The study of structure of anaerobic granules and methane producing pathways of pilot-scale UASB reactors treating municipal wastewater under sub-mesophilic conditions

Performance evaluation of ICX reactor in treatment of paper mill wastewater: a case study in South Vietnam

This study evaluates the performance of the Internal Circulation eXperience (ICX) reactor in treating high-strength paper mill wastewater in the south of Vietnam. The ICX reactor effectively managed organic concentrations (sCOD) of up to 11,800 mg/L. Results indicate a volumetric loading rate (VLR) of 26.8 kg/m3 × day, achieving processing efficiency exceeding 81% while consistently maintaining volatile fatty acids (VFA) below 300 mg/L. The study employed Monod and Stover-Kincannon kinetic modeling, revealing dynamic parameters including Ks = 56.81 kg/m3, Y = 0.121 kgVSS/kgsCOD, Kd = 0.0242 1/day, μmax = 0.372 1/day, Umax = 151 kg/m3 × day, and KB = 175.92 kg/m3 × day, underscoring the ICX reactor's superior efficiency compared to alternative technologies. Notably, the reactor's heightened sensitivity to VFA levels necessitates influent concentrations below 1,400 mg/L for effective sludge treatment. Furthermore, the influence of calcium on treatment efficiency requires post-treatment alkalinity maintenance below 19 meq/L to stabilize MLVSS/MLSS concentration. Biogas production ranged from 0.6 to 0.7 Nm3 biogas/kg sCOD; however, calcium impact diminished this ratio, reducing overall treatment efficiency and biogas production. The study contributes valuable insights into anaerobic treatment processes for complex industrial wastewaters, emphasizing the significance of controlling VFA, calcium, and alkalinity for optimal system performance.

Source separation and anaerobic co-digestion of blackwater and food waste for biogas production and nutrient recovery

Anaerobic co-digestion of source-separated blackwater (BW) and food and kitchen waste (FW) offers decentralized circular economy solutions by enabling local production of biogas and nutrient-rich byproducts. In this study, a 2 m3 pilot-scale continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) operated under mesophilic conditions was utilized for co-digestion of BW and FW. The process obtained a CH4 yield of 0.7 ± 0.2 m3/kg influent-volatile solid (VS), reaching a maximum yield of 1.1 ± 0.1 m3/kg influent-VS, with an average organic loading rate of 0.6 ± 0.1 kg-VS/m3/d and HRT of 25 days. The CH4 production rate averaged 0.4 ± 0.1 m3/m3/d, peaking at 0.6 ± 0.1 m3/m3/d. Treatment of digestate through flocculation followed by sedimentation recovered over 90% of ammonium nitrogen and potassium, and 80-85% of total phosphorus in the liquid fraction. This nutrient-rich liquid was used to cultivate Chlorella vulgaris, achieving a biomass concentration of 1.2 ± 0.1 g/L and 85 ± 3% and 78 ± 5% ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency, respectively. These findings not only highlight the feasibility of anaerobic co-digestion of source-separated BW and FW in local biogas production but also demonstrate the potential of microalgae cultivation as a sustainable approach to converting digestate into nutrient-rich algae biomass.

Bacterial community composition in a two-stage anaerobic membrane bioreactor for co-digestion of food waste and food court wastewater

This study investigated the microbial community of a two-stage anaerobic membrane bioreactor (2S-AnMBR) co-digesting food waste and food court wastewater. The hydrolysis reactor (HR) was dominated by Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phylum, with genus Lactobacillus enriched due to food waste fermentation. The up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) was dominated by genus such as Methanobacterium and Methanosaeta. The presence of Methanobacterium (91 %) and Methanosaeta (7.5 %) suggested that methane production pathways inevitably undergo both hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic methanogenesis. Hydrogen generated during hydrolysis fermentation in the HR contributed to methane production in the UASB via hydrogenotrophic pathways. However, the low abundance of Methanosaeta in the UASB can be attributed to the limited inffluent of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and the competitive presence of acetate-consuming bacteria Acinetobacter. The UASB exhibited more excellent dispersion and diversity of metabolic pathways compared to the HR, indicating efficient methane production.

