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Li XQ, Yu Z, Lin Z, Fang YK, Sun Q, Chen K, Wang AJ, Liu WZ. Unveiling the common laws of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) properties on short-chain fatty acids production from sludge by EPS disintegration pretreatment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 950:175286. [PMID: 39111431 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
The production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from sludge is promising, but the efficiency and product quality often vary because of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) characteristics and pretreatment principles. This study adopted specific EPS disintegration pretreatment to treat different types of sludge. By correlation coefficient matrix analysis and correlation dynamics change resolution, the intrinsic relationships between the nature of EPS and the production of SCFAs from sludge was unveiled. We demonstrate that tight-bound EPS (TB-EPS) is a principal carbon reservoir, positively impacting SCFAs yields, in the fermentation system with EPS as the main fermentation substrate, it can contribute about 29.2 % for SCFAs growth during fermentation. Conversely, TB-EPS exhibits a negative correlation during fermentation due to EPS-SCFAs interconversion, while loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) correlates positively. Proteins and polysaccharides in TB-EPS, especially proteins, significantly enhance individual SCFAs yields, predominantly acetic, propionic, and isovaleric acids. The findings would provide a theoretical basis for developing pretreatments and process-control technologies aimed at improving SCFAs production efficiency and quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Qi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Zhe Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zhen Lin
- Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute (Group) Co. Ltd, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Ying-Ke Fang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Qi Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Kan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Ai-Jie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Wen-Zong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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2
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Gao C, Habibi M, Hendrickx TLG, Rijnaarts HHM, Temmink H, Sudmalis D. Variation of viscoelastic properties of extracellular polymeric substances and their relation to anaerobic granule's mechanical strength in full-scale treatment plants. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 411:131233. [PMID: 39117243 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are considered to play a pivotal role in shaping granules' physical properties. In this contribution, we characterized the viscoelastic properties of EPS from granules of 9 full-scale industrial anaerobic reactors; and quantitatively investigated whether these properties correlate with granules' resistance to compression (Egranule) and shear strength (Sgranule). Most granules with a higher shear strength, also exhibited a stronger resistance to compression (r = 0.96, p = 0.002), except those granules that contained relatively more proteins in their EPS. Interestingly, these granules were also the most resistant to shear stress (Sgranule ≥ 110 ± 40 h). Furthermore, the EPS hydrogels of these granules had slower softening rates (κ < 0.9) compared to the others (κ ranged between 0.95 and 1.20), indicating stronger gels were formed. These findings suggest that the EPS hydrogel softening rate could be a key parameter to explain granule's shear strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Gao
- Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University and Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Mehdi Habibi
- Laboratory of Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods, Wageningen University and Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, Wageningen 6708 WG, the Netherlands
| | - Tim L G Hendrickx
- Paques Technology B.V., T. de Boerstraat 24, Balk 8561 EL, the Netherlands
| | - Huub H M Rijnaarts
- Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University and Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hardy Temmink
- Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University and Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Dainis Sudmalis
- Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University and Research, Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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3
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Li Y, Barati B, Li J, Verhoestraete E, Rousseau DPL, Van Hulle SWH. Lab-scale evaluation of Microalgal-Bacterial granular sludge as a sustainable alternative for brewery wastewater treatment. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 411:131331. [PMID: 39181512 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2024] [Revised: 08/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Microalgal-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS) could offer a sustainable alternative to traditional aerobic methods in brewery wastewater (BWW) treatment. This study compared MBGS with conventional activated sludge (AS) in treating real BWW and highlighted its advantages and challenges. MBGS achieved comparable chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency (93%) compared to AS (89%). Additionally, MBGS exhibited higher phosphate removal capabilities than AS. Extra nitrogen was added to influent to balance C/N ratio of BWW. MBGS was robust in handling C/N ratio fluctuations with an 82% total nitrogen removal efficiency. Metagenomic analysis further indicated that most of the genes involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism were up-regulated in MBGS compared to AS. Despite changes in the microbial community and settling ability due to high starch and sugar content in BWW, MBGS demonstrated high efficiency and sustainability. Further research should optimize MBGS operation strategies to fully realize its potential for sustainable BWW treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyao Li
- LIWET, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Campus Kortrijk, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
| | - Bahram Barati
- LIWET, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Campus Kortrijk, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Jue Li
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, 200438 Shanghai, China
| | - Emma Verhoestraete
- LIWET, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Campus Kortrijk, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Diederik P L Rousseau
- LIWET, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Campus Kortrijk, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; Centre for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stijn W H Van Hulle
- LIWET, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Campus Kortrijk, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; Centre for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
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4
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Fang W, Zhang R, Yang W, Spanjers H, Zhang P. A novel strategy for waste activated sludge treatment: Recovery of structural extracellular polymeric substances and fermentative production of volatile fatty acids. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 266:122421. [PMID: 39260197 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2024] [Revised: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 09/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024]
Abstract
Structural extracellular polymeric substances (SEPS) as valuable biopolymers, can be extracted from waste activated sludge (WAS). However, the extraction yield is typically low, and detailed information on SEPS characterizations, as well as proper treatment of the sludge after SEPS extraction, remains limited. This study aimed to optimize the conditions of heating-Na2CO3 extraction process to increase the yield of SEPS extracted from WAS. Subsequently, SEPS were characterized, and, for the first time, insights into their protein composition were uncovered by using proteomics. A maximum SEPS yield of 209 mg g-1 volatile solid (VS) was obtained under optimal conditions: temperature of 90 °C, heating time of 60 min, Na+ dosage of 8.0 mmol/g VS, and pH required to precipitation of 4.0, which was comparable to that from the aerobic granular sludge reported in literature. Proteomics analysis unveiled that the proteins in SEPS primarily originated from microorganisms involved in nitrogen fixation and organic matter degradation, including their intracellular and membrane-associated regions. These proteins exhibited various catalytic activities and played crucial roles in aggregation processes. Besides, the process of SEPS extraction significantly enhanced volatile fatty acid (VFA) production during the anaerobic fermentation of residual WAS after SEPS extraction. A maximum VFA yield of 420 ± 14 mg COD/g VSadded was observed in anaerobic fermentation of 10 d, which was 77.2 ± 0.1 % higher than that from raw sludge. Mechanism analysis revealed that SEPS extraction not only improved WAS disintegration and solubilization but also reduced the relative activity of methanogens during anaerobic fermentation. Moreover, SEPS extraction shifted the microbial population during anaerobic fermentation in the direction towards hydrolysis and acidification such as Fermentimonas sp. and Soehngenia sp. This study proposed a novel strategy based on SEPS extraction and VFA production for sludge treatment, offering potential benefits for resource recovery and improved process efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Fang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China.
| | - Ru Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China
| | - Wenjing Yang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China
| | - Henri Spanjers
- Department of Water Management, Section Sanitary Engineering, Delft University of Technology, PO Box 5048, 2600 GA Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Panyue Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China.
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5
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Liu C, Li L, Xu L, Zhang T, He Q, Xin X. Enhancing volatile fatty acids production from waste activated sludge: The role of pretreatment by N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)-l-glutamate (GLDA). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 21:100393. [PMID: 38357479 PMCID: PMC10864876 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2024.100393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)-l-glutamate (GLDA) is an eco-friendly chelating agent that effectively extracts multivalent metal ions from waste activated sludge (WAS) flocs, which could potentially alter their structure. However, the effect of GLDA on the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from WAS is not well known. Here, we demonstrate that pretreatment with GLDA at a concentration of 200 mmol per kg VSS results in a significant increase of 142% in extractable extracellular polymeric substances and enhances the total VFAs yield by 64% compared to untreated samples. We reveal GLDA's capability to mobilize organic-binding multivalent metal ions within sludge flocs. Specifically, post-pretreatment analyses showed the release of 69.1 mg L-1 of Ca and 109.8 mg L-1 of Fe ions from the flocs, leading to a more relaxed floc structure and a reduced apparent activation energy (10.6 versus 20 kJ mol-1) for WAS solubilization. Molecular dynamic simulations further demonstrate GLDA's preferential binding to Fe3+ and Ca2+ over Mg2+. Our study suggests that GLDA pretreatment causes minimal disruption to reactor stability, thereby indicating the stability of microbial community composition. GLDA has emerged as a viable pretreatment agent for enhancing volatile fatty acids production from waste activated sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Liu
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, PR China
| | - Lin Li
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, PR China
| | - Linji Xu
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, PR China
| | - Tanglong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, PR China
| | - Qiang He
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, PR China
| | - Xiaodong Xin
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan, 523808, PR China
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6
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Vandana, Das S. Deciphering the molecular interaction of extracellular polymeric substances of a marine bacterium Pseudomonas furukawaii PPS-19 with petroleum hydrocarbons and development of bioadsorbent. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 364:143023. [PMID: 39117086 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 08/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination is a serious hazard to marine environments, affecting ecosystems and marine life. However, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of marine bacteria constituting various hydrophilic and hydrophobic functional groups sequester petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs). In this study, interaction of EPS of Pseudomonas furukawaii PPS-19 with PHs such as crude oil, n-dodecane, and pyrene and its impact on PHs adsorption was investigated. Protein component of EPS was increased after treatment with PHs. Red shift of UV-Vis spectra implied change in molecular structure of EPS. Functional groups of proteins (CO, NH2) and polysaccharides (C-C, C-OH, C-O-C) predominantly interacted with PHs. Interaction with PHs affected secondary structure of EPS. Change in binding energies of corresponding functionalities of C 1s, O 1s, and N 1s confirmed the interaction. Disruption of crystalline peaks led to increased pore size in EPS primarily due to the increase in surface electronegativity. Static quenching mechanism unveils formation of complex between fulvic acid of EPS and PHs. Relative expression of alg8 gene was significantly increased in the presence of n-dodecane (6.31 fold) (P < 0.05; One way ANOVA). n-dodecane and pyrene adsorption capacity of Immobilized EPS was significantly higher (356.5 and 338.2 mg g-1, respectively) (P < 0.001; One way ANOVA) than control. Adsorption rate fits into the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. This study establishes that interaction of PHs causes structural and physical changes in EPS and EPS could be used as an adsorbent material for the sequestration of PHs pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Ecology (LEnME), Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, 769 008, Odisha, India
| | - Surajit Das
- Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Ecology (LEnME), Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, 769 008, Odisha, India.
