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Liang H, Jia Y, Khanal SK, Huang D, Sun L, Lu H. Electrochemical-coupled sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification for nitrogen removal from raw landfill leachate: Evaluation of performance and mechanisms. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 256:121592. [PMID: 38626614 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121592] [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: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
The cost-effective and environment-friendly sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (SdAD) process has drawn significant attention for advanced nitrogen removal from low carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio wastewater in recent years. However, achieving efficient nitrogen removal and maintaining system stability of SdAD process in treating low C/N landfill leachate treatment have been a major challenge. In this study, a novel electrochemical-coupled sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (ESdAD) system was developed and compared with SdAD system through a long-term continuous study. Superior nitrogen removal performance (removal efficiency of 89.1 ± 2.5 %) was achieved in ESdAD system compared to SdAD process when treating raw landfill leachate (influent total nitrogen (TN) concentration of 241.7 ± 36.3 mg-N/L), and the effluent TN concentration of ESdAD bioreactor was as low as 24.8 ± 5.1 mg-N/L, which meets the discharge standard of China (< 40 mg N/L). Moreover, less sulfate production rate (1.3 ± 0.2 mg SO42--S/mgNOx--N vs 1.7 ± 0.2 mg SO42--S/mgNOx--N) and excellent pH modulation (pH of 6.9 ± 0.2 vs 5.8 ± 0.4) were also achieved in the ESdAD system compared to SdAD system. The improvement of ESdAD system performance was contributed to coexistence and interaction of heterotrophic bacteria (e.g., Rhodanobacter, Thermomonas, etc.), sulfur autotrophic bacteria (e.g., Thiobacillus, Sulfurimonas, Ignavibacterium etc.) and hydrogen autotrophic bacteria (e.g., Thauera, Comamonas, etc.) under current stimulation. In addition, microbial nitrogen metabolic activity, including functional enzyme (e.g., Nar and Nir) activities and electron transfer capacity of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and cytochrome c (Cyt-C), were also enhanced during current stimulation, which facilitated the nitrogen removal and maintained system stability. These findings suggested that ESdAD is an effective and eco-friendly process for advanced nitrogen removal for low C/N wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyu Liang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology (Sun Yat-Sen University), Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Yanyan Jia
- School of Ecology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, PR China
| | - Samir Kumar Khanal
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
| | - Dongqi Huang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology (Sun Yat-Sen University), Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Lianpeng Sun
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology (Sun Yat-Sen University), Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Hui Lu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology (Sun Yat-Sen University), Guangzhou, PR China.
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Sun YL, Zhu L, Zheng K, Qian ZM, Cheng HY, Zhang XN, Wang AJ. Thermodynamic Inhibition of Microbial Sulfur Disproportionation in a Multisubunit Designed Sulfur-Siderite Packed Bioreactor. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:4193-4203. [PMID: 38393778 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Sulfur disproportionation (S0DP) poses a challenge to the robust application of sulfur autotrophic denitrification due to unpredictable sulfide production, which risks the safety of downstream ecosystems. This study explored the S0DP occurrence boundaries with nitrate loading and temperature effects. The boundary values increased with the increase in temperature, exhibiting below 0.15 and 0.53 kg-N/m3/d of nitrate loading at 20 and 30 °C, respectively. A pilot-scale sulfur-siderite packed bioreactor (150 m3/d treatment capacity) was optimally designed with multiple subunits to dynamically distribute the loading of sulfur-heterologous electron acceptors. Operating two active and one standby subunit achieved an effective denitrification rate of 0.31 kg-N/m3/d at 20 °C. For the standby subunit, involving oxygen by aeration effectively transformed the facultative S0DP functional community from S0DP metabolism to aerobic respiration, but with enormous sulfur consumption resulting in ongoing sulfate production of over 3000 mg/L. Meanwhile, acidification by the sulfur oxidation process could reduce the pH to as low as 2.5, which evaluated the Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of the S0DP reaction to +2.56 kJ, thermodynamically suppressing the S0DP occurrence. Therefore, a multisubunit design along with S0DP inhibition strategies of short-term aeration and long-term acidification is suggested for managing S0DP in various practical sulfur-packed bioreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, P. R. China
| | - Lin Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
| | - Kun Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, P. R. China
| | - Zhi-Min Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China
| | - Hao-Yi Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China
| | - Xue-Ning Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, P. R. China
| | - Ai-Jie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China
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Sun YL, Wang JY, Ngo HH, Wei W, Guo W, Zhang XN, Cheng HY, Yang JX, Wang AJ. Inducement mechanism and control of self-acidification in elemental sulfur fluidizing bioreactor. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 393:130081. [PMID: 37993067 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130081] [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: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
The sulfur fluidizing bioreactor (S0FB) has significant superiorities in treating nitrate-rich wastewater. However, substantial self-acidification has been observed in engineering applications, resulting in frequent start-up failures. In this study, self-acidification was reproduced in a lab-scale S0FB. It was demonstrated that self-acidification was mainly induced by sulfur disproportionation process, accounting for 93.4 % of proton generation. Supplying sufficient alkalinity to both the influent (3000 mg/L) and the bulk (2000 mg/L) of S0FB was essential for achieving a successful start-up. Furthermore, the S0FB reached 10.3 kg-N/m3/d of nitrogen removal rate and 0.13 kg-PO43-/m3/d of phosphate removal rate, respectively, surpassing those of the documented sulfur packing bioreactors by 7-129 times and 26-65 times. This study offers a feasible and practical method to avoid self-acidification during restart of S0FB and highlights the considerable potential of S0FB in the treatment of nitrate-rich wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jia-Yu Wang
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Huu Hao Ngo
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Wenshan Guo
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Xue-Ning Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Hao-Yi Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ji-Xian Yang
