1
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Pincam T, Liu YQ, Booth A, Wang Y, Lan G, Zeng P. A comprehensive comparison of microbial communities between aerobic granular sludge and flocculent sludge for nutrient removal in full-scale wastewater treatment plants. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 362:142644. [PMID: 38901698 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142644] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the microbial community structure of sludge is crucial for improving the design, operation and optimisation of full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study aimed to have a comprehensive comparison of microbial communities between aerobic granular sludge and flocculent sludge from two full-scale sequential batch reactors-based WWTPs with nutrient removal for the first time. To better understand key functional bacteria such as polyphosphate accumulating bacteria (PAOs), competitive bacteria such as glycogen accumulating bacteria (GAOs) and nitrifying bacteria for both nitrogen and phosphorus removal, another two full-scale WWTPs with only carbon (C) removal and C and nitrogen (N) removal were compared too. It was found that the richness and diversity of the microbial population in sludge increased with pollutant removal from only C, C and N, to C,N, P removal. For C, N P removal, granule structure led to a more diverse and rich microbial community structure than flocculent structure. Although more abundant nitrifying bacteria were enriched in granular sludge than flocculent sludge, the abundance of total putative PAOs was equivalent. However, the most typical putative PAOs such as Tetrasphaera and Candidatus Accumulibacter seemed to be more correlated with biological phosphorus removal performance, which might be more proper to be used as an indication for P removal potential. The higher abundance of GAOs in flocculent sludge with better phosphorus removal performance might suggest that further investigation is needed to understand the functions of GAOs. In addition, the equivalent abundances of PAOs in the WWTPs with only C removal and with C, N, and P removal, respectively, indicate that many newly reported putative PAOs might not contribute to P removal. This study provides insight into the microbial communities and functional bacteria in aerobic granular sludge and flocculent sludge in full-scale SBRs, which can provide microbes-informed optimisation of reactor operation for better nutrient removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tararag Pincam
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Yong-Qiang Liu
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
| | - Alexander Booth
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Yi Wang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, 710055, China
| | - Guihong Lan
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University (SWPU), Chengdu, 610500, China
| | - Ping Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
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2
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Wang J, Ran B, Peng Y, An Q, Zhao B. Evaluation of aerobic granulation performance bioaugmented with the auto-aggregating bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri strain XL-2 with heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification capacity. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 403:130869. [PMID: 38777236 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130869] [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: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
In this study, the possibility of an auto-aggregating bacterium Pseudomonas strain XL-2 with heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification capacity for improving granulation and nitrogen removal was evaluated. The results showed that the supplementation of strain XL-2 promoted granulation, making R1 (experimental group with strain XL-2) dominated by granules at 14 d, which was 12 days earlier than R2 (control group without strain XL-2). This was attributed to the promotion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion, particularly proteins by adding strain XL-2, thereby improving the hydrophobicity of sludge and altering the proteins secondary structures to facilitate aggregation. Meanwhile, adding strain XL-2 improved simultaneous nitrification and denitrification efficiency of R1. Microbial community analysis indicated that strain XL-2 successfully proliferated in aerobic granule sludge and might induce the enrichment of genera such as Flavobacterium and Paracoccus that were favorable for EPS secretion and denitrification, jointly promoting granulation and enhancing nitrogen removal efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyi Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China; College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China
| | - Binbin Ran
- The Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China; College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China
| | - Yongxue Peng
- The Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China; College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China
| | - Qiang An
- The Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China; College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China
| | - Bin Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Eco-Environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China; College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, PR China.
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3
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Haaksman VA, van Dijk EJH, Al-Zuhairy S, Mulders M, Loosdrecht MCMV, Pronk M. Utilizing anaerobic substrate distribution for growth of aerobic granular sludge in continuous-flow reactors. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 257:121531. [PMID: 38701553 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121531] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
The development of continuous flow reactors (CFRs) employing aerobic granular sludge (AGS) for the retrofit of existing wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) using a continuous-flow activated sludge (CFAS) system has garnered increasing interest. This follows the worldwide adoption of AGS technology in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). The better settleability of AGS compared to AS allows for process intensification of existing wastewater treatment plants without the difficult conversion of often relatively shallow CFRs to deeper AGS-SBRs. To retrofit existing CFAS systems with AGS, achieving both increased hydraulic capacity and enhanced biological nutrient removal necessitates the formation of granular sludge based on the same selective pressures applied in AGS-SBRs. Previous efforts have focussed mainly on the selective wasting of flocculent sludge and retaining granular sludge to drive aerobic granulation. In this study a pilot-scale CFR was developed to best mimic the implementation of the granulation mechanisms of full-scale AGS-SBRs. The pilot-scale reactor was fed with pre-settled municipal wastewater. We established metrics to assess the degree to which the proposed mechanisms were implemented in the pilot-scale CFR and compared them to data from full-scale AGS-SBRs, specifically with respect to the anaerobic distribution of granule forming substrates (GFS). The selective pressures for granular sludge formation were implemented through inclusion of anaerobic upflow selectors with a water depth of 2.5 meters, which yielded a sludge with properties similar to AGS from full-scale SBRs. In comparison to the CFAS system at Harnaschpolder WWTP treating the same pre-settled wastewater, a more than twofold increase in volumetric removal capacity for both phosphorus and nitrogen was achieved. The use of a completely mixed anaerobic selector, as opposed to an anaerobic upflow selector, caused a shift in EBPR activity from the largest towards the smallest size class, while nitrification was majorly unaffected. Anaerobic selective feeding via bottom-feeding is, therefore, favorable for the long-term stability of AGS, especially for less acidified wastewater. The research underlines the potential of AGS for enhancing the hydraulic and biological treatment capacity of existing CFAS systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor A Haaksman
- Delfluent Services, Peuldreef 4, Den Hoorn, 2635 BX, The Netherlands.
| | | | - Salah Al-Zuhairy
- Delfluent Services, Peuldreef 4, Den Hoorn, 2635 BX, The Netherlands
| | - Michel Mulders
- Delfluent Services, Peuldreef 4, Den Hoorn, 2635 BX, The Netherlands
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Mario Pronk
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands; Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan 1914 35, Amersfoort, 3800 AL, The Netherlands.
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4
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Bauhs K, Armenta M, Maltos R, Sturm B, Regmi P. Making waves: Riding the densification wave from current understanding to advancement. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 257:121690. [PMID: 38723351 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121690] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Densification is a novel intensification strategy with the potential to improve treatment capacity within existing continuous-flow (CF) water resource recovery facilities at low capital and operating costs and at relatively small particle sizes compared to typical aerobic granular sludge (AGS) systems. To achieve densification, biological selection principles derived from selector design and AGS concepts have been coupled with physical selection via hydrocyclones at full-scale CF facilities to promote the growth and retention of granules. This combination lowers the sludge volume index (SVI) through superior sludge settling and paves the way for optimized nutrient removal and energy efficiency in low dissolved oxygen conditions. This paper sheds light on the benefits of densification. It delves into areas of advancement to further its implementation: hydrocyclone design, selector zone design, operational guidelines, and the target range for particle sizes and granule fractions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Bauhs
- Brown and Caldwell, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Maxwell Armenta
- Brown and Caldwell, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America.
| | - Rudy Maltos
- Metro Water Recovery, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Belinda Sturm
- University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Pusker Regmi
- Brown and Caldwell, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
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5
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Ekholm J, Persson F, de Blois M, Modin O, Gustavsson DJI, Pronk M, van Loosdrecht MCM, Wilén BM. Microbiome structure and function in parallel full-scale aerobic granular sludge and activated sludge processes. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108:334. [PMID: 38739161 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-024-13165-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and conventional activated sludge (CAS) are two different biological wastewater treatment processes. AGS consists of self-immobilised microorganisms that are transformed into spherical biofilms, whereas CAS has floccular sludge of lower density. In this study, we investigated the treatment performance and microbiome dynamics of two full-scale AGS reactors and a parallel CAS system at a municipal WWTP in Sweden. Both systems produced low effluent concentrations, with some fluctuations in phosphate and nitrate mainly due to variations in organic substrate availability. The microbial diversity was slightly higher in the AGS, with different dynamics in the microbiome over time. Seasonal periodicity was observed in both sludge types, with a larger shift in the CAS microbiome compared to the AGS. Groups important for reactor function, such as ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB), nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB), polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs), followed similar trends in both systems, with higher relative abundances of PAOs and GAOs in the AGS. However, microbial composition and dynamics differed between the two systems at the genus level. For instance, among PAOs, Tetrasphaera was more prevalent in the AGS, while Dechloromonas was more common in the CAS. Among NOB, Ca. Nitrotoga had a higher relative abundance in the AGS, while Nitrospira was the main nitrifier in the CAS. Furthermore, network analysis revealed the clustering of the various genera within the guilds to modules with different temporal patterns, suggesting functional redundancy in both AGS and CAS. KEY POINTS: • Microbial community succession in parallel full-scale aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and conventional activated sludge (CAS) processes. • Higher periodicity in microbial community structure in CAS compared to in AGS. • Similar functional groups between AGS and CAS but different composition and dynamics at genus level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Ekholm
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins Gata 6, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Frank Persson
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins Gata 6, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Oskar Modin
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins Gata 6, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - David J I Gustavsson
- Sweden Water Research AB, Ideon Science Park, Scheelevägen 15, 22370, Lund, Sweden
- VA SYD, P.O. Box 191, 20121, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Mario Pronk
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van Der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van Der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Britt-Marie Wilén
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Sven Hultins Gata 6, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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6
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Zhao W, Chen X, Ma H, Li D, Yang H, Hu T, Zhao Q, Jiang J, Wei L. Impact of co-substrate molecular weight on methane production potential, microbial community dynamics, and metabolic pathways in waste activated sludge anaerobic co-digestion. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 400:130678. [PMID: 38588784 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130678] [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: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Proteins and carbohydrates are important organics in waste activated sludge, and greatly affect methane production and microbial community composition in anaerobic digestion systems. Here, a series of co-substrates with different molecular weight were applied to investigate the interactions between microbial dynamics and the molecular weight of co-substrates. Biochemical methane production assays conducted in batch co-digesters showed that feeding high molecular weight protein and carbohydrate substrates resulted in higher methane yield and production rates. Moreover, high-molecular weight co-substrates increased the microbial diversity, enriched specific microbes including Longilinea, Anaerolineaceae, Syner-01, Methanothrix, promoted acidogenic and acetoclastic methanogenic pathways. Low-molecular weight co-substrates favored the growth of JGI-0000079-D21, Armatimonadota, Methanosarcina, Methanolinea, and improved hydrogenotrophic methanogenic pathway. Besides, Methanoregulaceae and Methanolinea were indicators of methane yield. This study firstly revealed the complex interactions between co-substrate molecular weight and microbial communities, and demonstrated the feasibility of adjusting co-substrate molecular weight to improve methane production process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Xinwei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Hao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Dan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Haizhou Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Tianyi Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Qingliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Junqiu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Liangliang Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
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Chen X, Gong Y, Li Z, Guo Y, Zhang H, Hu B, Yang W, Cao Y, Mu R. Key function of Kouleothrix in stable formation of filamentous aerobic granular sludge at low superficial gas velocity with polymeric substrates. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 397:130466. [PMID: 38373501 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Forming and maintaining stable aerobic granular sludge (AGS) at a low superficial gas velocity (SGV) is challenging, particularly with polymeric substrates. This study cultivated filamentous aerobic granular sludge (FAGS) with filamentous Kouleothrix (Type 1851) at low SGV (0.15 cm/s) utilizing mixed acetate-soluble starch. Within approximately 260 days, notable increases in the relative abundance of Kouleothrix (from 4 % to 10 %) and Ca. Competibacter (from 1 % to 26 %) were observed through 16S rRNA gene analysis. Metagenomic analysis revealed increased expression of functional genes involved in volatile fatty acid (VFA) production (e.g., ackA and pta) and polyhydroxyalkanoate synthesis (e.g., phbB and phbC). Kouleothrix acted as a skeleton for bacterial attachment and was the key fermenting bacteria promoting granulation and maintaining granule stability. This study provides insight into the formation of FAGS with low-energy and non-VFA substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- School of Urban Planning and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an 710048, China.