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7
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Min KJ, Lee E, Lee AH, Kim DY, Park KY. Effect of settling time and organic loading rates on aerobic granulation processes treating high strength wastewater. Heliyon 2024; 10:e36018. [PMID: 39247328 PMCID: PMC11379613 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite its numerous advantages, the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process faces several challenges that hinder its widespread implementation. One such challenge is the requirement for high organic load ratios (OLR), which significantly impacts AGS formation and stability, posing a barrier to commercialization. In response to these challenges, this study investigates the granulation and treatment efficacy of the AGS process for treating high-concentration wastewater under various OLR and settling time. Three sequential batch reactors (R1, R2, R3) were operated at OLRs of 0.167, 0.33, and 1 kg COD/m3·day. The study focuses on analyzing key parameters including sludge characteristics, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content, PN/PS ratio, and microbial clusters. Results demonstrate that reducing settling time from 90 to 30 min enhances sludge settleability, resulting in a maximum 50.8 % decrease in SVI30 (from 98.1 to 122.8 mL/g to 51.9-81.3 mL/g), thereby facilitating the selection of beneficial microorganisms during granulation. Particularly, at R2, the PN/PS ratio was 4.3, and EPS content increased by 1.52-fold, leading to a 1.41-fold increase in sludge attachment. This observation suggests a progressive maturation of AGS. Additionally, analysis of microbial diversity and cluster composition highlights the influence of OLR variations on the ratios of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. These findings emphasize the significant impact of SBR operational strategies on AGS process performance and biological stability, offering valuable insights for the efficient operation of future high-concentration wastewater treatment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung Jin Min
- Department of Tech Center for Research Facilities, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Eunyoung Lee
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Ah Hyun Lee
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Do Yeon Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
| | - Ki Young Park
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea
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Wang YB, Tang J, Ran DD, Zhu XM, Zheng SJ, Hong SD, Fu SF, van Loosdrecht MCM, Zeng RJ, Dai K, Zhang F. Deciphering the Dual Roles of an Alginate-Based Biodegradable Flocculant in Anaerobic Fermentation of Waste Activated Sludge: Dewaterability and Degradability. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39083369 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c05971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Biodegradable flocculants are rarely used in waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentation. This study introduces an alginate-based biodegradable flocculant (ABF) to enhance both the dewatering and degradation of WAS during its fermentation. Alginate was identified in structural extracellular polymeric substances (St-EPS) of WAS, with alginate-producing bacteria comprising ∼4.2% of the total bacterial population in WAS. Owing to its larger floc size, higher contact angle, and lower free energy resulting from the Lewis acid-base interaction, the addition of the prepared ABF with a network structure significantly improved the dewaterability of WAS and reduced capillary suction time (CST) by 72%. The utilization of ABF by an enriched alginate-degrading consortium (ADC) resulted in a 35.5% increase in the WAS methane yield owing to its higher hydrolytic activity on both ABF and St-EPS. Additionally, after a 30 day fermentation, CST decreased by 62% owing to the enhanced degradation of St-EPS (74.4%) and lower viscosity in the WAS + ABF + ADC group. The genus Bacteroides, comprising 12% of ADC, used alginate lyase (EC 4.2.2.3) and pectate lyase (EC 4.2.2.2 and EC 4.2.2.9) to degrade alginate and polygalacturonate in St-EPS, respectively. Therefore, this study introduces a new flocculant and elucidates its dual roles in enhancing both the dewaterability and degradability of WAS. These advancements improve WAS fermentation, resulting in higher methane production and lower CSTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Bo Wang
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Jie Tang
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Dan-Di Ran
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xiao-Mei Zhu
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Si-Jie Zheng
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Si-Di Hong
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shan-Fei Fu
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, Delft 2628 BC, The Netherlands
| | - Raymond Jianxiong Zeng
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Kun Dai
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Fang Zhang
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
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9
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Hou R, Liu J, Yang P, Liu H, Yuan R, Ji Y, Zhao H, Chen Z, Zhou B, Chen H. Metabolomic reveals the responses of sludge properties and microbial communities to high nitrite stress in denitrifying phosphorus removal systems. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:118924. [PMID: 38631473 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Nitrite, as an electron acceptor, plays a good role in denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR); however, high nitrite concentration has adverse affects on sludge performance. We investigated the precise mechanisms of responses of sludge to high nitrite stress, including surface characteristics, intracellular and extracellular components, microbial and metabolic responses. When the nitrite stress reached 90 mg/L, the sludge settling performance was improved, but the activated sludge was aging. FTIR and XPS analysis revealed a significant increase in the hydrophobicity of the sludge, resulting in improve settling performance. However, the intracellular carbon sources synthesis was inhibited. In addition, the components in the tightly bound extracellular polymeric substances (TB-EPS) of sludge were significantly reduced and indicated the disturb of metabolism. Notably, Exiguobacterium emerged as a new genus when face high nitrite stress that could maintaining survival in hostile environments. Moreover, metabolomic analysis demonstrated strong biological response to nitrite stress further supported above results that include the inhibited of carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. More importantly, some lipids (PS, PA, LysoPA, LysoPC and LysoPE) were significantly upregulated that related enhanced membrane lipid remodeling. The comprehensive analyses provide novel insights into the high nitrite stress responses mechanisms in activated sludge systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Hou
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jiandong Liu
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Peng Yang
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Haijun Liu
- School of Resources and Environment, Anqing Normal University, Anqing, China.
| | - Rongfang Yuan
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Ying Ji
- Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Beijing Miyun, Miyun, 101599, China
| | - Hongfei Zhao
- Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Beijing Miyun, Miyun, 101599, China
| | - Zhongbing Chen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Praha Suchdol, 16500, Czech Republic
| | - Beihai Zhou
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Huilun Chen
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
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10
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Zhu Y, Yu D, Koornneef E, Parker WJ. Pilot-scale evaluation of cascade anaerobic digestion of mixed municipal wastewater treatment sludges. WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH : A RESEARCH PUBLICATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION 2024; 96:e11072. [PMID: 38961619 DOI: 10.1002/wer.11072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
This work assessed the performance of a pilot-scale cascade anaerobic digestion (AD) system when treating mixed municipal wastewater treatment sludges. The cascade system was compared with a conventional continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) digester (control) in terms of process performance, stability, and digestate quality. The results showed that the cascade system achieved higher volatile solids removal (VSR) efficiencies (28-48%) than that of the reference (25-41%) when operated at the same solids residence time (SRT) in the range of 11-15 days. When the SRT of the cascade system was reduced to 8 days the VSR (32-36%) was only slightly less than that of the reference digester that was operated at a 15-day SRT (39-43%). Specific hydrolysis rates in the first stage of the cascade system were 66-152% higher than those of the reference. Additionally, the cascade system exhibited relatively stable effluent concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs: 100-120 mg/l), while the corresponding concentrations in the control effluent demonstrated greater fluctuations (100-160 mg/l). The cascade system's effluent pH and VFA/alkalinity ratios were consistently maintained within the optimal range. During a dynamic test when the feed total solids concentration was doubled, total VFA concentrations (85-120 mg/l) in the cascade system were noticeably less than those (100-170 mg/l) of the control, while the pH and VFA/alkalinity levels remained in a stable range. The cascade system achieved higher total solids (TS) content in the dewatered digestate (19.4-26.8%) than the control (17.4-22.1%), and E. coli log reductions (2.0-4.1 log MPN/g TS) were considerably higher (p < 0.05) than those in the control (1.3-2.9 log MPN/g TS). Overall, operating multiple CSTRs in cascade mode at typical SRTs and mixed sludge ratios enhanced the performance, stability digesters, and digestate quality of AD. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Enhanced digestion of mixed sludge digestion with cascade system. Increased hydrolysis rates in the cascade system compared to a reference CSTR. More stable conditions for methanogen growth at both steady and dynamic states. Improved dewaterability and E. coli reduction of digestate from the cascade system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yancong Zhu
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daozhong Yu
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Wayne J Parker
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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Zhang Z, Zeng M, Li Z, Liu T, Gao X, Yu Y, Xi H, Zhou Y, Guo H, Song G. The synergistic role of ozonation and hydrolysis acidification on the enhanced pre-treatment of high-strength refractory 2-butenal manufacture wastewater: Performance, metabolism, and mechanisms. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 463:132829. [PMID: 37898086 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Targeted removal of three key refractory toxic organic compounds (TOMs) in 2-butenal manufacturing wastewater (2-BMW) is critical for enhancing pre-treatment by hydrolysis acidification (HA). We investigated the pre-treatment of 2-BMW with HA, coupled with ozonation in this study. Our results indicated that the removal rate of these key TOMs and the detoxification rate reached almost 100% and 46.3%, respectively, by ozonation under only 0.099 mg O3/mg chemical oxygen demand (COD). The organic load rate (OLR) reached 10.25 ± 0.43 kg COD/m3·d, and the acidification degree (AD) and detoxification efficiency reached 56.0% and 98.3%, respectively, with enhancements of 35.1% and 55.2%, respectively, compared with HA alone. The removal rate of the three key TOMs was improved by > 75%. The degradation pathways of these key TOMs were ring cleavage and ester formation by ozonation, followed by fermentation and acid production by HA. Ultimately, the synergistic role of ozonation and HA was revealed. The preferential cleavage of these key TOMs by ozonation was achieved because of their high electron cloud density and multiple reaction sites, which generated more fermentation-friendly products. The fermentation and acid production reactions may be directly involved in these products. Functional bacteria and key metabolic pathways were also enhanced by ozonation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuowei Zhang
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Mingxiao Zeng
- Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Zhitao Li
- Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Application and Risk Control (SMARC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Xiaoyi Gao
- Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China; School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Yin Yu
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Hongbo Xi
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Yuexi Zhou
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Hao Guo
- Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China.
| | - Guangqing Song
- Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100012, China.
