Clonal variation in reproductive response to temperature by a potential bulking control agent, Lecane inermis (Rotifera)

The novel idea of using rotifers Lecane inermis (Rotifera, Monogononta) as a tool to overcome activated sludge bulking generates an on-going need to study rotifer biology. The results of biological research on rotifers can serve to improve the method so that it can be most effective when applied in treatment plants. The aim of this study was to test the effect of temperature on four selected rotifer clones originating from different treatment plants. The rate of population development from a single individual (parthenogenetic female) during a 10-day experiment was measured at three temperatures: 8, 15 and 20 degrees C. The temperatures used reflect the annual temperature distribution in the majority of municipal wastewater treatment plants in the temperate zone. The growth rate coefficient (r) and doubling time (tD) were calculated for each clone. Under the most favourable conditions (20 degrees C), rvalues varied between 0.41 and 0.47 d and doubling time between 1.5 and 1.7 d. At a temperature of 15 degrees C, the doubling time was approximately two times longer (2.5-3.4 d). The strongest intraspecific variations were observed at the lowest temperature of 8 degrees C. At this temperature, one of the clones almost failed to proliferate, and another exhibited a doubling time of 7.9 d. The doubling times were a few times greater for the remaining two clones (60 d for Lk1, 33.3 d for Lk4). These results could be very useful in predicting the chances that the rotifers would survive in a biological reactor in a wastewater treatment plant at the temperatures used in these reactors.     

活性污泥法的工艺参数控制(下)

2 污泥沉降比(SV30) 2.1 理论定义及实际应用上的理解 SV30是指曝气池混合液在量筒静止沉降30 min后污泥所占的百分体积.     

活性污泥法的工艺参数控制(上)

活性污泥法的工艺控制是通过各工艺参数的控制来实现的,有些运行参数的控制要求还因污水处理要求和运行模式而异.只有正确理解各运行参数的涵义,了解不同工艺及相同工艺下不同运行模式的控制要求,才能通过科学管理控制好工艺运行状态,使处理系统高效低耗地运行.主要介绍了活性污泥法的工艺运行参数在实际应用中的理解和控制方法,阐述了一些书面定义和观点与实际应用时情况不相符的原因,提出了各控制参数与其他因素的关系及相关方面的一些综合分析思路,以期对运行管理有一定的参考作用.     

Characteristics of denitrifying granular sludge grown on nitrite medium in an upflow sludge blanket (USB) reactor

While inoculating pre-acclimatized floccular sludge, nitrite-denitrifying granular sludge was obtained after approximately 40 days of cultivation in a 10 L upflow sludge blanket (USB) reactor. The nitrite removal efficiency was approximately 95% when the nitrite concentration was 50 mg L(-1)at an influent flow rate of 20 L h(-1). The nitrite granular sludge had several notable features including good settleability (110 m h(-1)), high ash content (79%), and high density (1.248 g cm(-3)). The mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) of the sludge bed remained at 130.04 g L(-1), at a hydraulic upflow velocity of 2 m h(-1). These interesting characteristics were attributed to a high effluent pH (9.7) caused by the release of alkalinity during the nitrite denitrification process. The surfaces of the granules were dominated by cocci bacteria with a diameter of approximately 3 μm, which could be classi?ed as Nitrosomonas-like species based on our analysis of 16 S rDNA sequences.     

Microbial Fe(II)-oxidation by nitrate in activated sludge

The oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) by addition of nitrate and nitrite to activated sludge was studied to determine whether the process was biological or chemical (chemodenitrification). It was shown that the process was mainly biological, although the microorganisms involved have not yet been described. Investigations in a full scale treatment plant suggested that the process most likely took place m the anoxic (denitrification) tank. Details of the kinetics and stoichiometry have not yet been determined, but the process may he of significance for keeping Fe(III) oxidized, which is important for P-removal and for floc structure. Furthermore, in some treatment plants, the oxidation may also be of significance for nitrate removal (denitrification).     

Adsorption of Cd(II), Zn(II) by extracellular polymeric substances extracted from waste activated sludge

Adsorption of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions in single solutions using extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from activated sludge was investigated. Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe metal adsorption. The results showed that EPS was an effective adsorbent for the zinc and cadmium ions from aqueous solution. The equilibrium metal uptake was increased with increasing the initial concentration of metal ion. Constants calculated from isotherms model showed that the maximum uptake capacity of cadmium was estimated to be 45 mg/g of Cd(II) and 80 mg/g of Zn(II). Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were suitable for describing adsorption of Cd(II) by EPS, while the Langmuir isotherm equation fit the date of Zn(II) adsorption better, indicating that EPS adsorb Cd(II) and Zn(II) by different mechanisms.Analysis of FTIR spectra demonstrated that C-O-C of polysaccharides at 1,150-1,030 cm(-1), group of the amide(I), CH(2) group of the lipids, carboxyl and -OH groups of proteins and polysaccharides were involved in cadmium and zinc binding, of which the -OH groups and the C-O-C group of polysaccharides.     

