scholarly journals Effects of Stepwise Adjustment of C/N during the Start-Up of Submerged Membrane Bioreactors (SMBRs) on the Aerobic Denitrification of Wastewater

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 3251
Author(s):  
Yinan Zhang ◽  
Yuxin Fang ◽  
Banglong Wang ◽  
Hangjun Zhang ◽  
Jiafeng Ding

Based on the improved high-efficiency sewage treatment performance of submerged membrane bioreactors (SMBRs), we focused on how to adjust the C/N ratio of the influent water during reactor start-up to prevent an excessive C/N ratio from causing membrane fouling. In this study, an experimental method of gradually adjusting the influent C/N ratio to quickly start the reactor was proposed, and the results showed that biofilm formation in R1 (SMBR, three influent C/N ratios of 5, 10, and 20) was approximately completed in 32 days, shorter than that (40 days) required in R2 (SMBR, influent C/N ratio of 20). Higher removal efficiencies of 76.4% for TN, 70.1% for COD, and 79.2% for NH3-N were obtained in R1 than in R2. The high-throughput sequencing results indicated that after 150 days of operation, the Shannon index of bacteria in R1 increased from 2.97 to 4.41 and the growth of Nakamurella, Ferruginibacter, and Rhodanobacter was promoted in the reactor, which indicated substantial microbial diversity in the biofilm. Therefore, gradually adjusting the influent C/N ratio could effectively enhance the nitrogen removal performance of denitrification microbial communities in SMBRs. This study offers a reliable approach for starting the SMBR-enhanced biological nutrient removal process in wastewater treatment plants by gradually adjusting the influent C/N ratio.

Membranes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Burhanettin Farizoğlu ◽  
Süleyman Uzuner

The most important obstacle to the widespread use of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) is membrane fouling. In this study, a high-efficiency compact MBR was developed. Therefore, the draft tube of the jet loop reactor (JLB) was planned for use as a membrane module. The high-velocity jet streams, which are present according to the nature of the JLBs, provide high crossflow (cut-off force) on the membrane surface. Thus, the produced membrane module is operated in submerged membrane mode. This enhanced JLB modification is named the membrane draft tube jet loop reactor (MDJLR). This new system has a KLa value of 139 h−1 (at E/V of 2.24 kW m−3). In the next stage, treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater with the MDJLR was carried out. Under the 5.5 kg COD m−3 d−1 loading rate, efficiencies over 97% were achieved. The system operated continuously for 50 days without membrane backwashing or cleaning. During this period, fluxes of 3 L m−2·h−1 were approximately obtained at operating conditions of 850 mg L−1 MLSS (mixed liquor suspended solids) concentration, 1 bar suction pressure (∆P), and 3000 L h−1 circulation rate. This developed MDJLR will make jet loop membrane bioreactors (JLMBRs) and MBRs more compact and improve their performance.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Kweinor Tetteh ◽  
Mark Opoku Amankwa ◽  
Edward Kwaku Armah ◽  
Sudesh Rathilal

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is currently posing a significant threat to the world’s public health and social-economic growth. Despite the rigorous international lockdown and quarantine efforts, the rate of COVID-19 infectious cases remains exceptionally high. Notwithstanding, the end route of COVID-19, together with emerging contaminants’ (antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, nanoplastics, pesticide, etc.) occurrence in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), poses a great challenge in wastewater settings. Therefore, this paper seeks to review an inter-disciplinary and technological approach as a roadmap for the water and wastewater settings to help fight COVID-19 and future waves of pandemics. This study explored wastewater–based epidemiology (WBE) potential for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and its metabolites in wastewater settings. Furthermore, the prospects of integrating innovative and robust technologies such as magnetic nanotechnology, advanced oxidation process, biosensors, and membrane bioreactors into the WWTPs to augment the risk of COVID-19’s environmental impacts and improve water quality are discussed. In terms of the diagnostics of COVID-19, potential biosensors such as sample–answer chip-, paper- and nanomaterials-based biosensors are highlighted. In conclusion, sewage treatment systems, together with magnetic biosensor diagnostics and WBE, could be a possible way to keep a surveillance on the outbreak of COVID-19 in communities around the globe, thereby identifying hotspots and curbing the diagnostic costs of testing. Photocatalysis prospects are high to inactivate coronavirus, and therefore a focus on safe nanotechnology and bioengineering should be encouraged.