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Song G, Zhao S, Wang J, Zhao K, Zhao J, Liang H, Liu R, Li YY, Hu C, Qu J. Enzyme-enhanced acidogenic fermentation of waste activated sludge: Insights from sludge structure, interfaces, and functional microflora. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 249:120889. [PMID: 38043351 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic fermentation is widely installed to recovery valuable resources and energy as CH4 from waste activated sludge (WAS), and its implementation in developing countries is largely restricted by the slow hydrolysis, poor efficiency, and complicate inert components therein. In this study, enzyme-enhanced fermentation was conducted to improve sludge solubilization from 283 to 7728 mg COD/L and to enhance volatile fatty acids (VFAs) yield by 58.6 % as compared to the conventional fermentation. The rapid release of organic carbon species, especially for tryptophan- and tyrosine-like compounds, to outer layer of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) occurred to reduce the structural complexity and improve the sludge biodegradability towards VFAs production. Besides, upon enzymatic pretreatment the simultaneous exposure of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups on sludge surfaces increased the interfacial hydrophilicity. By quantitative analysis via interfacial thermodynamics and XDLVO theory, it was confirmed that the stronger hydrophilic repulsion and energy barriers in particle interface enhanced interfacial mass transfer and reactions involved in acidogenic fermentation. Meanwhile, these effects stimulate the fermentation functional microflora and predominant microorganism, and the enrichment of the hydrolytic and acid-producing bacteria in metaphase and the proliferation of acetogenic bacteria, e.g., Rubrivivax (+9.4 %), in anaphase also benefits VFAs formation. This study is practically valuable to recovery valuable VFAs as carbon sources and platform chemicals from WAS and agriculture wastes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Song
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shunan Zhao
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jiaqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kai Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - He Liang
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Ruiping Liu
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Yu-You Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 9808579, Japan
| | - Chengzhi Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jiuhui Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Zhang D, Wang Y, Wang J, Fan X, Zhang S, Liu M, Ma L. Rethinking the relationships between gel like structure and sludge dewaterability based on a binary gel like structure model: Implications for the online sensing of dewaterability. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 249:120971. [PMID: 38101042 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120971] [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: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The digital transformation of sludge treatment processes requires online sensing of dewaterability. This topic has been attempted for many years based on macroscopic shear rheology. However, the relationship between rheological behavior and dewaterability remains noncommittal, and the reason is unclear. Herein, a binary gel-like structure model was proposed including the interactions network at the supra-flocs level and the gel-like structure at the flocs level. Multiple advanced techniques including optical tweezers were employed to precisely understand the binary gel-like structure and to classify the correlation mechanism between this gel-like structure, rheological behavior, and dewaterability. The analysis of sludge from eight wastewater treatment plants showed the binary gel-like structures at both supra-flocs and flocs levels have significant relationships with sludge dewaterability (p < 0.05). Further deconstruction of the sludge viscoelastic behavior illustrated that the gel-like structure at the supra-flocs level dominates the rheological behavior of sludge. Moreover, the direct description of the binary gel-like structure in four typical sludge treatment processes highlighted the importance of the flocs level's structure in determining the dewaterability. Overall, this study revealed that shear rheology may prefer to stress the interactions network at the supra-flocs level but mask the flocs level's structure, although the latter is important. This observation may provide a general guideline for the design of robust sensors for dewaterability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daxin Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; School of Soil & Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yili Wang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Jingjing Wang
- Cell Biology Facility, Center of Biomedical Analysis, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiaoyang Fan
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Shuting Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Meilin Liu
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Luyao Ma
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
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14
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Lan Y, Li X, Du R, Fan X, Cao S, Peng Y. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) formation in acetate-driven partial denitrification process: Enhancing sludge granulation and phosphorus removal. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166659. [PMID: 37652380 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Partial denitrification/anammox (PD/A) processes have emerged as a promising technology for efficient nitrogen removal from wastewater. However, these processes fail to remove phosphorus (P), a key pollutant that contributes to water eutrophication. To address this issue, the potential of inducing hydroxyapatite (HAP) precipitation in PD processes to achieve simultaneous P removal was investigated for the first time. Specifically, three SBRs (R1-R3) for PD were operated with adding varying concentrations of external Ca (30, 60, and 120 mg/L, respectively). Results demonstrated significant P reduction in all three SBRs, particularly in R3 with high Ca, which achieved an 80 % removal efficiency. Notably, sludge granulation was observed during operation, with the granule size in R3 with high Ca reaching 906.1 μm during the stable period, exceeding those in R2 (788.7 μm) and R1 (707.1 μm). This led to good settle ability of the PD sludge, as demonstrated by the lowest SVI5 (20 mL/g MLSS). Moreover, the decrease in the MLVSS/MLSS ratio suggested that the inorganic content accumulated, as observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy in the interior of the granules. Elemental composition analysis suggested that PD granules contained high P and Ca, while the X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirmed the formation of HAP. Overall, this study demonstrated that PD-HAP coupled granular sludge process has potential as a robust and efficient method for nitrite production, as well as effective P removal and recovery, thereby advancing the application of anammox processes in wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Lan
- College of Architecture and Civil engineering, Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering (FACTE), Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China; Chongqing Research Institute of Beijing University of Technology, Chongqing 401121, PR China
| | - Xing Li
- College of Architecture and Civil engineering, Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering (FACTE), Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Rui Du
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Xiaoyan Fan
- College of Architecture and Civil engineering, Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering (FACTE), Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Shenbin Cao
- College of Architecture and Civil engineering, Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering (FACTE), Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China; Chongqing Research Institute of Beijing University of Technology, Chongqing 401121, PR China.
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
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15
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Hao X, Li H, Yuan T, Wu Y. Recovering and potentially applying of alginate like extracellular polymers from anaerobic digested sludge. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 898:165549. [PMID: 37454849 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are biopolymers contained in both aerobic and anaerobic sludge. In EPS, alginate like extracellular polymers (ALE) is thought as a highly valued material, which have been widely studied with aerobic sludge. Nevertheless, a curiosity on ALE remains in anaerobic digested sludge (ADS). With 5 different sludge sources, anaerobic digestion of excess sludge was conducted in a batch mode, and then ADS was used to extract ALE and to analyze its physicochemical properties for potential applications. The yield of ALE extracted from ADS (ALE-ADS) ranged from 119.4 to 179.4 mg/g VSS. The compositional characteristics of ALE-ADS observed by FT-IR, 3D-EEM and UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed that there were minor differences in the composition and property of ALE-ADS but a similarity of 62 %-70 % to a commercial alginate remained in terms of chemical functional groups. Moreover, ALE-ADS composed of 1,4-linked β-d-mannuronic acid (M) and 1,4 α-l-guluronic acid (G) residues that form blocks of GG (20.8 %-33.8 %), MG (12.8 %-30.1 %) and MM (6.6 %-15.1 %), respectively. Based on the gel-forming capacity, film-forming property, adsorbility, and amphiphilicity, ALE-ADS seems potential as a water-proof coating with even a better performance than the commercial alginate, as a seed coating with an increased germination rate, and as a bio-adsorbent with a similar performance to the commercial alginate and ALE from aerobic sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodi Hao
- Sino-Dutch R&D Centre for Future Wastewater Treatment Technologies, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, PR China.
| | - Hui Li
- Sino-Dutch R&D Centre for Future Wastewater Treatment Technologies, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, PR China
| | - Tugui Yuan
- Sino-Dutch R&D Centre for Future Wastewater Treatment Technologies, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, PR China
| | - Yuanyuan Wu
- Beijing Capital Eco-Environment Protection Group Co., Ltd., Beijing 100044, PR China
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16
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Qian G, Shao J, Hu P, Tang W, Xiao Y, Hao T. From micro to macro: The role of seawater in maintaining structural integrity and bioactivity of granules in treating antibiotic-laden mariculture wastewater. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 246:120702. [PMID: 37837903 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Granular sludge (GS) has superior antibiotic removal ability to flocs, due to GS's layered structure and rich extracellular polymeric substances. However, prolonged exposure to antibiotics degrades the performance and stability of GS. This study investigated how a seawater matrix might help maintain the structural integrity and bioactivity of granules. The results demonstrated that GS had better sulfadiazine (SDZ) removal efficiency in a seawater matrix (85.6 %) than in a freshwater matrix (57.6 %); the multiple ions in seawater enhanced boundary layer diffusion (kiR1 = 0.0805 mg·g-1·min-1/2 and kiR2 = 0.1112 mg·g-1·min-1/2) and improved adsorption performance by 15 % (0.123 mg/g-SS freshwater vs. 0.141 mg/g-SS seawater). Moreover, multiple hydrogen bonds (1-3) formed between each SDZ and lipid bilayer fortified the adsorption. Beyond S-N and S-C bond hydrolyses that took place in freshwater systems, there was an additional biodegradation pathway for GS to be cultivated in a saltwater system that involved sulfur dioxide extrusion. This additional pathway was attributable to the greater microbial diversity and larger presence of sulfadiazine-degrading bacteria containing SadAC genes, such as Leucobacter and Arthrobacter, in saltwater wastewater. The findings of this study elucidate how seawater influences GS properties and antibiotic removal ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangsheng Qian
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China; Centre for Regional Oceans, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
| | - Jingyi Shao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
| | - Peng Hu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
| | - Wentao Tang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yihang Xiao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
| | - Tianwei Hao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China; Centre for Regional Oceans, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China.