| | - Yanzhe Gong
- School of Urban Planning and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an 710048, China
| | - Zhihua Li
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Yingming Guo
- School of Urban Planning and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an 710048, China
| | - Hongjiang Zhang
- North China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Bin Hu
- School of Urban Planning and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an 710048, China
| | - Wenhao Yang
- School of Urban Planning and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an 710048, China
| | - Yinhuan Cao
- School of Urban Planning and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an 710048, China
| | - Ruihua Mu
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an 710048, China
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8
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Fall C, Romero-Camacho MP, Olguín MT, Rosas-Echeverría K, Esparza-Soto M, Salinas-Tapia H, Lucero-Chávez M, Alcaraz-Ibarra S. Aerobic digestibility of waste aerobic granular sludge (AGS) assessed by respirometry, physical-chemical analyses, modeling and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 356:120639. [PMID: 38520857 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120639] [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: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Research has evolved on aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process, but still there are very few studies on the treatment of excess AGS sludge, with almost none considering its aerobic digestion. Here therefore, the aerobic digestibility of typical AGS sludge was assessed. Granules were produced from acetate-based synthetic wastewater (WW) and were subjected to aerobic digestion for 64 d. The stabilization process was monitored over time through physical-chemical parameters, oxygen uptake rates (OUR) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The microbial analyses revealed that the cultivated granules were dominated by slow-growing bacteria, mainly ordinary heterotrophic organisms with potential for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) aerobic storage (PHA-OHOs), polyphosphate and glycogen accumulating organisms (PAOs and GAOs), fermentative anaerobes and nitrifiers (AOB and NOB). Differential abundance analysis of the bacterial data (before versus after digestion) discriminated between the most vulnerable microbiome genera and those most resistant to aerobic digestion. Furthermore, modeling of the stabilization process determined that the endogenous decay rate constant (bH) for the heterotrophs present in the granules was notably low; bH = 0.05 d-1 (average), four times less than for common activated sludge (AS), which is rated at 0.2 d-1. For first time, the research reveals another important feature of AGS sludge, i.e. the slow-decaying character of its bacteria (along with their known slow-growing character). This results in slower stabilization, need of bigger digesters and reconsideration of the specific OUR limits in biosolids regulations (SOUR limit of 1.5 mg/gTSS.h), for waste AGS compared to conventional waste AS. The study suggests that aerobic digestion of waste AGS (fully-granulated) could differ from that of conventional AS. Future work is needed on aerobic digestibility of real AGS sludges from municipal and industrial WWs, compared to synthetic WWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Fall
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico.
| | - M P Romero-Camacho
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico
| | - M T Olguín
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ), México. La Marquesa, Ocoyoacac, Mexico
| | - K Rosas-Echeverría
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico
| | - M Esparza-Soto
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico
| | - H Salinas-Tapia
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico
| | - M Lucero-Chávez
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico
| | - S Alcaraz-Ibarra
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico
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9
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Szombathy P, Nagy KK, Vértessy BG, Jobbágy A. Full-scale demonstration of a floating seal for enhanced biological nutrient removal in a sequencing batch reactor establishing chemical-free environment in wastewater treatment at low carbon source availability. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2024; 45:381-392. [PMID: 35965485 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2022.2111530] [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: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Due to the cyclical nature and changing water levels in the sequencing batch reactor (SBR), oxygen diffusion and utilization can be difficult to control particularly in light of the need to conserve the limited quantity of carbon source required to optimize biological nutrient removal. During the fill period, oxygen penetration may be undesirable since heterotrophic and autotrophic organisms cause a reduction in the readily biodegradable carbon source (rbCOD). This carbon source is essential and often limited in the anaerobic and anoxic periods. As a consequence, unwanted oxygen penetration can hinder efficient biological phosphorus and nitrogen removal. The purpose of the present research was to verify the advantage of a floating seal on the continuously moving surface of an SBR reactor to minimize undesirable oxygen penetration. In the floating seal-covered SBR both nitrification and denitrification efficiency proved to be higher due to insulation, and even during wintertime biological phosphorus removal met target removals without chemical dosing. The SVI values in the two SBR trains proved to be close to each other, despite the high difference in chemical dosing. Having experienced the higher efficiency of the seal-covered train, microbiome compositions of the two differently operated systems were investigated to determine potential differences via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing experiments. In the samples taken from the seal-covered system, higher ratios of fermentative bacteria and phosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) as well as glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) could be observed as compared to the samples deriving from the uncovered system.HighlightsSeal-covering the periodically decreasing open water surface increased SBR efficiencySeal-covering the open water surface increased nitrification efficiency by insulationNo chemical dosing was necessary for phosphorous removal in the Test systemMetagenome investigations provided almost doubled amount of fermentative bacteriaProduction of GAOs indicated nutrient deficiency due to phosphorous removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Szombathy
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kinga K Nagy
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
- Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Institute of Enzymology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Beáta G Vértessy
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
- Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Institute of Enzymology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andrea Jobbágy
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
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10
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Miyake M, Hasebe Y, Furusawa K, Shiomi H, Inoue D, Ike M. Enhancement of nutrient removal in an activated sludge process using aerobic granular sludge augmentation strategy with ammonium-based aeration control. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 340:139826. [PMID: 37586487 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139826] [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: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
To enhance nutrient removal from low-strength municipal wastewater in a continuous-flow activated sludge (CFAS) process using aerobic granular sludge (AGS) augmentation strategy, a pilot-scale demonstration was configured with a mainstream reactor (anaerobic/aerobic process) and a sidestream sequencing batch reactor for AGS production. The aeration of the mainstream reactor was controlled based on dissolved oxygen (DO) and ammonium concentrations during Phases I and II-III, respectively. During Phase III, an anoxic zone was created in the mainstream aerobic tank. Throughout the demonstration period, excellent sludge settleability in the mainstream reactor (SVI30 ≤ 80 mL g-1) under long sludge retention time conditions (≥12 d) allowed the maintenance of a high mixed liquor suspended solids concentration (≥3000 mg L-1). The total nitrogen (TN) removal ratio improved significantly during Phases II and III (49.3 ± 4.1% and 50.1 ± 10.2%, respectively) compared to Phase I (43.2 ± 5.5%). Low DO concentration (< 0.5 mg L-1) by the ammonium-based aeration tended to increase the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification efficiency (> 40%), enhancing TN removal (> 50%). The reduction of DO and nitrate concentrations in the returning sludge liquor can stabilize phosphorus removal (approximately 80% of the 25th percentile). In addition, the aeration efficiency during Phase III decreased by 26-29% compared to Phase I. These results suggest that the introduction of ammonium-based aeration control to the CFAS using the AGS augmentation strategy could contribute to superior sewerage treatment, including nutrient removal and a low carbon footprint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaki Miyake
- R&D Center, Organo Corporation, 4-4-1 Nishionuma, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0332, Japan; Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Yoshiaki Hasebe
- R&D Center, Organo Corporation, 4-4-1 Nishionuma, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0332, Japan
| | - Kazuki Furusawa
- Bureau of Sewerage, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 2-8-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-8001, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Shiomi
- Bureau of Sewerage, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 2-8-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-8001, Japan
| | - Daisuke Inoue
- Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Michihiko Ike
- Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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11
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Zeng Y, Zeng M, Cheng Y, Long B, Wu J. Cultivation of autotrophic nitrifying granular sludge for simultaneous removal of ammonia nitrogen and Tl(I). ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2023; 44:4017-4032. [PMID: 35574708 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2022.2077659] [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: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Autotrophic nitrifying granular sludge (ANGS) was cultivated for the simultaneous removal of ammonia nitrogen and Tl(I) from inorganic wastewater. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the influent gradually decreased to approximately zero in four parallel sequencing batch reactors (B1: blank controller, B2: 10 mL of added nitrifying bacteria concentrate in each cycle, B3: 1 mg/L Tl(I) added in each cycle and B4: 10 mL of added nitrifying bacteria concentrate and 1 mg/L Tl(I) in each cycle) within 15 days. The main properties, such as the granulation rate and specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) of the ANGS in B1, B2, B3 and B4 tended to be stable within 40, 33, 30 and 33 days, the removal efficiencies of Tl(I) were 59.5%-82.9% and 57.1%-88.6% in B3 and B4 after Day 30, the removal efficiencies of ammonia nitrogen in B1, B2, B3 and B4 were usually above 90% after Day 33, and the total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) in the effluent of B1, B2, B3 and B4 gradually stabilized after Day 36, 32, 32 and 36, indicating that mature ANGS was successfully cultivated in B1, B2, B3 and B4 within 40, 33, 33 and 36 days. The nitrogen degradation kinetic parameters of ANGS indicated that B3 had the strongest ability to remove ammonia and nitrite, suggesting that Tl(I) stress was beneficial to ammonia nitrogen removal and nitrite oxidation. The adsorption of Tl(I) can be described by the Freundlich equation, and the addition of external nitrifying bacteria improved the adsorption ability of ANGS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zeng
- School of Civil and Surveying & Mapping Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingjing Zeng
- School of Civil and Surveying & Mapping Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Cheng
- School of Civil and Surveying & Mapping Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Bei Long
- School of Civil and Surveying & Mapping Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Junfeng Wu
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Rehabilitation Technology, Pingdingshan, People's Republic of China
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12
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Ahmadi N, Abbasi M, Torabian A, van Loosdrecht MCM, Ducoste J. Biotransformation of micropollutants in moving bed biofilm reactors under heterotrophic and autotrophic conditions. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 460:132232. [PMID: 37690201 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132232] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the transformation of four pharmaceuticals (Diclofenac, Naproxen, Ibuprofen and Carbamazepine) in a moving bed biofilm reactor subjected to different COD/N ratios in four experimental phases. The shift from medium to high range COD/N ratio (i.e., 5:1 to 100:1) intensified the competition between heterotrophs and nitrifying communities, leading to a transition from co-existence of heterotrophic and autotrophic conditions with high COD removal and nitrification rate in phase I to dominant heterotrophic conditions in phase II. At lower range COD/N ratios (i.e., 1:2 and 1:8) in phase III and IV, autotrophic conditions prevailed, resulting in increased nitrification rates and high abundance of amoA gene in the biofilm. Such shifts in the operating condition were accompanied by notable changes in the biofilm concentrations, composition and abundance of microbial populations as well as biodiversity in the biofilms, which collectively affected the degradation rates of the pharmaceuticals. We observed higher kinetic rates per unit of biofilm concentration under autotrophic conditions compared to heterotrophic conditions for all compounds except Naproxen, indicating the importance of nitrification in the transformation of such compounds. The results also revealed a positive relationship between biodiversity and biomass-normalized kinetic rates of most compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navid Ahmadi
- School of Environment, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mona Abbasi
- School of Environment, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Torabian
- School of Environment, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629Hz Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Joel Ducoste
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
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13
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Rosas-Echeverría K, Fall C, Gutiérrez-Segura E, Romero-Camacho MP, Ba KM. Mechanisms of persistence and impact of ordinary heterotrophic organisms in aerobic granular sludge. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023:129346. [PMID: 37336447 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
The stability of granules, contaminant removal and microbial structure of an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process were investigated with a focus on ordinary heterotrophic organisms (OHOs). Long-term stable granules and high removals of COD (97 %), NH4+ (98 %), P (85 %) and total N (77 %) were achieved. Sequencing analyses identified 6.6 % of phosphorus-accumulating organisms in the sludge, concordant with the observed bio-P removal capacity. However, OHOs were the most abundant bacteria in the sludge (70-93 %) without resulting in unstable aggregates. Under current dogmas of microbial competition in activated sludge, it seemed contradictory that OHOs could persist in the long term in the AGS where COD was depleted beginning in the anaerobic phase. Microbial analyses showed that OHOs could survive in granules by micropredation, proteolysis, fermentation and EPS consumption. Heterotrophic-nitrification/ aerobic-denitrification was an active pathway in the AGS. These findings contribute to a better understanding of microbial competition in AGS and its stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Rosas-Echeverría
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Facultad de Química, Col Ciprés, C.P. 50120, Toluca, Mexico
| | - C Fall
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico.
