Phosphorus removal by acid mine drainage sludge from secondary effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants

Acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge, a waste product from coal mine water treatment, was used in this study as an adsorbent to develop a cost-effective treatment approach to phosphorus removal from municipal secondary effluents. Batch tests were carried out to study the effects of pH, temperature, concentration, and contact time for phosphorus removal from wastewater. Batch tests were followed by continuous flow tests using a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Adsorption of orthophosphate onto AMD sludge particles followed the Freundlich isotherm model with an adsorption capacity ranging from 9.89 to 31.97 mg/g when the final effluent concentration increased from 0.21 to 13.61 mg P/L. P adsorption was found to be a rather rapid process and neutral or acidic pH enhanced phosphorus removal. Based on a thermodynamic assessment, P adsorption by AMD sludge was found to be endothermic; consequently, an increase in temperature could also favor phosphorus adsorption. Results from batch tests showed that leaching of metals common to AMD sludges was not likely to be a major issue of concern over the typical pH range (6-8) of secondary wastewater effluents. CSTR tests with three types of water (synthetic wastewater, river water, and municipal secondary effluent) illustrated that P adsorption by AMD sludge was relatively independent of the presence of other ionic species. In treating municipal secondary effluent, a phosphorus removal efficiency in excess of 98% was obtained. Results of this study indicated that it was very promising to utilize AMD sludge for phosphorus removal from secondary effluents and may be relevant to future efforts focused on the control of eutrophication in surface waters.     

Textile Wastewater Treatment With Activated Sludge And Powdered Activated Carbon

The objective of the study is to determine the effectiveness of batch activated sludge process and powdered activated carbon adsorption for organic and color removal from textile wastewaters. Factors affecting treatment performance investigated in the study included raw wastewater strength, various combinations of dye to starch in the wastewater, aeration time. Synthetic wastewaters using starch solution and disperse-red-60 dye were used in the adsorption study. The 3 wastewater strengths used included low, medium and high strength. The 5 different dye to starch combinations used included 0% dye+100% starch, 25% dye+75% starch, 50% dye+50% starch, 75% dye+25% starch, and 100% dye+0% starch. The batch bio-oxidation was conducted for a period of 24 hours. The COD removal efficiency, color removal, bio-oxidation rate constant, F/M ratio, SVI, pH and temperature were determined. The results indicated that starch was much easier to remove by the batch activated sludge process compared to disperse-red-60 dye, which was virtually non-biodegradable. Wastewaters containing 100% starch had the highest COD removal efficiency. Increase in dye concentration in wastewater resulted in decrease in the COD removal efficiency. The COD removal efficiency ranged from 6 to 45% for low strength wastewater of 100mg/L COD, 27 to 80% for medium strength wastewater of 500mg/L COD, and 23 to 65% for high strength wastewater of 1000mg/L COD. The low strength wastewaters had the best settling characteristics, while the medium strength wastewaters had the worst. For high PAC dosage of 15g/L, high COD removal efficiencies of 88 to 98% removal and E * ab of 36 to 47 were obtained. It is recommended that activated sludge be used to remove high COD organic pollutants first, followed by PAC adsorption to remove dye waste in the treatment of textile wastewaters.     

Phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge with a hybrid process of low pressure wet oxidation and nanofiltration

Phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge will become increasingly important within the next decades due to depletion of mineral phosphorus resources. In this work a new process concept was investigated, which aims at realising phosphorus recovery in a synergistic way with the overall sewage sludge treatment scheme. This process combines a low pressure wet oxidation for sewage sludge decomposition as well as phosphorus dissolution and a nanofiltration process to separate phosphorus from heavy metals and obtain a clean diluted phosphoric acid, from which phosphorus can be recovered as clean fertiliser.It was shown that this process concept is feasible for sewage sludge for wastewater treatment plants that apply enhanced biological removal or precipitation with alumina salts for phosphorus removal. The critical parameter for phosphorus dissolution in the low pressure wet oxidation process is the iron concentration, while in the nanofiltration multi-valent cations play a predominant role.In total, a phosphorus recovery of 54% was obtained for an exemplary wastewater treatment plant. Costs of the entire process are in the same range as conventional sewage sludge disposal, with the benefit being phosphorus recovery and reduced emission of greenhouse gases due to avoidance of sludge incineration.     