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) sludge inoculation in a hybrid process scheme concept to assist overloaded conventional activated sludge (CAS) process operations

This study analyzes the effect of inoculating membrane bioreactor (MBR) sludge in a parallel-operated overloaded conventional activated sludge (CAS) system. Modelling studies that showed the beneficial effect of this inoculation were confirmed though full scale tests. Total nitrogen (TN) removal in the CAS increased and higher nitrate formation rates were achieved. During MBR sludge inoculation, the TN removal in the CAS was proven to be dependent on MBR sludge loading. Special attention was given to the effect of inoculation on sludge quality. The MBR flocs, grown without selection pressure, were clearly distinct from the more compact flocs in the CAS system and also contained more filamentous bacteria. After inoculation the MBR flocs did not evolve into good-settling compact flocs, resulting in a decreasing sludge quality. During high flow conditions the effluent CAS contained more suspended solids. Sludge volume index, however, did not increase. Laboratory tests were held to determine the threshold volume of MBR sludge to be seeded into the CAS reactor. Above 16-30%, supernatant turbidity and scum formation increased markedly.     

低浓度剩余活性污泥涡凹气浮浓缩工艺研究

采用CAF5型涡凹气浮对低浓度剩余活性污泥浓缩进行了试验研究,结果表明:絮凝剂采用FO4440SH,最佳投加量为1kg/tDS,表面活性剂采用1227,最佳投加量0.2kg/tDS,最佳固体负荷为230kgMLSS/(m3·d),最佳水力负荷为90m3/(m2·d),出水SS为200~250mg/L,在浓缩过程中污泥中的磷不会释放。     

Application of metaproteomic analysis for studying extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in activated sludge flocs and their fate in sludge digestion

Metaproteomic analysis, comprising protein separation and identification, was applied to study extracellular proteins in activated sludges and to track their fate in sludge digestion under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The complex sludge proteins were first separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and further analysed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to search their identification. Base extraction and cation exchange resin (CER) method were used to extract EPS from sludges at 0, 12 and 30 days of batch digestion. Several important observations were made during this study. Firstly, protein bands were well separated by extraction/SDS-PAGE protocol used in this study. Secondly, numerous protein bands remained after digestion, indicating that these proteins are not easily degradable in sludge digestion. Thirdly, protein bands detected following anaerobic and aerobic digestion differed, suggesting that proteins degraded in two different digestion environments are not the same. Finally, protein bands that emerged distinctively following anaerobic digestion was found to be subunits of methyl-coenzyme M reductase, the enzyme involved in methane generation, in Methanosarcina barkeri. These results demonstrated that metaproteomic investigation on activated sludge EPS is useful for studying floc formation in activated sludges and their degradation in various digestion environments.     

A national survey of activated sludge separation problems in The Czech republic: Filaments,floc characteristics and activated sludge metabolic properties

The extent of activated sludge separation problems associated with excessive growth of filamentous microorganisms has increased recently in the Czech Republic. Most of the activated sludge plants in the country were contacted by mail with a questionnaire, the aim of which was to obtain the basic technological data on the plants and on the nature and intensity of activated sludge separation problems. Selected activated sludge plants were visited at different periods of the year and samples of activated sludge mixed liquor and foam were collected for microscopic examination and kinetic batch tests. It was found that good settling properties were associated more with good quality activated sludge flocs than with the absence of filaments. On the other hand, a very high abundance of filaments always resulted in bulking or foaming. The most common tilamentous microorganisms in activated sludge mixed liquors were M. parvicella, N. limicola and Types 0092,0041 and 0803 while the foams were mostly dominated by M. parvicella, NALOs (GALOs) and N. limicola. Seasonal shifts in filamentous population diversity were also observed. M. parvicella, Type 0092, N. limicola, Type 0803 and Type 0041 were dominant in both conventional and biological nutrient removal activated sludge plants whereas the other Eikelboom's types of filaments dominated mostly in conventional activated sludge plants. The ability of foams to denitrify depended on the dominating tilamentous microorganism and type of substrate.     