| | - E Gutiérrez-Segura
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Facultad de Química, Col Ciprés, C.P. 50120, Toluca, Mexico
| | - M P Romero-Camacho
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico
| | - K M Ba
- Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias y Tecnología del Agua (IITCA), Carr. Toluca-Ixtlahuaca, km. 14.5, C.P. 50120, San Cayetano, Toluca, Mexico
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14
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Calderón-Franco D, van Loosdrecht MCM, Abeel T, Weissbrodt DG. Catch me if you can: capturing microbial community transformation by extracellular DNA using Hi-C sequencing. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2023:10.1007/s10482-023-01834-z. [PMID: 37156983 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-023-01834-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The transformation of environmental microorganisms by extracellular DNA is an overlooked mechanism of horizontal gene transfer and evolution. It initiates the acquisition of exogenous genes and propagates antimicrobial resistance alongside vertical and conjugative transfers. We combined mixed-culture biotechnology and Hi-C sequencing to elucidate the transformation of wastewater microorganisms with a synthetic plasmid encoding GFP and kanamycin resistance genes, in the mixed culture of chemostats exposed to kanamycin at concentrations representing wastewater, gut and polluted environments (0.01-2.5-50-100 mg L-1). We found that the phylogenetically distant Gram-negative Runella (102 Hi-C links), Bosea (35), Gemmobacter (33) and Zoogloea (24) spp., and Gram-positive Microbacterium sp. (90) were transformed by the foreign plasmid, under high antibiotic exposure (50 mg L-1). In addition, the antibiotic pressure shifted the origin of aminoglycoside resistance genes from genomic DNA to mobile genetic elements on plasmids accumulating in microorganisms. These results reveal the power of Hi-C sequencing to catch and surveil the transfer of xenogenetic elements inside microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thomas Abeel
- Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David G Weissbrodt
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
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15
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Haaksman VA, Schouteren M, van Loosdrecht MCM, Pronk M. Impact of the anaerobic feeding mode on substrate distribution in aerobic granular sludge. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 233:119803. [PMID: 36870106 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
There is a growing interest to implement aerobic granular sludge (AGS) in existing conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems with a continuous flow-through configuration. The mode of anaerobic contact of raw sewage with the sludge is an important aspect in the adaptation of CAS systems to accommodate AGS. It remains unclear how the distribution of substrate over the sludge by a conventional anaerobic selector compares to the distribution via bottom-feeding applied in sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). This study investigated the effect of the anaerobic contact mode on the substrate (and storage) distribution by operating two lab-scale SBRs; one with the traditional bottom-feeding through a settled sludge bed similar to full-scale AGS systems, and one where the synthetic wastewater was fed as a pulse at the start of the anaerobic phase while the reactor was mixed through sparging of nitrogen gas (mimicking a plug-flow anaerobic selector in continuous flow-through systems). The distribution of the substrate over the sludge particle population was quantified via PHA analysis, combined with the obtained granule size distribution. Bottom-feeding was found to primarily direct substrate towards the large granular size classes (i.e. large volume and close to the bottom), while completely mixed pulse-feeding gives a more equal distribution of substrate over all granule sizes (i.e. surface area dependant). The anaerobic contact mode directly controls the substrate distribution over the different granule sizes, irrespective of the solids retention time of a granule as an entity. Preferential feeding of the larger granules will enhance and stabilise the granulation compared to pulse-feeding, certainly under less advantageous conditions imposed by real sewage.
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Affiliation(s)
- V A Haaksman
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands.
| | - M Schouteren
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands
| | - M C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands
| | - M Pronk
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands; Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan 1914 35, Amersfoort, 3800 AL, The Netherlands
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16
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Brison A, Rossi P, Derlon N. Single CSTR can be as effective as an SBR in selecting PHA-storing biomass from municipal wastewater-derived feedstock. WATER RESEARCH X 2023; 18:100165. [PMID: 37250287 PMCID: PMC10214291 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2023.100165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A key step for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from organic waste streams is the selection of a biomass with a high PHA-storage capacity (selection-step), which is usually performed in sequencing batch reactors (SBR). A major advancement would be to perform such selection in continuous reactors to facilitate the full-scale implementation of PHA production from municipal wastewater (MWW)-derived feedstock. The present study therefore investigates to what extent a simple continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) represents a relevant alternative to anSBR. To this end, we operated two selection reactors (CSTR vs. SBR) on filtered primary sludge fermentate while performing a detailed analysis of the microbial communities, and monitoring PHA-storage over long-term (∼150 days) and during accumulation batches. Our study demonstrates that a simple CSTR is as effective as an SBR in selecting biomass with high PHA-storage capacity (up to 0.65 gPHA gVSS-1) while being 50% more efficient in terms of substrate to biomass conversion yields. We also show that such selection can occur on VFA-rich feedstock containing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in excess, whereas previously, selection of PHA-storing organisms in a single CSTR has only been studied under P limitation. We further found that microbial competition was mostly affected by nutrient availability (N and P) rather than by the reactor operation mode (CSTR vs. SBR). Similar microbial communities therefore developed in both selection reactors, while microbial communities were very different depending on N availability. Rhodobacteraceae gen. were most abundant when growth conditions were stable and N-limited, whereas dynamic N- (and P-) excess conditions favoured the selection of the known PHA-storer Comamonas, and led to the highest observed PHA-storage capacity. Overall, we demonstrate that biomass with high storage capacity can be selected in a simple CSTR on a wider range of feedstock than just P-limited ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Brison
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Rossi
- Central Environmental Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Derlon
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
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17
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Chen R, Shuai J, Xie Y, Wang B, Hu X, Guo W, Lyu W, Zhou D, Mosa A, Wang H. Aerobic granulation and microbial community succession in sequencing batch reactors treating the low strength wastewater: The dual effects of weak magnetic field and exogenous signal molecule. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 309:136762. [PMID: 36209862 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136762] [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: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The application of magneto-biological effects in wastewater treatment has been brought under the spotlight recently. This work explored the dual effects of magnetic field (MF) and exogenous N-hexanoyl-l-homoserine lactone (C6-HSL) on activated sludge granulation. Results showed that exposure to MF and C6-HSL obviously accelerated the aerobic granulation process and promoted the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances, especially polysaccharides, humic acid-like substances, aromatic proteins, and tryptophan-like substrates. Illumina MiSeq sequencing results indicated that the introduction of MF and C6-HSL can increase the diversity and richness of microbial community without antagonism, and the biological basis for rapid granulation process in this study was the enrichment of slow-growing bacteria Candidatus_Competibacter. Besides, the overgrowth of filamentous bacteria Thiothrix could be suppressed due to the presence of MF, improving the stabilities of aerobic granular sludge. This study provides a new understanding of the MF and C6-HSL effects on rapid aerobic granulation when treating the low-strength wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongfan Chen
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Jia Shuai
- China Energy Engineering Group Guangdong Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, 510663, China
| | - Yijia Xie
- Central and Southern China Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Wuhan, 430010, China
| | - Bin Wang
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Xiaoling Hu
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Wenbin Guo
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Wanlin Lyu
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Dao Zhou
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Ahmed Mosa
- Soils Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
| | - Hongyu Wang
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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18
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Barrón-Hernández LM, Gonzaga-Galeana VE, Colín-Cruz A, Esparza-Soto M, Lucero-Chávez M, Bâ K, Fall C. Consistency between the metabolic performance of two aerobic granular sludge systems and the functional groups of bacteria detected by amplicon sequencing. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:83512-83525. [PMID: 35768715 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-21692-y] [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: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Two sequential batch reactors (R1 and R2) of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were inoculated with activated sludge of different origins. The objective was to investigate the granulation and the consistency between the structure of the microbial communities (16S rRNA amplicon sequencing) in each reactor and their metabolic performance (removal of C, N, and P). Both reactors were fed with acetate-based synthetic wastewater, targeting an anaerobic-aerobic cycle reputed to favor the phosphorus- and glycogen-accumulating organisms (PAO and GAO). Stable granulation was achieved in both reactors, where, instead of PAO, the dominant genera were ordinary heterotrophic organisms (OHO) such as Thauera, Paracoccus, and Flavobacterium known for their high capacity of aerobic storage of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Generally, there was good consistency between the metabolic behavior of each reactor and the bacterial genera detected. Both reactors showed high removals of C and complete nitrification (Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira detected) but a low level of simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) during the aerated phase. The latter causes that nitrates were recycled to the initial phase, in detriment of PAO selection. Meanwhile, the study showed that selecting slow-growing OHOs (with aerobic storage capacity) favors stable granulation, revealing an alternative AGS technology for C and N removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilia Magdalena Barrón-Hernández
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Apdo postal 367, 50091, Toluca, C.P, Mexico
| | - Víctor Enrique Gonzaga-Galeana
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Apdo postal 367, 50091, Toluca, C.P, Mexico
| | - Arturo Colín-Cruz
- UAEM, Facultad de Química, Unidad Colón, Paseo Colón Esq. Paseo Tollocán Residencial Colón Y Col Ciprés, Estado de México, 50120, Toluca, Mexico
| | - Mario Esparza-Soto
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Apdo postal 367, 50091, Toluca, C.P, Mexico
| | - Mercedes Lucero-Chávez
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Apdo postal 367, 50091, Toluca, C.P, Mexico
| | - Khalidou Bâ
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Apdo postal 367, 50091, Toluca, C.P, Mexico
| | - Cheikh Fall
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM), Apdo postal 367, 50091, Toluca, C.P, Mexico.
