Modelling biological and chemically induced precipitation of calcium phosphate in enhanced biological phosphorus removal systems

The biologically induced precipitation processes can be important in wastewater treatment, in particular treating raw wastewater with high calcium concentration combined with Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal. Currently, there is little information and experience in modelling jointly biological and chemical processes. This paper presents a calcium phosphate precipitation model and its inclusion in the Activated Sludge Model No 2d (ASM2d). The proposed precipitation model considers that aqueous phase reactions quickly achieve the chemical equilibrium and that aqueous-solid change is kinetically governed. The model was calibrated using data from four experiments in a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) operated for EBPR and finally validated with two experiments. The precipitation model proposed was able to reproduce the dynamics of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) formation and later crystallization to hydroxyapatite (HAP) under different scenarios. The model successfully characterised the EBPR performance of the SBR, including the biological, physical and chemical processes.     

Fate of antibiotics in activated sludge followed by ultrafiltration (CAS-UF) and in a membrane bioreactor (MBR)

The fates of several macrolide, sulphonamide, and trimethoprim antibiotics contained in the raw sewage of the Tel-Aviv wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were investigated after the sewage was treated using either a full-scale conventional activated sludge (CAS) system coupled with a subsequent ultrafiltration (UF) step or a pilot membrane bioreactor (MBR) system. Antibiotics removal in the MBR system, once it achieved stable operation, was 15-42% higher than that of the CAS system. This advantage was reduced to a maximum of 20% when a UF was added to the CAS. It was hypothesized that the contribution of membrane separation (in both systems) to antibiotics removal was due either to sorption to biomass (rather than improvement in biodegradation) or to enmeshment in the membrane biofilm (since UF membrane pores are significantly larger than the contaminant molecules). Batch experiments with MBR biomass showed a markedly high potential for sorption of the tested antibiotics onto the biomass. Moreover, methanol extraction of MBR biomass released significant amounts of sorbed antibiotics. This finding implies that more attention must be devoted to the management of excess sludge.     

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in sewage treatment plants

In this study, the concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in the biological units of various full-scale municipal sewage treatment plants were measured. Samples of influent, primary effluent, aeration tank effluent, final effluent and grab samples of primary, activated, secondary and anaerobically digested sludge were collected by 5 sampling events over one year. The two sewage treatment plants (STPs) selected for this study include plant A receiving 95% domestic wastewater and plant B receiving 60% industrial wastewater and 40% domestic wastewater. PFOS and PFOA were observed at higher concentration in aqueous and sludge samples in plant B than that of plant A. Mass flow of PFOS increased significantly (mean 94.6%) in conventional activated sludge process (CAS) of plant B, while it remained consistent after the secondary treatment in plant A. Mass flow of PFOA increased 41.6% (mean) in CAS of plants A and B and 76.6% in membrane biological reactor (MBR), while it remained unchanged after the treatment of liquid treatment module (LTM). Our results suggest that mass flow of these two compounds remains consistent after treatment of activated sludge process operating at short sludge retention time (SRT). Seasonal variations of PFOS in concentrations of raw sewage were found in plant A, while PFOA did not have significant seasonal variation in both plants A and B.     

Modelling the production and degradation of soluble microbial products (SMP) in membrane bioreactors (MBR)

MBR biochemical conditions have an effect on membrane fouling and SMP have been attributed to be the main MBR foulant. Thus, predicting the SMP concentration is essential for understanding and controlling MBR fouling. However, existing SMP models are mostly too complex and over-parameterized, resulting in inadequate or absent parameter estimation and validation. This study extends the existing activated sludge model No. 2d (ASM2d) to ASM2dSMP with introduction of only 4 additional SMP-related parameters. Dynamic batch experimental results were used for SMP parameter estimation leading to reasonable parameter confidence intervals. Finally, the ASM2dSMP model was used to predict the impact of operational parameters on SMP concentration. It would found that solid retention time (SRT) is the key parameter controlling the SMP concentration. A lower SRT increased the utilization associated products (UAP) concentration, but decreased the biomass associated products (BAP) concentration and vice versa. A SRT resulting in minimum total SMP concentration can be predicted, and is found to be a relatively low value in the MBR. If MBRs operate under dynamic conditions and biological nutrient removal is required, a moderate SRT condition should be applied.     

