Ultrasonic reduction of excess sludge from activated sludge system II: urban sewage treatment

Previous study showed that sonication was effective to reduce waste activated sludge (WAS) using artificial wastewater. This paper confirms the viability and evaluates the performance of this method in practical wastewater treatment using urban sewage without temperature control. The results showed that sonication significantly lowered the WAS and biomass synthesis, and greatly enhanced the mineralization of sewage organics. The optimal specific energy for sludge lysis was 20.0k Wh/kg DS. Further energy-increase had little benefit on WAS reduction. When the specific energy was 20.0kWh/kgDS and the sludge recycle ratio was 0.007, the WAS decreased by 54%, the biomass synthesis abated by 59%, and the sewage mineralization ratio increased from 31% to 58%. The effluent COD and nitrogen were stable but phosphorus was higher than that of the control bioreactor. The COD removal was lower but the WAS reduction was higher for urban sewage than for artificial wastewater. The accumulation pattern of heavy metals in sludge was greatly alternated by the sonication-cryptic growth; and different metals behaved differently. The sludge Ni concentration increased by 141% while As decreased by 53%.     

Effect of Aeolosoma hemprichi on excess activated sludge reduction

In order to stabilize the growth of A. hemprichi and minimize the sludge production through biological predation, A. hemprichi was inoculated in batch and continuous experiments to investigate the growth characteristics and the effect on sludge reduction in this study. Various available volatile suspended solid (AVSS) concentrations were obtained after the ultrasonic irradiation on pre-sterilized sludge. It was found the density of A. hemprichi was proportionate to AVSS concentration. A. hemprichi reached the maximum density when AVSS concentration was more than 3000mg/L. No obvious difference was found between the initial specific growth ratio (mu) of A. hemprichi at various AVSS concentrations. When N>0.5N(L), mu decreased with the increase of A. hemprichi and Logistic model was adopted to fit the growth of A. hemprichi. Sludge reduction rate was correlated with both the growth rate and the density of A. hemprichi. The results indicated the sludge reduction rate was maximum at the density of 315ind./mL. Sludge retention time (SRT) could effectively control the growth density of A. hemprichi in continuous tests.     

Reduction of excess sludge production in sequencing batch reactor through incorporation of chlorine dioxide oxidation

In this study, chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) instead of chlorine (Cl₂) was proposed to minimize the formation of chlorine-based by-products and was incorporated into a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for excess sludge reduction. The results showed that the sludge disintegrability of ClO₂ was excellent. The waste activated sludge at an initial concentration of 15 g MLSS/L was rapidly reduced by 36% using ClO₂ doses of 10 mg ClO₂/g dry sludge which was much lower than that obtained using Cl₂ based on similar sludge reduction efficiency. Maximum sludge disintegration was achieved at 10 mg ClO₂/g dry sludge for 40 min. ClO₂ oxidation can be successfully incorporated into a SBR for excess sludge reduction without significantly harming the bioreactor performance. The incorporation of ClO₂ oxidation resulted in a 58% reduction in excess sludge production, and the quality of the effluent was not significantly affected.     

Sludge reduction potential of the activated sludge process by integrating an oligochaete reactor

An oligochaete reactor linked to an integrated oxidation ditch with vertical cycle (IODVC) was used to investigate the sludge reduction potential induced by worms. The presence of Tubificidae was observed in the worm reactor throughout the operational period after its inoculation, and Tubificidae was occasionally found in the IODVC. Free-swimming worms, Aeolosoma hemprichi, Nais elinguis, and Aulophorus furcatus, were found in both the IODVC and the worm reactor, but A. hemprichi was dominant. A. hemprichi reached its maximum, 322 and 339 Aeolosoma/mL mixed liquor on day 49 in the worm reactor and the IODVC, respectively. The presence of oligochaetes or the integration of worm reactor with the IODVC had little effect on sludge yield, but the worm growth was helpful for improving sludge settling characteristics. The average sludge yield and sludge volume index (SVI) in the IODVC were 0.33 kgSS/kgCOD(removed) and 78 mL/g, respectively. The worm presence had little impact on effluent quality of the IODVC, but it caused phosphorus release into the effluent. The average COD, NH(4)(+)-N, and SS concentrations in the effluent of the IODVC were 49.06, 12.82, and 58.25 mg/L, respectively. No total nitrogen (TN) release into the effluent of the IODVC occurred.     