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19
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Alves OIM, Araújo JM, Silva PMJ, Magnus BS, Gavazza S, Florencio L, Kato MT. Formation and stability of aerobic granular sludge in a sequential batch reactor for the simultaneous removal of organic matter and nutrients from low-strength domestic wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 843:156988. [PMID: 35772566 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Simultaneous removal of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus, via simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) and enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes, was evaluated in a pilot-scale sequential batch reactor. The focus was on granule's morphology, stability, microbiological composition, and reactor performance while treating diluted domestic wastewater with total chemical oxygen demand (CODt) of ≈ 200 mg.L-1. The applied organic loading rate was 0.9 ± 0.3 kg CODt.m-3.d-1 in the experiment. Aerobic granular sludge developed gradually. After 87-day operation, granules (diameter ≥ 0.2 mm) were ≥ 50 % of the biomass, and after 168 days, complete granulation was obtained (≥ 80 % of biomass). In the third period (days 168-247, complete granulation), mixed liquor biomass reached a volatile suspended solids (VSS) concentration of 1.2 ± 0.3 g VSS.L-1, with the granules remaining stable until the experimental end. In this period, low effluent concentrations of COD, nitrogen (NH4+-N, NO2--N and NO3--N) and phosphate (PO43-P) were obtained (mg.L-1): 36 ± 11; 4 ± 5; 3 ± 3, 4 ± 5; and 0.9 ± 0.4, respectively. COD, NH4+-N, and PO43--P removal efficiencies (%) were 80 ± 11; 83 ± 20; and 55 ± 24, respectively. Heterotrophic nitrification and SND were observed, resulting in a process efficiency of 31 % even with dissolved oxygen applied to saturation. The phosphate removal was mainly attributed to denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms. Pseudomonas, the dominant genus found, acted in nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Pseudoxanthomonas also assisted in phosphorus removal. Bacterial communities in the flocs (≈ 20 % of biomass) during the last period were similar to those in the granules; therefore, they constituted the basis for granule formation, directly contributed to the simultaneous good removal of organic matter and nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oucilane I M Alves
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Julliana M Araújo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil; Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Sertão Pernambucano, Campus Ouricuri, Estrada do Tamboril s/n, Zona Rural, Ouricuri, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Poliana M J Silva
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Bruna S Magnus
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
| | - Sávia Gavazza
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
| | - Lourdinha Florencio
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
| | - Mario T Kato
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
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20
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Jiang L, Li J, Wang H, Ge Z, Zhang L, Peng Y. Segregation of effect between granules and flocs in PN/A system treating acrylic fiber wastewater: Performance and mechanism. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 304:135344. [PMID: 35709850 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135344] [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: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen removal of petrochemical wastewater through partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) is appealing, but its feasibility and stability under toxic inhibition remain unclear. This study started a PN/A granular sludge system in a membrane bioreactor and fed it with diluted acrylic fiber wastewater. During long-term operation, the nitritation and anammox performance remained stable at a 30% volume ratio, and declined with increasing volume ratio, resulting in deteriorated nitrogen removal. Meanwhile, the short-term inhibition batch tests further showed that ammonia oxidation bacteria (AOB) in the flocs were suppressed while anammox bacteria (AnAOB) in the granules were not affected. Further analysis indicated suppression of AnAOB over the long-term operation, which was mainly caused by the disintegration of granules as demonstrated by sludge morphology. This selective inhibition is associated with variational sludge morphology, and the distribution of functional bacteria plays an important role in the feasibility and stability of PN/A treating acrylic fiber wastewater. As above, this study demonstrated the feasibility of PN/A for acrylic fiber wastewater treatment, but wastewater dilution or pre-treatment is still required for efficient nitrogen removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Jiang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Jialin Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Hui Wang
- SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Zheng Ge
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China.
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, China
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21
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Di Capua F, Iannacone F, Sabba F, Esposito G. Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification in biofilm systems for wastewater treatment: Key factors, potential routes, and engineered applications. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 361:127702. [PMID: 35905872 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) is an advantageous bioprocess that allows the complete removal of ammonia nitrogen through sequential redox reactions leading to nitrogen gas production. SND can govern nitrogen removal in single-stage biofilm systems, such as the moving bed biofilm reactor and aerobic granular sludge system, as oxygen gradients allow the development of multilayered biofilms including nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. Environmental and operational conditions can strongly influence SND performance, biofilm development and biochemical pathways. Recent advances have outlined the possibility to reduce the carbon and energy consumption of the process via the "shortcut pathway", and simultaneously remove both N and phosphorus under specific operational conditions, opening new possibilities for wastewater treatment. This work critically reviews the factors influencing SND and its application in biofilm systems from laboratory to full scale. Operational strategies to enhance SND efficiency and hints to reduce nitrous oxide emission and operational costs are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Di Capua
- Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry, Polytechnic University of Bari, Bari 70125, Italy.
| | | | | | - Giovanni Esposito
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, Naples 80125, Italy
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22
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Kosar S, Isik O, Cicekalan B, Gulhan H, Sagir Kurt E, Atli E, Basa S, Ozgun H, Koyuncu I, van Loosdrecht MCM, Ersahin ME. Impact of primary sedimentation on granulation and treatment performance of municipal wastewater by aerobic granular sludge process. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 315:115191. [PMID: 35526399 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Aerobic granules contain microorganisms that are responsible for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal in aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process in which aerobic/anoxic/anaerobic layers (from surface to core) occur in a single granule. Optimizing the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process for granulation and efficient nutrient removal can be challenging. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of settling prior to AGS process on granulation and treatment performance of the process. For this purpose, synthetic wastewater mimicking municipal wastewater was fed directly (Stage 1), and after primary sedimentation (Stage 2) to a laboratory-scale AGS system. In full-scale wastewater treatment plants, primary sedimentation is used to remove particulate organic matter and produce primary sludge which is sent to anaerobic digesters to produce biogas. Performances obtained in both stages were compared in terms of treatment efficiency, granule settling behavior, and granule morphology. Granulation was achieved in both stages with more than 92% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies in each stage. High nutrient removal was obtained in Stage 1 since anaerobic phase was long enough (i.e., 50 min) to hydrolyze particulate matter to become available for PAOs. Primary sedimentation caused a decrease in influent organic load and COD/N ratio, as a result, low nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies were observed in Stage 2 compared to Stage 1. With this study, the effect of the primary sedimentation on the biological removal performance of AGS process was revealed. COD requirement for nutrient removal in AGS systems should be assessed by considering energy generation via biogas production from primary sedimentation sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadiye Kosar
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Onur Isik
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Busra Cicekalan
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hazal Gulhan
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ece Sagir Kurt
- ISKI, Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration, Eyup, 34060, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ezgi Atli
- ISKI, Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration, Eyup, 34060, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Safak Basa
- ISKI, Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration, Eyup, 34060, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hale Ozgun
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ismail Koyuncu
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Mustafa Evren Ersahin
- Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Ayazaga Campus, Maslak, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey; National Research Center on Membrane Technologies, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey
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23
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Tsertou E, Caluwé M, Goossens K, Dobbeleers T, Dockx L, Poelmans S, Suazo KS, Dries J. Is building up substrate during anaerobic feeding necessary for granulation? WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2022; 86:763-776. [PMID: 36038975 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2022.236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
For a successful granulation process in activated sludge systems, the stimulation of slow growing organisms such as glycogen accumulating microorganisms (GAOs) is a key factor. Here we show that the introduction of an anaerobic feast followed by an aerobic famine phase successfully transforms bulking sludge, caused by the abundance of genus Kouleothrix, to a hybrid floccular-granular sludge. Two sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were operated for 228 days treating the same industrial wastewater derived from the cleaning of trucks transporting liquid food (the cargo consists of approximately 70% chocolate and 30% beer). By respectively applying a fast and slow feeding in two parallel SBRs, different degrees of substrate build-up were achieved in the two reactors during the feast phase. The F/M ratio over the feeding time was 1.41 ± 0.48 and 0.57 ± 0.16 kg COD·(kg VSS*d)-1 for the fast-fed and the slow-fed SBR respectively. Our results demonstrate that substrate build-up during the anaerobic selection step is not necessary to obtain well-settling granular-like sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini Tsertou
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Groenenborger, Groenenborgerlaan 171-2020, Antwerp E-mail:
| | - Michel Caluwé
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Groenenborger, Groenenborgerlaan 171-2020, Antwerp E-mail:
| | - Koen Goossens
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Groenenborger, Groenenborgerlaan 171-2020, Antwerp E-mail:
| | - Thomas Dobbeleers
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Groenenborger, Groenenborgerlaan 171-2020, Antwerp E-mail:
| | - Lennert Dockx
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Groenenborger, Groenenborgerlaan 171-2020, Antwerp E-mail:
| | - Sven Poelmans
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Groenenborger, Groenenborgerlaan 171-2020, Antwerp E-mail:
| | - Karina Seguel Suazo
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Groenenborger, Groenenborgerlaan 171-2020, Antwerp E-mail:
| | - Jan Dries
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Campus Groenenborger, Groenenborgerlaan 171-2020, Antwerp E-mail:
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24
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van den Berg L, Toja Ortega S, van Loosdrecht MC, de Kreuk MK. Diffusion of soluble organic substrates in aerobic granular sludge: Effect of molecular weight. WATER RESEARCH X 2022; 16:100148. [PMID: 35814501 PMCID: PMC9263526 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2022.100148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is an advanced biofilm-based technology for wastewater treatment. Diffusion of substrates into the granules is a key aspect of this technology. Domestic wastewater contains soluble organic substrates of different sizes that could potentially diffuse into the granules. In this study, the relation between the molecular weight of a substrate and its diffusion coefficient within the granule was studied with model substrates (polyethylene glycols (PEGs) with a molecular weight between 62 and 10 000 Da). The diffusion coefficients of the model substrates within granules from a full-scale installation were measured with the 'transient uptake of a non-reactive solute' method. The diffusion coefficients in the granules were not significantly different from the diffusion coefficients in water, at least up to 4000 Da molecular weight. This indicates that these PEGs were not obstructed by the granule matrix. The 10 kDa PEG behaved differently from the lighter PEGs, as it could not penetrate the entire granule. Furthermore, the granule structure was characterized with Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). The granules displayed an open structure with large macropores and semi-solid regions, which contained microbial cells. The diffusion results suggest that most diffusing molecules were unobstructed in the macropores and barely obstructed in the semi-solid regions. Only the diffusion of the 10 kDa PEG seemed to be hindered by the semi-solid regions, but not by the macropores. Lastly, the apparent molecular weight distribution of domestic wastewater soluble COD was determined with ultrafiltration membranes of 100, 10, and 1 kDa molecular weight cut-off. The influent fractionation revealed that a large part (61-69%) of the influent soluble COD was lighter than 1 kDa. As molecules lighter than 1 kDa diffuse easily, the majority of the influent soluble COD can be considered as diffusible COD. These findings provide new insight into the availability of influent COD for granular sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenno van den Berg
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
| | - Sara Toja Ortega
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
| | | | - Merle K. de Kreuk
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
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25
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Toja Ortega S, van den Berg L, Pronk M, de Kreuk MK. Hydrolysis capacity of different sized granules in a full-scale aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor. WATER RESEARCH X 2022; 16:100151. [PMID: 35965888 PMCID: PMC9364025 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2022.100151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactors, granules of different sizes coexist in a single reactor. Their differences in settling behaviour cause stratification in the settled granule bed. In combination with substrate concentration gradients over the reactor height during the anaerobic plug-flow feeding regime, this can result in functional differences between granule sizes. In this study, we compared the hydrolytic activity in granules of 4 size ranges (between 0.5 and 4.8 mm diameter) collected from a full-scale AGS installation. Protease and amylase activities were quantified through fluorescent activity assays. To visualise where the hydrolytic active zones were located within the granules, the hydrolysis sites were visualized microscopically after incubating intact and sliced granules with fluorescent casein and starch. The microbial community was studied using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and sequencing. The results of these assays indicated that hydrolytic capacity was present throughout the granules, but the hydrolysis of bulk substrates was restricted to the outer 100 µm, approximately. Many of the microorganisms studied by FISH, such as polyphosphate and glycogen accumulating organisms (PAO and GAO), were abundant in the vicinity of the hydrolytically active sites. The biomass-specific hydrolysis rate depended mainly on the available granule surface area, suggesting that different sized granules are not differentiated in terms of hydrolytic capacity. Thus, the substrate concentration gradients that are present during the anaerobic feeding in AGS reactors do not seem to affect hydrolytic activity at the granule surfaces. In this paper, we discuss the possible reasons for this and reflect about the implications for AGS technology.
