scholarly journals The removal performance of nitrates in the novel 3D-BERS with GAC and diversity of immobilized microbial communities treating nitrate-polluted water: Effects of pH and COD/NO3--N ratio

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 200526-0
Author(s):  
Mahdi Hassan ◽  
Guangcan Zhu ◽  
Zhonglian Yang ◽  
Yongze Lu ◽  
Huang Shang ◽  
...  

In this work, a three-dimensional bioelectrochemical reactor system (3D-BERs) with granular activated carbon (GAC) was utilized to study the feasibility of simultaneous removal of nitrates by autotrophic-heterotrophic denitrification process under different pH levels. In this present study, it was found that when the influent COD/ NO3--N ratio ranged between 1.5 and 3.5, both autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrifying microorganisms played an important role in denitrification. The experimental results demonstrated that the highest removal efficiency of nitrates under the optimum COD/NO3--N ratio of 1.5 (98.62%) was achieved with an initial pH of 7.5 ± 0.4. Likewise, when the COD/NO3--N ratio of 3.5, the nitrates removal efficiency (81.12%) was achieved with an initial pH of 8.2 ± 0.3, respectively. Batch denitrification processes followed zero-order kinetics at various NO3--N concentrations obtained. The bacterial community structure and relative abundance of bacteria changed at the level of genes and the phylum of immobilized GAC particles. Moreover, the diversity of bacterial composition enhanced the removal of NO3--N at the inner surface (IS), and bottom surface (BS) of immobilized GAC carriers were Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, Proteobacteria, and Thauera. In general, this technique is more effective for enhancing the denitrification process in the 3D-BER system.

Author(s):  
Mahdi Hassan ◽  
Guangcan Zhu ◽  
Zhonglian Yang ◽  
Yongze Lu ◽  
Huang Shan

In this study, a three-dimensional bioelectrochemical reactor system (3D-BERs) with granular activated carbon (GAC) epitomizes a novel treatment technology for treating nitrate-polluted water. The conventional denitrification process faces many challenges, including the huge demand for organic carbon, long-term accumulation of intermediate products, and the adaptation period. Results shown that under the optimal conditions of the COD/NO3--N ratio was 1.5, the denitrification efficiency reached 98.62%, when compared to 81.12% at COD/ NO3--N ratio of 3.5, and the initial pH of 7.5 ± 0.5, NO3--N was entirely removed at 2.2 h without accumulation of nitrite. The high initial ratio of NO2--N/NO3--N is mainly to accelerate the denitrification rate by accelerating the reduction of nitrite. Denitrification process followed by zero-order kinetics linear model for at different concentrations of inlet NO3--N, and achieved higher denitrification rate at greater inlet NO3--N concentration. High-throughput sequencing shows that the community structure and relative abundance of bacteria changed significantly, especially at the genes and the phyla level in immobilized GAC particles. Microbial composition enhanced the removal of nitrogen at the inner surface (IS) and bottom surface (BS) of immobilized GAC carriers. Therefore, this system is expected to be a more efficient and useful supplement or a cost-effective alternative compared to the traditional low carbon to nitrogen wastewater treatment system.


1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 101-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kuroda ◽  
T. Watanabe ◽  
Y. Umedu

Application of a bio-electro reactor for treatment of various kinds of polluted water was investigated experimentally. Aqueous solution of nitrate, ammonium and/or organic matter were used as synthetic polluted water. Denitrification of the nitrate polluted water without organic matter proceeded effectively by utilizing hydrogen gas produced by electrolysis of water in the reactor. The bio-electro reactor was also available for the treatment of nitrate polluted water containing organic matter when the C/N concentration ratio was up to 1.0 under the condition of 100 mA of applied electric current. The nitrate removal efficiency from nitrate polluted water containing acetate at C/N=1.0 was more than 90% at 5 hours of HRT and 80% even at 2.8 h HRT. For the treatment of ammonium polluted water, nitrification and denitrification proceeded simultaneously in a bio-electro reactor where nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms were immobilized on the electrodes. The results obtained in this study suggested that the bio-electro reactor system was capable to application for oxidation and reduction treatments of the nitrate and ammonium polluted water.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 2913
Author(s):  
Feng Liu ◽  
Suqin Wang ◽  
Xuezhi Zhang ◽  
Feiyue Qian ◽  
Yaobing Wang ◽  
...  