Solubilization of excess sludge in activated sludge process using the solar photo-Fenton reaction

The solubilization of excess sludge by the solar photo-Fenton reaction has been investigated for the reduction of excess sludge in the activated sludge process. The solubilization kinetics depended on the dosages of the Fenton reagents, Fe and H(2)O(2). Increases of initial Fe and H(2)O(2) concentrations in their ranges studied in this work continuously enhanced the sludge solubilization. Cell lysis by the photo-Fenton reaction caused the increase in dissolved chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the first step of sludge solubilization. The further oxidative decomposition of the discharged organic compounds by the photo-Fenton reaction led to the decrease in the dissolved COD as the second step of sludge solubilization. The increase of dissolved COD in the first step of sludge solubilization and the consumption of H(2)O(2) could be described by the pseudo-zero order kinetics based on the accumulated light energy. About 40% reduction of mixed-liquor suspended solids (MLSS) by the solar photo-Fenton reaction was found. It was found that solar light used as a light energy source instead of costly and hazardous artificial UV light was very effective. The dissolved COD for solar photo-Fenton reaction increased faster and by 1.5 times as compared with that by artificial UV light.     

Study of the Technological Parameters of Ultrasonic Nebulization

The principle of an ultrasonic nebulizer is based on the vibrations of a piezoelectric crystal driven by an alternating electrical field. These periodic vibrations are characterized by their frequency, their amplitude, and their intensity, which corresponds to the energy transmitted per surface unit. When the vibration intensity is sufficient, cavitation occurs, and droplets are generated. Ventilation enables airflow to cross the nebulizer and to expel the aerosol droplets. For a given nebulizer, the vibration frequency of the piezoelectric crystal is fixed, often in the range 1–2.5 MHz. In most cases, an adjustment in vibration intensity is possible by modifying vibration amplitude. The ventilation level is adjustable. The vibrations may be transmitted through a coupling liquid—commonly water—to a nebulizer cup containing the solution to be aerosolized. In this work, we studied the influence of the technological parameters of ultrasonic nebulization on nebulization quality. Our study was carried out with a 9% sodium chloride solution and a 2% protein solution (α1 protease inhibitor). Three different ultrasonic nebulizers were used. An increase in vibration frequency decreased the size of droplets emitted. The coupling liquid absorbed the energy produced by the ultrasonic vibrations and canceled out any heating of the solution, which is particularly interesting for thermosensitive drugs. An increase in vibration intensity did not modify the size of droplets emitted, but decreased nebulization time and raised the quantity of protein nebulized, thus improving performance. On the other hand, an increase in ventilation increased the size of emitted droplets and decreased nebulization time and the quantity of protein nebulized because more drug was lost on the walls of the nebulizer. High intensity associated with low ventilation favors drug delivery deep into the lungs.     

Optimization of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production by excess activated sludge and microbial community analysis

In this study, a high value-added and biodegradable thermoplastic, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), was produced by excess activated sludge. The effects of the nutritional condition, aeration mode, sodium acetate concentration and initial pH value on PHB accumulation in the activated sludge were investigated. The maximum PHB content and PHB yield of 67.0% (dry cell weight) and 0.740gCODgCOD(-1) (COD: chemical oxygen demand), respectively, were attained by the sludge in the presence of 6.0gL(-1) sodium acetate, with an initial pH value of 7.0 and intermittent aeration. The analysis of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-denaturing gradient-gel-electrophoresis (DGGE) sequencing indicated that the microbial community of the sludge was significantly different during the process of PHB accumulation. Three PHB-accumulating microorganisms, which were affiliated with the Thauera, Dechloromonas and Competibacter lineages, were found in the excess activated sludge under different operating conditions for PHB accumulation.     