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Key Words
- AGS, aerobic granular sludge
- AS, activated sludge
- Activity staining
- Aerobic granular sludge
- Biomass segregation
- COD, chemical oxygen demand
- EBPR, enhanced biological phosphorus removal
- EPS, extracellular polymeric substances
- FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization
- GAO, glycogen-accumulating organism
- Hydrolysis
- PAO, polyphosphate-accumulating organism
- Polymeric substrates
- SBR, sequencing batch reactor
- SND, simultaneous nitrification-denitrification
- SRT, solids retention time
- TSS, total suspended solids
- VFA, volatile fatty acid
- VSS, volatile suspended solids
- WWTP, wastewater treatment plant
- Wastewater treatment
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Toja Ortega
- Section Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, Delft 2628CN, the Netherlands
| | - Lenno van den Berg
- Section Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, Delft 2628CN, the Netherlands
| | - Mario Pronk
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft, HZ 2629, the Netherlands
- Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan 1914 35, Amersfoort, AL 3800, the Netherlands
| | - Merle K. de Kreuk
- Section Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, Delft 2628CN, the Netherlands
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26
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Brison A, Rossi P, Derlon N. Influent carbon to phosphorus ratio drives the selection of PHA-storing organisms in a single CSTR. WATER RESEARCH X 2022; 16:100150. [PMID: 35965889 PMCID: PMC9364015 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2022.100150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Enriching a biomass with a high fraction of polyhydroxyalkanoate-storing organisms (PHA-storers) represents an essential step in the production of PHAs (bioplastics) from municipal wastewater using mixed microbial cultures. A major challenge is however to create selective growth conditions that are favourable to PHA-storers. Our study thus investigates to what extent the influent COD to phosphorus (COD:P) ratio can be used as a tool for the robust selection of PHA-storers in a single continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor (CSTR). Therefore, we operated five CSTRs in parallel, fed with synthetic wastewater (50% acetate - 50% propionate) with different COD:P ratios (200-1000 gCOD gP-1), and performed a detailed analysis of the microbial communities over long-term (30-70 solid retention times). Our study demonstrates that efficient and robust selection of PHA-storers can be achieved in a single CSTR at high influent COD:P ratios. The selective advantage for PHA-storers increases with the influent COD:P ratio, but only if growth conditions remain limited by both C-substrate and P. In contrast, selection performance deteriorates when COD:P ratios are too high and growth conditions are limited by P only. At an optimal COD:P ratio of 800 gCOD gP-1, a stable microbial community consisting of >90% PHA-storers and dominated by Pannonibacter sp. was selected in the long-term. Finally, our results suggest that high COD:P ratios provide a selective advantage to microorganisms with low cellular P requirements, explaining why different PHA-storers (i.e., Xanthobacter sp. vs. Pannonibacter sp.) were selected depending on the influent COD:P ratio (i.e., 200 vs. 800 gCOD gP-1). Overall, our results provide relevant insights for the development of a new approach for selecting PHA-storers, based on the use of a single CSTR and control of the influent COD:P ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Brison
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Zürich 8093, Switzerland
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Rossi
- Central Environmental Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Derlon
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
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27
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Derlon N, Garcia Villodres M, Kovács R, Brison A, Layer M, Takács I, Morgenroth E. Modelling of aerobic granular sludge reactors: the importance of hydrodynamic regimes, selective sludge removal and gradients. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2022; 86:410-431. [PMID: 35960827 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2022.220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Hydraulic selection is a key feature of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) systems but existing aerobic granular sludge (AGS) models neglect those mechanisms: gradients over reactor height (Hreactor), selective removal of slow settling sludge, etc. This study aimed at evaluating to what extent integration of those additional processes into AGS models is needed, i.e., at demonstrating that model predictions (biomass inventory, microbial activities and effluent quality) are affected by such additional model complexity. We therefore developed a new AGS model that includes key features of full-scale AGS systems: fill-draw operation, selective sludge removal, distinct settling models for flocs/granules. We then compared predictions of our model to those of a fully mixed AGS model. Our results demonstrate that hydraulic selection can be predicted with an assembly of four continuous stirred tank reactors in series together with a correction code for plug-flow. Concentration gradients over the reactor height during settling/plug-flow feeding strongly impact the predictions of aerobic granular sludge models in terms of microbial selection, microbial activities and ultimately effluent quality. Hydraulic selection is a key to predict selection of storing microorganisms (phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAO) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAO)) and in turn effluent quality in terms of total phosphorus, and for predicting effluent solid concentration and dynamic during plug-flow feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Derlon
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland E-mail:
| | - Mercedes Garcia Villodres
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland E-mail: ; WABAG Water Technology Ltd, Bürglistrasse 31, CH-8400 Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - Róbert Kovács
- Dynamita, 7 Eoupe, La Redoute, Nyons 26110, France; Nonlineum, 37 Perjes str., Budapest 1165, Hungary
| | - Antoine Brison
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland E-mail:
| | - Manuel Layer
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland E-mail:
| | - Imre Takács
- Dynamita, 7 Eoupe, La Redoute, Nyons 26110, France
| | - Eberhard Morgenroth
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland E-mail: ; ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Zürich 8093, Switzerland
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28
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Sanchez L, Carrier M, Cartier J, Charmette C, Heran M, Steyer JP, Lesage G. Enhanced organic degradation and biogas production of domestic wastewater at psychrophilic temperature through submerged granular anaerobic membrane bioreactor for energy-positive treatment. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 353:127145. [PMID: 35413419 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study deals with the conversion of organic matter into methane at ambient temperature, during anaerobic digestion of domestic wastewater combined with a submerged ultrafiltration membrane with no gas-sparging. A one-stage submerged granular anaerobic membrane bioreactor (G-AnMBR) and a control anaerobic digester (UASB type) were operated during four months, after 500 days of biomass acclimatization to psychrophilic and low loading rate conditions. Membrane barrier led to the retention of biomass, suspended solids and dissolved and colloidal organic matter which greatly enhanced total COD (tCOD) removal (92.3%) and COD to methane conversion (84.7% of tCOD converted into dissolved and gaseous CH4). G-AnMBR overcame the usual long start-up period and led to a higher sludge heterogeneity, without altering the granular biomass activity. The feasibility of the G-AnMBR without gas-sparging was also assessed and the net positive energy balance was estimated around + 0.58 kWh.m-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Sanchez
- Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Morgane Carrier
- Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Jim Cartier
- Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Christophe Charmette
- Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Marc Heran
- Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Geoffroy Lesage
- Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France.
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29
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van Dijk EJH, Haaksman VA, van Loosdrecht MCM, Pronk M. On the mechanisms for aerobic granulation - model based evaluation. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 216:118365. [PMID: 35413626 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118365] [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: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this study a mathematical framework was developed to describe aerobic granulation based on 6 main mechanisms: microbial selection, selective wasting, maximizing transport of substrate into the biofilm, selective feeding, substrate type and breakage. A numerical model was developed using four main components; a 1D convection/dispersion model to describe the flow dynamics in a reactor, a reaction/diffusion model describing the essential conversions for granule growth, a setting model to track granules during settling and feeding, and a population model containing up to 100,000 clusters of granules to model the stochastic behaviour of the granulation process. With this approach the model can explain the dynamics of the granulation process observed in practice. This includes the presence of a lag phase and a granulation phase. Selective feeding was identified as an important mechanism that was not yet reported in literature. When aerobic granules are grown from activated sludge flocs, a lag phase occurs, in which not many granules are formed, followed by a granulation phase in which granules rapidly appear. The ratio of granule forming to non-granule forming substrate together with the feast/famine ratio determine if the transition from the lag phase to the granulation phase is successful. The efficiency of selective wasting and selective feeding both determine the rate of this transition. Brake-up of large granules into smaller well settling particles was shown to be an important source for new granules. The granulation process was found to be the combined result from all 6 mechanisms and if conditions for either one are not optimal, other mechanisms can, to some extent, compensate. This model provides a theoretical framework to analyse the different relevant mechanisms for aerobic granular sludge formation and can form the basis for a comprehensive model that includes detailed nutrient removal aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J H van Dijk
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft 2629 HZ, the Netherlands; Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan1914 35, Amersfoort 3800 AL, the Netherlands.