Novel electrokinetic approach reduces membrane fouling

An innovative submerged membrane electro-bioreactor (SMEBR) was built to reduce membrane fouling through a combination of various electrokinetic processes. The objective of this research was to assess the capability of SMEBR to reduce fouling under different process conditions. At the bench scale level, using synthetic wastewater, membrane fouling of the SMEBR was compared to the fouling of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) in five runs. Different protein concentrations in the influent synthetic wastewater were selected to develop different membrane fouling potentials: high (240 mg/l), low (80 mg/l) and zero protein addition. The MBR and SMEBR were operated at a flux equal to the membrane critical flux in order to create high fouling rate conditions. Membrane fouling rate, expressed as the change in the trans-membrane pressure per day (kPa/d), decreased in the SMEBR 5.8 times (standard deviation (SD) = 2.4) for high protein wastewater, 5.1 times (SD = 2.4) for low protein content, and 1.3 times (SD = 0.7) for zero protein, when compared to the MBR. The supernatant concentrations of the soluble microbial products (SMP) were 195–210, 65–135 and less than 65 mg/l in respective experimental series. Following the bench scale study, membrane fouling was assessed in a pilot scale SMEBR, fed with raw un-clarified municipal wastewater, and operated under real-sewage variable quality conditions. The pilot SMEBR exhibited three times smaller membrane fouling rate than the MBR. It was concluded that electrokinetic processes generated by SMEBR led to a reduction of membrane fouling through: i) removal of soluble microbial products (mainly protein and polysaccharides) and colloidal organic materials; ii) change of the structure and morphology of the suspended solids due their conditioning by DC field.     

一体式中空纤维微滤膜膜生物反应器设计要点

以中空纤维微滤膜为核心膜组件的一体式膜生物反应器系统处理生活污水为例,介绍了该类系统与板框式膜组件及分体式(管式)构型比较;一体式中空纤维微滤膜膜生物反应器设计范围、设计步骤。最后列举设计案例,介绍了工程设计过程和设计要点。     

Membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment - a viable option to reduce the amount of polar pollutants discharged into surface waters?

The potential of a lab-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) to remove polar pollutants from municipal wastewater was studied for industrial and household chemicals over a period of 22 months parallel to a conventional activated sludge (CAS) treatment. For half of the compounds, such as benzotriazole, 5-tolyltriazole (5-TTri), benzothiazole-2-sulfonate and 1,6-naphthalene disulfonate (1,6-NDSA), removal by MBR was significantly better than in CAS, while no improvement was recorded for the other half (1,5-NDSA, 1,3-NDSA, 4-TTri and naphthalene-1-sulfonate). The influence of operational conditions on trace pollutant removal by MBR was studied but no significant effects were found for variation of hydraulic retention time (7h-14h) and sludge retention time (26d-102d), suggesting that the lowest values selected have already been high enough for good removal. It is shown that the seemingly inconsistent results reported here and in previous studies regarding the comparison of trace pollutant removal in MBR and CAS are highly consistent. MBR is neither superior for well degradable compounds that are already extensively degraded in CAS treatment nor for recalcitrant compounds that are not amenable to biodegradation. For most compounds of intermediate removal in CAS treatment (15-80%), among them pharmaceuticals, personal care products and industrial chemicals, the MBR is clearly superior and reduces the effluent concentration by 20-50%. Despite of this clear benefit of MBR, the effect is not pronounced enough to serve as a sole argument for employing MBR in municipal wastewater treatment.     

Biological black water treatment combined with membrane separation

Separate treatment of black (toilet) water offers the possibility to recover energy and nutrients. In this study three combinations of biological treatment and membrane filtration were compared for their biological and membrane performance and nutrient conservation: a UASB followed by effluent membrane filtration, an anaerobic MBR and an aerobic MBR. Methane production in the anaerobic systems was lower than expected. Sludge production was highest in the aerobic MBR, followed by the anaerobic MBR and the UASB-membrane system. The level of nutrient conservation in the effluent was high in all three treatment systems, which is beneficial for their recovery from the effluent. Membrane treatment guaranteed an effluent which is free of suspended and colloidal matter. However, the concentration of soluble COD in the effluent still was relatively high and this may seriously hamper subsequent nutrient recovery by physical-chemical processes. The membrane filtration behaviour of the three systems was very different, and seemed to be dominated by the concentration of colloidals in the membrane feed. In general, membrane fouling was the lowest in the aerobic MBR, followed by the membranes used for UASB effluent filtration and the anaerobic MBR.     