Study on the feasibility of carbon source recovery by upflow anaerobic sludge blanket in simulated municipal wastewater

The influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the granulation process, methane-producing capacity, microbial community structure, and pollutant removal efficiency of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) with simulated municipal wastewater at a mesophilic temperature was investigated. The carbon recovery capacity of the anaerobic fermentation of municipal wastewater at mesophilic temperatures is one of the problems to be investigated for the realisation of carbon neutrality in municipal wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the HRT was gradually shortened (24-6 h), and the effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen, pH, volatile fatty acid concentration, and specific methanogenic activity (SMA) were investigated. The sludge morphology, the particle size distribution of the different HRT, and changes in the microbial community structure were determined by scanning electron microscopy, wet screening, and high-throughput sequencing. The results indicated that even if the COD concentration was only 300-550 mg/L, with a decrease in HRT, the proportion of granular sludge in the UASB still exceeded 78 %, and the COD removal efficiency reached 82.4 %. The SMA of granular sludge increased with an increase in the size of granules and was 0.289 g CH₄-COD/(g VSS d) at an HRT of 6 h, but the proportion of dissolved methane in the effluent accounted for 38-45 % of the total methane production and the proportion of Methanothrix in UASB sludge was 82.44 %. In this study, dense granular sludge was obtained by gradually shortening the HRT to start the UASB, and the lower effluent COD reduced the load of subsequent treatment processes, which could be used as a low carbon/nitrogen ratio influent for activated carbon-activated sludge, activated sludge-microalgae, and partial nitrification-anaerobic ammonia oxidation processes.

Celebrating 50 years of microbial granulation technologies: From canonical wastewater management to bio-product recovery

Microbial granulation technologies (MGT) in wastewater management are widely practised for more than fifty years. MGT can be considered a fine example of human innovativeness-driven nature wherein the manmade forces applied during operational controls in the biological process of wastewater treatment drive the microbial communities to modify their biofilms into granules. Mankind, over the past half a century, has been refining the knowledge of triggering biofilm into granules with some definite success. This review captures the journey of MGT from inception to maturation providing meaningful insights into the process development of MGT-based wastewater management. The full-scale application of MGT-based wastewater management is discussed with an understanding of functional microbial interactions within the granule. The molecular mechanism of granulation through the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and signal molecules is also highlighted in detail. The recent research interest in the recovery of useful bioproducts from the granular EPS is also emphasized.

Conceptual system for sustainable and next-generation wastewater resource recovery facilities

Shifting the concept of municipal wastewater treatment to recover resources is one of the key factors contributing to a sustainable society. A novel concept based on research is proposed to recover four main bio-based products from municipal wastewater while reaching the necessary regulatory standards. The main resource recovery units of the proposed system include upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor for the recovery of biogas (as product 1) from mainstream municipal wastewater after primary sedimentation. Sewage sludge is co-fermented with external organic waste such as food waste for volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production as precursors for other bio-based production. A portion of the VFA mixture (product 2) is used as carbon sources in the denitrification step of the nitrification/denitrification process as an alternative for nitrogen removal. The other alternative for nitrogen removal is the partial nitrification/anammx process. The VFA mixture is separated with nanofiltration/reverse osmosis membrane technology into low-carbon VFAs and high-carbon VFAs. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (as product 3) is produced from the low-carbon VFAs. Using membrane contactor-based processes and ion-exchange techniques, high-carbon VFAs are recovered as one-type VFA (pure VFA) and in ester forms (product 4). The nutrient-rich fermented and dewatered biosolid is applied as a fertilizer. The proposed units are seen as individual resource recovery systems as well as a concept of an integrated system. A qualitative environmental assessment of the proposed resource recovery units confirms the positive environmental impacts of the proposed system.

