Effect of feeding pattern on biochemical storage by activated sludge under anoxic conditions

Development of a dynamic feeding strategy for continuous-flow aerobic granulation and nitrogen removal in a modified airlift loop reactor for municipal wastewater treatment

This study investigated the aerobic sludge granulation and nitrogen removal performance in a modified airlift loop reactor treating municipal wastewater under different operation conditions. Dynamic feeding and aeration control were applied to create feast/famine conditions to facilitate microbial aggregation. Experimental results demonstrated that aerobic granular sludge could be cultivated in continuous-flow reactors fed with an optimized dynamic feeding condition. Fresh granules sizing 0.4-0.6 mm were observed in the reactors after a 61-day operation, then turned to matured granules after another 33-day operation with a compact structure, a stable size of 2-4 mm, and a low SVI of ~35 mL/g. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) analysis results showed that both EPS contents and the ratio of protein to polysaccharides increased with the granulation process, leading to an increase of cell hydrophobicity. Granular sludge exhibited a good nitrogen removal ability with a comparable level of specific nitrification rate and denitrification rate with those measured in state-of-the-art sequential batch reactors. Microbial population analysis showed an increase in the relative abundance of functional microbes, including Zoogloea, Nitrospira, Dechloromonas, and Thauera in the cultivated granules, suggesting a potentially crucial role of these microbes in sludge granulation and nitrogen removal. The dynamic feeding strategy and the reactor configuration are considered as critical factors for aerobic granulation under continuous-flow conditions for creating feast/famine conditions and allow sludge backflow without structure damage.

The effect of methane and odd-chain fatty acids on 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) synthesis by a Methylosinus-dominated mixed culture

A methanotrophic community was enriched in a semi-continuous reactor under non-aseptic conditions with methane and ammonia as carbon and nitrogen source. After a year of operation, Methylosinus sp., accounted for 80% relative abundance of the total sequences identified from potential polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) producers, dominated the methane-fed enrichment. Prior to induction of PHA accumulation, cells harvested from the parent reactor contained low level of PHA at 4.0 ± 0.3 wt%. The cells were later incubated in the absence of ammonia with various combinations of methane, propionic acid, and valeric acid to induce biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). Previous studies reported that methanotrophic utilization of odd-chain fatty acids for the production of PHAs requires reducing power from methane oxidation. However, our findings demonstrated that the PHB-containing methanotrophic enrichment does not require methane availability to generate 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV)—when odd-chain fatty acids are presented. The enrichment yielded up to 14 wt% PHA with various mole fractions of 3HV monomer depending on the availability of methane and odd-fatty acids. Overall, the addition of valeric acid resulted in a higher PHA content and a higher 3HV fraction. The highest 3HV fraction (up to 65 mol%) was obtained from the methane–valeric acid experiment, which is higher than those previously reported for PHA-producing methanotrophic mixed microbial cultures.

SBR treatment of tank truck cleaning wastewater: sludge characteristics, chemical and ecotoxicological effluent quality

A lab-scale activated sludge sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was used to treat tank truck cleaning (TTC) wastewater with different operational strategies (identified as different stages). The first stage was an adaptation period for the seed sludge that originated from a continuous fed industrial plant treating TTC wastewater. The first stage was followed by a dynamic reactor operation based on the oxygen uptake rate (OUR). Thirdly, dynamic SBR control based on OUR treated a daily changing influent. Lastly, the reactor was operated with a gradually shortened fixed cycle. During operation, sludge settling evolved from nearly no settling to good settling sludge in 16 days. The sludge volume index improved from 200 to 70 mL gMLSS^-1 in 16 days and remained stable during the whole reactor operation. The average soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) removal varied from 87.0% to 91.3% in the different stages while significant differences in the food to mass ratio were observed, varying from 0.11 (stage I) to 0.37 kgCOD.(kgMLVSS day)^-1 (stage III). Effluent toxicity measurements were performed with Aliivibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. Low sensitivity of Aliivibrio was observed. A few samples were acutely toxic for Daphnia; 50% of the tested effluent samples showed an inhibition of 100% for Pseudokirchneriella.

