Reduction of waste biosolids by RAS-ozonation: Model validation and sensitivity analysis for biosolids reduction and nitrification

Biosolids reduction model by return activated sludge ozonation was validated by simulating nitrification data compiled from our pilot-scale and the literature studies. Then, a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) was performed to identify influential and non-influential parameters for biosolids reduction efficiency, change in specific nitrification activity (SNA), and alteration to expected nitrification stability. In general, the model outputs were sensitive to operational and ozone reaction parameters, but not to biochemical parameters. For operational parameters, mainly temperature and initial solids retention time (SRT) influenced all model outputs. For biosolids reduction, increase in the degradability of the influent COD decreased the reduction efficiency. For SNA, the changes were highly dependent on the influent TKN/COD ratio. Our findings also imply that the stability of the nitrification process in ozonated systems should be enhanced at constant MLVSS for warm temperatures, but could be reduced at temperatures below 12 °C and aerated SRTs below 10 days.     

Impact of the addition of an enzyme pool on an activated sludge system treating dairy wastewater under fat shock loads

BACKGROUND: The application of lipase‐rich enzyme pools (such as the crude solid enzymatic preparation (SEP) obtained from Penicillium restrictum solid‐state fermentation of agro‐industrial wastes) to activated sludge systems may be an effective strategy for preventing various operational problems. The continuous addition of SEP to the treatment system can become cost‐prohibitive when in situ production and/or storage are factored in. The application of SEP to high‐fat wastewater treatment would only be justified as an emergency measure, such as a sudden increase in the fat content of the bioreactor influent. Therefore, the primary objective of this work was to investigate the efficiency of a crude SEP during fat shock loads, simulated through the periodic addition of dairy industry waste containing high fat concentrations to the feed stock of an activated sludge system, operated in continuous mode. RESULTS: The test bioreactor exhibited a higher average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency than the control bioreactor (83% for control and 90% for test) and the fat accumulation in the biological flocs of the test bioreactor was 3.2 times lower than that in the control bioreactor. Turbidity was also lower in the effluent of the test bioreactor (123 and 66 FTU in control and test, respectively) and it had a shorter recovery time between shock loads, especially when the interval between loads was shorter than one month (biweekly and weekly shock loads). CONCLUSION: The addition of SEP during fat overloads in the reactor feed maintained efficient COD removal in the test bioreactor for 270 days without any operational problems. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Acidogenic fermentation of blended food‐waste in combination with primary sludge for the production of volatile fatty acids

The performance of a laboratory‐scale anaerobic acidogenic fermenter fed with a mixture of blended kitchen food‐waste and primary sludge from a sewage treatment plant was investigated for the production of volatile fatty acids (VFA). The operating variables for acidogenic fermentation were kitchen food‐waste content (10 and 25 wt %), hydraulic retention time (HRT: 1, 3 and 5 days), temperature (ambient: 18 ± 2 °C, and mesophilic: 35 ± 2 °C) and pH (varied from 5.2 to 6.7). The experimental results indicated that effluent VFA concentrations and VFA production rates were higher at ambient temperature than at mesophilic conditions. The net amount of VFA with 10 wt % food‐waste increased up to 920 mg dm^?3 with an increase of HRT, but contrasting results (a decrease of 2610 mg dm^?3) were found due to the conversion of VFA into biogas in the case of 25 wt % food‐waste, which increased significantly at HRT of 3–5 days. In terms of biogas composition (CO₂ and CH₄), the organic matter was converted into CO₂ through the oxidative pathway by facultative species at low temperature while mesophilic temperature and optimum pH (6.3–7.8) played a pivotal role in increasing rate of conversion of VFA into biogas by methanogenesis. Rates of VFA production and their conversion are dependent on the food‐waste content in the mixture. Yet, the higher concentration of food‐waste (25% compared with 10%) did not produce VFA proportionally due to the increased rate of conversion of VFA into gaseous products. The maximum VFA production rate (0.318 g VFA_produced g^?1 VS_fed day^?1) was achieved in the 10 wt % food‐waste at ambient temperature and at a 5‐day HRT. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nutrient removal performance of an anaerobic–anoxic–aerobic process as a function of influent C/P ratio

The laboratory scale anaerobic–anoxic–aerobic (A²O) process fed with synthetic brewage wastewater was designed to investigate the effects of changing feed C/P ratio on the performance of biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes. In the experiment, the influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration was kept at approximately 300 mg L^?1 while the total phosphorus concentration was varied to obtain the desired C/P ratio. Results showed that when the C/P ratio was lower than 32, phosphorus removal efficiency increased as C/P ratio increased linearly, while when the C/P ratio was higher than 32, the P removal efficiency was maintained at 90–98%, and effluent P concentration was lower than 0.5 mg L^?1. However, regardless of the C/P ratio, excellent COD removal (90% or higher) and good total nitrogen removal (75–84%) were maintained throughout the experiments. It was also found that very good linear correlation was obtained between COD uptake per unit P released in the anaerobic zone and C/P ratio. In addition, the P content in the wasted activated sludge increased with the decrease in the C/P ratio. Based on the results, it was recommended that the wastewater C/P ratio and its effects be incorporated into BNR design and operational procedures, appropriate C/P ratios were used to achieve the effluent treatment goals. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Granular gases in mechanical engineering: on the origin of heterogeneous ultrasonic shot peening