活性污泥胞外聚合物EPS的影响因素研究

胞外聚合物EPS对活性污泥的表面特性、生物絮凝、沉降及脱水性能等具有重要的影响,主要对污泥负荷Ns,DO,温度,Ca2+,pH及废水水质等因素对EPS的影响进行了研究。试验结果表明:Ns,pH及废水水质对EPS的含量、成分有显著的影响;DO,温度对EPS的影响较小;同时随着进水Ca2+浓度的增加,污泥的EPS,脱氢酶及OUR增加。     

Adaptation of the microbial adhesion to hydrocarbon test (math) for measuring activated sludge hydrophobicity

The “microbial adhesion test to hydrocarbon” (MATH) developed by Rosenberg et al. gives a cell hydrophobicity index (A% = percentage of adhesion) and is easy to perform. However it is not applicable with any degree of accuracy to activated sludge even when dispersed by sonication, because of the presence of aggregated and free cells and of amphiphilic organic polymers from sludge which lead to the formation of a stable emulsion. The effect of emulsion formation is a decrease in bacterial number from the aqueous phase by adhesion on to, and trapping between, the droplets of octane. This induces an overestimation of the hydrophobicity of the bacterial suspension.To solve this problem, we propose modifications of the MATH which may be used for any bacterial suspension and which expresses the bacterial adsorption equilibrium between the surface of the octane droplets and the water phase. The test starts just as for the regular MATH by mixing the bacterial suspension and octane. The resulting emulsion is sampled, and then serially washed 10 limes with 5 ml of MilliQ water. By plotting the decreasing numbers of bacteria recovered in the washing solutions against the number of bacteria adhering to octane droplets, a linear relationship is obtained the slope of which equals an equilibrium constant Ke. For the S samples of sludge tested, Ke (values from 1.3 to 3.2) appears to be a more accurate and sensitive parameter than A% (values from 62 to 8696).     

SBR活性污泥吸附水中重金属离子的研究

研究了SBR活性污泥对重金属离子(Cu2+、Zn2+、Mn2+、Fe3+)的吸附作用。结果表明:在30℃温度下,pH为5时,其对Cu2+、Zn2+、Mn2+的去除率达到最大值50%左右;当pH为3时,对Fe3+的去除率达到最大值73.6%。吸附动力学过程可用二级吸附速率方程描述。在10~30℃温度范围内,随着温度的升高,Cu2+、Zn2+、Mn2+、Fe3+的去除率分别由54.6%、46.3%、45.3%6、8.9%,增大到58.6%、51.3%、49.6%、73.6%。当重金属离子初始质量浓度为50 mg/L,污泥投加量为0.2 g时,Cu2+、Zn2+、Mn2+和Fe3+的去除率达到最大值,分别为61.5%、54.3%、53.3%和76.2%。吸附等温线结果表明,Cu2+、Zn2+、Mn2+、Fe3+在吸附剂上的吸附可用Freundlich方程描述。     

Rapid quantification of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) concentration in activated sludge with the fluorescent dye Nile blue A

The present study was conducted (1) to develop a rapid quantification method of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) concentration in activated sludge by Nile blue A staining and fluorescence measurement and (2) to perform on-line monitoring of PHA concentrations in activated sludge. Activated sludge samples collected from laboratory scale sequencing batch reactors and full-scale wastewater treatment plants were stained with Nile blue A and their fluorescence intensities were determined. There was a high correlation (R2 > 0.97) between the fluorescence intensities of Nile blue A and PHA concentrations in activated sludge determined by gas chromatography. The Nile blue A staining and fluorescence measurement method allows us to determine PHA concentrations in activated sludge within only five minutes and up to 96 samples can be measured at once by using microplate reader. On-line monitoring of PHA concentrations in activated sludge was achieved by using a fluorometer equipped with a flow cell and the time point at which PHA concentration in activated sludge reached the maximum level could be identified. In addition, we examined the influence of pH, floc size and co-existing chemicals in activated sludge suspension on the fluorescence intensities of Nile blue A.     

The effect of anoxic selectors on sludge bulking.

The effect of the substrate feeding pattern on sludge settleability in denitrifying systems was investigated. The feeding pattern was simulated in two sequencing batch reactors (SBR). SBR1 simulates a system with a limiting substrate (acetate) and a non-limiting electron acceptor (nitrate), while SBR2 simulates the opposite condition. Sludge volume index (SVI) was the main observed parameter. The stoichiometry, substrate uptake rate, storage capacity as well as sludge morphology and mixed culture population dynamics were also determined. Results show that independent of the feeding pattern, the settleability of the sludge remained good (SVI approximately 50 mL/g) and stable. Neither the concentration of the acetate nor of the nitrate offered any limitations on sludge settleability, assuring that a good bio-P activity is present in nitrate limiting systems. Filamentous bacteria belonging to the TM group were usually present, although in low numbers. Despite the diffused, irregularly shaped and open floc structure, good settleability was observed. The results obtained were in line with the hypothesis on diffusion based selection.     