Contamination of wastewater with organic-limited nitrates has become an urgent problem in wastewater treatment. The cooperating heterotrophic with sulfur autotrophic denitrification is an alternative process and the efficiency has been assessed in many studies treating simulated wastewater under different operating conditions. However, due to the complex and diverse nature of actual wastewater, more studies treating actual wastewater are still needed to evaluate the feasibility of collaborative denitrification. In this study, lab-scale experiments were performed with actual nitrate polluted water of two different concentrations, with glucose and sodium thiosulfate introduced as mixed electron donors in the coupling sulfur-based autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrification. Results showed that the optimum denitrification performance was exhibited when the influent substrate mass ratio of C/N/S was 1.3/1/1.9, with a maximum denitrification rate of 3.52 kg NO3−-N/(m3 day) and nitrate removal efficiency of 93% in the coupled systems. Illumina high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that autotrophic, facultative, and heterotrophic bacteria jointly contributed to high nitrogen removal efficiency. The autotrophic denitrification maintained as the predominant process, while the second most prevalent denitrification process gradually changed from heterotrophic to facultative with the increase of influent concentration at optimum C/N/S ratio conditions. Furthermore, the initiation of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) was very pivotal in promoting the entire denitrification process. These results suggested that sulfur-based autotrophic coupled with heterotrophic denitrifying process is an alternative and promising method to treat nitrate containing wastewater.


2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongxiang Zhang ◽  
Zhenjun Tian ◽  
Qi Jing ◽  
Yuanyuan Chen ◽  
Xuezheng Huang

Abstract In this study, a novel composite of modified diatomite supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (mD-NZVI) was synthesized and characterized. The effects of four factors (mD-NZVI dose, temperature, contact time and initial pH) on the removal of Cr(VI) by mD-NZVI were studied by experimental work and analyzed by response surface methodology (RSM). A second-order polynomial equation fitted by Box-Behnken design was used as a statistical model and proved to be precise in describing the significance of four factors. The analysis results show that the effects of four factors on the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) were significant (F value is 19.83), initial pH was found to be the key factor. In addition, the effect of initial pH was further studied and the maximum removal efficiency of 89.34% was obtained at pH of 3, the decrease in removal efficiency with the increase in pH is a synergistic effect of Cr(VI) species, surface charge of mD-NZVI and OH− amount at different pH.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianghui Fu ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Guochao Yang ◽  
Xiangyang Xu ◽  
Lihua He ◽  
...  

As thallium (Tl) is a highly toxic heavy metal, there are compulsory environmental regulations in many countries on minimizing its release. This research investigated the treatment of real industrial wastewater with low Tl(I) concentration by Fe0-electrocoagulation (Fe0-EC) in a batch aeration-forced pump cycle reactor. The effects of pH (7–12), current density (8.3–33.3 mA/cm2), dissolved oxygen (DO) in wastewater, and initial Tl(I) concentration (66–165 µg/L) on Tl(I) removal efficiency were investigated. The removal efficiency of Tl(I) is pH-dependent, to be exact, it increases significantly with pH rising from 8 to 11. Initial pH of influent and DO concentration were the key operation parameters which strongly affect Tl(I) removal. After the water sample with initial Tl(I) concentration of 115 µg/L was treated for 12 min by a single-step process at pH of 11 and current density of 16.7 mA/cm2, the residual Tl(I) concentration was decreased to beneath the emission limit in China (2 µg/L) with a low energy consumption of 0.82 kWh/m3. By prolonging the operation time, the concentration was further reduced to 0.5 µg/L or even lower. The main composition of the flocculent sludges is iron oxyhydroxide, yet its crystal structure varies dependent on pH value which may result in different Tl(I) removal efficiency. Feroxyhyte nanosheets generate in situ by Fe0-EC, which contributes to the rapid and effective removal of Tl(I), while the speedy oxidation under DO-enriched conditions benefits the feroxyhyte formation. The mechanism of Tl(I) removal by Fe0-EC is attributed to the combination of electrostatic attraction and the formation of inner-sphere complexes. As shown in the technical and mechanical studies, Fe0-EC technology is an effective method for low Tl concentration removal from wastewater.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-130
Author(s):  
C.-H. Hung ◽  
K.-H. Tsai ◽  
Y.-K. Su ◽  
C.-M. Liang ◽  
M.-H. Su ◽  
...  