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Lu X, Oehmen A, Zhao J, Duan H, Yuan Z, Ye L. Insights on biological phosphorus removal with partial nitrification in single sludge system via sidestream free ammonia and free nitrous acid dosing. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 895:165174. [PMID: 37385509 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
The sidestream sludge treatment by free ammonium (FA)/free nitrous acid (FNA) dosing was frequently demonstrated to maintain the nitrite pathway for the partial nitrification (PN) process. Nevertheless, the inhibitory effect of FA and FNA would severely influence polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs), destroying the microbe-based phosphorus (P) removal. Therefore, a strategic evaluation was proposed to successfully achieve biological P removal with a partial nitrification process in a single sludge system by sidestream FA and FNA dosing. Through the long-term operation of 500 days, excellent phosphorus, ammonium and total nitrogen removal performance were achieved at 97.5 ± 2.6 %, 99.1 ± 1.0 % and 75.5 ± 0.4 %, respectively. Stable partial nitrification with a nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) of 94.1 ± 3.4 was attained. The batch tests also reported the robust aerobic phosphorus uptake based on FA and FNA adapted sludge after exposure of FA and FNA, respectively, suggesting the FA and FNA treatment strategy could potentially offer the opportunity for the selection of PAOs, which synchronously have the tolerance to FA and FNA. Microbial community analysis suggested that Accumulibacter, Tetrasphaera, and Comamonadaceae collectively contributed to the phosphorus removal in this system. Summarily, the proposed work presents a novel and feasible strategy to integrate enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) and short-cut nitrogen cycling and bring the combined mainstream phosphorus removal and partial nitrification process closer to practical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanyu Lu
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; Australia Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Adrian Oehmen
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Sustainable minerals institute, the university of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; Australia Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australia Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Liu Ye
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Wei S, Zeng F, Zhou Y, Zhao J, Wang H, Gao R, Liang W. Phototransformation of extracellular polymeric substances in activated sludge and their interaction with microplastics. RSC Adv 2023; 13:26574-26580. [PMID: 37674486 PMCID: PMC10478482 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra04027e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Substantial amounts of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are present in sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), and EPS can significantly affect the fate, bioavailability, and toxicity of microplastics (MPs) that coexist in the effluent, however, the mechanism of action between EPS and microplastics remains unclear. In addition, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is indispensable in the wastewater treatment process in WWTP, which can significantly affect the characteristics of EPS. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the photochemical characteristics of EPS and the effect on binding MPs. In this study, using multispectral technology and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy analysis, indicates that the molecular weight and aromaticity of EPS after phototransformation were reduced. The results showed that the adsorption of EPS on PSMPs was in the order of TB-EPS > LB-EPS > S-EPS, which was positively correlated with the SUVA254, but negatively correlated with O/C of EPS. This indicates that the main adsorption mechanisms of PSMPs on EPS were π-π and hydrophobicity. The adsorption capacity of S-EPS, LB-EPS and TB-EPS to PSMPs decreased with the increasing of illumination time. After phototransformation, the adsorption sensitivity and reaction sequence of EPS and PSMPs did not change much. This research provides a theoretical basis for understanding the photochemical transformation of extracellular polymers and the morphology and migration of microplastics in sewage treatment, and evaluating the impact of microplastics on ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyin Wei
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510275 China +8620-84114133
| | - Feng Zeng
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510275 China +8620-84114133
| | - Yingyue Zhou
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510275 China +8620-84114133
| | - Jiawei Zhao
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510275 China +8620-84114133
| | - Hao Wang
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510275 China +8620-84114133
| | - Rui Gao
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510275 China +8620-84114133
| | - Weiqian Liang
- School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou 510275 China +8620-84114133
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Han Z, Wang Y, Zhang D, Fan X, Zhang S, Liu M. Free nitrous acid-assisted asymmetrical alternating current electrochemistry (FNA-AACE) for multi-heavy metals decontamination in waste activated sludge. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 242:120259. [PMID: 37390660 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination of waste activated sludge (WAS) is a key factor limiting the land application of sludge for nutrients recovery. This study proposes a novel free nitrous acid (FNA)-assisted asymmetrical alternating current electrochemistry (FNA-AACE) process to achieve high-efficiency decontamination of multi-heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Fe) in WAS. The optimal operating conditions, the heavy metal removal performance of FNA-AACE, and the related mechanisms for maintaining the high performance were systematically investigated. During the FNA-AACE process, FNA treatment was optimal with an exposure time of 13 h at a pH of 2.9 and an FNA concentration of 0.6 mg/g TSS. Then the sludge was washed with EDTA in a recirculating leaching system under asymmetrical alternating current electrochemistry (AACE). The 6-h working and the following electrode cleaning were defined as a working circle of AACE. After three cycles of working-cleaning periods in AACE treatment, the cumulative removal efficiency of the toxic metals Cd and Pb reached over 97% and 93%, respectively, whilst that of Fe was greater than 65%. This surpasses most previously reported efficiencies and possesses a shorter treatment duration and sustainable EDTA circulation. The mechanism analysis suggested that FNA pretreatment provoked the migration of heavy metals for leaching enhancement, as well as reduced the demand for EDTA eluent concentration and increased conductivity, which can improve the AACE efficiency. Meanwhile, the AACE process absorbed the anionic chelates of heavy metals and reduced them to zero-valent particles on the electrode, regenerating the EDTA eluent and maintaining its high extraction efficiency for heavy metals. In addition, FNA-AACE could provide different electric field operation modes, allowing it to have flexibility for the real application processes. This proposed process is expected to be coupled with anaerobic digestion in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for high efficiency of heavy metal decontamination, sludge reduction, and resource/energy recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhibo Han
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yili Wang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Daxin Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; School of Soil & Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Xiaoyang Fan
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Shuting Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Meilin Liu
- Beijing Key Lab for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
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20
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Xu C, Cui D, Lv X, Zhong G, Liu J. Heterogeneous distribution of carbofuran shaped by Pseudomonas stutzeri biofilms enhances biodegradation of agrochemicals. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 229:115894. [PMID: 37068725 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Biodegradation, harnessing the metabolic versatility of microorganisms to reduce agrochemical contaminations, is commonly studied with enriched planktonic cells but overlooking the dominant lifestyle of microorganisms is to form biofilms, which compromises the efficiency of biodegradation in natural environment. Here, we employed a carbofuran-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri PS21 to investigate how the bacterial biofilms formed and responded to agrochemicals. First, the PS21 biofilms formed with a core of bacterial cells enclosing with extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), and the biofilms were active and resilient when exposed to carbofuran (up to 50 mg L-1). The formation was regulated by the second messenger bis-(3'-5')-cyclic di-guanosine monophosphate signaling, which strengthened the structural resistance and metabolic basis of biofilms to remain the degrading efficiency as comparable as the planktonic cells. Second, carbofuran distributed heterogeneously in the near-biofilm microenvironment via the covalent adsorption of biofilms, which provided a spontaneous force that enhanced the combination of carbofuran with biofilms to maintain high degrading activity. Additionally, we elucidated the biodegradation was driven by the integrated metabolic system of biofilms involving the extracellular enzymes located in the EPSs. This study exhibited the structural and metabolic advantages of microbial biofilms, highlighting the attractive potentials of exploring biofilm-based strategies to facilitate the in-situ bioremediation of organic contaminations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyuan Xu
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, PR China
| | - Dongming Cui
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, PR China
| | - Xuejuan Lv
- Instrumental Analysis and Research Center of South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, PR China
| | - Guohua Zhong
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, PR China
| | - Jie Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, PR China.
