The disinfestation of wheat in a continuous-flow fluidized bed

A continuous-flow, fluidized bed heating system, capable of treating up to 500 kg grain hr^?1, was used to study particle dispersion during heating and to determine the influence of dispersion, air inlet temperature and other operating variables on the mortality of the immature stages of Rhyzopertha dominica within wheat.A mathematical model was derived to represent longitudinal mixing within the bed. Increasing the number of baffles (and thus chambers) within the bed decreased the degree of dispersion.Dispersion within a heating bed of four chambers did not appear to influence insect mortality. Inlet air temperature (77.8–90.1°C), air mass flow (0.25 or 0.32 kg sec^?1), initial grain temperature (15.2–27.2°C), and the number of chambers within the heating bed (4 or 8) all influenced the maximal temperature of the grain during heating. The mortality achieved (80.6–100%) depended largely on maximal grain temperature, complete kills being obtained consistently with maximal grain temperatures of 64.9°C or higher. By contrast, variation in mean residence time (120–240 sec) had no significant influence on either maximal grain temperature or insect mortality.     

Real-time PCR quantification of nitrifying bacteria in a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Real-time PCR assays using TaqMan or Molecular Beacon probes were developed and optimized for the quantification of total bacteria, the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria Nitrospira, and Nitrosomonas oligotropha-like ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) using a single-sludge nitrification process. The targets for the real-time PCR assays were the 16S rRNA genes (16S rDNA) for bacteria and Nitrospira spp. and the amoA gene for N. oligotropha. A previously reported assay for AOB 16S rDNA was also tested for its application to activated sludge. The Nitrospira 16S rDNA, AOB 16S rDNA, and N. oligotropha-like amoA assays were log-linear over 6 orders of magnitude and the bacterial 16S rDNA real-time PCR assay was log-linear over 4 orders of magnitude with DNA standards. When these real-time PCR assays were applied to DNA extracted from MLSS, dilution of the DNA extracts was necessary to prevent PCR inhibition. The optimal DNA dilution range was broad for the bacterial 16S rDNA (1000-fold) and Nitrospira 16S rDNA assays (2500-fold) but narrow for the AOB 16S rDNA assay (10-fold) and N. oligotropha-like amoA real-time PCR assay (5-fold). In twelve MLSS samples collected over one year, mean cell per L values were 4.3 +/- 2.0 x 10(11) for bacteria, 3.7 +/- 3.2 x 10(10) for Nitrospira, 1.2 +/- 0.9 x 10(10) for all AOB, and 7.5 +/- 6.0 x 10(9) for N. oligotropha-like AOB. The percent of the nitrifying population was 1.7% N. oligotropha-like AOB based on the N. oligotropha amoA assay, 2.9% total AOB based on the AOB 16S rDNA assay, and 8.6% nitrite-oxidizing bacteria based on the Nitrospira 16S rDNA assay. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the wastewater treatment plant were estimated to oxidize 7.7 +/- 6.8 fmol/hr/cell based on the AOB 16S rDNA assay and 12.4 +/- 7.3 fmol/hr/cell based on the N. oligotropha amoA assay.     

Microbial ecology of nitrifying bacteria in wastewater treatment process examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization

The microbial ecology of nitrifying bacteria in various types of wastewater treatment processes and the dynamic response of the microbial ecology in biofilms were investigated using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes. Nitrifying bacteria were found to exhibit various organizational forms under different conditions of substrate composition and concentration. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were dominant in ammonia-rich inorganic wastewater, while heterotrophic bacteria and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were localized at different positions in the biofilm in organic wastewater. The dynamics of the microbial ecology in the biofilm with regard to the spatial distribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and heterotrophic bacteria caused by a gradual change in substrate composition was successfully monitored by FISH analysis.     