Due to the extensive application of artificial nitrogen-based fertilizers on land, groundwater from the central part of Taiwan faces problems of increasing concentrations of nitrate, which were measured to be well above 30 mg/L all year round. For meeting the 10 mg/L nitrate standard, optimal operations for a heterotrophic denitrification pilot plant designed for drinking water treatment was investigated. Ethanol and phosphate were added for bacteria growing on anthracite to convert nitrate to nitrogen gas. Results showed that presence of high dissolved oxygen (around 4 mg/L) in the source water did not have a significantly negative effect on nitrogen removal. When operated under a C/N ratio of 1.88, which was recommended in the literature, nitrate removal efficiency was measured to be around 70%, sometimes up to 90%. However, the reactor often underwent severe clogging problems. When operated under C/N ratio of 1.0, denitrification efficiency decreased significantly to 30%. Finally, when operated under C/N ratio of 1.5, the nitrate content of the influent was almost completely reduced at the first one-third part of the bioreactor with an overall removal efficiency of 89–91%. Another advantage for operating with a C/N ratio of 1.5 is that only one-third of the biosolids was produced compared to a C/N value of 1.88.


Author(s):  
Joshua O. Ighalo ◽  
Lois T. Arowoyele ◽  
Samuel Ogunniyi ◽  
Comfort A. Adeyanju ◽  
Folasade M. Oladipo-Emmanuel ◽  
...  

Background: The presence of pollutants in polluted water is not singularized hence pollutant species are constantly in competition for active sites during the adsorption process. A key advantage of competitive adsorption studies is that it informs on the adsorbent performance in real water treatment applications. Objective: This study aims to investigate the competitive adsorption of Pb(II), Cu(II), Fe(II) and Zn(II) using elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) biochar and hybrid biochar from LDPE. Method: The produced biochar was characterised by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The effect of adsorption parameters, equilibrium isotherm modelling and parametric studies were conducted based on data from the batch adsorption experiments. Results: For both adsorbents, the removal efficiency was >99% over the domain of the entire investigation for dosage and contact time suggesting that they are very efficient for removing multiple heavy metals from aqueous media. It was observed that removal efficiency was optimal at 2 g/l dosage and contact time of 20 minutes for both adsorbent types. The Elovich isotherm and the pseudo-second order kinetic models were best-fit for the competitive adsorption process. Conclusion: The study was able to successfully reveal that biomass biochar from elephant grass and hybrid biochar from LDPE can be used as effective adsorbent material for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous media. This study bears a positive implication for environmental protection and solid waste management.