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21
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Dababat S, Berzio S, Wichern M, Lübken M. Anaerobic digestibility of aerobic granular sludge from continuous flow reactors: the role of granule size distribution. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2023; 87:3047-3058. [PMID: 37387429 PMCID: wst_2023_184 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in integrating aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology into wastewater industries. Several projects are being performed to cultivate the aerobic granules for continuous flow reactors (AGS-CFR), while there is a scarcity of those projects that investigate the bio-energy recovery from AGS-CFR. This research was designed to examine the digestibility of AGS-CFR. Beyond that, it aimed at defining the role of the granule size on their digestibility. For this purpose, a series of bio-methane potential (BMP) tests have been run at mesophilic conditions. The results showed that AGS-CFR has a lower methane potential (107.43 ± 4.30 NmL/g VS) compared to activated sludge. This may be the result of the high sludge age (30 days) of AGS-CFR. Additionally, the results revealed that the average size of granules is among the main factors that reduce their digestibility, but it does not inhibit it. It was noticed that granules of size >250 μm have a significantly lower methane yield than the smaller ones. Kinetically, it was noticed that the kinetic models with two hydrolysis rates fit well with the methane curve of AGS-CFR. Overall, this work showed that the average size of AGS-CFR characterizes its biodegradability, which in turn defines its methane yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salahaldeen Dababat
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Urban Water Management and Environmental Engineering, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum 44801, Germany E-mail:
| | - Stephan Berzio
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Urban Water Management and Environmental Engineering, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum 44801, Germany
| | - Marc Wichern
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Urban Water Management and Environmental Engineering, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum 44801, Germany
| | - Manfred Lübken
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Urban Water Management and Environmental Engineering, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Bochum 44801, Germany
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22
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Zou J, Cai L, Lin J, Wang R, Li J, Jia M. Anaerobic fermentation of aerobic granular sludge: Insight into the effect of granule size and sludge structure on hydrolysis and acidification. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 343:118202. [PMID: 37229861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) has different physicochemical properties and microbial communities compared to conventional activated sludge (CAS), which may result in different behaviors during anaerobic fermentation and require further investigation. This study investigated the effect of granule size and sludge structure on the hydrolysis and acidification of AGS. Experimental results show that AGS exhibited significantly higher soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) dissolution and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) production (330.6-430.3 mg/gVSS and 231.0-312.5 mgCOD/gVSS) compared to conventional activated sludge (CAS) (167.0 mg/gVSS and 133.3 mgCOD/gVSS). This is because AGS (90.6-96.9 mg/gVSS) had higher extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content than CAS (81.2 mg/gVSS). EPS can not only serve as substrates but also release the trapped hydrolases. Moreover, the relative abundances of hydrolytic/acidogenic bacteria and genes were higher in AGS (0.46%-3.60% and 3.01 × 10-3%-4.04 × 10-3%) than in CAS (0.30% and 1.23 × 10-3%). The optimal granule size for AGS fermentation was found to be 500-1600 μm. The crushing of granule structure promoted the dissolution of small amounts of EPS and the release of some trapped hydrolases, thereby potentially enhancing the enzyme-substrate contacts and bacteria-substrate interactions. Therefore, the highest SCOD dissolution (510.6 mg/gVSS) and TVFA production (352.1 mgCOD/gVSS) from crushed 500-1600 μm AGS were observed. Overall, the findings of this study provide valuable insights into the recovery of organic carbon from AGS via anaerobic fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinte Zou
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China; Shaoxing Research Institute, Zhejiang University of Technology, Shaoxing, 312000, China
| | - Lei Cai
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Jianrui Lin
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Ruyi Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
| | - Jun Li
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Mingsheng Jia
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
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23
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Pavez-Jara JA, van Lier JB, de Kreuk MK. Accumulating ammoniacal nitrogen instead of melanoidins determines the anaerobic digestibility of thermally hydrolyzed waste activated sludge. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 332:138896. [PMID: 37169092 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Full-scale thermal hydrolysis processes (THP) showed an increase in nutrients release and formation of melanoidins, which are considered to negatively impact methanogenesis during mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD). In this research, fractionation of THP-sludge was performed to elucidate the distribution of nutrients and the formed melanoidins over the liquid and solid sludge matrix. Degradation of the different fractions in subsequent AD was assessed, and the results were compared with non-pre-treated waste activated sludge (WAS). Results showed that the THP-formed soluble melanoidins were partially biodegradable under AD, especially the fraction with molecular weight under 1.1 kDa, which was related to protein-like substances. The use of THP in WAS increased the non-biodegradable soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) after AD, from 1.1% to 4.9% of the total COD. The total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) concentration only slightly increased during THP without AD. However, after AD, TAN released was 34% higher in the THP-treated WAS compared to non-treated WAS, i.e., 36.7 ± 0.7 compared to 27.4 ± 0.4 mgTANreleased/gCODsubstrate, respectively. Results from modified specific methanogenic activities (mSMAs) tests showed that the organics solubilised during THP, were not inhibitory for acetotrophic methanogens. However, after AD of THP-treated sludge and WAS, the mSMA showed that all analysed samples presented strong inhibition on methanogenesis due to the presence of TAN and associated free ammonia nitrogen (FAN). In specific methanogenic activities (SMAs) tests with incremental concentration of TAN/FAN and melanoidins, TAN/FAN induced strong inhibition on methanogens, halving the SMA at around 2.5 gTAN/L and 100 mgFAN/L. Conversely, melanoidins did not show inhibition on the methanogens. Our present results revealed that when applying THP-AD in full-scale, the increase in TAN/FAN remarkably had a greater impact on AD than the formation of melanoidins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Pavez-Jara
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Building 23 Stevinweg 1, 2628, Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Jules B van Lier
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Building 23 Stevinweg 1, 2628, Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Merle K de Kreuk
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Building 23 Stevinweg 1, 2628, Delft, the Netherlands.
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24
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Hu ZY, Lin YP, Wang QT, Zhang YX, Tang J, Hong SD, Dai K, Wang S, Lu YZ, van Loosdrecht MCM, Wu J, Zeng RJ, Zhang F. Identification and degradation of structural extracellular polymeric substances in waste activated sludge via a polygalacturonate-degrading consortium. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 233:119800. [PMID: 36868117 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
By maintaining the cell integrity of waste activated sludge (WAS), structural extracellular polymeric substances (St-EPS) resist WAS anaerobic fermentation. This study investigates the occurrence of polygalacturonate in WAS St-EPS by combining chemical and metagenomic analyses that identify ∼22% of the bacteria, including Ferruginibacter and Zoogloea, that are associated with polygalacturonate production using the key enzyme EC 5.1.3.6. A highly active polygalacturonate-degrading consortium (GDC) was enriched and the potential of this GDC for degrading St-EPS and promoting methane production from WAS was investigated. The percentage of St-EPS degradation increased from 47.6% to 85.2% after inoculation with the GDC. Methane production was also increased by up to 2.3 times over a control group, with WAS destruction increasing from 11.5% to 28.4%. Zeta potential and rheological behavior confirmed the positive effect which GDC has on WAS fermentation. The major genus in the GDC was identified as Clostridium (17.1%). Extracellular pectate lyases (EC 4.2.2.2 and 4.2.2.9), excluding polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.15), were observed in the metagenome of the GDC and most likely play a core role in St-EPS hydrolysis. Dosing with GDC provides a good biological method for St-EPS degradation and thereby enhances the conversion of WAS to methane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Yi Hu
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yi-Peng Lin
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Qing-Ting Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yi-Xin Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Jie Tang
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Si-Di Hong
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Kun Dai
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yong-Ze Lu
- School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Jianrong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Raymond Jianxiong Zeng
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
| | - Fang Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
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25
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Campo R, Carretti E, Lubello C, Lotti T. Recovery of structural extracellular polymeric substances (sEPS) from aerobic granular sludge: Insights on biopolymers characterization and hydrogel properties for potential applications. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 324:116247. [PMID: 36174471 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are transforming into water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) where the resource recovery from waste streams is pivotal. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is a novel technology applied for wastewater treatment. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by microorganisms promote the aggregation of bacterial cells into AGS and the structural fraction of EPS (sEPS) is responsible for the mechanical properties of AGS. sEPS can be extracted and recovered from waste AGS by physico-chemical methods and its characterization is to date of relevant concern to understand the properties in the perspective of potential applications. This study reports on: characterization of sEPS extracted and recovered from AGS; - formation and characterization of sEPS-based hydrogels. Briefly, sEPS were extracted by a thermo-alkaline process followed by an acidic precipitation. sEPS-based hydrogels were formed by a cross-linking process with a 2.5% w/w CaCl2 solution. The following key-findings can be drawn: i) hydrogels can be formed starting from 1% w/w sEPS on, by diffusion of Ca2+ into sEPS network; ii) the Ca/C molar ratio of hydrogels decreased with increasing concentration of sEPS from 1 to 10% w/w; iii) the thermogravimetric and spectroscopic behaviours of sEPS show that the cross-linking reaction mainly involves the polysaccharidic fraction of biopolymers; iv) water-holding capacity up to 99 gH2O/gsEPS was registered for 1% w/w sEPS-based hydrogels, suggesting applications in several industrial sectors (i.e. chemical, paper, textile, agronomic, etc.); v) rheological results highlighted a solid-like behaviour (G'≫G") of sEPS-based hydrogels. The power-law fitting of G' vs. sEPS concentration suggests that the expansion of the sEPS network during cross-linking occurs through a percolative mechanism involving the initial formation of sEPS oligomers clusters followed by their interconnection towards the formation of 3D network. These findings provide additional information about the mechanisms of sEPS-based hydrogel formation and reveal the peculiar physico-chemical characteristics of sEPS which nowadays are increasingly gaining interest in the context of resource recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Campo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - (DICEA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| | - Emiliano Carretti
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff" & CSGI Consortium, University of Florence, Italy
| | - Claudio Lubello
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - (DICEA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Tommaso Lotti
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - (DICEA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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26
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Comparison of ultrasonic treatment of primary and secondary sludges: Physical properties and Chemical properties. Sep Purif Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.122892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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27
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Zhao L, Zhao D. Hydrolyzed polyacrylamide biotransformation during the formation of anode biofilm in microbial fuel cell biosystem: Bioelectricity, metabolites and functional microorganisms. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 360:127581. [PMID: 35798169 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The anode biofilm serves as the core dominating the performance of microbial fuel cell (MFC) biosystem. This research provides new insights into hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) biotransformation during the formation of anode biofilm. The current density, coulombic efficiency, voltage, power density, volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and total nitrogen (TN) removal enhanced with the thickening of biofilm (1-6 cm), and the maximums achieved 146 mA·m-2, 47.3%, 8.76 V, 1.28 W·m-2, 184 mg·L-1 and 84.6%, respectively. HPAM concentration descended from 508 mg·L-1 to 83.3 mg·L-1 after 60 days. HPAM was metabolized into VFAs, N2, NO2--N and NO3--N, thereby releasing electrons. Laccase and tyrosine/tryptophan protein induced HPAM metabolism and bioelectricity production. The microbial functions involving HPAM biotransformation and bioelectricity generation were clarified. The alternative resource recovery, techno-economic comparison and development direction of MFC biosystem were discussed to achieve the synchronization of HPAM-containing wastewater treatment and bioelectricity generation based on MFC biosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanmei Zhao
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China.