| | - Viktor A Haaksman
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft 2629 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Mark C M van Loosdrecht
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft 2629 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Mario Pronk
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, Delft 2629 HZ, the Netherlands; Royal HaskoningDHV, Laan1914 35, Amersfoort 3800 AL, the Netherlands
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30
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Hausherr D, Niederdorfer R, Bürgmann H, Lehmann MF, Magyar P, Mohn J, Morgenroth E, Joss A. Successful mainstream nitritation through NOB inactivation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 822:153546. [PMID: 35101485 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153546] [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: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The development of new wastewater treatment processes can assist in reducing the impact of wastewater treatment on the environment. The recently developed partial nitritation anammox (PNA) process, for example, consumes less energy for aeration and reduces nitrate in the effluent without requiring additional organic carbon. However, achieving stable nitritation (ammonium oxidation; NH4+ → NO2-) at mainstream conditions (T = 10-25 °C, C:N > 10, influent ammonium < 50 mgNH4-N/L and effluent < 1 mgNH4-N/L) remains challenging. This study explores the potential and mechanism of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) suppression in a bottom-fed sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Two bench-scale (11 L) reactors and a pilot-scale reactor (8 m3) were operated for over a year and were fed with organic substrate depleted municipal wastewater. Initially, nitratation (nitrite oxidation; NO2- → NO3-) occurred occasionally until an anaerobic phase was integrated into the operating cycle. The introduction of the anaerobic phase effectively suppressed the regrowth of NOB while nitritation was stable over 300 days, down to 8 °C and at ammonium influent concentrations < 25 mgNH4-N/L. Batch experiments and process data revealed that parameters typically affecting NOB growth (e.g., dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, trace elements, lag-phase after anoxia, free nitrous acid (FNA), free ammonia (FA), pH, sulfide, or solids retention time (SRT)) could not fully explain the suppression of nitratation. Experiments in which fresh nitrifying microbial biomass was added to the nitritation system indicated that NOB inactivation explained NOB suppression better than NOB washout at high SRT. This study concludes that bottom-fed SBRs with anaerobic phases allow for stable nitritation over a broad range of operational parameters. Coupling this type of SBR to an anammox reactor can enable efficient mainstream anammox-based wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Hausherr
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Process Engineering Department, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - R Niederdorfer
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Surface Water Department, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.
| | - H Bürgmann
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Surface Water Department, 6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.
| | - M F Lehmann
- University of Basel, Aquatic and Isotope Biogeochemistry, Department of Environmental Sciences, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - P Magyar
- University of Basel, Aquatic and Isotope Biogeochemistry, Department of Environmental Sciences, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - J Mohn
- Empa, Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Air Pollution/Environmental Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - E Morgenroth
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Process Engineering Department, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - A Joss
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Process Engineering Department, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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Zhang B, Li W, Wu L, Shi W, Lens PNL. Rapid start-up of photo-granule process in a photo-sequencing batch reactor under low aeration conditions: Effect of inoculum AGS size. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 820:153204. [PMID: 35051449 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153204] [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: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The photo-granule process is an effective and economically feasible alternative for wastewater treatment, but little information is available regarding how to speed up the photo-granulation process. In this study, the effect of inoculum aerobic granular sludge (AGS) size on the start-up of the photo-granule process was investigated under low aeration conditions (superficial gas velocity of 0.5 cm/s). For this purpose, the inoculum AGS was sorted into various size-categories (0.4-0.8 mm, 0.8-1.4 mm, 1.4-2.2 mm, and > 2.2 mm) to serve as individual inoculum sludge. The excellent settling properties (SVI5 of 39.3 mL/g), strong mechanical strength, efficient nutrient removal (COD: 94.2-97.1%; TN: 80.1-84.8%; TP: 60.4-91.5%), and high biodiesel yields (12.11 mg/g MLSS) were rapidly achieved in the system inoculated with 0.8-1.4 mm AGS. The granulation process was facilitated by filamentous algae as the nucleus, extracellular polymeric substances as the backbone, and the enrichment of functional bacteria (such as Thauera and Sphingorhabdus). Furthermore, the inherent influencing mechanisms of inoculum AGS size on the photo-granulation were revealed from cellular hydrophobicity, surface thermodynamics, and sludge aggregation behavior. This study provides a novel start-up approach of the photo-granule process by inoculating with the optimal AGS size, which is convenient, practically feasible and significantly reduced the aeration consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Zhang
- School of Environmental and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
| | - Wei Li
- POWERCHINA Chengdu Engineering Corporation Ltd., Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Lian Wu
- School of Environmental and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
| | - Wenxin Shi
- School of Environmental and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
| | - Piet N L Lens
- UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Westvest 7, 2601, DA Delft, the Netherlands
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BOU-SARKIS A, PAGLIACCIA B, RIC A, DERLON N, PAUL E, BESSIERE Y, GIRBAL-NEUHAUSER E. Effects of alkaline solvents and heating temperatures on the solubilization and degradation of gel-forming Extracellular Polymeric Substances extracted from aerobic granular sludge. Biochem Eng J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2022.108500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Miyake M, Hasebe Y, Furusawa K, Shiomi H, Inoue D, Ike M. Efficient aerobic granular sludge production in simultaneous feeding and drawing sequencing batch reactors fed with low-strength municipal wastewater under high organic loading rate conditions. Biochem Eng J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2022.108469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Fall C, Barrón-Hernández LM, Gonzaga-Galeana VE, Olguín MT. Ordinary heterotrophic organisms with aerobic storage capacity provide stable aerobic granular sludge for C and N removal. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 308:114662. [PMID: 35144064 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114662] [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: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The study investigated the mechanisms and microbial communities underlying the long-term stability and removal performances shown by aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor involving polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) aerobic-storing bacteria. The characteristics of the sludge, removal performances and bacterial community structure were determined. The prevailing metabolic phenotype was similar in the parent conventional activated sludge (CAS) reactor and its upgraded AGS version, showing high COD and NH4 uptake, versus low P and N reduction. Polyphosphate and glycogen accumulating organisms, PAO and GAO, were not enriched in the reactors despite initial targeting of anaerobic-aerobic cycle. Instead, PHA-aerobic storing bacteria (Thauera and Paracoccus) were dominant, but revealing a stable AGS system for BOD and N removal. The PAO/GAO failed selection and Thauera overgrowth were analyzed for beneficial use in developing alternative AGS technology for BOD and N removal applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Fall
- Universidad Autónoma Del Estado de México (UAEM, IITCA, Ex CIRA), Apdo Postal 367, Toluca, C.P.50091, Mexico.
| | - L M Barrón-Hernández
- Universidad Autónoma Del Estado de México (UAEM, IITCA, Ex CIRA), Apdo Postal 367, Toluca, C.P.50091, Mexico
| | - V E Gonzaga-Galeana
- Universidad Autónoma Del Estado de México (UAEM, IITCA, Ex CIRA), Apdo Postal 367, Toluca, C.P.50091, Mexico
| | - M T Olguín
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ), México. Departamento de Química, La Marquesa, Ocoyoacac, Mexico
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Brison A, Rossi P, Gelb A, Derlon N. The capture technology matters: Composition of municipal wastewater solids drives complexity of microbial community structure and volatile fatty acid profile during anaerobic fermentation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 815:152762. [PMID: 34990680 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) represents a relevant option to valorize municipal wastewater (MWW). In this context, different capture technologies can be used to recover organic carbon from wastewater in form of solids, while pre-treatment of those solids has the potential to increase VFA production during subsequent fermentation. Our study investigates how VFA composition produced by fermentation is influenced (i) by the choice of the capture technology, as well as (ii) by the use of thermal alkaline pre-treatment (TAP). Therefore, the fermentation of solids originating from a primary settler, a micro-sieve, and a high-rate activated sludge (HRAS) system was investigated in continuous lab-scale fermenters, with and without TAP. Our study demonstrates that the capture technology strongly influences the composition of the produced solids, which in turn drives the complexity of the fermenter's microbial community and ultimately, of the VFA composition. Solids captured with the primary settler or micro-sieve consisted primarily of polysaccharides, and led to the establishment of a microbial community specialized in the degradation of complex carbohydrates. The produced VFA composition was relatively simple, with acetate and propionate accounting for >90% of the VFAs. In contrast, the HRAS system produced biomass-rich solids associated with higher protein contents. The microbial community which then developed in the fermenter was therefore more diversified and capable of converting a wider range of substrates (polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids). Ultimately, the produced VFA composition was more complex, with equal fractions of isoacids and propionate (both ~20%), while acetate remained the dominant acid (~50%). Finally, TAP did not significantly modify the VFA composition while increasing VFA yields on HRAS and sieved material by 35% and 20%, respectively. Overall, we demonstrated that the selection of the technology used to capture organic substrates from MWW governs the composition of the VFA cocktail, ultimately with implications for their further utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Brison
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Pierre Rossi
- Central Environmental Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Arnaud Gelb
- Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Nicolas Derlon
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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Reproducibility of Aerobic Granules in Treating Low-Strength and Low-C/N-Ratio Wastewater and Associated Microbial Community Structure. Processes (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/pr10030444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term stability of the aerobic granular sludge system is essentially based on the microbial community structure of the biomass. In this study, the physicochemical and microbial characteristics of sludge and wastewater treatment performance were investigated regarding formation, maturation, and long-term maintenance of granules in two parallel sequencing batch reactors (SBR), R1 and R2, under identical conditions. The aim was to explore the linkage between microbial community structure of the aerobic granules, their long-term stability, as well as the reproducibility of granulation and long-term stability. The two reactors were operated with a COD concentration of 400 mg/L and a chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen (COD/N) ratio of 4:1 under anoxic–oxic conditions. It was found that although SVI30, sludge size, and distributions in R1 and R2 were different, aerobic granules were formed, and they maintained long-term stability in both reactors for 320 days, implying that a certain level of randomness of granulation does not affect the long-term stability and performance for COD and N removal. In addition, a significant reduction in the richness and diversity of microbial production was observed after the sludge was converted from inoculum or flocs to granules, but this did not negatively affect the performance of wastewater treatment. Among the predominant microbial species in aerobic granules, Zoogloea was identified as the most important bacteria present during the whole operation with the highest abundance, while Thauera was the important genus in the formation and maturation of the aerobic granules, but it cannot be maintained long-term due to the low food-to-microorganisms ratio (F/M) in the system. In addition, some species from Ohtaekwangia, Chryseobacterium, Taibaiella, and Tahibacter were found to proliferate strongly during long-term maintenance of aerobic granules. They may play an important role in the long-term stability of aerobic granules. These results demonstrate the reproducibility of granulation, the small influence of granulation on long-term stability, and the robustness of aerobic granulation for the removal of COD and N. Overall, our study contributes significantly to the understanding of microbial community structure for the long-term stability of aerobic granular sludge in the treatment of low-COD and low-COD/N-ratio wastewater in practice.