Microbial removal of ionic mercury in a three-phase fluidized bed reactor

The reductive biotransformation of mercuric ions to elemental mercury was studied by applying a model system with a genetically engineered Pseudomonas putida strain in a lab scale three-phase fluidized bed (TPFB). The aim was to demonstrate the suitability of the TPFB to demercurize effluent streams containing up to 10 mg Hg2+ dm(-3). The TPFB is used, first, to carry out the biotransformation on the alginate immobilized biocatalyst and, second, to remove the produced Hg0 by volatilization into the gas phase followed by its recovery through fast oxidative absorption. Targeted experiments with the immobilized biocatalyst were designed and carried out to determine mercury adsorption data on the biomass and all relevant mass transport rates at conditions prevailing in the TPFB. The evaluation of the performance data in the TPFB revealed almost complete reaction control and hence negligibility of mass transfer resistances. This simplifies the scale-up of larger TPFB reactors for mercury removal as it can be based on the known kinetics alone. The measured biotransformation capacities in the TPFB are similar to those reported for the fixed bed technology which has already proven its applicability at an industrial scale in long time runs. However, the TPFB offers some advantages over the fixed bed and could therefore possibly be a favorable, reliable, and less costly alternative to the existing technology.     

Continuous hydrolysis of raffinose family oligosaccharides in soymilk by fluidized bed reactor

Soybean is an important pulse crop for human and animal nutrition. However, raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) found in soybean seeds specifically hinder its consumption as it is not digested by normal human carbohydrases and is fermented by intestinal microflora, leading to flatulence. Immobilized spores of Aspergillus oryzae were grown for 5 days in calcium alginate gel beads, then harvested and employed in RFOs hydrolysis in batch mode, repeated batch and continuous mode in a fluidized bed reactor. Effective hydrolysis of 244.4 mg/60 ml was obtained after 6 h incubation. And in continuous mode 465.6 mg/100 ml was obtained at a flow rate of 25 ml/h. The use of immobilized A. oryzae cells for hydrolysis of RFOs is a promising solution to overcome flatulence and to increase the consumption of soy products.     

Treatment of beverage-processing wastewater in a three-phase fluidised bed biological reactor

This paper presents a study on treatment of beverage‐processing wastewater (BPWW) in a three‐phase fluidised bed bioreactor (TPFBB). Wastewater samples were introduced in the TPFBB and aerated at optimum liquid and gas flow rates while measuring wastewater parameters [pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total Kjehldahl nitrogen (TKN) and ammonia‐nitrogen (NH₃‐N)]. Two different initial pH levels were studied, i.e. 9.0 and 11.5. The pH of the wastewater was observed to level off at 9.3 after 1 day. The TSS dropped by 95% after 5 days, for both initial pH levels. The NH₃‐N and TKN dropped to similar final concentration independent of initial pH. The COD removal efficiency was observed to depend on the initial pH level. A highest efficiency of 98% and lowest efficiency of 50% were observed at initial pH of 9.0 and 11.5, respectively. The study results show that TPFBB is capable of treating food‐processing wastewater under suitable conditions.     

磁场稳定流化床反应器水解牛乳中乳糖的研究

在磁场稳定流化床反应器采用固定化β-半乳糖酶对牛乳中乳糖进行水解，研究了各种操作条件对牛奶中乳糖水解的影响，结果表明：在磁场强度14-18mT，牛乳流动速率小于14em^3／min、55℃的条件下水解牛乳120min，乳糖可水解86％。     

Effect of ammonium addition on methanogenic community in a fluidized bed anaerobic digestion

After immobilization of anaerobes on carbon felt in a fluidized-bed anaerobic digester at an ammonium concentration of 500 mg N/l, the results of real-time PCR analysis indicated that the cell densities of the immobilized methanogens and bacteria increased compared with those of the free-living methanogens and bacteria in the original anaerobically digested sewage sludge, respectively. The results of the clone analysis of the original sludge suggested that the major methanogens were Methanosaeta sp. and the members of the order Methanomicrobiales, and that after immobilization, these were changed to Methanobacterium and Methanosarcina sp. The results of real-time PCR analysis also showed that the ratio of the Methanosaeta sp. in the methanogenic archaea decreased from 58.2% to 0.3% after the immobilization. Methane production decreased at ammonium concentrations of greater than 6000 mg N/l. The results of real-time PCR analysis indicated that the cell density of the immobilized archaea decreased at ammonium concentrations of greater than 3000 mg N/l. On the other hand, the cell density of the immobilized bacteria did not decrease at an ammonium concentration of 6000 mg N/l, but decreased at that of 9000 mg N/l. The major methanogenic clones immobilized on the carbon felt at an ammonium concentration of 3000 or 6000 mg N/l were Methanobacterium sp. The present results indicated that methanogens were relatively more sensitive to ammonium than bacteria.     