Intracellular storage of acetate/starch mixture by fast growing microbial culture in sequencing batch reactor under continuous feeding

The paper evaluated intracellular storage formation in fast growing microbial culture fed with acetate/starch mixture under continuous feeding. Three parallel laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were operated at a sludge age of 2 days: one of the SBRs was fed with acetate/starch mixture and the other two with acetate and starch, respectively, for comparing the results with single substrate systems. Despite continuous feeding, both acetate and starch components in the substrate mixture were partially converted to storage biopolymers. Poly-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and glycogen pools were formed during SBR operation at steady state. Only a limited fraction of 12% of the acetate fed during each cycle generated PHB storage while the rest was directly utilized for microbial growth. Around half of the starch fraction of the substrate mixture was converted to glycogen. Increasing the sludge age to 8 days did not affect storage stoichiometry both for acetate and starch in the mixture.

Respirometric evaluation and modelling of acetate utilization in sequencing batch reactor under pulse and continuous feeding

The study investigated the effect of feeding regime and sludge age on acetate utilization. Parallel sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were operated at steady-state with pulse and continuous feeding of acetate at sludge ages of 8 and 2 days. Acetate was always partially converted to poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). The adopted model remained equally applicable to oxygen uptake rate and PHB profiles reflecting different feeding regimes and culture history. Sludge age was significant on the rate parameters of storage and direct growth (k(STO), μ(H1)), while the feeding regime affected half saturation coefficients (K(STO), K(S1)). Changing the sludge age from 8 days to 2 days reduced the k(STO) value from 8.0 day(-1) to 6.5 day(-1) and increased the corresponding μ(H1) value from 1.5 day(-1) to 2.5 day(-1), regardless of the feeding regime; conversely, changing from pulse to continuous feeding reduced K(STO) while increasing K(S) for the SBR operation at the same sludge age.

Effect of feeding regime and the sludge age on the fate of acetate and the microbial composition in sequencing batch reactor

The study investigated the effects of the feeding regime on the substrate metabolism under aerobic conditions. Throughout the study, two parallel sequencing batch reactors were operated using either short-term (pulse) or long-term (almost continuous) feeding of acetate at two different sludge ages of two days and eight days. The microbial characterization studies showed that the feeding regime did not change the microbial composition as determined by the fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, however did strongly affect the substrate utilization mechanism. Additionally, the same microbial culture was able to utilize acetate with or without poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) storage under pulse or continuous feeding, respectively. Conversely, the selected sludge ages induced significant changes in the microbial composition and floc structure, however, the well settling and bulking biomass selected at the sludge ages of eight days and two days, respectively, did not significantly affect the substrate utilization mechanism, where storage or growth prevailed as a result of either pulse or continuous feeding.

Early warning signs of bulking in an activated sludge system through interpretation of ATP data in a systems analysis context

A research project was undertaken at an integrated thermomechanical pulp and paper mill in Canada to evaluate the use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) monitoring methods in order to identify the potential for operational problems related to microbiological aspects of activated sludge. The specific filamentous bulking ATP (fbATP) ratio is an emerging measurement technique that measures the proportion of flocs that have bulking potential by filtering a sample through a 250 microm mesh and measuring the ATP in the retentate. For the host mill in this study, the specific fbATP measurement provides early warning signs of bulking, at 1.0 to 1.5 times the sludge age, before poor settling occurs. A possible bulking scenario was identified in which the initiator was the overflow of an upstream tank containing high BOD whitewater, resulting in spikes of organic acids to the treatment and promoting the proliferation of certain types of filamentous bacteria. A storage response by filamentous bacteria to these high readily biodegradable substrate conditions was monitored with fbATP. By predicting the onset of bulking conditions, this technique can potentially assist operators to make corrective actions proactively.