Extension of ASM3 for two-step nitrification and denitrification and its calibration and validation with batch tests and pilot scale data

Although traditionally not taken into account by most of activated sludge models the production of nitrite as an intermediate of the nitrification-denitrification processes becomes of interest in some specific plant operational situations or in case of high sensitivity of the receiving ecosystems. The Activated Sludge Model No.3 (ASM3) was therefore extended for two-step nitrification and two-step denitrification in order to better describe nitrite dynamics especially during the treatment of communal wastewater. Nitrite was included as a new model compound and as an intermediate product of biological processes, both for heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria. Two new model compounds replace X_A, the original autotrophic biomass: Ammonium Oxidizing Bacteria, X_AOB and Nitrite Oxidizing Bacteria, X_NOB. Growth and decay processes of nitrifiers were split into AOB and NOB processes (3 additional processes) and heterotrophic anoxic processes were also doubled in order to account for two-step denitrification (4 additional processes).Default values from literature as well as laboratory measurements were considered for the choice of kinetic and stoichiometric parameters. The model was calibrated and validated with laboratory scale tests in batch reactors and with data from an Eawag activated sludge pilot plant configured conventionally with nitrification and pre-denitrification for the treatment of communal wastewater.     

Bioaugmented membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a GAC-packed zone for high rate textile wastewater treatment

The long-term performance of a bioaugmented membrane bioreactor (MBR) containing a GAC-packed anaerobic zone for treatment of textile wastewater containing structurally different azo dyes was observed. A unique feeding strategy, consistent with the mode of evolution of separate waste streams in textile plants, was adopted to make the best use of the GAC-zone for dye removal. Dye was introduced through the GAC-zone while the rest of the colorless media was simultaneously fed through the aerobic zone. Preliminary experiments confirmed the importance of coupling the GAC-amended anaerobic zone to the aerobic MBR and also evidenced the efficacy of the adopted feeding strategy. Following this, the robustness of the process under gradually increasing dye-loading was tested. The respective average dye concentrations (mg/L) in the sample from GAC-zone and the membrane-permeate under dye-loadings of 0.1 and 1 g/L.d were as follows: GAC-zone (3, 105), permeate (0, 5). TOC concentration in membrane-permeate for the aforementioned loadings were 3 and 54 mg/L, respectively. Stable decoloration along with significant TOC removal during a period of over 7 months under extremely high dye-loadings demonstrated the superiority of the proposed hybrid process.     

开放式呼吸速率法用于ASM2D参数测量

介绍了开放式呼吸速率法的原理和测量方法及其在ASM2D（活性污泥2D模型）参数测量和进水模型组分估测中的应用.利用呼吸速率法可以对活性污泥工艺过程的多种参数进行估值,包括表征污泥活性的参数、活性污泥模型的动力学参数、化学计量学参数以及废水组成分析等.利用开放式呼吸速率法的原理分别对投加自配水和实际废水的外源呼吸曲线进行了积分运算,估测了ASM2D中的YH、KS等参数及Ss、SA和SF等组分.     

The fate of selected micropollutants in a single-house MBR

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology is an interesting option for single-house wastewater treatment or small communities. Because typically a very high effluent quality is achieved with respect to pathogens, suspended solids, organics and nitrogen, the permeate is well suited for reuse. Little is known about the fate of micropollutants in such small systems. The differences between centralized and decentralized biological wastewater treatment with respect to micropollutants are manifold: besides the operational parameters like hydraulic and sludge retention time, the main difference is in the load variation. While the influent load is expected to be more or less constant in large catchments, it varies strongly in small MBRs due to irregular consumption (e.g. of medication by individuals). Concentrations of micropollutants are higher by a factor 50-1000 than in centralized treatment. It is also unknown how reliable degradation of micropollutants is in case of irregular exposure.In this study, two experiments were conducted in a small MBR treating the wastewater of a three-person household. During normal operation of the treatment plant, 25 pharmaceuticals (antibiotics, antiphlogistics, lipid regulators, iodinated contrast media and hormones) that had not been used by members of the household were added in concentrations typical for municipal wastewater. The removal of most substances was in the same range as for centralized wastewater treatment. It was shown that biological transformation was the main elimination process while adsorption to the activated sludge was negligible for most substances due to the low sludge production at high sludge retention time. No appreciable lag for inducing biological degradation was observed. The high hydraulic and sludge residence time had a positive effect on the elimination of slowly degradable substances, but this was partly compensated by the lower biological activity.An experiment with antibiotics concentrations typical for decentralized treatment (between 500 and 1000 μg l⁻¹; sulfamethoxazole, sulfapyridine, trimethoprim, clarithromycin, roxithromycin) did not show an inhibitory effect on either nitrification or denitrification.     