Seasonal characterization of the prokaryotic microbiota of full-scale anaerobic UASB reactors treating domestic sewage in southern Brazil

Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors are alternatives in the anaerobic treatment of sanitary sewage in different parts of the world; however, in temperate environments, they are subject to strong seasonal influence. Understanding the dynamics of the microbial community in these systems is essential to propose operational alternatives, improve projects and increase the quality of treated effluents. In this study, for one year, high-performance sequencing, associated with bioinformatics tools for taxonomic annotation and functional prediction was used to characterize the microbial community present in the sludge of biodigesters on full-scale, treating domestic sewage at ambient temperature. Among the most representative phyla stood out Desulfobacterota (20.21-28.64%), Proteobacteria (7.48-24.90%), Bacteroidota (10.05-18.37%), Caldisericota (9.49-17.20%), and Halobacterota (3.23-6.55%). By performing a Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), Methanolinea was correlated to the efficiency in removing Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Bacteroidetes_VadinHA17 to the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and CI75cm.2.12 at temperature. On the other hand, Desulfovibrio, Spirochaetaceae_uncultured, Methanosaeta, Lentimicrobiaceae_unclassified, and ADurb.Bin063-1 were relevant in shaping the microbial community in a co-occurrence network. Diversity analyses showed greater richness and evenness for the colder seasons, possibly, due to the lesser influence of dominant taxa. Among the principal metabolic functions associated with the community, the metabolism of proteins and amino acids stood out (7.74-8.00%), and the genes related to the synthesis of VFAs presented higher relative abundance for the autumn and winter. Despite the differences in diversity and taxonomic composition, no significant changes were observed in the efficiency of the biodigesters.

Integrating electrocoagulation process with up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket for in-situ biomethanation and performance improvement

In this study, the integration of the electrocoagulation (EC) process with anaerobic digestion as a novel in-situ biomethanation approach was considered for the first time. As a result of this integration (iron electrodes, current density of 1.5 mA/cm² and an exposure mode of 10-min-ON/ 30-min-OFF), the carbon dioxide content of biogas reached below 2%. Also, the methane production rate improved by 18.0 ± 0.4%, whereas the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand, turbidity, phosphate, and sulfate increased by 12.0 ± 1.5%, 30.7 ± 1.7%, > 99%, and 75.7%, respectively. Anaerobic granular sludge characteristics were also improved. Moreover, the EC process stimulated growth and quantity of functional microorganisms, especially Acinetobacter in bacterial and Methanobacterium in archaeal community. Methane concentration, however decreased due to possible excess hydrogen production. The application of the biogas as bio-hythane, and the optimization of the hybrid bioreactor to decrease hydrogen production, are possible avenues for further research.

Effect of low temperature and municipal wastewater organic loading on anaerobic granule reactor performance

Biogas production and municipal wastewater COD removal at low temperatures by granulated anaerobic biomass were investigated. Two anaerobic granule reactors were operated continuously for 1025 days by stepwise increase of organic loading from 1.3 to 15.2 g COD_dissolved·l^-1·d^-1 at 25, 16, 12, 8.5, 5.5, and 2.5 °C. The sustained reactor performance was evaluated by COD removal efficiency, methane production, and microbial community analysis. Stable COD removal of 50-70% were achieved at 25-8.5 °C and up to 15 g COD_dissolved·l^-1·d^-1, and no significant temperature effect was observed on specific methane production rate and yield. Below 8.5 °C, COD removal and methane yields reduced, but still significant methane formation was observed even at 2.5 °C. More than 90% of COD removed was converted to methane. Methanogenic archaea communities showed that temperature changes affected the major methane formation pathways, which explains temperature adaptability of the granules.