Controlled struvite crystallisation for removing phosphorus from anaerobic digester sidestreams

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal wastewater treatment plants that use anaerobic digesters for sludge treatment, have high phosphorus concentrations in the sidestreams from their sludge dewatering equipment. To remove phosphorus from such sidestreams controlled struvite crystallisation can be used. Struvite (or MAP) is a naturally occurring crystal of magnesium, ammonium and phosphate. We present operational results obtained with a continuously operated pilot-scale MAP reactor. The pilot-scale reactor (143 l) was an air agitated column reactor with a reaction and a settling zone, based on the Phosnix process of Unitika Ltd., Japan. The influent to the MAP reactor was centrate from the centrifuge that dewaters anaerobically digested sludge at the Oxley Creek wastewater treatment plant in Brisbane. We used a 60% magnesium hydroxide slurry to add the required magnesium to the process and to obtain the alkaline pH value required. The pilot-scale MAP process achieved an ortho-P removal ratio of 94% from an average influent ortho-P concentration of 61 mg/l. The reactor was operated at a pH of around 8.5. Insufficient dosing of magnesium reduced the P removal performance. There was no influence of the hydraulic residence time on the process in the range of 1-8 h. The dry MAP product had cadmium, lead and mercury concentrations well below the legal limits for fertilisers in Queensland, Australia and can be reused as a valuable slow-release fertiliser.     

Organic carbon removal and nitrification of high strength wastewaters using stratified sand filters

The current practice of spray irrigation of dairy parlour wastewaters is laborious and time consuming. Intermittent sand filtration systems may offer an alternative to spray irrigation when designed to remove organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, coliforms and viruses from such wastewaters to allow discharge of the final effluent directly into receiving waters without damage to the environment. In this study two instrumented stratified sand filter columns (0.425 and 0.9 m deep, and both 0.3 m in diameter) were intermittently loaded for 439 days with synthetic dairy parlour washings at a number of hydraulic and organic loading rates. At a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) loading of 22 g m(-2) d(-1), over 92% of the BOD and suspended solids in the wastewater was removed in the two filters and nitrification was complete. The 0.9 m column had a sustained ability to adsorb the influent phosphorus during the study period; however, the phosphorus adsorption capacity of the 0.425 m column began to decrease after approximately 30 days. Biomass, comprising hydrated extracellular polymers (exopolymers) and living and dead cells, accumulated in the 0.9 m column; it was assessed by sodium bromide tracer studies and by variations in the sand volumetric water contents using time domain reflectometry (TDR). The biomass growth increased the retention time of the wastewater in the filter media, and occurred mainly at the top of the first sand layer. Intermittent stratified sand filters appear to offer an effective and sustainable treatment process for the removal of BOD from high-strength wastewaters, and for the complete nitrification of ammonium.     

Recent advances in removing phosphorus from wastewater and its future use as fertilizer (1997-2003)

Large quantities of phosphate present in wastewater is one of the main causes of eutrophication that negatively affects many natural water bodies, both fresh water and marine. It is desirable that water treatment facilities remove phosphorus from the wastewater before they are returned to the environment. Total removal or at least a significant reduction of phosphorus is obligatory, if not always fulfilled, in most countries. This comprehensive review summarizes the current status in phosphorus-removal technologies from the most common approaches, like metal precipitation, constructed wetland systems, adsorption by various microorganisms either in a free state or immobilized in polysaccharide gels, to enhanced biological phosphorus removal using activated sludge systems, and several innovative engineering solutions. As chemical precipitation renders the precipitates difficult, if not impossible, to recycle in an economical industrial manner, biological removal opens opportunities for recovering most of the phosphorus and beneficial applications of the product. This review includes the options of struvite (ammonium-magnesium-phosphate) and hydroxyapatite formation and other feasible options using, the now largely regarded contaminant, phosphorus in wastewater, as a raw material for the fertilizer industry. Besides updating our knowledge, this review critically evaluates the advantage and difficulties behind each treatment and indicates some of the most relevant open questions for future research.     

含腈废水的生物一级处理工艺

采用好氧活性污泥法、悬浮载体膨胀床及厌氧生物反应器分别对含腈废水进行一级处理。实验结果表明,由于含腈废水的CN -毒性和难降解有机物含量高,好氧活性污泥法不适合处理含腈废水。随着活性污泥反应器运行时间的延长,污泥逐渐失去活性,大量微生物死亡。悬浮载体膨胀床处理含腈废水的效果较差,污染物去除率低于15%。厌氧生物反应器适于用作含腈废水的一级处理,污染物去除率可达到35%以上,而且可以改善水质,提高含腈废水的可生化性,有利于后续的生物处理工艺对含腈废水的深度处理。     