The behavior of an ultrasonic shot peening process is observed and analyzed by using a model of inelastic hard spheres in a gravitational field that are fluidized by a vibrating bottom wall (sonotrode) in a cylindrical chamber. A marked heterogeneous distribution of impacts appears when the collision between the shot and the side wall becomes inelastic with constant dissipation. This effect is one order of magnitude larger than the simple heterogeneity arising from boundary collision on the cylinder. Variable restitution coefficients bring the simulation closer to the general observation and allow the investigation of peening regimes with changing shot density. We compute within this model other physical quantities (impact velocities, impact angle, temperature and density profile) that are influenced by the number N of spheres.     

Physicochemical characteristics and leachability of scale and sludge from Bulalo geothermal system, Philippines

Scale and sludge from Bulalo geothermal field, Philippines, have been characterized by whole rock analysis, radioactivity counting, size analysis, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Their leachability was assessed by regulatory leaching procedures and by sequential extraction. Both scale and sludge consisted mostly of oxides of Si, Al, and Fe with no radionuclides detected. The scale had 10% S content. Sulfides and silicates were important phases in both samples having size ranges from submicron to 2 mm. Geothermal soils at Bulalo have higher than normal soil levels of As, S, Cu, Cr, Zn, and Pb but regulatory leaching tests indicated that these elements are not released. However, the sequential extraction showed that As, Cu, and Zn were leachable under extreme conditions.     

(Fe_(0.86)Zr_(0.033)Nb_(0.033)B_(0.068)Cu_(0.01))_x(Al_2O_3)_(1-x)颗粒膜的霍耳效应

用磁控溅射方法制备了系列 (Fe0 .86 Zr0 .0 33Nb0 .0 33B0 .0 6 8Cu0 .0 1 ) x(Al2 O3) 1 -x颗粒膜样品 ,体积百分比x从 0 .3 3～ 0 .63 ,样品厚度约为10 0nm。室温下在Fe0 .86 Zr0 .0 33Nb0 .0 33B0 .0 6 8Cu0 .0 1 体积百分比x =0 .43时得到 17.5 μΩ·cm的最大饱和霍耳电阻率 ,比纯铁磁金属提高了 3～ 4个量级。对其磁性和微结构进行了研究 ,样品霍耳电阻率随外场的变化曲线 ρxy～H与磁场平行于膜面时的磁化曲线M～H有相似性 ,说明霍尔电阻率 ρxy与磁化强度M相关。样品电阻率 ρxx随金属体积百分比x的减小而增加 ,在x =0 .43附近发生突变 ,从金属导电变为绝缘体。根据微结构和输运性质对可能的机制进行了探讨     

DRYING OF GRANULAR PARTICLES IN A MULTISTAGE INCLINED FLUIDIZED BED WITH MECHANICAL VIBRATION

A mathematical model for the drying rate of granular particles in a multistage inclined fluidized bed(IFB) is presented from the standpoint of simultaneous heat and mass transfer, with taking the effect of mechanical vibration added vertically into consideration.

Steady-state distributions for the temperatures and concentrations of the particles and the heating gas, and for the moisture content of the particles are numerically calculated based on the present model. The calculated results show fairly good agreement with the experimental data, which were obtained from the drying experiments of brick particles in a three-stage IFB using comparatively low temperature air(40-60°C) as the heating gas.

It has been found within the range of the experimental conditions employed that, the mechanical vibration added vertically enhances the over-all drying rate of the particles and its effect can be considered equivalent to an increase in the air velocity.     

含油污泥焦化处理实验研究

采用焦化方法对含油污泥进行处理。经过筛选选取活性白土作为焦化处理催化剂,分别研究了反应时间、反应温度、氮气吹扫量、加热速率等因素对处理效果的影响。4个影响因素对液相油品收率的影响顺序为:氮气吹扫量>反应温度>反应时间>加热速率;对反应转化率的影响顺序为:反应温度>反应时间>氮气吹扫量>加热速率。较为理想的反应参数:反应温度490℃;反应时间60min;氮气吹扫量90mL.min-1;加热速率4℃.min-1。在此反应条件下,含油污泥液相油品收率>80%,反应转化率>99.9%,经焦化处理后的废渣含油率<3‰,达到农用污泥排放标准,实现了达标排放和回收资源的目的。