting of Municipalities and Waterboards; divisions involved with cost-sharing;-inspection; operational control and maintenance; organisation of management;-discharge permits;-pollution levy;-sludge disposal. Final decisions and practical elaboration of policies towards on-site treatment will have to be formulated in a broad discussion with all the authorities and interest groups involved.



mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Y. Camejo ◽  
Ben O. Oyserman ◽  
Katherine D. McMahon ◽  
Daniel R. Noguera

“CandidatusAccumulibacter phosphatis” is widely found in full-scale wastewater treatment plants, where it has been identified as the key organism for biological removal of phosphorus. Since aeration can account for 50% of the energy use during wastewater treatment, microaerobic conditions for wastewater treatment have emerged as a cost-effective alternative to conventional biological nutrient removal processes. Our report provides strong genomics-based evidence not only that “Ca. Accumulibacter phosphatis” is the main organism contributing to phosphorus removal under microaerobic conditions but also that this organism simultaneously respires nitrate and oxygen in this environment, consequently removing nitrogen and phosphorus from the wastewater. Such activity could be harnessed in innovative designs for cost-effective and energy-efficient optimization of wastewater treatment systems.



2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 251-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.S. Moussa ◽  
A.R. Rojas ◽  
C.M. Hooijmans ◽  
H.J. Gijzen ◽  
M.C.M. van Loosdrecht

Computer modelling has been used in the last 15 years as a powerful tool for understanding the behaviour of activated sludge wastewater treatment systems. However, computer models are mainly applied for domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Application of these types of models to industrial wastewater treatment plants requires a different model structure and an accurate estimation of the kinetics and stoichiometry of the model parameters, which may be different from the ones used for domestic wastewater. Most of these parameters are strongly dependent on the wastewater composition. In this study a modified version of the activated sludge model No. 1 (ASM 1) was used to describe a tannery WWTP. Several biological tests and complementary physical-chemical analyses were performed to characterise the wastewater and sludge composition in the context of activated sludge modelling. The proposed model was calibrated under steady-state conditions and validated under dynamic flow conditions. The model was successfully used to obtain insight into the existing plant performance, possible extension and options for process optimisation. The model illustrated the potential capacity of the plant to achieve full denitrification and to handle a higher hydraulic load. Moreover, the use of a mathematical model as an effective tool in decision making was demonstrated.



Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
I-Tae Kim ◽  
Young-Seok Yoo ◽  
Young-Han Yoon ◽  
Ye-Eun Lee ◽  
Jun-Ho Jo ◽  
...  

The development of cost-effective methods, which generate minimal chemical wastewater, for methanol production is an important research goal. In this study, treated wastewater (TWW) was utilized as a culture solution for methanol production by mixed methanotroph species as an alternative to media prepared from commercial or chemical agents, e.g., nitrate mineral salts medium. Furthermore, a realistic alternative for producing methanol in wastewater treatment plants using biogas from anaerobic digestion was proposed. By culturing mixed methanotroph species with nitrate and phosphate-supplemented TWW in municipal wastewater treatment plants, this study demonstrates, for the first time, the application of biogas generated from the sludge digester of municipal wastewater treatment plants. NaCl alone inhibited methanol dehydrogenase and the addition of 40 mM formate as an electron donor increased methanol production to 6.35 mM. These results confirmed that this practical energy production method could enable cost-effective methanol production. As such, methanol produced in wastewater treatment plants can be used as an eco-friendly energy and carbon source for biological denitrification, which can be an alternative to reducing the expenses required for the waste water treatment process.



1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Rensink ◽  
W. H. Rulkens

Pilot plant experiments have been carried out to study the mineralization of sludge from biological wastewater treatment plants by worms such as Tubificidae. Trickling filters filled with lava slags were continuously fed with a certain quantity of excess activated sludge of a Dutch brewery wastewater treatment plant (Bavaria) by recirculation during 10 to 14 days. At the starting point of each experiment the trickling filters were inoculated with Tubificidae. Recirculation of sludge showed that use of Tubificidae resulted in a COD reduction of the sludge (mixed liquor) of 18–67–. Without worms this reduction was substantially lower. The sludge production in a pilot activated sludge system for treating settled domestic wastewater reduced from 0.40 to 0.15 g MLSS/g COD removed when Tubificidae were added to the system. The lower amounts of sludge were always accompanied by an increase of nitrate and phosphate concentration in the wastewater. There was no disturbance of the nitrification process. Application of Tubificidae or other worms may have interesting potential for practical application.



2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 299-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.W. Li ◽  
Y.Z. Peng ◽  
Y.Y. Wang ◽  
G.B. Zhu ◽  
W.Q. Chi ◽  
...  

A novel wastewater treatment technology combining a sequencing batch biofilm reactor and biological filtration in an SBBR-BF system was presented. Elastic plastic filaments were fixed as biofilms carrying media. Particle materials (sand or anthracite) and the settled sludge constituted the filtration layer. In the laboratory studies, operating results of SBR, SBBR and SBBR-BF were compared. Better quality and stable water quality of effluent could be achieved in SBBR-BF because the fixed film and filtration layer were added in the reactor. Other laboratory experiment results indicated that slow filtration, cycle water stirring and backwashing making use of the settled supernatant are successful methods for preventing clogging and saving energy. The velocity and headloss of filtration were significantly impacted by different MLSS concentration. The MLSS concentration in the reactor must be less than 1,400 mg/L for optimal results. The average velocity of filtration ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 m/h, the backwash velocity of 10–15 m/h and the backwash time of 20 seconds are recommended according to the laboratory experiment. On-site experiment and study showed that SBBR-BF is a stable and efficient system for domestic wastewater treatment, and is particularly suited for small wastewater treatment plants, because of the simple operation and compact installation.





2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 160-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeshi Cao ◽  
M. C. M. Van Loosdrecht ◽  
Glen. T. Daigger

Abstract Since about the 1990s China has achieved remarkable progress in urban sanitation. The country has built very extensive infrastructure for wastewater treatment, with 94.5% treatment coverage in urban areas and legally mandated nation-wide full nutrient removal implemented. However, municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in China are still confronted with issues rooted in the unique sewage characteristics. This study compares energy recovery, cost of nutrient removal and sludge production between Chinese municipal WWTPs and those in countries with longer wastewater treatment traditions, and highlights the cause-effect relationships between Chinese sewage characteristics – high inorganic suspended solids (ISS) loads, and low COD and C/N ratio, and municipal WWTP process performance in China. Integrated design and operation guidelines for municipal WWTPs are imperative in relation to the unique sewage characteristics in China. Cost-effective measures and solutions are proposed in the paper, and the potential benefits of improving the sustainability of municipal WWTPs in China are estimated.



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