2-fluorophenol degradation by aerobic granular sludge in a sequencing batch reactor

Aerobic granular sludge is extremely promising for the treatment of effluents containing toxic compounds, and it can economically compete with conventional activated sludge systems. A laboratory scale granular sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was established and operated during 444 days for the treatment of an aqueous stream containing a toxic compound, 2-fluorophenol (2-FP), in successive phases. Initially during ca. 3 months, the SBR was intermittently fed with 0.22 mM of 2-FP added to an acetate containing medium. No biodegradation of the target compound was observed. Bioaugmentation with a specialized bacterial strain able to degrade 2-FP was subsequently performed. The reactor was thereafter continuously fed with 0.22 and 0.44 mM of 2-FP and with 5.9 mM of acetate (used as co-substrate), for 15 months. Full degradation of the compound was reached with a stoichiometric fluoride release. The 2-FP degrading strain was successfully retained by aerobic granules, as shown through the recovering of the strain from the granular sludge at the end of the experiment. Overall, the granular SBR has shown to be robust, exhibiting a high performance after bioaugmentation with the 2-FP degrading strain. This study corroborates the fact that bioaugmentation is often needed in cases where biodegradation of highly recalcitrant compounds is targeted.     

Coupling of sequencing batch reactor and mesh filtration: operational parameters and wastewater treatment performance

Wastewater treatment performance of the combined process of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and mesh filtration bio-reactor was investigated with a synthetic wastewater. In this system, the filtration was performed only by the water level difference between the reactor and the effluent port, with the help of a sludge layer which accumulated on the mesh filter.

A half volume of the mixed liquor was filtrated for ca. 1 h, and the filtration time was not affected by the initial pressure within the range of 0.5–2.0 m-H₂O. Since the mesh filter could effectively reject the biomasses in the reactor, the effluents contained SS of less than 1 mg/L and BOD of less than 10 mg/L under continuous or intermittent aeration conditions. Nitrogen was also removed effectively with the adjustment of aeration time under the intermittent aeration conditions.

The results obtained in this work indicate that mesh filtration could be effectively combined with SBR and improve the performance of SBR.

In addition, it was shown that the performance of the mesh filtration such as filtration time and solids separation was influenced significantly by the saccharide content in the exocellular polymer of the activated sludge.     

Halophilic biological treatment of tannery soak liquor in a sequencing batch reactor

Hypersaline wastewater (i.e. wastewater containing more than 35 gl(-1) total dissolved solids (TDS)) is generated by various industrial activities. This wastewater, rich in both organic matter and TDS, is difficult to treat using conventional biological wastewater treatment processes. Among the industries generating hypersaline effluents, tanneries are prominent in India. In this study, tannery wastewater from soak pit was treated in a lab-scale SBR for the removal of organic matter. The characterisation of the soak liquor showed that this effluent is biodegradable, though not easily, and highly variable, depending on the origin and the nature of the hides. TDS was in the range of 21-57 gl(-1) and COD was in the range of 1.5-3.6 gl(-1). This soak liquor was biologically treated in an aerobic sequencing batch reactor seeded with halophilic bacteria, and the performance of the system was evaluated under different operating conditions with changes in hydraulic retention time, organic loading rate and salt concentration. The changes in salinity appeared to affect the removal of organic matter more than the changes in hydraulic retention time or organic loading rate. Despite the variations in the characteristics of the soak liquor, the reactor achieved proper removal of organic matter, once the acclimation of the microorganisms was achieved. Optimum removal efficiencies of 95%, 93%, 96% and 92% on COD, PO4 3-, TKN and SS, respectively, could be reached with 5 days hydraulic retention time (HRT), an organic loading rate (OLR) of 0.6 kg COD m(-3)d(-1) and 34 g NaCl l(-1). The organisms responsible for nitrogen removal appeared to be the most sensitive to the modifications of these parameters.     