Microbial characteristics in anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating domestic sewage: Effects of HRT and process performance

Two anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) equipped with different membrane pore size (0.4 or 0.05 µm) were operated at 25˚C and fed with domestic wastewater. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the reactors was shortened. The microbial communities of the two AnMBRs were investigated by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to see the effects of HRT. The predominant Archaea was an aceticlastic methanogen Methanosaeta. The composition of hydrogenotrophic methanogens changed with the HRTs: the population of Methanobacterium was higher for longer HRTs, whereas the population of unclassified Methanoregulaceae was higher for shorter HRTs. The Anaerolineae, Bacteroidia and Clostridia bacteria were dominant in both of the reactors, with a combined relative abundance of over 55%. The relative abundance of Anaerolineae was proportional to the biogas production performance. The change in the population of hydrogenotrophic methanogens or Anaerolineae can be used as an indicator for process monitoring. The sum of the relative abundance of Anaerolineae and Clostridia fluctuated slightly with changes in the HRT in both AnMBRs when the reactor was stably operated. The co-occurrence analysis revealed the relative abundance of the operational taxonomic units belonging to Anaerolineae and Clostridia was functionally equivalent during the treatment of real domestic sewage. A principal coordination analysis revealed that the changes in the microbial community in each reactor were consistent with the change of HRT. In addition, both the HRT and the stability of the process are important factors for maintaining microbial community structures.

The effect of temperature and styrene concentration on biogas production and degradation characteristics during anaerobic removal of styrene from wastewater

In the current study, styrene was removed anaerobically from wastewaters at temperatures of 35 ℃, 25 ℃, and 15 ℃ and concentration range of 20-150 ppm in the presence of ethanol as a co-substrate and co-solvent. Maximum styrene removal of 93% was achieved at 35 ℃. The volatilization of styrene was negligible at about 2% at all experimented temperatures. The average special methane yield (SMY) at 35 ℃ was 4.14- and 225-times higher than that of at T = 25 ℃ and T = 15 ℃, respectively, but no methane was produced in the absence of ethanol. The proteins content of the soluble microbial product (SMP) and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) was much higher than the carbohydrate content. At styrene concentration > 80 ppm, SMY, SMP, and EPS dropped sharply. The results confirmed the well performance of anaerobic microorganisms in removing styrene from wastewater and biogas production at mesophilic condition.

Enhanced Volatile Fatty Acid Production from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch through Acidogenic Fermentation—A Novel Resource Recovery Strategy for Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch

The glucan-rich fraction, hemicellulosic compounds-rich fraction, and a mixture of both fractions obtained from organosolv pretreatment of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) were used as substrates to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in acidogenic fermentation. In this study, the effects of medium adjustment (carbon to nitrogen ratio and trace elements supplementation) and methanogenesis inhibition (through the addition of 2-bromoethanesulfonate or by heat shock) to enhance VFAs yield were investigated. The highest VFA yield was 0.50 ± 0.00 g VFAs/g volatile solid (VS), which was obtained when methanogens were inhibited by heat shock and cultivated in a mixture of glucan-rich and hemicellulosic compounds-rich fractions. Under these conditions, the fermentation produced acetic acid as the only VFA. Based on the results, the mass balance of the whole process (from pretreatment and fermentation) showed the possibility to obtain 30.4 kg acetic acid and 20.3 kg lignin with a 70% purity from 100 kg OPEFB.

Nature-Based Units as Building Blocks for Resource Recovery Systems in Cities

Cities are producers of high quantities of secondary liquid and solid streams that are still poorly utilized within urban systems. In order to tackle this issue, there has been an ever-growing push for more efficient resource management and waste prevention in urban areas, following the concept of a circular economy. This review paper provides a characterization of urban solid and liquid resource flows (including water, nutrients, metals, potential energy, and organics), which pass through selected nature-based solutions (NBS) and supporting units (SU), expanding on that characterization through the study of existing cases. In particular, this paper presents the currently implemented NBS units for resource recovery, the applicable solid and liquid urban waste streams and the SU dedicated to increasing the quality and minimizing hazards of specific streams at the source level (e.g., concentrated fertilizers, disinfected recovered products). The recovery efficiency of systems, where NBS and SU are combined, operated at a micro- or meso-scale and applied at technology readiness levels higher than 5, is reviewed. The importance of collection and transport infrastructure, treatment and recovery technology, and (urban) agricultural or urban green reuse on the quantity and quality of input and output materials are discussed, also regarding the current main circularity and application challenges.