生物海绵铁在生活污水脱氮除磷中的应用研究

生物海绵铁是以海绵铁为载体填料，采用吸附方法通过人工接种活性污泥而形成的一种固定化生物体系。以生活污水为处理对象，与以聚氨酯泡沫为填料的生物固定化体系进行了对比试验，考察了生物海绵铁处理生活污水的效果及其脱氮除磷特性。结果表明：与以聚氨酯泡沫为填料的生物固定化体系相比，生物海绵铁表现出更强的脱氮除磷能力，出水水质完全达到《城镇污水处理厂污染物排放标准》（GB18918-2002）中的一级A标准。     

高浓度氨氮生活污水对UCT工艺系统的影响及对策

研究了高浓度氨氮城市生活污水对UCT工艺的影响及相应对策。结果表明,采用UCT工艺处理高浓度氨氮城市生活污水,经过较长时间的污泥驯化和运行调节,系统能达到最佳运行状态,CODcrBOD5NH3-N、TN和TP去除率分别达到88．8％,97．2％,96．2％,85．7％和51．1％,TP需要进一步进行物化处理;UCT工艺的脱氮除磷效率较高,对高浓度氨氮城市生活污水基本可以达到理想的处理效果;高浓度氨氮城市生活污水对活性污泥有明显的冲击,污泥驯化培养需要较长的时间;为提高系统的处理效率可增加好氧区的曝气量,但会对活性污泥产生明显的影响,使出水CODcr和SS含量偏高;高浓度氨氮城市生活污水对UCT工艺脱氮除磷效果有明显的影响,好氧区停留时间、曝气量、硝化液回流比和碳源成为影响因素,可在这些方面加以调节。     

SBR法处理低碳城市污水的除磷规律

碳、氮、磷比例失调(碳量偏低)城市污水的脱氮除磷一直是个难题,为此采用SBR法处理广州地区低碳城市污水,研究了生物除磷效果及其影响因素。结果表明,磷的出水浓度<0.5mg/L,并指出污泥龄及DO是影响除磷效果的关键因素。     

Poorly humified peat as an adsorbent for metals in wastewater

Metal adsorption and surface charge determinations were performed previously on well-characterised Sphagnum and Carex peat samples. The aim of this investigation was to determine metal adsorption from complex wastewaters onto these peat samples and compare it to the adsorption onto peat granules, clinoptilolite, glauconite and a flue dust from steel production. A sulphide mine leachate, a landfill leachate and a laundry wastewater were chosen, giving a variation in pH, ionic strength, total organic carbon and concentrations of metals. Metal adsorption was determined in batch and column experiments. The wastewater composition was of great importance for metal removal efficiency, mainly due to the difference in dominating metal species. In the sulphide mine leachate, containing free metal ions, a high metal adsorption was observed onto both peat and inorganic adsorbents. In the landfill leachate the metals formed carbonate and organic complexes and a low metal removal was achieved. Contrary to the leachates, the laundry wastewater contained suspended particles. The high amount of metals removed, 80% of the Cu and 30-60% of the Zn concentration, was probably withdrawn bound to the particle fraction. The highest removal of metal ions was obtained in the sulphide mine leachate with Carex peat, removing 97-99% of the Zn and 85-100% of the Cu content. The Sphagnum peat sample removed 37-77% of the Zn and 80-100% of the Cu content. The differences found between Sphagnum and Carex peat were attributed to the original chemistry of the plant material and the habitat conditions at the time of peat formation. Generally, the combination of glauconite or clinoptilolite with the peat samples in column experiments gave a minor improvement in metal removal.     

Manganese coprecipitation/adsorption behaviour and sludge volume ratios in chemical treatment systems for mine drainage: a review of the literature and a pilot‐scale experiment

Manganese removal at lower pH and sludge volume in settling ponds are some of the major issues affecting chemical treatment systems for mine drainage. First, Fe and Al existing in mine drainage coprecipitate with and/or adsorb Mn. Eight chemical treatment facilities were reviewed from literature and a pilot‐scale experiment was also conducted in the Daedeok mine in South Korea. The Mn/(Fe + Al) ratio revealed a positive linear relationship with the lowest pH at discharge, and regression lines were generated. This relationship may be used to predict the pH required to remove Mn considering coprecipitation/adsorption. Second, the ratios of the generation rate of sludge to the required settling volume at five semi‐active treatment facilities were evaluated from literature. This ratio is referred to as the sludge‐settling volume ratio, which can be used as one of the factors in deciding between semi‐active and active treatment systems.     