Anoxic treatment of phenolic wastewater in sequencing batch reactor

Studies were conducted on the anoxic phenol removal using granular denitrifying sludge in sequencing batch reactor at different cycle lengths and influent phenol concentrations. Results showed that removal exceeded 80% up to an influent phenol concentration of 1050 mg/l at 6 h cycle length, which corresponded to 6.4 kg COD/m3/d. Beyond this, there was a steep decrease in phenol and COD removal efficiencies. This was accompanied by an increase in nitrite concentration in the effluent. On an average, 1 g nitrate-N was consumed per 3.4 g phenol COD removal. Fraction of COD available for sludge growth was calculated to be 11%.     

Microbial communities in activated sludge performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal in a sequencing batch reactor

Microbial communities of activated sludge in an anaerobic/aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) supplied with acetate as sole carbon source were analyzed to identify the microorganisms responsible for enhanced biological phosphorus removal. Various analytical methods were used such as electron microscopy, quinone, slot hybridization, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses. Electron photomicrographs showed that coccus-shaped microorganisms of about 1 microm diameter dominated the microbial communities of the activated sludge in the SBR, which had been operated for more than 18 months. These microorganisms contained polyphosphate granules and glycogen inclusions, which suggests that they are a type of phosphorus-accumulating organism. Quinones, slot hybridization, and 16S rRNA sequencing analyses showed that the members of the Proteobacteria beta subclass were the most abundant species and were affiliated with the Rhodocyclus-like group. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two dominating clones of the beta subclass were closely related to the Rhodocyclus-like group. It was concluded that the coccus-shaped organisms related to the Rhodocyclus-like group within the Proteobacteria beta subclass were the most dominant species believed responsible for biological phosphorus removal in SBR operation with acetate.     

Application of multiway ICA for on-line process monitoring of a sequencing batch reactor

Multiway principal component analysis has been shown to be a powerful monitoring tool in many industrial batch processes. However, it has the shortcomings that all batch lengths should be equal, the measurement variables must be normally distributed and that future values of the current batch must be estimated to allow on-line monitoring. In this work, it is shown that multiway independent component analysis (MICA) can be used to overcome these drawbacks and obtain better monitoring performance. The on-line MICA monitoring of batch processes is based on a new unfolding method and independent component analysis (ICA). ICA provides better monitoring performance than PCA in cases with non-Gaussian data because it is not based on the assumption that the latent variables are normally distributed. The MICA algorithm does not require any estimation of future batch values and can also be applied to non-equal batch length data sets. This article describes the application of on-line MICA monitoring of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). It is successfully applied to an 80L SBR for biological wastewater treatment, which is characterized by a variety of disturbance sources with non-Gaussian characteristics. The SBR poses an interesting challenge from the point of process monitoring characterized by non-stationary, batchwise, multiscale, and non-Gaussian characteristics. The results of the bench-scale SBR monitoring clearly showed the power and advantages of MICA monitoring in comparison to conventional monitoring methods.     

Microbial population dynamics during aerobic sludge granulation at different organic loading rates

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the evolution of the bacterial community during aerobic sludge granulation. The experiments were conducted in three 2.4L sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) that were seeded with activated sludge and fed with glucose-based synthetic wastewater. Three different influent organic concentrations were introduced into the three SBRs, R1, R2 and R3, resulting in chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rates of 1.5 (R1), 3.0 (R2) and 4.5 (R3)kg/m(3)d, respectively. Changes in bacterial diversity throughout the granulation process were monitored and analysed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) techniques. The experimental results demonstrate that glucose-fed aerobic granules could be formed without significant presence of filamentous bacteria. Granules formed at different loading rates had different morphology, structural properties and bacterial species. A higher loading rate resulted in faster formation of larger and loose granules, while a lower loading rate resulted in slower formation of smaller and more tightly packed granules. The biomass underwent a dynamic transformation in terms of bacterial species richness and dominance during the granulation process. The reactor with the highest substrate loading rate had the lowest species diversity, while the reactor with the lowest substrate loading rate had the highest species diversity. Different dominant species of beta- and gamma-Proteobacteria and Flavobacterium within the granule communities from the three different SBRs were confirmed by analysis of 16S rDNA sequences of the PCR products separated by DGGE. It is apparent that a few common bacterial species play an important role in the formation and growth of aerobic granules and help sustain the granular sludge structure in the bioreactors.     