2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 2722-2730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Dong ◽  
Luo Yahong ◽  
Cai Yanan ◽  
Zeng Huiping ◽  
Zhang Jie

A novel post intermittent aeration anaerobic–anoxic–oxic (PIA-A2/O) process was developed to integrate shortcut nitrification–denitrification with denitrifying phosphorus (P) removal for domestic sewage treatment. With the transformation in configuration and phased start-up strategy, the nitritation rate and the ratio of denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms to phosphorus accumulating organisms (DPAO/PAO) were enhanced greatly to 88.2% and 83.9–91.7% in the PIA-A2/O process, respectively. Improved total nitrogen and phosphorus removal were achieved at long sludge retention time and low aeration. High sludge activity was maintained through the periodic selection of the additional intermittent aeration zone. High-throughput sequencing revealed that Bacteroidetes (38.96%), Proteobacteria (33.59%), TM7 (4.53%), Chloroflexi (3.09%), and Firmicutes (2.49%) were the dominant phyla in the resultant bacterial community. Abundant anaerobic and facultative bacteria conducive to excess sludge reduction were generated by this process. Potential DPAOs involve the genera of Brevundimonas, Brachymonas, Steroidobacter, Haliscomenobacter, and Rhodocyclus.


Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 282
Author(s):  
Huining Zhang ◽  
Xin Yuan ◽  
Hanqing Wang ◽  
Shuoqi Ma ◽  
Bixiao Ji

The performance of pollutant removals, tetracycline (TC) and norfloxacin (NOR) removals, membrane fouling mitigation and the microbial community of three Anoxic/Oxic membrane bioreactors (AO-MBRs), including a moving bed biofilm MBR (MBRa), a fixed biofilm MBR (MBRb) and an AO-MBR (MBRc) for control, were compared in treating antibiotic-containing synthetic mariculture wastewater. The results showed that MBRb had the best effect on antibiotic removal and membrane fouling mitigation compared to the other two bioreactors. The maximum removal rate of TC reached 91.65% and the maximum removal rate of NOR reached 45.46% in MBRb. The addition of antibiotics had little effect on the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N)—both maintained more than 90% removal rate during the entire operation. High-throughput sequencing demonstrated that TC and NOR resulted in a significant decrease in the microbial diversity and the microbial richness MBRs. Flavobacteriia, Firmicutes and Azoarcus, regarded as drug-resistant bacteria, might play a crucial part in the removal of antibiotics. In addition, the dynamics of microbial community had a great change, which included the accumulation of resistant microorganisms and the gradual reduction or disappearance of other microorganisms under antibiotic pressure. The research provides an insight into the antibiotic-containing mariculture wastewater treatment and has certain reference value.


2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 201-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.T. Yeom ◽  
K.R. Lee ◽  
Y.G. Choi ◽  
H.S. Kim ◽  
J.H. Kwon ◽  
...  

A new sludge treatment process combining a high MLSS membrane bioreactor with sludge pretreatment techniques was studied in pilot-scale experiments. The membrane bioreactor (MBR) was adopted for high efficiency aerobic digestion. The combination of alkaline-ozone treatment of the mixed liquor in the MBR reactor accelerated the biodegradation process by enhancing biodegradability of the sludge. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the reactor was set as 3.1 days and the DO level was 1mg/L on average. After 5 months of operation, the accumulative total solids reduction was more than 70%. Removal efficiency of volatile solids and non-volatile solids were 76% and 54%, respectively. It was found that a considerable portion of the non-volatile solids was dissolved into ions and then flushed out with the effluent. Also, about 41% and 28% of T-N and T-P in the raw sludge were removed although no biological nutrient removal process was adopted. The experiment was run smoothly without significant membrane fouling, even at the relatively high levels of MLSS concentration (11,000–25,000mg/L). It is concluded that the newly proposed process can significantly increase the sludge reduction efficiency with much shorter retention times.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 157-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Hanner ◽  
A. Mattsson ◽  
C. Gruvberger ◽  
U. Nyberg ◽  
H. Aspegren ◽  
...  