Sulfide-oxidizing activity and bacterial community structure in a fluidized bed reactor from a zero-discharge mariculture system

In the present work we describe a comprehensive analysis of sulfide oxidation in a fluidized bed reactor (FBR) from an environmentally sustainable, zero-discharge mariculture system. The FBR received oxygen-depleted effluent from a digestion basin (DB) that is responsible for gasification of organic matter and nitrogen. The FBR is a crucial component in this recirculating system because it safeguards the fish from the toxic sulfide produced in the DB. Microscale sulfide oxidation potential and bacterial community composition within FBR biofilms were correlated to biofilter performance by integrating bulk chemical, microsensor (O2, pH, and H2S), and molecular microbial community analyses. The FBR consistently oxidized sulfide during two years of continuous operation, with an estimated average sulfide removal rate of 1.3 g of sulfide-S L(FBR)(-1) d(-1). Maximum sulfide oxidation rates within the FBR biofilms were 0.36 and 0.21 mg of sulfide-S cm(-3) h(-1) in the oxic and anoxic layers, respectively, indicating that both oxygen and nitrate serve as electron acceptors for sulfide oxidation. The estimated anoxic sulfide removal rate, as extrapolated from bench scale, autotrophic, nitrate-amended experiments, was 0.7 g of sulfide-S L(FBR)(-1) d(-1), which is approximately 50% of the total estimated sulfide removal in the FBR. Community composition analyses using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments from FBR samples taken at six-month intervals revealed several sequences that were closely affiliated with sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. These included the denitrifying, sulfide-oxidizing bacteria Thiomicrospira denitrificans, members of the filamentous Thiothrix genus, and sulfide-oxidizing symbionts from the Gammaproteobacteria. In addition, marine Alphaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes species were present in all of the DGGE profiles examined. DGGE analyses showed significant shifts in the bacterial community composition between profiles over two years of sampling, indicating the presence of a diverse and dynamic microbial community within the functionally stable FBR. The FBR's combined capacity for both oxic and anoxic sulfide oxidation, as indicated by bulk chemical, microsensor, and molecular microbial analyses, gives it significant functional elasticity, which is crucial for proper performance in the dynamic environment of this mariculture system.     

基于高分子载体与活性炭对比处理白酒废水的研究

实验以高分子材料做载体,与多孔颗粒活性炭(GAC)在完全相同的条件下,作厌氧流化床固定化微生物处理白酒废水的对比性研究.6d后加入已经分离出来的高效厌氧微生物,结果表明,新型高分子载体能有效促进厌氧菌固定化,可比GAC缩短反应器启动时间12d左右;且在进水COD值为3957.4mg/L、pH值为7.30、膨胀率为50%、水力停留时间为9h的条件下,COD的云除率为90.5%.     

Development of a novel bioelectrochemical membrane reactor for wastewater treatment

A novel bioelectrochemical membrane reactor (BEMR), which takes advantage of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and microbial fuel cells (MFC), is developed for wastewater treatment and energy recovery. In this system, stainless steel mesh with biofilm formed on it serves as both the cathode and the filtration material. Oxygen reduction reactions are effectively catalyzed by the microorganisms attached on the mesh. The effluent turbidity from the BEMR system was low during most of the operation period, and the chemical oxygen demand and NH(4)(+)-N removal efficiencies averaged 92.4% and 95.6%, respectively. With an increase in hydraulic retention time and a decrease in loading rate, the system performance was enhanced. In this BEMR process, a maximum power density of 4.35 W/m(3) and a current density of 18.32 A/m(3) were obtained at a hydraulic retention time of 150 min and external resister of 100 Ω. The Coulombic efficiency was 8.2%. Though the power density and current density of the BEMR system were not very high, compared with other high-output MFC systems, electricity recovery could be further enhanced through optimizing the operation conditions and BEMR configurations. Results clearly indicate that this innovative system holds great promise for efficient treatment of wastewater and energy recovery.     

