INNOVATIVE METHOD OF NITRIFICATION AND DENITRIFICATION ON THE EXAMPLE OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OF KOLOMYIA

The article is devoted to the unsatisfactory operation of biological wastewater treatment plants. At present in Ukraine there are no developments of equipment and devices to ensure the operation of treatment facilities using the technology of nitridenitrification of deep wastewater treatment from nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. The analysis of the equipment of biological treatment systems - nitri treatment plant - denitrifier, clarifier tanks is carried out. At the same time, the standards of the degree of purification of both Ukraine and the European Union were taken into account. On the example of treatment facilities in Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankovsk region, modern schemes of biological wastewater treatment for the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus have been proposed, namely, the re-equipment of single-corridor aerotanks into bioreactors of nitridenitrifiers by creating zones with different oxygen conditions in their volume.

The proposals for intensification of a non-capacity wastewater treatment plant

The article deals with the possibilities of intensification of mechanical-biological wastewater treatment plant with intermittent Flexidiblok type activity with denitrification. This wastewater treatment plant is located in a municipality with more than double of the equivalent population than the capacity of the wastewater treatment plant and therefore does not meet current legislative requirements. Proposals for the intensification of the wastewater treatment plant offer the possibility of reconstructing the existing wastewater treatment plant to the required capacity or rebuilding this wastewater treatment plant to a pumping station. Part of the article is an economic-technological comparison of both proposals.

Determination of the Optimal Parameters of the Jet Aeration

To ensure effective aeration of the biological wastewater treatment process, easy-to-operate and not too energy-intensive units are needed. Jet aerators have such capabilities. In this study, the authors searched for the best hole shape for the aeration nozzles. It was determined that a nozzle with an elongated hole has the largest size of the actively aerated zone. Experimental studies of nozzles of a diameter of 56 mm with nozzles of elongated shape showed that the best characteristics of mass transfer are provided by nozzles with a total area of holes of 356 mm2 at a flow rate of 10 … 12 m/s. For practical calculations, an equation was obtained for the dependence of the oxygen transfer coefficient KLa(20) on the complex criterion vn, and a method for calculating aeration units was developed, which is applicable for aerators with elongated holes.

Mobilome-driven segregation of the resistome in biological wastewater treatment

Biological wastewater treatment plants (BWWTP) are considered to be hotspots of evolution and subsequent spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) promote the mobilization and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and are thereby critical mediators of AMR within the BWWTP microbial community. At present, it is unclear whether specific AMR categories are differentially disseminated via bacteriophages (phages) or plasmids. To understand the segregation of AMR in relation to MGEs, we analyzed meta-omic (metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and metaproteomic) data systematically collected over 1.5 years from a BWWTP. Our results showed a core group of fifteen AMR categories which were found across all timepoints. Some of these AMR categories were disseminated exclusively (bacitracin) or primarily (aminoglycoside, MLS, sulfonamide) via plasmids or phages (fosfomycin and peptide), whereas others were disseminated equally by both MGEs. Subsequent expression- and protein-level analyses further demonstrated that aminoglycoside, bacitracin and sulfonamide resistance genes were expressed more by plasmids, in contrast to fosfomycin and peptide AMR expression by phages, thereby validating our genomic findings. Longitudinal assessment further underlined these findings whereby the log2-fold changes of aminoglycoside, bacitracin and sulfonamide resistance genes were increased in plasmids, while fosfomycin and peptide resistance showed similar trends in phages. In the analyzed communities, the dominant taxon Candidatus Microthrix parvicella was a major contributor to several AMR categories whereby its plasmids primarily mediated aminoglycoside resistance. Importantly, we also found AMR associated with ESKAPEE pathogens within the BWWTP, for which MGEs also contributed differentially to the dissemination of ARGs. Collectively our findings pave the way towards understanding the segmentation of AMR within MGEs, thereby shedding new light on resistome populations and their mediators, essential elements that are of immediate relevance to human health.

Application of Multi-Criteria Analysis in the Selection of Individual Sewage Treatment Plants

The development of sewage systems leads to an increase in people’s living standards and an improvement in the comfort of their daily lives. In 2021, the use of septic tanks is still a big issue; many of them are not properly sealed and can be harmful to the environment because of leakage. A good alternative for them is an individual sewage treatment plant. There are many types of such investment. This paper focuses on the selection between three types of sewage treatment plants (a biological wastewater treatment plant with activated sludge and a constructed wasteland) using MCDA–AHP and TOPSIS methods.

Applicability of biological wastewater treatment for various industries

Biological treatment methods are used to remove organic and some inorganic substances from wastewater using the simplest organisms that use these substances for nutrition, breaking them down using cellular processes. The article deals with the aerobic, anaerobic and anoxic stages of biological wastewater treatment. Their differences are explained and the best way to use biological processes is analyzed according to the type of industry/production. At wastewater treatment plants, anaerobic treatment is often used at first to remove a significant part of organic substances from wastewater before sending them for further aerobic treatment. Aerobic treatment is effective for various types of wastewater, especially with lower biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). A comparative analysis of wastewater composition from food, oil and gas processing, pharmaceutical and pulp and paper industries was carried out. In the presence of organic compounds, the technology is chosen depending on the total organic matter content or the total COD content, which characterizes the total organic matter in water. A combination of anaerobic and aerobic methods is possible, if a discharge into the sewer system or into water bodies is required. The grounds for the application of biological wastewater treatment of these industries are given.

Bacteriophages in Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems: Occurrence, Characterization, and Function

Phage bacteria interactions can affect structure, dynamics, and function of microbial communities. In the context of biological wastewater treatment (BWT), the presence of phages can alter the efficiency of the treatment process and influence the quality of the treated effluent. The active role of phages in BWT has been demonstrated, but many questions remain unanswered regarding the diversity of phages in these engineered environments, the dynamics of infection, the determination of bacterial hosts, and the impact of their activity in full-scale processes. A deeper understanding of the phage ecology in BWT can lead the improvement of process monitoring and control, promote higher influent quality, and potentiate the use of phages as biocontrol agents. In this review, we highlight suitable methods for studying phages in wastewater adapted from other research fields, provide a critical overview on the current state of knowledge on the effect of phages on structure and function of BWT bacterial communities, and highlight gaps, opportunities, and priority questions to be addressed in future research.