A pilot-scale study of granule-based anaerobic reactors for biogas recovery from municipal wastewater under sub-mesophilic conditions

The influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT of 3-5 h) and temperature (20-25 °C) on performance and microbial dynamics of two pilot-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors with different granule size distribution (UASB1 = 3-4 mm and UASB2 = 1-2 mm) were investigated for 217 days. Increasing the HRT to 5 h even at a lower temperature of 20 °C enhanced COD removal and biogas production with average of 59 ± 16% (up to 85%) and 73 ± 9 L/(m³·d) (up to 102 L/(m³·d)) for UASB1; 63 ± 16% (up to 85%) and 75 ± 9 L/(m³·d) (up to 90 L/(m³·d)) for UASB2, respectively. This is explained by sufficient contact time between microorganisms and substrate. Acetoclastic methanogenic activity was higher in UASB1 because Methanosaetaceae (produces methane from acetate) dominated (64 ± 4%). However, Methanoregulaceae (29 ± 3%) and Methanomicrobiales_unassigned (20 ± 6%) which produce methane from H₂/CO₂ and formate were significant in UASB2. The extent of change in the microbial dynamics with HRT and temperature was more obvious in the smaller granule reactor.

Thermophilic biogas production from microalgae-bacteria aggregates: biogas yield, community variation and energy balance

Biogas production through anaerobic mesophilic digestion is the most straightforward biofuel production route integrated into microalgae-bacteria wastewater treatment plants. Improvement of this biofuel route without adding pretreatment units is possible through the temperature increase. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the transitory effect of different temperatures (35 °C and 55 °C) and hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 15 and 30 d on the long-term methane production using non-pretreated microalgae-bacteria aggregates as a feedstock. The thermophilic transition from mesophilic inoculum adapted to microalgae-bacteria aggregate increased 1.7-fold the methane production (0.41 m³CH₄ kgVS^-1) at HRT of 30 d. A substantial decrease in the microbial community's diversity present in the anaerobic reactor was observed when thermophilic conditions were applied, explaining the long adaptation period needed. The increase of the operative temperature condition promotes changes in the dominance pathway of methanogenesis from hydrogenotrophic to acetolactic. The energy balance assessment showed a positive net energy ratio when the digester was operated at an HRT of 30 d. A maximum net energy ratio of 1.5 was achieved at mesophilic temperature. This study demonstrated, based on experimental data, that microalgal digestion with an HRT of 30 d favors energy self-sustainability in microalgal wastewater treatment plants.

Start-Up of Chitosan-Assisted Anaerobic Sludge Bed Reactors Treating Light Oxygenated Solvents under Intermittent Operation

Quality of the granular sludge developed during the start-up of anaerobic up-flow sludge bed reactors is of crucial importance to ensure the process feasibility of treating industrial wastewater such as those containing solvents. In this study, the microbial granule formation from suspended-growth biomass was investigated in two chitosan-assisted reactors. These reactors operated mimicking industrial sites working with night closures treating a mixture of ethanol, ethyl acetate, and 1-ethoxy-2-propanol. Each reactor operated under different hydrodynamic regimes typical from UASB (R1: <0.15 m h⁻¹) and EGSB (R2: 3 m h⁻¹). High soluble COD removal efficiencies (>90%) accompanied by rapid formation of robust anaerobic granules were achieved at both up-flow velocity levels. After three weeks from the start-up, mean size diameters of 475 µm and 354 µm were achieved for R1 and R2, respectively. The performance of the process was found to be stable for the whole operational period of 106 days treating intermittent OLR up to 13 kg COD m⁻³ d⁻¹. A memory dose of chitosan at day 42 was beneficial to guarantee good quality of the granules by offsetting the negative impact of intermittent water supply on the granular size. Methanocorpusculum was identified as the dominant archaea at both up-flow velocities. Acetobacterium, Geobacter and Desulfovibrio bacteria were also abundant, demonstrating its role on the degradation of light-oxygenated solvents.