运用序列式生物膜反应器处理味精污水工艺研究

味精污水中含有较高的氨氮离子,序列式生物膜反应器(SBBR)能够有效实现味精污水的同步硝化与反硝化反应,减少设备占有面积和节约处理时间。经过实验得出,当溶氧(DO)为3~4mg/L能够有效地满足生物膜中好氧菌的生长需要,又不会破坏生物膜内的厌氧环境,当pH值为8.0时,温度为30℃时,对味精生产中产生的污水的化学需氧量(COD)去除率高达95.34%,氨氮的去除率达到95.78%,生物需氧量(BOD5)去除率94.1%。     

优势菌处理纺织印染废水的研究

分析了印染废水生物处理工艺中的活性汛泥,并利用从其中分离出的几种优势菌处理纺织印染废水,取得了较理想的效果,对16偶氮染料,蒽醌染料,箐类染料脱色处理,结果表明,在缺氧条件下脱色效果极,一般染料的脱色率可达80％以上,对生产废水脱色率也在80％以上,在脱色过程中其COD去除率达40％以上,在对印染废水中的PVA去除方面,利用从中分离出的几种假单孢杆菌进行处理,获得了比较良好的去除效果,同时对印染废水表面活性剂的去除也做了研究,几种菌均属兼性微生物,可在制氧条件下生成。     

移动床生物膜技术在高氨氮废水处理中的应用

以安徽淮化集团有限公司污水处理装置为例,介绍移动床生物膜(MBBR)技术工艺技术特点,重点论述二段A/O法移动床生物膜(MBBR)技术处理化肥企业高氨氮废水应用.针对该装置实际运行出现的问题,提出解决办法,为同类化工企业生产运行提供借鉴经验,共同开发更适合我国化工企业采用的高氨氮废水处理技术.     

Kinetics of heavy metal vaporization from model wastes in a fluidized bed

Metal vaporization experiments were carried out in an atmospheric fluidized bed to study the influence of operating conditions on the extent of heavy metal (HM) release in fumes from municipal solid waste incinerators. Modelwastes spiked with compounds of Pb, Cd, and Zn were used. The parameters studied were temperature, treatment duration, matrix of the model waste (mineral and organic), HM initial speciation, and gas composition (N2, air, air + HCl, gas mixture simulating the incinerators). The extent of vaporization was measured by solid sample analysis and on-line analysis of the gaseous effluent, after customization of the ICP technique for gas analysis. The results indicate the metal vaporization rate is very high initially and then slows. The results with mineral matrices give the decreasing order of volatility Cd > Pb > Zn, but in industrial incinerators Zn volatilizes slightly more than Pb. Temperature (especially for porous alumina) and mineral matrix have a strong influence on the HM vaporization, but HCl concentration and HM initial speciation do not. The gas composition and the initial metal concentration are significant parameters. The matrix influence clearly denoted the mass transfer limitations in the vaporization process from mineral matrix.     

Fate of estrogens during the biological treatment of synthetic wastewater in a nitrite-accumulating sequencing batch reactor

The fate of estrone (El), 17beta-estradiol (E2), and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2) was investigated in two nitrite-accumulating sequencing batch reactors operating under strictly aerobic (SBR1) conditions at different sludge ages (SRT, 1.7 to 17.1 d) and anoxic/anaerobic/aerobic (SBR2) conditions with different phases and durations of redox conditions, using a modified GC-MS analytical method for estrogen detection to ng/L concentrations. In SBR1, > or =98% of E2 was removed (specific E2 removal rate ranged from 0.375 (at SRT 17.1 d) to 2.625 (at SRT 1.7 d) microg E2 x g MLVSS(-1) x d(-1)) regardless of SRT or DO (<1.0 to >5.0 mg/L). Removal of E1 and, to a greater extent, EE2 was adversely affected when this reactor was operated at SRT shorterthan 5.7 d. However, whereas E1 was removed efficiently as long as SRT was long enough for AOB to bring about nitritation, EE2 removal efficiency was significantly lower when SBR1 was operated at SRT longer than 7.5 d. This reduced removal of EE2 may have been caused by the inhibition and toxicity of nitrite, both to the ammonium monooxygenase (AMO) and to the microbial population generally. In SBR2, less removal of E2 was found at the lower MLVSS concentrations, and E1 was not removed by sludge with poor settling qualities. The removal of EE2 observed in SBR2 was considered to be mainly a result of sorption. However, the binding of estrogens to the sludge in this reactor was apparently not as strong as the binding observed in the sludge of the strictly aerobic SBR1, since desorption was observed during the aeration phase in SBR2.     