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate metabolism in the type II methanotroph Methylocystis parvus OBBP

Differences in carbon assimilation pathways and reducing power requirements among organisms are likely to affect the role of the storage polymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). Previous researchers have demonstrated that PHB functions as a sole growth substrate in aerobic cultures enriched on acetate during periods of carbon deficiency, but it is uncertain how C(1) metabolism affects the role of PHB. In the present study, the type II methanotroph Methylocystis parvus OBBP did not replicate using stored PHB in the absence of methane, even when all other nutrients were provided in excess. When PHB-rich cultures of M. parvus OBBP were deprived of carbon and nitrogen for 48 h, they did not utilize significant amounts of stored PHB, and neither cell concentrations nor concentrations of total suspended solids changed significantly. When methane and nitrogen both were present, PHB and methane were consumed simultaneously. Cells with PHB had significantly higher specific growth rates than cells lacking PHB. The addition of formate (a source of reducing power) to PHB-rich cells delayed PHB consumption, but the addition of glyoxylate (a source of C(2) units) did not. This and results from other researchers suggest that methanotrophic PHB metabolism is linked to the supply of reducing power as opposed to the supply of C(2) units for synthesis.

Effect of feeding and sludge age on acclimated bacterial community and fate of slowly biodegradable substrate

The study investigated the effect of feeding regime and sludge age on starch utilization. For this purpose, parallel sequencing batch reactors were operated with pulse and continuous feeding of soluble starch at sludge ages of 8 and 2 days. Pulse feeding induced almost complete conversion of starch to glycogen, while storage was lowered and accompanied with direct growth under continuous feeding, regardless of sludge age. Low sludge age did not alter simultaneous storage and utilization for direct growth but it slightly favoured direct utilization due to faster growing biomass. Experimental results suggested adsorption of starch onto biomass as a preliminary removal mechanism prior to hydrolysis at sludge age of 8 days. Adsorption was not noticeable as substrate removal, glycogen generation and dissolved oxygen decrease were synchronous at sludge age of 2 days. Bacterial community always included fractions storing glycogen although sludge age only affected the relative magnitude of filamentous growth.

Short-term and long-term effects on carbon storage of pulse feeding on acclimated or unacclimated activated sludge

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of different feeding patterns on the physiological state of the activated sludge and related microbial composition in an SBR (SRT of 2 days, acetate as the sole carbon source, aerobic conditions). The activated sludge was acclimated to two subsequent feeding patterns, namely to continuous feeding throughout the reaction phase and then to pulse feeding. FISH and microscopy staining procedure (Nile blue) were used to investigate the microbial composition, in combination with quantitative determination of storage. At steady state, storage was significant even under continuous feeding whereas pulse feeding brought a strong increase of both rate and yield of storage. Short-term and long-term effects were clearly distinguishable: the immediate adaptation of biomass coming from continuous feeding to a single spike accounted for a significant portion of the overall increase of both rate and yield of polymer storage that was obtained after long acclimation to pulse feeding. On the contrary, after either type of feeding, both cultures were mainly constituted from the members of Thauera/Azoarcus group. Thus, the same dominant group preferably consumed the acetate via storage or growth depending on acclimation conditions. Our study clearly showed that a progressive increase of storage capacity is not necessarily due to a shift of microbial composition.

Effect of high nitrate concentration on PHB storage in sequencing batch reactor under anoxic conditions

The study investigated effect of high influent nitrate concentration on poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate, (PHB), storage in a sequencing batch reactor, (SBR), under anoxic conditions. Acetate was fed as pulse during anoxic phase, sustained with external nitrate feeding. SBR operation involved three runs at steady state with COD/N ratios of 3.84, 2.93 and 1.54 gCOD/gN, where external nitrate concentrations gradually increased from 50 mg N/l to 114 mg N/l and 226 mg N/l, in 1st, 2nd and 3rd runs, respectively. In 1st run, acetate was fully converted into PHB with the storage yield value of 0.57-0.59 gCOD/gCOD, calculated both in terms of PHB formation and NO(X) utilization, confirming storage was the sole substrate utilization mechanism. In the following runs, PHB formation was reduced and the storage yield based on PHB dropped down to 0.40 and 0.33 gCOD/gCOD with increasing influent nitrate concentrations, indicating that higher portions of acetate were diverted to simultaneous direct growth. The observations suggested that nitrite accumulation detected at low COD/N ratios was responsible for inhibition of PHB storage.