Approaches in Design of Laboratory-Scale UASB Reactors

Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors are popular tools in wastewater treatment systems due to the ability to work with high feed rates and wastes with high concentration of organic contaminants. While full-scale industrial applications of UASB reactors are developed and described in the available literature, laboratory-scale designs utilized for treatability testing are not well described. The majority of published studies do not describe the laboratory UASB construction details or do use reactors that already had developed a trophic network in microbial consortia under laboratory environment and therefore are more stable. The absence of defined guidelines for geometry design, selection of materials, construction, operation rules, and, especially, the start-up conditions, significantly hamper researchers who desire to conduct treatability testing using UASB reactors in laboratory scale. In this article, we compiled and analyzed the information available in the refereed literature concerning UASB reactors used in laboratory environment, where information on geometry and/or operational conditions were provided in detail. We utilized the information available in the literature and the experience gained in our laboratory (Sustainable Waste to Bioproducts Engineering Center) to suggest a unified operation flowchart and for design, construction, operation, and monitoring for a laboratory-scale UASB reactors.

Establishing the mechanisms underpinning solids breakthrough in UASB configured anaerobic membrane bioreactors to mitigate fouling

In this study, the mechanisms for solids breakthrough in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) configured anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) have been described to establish design parameters to limit membrane fouling. As the sludge blanket develops, two periods can be identified: (i) an initial progressive enhancement in solids separation provided through sludge blanket clarification, via depth filtration, which sustains downstream membrane permeability; and (ii) sludge blanket destabilisation, which imposed solids breakthrough resulting in a loss in membrane permeability. The onset of sludge blanket destabilisation was identified earlier in the flocculent AnMBR, which was ascribed to an increased gas production, caused by hydrolysis within the sludge blanket at extended solids residence time. Whilst hydrolysis also induced higher gas productivity within the granular AnMBR, solids breakthrough was not evidently observed during this period, and was instead only observed as the sludge blanket approached the UASB overflow. However, solids breakthrough was observed earlier for both reactors when treating wastewater with lower temperatures. This was explained through characterisation of the settling velocity of discrete particles from the sludge blanket of both MBRs; solids washout was evidenced to be induced by the increase in fluid viscosity with a reduction in temperature, which lowered terminal particle settling velocity. Nevertheless, particle settling velocity was comparable for particles from both sludge blankets. We therefore propose that the enhanced stability imparted by the granular AnMBR is due to the higher inertial force of the dense granular sludge. From this study, we suggest that similarly low levels of membrane fouling can be achieved within flocculent AnMBR by managing solids retention time to constrain sludge bed height and excess hydrolysis, together with adopting an upflow velocity based on particle buoyancy at the lowest expected operating temperature.

Principal component analysis as a criterion for monitoring variable organic load of swine wastewater in integrated biological reactors UASB, SABF and HSSF-CW

The multivariate analysis to optimize the parameters of wastewater is essential to reduce costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of multivariate and conventional analysis in biological system composed by upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), submerged aerated biological filters (SABF) and horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSF-CW) reactors in the organic stabilization of swine wastewater (SW). Four loads were used in the system with alteration by COD concentration of untreated SW, and the data were evaluated by principal components (PCA). The average efficiency of COD and BOD removal increased from 45% in phase I to 67% in phase IV in the UASB, SABF and HSSF-CW reactors. The principal component analysis promoted the reduction of 13 original variables to 5, 8 and 5 principal components in the UASB, SABF and HSSF-CW reactors, respectively, optimizing the dynamics of interpretation of the data that influenced the most the stability of the wastewater system across the four phases. There was a strong negative effect of oxygen concentrations in the SABF reactor in relation to organic variables, optimizing the biological mechanisms of the HSSF-CW and, therefore, enabling better decision making and cost reduction with analysis at treatment plants.

Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) Technology for Energy Recovery: A Review on State-of-the-Art and Recent Technological Advances

Up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor belongs to high-rate systems, able to perform anaerobic reaction at reduced hydraulic retention time, if compared to traditional digesters. In this review, the most recent advances in UASB reactor applications are critically summarized and discussed, with outline on the most critical aspects for further possible future developments. Beside traditional anaerobic treatment of soluble and biodegradable substrates, research is actually focusing on the treatment of refractory and slowly degradable matrices, thanks to an improved understanding of microbial community composition and reactor hydrodynamics, together with utilization of powerful modeling tools. Innovative approaches include the use of UASB reactor for nitrogen removal, as well as for hydrogen and volatile fatty acid production. Co-digestion of complementary substrates available in the same territory is being extensively studied to increase biogas yield and provide smooth continuous operations in a circular economy perspective. Particular importance is being given to decentralized treatment, able to provide electricity and heat to local users with possible integration with other renewable energies. Proper pre-treatment application increases biogas yield, while a successive post-treatment is needed to meet required effluent standards, also from a toxicological perspective. An increased full-scale application of UASB technology is desirable to achieve circular economy and sustainability scopes, with efficient biogas exploitation, fulfilling renewable energy targets and green-house gases emission reduction, in particular in tropical countries, where limited reactor heating is required.

Effect of different operational modes on the performance of granular sludge in continuous-flow systems and the successions of microbial communities

Continuous flow reactors with time intermittent operational (TIO) mode and spatial intermittent operational (SIO) mode were operated to evaluate the effects of operational modes on the removal performances, the characteristics of granules and the dynamics of microbial communities in simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal (SNDPR) granular system. The results showed that the removal efficiency of TP, TN were 81.3%, 86.7% under TIO mode, and 70.6%, 77.4% under SIO mode, respectively. Meanwhile, the PN and value of PN/PS in SIO were higher than those in TIO. Besides, results of high-throughput pyrosequencing illustrated that the combination of filamentous archaea (Methanothrix) and filamentous bacteria (Thiothrix) had resulted in the increase of EPS and SVI under SIO mode. Finally, functional bacterial and archaeal species, involving HMA, AMA, AOA, DPAOs etc., were identified to reveal the effects of operational modes on the mechanism of nutrients removal in granular SNDPR continuous-flow system.

The concept of anaerobic hydrolysis to produce clean and stable energy from the case study of utilization of three types of pollutants in coal pyrolysis wastewater

The purpose of the research was to explore the feasibility of anaerobic hydrolysis in the recycling of chemical wastewater. From the case study of utilization of coal pyrolysis wastewater (CPW), the concept of anaerobic hydrolysis to produce clean and stable energy was proposed. Compared with anaerobic methane production and hydrogen production, anaerobic hydrolysis was more suitable to realize the resource utilization of chemical wastewater. Typical pollutants in CPW could be hydrolyzed into short chain alkanes (or alkane alcohol) under the action of anaerobic hydrolysis. Furthermore, element N was released during the anaerobic hydrolysis of nitrogen heterocyclic compounds. The advantages and existing problems of anaerobic hydrolysis were also discussed. The conversion mechanism of pollutants in CPW can provide a theoretical basis for the utilization of chemical wastewater.

Long-term exogenous addition of synthetic acyl homoserine lactone enhanced the anaerobic granulation process

Although adding long-term acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) over one month was highly instructive for the development of an AHL-based anaerobic granulation strategy, the role of long-term exogenous AHL at different concentrations in the granulation process was poorly understood due to commercial exogenous AHL's extremely high cost. In this study, organic synthesis of N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone (C10-HSL) was employed for the first time to drastically reduce the cost of the AHL addition. Daily dosages of exogenous C10-HSL at 50 nM, 500 nM and 5000 nM were separately added into anaerobic bioreactors to promote the granulation process for as long as 168 days. 50 nM C10-HSL showed a negligible effect on the granulation process while 5000 nM C10-HSL achieved the best performance with the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, largest granule size and best extracellular polymeric substance production. Bacterial analysis indicated that exogenous C10-HSL showed a concentration-related effect in bacterial community organization. Besides, addition of 5000 nM C10-HSL resulted in the greatest promotion of Methanosaeta which was extremely important to the formation of anaerobic granule. This study provides a foundation for the future application of long-term exogenous AHL manipulation to improve the granulation process in an engineered ecosystem.