Application of a floc-forming genetically engineered microorganism to a sequencing batch reactor for phenolic wastewater treatment

For enhancing the survival of genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs) in activated sludge processes, the use of a floc-forming bacterium as the host for a recombinant plasmid was proposed. The floc-forming and phenol-degrading GEM Sphingomonas paucimobilis 551 (pS10-45) was cultured to demonstrate this proposal. Although the maximum growth rate of the host strain S. paucimobilis 551 was low and the recombinant plasmid pS10-45 was unstable in the host, the resultant GEM S. paucimobilis 551 (pS10-45) was difficult to wash out together with the effluent, and it maintained population 3-4 times higher than the non-floc-forming GEM Escherichia coli HB101 (pS10-45) in a model activated sludge process operated in a sequencing batch mode. In the long run, the GEM-inoculated activated sludge process showed better phenol removal ability by the recombinant plasmid and better sludge settlement by the host strain.     

活性炭过滤纸板处理聚乙烯醇废水的研究

采用静态吸附法,首先对比了不同种类吸附剂对聚乙烯醇(PVA)废水的处理效果,得出活性炭吸附效果最优;然后进一步从时间、温度、pH、PVA初始浓度探讨了最佳使用条件,得出第1h内,吸附速率最大,第2h便降低90%;温度越高,吸附速率越快,但饱和吸附量会降低,温度宜控制在30~35℃;pH在中性及微碱性条件下较好,宜控制为7~8;PVA初始浓度越高,去除效率越低,因此在低浓度下使用效果更好;最后建立PVA浓度与COD关系方程,进一步使用活性炭抄造过滤纸板,在最佳吸附条件下,采用动态过滤法处理PVA废水,结果显示,在满足外排水质要求下,使用周期为2h。     

Perchlorate reduction by autotrophic bacteria attached to zerovalent iron in a flow-through reactor

Biological reduction of perchlorate by autotrophic microorganisms attached to zerovalent iron (ZVI) was studied in flow-through columns. The effects of pH, flow rate, and influent perchlorate and nitrate concentrations on perchlorate reduction were investigated. Excellent perchlorate removal performance (> or = 99%) was achieved at empty bed residence times (EBRTs) ranging from 0.3 to 63 h and an influent perchlorate concentration of 40-600 microg L(-1). At the longest liquid residence times, when the influent pH was above 7.5, a significant increase of the effluent pH was observed (pH > 10.0), which led to a decrease of perchlorate removal. Experiments at short residence times revealed that the ZVI column inoculated with local soil (Colton, CA) containing a mixed culture of denitrifiers exhibited much better performance than the columns inoculated with Dechloromonas sp. HZ for reduction of both perchlorate and nitrate. As the flow rate was varied between 2 and 50 mL min(-1), corresponding to empty bed contact times of 0.15-3.8 h, a maximum perchlorate elimination capacity of 3.0 +/- 0.7 g m(-3) h(-1) was obtained in a soil-inoculated column. At an EBRT of 0.3 h and an influent perchlorate concentration of 30 microg L(-1), breakthrough (> 6 ppb) of perchlorate in the effluent did not occur until the nitrate concentration in the influent was 1500 times (molar) greater than that of perchlorate. The mass of microorganisms attached on the solid ZVI/sand was found to be 3 orders of magnitude greater than that in the pore liquid, indicating that perchlorate was primarily reduced by bacteria attached to ZVI. Overall, the process appears to be a promising alternative for perchlorate remediation.