| | - Dong Zhao
- Sinopec Shengli Petroleum Administration, Dongying 257000, China
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28
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Guo Y, Zhang B, Feng S, Wang D, Li J, Shi W. Unveiling significance of Ca 2+ ion for start-up of aerobic granular sludge reactor by distinguishing its effects on physicochemical property and bioactivity of sludge. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113299. [PMID: 35430279 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Almost all of the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactors were fed on certain amounts of Ca2+ ion, but whether and why it was necessary for reactor start-up remain unknown. Herein, this study conducted a set of comparative experiments in three AGS reactors, which were operated in parallel with Ca2+ addition in R3, hydroxyapatite (HAP) addition in R1, and without any forms of Ca addition in R2. Results showed that R3 not only achieved the complete granulation of sludge, but exhibited superior performance of COD and nutrient removal. In contrast, R1 had a slightly quicker granulation rate than R3 (R1: 0.07 day-1; R3: 0.06 day-1), but the formed granules could not efficiently degrade pollutants. In R2, both sludge granulation and pollutants removal did not proceed normally. Further investigations found that the Ca2+ ion acted in three ways: (1) it increased inorganic composition of sludge to promote granulation; (2) the transformed HAP strengthened stability of granular structure; (3) it ensured bioactivity of granules by driving enrichment of functional microbes and synthesis of metabolism enzymes. Overall, this study systemically proved significance of Ca2+ ion for the start-up of AGS reactors and its influencing mechanisms on different properties of granules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, 710048, China
| | - Bing Zhang
- College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China
| | - Siqi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, 710048, China
| | - Dongqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, 710048, China
| | - Jiake Li
- State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, 710048, China
| | - Wenxin Shi
- College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China.
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29
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Cabrera J, Guo HY, Yao JL, Wang XM. The effect of different carbon sources on biofouling in membrane fouling simulators: microbial community and implications. BIOFOULING 2022; 38:747-763. [PMID: 36224109 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2022.2129017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Biofouling is a problem affecting the operation of nanofiltration systems due to the complexity of the carbon matrix affecting bacteria and biofilm growth. This study used membrane fouling simulators to investigate the effects of five different carbon sources on the biofouling of nanofiltration membranes. For all the carbon sources analyzed, the increase in pressure drop was most accelerated for acetate. The use of acetate as the single carbon source produced less adenosine triphosphate but more extracellular polymers than glucose. The microbial community was analyzed using 16 s rRNA. The use of more than a single carbon source produced an increase in bacteria diversity even at similar concentrations. The relative abundance of proteobacteria was the highest at the phylum level (95%) when a single carbon source was added. Additionally, it was found that the use of different carbon sources produced a shift in the microbial community, affecting the biofouling and pressure drop on membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johny Cabrera
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hao-Yu Guo
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | | | - Xiao-Mao Wang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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Renfrew D, Vasilaki V, McLeod A, Lake A, Danishvar S, Katsou E. Where is the greatest potential for resource recovery in wastewater treatment plants? WATER RESEARCH 2022; 220:118673. [PMID: 35649294 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The restorative and regenerative ability of the circular economy has led to the rapid growth of this concept over the past decade, as it facilitates the broadly adopted principles of sustainable development and beyond, through restorative and regenerative actions. The water sector is poised to benefit from this transition, due to its intrinsic circularity and the resources it handles, predominantly found in wastewater, that are valuable and critical. Currently, the vast range of resource recovery technologies coupled with few industrial examples hinder strategic decision making. Resource recovery on a regional scale improves market share and mitigates investment risk, therefore, a structured approach has been developed for the selection of priority technologies to act as a guide for strategic planning. A representative UK wastewater model acts as the baseline, with multi-criteria analysis used to select resources and create an enhanced resource recovery scenario. It was found that implementing the recovery of 5 'priority resources' (and technology pathways) increased nitrogen and phosphorus recovery by 68% and 71%, respectively. Lastly, the need for a cross-cutting approach for the holistic assessment of circular solutions is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Renfrew
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge Campus, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, Uxbridge, UK
| | - V Vasilaki
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge Campus, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, Uxbridge, UK
| | - A McLeod
- Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. 2nd Floor Cottons Centre, Cottons Lane, London, SE1 2QG, England
| | - A Lake
- Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. 2nd Floor Cottons Centre, Cottons Lane, London, SE1 2QG, England
| | - S Danishvar
- Digital Manufacturing Centre at College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge Campus, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, Uxbridge, UK
| | - E Katsou
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge Campus, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, Uxbridge, UK.
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Zhao P, Zhao S, Wang HG, Lu M, Li ZH. Encapsulation of bacteria in different stratified extracellular polymeric substances and its implications for performance enhancement and resource recovery. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 220:118684. [PMID: 35661510 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Simultaneous recovery of biopolymers and enhanced bio-reactor performance are promising options for sustainable wastewater treatment, and the bioactivity of sludge after biopolymer extraction is thus critical for the performance of the system. To this end, stratified extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), including slime, loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS), and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), were extracted, and the bioactivities of the consequent extraction residues were assessed using aerobic respirogram, kinetic, and flow cytometry (FCM). After the initial weak extraction of slime, the particle size distribution of the sludge significantly decreased, and subsequent extractions of LB-EPS and TB-EPS produced an equivalent size distribution. In contrast, the fractal dimension decreased after each extraction, suggesting that LB-EPS and TB-EPS affected the compactness of flocs rather than the size. The aerobic bacteria distribution estimated using respirogram shows that slime mainly encapsulated heterotrophs while LB-EPS mainly encapsulated nitrifiers. In addition, the ammonia-nitrogen affinity coefficient decreased from 1.79 to 0.28 mg/L when slime was removed, thereby encouraging the activities of autotrophic nitrifiers. Further removal of LB-EPS induced high energy dispersion as the maintenance coefficient m and the metabolic dispersion index μ/m increased from 0.11 to 0.22 and 0.44 to 0.63, respectively. Meanwhile, the yield rate decreased from 0.77 to 0.66. Although pellets that resulted from TB-EPS extraction were not aerobically active as described by respirogram and growth curves, they were still metabolically active as measured by live/dead cell counting and redox sensor green signal. These pellets used more energy for maintenance as indicated by the high maintenance coefficient than those residual after either slime or LB-EPS extraction. In addition, the variation in bacteria community distribution across flocs was related to the variation in temperatures, suggesting that the inner part of a floc might be hotter than the outer side. Therefore, compared to bacteria in the raw sludge, the viable bacteria bounded in LB-EPS and TB-EPS convert more energy to heat rather than growth. These results indicate that energy was dispersed as metabolic heat for the LB-EPS extracted sludge, and removal of LB-EPS favored thermogenesis and sludge reduction. Based on the above findings, a simultaneously EPS-recovery and performance enhancement configuration is thus proposed, which holds great promise for the integration of next-generation wastewater treatment plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pian Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Song Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Hai-Guang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Meng Lu
- Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Zhi-Hua Li
- Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China.