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Geng Y, Cui D, Yang L, Xiong Z, Pavlostathis SG, Shao P, Zhang Y, Luo X, Luo S. Resourceful treatment of harsh high-nitrogen rare earth element tailings (REEs) wastewater by carbonate activated Chlorococcum sp. microalgae. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 423:127000. [PMID: 34461547 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The discharge of rare earth element (REE) tailings wastewater results in serious ecological deterioration and health risk, due to high ammonia nitrogen, and strong acidity. The low C/N ratio makes it recalcitrant to biodegradation. Recently it has been shown that microalgal technology has a promising potential for the simultaneous harsh wastewater treatment and resource recovery. However, the low nitrogen removal rate and less biomass of microalgae restricted its development. In this work, Chlorococcum sp. was successfully isolated from the rare earth mine effluent. The microalgae was capable of enhancing nitrogen contaminants removal from REEs wastewater due to the carbonate addition, which simulated the activity increase of carbonic anhydrase (CA). The total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal rate reached 4.45 mg/L h-1, which compared to other microalgal species, the nitrogen removal rate and biomass yield were 7.8- and 4.9-fold higher, respectively. Notably, high lipid contents (mainly triglycerides, 43.85% of dry weight) and a high biomass yield were obtained. Meanwhile, the microalgae had an excellent settleability attributed to higher extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) formation, leading to easier resource harvest. These results were further confirmed in a continuous-flow photobioreactor with a stable operation for more than 30 days, indicating its potential for application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanni Geng
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China; Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China
| | - Dan Cui
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Liming Yang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China; Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China.
| | - Zhensheng Xiong
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China; Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China
| | - Spyros G Pavlostathis
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0512, USA
| | - Penghui Shao
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China; Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China
| | - Yakun Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China; Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China
| | - Xubiao Luo
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China; Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China.
| | - Shenglian Luo
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China; Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, PR China
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Dockx L, Caluwé M, Dobbeleers T, Dries J. Nitrous oxide formation during simultaneous phosphorus and nitrogen removal in aerobic granular sludge treating different carbon substrates. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 345:126542. [PMID: 34906707 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126542] [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: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The impact of different substrates on N2O dynamics and gene expression of marker enzymes (nirS, nirK and nosZ) involved in denitrifying enhanced biological phosphorus removal (d-EBPR) was investigated. Aerobic granular sludge fed with VFAs led to an anoxic P-uptake (27.7 ± 1.2 mg PO43--P.gVSS-1) and N2O emissions up to 80.7 ± 3.4% N2O-N. A decisive role of Accumulibacter in N2O formation was observed. Dosage of amino acids (12.0 ± 1.2 mg PO43--P.gVSS-1) and glucose (1.5 ± 0.9 mg PO43--P.gVSS-1) as sole substrate did not support d-EBPR activity. Presence of NO2- resulted in higher N2O formation in comparison to nitrate and a nosZ/(nirS + nirK) ratio lower than 0.3. A linear correlation (R2 > 0.95) between the nosZ/(nirS + nirK) ratio and the N2O reductase rate was found only when dosing the same type of substrate. This suggests an interplay between the microbial community composition and different polyhydroxyalkanoates derivatives, when dosing different substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennert Dockx
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp 2020, Belgium
| | - Michel Caluwé
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp 2020, Belgium
| | - Thomas Dobbeleers
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp 2020, Belgium
| | - Jan Dries
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp 2020, Belgium.
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Hollow-Fiber Membrane Contactor for Biogas Recovery from Real Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Permeate. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12020112. [PMID: 35207034 PMCID: PMC8877462 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12020112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
This study demonstrates the application of hollow-fiber membrane contactors (HFMCs) for the recovery of biogas from the ultrafiltration permeate of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) and synthetic effluents of pure and mixed CH4 and CO2. The developed membrane degassing setup was coupled with a pilot-scale AnMBR fed with synthetic domestic effluent working at 25 °C. The membrane degassing unit was able to recover 93% of the total dissolved CH4 and 83% of the dissolved CO2 in the first two hours of permeate recirculation. The initial recovery rates were very high (0.21 mg CH4 L−1 min−1 and 8.43 mg CO2 L−1 min−1) and the membrane was able to achieve a degassing efficiency of 95.7% for CH4 and 76.2% for CO2, at a gas to liquid ratio of 1. A higher mass transfer coefficient of CH4 was found in all experimental and theoretical evaluations compared to CO2. This could also be confirmed from the higher transmembrane mass transport resistance to CO2 rather than CH4 found in this work. A strong dependency of the selective gas transport on the gas and liquid side hydrodynamics was observed. An increase in the liquid flow rate and gas flow rate favored CH4 transport and CO2 transport, respectively, over each component. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the collective AnMBR and membrane degassing setup for biogas recovery. Still, additional work is required to improve the membrane contactor’s performance for biogas recovery during long-term operation.
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40
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De Vleeschauwer F, Caluwé M, Dobbeleers T, Stes H, Dockx L, Kiekens F, Copot C, Dries J. A dynamically controlled anaerobic/aerobic granular sludge reactor efficiently treats brewery/bottling wastewater. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2021; 84:3515-3527. [PMID: 34928823 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2021.470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the application of a dynamic control strategy in an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor treating real variable brewery/bottling wastewater. For 482 days, the anaerobic and aerobic reaction steps in a lab-scale AGS system were controlled dynamically. A pH-based control was used for the anaerobic step, and an oxygen uptake rate (OUR) based control for the aerobic step. Additionally, the effect of an elongated aerobic step, and the effect of the removal of the suspended solids from the influent, on AGS formation were also investigated. In comparison to a static operation, the dynamic operation resulted in similar reactor performance, related to effluent quality and the anaerobic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) uptake efficiency, while the organic loading rate was significantly higher. The removal of suspended solids from the influent by chemical coagulation with FeCl3 turned hybrid floccular-granular sludge into fully granular sludge. The granulation coincided with a significant increase in the abundance of the glycogen-accumulating Candidatus Competibacter and an increase in the content of gel-forming EPS to respectively around 14% and 30%. In conclusion, this study showed the successful application of a dynamic control strategy based on common and low-cost sensors for AGS treatment of industrial wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flinn De Vleeschauwer
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorisation and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium E-mail:
| | - Michel Caluwé
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorisation and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium E-mail:
| | - Thomas Dobbeleers
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorisation and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium E-mail:
| | - Hannah Stes
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorisation and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium E-mail: ; Pantarein Water BVBA, Egide Walschaersstraat 22 L, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium
| | - Lennert Dockx
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorisation and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium E-mail:
| | - Filip Kiekens
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Cosmin Copot
- Research group Op3Mech, Optical Metrology, 3D Design and Mechanics, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jan Dries
- Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorisation and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium E-mail:
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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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42
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Dockx L, Caluwé M, De Vleeschauwer F, Dobbeleers T, Dries J. Impact of the substrate composition on enhanced biological phosphorus removal during formation of aerobic granular sludge. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 337:125482. [PMID: 34320762 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Performance of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is often investigated with simple synthetic wastewater containing volatile fatty acids (VFAs). In this study, various (fermentable) substrates, individually and in mixtures, were examined during the application of a granulation strategy. In addition, the microbial community and N2O formation were monitored. Sludge densification was observed in all systems. Stable EBPR, associated with the presence of Accumulibacter and an anaerobic P-release up to 21.9 mgPO43--P.gVSS-1, was only obtained when VFAs were present as sole substrate or in mixture. Systems fed with VFAs were strongly related to the formation of N2O (maximum of 6.25% relative to the total available nitrogen). A moderate anaerobic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) uptake was observed when amino acids (64.27 ± 3.08%) and glucose (75.39 ± 5.79%) as sole carbon source were applied. The substrate/species-specific enrichment of Burkholderiaceae and Saccharimonadaceae respectively, resulted in unstable EBPR in those systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennert Dockx
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Michel Caluwé
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Flinn De Vleeschauwer
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Thomas Dobbeleers
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Jan Dries
- BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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Wei SP, Stensel HD, Ziels RM, Herrera S, Lee PH, Winkler MKH. Partitioning of nutrient removal contribution between granules and flocs in a hybrid granular activated sludge system. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 203:117514. [PMID: 34407486 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sludge granulation in continuous-flow systems is an emerging technology to intensify existing activated sludge infrastructure for nutrient removal. In these systems, the nutrient removal contributions and partitioning of microbial functions between granules and flocs can offer insights into process implementations. To this end, a reactor system that simulates the continuous-flow environment using an equal amount of initial granule and floc biomass was investigated. The two operational strategies for maintaining granule growth in the continuous-flow system were (a) the higher solids retention time (SRT) for the granules versus flocs, as well as (b) selective feeding of carbon to the granules. The SRT of the large granule fractions (>425 µm, LG) and floc/small granule fractions (<425 µm, FSG) were controlled at 20 and 2.7-6.0 days, respectively. Long term operation of the hybrid granule/floc system achieved high PO43- and NH4+ removal efficiencies. Higher polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO) activity was observed in the FSG than LG, while ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) activities were similar in the two biomass fractions. Nitrite shunt was observed in the FSG, possibly due to out-competition by the high NOB activity in LG. More importantly, washing out the FSG caused a reduction in LG's AOB and PAO activity, indicating a possible dependency of LG on FSG for maintaining its nutrient removal capacity. Our findings highlighted the partitioning and potential competition/cooperation of key microbial functional groups between LG and FSG, facilitating nutrient removal in a hybrid granular activated sludge system, as well as implications for practical application of the treatment platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany P Wei
- University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - H David Stensel
- University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - Ryan M Ziels
- University of British Columbia, Department of Civil Engineering, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Stephanie Herrera
- University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Po-Heng Lee
- Imperial College London, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Skempton Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
| | - Mari-K H Winkler
- University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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Liou HC, Sabba F, Wang Z, Wells G, Balogun O. Layered viscoelastic properties of granular biofilms. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 202:117394. [PMID: 34256191 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Granular biofilms are dense spherical complex biological systems composed mainly of multi-microbial cells, water, and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). They facilitate efficient purification and settling of activated sludge in wastewater treatment processes. The viscoelastic properties of these complex biofilm systems are important characteristics that control their growth and dictate how they respond to hydrodynamic forces and chemical stimuli. However, the viscoelastic properties of granular biofilms are poorly understood. In this paper, we study granular biofilms' viscoelastic properties using optical coherence elastography (OCE), a nondestructive method that integrates optical coherence tomography (OCT) with elastic wave propagation. While quantitative viscoelastic characterization of granular biofilms is challenging due to their heterogeneous properties, we show that elastic waves are suitable for this purpose. First, we employ guided elastic waves in a thin section of a granular biofilm to reveal a two-layered profile for the viscoelastic properties. Next, we utilize circumferential elastic waves that propagate near the surface of a non-sectioned spherical biofilm to quantify the layered system's viscoelastic properties. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first quantitative study that characterizes the layered viscoelastic properties of granular biofilms. The measurement approach may provide a platform to study the interplay between the viscoelastic properties and other characteristics of granular biofilms such as the complex microbial system, morphology, and oxygen distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Cin Liou
- Mechanical Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| | - Fabrizio Sabba
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| | - Ziwei Wang
- Mechanical Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| | - George Wells
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| | - Oluwaseyi Balogun
- Mechanical Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States; Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States.
