Evaluation of natural materials as exogenous carbon sources for biological treatment of low carbon-to-nitrogen wastewater

Passive Dosing of Organic Substrates for Nitrate-Removing Bioreactors Applied in Field Margins

Denitrifying bioreactors are dependent on organic matter supply as a substrate for effective NO removal. In this study, the difference in removal efficiency and side effects when using different organic matter sources and dosing strategies was tested in two field experiments. The organic matter sources tested were woodchips and ethanol. The effect of woodchips was tested using woodchip-enveloped drains. Ethanol was supplied to a flow-through reactor by passive dosing by diffusion through silicone tubing. The woodchip-enveloped drains showed a removal efficiency of 80% during the first year of application, but this rate decreased during the second and third years of application, coinciding with a decrease in dissolved organic C and an increase in redox potential. The removal efficiency was higher and remained higher over a longer period of time when the drains were installed more deeply. The flow-through reactor with ethanol could lead to a higher removal efficiency (up to 95%) at higher hydraulic retention time (HRT, 0.1 d) than the woodchip-enveloped drains (HRT = 5 d). Passive dosing of organic substrates is simple, needs little maintenance and no energy, and can be performed independent of electricity. A denitrifying bioreactor with a controlled drainage inlet and outlet is a promising setup for optimizing N removal and minimizing side effects.

Properties and evolution of dissolved organic matter during co-composting of dairy manure and Chinese herbal residues

Composting is an effective method in treating solid organic wastes, in which dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays an important role in transformation of organic matter and microbial activity. Therefore, an understanding of the properties and evolution of DOM during composting is crucial. In this study, DOM was studied using elemental analysis, spectroscopic analysis (UV-vis, FTIR, and pyrolysis-GC/MS), and colloidal analysis during a 120-day composting. Results showed that the content of N and O in DOM increased while C and H content declined progressively over the composting time. Aliphatic C-H stretching, aromatic C=C or C=O stretching of amide groups, and C-O stretch (carbohydrates) showed an obvious decrease, while COO- and C-N groups had a significant increase. The evolution of DOM indicated a gradual decrease of the lipid and polysaccharide fractions, whereas an increase of aromatic and nitrogenous compounds was observed. The DOM also showed a more stable status, and an accumulation of small molecular compounds occurred with composting proceeded. Taken together, these results shed a good insight into the properties and evolution of DOM during a composting process.