水解酸化/MBR工艺处理混合污水的中试研究

将膜生物反应器与脱氮除磷工艺相结合,建立水解酸化/好氧MBR中试装置,针对以精细化工废水和造纸废水为主的市政混合污水进行处理,系统考察了工艺的运行情况和处理效果.结果表明,在进水COD为335～941 mg/L、NH3-N为11.1～28.7 mg/L、TN为31.2～38.6mg/L、TP为1.0～17.4 mg/L的条件下,当系统水力停留时间约为48 h时,对COD、NH3-N、TN和TP的平均去除率分别为87.1%、91.0%、61.2%和93.7%.其中,出水NH3-N、TN和TP浓度均可达到GB 18918-2002的一级B标准;由于污水中难降解有机物的含量较高,导致出水COD浓度不能稳定达标,对此可在系统后设物化处理单元加以解决.     

Understanding soluble microbial products (SMP) as a component of effluent organic matter (EfOM)

Formation of soluble microbial products (SMP) during biological degradation of organic compounds in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was investigated using high performance liquid chromatography--size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) as well as other organic matter characterization tools. Results showed that carbon compounds in a glucose feed solution were totally transformed to other organic products classified biomass-associated products (BAP). The SMP-BAP contained in the SBR effluent consisted mainly of high-molecular weight (MW) fractions of organic matter, possibly originating from cell lysis. These compounds exhibited a low specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) and a hydrophilic character. In addition, the characteristics of bulk effluent organic matters (EfOM) samples from wastewater treatment facilities were studied. It was observed that EfOM consisted of humic-like and hydrophobic (HPO) compounds, derived from the corresponding drinking water source, in addition to SMP-BAP. A superimposition of SEC chromatograms of the SMP-BAP and humic-like compounds represented a fingerprint of EfOM.     

An extension of ASM2d including pH calculation

This paper presents an extension of the Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d) including a chemical model able to calculate the pH value in biological processes. The developed chemical model incorporates the complete set of chemical species affecting the pH value to ASM2d describing non-equilibrium biochemical processes. It considers the system formed by one aqueous phase, in which biochemical processes take place, and one gaseous phase, and is based on the assumptions of instantaneous chemical equilibrium under liquid phase and kinetically governed mass transport between the liquid and gas phase. The ASM2d enlargement comprises the addition of every component affecting the pH value and an ion-balance for the calculation of the pH value and the dissociation species. The significant pH variations observed in a sequencing batch reactor operated for enhanced biological phosphorus removal were used to verify the capability of the extended model for predicting the dynamics of pH jointly with concentrations of acetic acid and phosphate. A pH inhibition function for polyphosphate accumulating bacteria has also been included in the model to simulate the behaviour observed. Experimental data obtained in four different experiments (with different sludge retention time and influent phosphorus concentrations) were accurately reproduced.     

Minimization of excess sludge production for biological wastewater treatment

Excess sludge treatment and disposal currently represents a rising challenge for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to economic, environmental and regulation factors. There is therefore considerable impetus to explore and develop strategies and technologies for reducing excess sludge production in biological wastewater treatment processes. This paper reviews current strategies for reducing sludge production based on these mechanisms: lysis-cryptic growth, uncoupling metabolism, maintenance metabolism, and predation on bacteria. The strategies for sludge reduction should be evaluated and chosen for practical application using costs analysis and assessment of environmental impact. High costs still limit technologies of sludge ozonation-cryptic growth and membrane bioreactor from spreading application in full-scale WWTPs. Bioacclimation and harmful to environment are major bottlenecks for chemical uncoupler in practical application. Sludge reduction induced by oligochaetes may present a cost-effective way for WWTPs if unstable worm growth is solved. Employing any strategy for reducing sludge production may have an impact on microbial community in biological wastewater treatment processes. This impact may influence the sludge characteristics and the quality of effluent.     