Effect of chemical composition on the flocculation dynamics of latex-based synthetic activated sludge

This study investigates the effect of calcium, alginate, fibrous cellulose, and pH on the flocculation dynamics and final properties of synthetic activated sludges. A laboratory-scale batch reactor, fed with standard synthetic sludges was used. The effects of varying calcium concentration (5-25 mM), alginate concentration (25-125 mg/L), fibrous cellulose concentration (0.2-0.8 g/L) and pH (3-9) on the sludge characteristics were studied by varying one parameter whilst keeping the others constant. The results from experiments indicated that the calcium, alginate, fibrous cellulose, and pH had the critical effect on the aggregation rate, flocs size, and made the improvement of the final properties of sludge. Dynamic measurements have established the optimum conditions for floc formation and can accurately reflect the state of formation of the synthetic activated sludge flocs. These correlate well with measurements of settleability and turbidity of the synthetic activated sludge. The results of this study support the bonding theory and indicate that formation of cations-polymer complexes and polymer gelation are important means of flocculation. The development of synthetic activated sludges is suggested also to be a possible surrogate for studying the final properties of activated sludge.     

Techno-economic evaluation of PHB production from activated sludge

Activated sludge biomass enriched under suitable conditions is a promising source for poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production, a biodegradable polymer. The techno-economic evaluation of PHB production using activated sludge biomass has been carried out. The PHB yield and plant capacity was found to significantly affect the PHB production cost. The PHB production cost for a plant processing (fermentation) capacity of 100 m³/day and 44% PHB yield is about US$ 11.8/kg, which reduces to US$ 5.38/kg for 1,000 m³/day plant capacity and 70% PHB yield. The cost of the carbon substrate was found to significantly affect the overall economics of PHB production.     

Effect of sintering temperature on the characteristics of sludge ceramsite

In order to investigate the effect of sintering temperature on the characteristics of sludge ceramsite and find an optimal sintering temperature, dried sewage sludge, clay, and water glass were mixed at ratios of dried sewage sludge/clay=33% and water glass/clay=15%. Then these mixtures were heated to 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1100, and 1200 degrees C for production of sludge ceramsite. The sludge ceramsite were characterized by DTA-TGA, SEM-EDS, XRD, and XRF. The results indicate that the differences in thermal behaviours are caused by the compositional and structural variations; the ceramsite sintered at 1000 degrees C has more uniformly distributed finer pores (0.5 microm相似文献   

Adsorption of heavy metals from wastewater with waste activated sludge

Abstract

The purpose of this study is the investigation of the adsorption of heavy metals from wastewater with waste activated sludge (WAS) so as to increase the operational flexibility of activated sludge processes for the shock loading problems of heavy metals. By contacting the raw wastewater with WAS, before it entered the activated sludge process unit, some heavy metals in the wastewater were removed, and the pH value of the acidic wastewater rose. Five metals, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd and Pb, were studied, some factors which affected this biosorption phenomena were investigated, and expressions of the adsorption isotherms were discussed. A semi‐empirical mass transfer‐adsorption model was developed to describe the kinetic experimental data.     

Metal sorption on soils as affected by the dissolved organic matter in sewage sludge and the relative calculation of sewage sludge application

To evaluate the influences of sewage sludge-derived organic matters on metal sorption and on the resultant sludge loading estimates, a batch experiment was conducted to compare the sorption of Ni, Cu and Pb in sewage sludge filtrates (1:20 sewage sludge to water) on eight soils and the adsorption of metals in a reference solution which had the same matrix as the sewage sludge filtrate except dissolved organic material (henceforth referred to as reference solution). Metal sorption could be well fitted by linear isotherm and the dissolved organic matter in sludge significantly depressed the sorption (p<0.01). The main factor controlling sorption of Ni on different soils was dominated by soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) and sorption of Cu and Pb was by soil organic matter (SOM). The parameters obtained from the sorption isotherm equations were then used to estimate sludge loadings into the soils. When the sorption parameters derived from the reference solution were used for calculation, that is the effect of dissolved organic matter was not considered, the calculated safe application rates are approximately 47.8, 51.4, 34.2, 31.3, 21.7, 46.3, 187.1 and 27.6 t-sludge/ha for the Beijing, Jiangxi, Xiamen, Jilin, Guangdong, Wuhan, Gansu and Xinjiang soils, respectively. However, when the sorption parameters derived from the dissolved organo-metallic complexes are used for calculation, the corresponding application rates are reduced to approximately 6.0, 3.4, 1.9, 10.0, 6.3, 3.6, 7.3 and 3.5 t-sludge/ha, respectively. By this study we can get a conclusion that the effect of sewage sludge derived dissolved organic matter on heavy metal sorption and soil properties should be considered in the course of regulating the safe application rates of sewage sludge to soil.     