超声波-树脂法提取活性污泥胞外聚合物的研究

研究了超声波与树脂联合使用方法对活性污泥胞外聚合物(EPS)的提取效果。研究结果表明:超声波-树脂组合形式的提取效果最优,而超声波后置组合形式的细菌细胞破损程度较大;超声波-树脂法对不同来源的污泥都有较好的提取效果,提取得到的EPS量占污泥挥发分的8%～13%;与EDTA法、加热提取法相比较,超声波-树脂法具有提取效率高、化学污染小、细胞破损量小以及操作方便的优点。     

Occurrence of EPS in activated sludge from a membrane bioreactor treating municipal wastewater.

EPS are supposed to be among the causes of membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBR). In this work they are measured as total proteins and total polysaccharides. Theoretical and empirical considerations of biomass membrane filtration lead to the conclusion that EPS in the water phase is decisive for the filterability of activated sludge. In this study therefore different ways of separating the water phase from the biomass are investigated, where a simple filtration over a paper filter turned out to be sufficient. Subsequently, a simple batch test set up was used to investigate the influence of substrate conditions on the amount of EPS in the water phase. Dilution of the biomass does not result in changes. Dilution together with substrate addition leads to an increase both in proteins and polysaccharides. Replacement of the water phase leads to no significant changes in protein concentration, but polysaccharide concentration may vary considerably. This phenomenon is more pronounced after replacement of the water phase and substrate addition.     

Sequencing batch reactor (SBR) as optimal method for production of granular activated sludge (GAS)--fluid dynamic investigations.

Fluid dynamic investigations of multiphase flow (fluid, air, granules) in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) are presented. SBR can be considered as an attractive technology for cultivation of granular activated sludge (GAS). Granulation is a complicated process and its mechanism is not fully understood yet. Many factors influence the formation and structure of aerobic granular sludge in a bioreactor. Extracellular polymer substances (EPS) and superficial gas velocity (SGV) play a crucial role for granules formation. Additionally, it is supposed that EPS production is stimulated by mechanical forces. It is also assumed that hydrodynamic effects have a major influence on the formation, shape and size of GAS in SBR under aerobic condition. However, the influence of stress on granulation is poorly investigated. Thus, in the present paper, fluid dynamic investigations of multiphase flow in a SBR, particularly effect of normal and shear strain, are reported. In order to analyse multiphase flow in the SBR, optical in-situ techniques with particle image velocimetry (PIV) and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) are implemented. Obtained results show a characteristic flow pattern in a SBR. It is pointed out that additional effects like particle-wall collisions, inter particle collisions, erosion can also affect significantly granules formation.     

Selection of operational strategies in activated sludge processes based on optimization algorithms

This paper presents a new optimization algorithm for the selection of design and operation parameters in complex Activated Sludge (AS) processes. The algorithm estimates automatically the dimensions and operating point of the plant that minimize a global penalty function combining effluent requirements and costs. The mathematical optimization is based on a direct search algorithm integrated in a previously developed simulation package.Some illustrative examples concerning the design and operation of the Alpha process have been included to show the potential of this kind of mathematical tool when the complexity of plant configuration increases. The results obtained by the optimization procedure generate useful guidelines for the design and operation and suggest a great potential in the application for solving more complex problems when additional objectives and costs are included.     

The application of model predictive control of ammonia nitrogen in an activated sludge process

In this paper a model predictive controller (MPC) for ammonia nitrogen is presented and evaluated in a real activated sludge process. A reduced nonlinear mathematical model based on mass balances is used to model the ammonia nitrogen in the activated sludge plant. An MPC algorithm that minimises only the control error at the end of the prediction interval is applied. The results of the ammonia MPC were compared with the results of the ammonia feedforward-PI and ammonia PI controllers from our previous study. The ammonia MPC and ammonia feedforward-PI controller give better results in terms of ammonia removal and aeration energy consumption than the ammonia PI controller because of the measurable disturbances used. On the other hand, with the ammonia MPC, comparable or even slightly poorer results than with the ammonia feedforward-PI controller are obtained. Further improvements to the MPC could be possible with an improved accuracy of the nonlinear reduced model of the ammonia nitrogen, more sophisticated control criteria used inside the controller and the extension of the problem from univariable ammonia to multivariable total nitrogen control.