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Yang X, Nguyen VB, Zhao Z, Wu Y, Lei Z, Zhang Z, Le XS, Lu H. Changes of distribution and chemical speciation of metals in hexavalent chromium loaded algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge before and after hydrothermal treatment. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 355:127229. [PMID: 35504424 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (AGS) was applied for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) biosorption from wastewater and the dynamic distribution and mobility of different metals in granules were systematically examined before and after hydrothermal treatment. The loaded Cr on algal-bacterial AGS was found to mainly localize in microbial cells and mineral particles; little Cr was detected in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) after 6 h contact, which increased to 5.1% after 24 h biosorption. Along with Cr localization, 9.3-22.8% of Mg and 11.5-26.4% of Ca in algal-bacterial AGS were released from loosely bound EPS, then replenished to maintain their stable proportion in EPS, probably contributing to granular stability. In addition, chemical fractionation showed that the Cr mobility in algal-bacterial AGS, indicated by a low mobility factor of 4.7%, decreased to 1.4% with the co-existence of mineral salts and acetate during biosorption, which was further declined to 0 after hydrothermal treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Yang
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Van Bach Nguyen
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan; Institute of Marine Environment and Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Viet Nam
| | - Ziwen Zhao
- South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510345, China
| | - Yaoyao Wu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhongfang Lei
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
| | - Zhenya Zhang
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Xuan Sinh Le
- Institute of Marine Environment and Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Viet Nam
| | - Hui Lu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Amin Vieira da Costa NP, Libardi N, Ribeiro da Costa RH. How can the addition of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)-based bioflocculant affect aerobic granular sludge (AGS)? JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 310:114807. [PMID: 35231689 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The ability of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) recovered from aerobic granular sludge (AGS) to act as bioflocculant was tested in a pilot-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR), fed with low-strength municipal wastewater. EPS were compared with the addition of Na-alginate as a standardized biopolymer. The optimal dosage of both biopolymers was determined through jar-test assays (400 mg L-1 of Na-alginate in a 250 mg Ca L-1 and 50 mg L-1 of EPS in pH of 2 ± 0.2). The addition of Na-alginate (Operational Period I- OP-I) and EPS (Operational Period II - OP-II) led to increased adhesion of particles with 2.9 ± 0.45 and 1.3 ± 0.3 g TSS L-1 during OP-I and OP-II, respectively, and fast settling biomass (SVI30 between 68 and 78 mL g-1). Granule predominance occurred at early stages of OP-I (day 37) and OP-II (day 44), presenting diameters mainly within the 212-600 μm range. The reactor showed removal efficiencies of 85% for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and above 50% for N-NH4 during the study periods. Furthermore, the addition of EPS as a bioflocculant promoted a substantial increase in polysaccharides (PS = 153.01 ± 121 mg gVSS-1) and proteins (PN = 121.96 ± 69 mg gVSS-1), while the addition of Na-alginate affected mostly the PS content (87 ± 24 mg gVSS-1). The microbial community shifted mainly from Betaproteobacteria (45%) during OP-I to Alphaproteobacteria (64%) in OP-II. Therefore, EPS affected both physical-chemical and microbial features of the AGS biomass without any change in treatment efficiencies. EPS is a promising resource to be recovered from aerobic granular sludge and to be used as an alternative and sustainable bioflocculant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nelson Libardi
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina - UFSC, 88040-970, Florianópolis, Brazil.
| | - Rejane Helena Ribeiro da Costa
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina - UFSC, 88040-970, Florianópolis, Brazil
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Zhang Z, Xi H, Yu Y, Wu C, Yang Y, Guo Z, Zhou Y. Coupling of membrane-based bubbleless micro-aeration for 2,4-dinitrophenol degradation in a hydrolysis acidification reactor. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 212:118119. [PMID: 35114527 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Micro-aeration hydrolysis acidification (HA) is an effective method to enhance the removal of toxic and refractory organic matter, but the difficulty in stable dosing control of trace oxygen limits its wide application. Membrane-based bubbleless aeration has been proved as an ideal aeration method because of its higher oxygen transfer rate, more uniform mass transfer, and lower cost than HA. However, the available information on its application in HA is limited. In this study, membrane-based bubbleless micro-aeration coupled with hydrolysis acidification (MBL-MHA) was exploited to investigate the performance of 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) degradation via comparing it with bubble micro-aeration HA (MHA) and anaerobic HA. The results indicated that the performances in MBL-MHA and MHA were higher than those in HA during the experiment. 2,4-DNP degradation rates under redox microenvironments caused by counter-diffusion in MBL-MHA (84.43∼97.28%) were higher than those caused by co-diffusion in MHA (82.41∼94.71%) under micro-aeration of 0.5-5.0 mL air/min. The 2,4-DNP degradation pathways in MBL-MHA were nitroreduction, deamination, aromatic ring cleavage, and fermentation, while those in MHA were hydroxylation, aromatic ring cleavage, and fermentation. Reduction/oxidation-related, interspecific electron transfer-related species, and fermentative species in MBL-MHA were more abundant than that in MHA. Ultimately, more reducing/oxidizing forces formed by more redox proteins/enzymes from these rich species could enhance 2,4-DNP degradation in MBL-MHA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuowei Zhang
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Hongbo Xi
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Yin Yu
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
| | - Changyong Wu
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Zhenzhen Guo
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070China
| | - Yuexi Zhou
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
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35
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Liu Z, Zhang X, Zhang S, Qi H, Hou Y, Gao M, Wang J, Zhang A, Chen Y, Liu Y. A comparison between exogenous carriers enhanced aerobic granulation under low organic loading in the aspect of sludge characteristics, extracellular polymeric substances and microbial communities. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 346:126567. [PMID: 34923077 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this study, polymeric ferric sulfate (PFS), aluminum sulfate (AS) and diatomite were added to enhance the aerobic granulation under low organic loading rate (OLR) of 0.6 kg·COD/(m3·d), and their effects of aerobic granule formation, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion and microbial community were investigated. The results showed that adding carriers could facilitated the growth of aerobic granules and improve the sludge settleability and biomass retention. Nutrient removal efficiencies were also enhanced. Compared with diatomite, adding PFS and AS resulted in more significant increase in EPS production, especially for the extracellular proteins. For microbial community, the dominated bacteria (Zoogloea, 18.47-23.95%) in the mature granular consortia were similar. Moreover, the introduction of PFS and diatomite contributed to the enrichment of Paracoccus, which was responsible for denitrification. Adding carriers potentially activated the functional genes related to metabolism and genetic information processing, and PFS had the most significant effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Liu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No.13, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China.
| | - Xuhua Zhang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No.13, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Shumin Zhang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No.13, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Hao Qi
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No.13, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Yiwen Hou
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No.13, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Min Gao
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No.13, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Jiaxuan Wang
- School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Yan Ta Road, No. 58, Xi'an 710054, China
| | - Aining Zhang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No.13, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Yiping Chen
- Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 10 Fenghui South Road, Xi'an 710075, China
| | - Yongjun Liu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Yan Ta Road. No.13, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
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Hu ZY, Wang S, Geng ZQ, Dai K, Ji WX, Tian YC, Li WT, Zeng RJ, Zhang F. Controlling volatile fatty acids production from waste activated sludge by an alginate-degrading consortium. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150730. [PMID: 34606857 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
It is desirable to control volatile fatty acids (VFAs) recovery from waste activated sludge (WAS) while avoiding the release of N and P. Structural extracellular polymeric substances (St-EPS), with typical components of alginate and polygalacturonic acid, resist the biodegradation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in WAS. Previously, we purposely enriched an alginate-degrading consortium (ADC), but, both controlling VFAs production and cell integrity after dosing with ADC were not investigated. In this work, ADC with a high percentage of the genus Bacteroides (~67%) was further enriched with alginate utilization above 95%. The St-EPS content in WAS was 109.7 ± 3.3 mg/g-VSS, accounting for 31% of EPS. After dosing ADC in the WAS, the main metabolites were acetate (1.6 g/L) and propionate (0.7 g/L), the hydrolysis efficiency was increased to 38%, and the acidification efficiency was increased to 72%. Cell integrity was maintained during WAS fermentation by dosing with ADC according to no P release and unchanged lactate dehydrogenase activity. VFA production was mainly from the EPS, and protein degradation in EPS resulted in low N release (e.g., 212 mg/L from casein and no P release). Consequently, ADC doing offers the advantages of controlling VFAs production from EPS while maintaining cell integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Yi Hu
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Zi-Qian Geng
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Kun Dai
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Wen-Xiang Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Ye-Chao Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Wen-Tao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Raymond Jianxiong Zeng
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Fang Zhang
- Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
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Ruiz-Hernando M, Vinardell S, Labanda J, Llorens J. Effect of ultrasonication on waste activated sludge rheological properties and process economics. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 208:117855. [PMID: 34801818 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The present study provides an overall view of the effect of the ultrasound treatment on waste activated sludge (WAS) rheological and dewatering properties as well as its impact on the economic balance of a theoretical wastewater treatment plant. The results showed that ultrasonication at 27,000 kJ/kg TS increased the soluble protein concentration (> 100%), bound water content (∼25%), and capillary suction time (> 100%) of WAS. The molecular weight distribution of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) revealed that the ultrasound treatment solubilised a portion of the peptides and low-molecular-weight proteins. The thixotropic behaviour of the WAS was analysed by means of a rheological structural model that defines the time evolution of a structural parameter as a function of kinetic coefficients for the breakdown and build-up processes. The ultrasound treatment reduced the kinetic coefficients for the breakdown process and changed the fast speed of alignment of flocs because of the reduction of WAS structures. Similarly, the creep tests revealed that the ultrasound treatment at 27,000 kJ/kg TS reduced the initial elasticity (∼80%) and the zero-shear rate viscosity (∼60%), which means that the internal structure of the WAS loosened and disrupted. Finally, a techno-economic analysis showed that ultrasonication was not yet economically favourable since its implementation increased 14% the net cost for WAS treatment and disposal. However, a sensitivity analysis illustrated that increasing electricity revenue and reducing biosolids disposal costs through improvement in WAS biodegradability is important to make ultrasound implementation economically attractive.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ruiz-Hernando
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
| | - S Vinardell
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - J Labanda
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - J Llorens