Alternating anoxic feast/aerobic famine condition for improving granular sludge formation in sequencing batch airlift reactor at reduced aeration rate

In this study the influence of a pre-anoxic feast period on granular sludge formation in a sequencing batch airlift reactor is evaluated. Whereas a purely aerobic SBR was operated as a reference (reactor R2), another reactor (R1) was run with a reduced aeration rate and an alternating anoxic-aerobic cycle reinforced by nitrate feeding. The presence of pre-anoxic phase clearly improved the densification of aggregates and allowed granular sludge formation at reduced air flow rate (superficial air velocity (SAV) = 0.63 cm s⁻¹). A low sludge volume index (SVI₃₀ = 45 mL g⁻¹) and a high MLSS concentration (9–10 g L⁻¹) were obtained in the anoxic/aerobic system compared to more conventional results for the aerobic reactor. A granular sludge was observed in the anoxic/aerobic system whilst only flocs were observed in the aerobic reference even when operated at a high aeration rate (SAV = 2.83 cm s⁻¹). Nitrification was maintained efficiently in the anoxic/aerobic system even when organic loading rate (OLR) was increased up to 2.8 kg COD m⁻³ d⁻¹. In the contrary nitrification was unstable in the aerobic system and dropped at high OLR due to competition between autotrophic and heterotrophic growth. The presence of a pre-anoxic period positively affected granulation process via different mechanisms: enhancing heterotrophic growth/storage deeper in the internal anoxic layer of granule, reducing the competition between autotrophic and heterotrophic growth. These processes help to develop dense granular sludge at a moderate aeration rate. This tends to confirm that oxygen transfer is the most limiting factor for granulation at reduced aeration. Hence the use of an alternative electron acceptor (nitrate or nitrite) should be encouraged during feast period for reducing energy demand of the granular sludge process.     

Selective sludge discharge as the determining factor in SBR aerobic granulation: Numerical modelling and experimental verification

Numerical simulation and laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the determining factor and the underlying mechanism in aerobic sludge granulation in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). In the numerical simulation, a sectional approach was used to develop a model to describe the biomass dynamics during the granulation process. The growth of different classes of the SBR sludge with different substrate uptake rates and different sludge discharge ratios was simulated. The results indicate that the selective discharge of slow-settling sludge flocs is the key determining factor for granulation. In the laboratory study, experiments were conducted with two identical 2.4-L SBRs, R1 and R2, using different sludge discharge methods - the selective discharge of slow-settling sludge flocs for R1, and mixed, unselective sludge discharge for R2. The SBRs were fed with glucose-based synthetic wastewater at a chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rate of 1.5 kg/m³-d. The evolution of the microbial community during the experimental process was monitored using the molecular techniques of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and clone library analysis. Sludge granulation was achieved in less than three weeks in R1, whereas the sludge in R2 remained in the form of flocs. However, some bacterial species had a significant presence in both the R1 granules and the R2 flocs. The results suggest that aerobic granulation may not require the dominance of any particular species. Small and loose sludge flocs were found to have an advantage over larger and dense granules in substrate uptake. Thus, discharge of loose flocs would remove these competitors from the system and makes the substrate more available for uptake and utilisation by biomass in the attached-growth form, resulting in sludge granulation.     

