1
|
Donato MA, de Oliveira Souza A, Pacheco A, de Carvalho Silva L, Svenar S, Nagalli A, Passig FH, Brasil Bernardelli JK, Querne de Carvalho K. Intensifying intermittent aeration for optimizing nutrient and hormone removal in vertical-flow constructed wetlands filled with aerated concrete. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 370:143941. [PMID: 39681191 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2024] [Revised: 12/01/2024] [Accepted: 12/11/2024] [Indexed: 12/18/2024]
Abstract
Operational strategies have been applied in constructed wetlands to optimize the removal of nutrients and hormones that are still a concern in wastewater treatment. The strategy of intensifying intermittent aeration was investigated in two microcosm-scale vertical-flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) planted with Eichhornia crassipes onto autoclaved aerated concrete (AC) in the removal of nutrients, estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). CW-1 (2.4 LO2 min-1) and CW-2 (1.4 LO2 min-1) were fed with synthetic wastewater in sequencing-batch mode (cycles 48-48-72 h) and intermittently aerated for 1 h, followed by 7 h without aeration for 377 days. Combined with the intensification strategy, the use of planted free-floating macrophytes and concrete-based material (emergent) as filtering media stand out as the innovation and originality aspects of this study. Despite the hormone addition, intensifying aeration enhanced the efficiencies since CW-1 achieved the highest removals with 91% COD, 77% TN, 74% TAN, 60% nitrate, and 97% TP in Stage I (no hormone addition) and 90% COD, 80% TN, 93% TAN, 63% nitrate, and 82% TP in Stage II (with hormone addition). CW-1 achieved the highest removal efficiencies of E1 (84%), E2 (95%), and EE2 (73%). Conversely, the efficiencies decreased under the lower aeration rate (in CW-2) for all parameters. Macrophyte uptake and adsorption stood out for TN (>60.25%) and TP (>27.6%) removal as the main mechanisms in the VFCWs. The characteristics of AC favored ion exchange and precipitation, reinforcing the potential of this material as filtering media in VFCWs. Intensification of intermittent aeration combined with hormone addition diverse and riched the microbial community with the presence of Thauera, Lentimicrobium (denitrification), Candidatus Accumulibacter (phosphorus removal), Pseudomonas, Fusibacter, and Azoarcus (EE2 degradation). Intensifying intermittent aeration was an important strategy to enhance the simultaneous removal of nutrients and hormones in the VFCWs under the evaluated operational conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mayra Alves Donato
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Civil Engineering Graduate Program. Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Adelania de Oliveira Souza
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Civil Engineering Graduate Program. Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Amanda Pacheco
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Environmental Sciences and Technology Graduate Program. Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Lucas de Carvalho Silva
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Civil Engineering Graduate Program. Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Silvana Svenar
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Environmental Sciences and Technology Graduate Program. Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - André Nagalli
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Civil Construction Academic Department, Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Fernando Hermes Passig
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Biology and Chemistry Academic Department. Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Jossy Karla Brasil Bernardelli
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Civil Engineering Graduate Program. Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Karina Querne de Carvalho
- Federal University of Tecnhology - Paraná (UTFPR) - Civil Construction Academic Department, Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Silva LDC, Bernardelli JKB, Souza ADO, Lafay CBB, Nagalli A, Passig FH, Kreutz C, Carvalho KQD. Biodegradation and sorption of nutrients and endocrine disruptors in a novel concrete-based substrate in vertical-flow constructed wetlands. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 346:140531. [PMID: 37918529 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Removing phosphorus and endocrine-disruptors (EDC) is still challenging for low-cost sewage treatment systems. This study investigated the efficiency of three vertical-flow constructed wetlands (VFCW) vegetated with Eichhornia crassipes onto red clay (CW-RC), autoclaved aerated concrete (CW-AC), and composite from the chemical activation of autoclaved aerated concrete with white cement (CW-AAC) in the removal of organic matter, nutrients, and estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol. The novelty aspect of this study is related to selecting these clay and cementitious-based materials in removing endocrine disruptors and nutrients in VFCW. The subsurface VFCW were operated in sequencing-batch mode (cycles of 48-48-72 h), treating synthetic wastewater for 308 days. The operation consisted of Stages I and II, different by adding EDC in Stage II. The presence of EDC increased the competition for dissolved oxygen (DO) and reduced the active sites available for adsorption, diminishing the removal efficiencies of TKN and TAN and total phosphorus in the systems. CW-RC showed a significant increase in COD removal from 65% to 91%, while CW-AC and CW-AAC maintained stable COD removal (84%-82% and 78%-81%, respectively). Overall, the substrates proved effective in removing EDC, with CW-AC and CW-AAC achieving >60% of removal. Bacteria Candidatus Brocadia and Candidatus Jettenia, responsible for carrying out the Anammox process, were identified in assessing the microbial community structure. According to the mass balance analysis, adsorption is the main mechanism for removing TP in CW-AC and CW-AAC, while other losses were predominant in CW-RC. Conversely, for TN removal, the adsorption is more representative in CW-RC, and the different metabolic routes of microorganisms, biofilm assimilation, and partial ammonia volatilization in CW-AC and CW-AAC. The results suggest that the composite AAC is the most suitable material for enhancing the simultaneous removal of organic matter, nutrients, and EDC in VFCW under the evaluated operational conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas de Carvalho Silva
- Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Civil Engineering Graduate Program, Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Jossy Karla Brasil Bernardelli
- Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Civil Engineering Graduate Program, Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Adelania de Oliveira Souza
- Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Civil Engineering Graduate Program, Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Cíntia Boeira Batista Lafay
- Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Chemistry Academic Department. Via do Conhecimento, s/n - Km 01, Fraron, 85503-390. Pato Branco, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - André Nagalli
- Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Civil Construction Academic Department, Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Fernando Hermes Passig
- Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Chemistry and Biology Academic Department, Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Cristiane Kreutz
- Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Environmental Academic Department, Rosalina Maria dos Santos St., 1233, 87301-899, Campo Mourão, Paraná, Brazil.
| | - Karina Querne de Carvalho
- Federal University of Technology - Paraná (UTFPR), Civil Construction Academic Department, Deputado Heitor de Alencar Furtado St., 5000, Ecoville, 81280-340. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhang F, Cheng S, Zhao J, Li A. Effects of zero-valent iron (ZVI) on nitrogen conversion, transformation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aerobic granular sludge process. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 348:119194. [PMID: 37832300 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Even after pre-treatment, livestock and poultry wastewater still contain high concentrations of ammonia and residual antibiotics. These could be removed economically using the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process with zero-valent iron (ZVI). The interaction of antibiotics and nitrogen in this process needs to be clarified and controlled, however, to achieve good removal performance. Otherwise, antibiotics might generate transformation products (TPs) with higher toxicity and lead to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which could cause persistent toxicity and the risk of disease transmission to the ecological environment. This study investigated the impact of ZVI on AGS for nitrogen and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal. The results show that AGS could maintain good ammonia removal performance and that the existence of SMX had a negative impact on ammonia oxidation activities. ZVI contributed to an increase in the abundance of nitrite oxidation bacteria, denitrifying bacteria and the functional genes of nitrogen removal. This led to better total nitrogen removal and a decrease in N2O emission. Accompanied by biological nitrogen transformation, SMX could be transformed into 14 TPs through five pathways. ZVI has the potential to enhance transformation pathways with TPs of lower ecotoxicity, thereby reducing the acute and chronic toxicity of the effluent. Unfortunately, ZVI might enhance the abundance of sul1, sul2, and sul3 in AGS, which increases the risk of sulfonamide antibiotic resistance. In AGS, Opitutaceae, Xanthomonas, Spartobacteria and Mesorhizobium were potential hosts for ARGs. This study provides theoretical references for the interaction of typical antibiotics and nitrogen in the biological treatment process of wastewater and bioremediation of natural water bodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Feiyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Water and Sediment Science, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Shuqian Cheng
- Key Laboratory for Water and Sediment Science, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Jinbo Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Water and Sediment Science, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Anjie Li
- Key Laboratory for Water and Sediment Science, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang L, Li A. Impact of zero-valent iron on nitrifying granular sludge for 17α-ethinylestradiol removal and its mechanism. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 333:138904. [PMID: 37182710 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Aerobic granulation of nitrifying activated sludge could enhance the removal of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) via abiotic nitration induced by reactive nitrogen species, cometabolism by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and biodegradation by heterotrophic bacteria. Zero-valent iron (ZVI), a promising and low-cost material, has previously been applied to effectively enhance biological wastewater treatment. The impact and the effect mechanism of ZVI on nitrifying granular sludge (NGS) for EE2 removal was investigated in this study. The results showed that the addition of ZVI achieved better EE2 removal, though ZVI was not conducive to the accumulation of nitrite in NGS which reduced the abiotic transformation of EE2. Moreover, ZVI enriched heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria such as Arenimonas, thus changing the EE2 removal pathway and improving the degradation and mineralization of EE2. In addition, ZVI reduced the emission risk of the greenhouse gas N2O and strengthened the stability of the granules. Metagenomic analysis further revealed that the functional genes related to EE2 mineralization, nitrite oxidation, N2O reduction and quorum sensing in NGS were enriched with ZVI addition. This study provides meaningful guidance for ZVI application in the NGS process to achieve efficient and simultaneous removal of ammonia and emerging contaminants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lili Wang