A study on the dewatering of industrial waste sludge by fry-drying technology

In sludge treatment, drying sludge using typical technology with high water content to a water content of approximately 10% is always difficult because of adhesive characteristics of sludge. Many methods have been applied, including direct and indirect heat drying, but these approaches of reducing water content to below 40% after drying is very inefficient in energy utilization of drying sludge. In this study, fry-drying technology with a high heat transfer coefficient of approximately 500 W/m² °C was used to dry industrial wastewater sludge. Also waste oil was used in the fry-drying process, and because the oil's boiling point is between 240 and 340 °C and the specific heat is approximately 60% of that of water. In the fry-drying system, the sludge is input by molding it into a designated form after heating the waste oil at temperatures between 120 and 170 °C. At these temperatures, the heated oil rapidly evaporates the water contained in the sludge, leaving the oil itself. After approximately 10 min, the water content of the sludge was less than 10%, and its heating value surpassed 5300 kcal/kg. Indeed, this makes the organic sludge appropriate for use as a solid fuel. The wastewater sludge used in this study was the designated waste discharged from chemical, leather and plating plants. These samples varied in characteristics, especially with regard to heavy metal concentration. After drying the three kinds of wastewater sludge at oil temperatures 160 °C for 10 min, it was found that the water content in the sludge from the chemical, leather, and plating plants reduced from 80.0 to 5.5%, 81.6 to 1.0%, and 65.4 to 0.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the heat values of the sludge from the chemical, leather, and plating plants prior to fry-drying were 217, 264, and 428 kcal/kg, respectively. After drying, these values of sludge increased to 5317, 5983 and 6031 kcal/kg, respectively. The heavy metals detected in the sludge after drying were aluminum, lead, zinc, mercury, and cadmium. Most importantly, if the dried sludge is used as a solid fuel, these heavy metals can be collected from the dust collector after combustion.     

Isolation and characterization of a nitrobenzene degrading yeast strain from activated sludge

Strain Z1 was isolated from nitrobenzene-contaminated sludge. Strain Z1 was able to utilize nitrobenzene as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy under aerobic condition. Based on the morphology, physiological biochemical characteristics, and 26S rDNA D1/D2 domain sequence, strain Z1 was identified as Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Strain Z1 mineralized up to 450mg L(-1) nitrobenzene. Kinetics of nitrobenzene degradation was described using the Andrews equation. The kinetic parameters were as follows: q(max)=1.50h(-1), K(s)=31.31mg L(-1), and K(i)=101.34mg L(-1). Strain Z1 had a high-salinity tolerance. It degraded nitrobenzene effectively in 5% NaCl (quality concentration). Even in the presence of aniline or phenol, strain Z1 degraded nitrobenzene efficiently. Strain Z1 therefore could be an excellent candidate for the bio-treatment of nitrobenzene industrial wastewaters.     

Ultrasonic investigation of the interaction of hydrogen-dislocations in copper crystals

In this paper we present experimental data of ultrasonic velocity and attenuation obtained in a high purity crystalline sample of copper hydrogenated by gaseous charge. The sample is oriented in the 〈1 1 1〉 crystallographic direction and aged for this work in three stages between 64 and 97 days. The results indicate that the hydrogen is mainly segregated at the dislocation core, inhibiting the hydrogen Snoek-Köster relaxations verified at earlier ageing stages. Despite this, a contribution to viscosity in the kink-chain resonance is provided by the mobile hydrogen in the dislocation core by its side movement along the dislocation line. At temperatures at which the hydrogen begins to freeze in the lattice the geometrical kinks find a gradual increase on the hindering of their movements along dislocation lines, becoming immobile when the hydrogen is completely frozen in the crystal, anchoring the dislocations in short loops. Although the viscosity associated with the mobile hydrogen is removed, the resonance associated with geometrical kinks is not completely cancelled. The interaction of hydrogen-dislocation can be fully described in terms of kinks in dislocations.     

Incineration of a small particle of wet sewage sludge: a numerical comparison between two states of the surrounding atmosphere

The main goal of this paper is to elaborate a mathematical model that represents the physics and chemistry involved when a small particle of wet sewage sludge is incinerated. Compared to existing models, our study includes both drying and heterogenous combustion of the pyrloysis residue of the processed sludge. This model relies on the assumption of homogeneous composition and temperature for the particle under study. It includes drying, pyrolysis (controlled by a four successives steps reaction pathway) and combustion of the resulting char. The ability of the model is illustrated using it in two different process conditions (representing thermogravemetric analysis and fluidized bed conditions) in order to investigate the influence of the surrounding atmosphere. It is found, that fluidized bed conditions reduce the burnout time of a small particle by enhancing the rate at which heat is transferred to that particle. It is also shown that high heating rates enhance the tar yield.     