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45
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Effect of an Increased Particulate COD Load on the Aerobic Granular Sludge Process: A Full Scale Study. Processes (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/pr9081472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
High concentrations of particulate COD (pCOD) in the influent of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) systems are often associated to small granule diameter and a large fraction of flocculent sludge. At high particulate concentrations even granule stability and process performance might be compromised. However, pilot- or full-scale studies focusing on the effect of real wastewater particulates on AGS are scarce. This study describes a 3-month period of increased particulate loading at a municipal AGS wastewater treatment plant. The pCOD concentration of the influent increased from 0.5 g COD/L to 1.3 g COD/L, by adding an untreated slaughterhouse wastewater source to the influent. Sludge concentration, waste sludge production and COD and nutrient removal performance were monitored. Furthermore, to investigate how the sludge acclimatises to a higher influent particulate content, lipase and protease hydrolytic activities were studied, as well as the microbial community composition of the sludge. The composition of the granule bed and nutrient removal efficiency did not change considerably by the increased pCOD. Interestingly, the biomass-specific hydrolytic activities of the sludge did not increase during the test period either. However, already during normal operation the aerobic granules and flocs exhibited a hydrolytic potential that exceeded the influent concentrations of proteins and lipids. Microbial community analysis also revealed a high proportion of putative hydrolysing and fermenting organisms in the sludge, both during normal operation and during the test period. The results of this study highlight the robustness of the full-scale AGS process, which can bear a substantial increase in the influent pCOD concentration during an extended period.
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Moraes Schambeck C, Ribeiro da Costa RH, Derlon N. Phosphate removal from municipal wastewater by alginate-like exopolymers hydrogels recovered from aerobic granular sludge. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 333:125167. [PMID: 33894450 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This worked assessed the potential of alginate-like exopolymers (ALE) hydrogels recovered from aerobic granular sludge (AGS) in removing compounds commonly present in municipal wastewater. Batch sorption experiments were performed with ALE hydrogels at different operating conditions. Results showed that ALE hydrogels can only remove phosphate, at removal efficiencies of up to 90.8% and practical loadings of 1.22 ± 0.07 mg PO43--P/g TSALE. Phosphate removal was observed even in the presence of competing ions. Moreover, neutral to acidic pH values strongly impaired the phosphate removal (28.9 ± 0.8% at pH = 6.00), while basic pH at around 8.50 was the most favourable (up to 90.8% at pH = 8.67). However, ALE hydrogels contributed to the increase in COD, total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the bulk liquid, what suggests that ALE need to be further tailored. Therefore, this study demonstrates that ALE represent a relevant approach for the recovery of phosphates from municipal wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cássio Moraes Schambeck
- Federal University of Santa Catarina, Trindade University Campus, Sanitary and Environmental Engineering Department, 88040-970 Florianópolis, Brazil; Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Rejane Helena Ribeiro da Costa
- Federal University of Santa Catarina, Trindade University Campus, Sanitary and Environmental Engineering Department, 88040-970 Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Nicolas Derlon
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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Anaerobic hydrolysis of complex substrates in full-scale aerobic granular sludge: enzymatic activity determined in different sludge fractions. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:6073-6086. [PMID: 34302200 PMCID: PMC8390406 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11443-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Complex substrates, like proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, are major components of domestic wastewater, and yet their degradation in biofilm-based wastewater treatment technologies, such as aerobic granular sludge (AGS), is not well understood. Hydrolysis is considered the rate-limiting step in the bioconversion of complex substrates, and as such, it will impact the utilization of a large wastewater COD (chemical oxygen demand) fraction by the biofilms or granules. To study the hydrolysis of complex substrates within these types of biomass, this paper investigates the anaerobic activity of major hydrolytic enzymes in the different sludge fractions of a full-scale AGS reactor. Chromogenic substrates were used under fully mixed anaerobic conditions to determine lipase, protease, α-glucosidase, and β-glucosidase activities in large granules (>1 mm in diameter), small granules (0.2–1 mm), flocculent sludge (0.045–0.2 mm), and bulk liquid. Furthermore, composition and hydrolytic activity of influent wastewater samples were determined. Our results showed an overcapacity of the sludge to hydrolyze wastewater soluble and colloidal polymeric substrates. The highest specific hydrolytic activity was associated with the flocculent sludge fraction (1.5–7.5 times that of large and smaller granules), in agreement with its large available surface area. However, the biomass in the full-scale reactor consisted of 84% large granules, making the large granules account for 55–68% of the total hydrolytic activity potential in the reactor. These observations shine a new light on the contribution of large granules to the conversion of polymeric COD and suggest that large granules can hydrolyze a significant amount of this influent fraction. The anaerobic removal of polymeric soluble and colloidal substrates could clarify the stable granule formation that is observed in full-scale installations, even when those are fed with complex wastewaters. Key points • Large and small granules contain >70% of the hydrolysis potential in an AGS reactor. • Flocculent sludge has high hydrolytic activity but constitutes <10% VS in AGS. • AGS has an overcapacity to hydrolyze complex substrates in domestic wastewater. Graphical abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-021-11443-3.
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Avila I, Freedman D, Johnston J, Wisdom B, McQuarrie J. Inducing granulation within a full-scale activated sludge system to improve settling. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2021; 84:302-313. [PMID: 34312338 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2021.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Most cold-climate biological nutrient removal facilities experience poor settling mixed liquor during winter, resulting in treatment capacity throughput limitations. The Metro Wastewater Reclamation District in Denver, Colorado, operated two full-scale secondary treatment trains to compare the existing biological nutrient removal configuration (Control) to one that was modified to operate with an anaerobic selector and with hydrocyclone selective wasting (Test) to induce granulation. Results from this evaluation showed that the Test achieved significantly better settling behaviour than the Control. The difference in the mean diluted SVI30 between the Test and Control were statistically significant (P < 0.05), with values of 77 ± 17 and 135 ± 25 mL/g observed for the Test and Control respectively. These settling results were accompanied by differences in the particle size distribution, with notably higher settling velocities commensurate with increasing particle size. The degree of granulation observed in the Test train was between 32 and 56% of the mass greater than ≥250 μm in particle size whereas 16% of the mixed liquor in the Control was ≥250 μm over the entire study period. The improved settling behaviour of the Test configuration may translate into an increase of secondary treatment capacity during winter by 32%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Avila
- Metro Wastewater Reclamation District, 6450 York St., Denver, Colorado 80229, United States
| | - Dan Freedman
- Metro Wastewater Reclamation District, 6450 York St., Denver, Colorado 80229, United States
| | - Joel Johnston
- City of Springfield Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant, 3301 S. State Hwy FF, Springfield, MO 65807, United States
| | - Blair Wisdom
- Metro Wastewater Reclamation District, 6450 York St., Denver, Colorado 80229, United States
| | - James McQuarrie
- Tetra Tech, 1560 Broadway, Ste. 1400 & 1450, Denver, CO 80202, United States
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Nguyen Quoc B, Armenta M, Carter JA, Bucher R, Sukapanpotharam P, Bryson SJ, Stahl DA, Stensel HD, Winkler MKH. An investigation into the optimal granular sludge size for simultaneous nitrogen and phosphate removal. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 198:117119. [PMID: 33957310 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
An aerobic granular sludge (AGS) pilot plant fed with a mixture of acetate amended centrate and secondary effluent was used to investigate the optimal granule size range for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) and ortho-phosphate removal. The anaerobic phase was mixed to understand how AGS will perform if integrated with a continuous flow activated sludge system that cannot feed the influent through the settled sludge bed. Five different granule size fractions were taken from the pilot (operated at DO setpoint of 2mgO2/L) and each size was subjected to activity tests in a well-controlled lab-scale AGS reactor at four dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations of 1, 2, 3, and 4 mgO2/L. The size fractions were: 212 - 600 µm, 600 - 1000 µm, 1000 - 1400 µm, 1400 - 2000 µm, and >2000 µm. The smallest size range (212 - 600 µm) had the highest nitrification and phosphate removal rates at DO setpoints from 1 - 3 mgO2/L, which was attributed to the higher aerobic volume fraction in small granules and hence a higher abundance of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAO) and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB). In comparison, large granules (>1000 µm) had 1.4 - 4.7 times lower ammonia oxidation rates than the smallest size range, which aligned with their lower AOB abundance relative to granule biomass. The granules with the highest anoxic volume fraction had the highest abundance of nitrite reductase genes (nir gene) but did not show the highest specific nitrogen removal rate. Instead, smaller granules (212 - 600 and 600 - 1000 µm), which had a lower nir gene abundance, had the highest specific nitrogen removal rates (1.2 - 3.1 times higher than larger granules) across all DO values except at 4 mgO2/L. At a DO setpoint of 4 mgO2/L, nitrite production by ammonia oxidation (ammonia monooxygenase) exceeded nitrite reduction by nitrite reductase in granules smaller than 1000 µm, in addition, some denitrifying heterotrophs switched to oxygen utilization in deeper layers hence suppressing denitrification activity. At the DO range of 2 - 4 mg/L, granular size had a greater effect on nutrient removal than DO. Therefore, for AGS developed at an average DO setpoint of 2 mgO2/L, selecting for size fractions in the range of 212 - 1000 µm and avoiding DO values higher than 3 mgO2/L can achieve both a higher nitrogen removal capacity and energy savings. This study is the first to investigate the influence of different DO values on SND and biological phosphorus removal performance of different aerobic granular sludge sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bao Nguyen Quoc
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Maxwell Armenta
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John A Carter
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robert Bucher
- Resource Recovery Section, Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources, Parks, WA, USA
| | - Pardi Sukapanpotharam
- Resource Recovery Section, Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources, Parks, WA, USA
| | - Samuel J Bryson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David A Stahl
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - H David Stensel
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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50
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Zhao C, Wei D, Fan D, Meng S, Bian S, Zhang X, Du B, Wei Q. Coupling of nitrifying granular sludge into microbial fuel cell system for wastewater treatment: System performance, electricity production and microbial community shift. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 326:124741. [PMID: 33494005 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.124741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A novel electrochemical system coupling of nitrifying granular sludge (NGS) into microbial fuel cell (MFC) system was conducted for simultaneous electricity production and wastewater treatment under sequencing batch mode. After 60 days operation, the contaminants of organic and NH4+-N removal efficiencies of the system were high of 95.43% and 98.55%, respectively. The maximum output voltage and power density of the MFC were average at 170 mV and 33.24 mW/m2, respectively. According to EEM-PARAFAC model, the soluble microbial products (SMP) released from anode and cathode chambers could be identified two fluorescence components. Additionally, the fluorescence score of protein-like substances changed more obvious than those of humic-like and fulvic acid-like substances. Geobacter and Nitrospiraceae were the dominant functional populations in the anode and cathode chambers, respectively. The result could provide a potential application technology based on NGS-MFC for simultaneously treatment of organic matter and ammonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanfu Zhao
- School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
| | - Dong Wei
- School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China; CECEP Guozhen Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd, Hefei 230088, PR China.
| | - Dawei Fan
- Key Laboratory of Interfacial Reaction & Sensing Analysis in Universities of Shandong, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
| | - Shuangyu Meng
- School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
| | - Shuyi Bian
- School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
| | - Xinwen Zhang
- School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
| | - Bin Du
- School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
| | - Qin Wei
- Key Laboratory of Interfacial Reaction & Sensing Analysis in Universities of Shandong, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
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