At many large wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) the increased hydraulic load, caused by combined sewer systems during storm events, results in primary effluent overflow when the capacity of further treatment is exceeded. Due to stringent effluent standards, regulating the total discharge from the WWTPs, the Rya WWTP in Göteborg and the Sjölunda WWTP in Malmö will have to reduce the impact of primary effluent overflow. Separate, high rate, precipitation processes operated only during high flow conditions have been investigated in pilot units at the two WWTPs. Precipitation in existing primary settlers operated at a surface loading of 3.75 m/h removed phosphorus to 0.35 mg/l. The Actiflo process was also shown to remove suspended solids and phosphorus well. BOD was reduced by 50-60%. With such processes the overall effluent concentrations from the plants can be reduced significantly. Key upgrading features are small footprints, short start up time and high efficiency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-151
Author(s):  
Peter Lukac ◽  
Lubos Jurik

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.


1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Rabinowitz ◽  
T. D. Vassos ◽  
R. N. Dawson ◽  
W. K. Oldham

A brief review of recent developments in biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal technology is presented. Guidelines are outlined of how current understanding of these two removal mechanisms can be applied in the upgrading of existing wastewater treatment plants for biological nutrient removal. A case history dealing with the upgrading of the conventional activated sludge process located at Penticton, British Columbia, to a biological nutrient removal facility with a design flow of 18,200 m3/day (4.0 IMGD) is presented as a design example. Process components requiring major modification were the headworks, bioreactors and sludge handling facilities.


1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.-H. Schierup ◽  
H. Brix

Since 1983 approximately 150 full-scale emergent hydrophyte based wastewater treatment plants (reed beds) have been constructed in Denmark to serve small wastewater producers. The development of purification performance for 21 plants representing different soil types, vegetation, and hydraulic loading rates has been recorded. Cleaning efficiencies were typically in the range of 60-80% reduction for BOD, 25-50% reduction for total nitrogen, and 20-40% reduction for total phosphorus. The mean effluent BOD, total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations of the reed beds were 19 ± 10, 22 ± 9 and 6.7 ± 3.2 mg/l (mean ± SD), respectively. Thus, the general Danish effluent standards of 8 mg/l for N and 1.5 mg/l for P for sewage plants greater than 5,000 PE cannot be met by the present realised design of EHTS. The main problem observed in most systems is a poor development of horizontal hydraulic conductivity in the soil which results in surface run-off. Since the political demands for effluent quality will be more strict in the future, it is important to improve the performance of small decentral sewage treatment plants. On the basis of experiences from different types of macrophyte based and conventional low-technology wastewater treatment systems, a multi-stage system is suggested, consisting of sedimentation and sand filtration facilities followed by basins planted with emergent and submergent species of macrophytes and algal ponds.


1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. van Veldhuizen ◽  
M. C. M. van Loosdrecht ◽  
F. A. Brandse

An activated sludge model for biological N- and P-removal was developed, which describes anoxic and aerobic P-uptake based on bacterial metabolism. This model was tested in practice on two wastewater treatment plants, which are BCFS®-processes, which contain activated sludge with a high fraction of denitrifying P-removing bacteria (DPB's). The model appeared to be able to give an adequate description of the performance of these treatment plants under different conditions. If the process parameters are well defined almost no calibration of the biokinetic parameters was necessary. In the simulation of Dalfsen wwtp, which has a complex control scheme, it was possible to give an adequate simulation of the control actions and the concentration profiles in a rather simple way, showing that detailed simulation of these controllers was not necessary. With the calibrated model it was possible to analyse bottlenecks and give suggestions for upgrading of the concerned treatments plants. The simulation results were used in decisions on investments.


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