Anion exchange resins for removal of reactive dyes from textile wastewaters

Sorption onto an easily regenerable sorbent in fixed bed filters would be an interesting option for removal of reactive dyes from textile wastewaters. A previous screening with model solutions (Dyes Pigm 51 (2001) 111) had shown two anion exchangers (strong basic S6328a and weak basic MP62, both Bayer) to exhibit good sorption characteristics for reactive dyes. The aim of this study was to evaluate these materials more closely. Thus filter breakthrough, the behavior with original wastewater samples, and the effect of inorganic wastewater parameters as well as regeneration were studied. Breakthrough curves for both materials are relatively unfavorable with a flat gradient, but throughput until breakthrough (100-800 bed volumes) should be sufficient for technical use. With both resins dye uptake is influenced little by competition of inorganic anions (sulfate, carbonate, phosphate) and they perform well in original wastewaters. However, the weak basic type is only efficient up to pH 8. Alkaline regeneration works well for MP62, for S6328a acid regeneration works for most dyes.     

Integrated application of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor for the treatment of wastewaters

The UASB process among other treatment methods has been recognized as a core method of an advanced technology for environmental protection. This paper highlights the treatment of seven types of wastewaters i.e. palm oil mill effluent (POME), distillery wastewater, slaughterhouse wastewater, piggery wastewater, dairy wastewater, fishery wastewater and municipal wastewater (black and gray) by UASB process. The purpose of this study is to explore the pollution load of these wastewaters and their treatment potential use in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket process. The general characterization of wastewater, treatment in UASB reactor with operational parameters and reactor performance in terms of COD removal and biogas production are thoroughly discussed in the paper. The concrete data illustrates the reactor configuration, thus giving maximum awareness about upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor for further research. The future aspects for research needs are also outlined.     

A comparison of the characteristics of soluble organic nitrogen in untreated and activated sludge treated wastewaters

Soluble organic materials containing nitrogen (SON) are present in effluents from activated sludge treatment of domestic wastewater, but little is known about the sources and characteristics of these materials. The objective of this research was to evaluate the characteristics of SON in untreated wastewaters and activated sludge effluents. Characterization techniques used included low microbial seed biodegradability, molecular weight distribution using gel filtration chromatography, removal by activated carbon and ion exchange, and analysis for free and combined amino acids. Activated sludge effluent SON was more refractory (40–50%; first-order decay rates for the remainder were about 0.014 day⁻¹ than SON in untreated wastewater (18–38%; decay rates for the remainder were 0.08–0.16 day⁻¹). SON produced biologically during treatment had decay rates (about 0.028 day⁻¹) similar to SON in municipal activated sludge effluents, and was from 20 to 100% refractory. Less than 10% of the SON in municipal activated sludge effluent consisted of free or combined amino acids. Approximately 15–30% appeared to nucleic acid degradation products. Fifty to 60% of the SON and SCOD had apparent molecular weights of less than 1800. Apparent molecular weight distributions of treated and untreated wastewaters were similar; however, the excess SON produced during activated sludge start-up contained considerably more SON with molecular weights greater than 1800. The 165–340 molecular weight fraction had a significantly higher SON to SCOD ratio than any other fraction for all wastewaters examined. Activated carbon adsorption efficiently removed SON (72 ± 9%) and SCOD (78 ± 6%) from treated and untreated wastewaters, and from biologically produced organics. Significantly more SON was removed by cationic exchange at pH 2.0 (33–56%) than by anionic exchange at pH 9.5 (10–24%) for all wastewaters tested. Cationic exchange at pH 2.0 selectively removed more biologically produced SON relative to SCOD.     

Development of a 2-sludge, 3-stage system for nitrogen and phosphorous removal from nutrient-rich wastewater using granular sludge and biofilms

A novel 2-sludge 3-stage process using a combination of granular sludge and biofilm was developed to achieve biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from nutrient-rich wastewater. The system consists of a granular sequencing batch reactor (SBR) working under alternating anaerobic/anoxic conditions supplemented with a short aerobic phase and an aerobic biofilm SBR. The wastewater is first fed to the granular SBR reactor, where easily biodegradable carbon sources are taken up primarily by polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs). The supernatant resulting from quick settling of the granular sludge is then fed to the biofilm SBR for nitrification, which produces oxidized nitrogen that is returned to the granular reactor for simultaneous denitrification and phosphorus removal. While maximizing the utilization of organic substrates and reducing operational costs, as do other 2-sludge processes previously reported in literature, the proposed system solves the bottleneck problem of traditional 2-sludge systems, namely high effluent ammonia concentration, due to its high-volume exchange ratios. An ammonia oxidation rate of 32 mg N/Lh was achieved in the biofilm SBR, which produced nitrite as the final product. This nitrite stream was found to cause major inhibition on the anoxic P uptake and also to result in the accumulation of N(2)O. These problems were solved by feeding the nitrite-containing stream continuously to the granular reactor in the anoxic phase. With a nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency of 81% and 94%, respectively, the system produces an effluent that is suitable for land irrigation from a wastewater stream containing 270 mg N/L of total nitrogen and 40 mg P/L of total phosphorus.     