Degradation of quinoline by Rhodococcus sp. QL2 isolated from activated sludge

A novel aerobic gram-positive bacterial strain capable of utilizing quinoline as sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy was isolated from activated sludge of a coke plant wastewater treatment process. The isolate was identified as Rhodococcus sp. QL2 based on its morphology, physiochemical properties in addition to the results from 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The optimum temperature and the pH for its growth were 35–40 °C and 8.0, respectively. Extra nitrogen sources stimulated the bacterial growth on quinoline. Strain QL2 had strong quinoline degradability, and its degradation kinetics could be described with Haldane's model. Strain QL2 also had a broad range of substrate utilization. Identification of intermediates by GC/MS showed Rhodococcus sp. QL2 degraded quinoline via two pathways simultaneously.     

Ultrasonic determination of the particle concentration in model suspensions and ice slurry

The development of ice slurry for refrigeration systems and the enhancement of its efficiency depend on an accurate control of the ice concentration. We present here an ultrasonic method capable to measure precisely the particle concentration in ice slurry. To calibrate the ultrasonic measurement, we first determine the sound velocity and attenuation in two model suspensions (glass beads/polyethylene glycol and polyethylene beads/vaseline oil) for different particle volume fractions. The experimental results show a good agreement with the predictions of the two-component models in the long-wavelength limit. Additionally, the sound attenuation reveals a clear signature of the aggregate formation in the nearly iso-dense suspension. We next conduct the measurement of the sound velocity in the polypropylene glycol ice slurry where the ice concentration changes with temperature. The ice concentrations extracted from our sound velocity measurements are well consistent with the values determined from the binary phase diagram.     

Cyanide removal from cassava mill wastewater using Azotobactor vinelandii TISTR 1094 with mixed microorganisms in activated sludge treatment system

Cassava mill wastewater has a high organic and cyanide content and is an important economic product of traditional and rural low technology agro-industry in many parts of the world. However, the wastewater is toxic and can pose serious threat to the environment and aquatic life in the receiving waters. The ability of Azotobactor vinelandii TISTR 1094, a N₂-fixing bacterium, to grow and remove cyanide in cassava wastewater was evaluated. Results revealed that the cells in the exponential phase reduce the level of cyanide more rapidly than when the cells are at their stationary growth phase. The rate of cyanide removal by A. vinelandii depends on the initial cyanide concentration. As the initial cyanide concentration increased, removal rate increased and cyanide removal of up to 65.3% was achieved. In the subsequent pilot scale trial involving an activated sludge system, the introduction of A. vinelandii into the system resulted in cyanide removals of up to 90%. This represented an improvement of 20% when compared to the activated sludge system which did not incorporate the strain.     

Ultrasonic recovery of copper and iron through the simultaneous utilization of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) spent acid etching solution and PCB waste sludge

A method was developed to recover the copper and iron from Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) manufacturing generated spent acid etching solution and waste sludge with ultrasonic energy at laboratory scale. It demonstrated that copper-containing PCB spent etching solution could be utilized as a leaching solution to leach copper from copper contained PCB waste sludge. It also indicated that lime could be used as an alkaline precipitating agent in this method to precipitate iron from the mixture of acidic PCB spent etching solution and waste sludge. This method provided an effective technique for the recovery of copper and iron through simultaneous use of PCB spent acid solution and waste sludge. The leaching rates of copper and iron enhanced with ultrasound energy were reached at 93.76% and 2.07% respectively and effectively separated copper from iron. Followed by applying lime to precipitate copper from the mixture of leachate and rinsing water produced by the copper and iron separation, about 99.99% and 1.29% of soluble copper and calcium were settled as the solids respectively. Furthermore the settled copper could be made as commercial rate copper. The process performance parameters studied were pH, ultrasonic power, and temperature. This method provided a simple and reliable technique to recover copper and iron from waste streams generated by PCB manufacturing, and would significantly reduce the cost of chemicals used in the recovery.