Physical characterisation of the sludge produced in a sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor

Sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor (SBBGR) is a recently developed biological wastewater treatment technology characterised by a very low sludge production, among other numerous advantages. Even if costs for sludge treatment and disposal are mainly dependent on the amount of sludge produced, sludge properties, especially those linked to solid-liquid separation, play a key role as well. In fact, such properties deeply influence the type of treatments sludge has to undergo before disposal and the final achievable solids concentration, strongly affecting treatment and disposal costs. As sludge from SBBGR is a special mixture of biofilm and aerobic granules, no information is available so far on its treatability. This study addresses the characterisation of the sludge produced from SBBGR in terms of some physical properties (settling properties, dewaterability, rheology). The results show that such sludge is characterised by good settling and dewatering properties, adding a new advantage for the full-scale application of SBBGR technology.     

Removal of veterinary antibiotics from sequencing batch reactor (SBR) pretreated swine wastewater by Fenton's reagent

The large-scale application of veterinary antibiotics in livestock industry makes swine wastewater an important source of antibiotics pollution. This work investigated the degradation of six selected antibiotics, including five sulfonamides and one macrolide, by Fenton's reagent in swine wastewater pretreated with sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The dosing mode and practical dosage of Fenton's reagent were optimized to achieve an effective removal of antibiotics while save the treatment cost. The effects of initial pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended solids (SS) of the SBR effluent on antibiotics degradation were examined. The results indicate that the optimal conditions for Fenton's reagent with respect to practical application were as follows: batch dosing mode, 1.5:1 molar ratio of [H₂O₂]/[Fe²⁺], initial pH 5.0. Under the optimal conditions, Fenton's reagent could effectively degrade all the selected antibiotics and was resistant to the variations in the background COD (0-419 mg/L) and SS (0-250 mg/L) of the SBR effluent. Besides, Fenton's reagent helped to not only remove total organic carbon (TOC), heavy metals (As, Cu and Pb) and total phosphorus (TP), but also inactivate bacteria and reduce wastewater toxicity. This work demonstrates that the integrated process combining SBR with Fenton's reagent could provide comprehensive treatment to swine wastewater.     

Influence of the agitation rate on the treatment of partially soluble wastewater in anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor

This work reports on the influence of the agitation rate on the organic matter degradation in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor, containing biomass immobilized on 3 cm cubic polyurethane matrices, stirred mechanically and fed with partially soluble soymilk substrate with mean chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 974+/-70 mg l(-1). Hydrodynamic studies informed on the homogenization time under agitagion rates from 500 to 1100 rpm provided by three propeller impellers. It occurred very quickly compared to the total cycle time. The results showed that agitation provided good mixing and improved the overall organic matter consumption rates. A modified first-order kinetic model represented adequately the data in the entire range of agitation rate. The apparent first-order kinetic constant for suspended COD rose approximately 360% when the agitation rate was changed from 500 to 900 rpm, whereas the apparent first-order kinetic constant for soluble COD did not vary significantly.     

Heterotroph anoxic yield in anoxic aerobic activated sludge systems treating municipal wastewater

As input to the steady state design and kinetic simulation models for the activated sludge system, the correct value for the heterotroph anoxic yield is essential to provide reliable estimates for the system denitrification potential. This paper examines activated sludge anoxic yield values in the literature, and presents experimental data quantifying the value. In the literature, in terms of the structure of ASM1 and similar models, theoretically it has been shown that the anoxic yield should be reduced to approximately 0.79 the value of the aerobic yield. This theoretical value is validated with data from corresponding aerobic OUR and anoxic nitrate time profiles in a batch fed laboratory scale long sludge age activated sludge system treating municipal wastewater. The value also is in close agreement with values in the literature measured with both artificial substrates and municipal wastewater. Thus, it is concluded that, in ASM1 and similar models, for an aerobic yield of 0.67mg COD/mg COD, the anoxic yield should be about 0.53 mg COD/mg COD. Including such a lower anoxic yield in ASM1 and similar models will result in a significant increase in denitrification potential, due to increased denitrification with wastewater RBCOD as substrate. In terms of the structure of ASM3, for the proposed substrate storage yields and the aerobic yield of 0.63 mg COD/mg COD, experimental data indicate that the corresponding anoxic yield should be about 0.42 mg COD/mg COD. This is significantly lower than the proposed value of 0.54 mg COD/mg COD, and requires further investigation.     