Aerobic storage by activated sludge on real wastewater

Activated sludge processes are often operated under dynamic conditions, where the microbial response can include, besides of growth, several COD removal mechanisms, and particularly the storage in form of polymers. While abundant evidence of aerobic storage under dynamic conditions with synthetic substrates can be found (Majone et al., Water Sci. Technol. 39(1) (1999) 61), there is still little knowledge about COD removal mechanisms with real activated sludge and wastewater. The aim of the present paper is therefore to give a direct evidence of storage phenomena occurring when a real sludge is mixed with influent wastewater and of their influence onto OUR profiles in typical respirometric batch tests. For this purpose, respirometric batch tests were performed on the same sludge by using acetate, filtered wastewater and raw wastewater as carbon source along with determination of acetate uptake and storage polymer formation. Comparison of results obtained has shown that poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) storage gives always the main contribution to acetate removal and that in the case of wastewater PHB is also formed from other substrates. PHB formation clearly occurs during the high-rate RBCOD-phase, however for wastewater it accounts for only a fraction (18-22%) of overall RBCOD removal, so calling for other unidentified storage compounds or other non-storage phenomena. In the low-rate SBCOD phase of respirogram PHB is clearly utilised in tests with acetate as internal reserve material once the acetate is depleted. In tests with filtered and raw wastewater the PHB concentration decreases much slower, probably because more PHB is formed due to the availability of external SBCOD (soluble and not). Moreover, reported OUR in the SBCOD-phase from filtered or raw wastewater are quite higher than those reported in batch tests with acetate, so confirming a main contribution of external SBCOD. However, the respective contributions for utilisation of previously stored compounds and of external SBCOD cannot be easily separated by the comparison of tests on filtered and raw wastewater, because both substrates are simultaneously present also in tests with the filtered wastewater. As a side consequence, the chemical-physical method for evaluation of true soluble and biodegradable COD tends to overestimate the respirometry-based RBCOD, at least for the wastewater under observation. Even though modelling by ASM3 (Gujer et al., Water Sci. Technol. 39(1) (1999) 183) makes it possible to well describe the whole experimental behaviour, it requires that much more storage compounds are formed than the experimentally observed PHB. These compounds have still to be identified and quantified in order to confirm the conceptual structure of ASM3.     

浸没式膜—生物反应器处理市政废水试验研究

通过浸没式膜—生物反应器处理市政废水的小试试验,考察了系统的处理效果、污泥特性、膜污染特性及清洗效果,结果表明:SMBR的高效截留作用可弥补生物处理单元的不稳定性,相比CAS工艺对市政废水有更好的处理效果。     

A^2/O+MBR工艺用于集约化高排放标准半地下式污水厂

坂雪岗水质净化厂二期工程位于深圳市龙岗区华为科技城,设计规模为12×10^4 m^3/d。工程用地紧张,出水水质标准高,常规的生物处理工艺很难稳定达标,故生化处理采用A^2/O+MBR膜工艺。全厂污水处理构筑物区域采用半地下式组合式布置,顶部加盖覆土建设市政公园,综合了传统地面式污水厂及全地下式污水厂的优点,环境优美,运行管理方便。生产运行以来,出水水质稳定优于《地表水环境质量标准》(GB 3838-2002)的Ⅳ类标准(总氮≤10 mg/L)。     

Effect of PAC addition on sludge properties in an MBR treating high strength wastewater

This paper examines the sludge characteristics in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) operated on a high strength wastewater from an alcohol distillery. Two membrane bioreactors, each with a 30 μm mesh filter, were investigated with and without addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC). Experiments were conducted with varying organic loading rates ranging from 3.4 to 6.9 kgCOD m⁻³ day⁻¹ and the specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR), sludge volume index (SVI), mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), particle size and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were monitored over a 180 day period. Respirometric experiments did not show enhancement in microbial activity with PAC supplementation. Addition of PAC decreased the SVI thereby perceptibly improving sludge dewaterability. The sludge particle size, which increased with time, appeared to be independent of PAC addition but was influenced by the aeration intensity. PAC also did not affect the sludge EPS concentration; however, the EPS composition, in terms of protein/carbohydrate (polysaccharide) ratio was altered resulting in a high P/C ratio. FTIR analysis of the sludge samples indicated that the functional groups associated with the sludge polysaccharides appear to be involved in its interaction with PAC.