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
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38
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Zhao L, Bao M, Zhao D, Li F. Correlation between polyhydroxyalkanoates and extracellular polymeric substances in the activated sludge biosystems with different carbon to nitrogen ratio. Biochem Eng J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2021.108204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Gonzalez A, van Lier JB, de Kreuk MK. The role of growth media on composition, bioconversion and susceptibility for mild thermal pre-treatment of waste activated sludge. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 298:113491. [PMID: 34375922 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The highly variable characteristics of waste activated sludge (WAS) hinder the comparison of experimental results on WAS bioconversion between the different studies that use excess sludge from different origin. Sludge grown under laboratory conditions with synthetic wastewater as feed showed high resistance to commonly applied pre-treatment techniques, such as thermal pre-treatment. However, a distinctly higher bioconversion of this sludge was recorded compared to WAS from a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The observed results casted concern on the suitability of the experimental laboratory-based data for practice. The physicochemical and biochemical characteristics of both WAS and lab-grown sludge are dependent on the wastewater characteristics or growth media on which the sludges were grown. The objective of this study was to formulate a growth medium that results into a lab-grown sludge which shows high similarity to the WAS coming from a specific full-scale WWTP in response to a pre-treatment technique. More specifically, in this study we targeted the formation of slowly-biodegradable lab-grown sludge that is similarly responsive to mild thermal pre-treatment with H2O2 addition. By comparing real and synthetic wastewaters, we discussed the various wastewater constituents that may lead to a higher degree of recalcitrance of the produced sludge. We then formulated a growth medium, which was fed to a lab-scale activated sludge reactor and evaluated the nutrient removal capacity, as well as the characteristics of the cultivated sludge before and after pre-treatment. Finally, the growth medium was modified to provoke a change in both the bioconversion and in the response to mild thermal pre-treatment. The growth medium proposed in this study resulted in a slowly-biodegradable sludge (195 ± 3.7 NLCH4/kgVSadded) that after thermal pre-treatment resulted in an increase in methane production of 9 %, which was similar to the WAS coming from the full-scale WWTP. It was concluded that not only the bioconversion but also the response to mild thermal pre-treatment of lab-grown sludge was determined by the composition of the growth media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Gonzalez
- Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Water Management, Sanitary Engineering Section, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Jules B van Lier
- Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Water Management, Sanitary Engineering Section, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Merle K de Kreuk
- Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Water Management, Sanitary Engineering Section, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, the Netherlands
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40
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Duque AF, Campo R, Val del Rio A, Amorim CL. Wastewater Valorization: Practice around the World at Pilot- and Full-Scale. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18189466. [PMID: 34574414 PMCID: PMC8472693 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18189466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Over the last few years, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been rebranded as water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), which recognize the resource recovery potential that exists in wastewater streams. WRRFs contribute to a circular economy by not only producing clean water but by recovering valuable resources such as nutrients, energy, and other bio-based materials. To this aim, huge efforts in technological progress have been made to valorize sewage and sewage sludge, transforming them into valuable resources. This review summarizes some of the widely used and effective strategies applied at pilot- and full-scale settings in order to valorize the wastewater treatment process. An overview of the different technologies applied in the water and sludge line is presented, covering a broad range of resources, i.e., water, biomass, energy, nutrients, volatile fatty acids (VFA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and exopolymeric substances (EPS). Moreover, guidelines and regulations around the world related to water reuse and resource valorization are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouk F. Duque
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 1099-085 Lisboa, Portugal;
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 1099-085 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Riccardo Campo
- DICEA—Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via di S. Marta 3, 50139 Florence, Italy;
| | - Angeles Val del Rio
- Department of Chemical Engineering, CRETUS Institute, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Rúa Lope Gómez de Marzoa s/n, E-15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain;
| | - Catarina L. Amorim
- CBQF—Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina—Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-226-196-200
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Guo H, Oosterkamp MJ, Tonin F, Hendriks A, Nair R, van Lier JB, de Kreuk M. Reconsidering hydrolysis kinetics for anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge applying cascade reactors with ultra-short residence times. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 202:117398. [PMID: 34252865 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Hydrolysis is considered to be the rate-limiting step in anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS). In this study, an innovative 4 stages cascade anaerobic digestion system was researched to (1) comprehensively clarify whether cascading configuration enhances WAS hydrolysis, and to (2) better understand the governing hydrolysis kinetics in this system. The cascade system consisted of three 2.2 L ultra-short solids retention times (SRT) continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) and one 15.4 L CSTR. The cascade system was compared with a reference conventional CSTR digester (22 L) in terms of process performance, hydrolytic enzyme activities and microbial community dynamics under mesophilic conditions (35 °C). The results showed that the cascade system achieved a high and stable total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) reduction efficiency of 40-42%, even at 12 days total SRT that corresponded to only 1.2 days SRT each in the first three reactors of the cascade. The reference-CSTR converted only 31% tCOD into biogas and suffered process deterioration at the applied low SRTs. Calculated specific hydrolysis rates in the first reactors of the cascade system were significantly higher compared to the reference-CSTR, especially at the lowest applied SRTs. The activities of several hydrolytic enzymes produced in the different stages revealed that protease, cellulase, amino peptidases, and most of the tested glycosyl-hydrolases had significantly higher activities in the first three small digesters of the cascade system, compared to the reference-CSTR. This increase in hydrolytic enzyme production by far exceeded the increase in specific hydrolysis rate, indicating that hydrolysis was limited by solids-surface availability for enzymatic attack. Correspondingly, high relative abundances of hydrolytic-fermentative bacteria and hydrogenotrophic methanogens as well as the presence of syntrophic bacteria were found in the first three digesters of the cascade system. However, in the fourth reactor, acetoclastic methanogens dominated, similarly as in the reference-CSTR. Overall, the results concluded that using multiple CSTRs that are operated at low SRTs in a cascade mode of operation significantly improved the enzymatic hydrolysis rate and extend in anaerobic WAS digestion. Moreover, the governing hydrolysis kinetics in the cascading reactors were far more complex than the generally assumed simplified first-order kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxiao Guo
- Section Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Margreet J Oosterkamp
- Section Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Fabio Tonin
- Group Biocatalysis, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Science, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander Hendriks
- Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan 1914 No. 35, 3818 EX Amersfoort, The Netherlands
| | - Revathy Nair
- Section Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Jules B van Lier
- Section Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Merle de Kreuk
- Section Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
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Amorim de Carvalho CD, Ferreira Dos Santos A, Tavares Ferreira TJ, Sousa Aguiar Lira VN, Mendes Barros AR, Bezerra Dos Santos A. Resource recovery in aerobic granular sludge systems: is it feasible or still a long way to go? CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 274:129881. [PMID: 33582539 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lately, wastewater treatment plants are much often being designed as wastewater-resource factories inserted in circular cities. Among biological treatment technologies, aerobic granular sludge (AGS), considered an evolution of activated sludge (AS), has received great attention regarding its resource recovery potential. This review presents the state-of-the-art concerning the influence of operational parameters on the recovery of alginate-like exopolysaccharides (ALE), tryptophan, phosphorus, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from AGS systems. The carbon to nitrogen ratio was identified as a parameter that plays an important role for the optimal production of ALE, tryptophan, and PHA. The sludge retention time effect is more pronounced for the production of ALE and tryptophan. Additionally, salinity levels in the bioreactors can potentially be manipulated to increase ALE and phosphorus yields simultaneously. Some existing knowledge gaps in the scientific literature concerning the recovery of these resources from AGS were also identified. Regarding industrial applications, tryptophan has the longest way to go. On the other hand, ALE production/recovery could be considered the most mature process if we take into account that existing alternatives for phosphorus and PHA production/recovery are optimized for activated sludge rather than granular sludge. Consequently, to maintain the same effectiveness, these processes likely could not be applied to AGS without undergoing some modification. Therefore, investigating to what extent these adaptations are necessary and designing alternatives is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara de Amorim de Carvalho
- Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Amanda Ferreira Dos Santos
- Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - André Bezerra Dos Santos
- Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
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Penghe Z, Yuling L, Chuanchuan D, Pengliang W. Study on Dissolution Characteristics of Excess Sludge by Low-Temperature Thermal Hydrolysis and Acid Production by Fermentation. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:26101-26109. [PMID: 33073137 PMCID: PMC7558041 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c03606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
To investigate the dissolution characteristics of low-temperature thermal pretreatment conditions and the process of sludge fermentation to produce acid, the influence of thermal pretreatment temperature on the dissolution of excess sludge organic composition and the mechanism of cell crushing of sludge thermal pretreatment were analyzed by an experimental method, and the performance of acid production was explored by sludge fermentation after pretreatment at different temperatures. The performance of acid production by sludge fermentation after pretreatment at different temperatures was measured. The results proved that the soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) shows the largest increase in dissolution rate (11.92%) at 70 °C and in dissolution quantity (6518.33 mg/L) at 90 °C. However, at 80 °C, the solubility of total organic carbon (TOC) is the highest (3224.47 mg/L), and at 70 °C, the best dissolution conditions for soluble carbohydrate (SC) and soluble protein (SP) reached 340.07 and 80.92 mg/L, respectively. The degree of sludge breaking starts to increase at 70 °C. Correlation analysis shows that dissolved organic matter is mainly derived from the cell wall and intracellular material and SP is mainly derived from intracellular material. Excitation-emission matrix spectra and parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) divides the sludge dissolved organic matter (DOM) into five fluorescent components, including C1 (318/366) tyrosine, C2 (418/470) UVA humic acid, C3 (282/334) tryptophan substances, C4 (322/430) UVC humic acids, and C5 (314, 382, 454/526) UVA humic substances. Fermentation acid production experiment shows that the peak concentration is highest at 80 °C, the arrival time is 2 days, and the acid production type is butyric acid fermentation. Thus, it is proved that low-temperature thermal pretreatment promotes the process of acid-producing fermentation and has no effect on the type of fermentation. The optimal condition for hydrolytic dissolution and acid production under low-temperature thermal pretreatment is 80 °C.
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