Development of granular sludge for textile wastewater treatment

Microbial granular sludge that is capable to treat textile wastewater in a single reactor under intermittent anaerobic and aerobic conditions was developed in this study. The granules were cultivated using mixed sewage and textile mill sludge in combination with anaerobic granules collected from an anaerobic sludge blanket reactor as seed. The granules were developed in a single sequential batch reactor (SBR) system under alternating anaerobic and aerobic condition fed with synthetic textile wastewater. The characteristics of the microbial granular sludge were monitored throughout the study period. During this period, the average size of the granules increased from 0.02 ± 0.01 mm to 2.3 ± 1.0 mm and the average settling velocity increased from 9.9 ± 0.7 m h⁻¹ to 80 ± 8 m h⁻¹. This resulted in an increased biomass concentration (from 2.9 ± 0.8 g L⁻¹ to 7.3 ± 0.9 g L⁻¹) and mean cell residence time (from 1.4 days to 8.3 days). The strength of the granules, expressed as the integrity coefficient also improved. The sequential batch reactor system demonstrated good removal of COD and ammonia of 94% and 95%, respectively, at the end of the study. However, only 62% of color removal was observed. The findings of this study show that granular sludge could be developed in a single reactor with an intermittent anaerobic-aerobic reaction phase and is capable in treating the textile wastewater.     

Treatment of easily degradable wastewater in a stirred anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor

The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor when subjected to a progressive increase of influent glucose concentration and to estimate the kinetic parameters of glucose degradation. The reactor was initially operated in 8-h cycles, treating glucose in concentrations of 500, 1000 and 2000 mg l(-1). No glucose was detected in the effluent under these three conditions. The reactor showed operating stability when treating a glucose concentration of approximately 500 mg l(-1), with filtered chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies varying from 93% to 97%. Operational instability occurred in the operation with glucose concentrations of approximately 1000 and 2000 mg l(-1), caused mainly by a production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which led to hydrodynamic and mass transfer problems in the reactor. The mean volatile acid concentration values in the effluent were approximately 159+/-72 and 374+/-92 mg l(-1), respectively. A first-order model was adjusted to glucose concentration profiles and a modified model, including a residual concentration of substrate, was adjusted to COD temporal profiles. To check the formation of EPS, the reactor was operated in 3-h cycles with concentrations of 500 and 1000 mg l(-1). The purpose of this step was to discover if the production of EPS resulted from the biomass's exposure to a low concentration of substrate over a long period of time. Thus, it was hypothesized that a reduction of the time cycle would also reduce the exposure to low concentrations. However, this hypothesis could not be confirmed because large amounts of EPS were formed already under the first operational condition, using approximately 500 mg l(-1) of glucose in the influent, thus indicating the fallacy of the hypothesis. The production of EPS proved to depend on the organic volumetric load applied to the reactor.     

Evaluation on the impacts of predators on biomass components and oxygen uptake in sequencing batch reactor and continuous systems

An expanded unified model for the biomass fractions, soluble-organic fractions, and oxygen-uptake rates considering extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), intracellular storage products (X_STO), and predators for activated sludge is used to study the impacts of predators on biomass components and oxygen uptake. The new model is applied to evaluate how predation affects the oxygen-uptake rate (OUR) and the different forms of biomass: active bacteria (X_H), X_EPS, and X_STO, under dynamic feast-and-famine and continuous conditions. For the dynamic conditions of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), eliminating predators from the model increases X_H and X_EPS fractions significantly, and this causes the substantial increases in OUR and MLVSS once the famine period begins. An analysis of how the OUR is distributed among the several respiration processes shows that the predation of X_H is the most significant oxygen utilization rate process in the system under famine conditions of an SBR. Application of the model to simulate the long-term operation of an SBR indicates that predators reach their maximum fraction in the MLVSS (∼4% of MLVSS) at a solids retention time of about 13 days, but they are washed out at a solids retention time less than ∼3 days. Simulation for a continuous system indicates that predators take more time (about 800 h) to reach steady state and reach their maximum fraction (∼5.5%) at an SRT of ∼14 days. Comparison of SBR and continuous systems reveals that the predators have greater impact in the continuous system because the permanent near-famine condition accentuates predation processes.     