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Laboratory of Environmental Protection in Water Transport Engineering, Tianjin Research Institute of Water Transport Engineering, Tanggu, Tianjin, 300456, China
| | - Anjie Li
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Yan Z, Li A, Shim H, Wang D, Cheng S, Wang Y, Li M. Effect of ozone pretreatment on biogranulation with partial nitritation - Anammox two stages for nitrogen removal from mature landfill leachate. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 317:115470. [PMID: 35751269 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Due to the extremely low C/N ratio, high concentration of ammonia nitrogen and refractory organic matter of mature landfill leachate (MLL), appropriate processes should be selected to effectively remove nitrogen and reduce disposal costs. Partial nitritation (PN) and anaerobic ammonia oxidation (AMX) have been used as the main nitrogen removal processes for MLL, and the sludge granulation in PN and AMX processes could contribute to high biological activity, good sedimentation performance, and stable resistance to toxicity. In this study, the O3-PN-AMX biogranules process was selected to effectively remove nitrogen from MLL without carbon addition and pH adjustment. Without uneconomical NH4+-N oxidation and wasting the alkalinity of MLL, ozone pretreatment achieved color removal, decreased humic- and fulvic-like acid substances, and alleviated the MLL toxicity on ammonia oxidizers. In addition, the ozonation of MLL could shorten the start-up time and improve the treatment efficiency and biogranules stability of PN and AMX processes. Efficient and stable nitritation was achieved in PN reactor without strict dissolved oxygen (DO) control, which was attributed to the unique structure of granular sludge, ozone pretreatment, and alternating inhibition of free ammonia and free nitric acid on nitrite oxidizers. Through the application of ozone pretreatment and granular sludge, the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) and nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) of the O3-PN-AMX biogranules process reached 0.39 kg/m3/day and 85%, respectively, for the undiluted MLL treatment. This study might provide a novel and effective operation strategy of combined process for the efficient, economical, and stable nitrogen removal from MLL.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Yan
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education / State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Anjie Li
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education / State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Hojae Shim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau SAR, 999078, China
| | - Danyang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education / State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Shuqian Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education / State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yuexing Wang
- Shenzhen Shenshui Ecological & Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, 518048, China
| | - Ming Li
- Engelbart (Beijing) Eco-Tech Co., Ltd., Beijing, 101300, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang D, Li A. Effect of zero-valent iron and granular activated carbon on nutrient removal and community assembly of photogranules treating low-strength wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:151311. [PMID: 34743817 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Traditional wastewater treatment processes with high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are not suitable for rural areas with low sewage strength and wide distribution. In this study, a microalgae-bacteria synergistic photogranules system was developed under the impetus of green chemical additives to address these challenges. The results showed that zero-valent iron (ZVI) or granular activated carbon (GAC) addition made successful photogranulation treating low-strength wastewater with excellent settleability and stability performance (settling velocity: 14-22 m h-1; integrity coefficient: 0.81-6.62%), while systems without light or additives failed due to the bio-granules disintegration caused by the overgrowth of predators or phototrophic species. A better nutrient removal performance (TN < 15 mg L-1, TP < 0.4 mg L-1) was observed in photogranules systems, and stoichiometric and biological analysis found that the divisions of nitrogen removal by microalgae and bacteria were different for photogranules between GAC and ZVI additions. As a physical enhancer, GAC can be used as the nucleus of photogranules regenerating after granules disintegration rather than affecting the community succession process. However, ZVI addition strengthened the sedimentation ability and stability of photogranules through chemical and biological effects, focusing on enhancing bacterial community diversity, enriching biofilm formation bacteria and inhibiting the overgrowth of filamentous cyanobacteria. Notably, the photogranules process with ZVI addition could be operated under non-aeration conditions without compromising removal efficiency. There existed an ideal distribution of microalgae and bacterial functional species in the photogranules, which seemed to be essential for its self-sustained synergistic symbiosis and stability. Consequently, this work might provide engineering alternatives for realizing carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability of the decentralized wastewater treatment process for low-strength wastewater in rural areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danyang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Anjie Li
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| |
Collapse
|