The Self-Forming Dynamic Membrane BioReactor (SFD MBR) as a suitable technology for agro-industrial wastewater treatment

Soil Moisture Sensor Information Enhanced by Statistical Methods in a Reclaimed Water Irrigation Framework

Time series modeling and forecasting play important roles in many practical fields. A good understanding of soil water content and salinity variability and the proper prediction of variations in these variables in response to changes in climate conditions are essential to properly plan water resources and appropriately manage irrigation and fertilization tasks. This paper provides a 48-h forecast of soil water content and salinity in the peculiar context of irrigation with reclaimed water in semi-arid environments. The forecasting was performed based on (i) soil water content and salinity data from 50 cm beneath the soil surface with a time resolution of 15 min, (ii) hourly atmospheric data and (iii) daily irrigation amounts. Exploratory data analysis and data pre-processing phases were performed and then statistical models were constructed for time series forecasting based on the set of available data. The obtained prediction models showed good forecasting accuracy and good interpretability of the results.

Biotreatment Potential and Microbial Communities in Aerobic Bioreactor Systems Treating Agro-Industrial Wastewaters

The thriving agro-industry sector accounts for an essential part of the global gross domestic product, as the need for food and feed production is rising. However, the industrial processing of agricultural products requires the use of water at all stages, which consequently leads to the production of vast amounts of effluents with diverse characteristics, which contain a significantly elevated organic content. This fact reinforces the need for action to control and minimize the environmental impact of the produced wastewater, and activated sludge systems constitute a highly reliable solution for its treatment. The current review offers novel insights on the efficiency of aerobic biosystems in the treatment of agro-industrial wastewaters and their ecology, with an additional focus on the biotechnological potential of the activated sludge of such wastewater treatment plants.

Role of Mesh Pore Size in Dynamic Membrane Bioreactors

Two identical bench-scale Self-Forming Dynamic Membrane BioReactors (SFD MBR) were set-up and operated for the treatment of real urban wastewater. The two bioreactors were equipped with meshes of different mesh pore size. Meshes having pore size values of 20 and 50 µm were tested under solid retention time (SRT) of 15 d, whereas meshes with 50 and 100 µm pore sizes were compared under SRT of 50 d. The results of long-term experiments showed very good overall performances by all systems at the steady state. High flux (in the range 61–71 L m⁻² h⁻¹) and very good effluent quality were obtained, with average suspended solids and chemical oxygen demanding values below 10 mg L⁻¹ and 35 mg L⁻¹, respectively. The mesh pore size did not have a major influence on the average cleaning frequency. However, the pore size affected the effluent quality in correspondence of two particular conditions: (i) immediately after mesh cleaning; and (ii) during operation under high suction pressures (mesh clogging not promptly removed through cleaning). Moreover, the mesh cleaning frequency was observed to be dependent on the SRT. In tests with 50 d SRT, the cleaning requirements were very low (one every five days), and this limited the influence of the mesh pore size on the effluent quality. In conclusion, in SFD MBR, the role of the mesh pore size on the effluent quality may be more or less relevant depending on the operating conditions that directly influence the Dynamic Membrane formation.