常温EGSB去除有机物的性能与机理

将厌氧污泥膨胀床(EGSB)分别与厌氧生物滤池、好氧生物滤池和活性污泥法串联并用其处理城市污水,考察了EGSB在常温下的工艺性能和去除有机物的机理。结果表明,在常温和较短水力停留时间下,EGSB的厌氧生化过程主要停留在水解阶段,对有机物的去除主要以颗粒污泥的吸附、吸收作用为主;影响EGSB处理效果的主要因素有温度、上升流速、水力停留时间、进水浓度及容积负荷等。     

Operating aerobic wastewater treatment at very short sludge ages enables treatment and energy recovery through anaerobic sludge digestion

Conventional abattoir wastewater treatment processes for carbon and nutrient removal are typically designed and operated with a long sludge retention time (SRT) of 10–20 days, with a relatively high energy demand and physical footprint. The process also generates a considerable amount of waste activated sludge that is not easily degradable due to the long SRT. In this study, an innovative high-rate sequencing batch reactor (SBR) based wastewater treatment process with short SRT and hydraulic retention time (HRT) is developed and characterised. The high-rate SBR process was shown to be most effective with SRT of 2–3 days and HRT of 0.5–1 day, achieving >80% reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phosphorus and approximately 55% nitrogen removal. A majority of carbon removal (70–80%) was achieved by biomass assimilation and/or accumulation, rather than oxidation. Anaerobic degradability of the sludge generated in the high-rate SBR process was strongly linked to SRT, with measured degradability extent being 85% (2 days SRT), 73% (3 days), and 63% (4 days), but it was not influenced by digestion temperature. However, the rate of degradation for 3 and 4 days SRT sludge was increased by 45% at thermophilic conditions compared to mesophilic conditions. Overall, the treatment process provides a very compact and energy efficient treatment option for highly degradable wastewaters such as meat and food processing, with a substantial space reduction by using smaller reactors and a considerable net energy output through the reduced aerobic oxidation and concurrent increased methane production potential through the efficient sludge digestion.     

湿式氧化处理城市污水厂污泥的研究

在２Ｌ高压釜中用氧气进行了湿式氧化处理城市污水厂活性污泥的研究,并对处理后的污泥上清液中氮、磷、重金属变化规律和剩余污泥各挥发分、热量、有机物含量的变化规律进行了分析。试验结果表明,处理后污泥的沉降脱水性能极佳,对污泥中固体的去除结果也较好。     

Low-temperature anaerobic biological treatment of solvent-containing pharmaceutical wastewater

Low-temperature or psychrophilic (<20 degrees C) anaerobic digestion (PAD) has recently been demonstrated as a cost-effective option for the treatment of a range of wastewater categories. The aim of this work was 2-fold: (1) to screen three anaerobic sludges, obtained from full-scale reactors, with respect to suitability for PAD of pharmaceutical-like, solvent-contaminated wastewater; (2) to assess the feasibility of PAD of this wastewater category. Toxicity thresholds of key trophic groups within three candidate biomass samples were assessed against solvents prevalent in pharmaceutical wastewaters (propanol, methanol and acetone). Specific methanogenic activity (SMA) assays indicated that the metabolic optimum of each candidate biomass was within the mesophilic range. One biomass sample exhibited higher SMA assays than the other candidate samples and was also the sample least methanogenically inhibited by the addition of solvents to batch cultures. This sludge was selected as the biomass of choice for laboratory-scale trials. Two identical expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB)-based anaerobic reactors were used for the treatment of solvent-contaminated wastewater at 15 degrees C, and at applied organic loading rates (OLRs) of 5-20 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD) m(-3)d(-1). COD removal efficiencies of 60-70% were achieved during the 450 day trial. In addition, SMA assays carried out at the conclusion of the trial indicated the development of a putatively psychrophilic hydrogenotrophic methanogenic community.