Quantification of the shear stresses in a microbial granular sludge reactor

Since a certain level of hydrodynamic shear force is needed in the formation of microbial granules for wastewater treatment, a method for quantifying the shear stresses in a microbial granular sludge reactor is highly desirable. In this work a novel energy-dissipation-based model was established and validated to quantitatively describe the shear stresses in a granular sludge sequencing batch reactor (SBR). With this model, the shear stress at the solid–liquid interface in an SBR was estimated and the relative magnitudes of shear stresses induced by fluid, gas bubble and collision on granules were evaluated. The results demonstrate that the effect of reactor geometry on the global shear stress was significant. Both the shear stress at the microbial granule surface and the biomass-loss rate increased with an increase in biomass concentration in the SBR. The gas bubble and the collision were found to be the main source for the shear stress at the granule surface.     

Kinetics of 4-nitrophenol biodegradation in a sequencing batch reactor

In this paper, the biodegradation process of 4-nitrophenol (4NP) in a sequencing batch reactor has been investigated. Kinetic tests have been carried out on biomass grown on mixed substrate (4NP plus biogenic substrate) both in the presence of a biogenic substrate fraction in the feed and with 4NP as the sole carbon source. Removal kinetics for all tests is well described by the typical substrate inhibition pattern as predicted by the Haldane equation. In both sets, estimated kinetic parameters are very similar: no beneficial effect of the biogenic fraction is observed on the 4NP removal while increasing trend of 4NP maximum removal rate with the 4NP/COD(TOT) ratio in the feed has been observed. This finding has been modelled by estimating the fraction of the total biomass involved in 4NP biodegradation as a function of 4NP concentration in the feed. High removal rates, short acclimation times and good settling characteristics of produced sludge (observed during the whole working period) confirm the suitability of periodic systems in enhancing the bacterial potentialities for biodegradation of xenobiotic compounds.     

Long-term formation of microbial products in a sequencing batch reactor

Activated sludge in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is subjected to alternating feast-and-famine conditions, which may result in the enhanced production of microbial products: extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), soluble microbial products (SMP), and internal storage products (X_STO). In this work, the long-term formation of these three microbial products by activated sludge in an SBR is investigated using an expanded unified model with a parallel experimental study. We also use the model to compare the impacts in an SBR to those in a continuous-flow activated sludge system. The model captures all experimental trends for all components with solids retention time (SRT) for global steady state and within a cycle. At an SRT of 20 days, the active microorganisms constitute about 28% of the mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS); the remaining biomass is comprised of residual inert biomass (X_I) of 40%, EPS of 31%, and X_STO of ∼1%. The active biomass becomes a smaller fraction with the increasing SRT, while the inert biomass becomes increasingly dominant. For soluble components, effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) is dominated by SMP, which varies to some degree in a cycle, peaking as external substrate becomes depleted. Within the SBR cycle, external substrate (S) declines strongly in the first part of the cycle, and SMP shows a small peak at the time of S depletion. X_STO is the only biomass component that varies significantly during the cycle. It peaks at the time that the input substrate (S) is depleted. Simulation for a continuous-flow activated sludge system and comparison with an SBR reveals that the constant “famine” conditions of the continuous system lead to lower EPS and X_STO, but higher MLVSS and X_I.