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Ai-Jie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Ma Y, Li J, Zheng Z, Chen G, Wang H, Yue L, Li Q, Liu Y. Establishment and optimization of sulfur-based autotrophic-heterotrophic denitrification biofilters for advanced post-anaerobic treatment of effluent from kitchen wastewater and landfill leachate under low temperature. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 393:130155. [PMID: 38056681 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130155] [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: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Landfill leachate treatment is a major challenge in wastewater treatment. In this study, two sulfur-based autotrophic-heterotrophic denitrification biofilters (Ra biofilter with room-temperature molded filler and Rb biofilter with melt molded filler) were used to treat kitchen-landfill leachate at low temperatures. The effects of reflux ratio, concentrations of NaHCO3, and Na2S2O3 on the total nitrogen removal efficiency were analyzed, and based on response surface methodology, the optimum parameters were determined. After optimization, the total nitrogen removal efficiency for the Ra and Rb biofilters increased by 83% and 81%, respectively. Moreover, sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification accounted for more than 70% of the nitrogen removal in both biofilters. Based on high-throughput sequencing results, the functional bacteria exhibited high abundance in the Ra biofilter, indicating that the room-temperature molded filler favored the enrichment of functional bacteria. These findings were important for optimizing the operation of sulfur autotrophic-heterotrophic denitrification biofilters at low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuehua Ma
- National Engineering Laboratory of Urban Sewage Advanced Treatment and Resource Utilization Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jun Li
- National Engineering Laboratory of Urban Sewage Advanced Treatment and Resource Utilization Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Zhaoming Zheng
- National Engineering Laboratory of Urban Sewage Advanced Treatment and Resource Utilization Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Gang Chen
- CUCDE Environmental Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing 100120, China
| | - Houbing Wang
- CUCDE Environmental Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing 100120, China
| | - Lei Yue
- CUCDE Environmental Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing 100120, China
| | - Qiang Li
- CUCDE Environmental Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing 100120, China
| | - Yifu Liu
- CUCDE Environmental Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing 100120, China
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Sun YL, Zhang JZ, Ngo HH, Shao CY, Wei W, Zhang XN, Guo W, Cheng HY, Wang AJ. Optimized start-up strategies for elemental sulfur packing bioreactor achieving effective autotrophic denitrification. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:168036. [PMID: 37890632 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168036] [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: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
The start-up efficiency of the elemental sulfur packing bioreactor (S0PB) is constrained by the slow growth kinetics of autotrophic microorganisms, which is essentially optimized. This study aims to optimize start-up procedures and offer scientific guidance for the practical applications of S0PB. Through comparing the start-up efficiencies under various conditions related to inoculation, backwashing, and EBCT, it was found that these conditions did not significantly influence start-up time, but they did impact denitrification performance in detail. Using activated sludge as the inoculum was not recommended as the 2.5 ± 0.2 mg-N/L higher nitrite accumulation and 26.0 ± 5.1 % lower TN removal rate, compared to self-enrichment. Starting with a long-to-short EBCT (1 → 0.33 h) achieved higher nitrate removal of 11.5 ± 0.6 mg-N/L and eliminated nitrite accumulation compared to constantly short EBCT (0.33 h) conditions. Daily and postponed backwashing were suggested for long-to-short EBCT and constantly short EBCT start-up, respectively. Enrichment of Sulfurimonas was beneficial for the effective nitrite reduction process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jing-Zhe Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Huu Hao Ngo
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Chen-Yang Shao
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Xue-Ning Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Wenshan Guo
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Hao-Yi Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ai-Jie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
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Sun YL, Wei W, Ngo HH, Guo WS, Zhang XN, Ni BJ, Zhuang WQ, Wang HL. Effect of hydraulic regime on sulfur-packed bed performance: Denitrification and disproportionation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 238:117213. [PMID: 37776937 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117213] [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: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Sulfur-packed beds (SPBs) have been increasingly incorporated into constructed wetland systems to overcome limitations in achieving satisfactory nitrate removal efficiency. However, the underlying impact of hydraulic regimes on SPB performance remains understudied. This study investigated the performance of a pilot-scale SPB, encompassing sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) and sulfur disproportionation (SDP) processes, under various horizontal flow (HF) and vertical flow (VF) regimes. The HF regime exhibited superior SAD efficiency, achieving 3.1-4.4 mg-N/L of nitrate removal compared to 0.9-2.8 mg-N/L under VF regimes. However, greater sulfide production of 3.8-5.6 mg/L was observed, in contrast to only 1.5-2.3 mg/L under VF regimes when SDP occurred. Employing current computational fluid dynamics simulations could predict general regimes but lacked precision in detailing sulfur layer dynamics. In contrast, determining the spatial distribution of SAD substrates and SDP products offered a viable solution, revealing stagnate, short-circuit, and back flows. Moreover, the feasibility of an aeration approach to reduce sulfide emissions below 0.5 mg/L in case of accidental SDP occurrence was confirmed. This study offers a method for assessing detailed hydraulic regimes within SPBs. Additionally, it provides guidance on optimizing the packing of sulfur-based materials when implementing SPBs in constructed wetland systems and presents a strategy for mitigating excessive sulfide emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, PR China
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Huu Hao Ngo
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Wen Shan Guo
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Xue-Ning Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, PR China.
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Wei-Qin Zhuang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
| | - Han-Lin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, PR China.
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