Author(s):  
Haiyan Song ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Fansheng Meng ◽  
Qi Yang ◽  
Niandong Guo

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) has attracted considerable attention for its potential to sequestrate and immobilize heavy metals such as Cr(VI) from an aqueous solution. However, nZVI can be easily oxidized and agglomerate, which strongly affects the removal efficiency. In this study, graphene-based nZVI (nZVI/rGO) composites coupled with ultrasonic (US) pretreatment were studied to solve the above problems and conduct the experiments of Cr(VI) removal from an aqueous solution. SEM-EDS, BET, XRD, and XPS were performed to analyze the morphology and structures of the composites. The findings showed that the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) in 30 min was increased from 45.84% on nZVI to 78.01% on nZVI/rGO and the removal process performed coupled with ultrasonic pretreatment could greatly shorten the reaction time to 15 min. Influencing factors such as the initial pH, temperature, initial Cr(VI) concentration, and co-existing anions were studied. The results showed that the initial pH was a principal factor. The presence of HPO42−, NO3−, and Cl− had a strong inhibitory effect on this process, while the presence of SO42− promoted the reactivity of nZVI/rGO. Combined with the above results, the process of Cr(VI) removal in US-nZVI/rGO system consisted of two phases: (1) The initial stage is dominated by solution reaction. Cr(VI) was reduced in the solution by Fe2+ caused by ultrasonic cavitation. (2) In the following processes, adsorption, reduction, and coprecipitation coexisted. The addition of rGO enhanced electron transportability weakened the influence of passivation layers and improved the dispersion of nZVI particles. Ultrasonic cavitation caused pores and corrosion at the passivation layers and fresh Fe0 core was exposed, which improved the reactivity of the composites.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guhankumar Ponnusamy ◽  
Hajar Farzaneh ◽  
Yongfeng Tong ◽  
Jenny Lawler ◽  
Zhaoyang Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractHeterogeneous catalytic ozonation is an effective approach to degrade refractory organic pollutants in water. However, ozonation catalysts with combined merits of high activity, good reusability and low cost for practical industrial applications are still rare. This study aims to develop an efficient, stable and economic ozonation catalyst for the degradation of Ibuprofen, a pharmaceutical compound frequently detected as a refractory pollutant in treated wastewaters. The novel three-dimensional network-structured catalyst, comprising of δ-MnO2 nanosheets grown on woven carbon microfibers (MnO2 nanosheets/carbon microfiber), was synthesized via a facile hydrothermal approach. Catalytic ozonation performance of Ibuprofen removal in water using the new catalyst proves a significant enhancement, where Ibuprofen removal efficiency of close to 90% was achieved with a catalyst loading of 1% (w/v). In contrast, conventional ozonation was only able to achieve 65% removal efficiency under the same operating condition. The enhanced performance with the new catalyst could be attributed to its significantly increased available surface active sites and improved mass transfer of reaction media, as a result of the special surface and structure properties of this new three-dimensional network-structured catalyst. Moreover, the new catalyst displays excellent stability and reusability for ibuprofen degradation over successive reaction cycles. The facile synthesis method and low-cost materials render the new catalyst high potential for industrial scaling up. With the combined advantages of high efficiency, high stability, and low cost, this study sheds new light for industrial applications of ozonation catalysts.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Behbahani ◽  
M.R. Alavi Moghaddam ◽  
M. Arami

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of operational parameters on fluoride removal using electrocoagulation method. For this purpose, various operational parameters including initial pH, initial fluoride concentration, applied current, reaction time, electrode connection mode, anode material, electrolyte salt, electrolyte concentration, number of electrodes and interelectrode distance were investigated. The highest defluoridation efficiency achieved at initial pH 6. In the case of initial fluoride concentration, maximum removal efficiency (98.5%) obtained at concentration of 25mg/l. The increase of applied current and reaction time improved defluoridation efficiency up to 99%. The difference of fluoride removal efficiencies between monopolar and bipolar series and monopolar parallel were significant, especially at reaction time of 5 min. When aluminum used as anode material, higher removal efficiency (98.5%) achieved compared to that of iron anode (67.7%). The best electrolyte salt was NaCl with the maximum defluoridation efficiency of 98.5% compared to KNO3 and Na2SO4. The increase of NaCl had no effect on defluoridation efficiency. Number of electrodes had little effect on the amounts of Al3+ ions released in the solution and as a result defluoridation efficiency. Almost the same fluoride removal efficiency obtained for different interelectrode distances.


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