Sludge accumulation pattern in an anaerobic pond under Mediterranean climatic conditions

The main objective of this study was to observe the sludge accumulation pattern of an experimental, covered, anaerobic pond treating municipal wastewater under Mediterranean climatic conditions throughout a 2-year operational period (1999-2000) in order to form a seasonal sludge accumulation model which may be used to predict the required desludging time, not only of the particular anaerobic pond used in the study, but also for other types of anaerobic ponds and operational situations. The 4-m deep pond was supplied with pre-screened, untreated wastewater from the nearby treatment plant of Thessaloniki, Greece, initially at a flow rate of 120m3/day and later at a flow rate of 150m3/day. The influent characteristics were BOD5 441 mg O2/L, COD 942 mg O2/L and suspended solids (SS) 574 mg/L. BOD5, COD, and SS concentrations of the pond effluent were reduced by 50%, 53%, and 64%, respectively, in comparison with those of the influent. During the operational period, three distinctly different zones were seen to form within the anaerobic pond: The first zone, which formed at the bottom of the pond, consisted of inert, high-density sludge. The second zone, which formed above this, contained a high concentration of volatile (easily biodegradable) sludge. The third upper zone (supernatant), was a liquid layer low in suspended solids. The accumulation of sludge in the pond followed an annual sinusoidal pattern with high values during winter and low ones during summer due to the increased digestion rate. The maximum high-density sludge height observed was 0.7m, or 2% (14 m3) of the total pond volume. The maximum volatile sludge accumulation reached 3.1 m, or 53% (300 m3) of the pond volume. A seasonal sludge accumulation model, based on the sludge inflow and seasonal digestion rates, was used to simulate the annual fluctuation in accumulation rate for the local (Mediterranean type) climatic conditions. Monthly values of accumulation (or digestion) rate of sludge (K(AS)) were experimentally estimated at specific mean monthly air temperatures and approximated by a regression second degree polynomial equation to be used with the model. The predicted desludging interval for our experimental pond was 3 years.     

寒冷地区厌氧塘的底泥特性及蓄积量预测

准确预测厌氧塘的底泥沉积量对于保证其稳定运行有重要意义，为此对寒冷地区厌氧塘底泥的成因及降解进行了分析，并建立了较为可行的底泥蓄积量预测模型，在实测数据的基础上，得出了齐齐哈尔和安达市的厌氧塘蓄积量修正系数，同时分析了其污泥特性。     

Performance of the Burwarton Estate Waste Stabilization Ponds

The Burwarton Estate waste stabilization ponds, near Bridgnorth, Shropshire, serve a population of 150. There are three ponds in series: a facultative pond, and two equal maturation ponds, followed by two parallel and alternately used constructed wetland ditches. This paper describes the design of the ponds and reports upon their performance during the first two years of operation.     

Reliability analysis of wastewater treatment plants

This article presents a reliability analysis of 166 full-scale wastewater treatment plants operating in Brazil. Six different processes have been investigated, comprising septic tank+anaerobic filter, facultative pond, anaerobic pond+facultative pond, activated sludge, upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors alone and UASB reactors followed by post-treatment. A methodology developed by Niku et al. [1979. Performance of activated sludge process and reliability-based design. J. Water Pollut. Control Assoc., 51(12), 2841-2857] is used for determining the coefficients of reliability (COR), in terms of the compliance of effluent biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and fecal or thermotolerant coliforms (FC) with discharge standards. The design concentrations necessary to meet the prevailing discharge standards and the expected compliance percentages have been calculated from the COR obtained. The results showed that few plants, under the observed operating conditions, would be able to present reliable performances considering the compliance with the analyzed standards. The article also discusses the importance of understanding the lognormal behavior of the data in setting up discharge standards, in interpreting monitoring results and compliance with the legislation.     

Effects of baffles on the performance of model waste stabilization ponds

The performance of three baffled laboratory-scale facultative stabilization ponds were compared with that of an unbaffled control pond. The hydraulic characteristics of the ponds were estimated from the results of tracer tests.The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅) removals achieved with the control pond and with the ponds having 3, 6 and 9 baffles were 79, 81, 86 and 89% respectively and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals were 81, 84, 84.2 and 84.2%. The reductions in total solids (TS) were respectively 43, 46, 51 and 64%. Dispersion indices of 0.161, 0.126, 0.112 and 0.096 were obtained for the control, 3, 6 and 9 baffle ponds respectively, which indicated a trend of decreasing dispersion index with increasing number of baffles.     

Upgrading a facultative pond by implanting water hyacinth

Water hyacinth was implanted in one of two existing facultative ponds and both units were operated in parallel under comparable conditions. The ponds were fed with mainly domestic wastewater after pretreatment in anaerobic ponds and operated at a BOD₅-loading of about 48 kg (ha d)⁻¹ and a detention time of 12 days. This paper covers a period of 4 months, from the implantation of the water hyacinths until no further systematic change in the treatment efficiency of the water hyacinth pond was observed. The median effluent concentrations of the facultative pond for SS, COD, TKN and TP were 55, 95, 6.4 and 1.4 mg l⁻¹, respectively. The values for the water hyacinth pond were 12, 26, 2.5 and 0.4 mg l⁻¹, respectively. The average DO effluent concentration of the water hyacinth pond was 1.2 mg l⁻¹, but this still increased slightly as compared to the influent. The study demonstrates that the implantation of water hyacinth is an appropriate option for upgrading facultative ponds. In many cases where more stringent effluent standards are imposed the method may be a suitable alternative to technical treatment processes.     

低温下稳定塘系统对二级出水的处理效果

镇江市征润州污水厂的出水排入长江,为保护长江水环境,需要对其进行深度处理,以使出水水质达到《城镇污水处理厂污染物排放标准》(GB 18918—2002)的一级A标准。采用"好氧塘/兼性塘/生物塘"组合工艺处理该厂出水,考察了系统在低温条件下的脱氮除磷效果。结果表明:该系统能进一步降低二级出水中的TN和TP浓度,对TN、NH3-N、TP的去除率分别为40%、70%和55%,出水TN、NH3-N、TP分别为14、4和0.4 mg/L左右;稳定塘中的硝化作用有利于NH3-N的去除,但厌氧环境的缺乏限制了反硝化作用的进行,使出水TN中NO3--N的比例升高;HRT是稳定塘的重要参数,系统中TN的去除以生物作用为主,可以适当延长HRT以提高对TN的去除率。     

THE PERFORMANCE OF PILOT-SCALE PRIMARY-FACULTATIVE WASTE-STABILISATION PONDS IN THE UK

Three pilot-scale primary-facultative waste stabilisation ponds were constructed at Esholt sewage-treatment works, Bradford. Each pond received screened sewage at different BOD loading rates over a two-year period. Concentrations of BOD, SS, amm. N and chlorophyll-a were measured weekly in summer and bi-weekly in winter, and sludge accumulation was measured after 3, 9, 15 and 20 months. BOD and SS removals were consistently high, although they were lower in summer than in winter due to high levels of algae. The removal of amm, N was generally much better in summer than in winter - the removal mechanism being most likely related to algal activities. Sludge accumulation rates were very low.     

Nitrogenous compounds in facultative oxidation pond sediments

The protein content of sludge samples from facultative oxidation ponds was measured and was found to have even distribution in the pond floor. Proteolytic activity which degrades protein to intermediate compounds, was found to be slightly higher near the pond inlet region. It was also shown that proteolytic activity increased with increasing depth of overlying pond liquor.Ammonia content of, and ammonification by pond sludge appeared to be independent of locality. Urea and urease activity were restricted to the regions close to the pond inlet region.     

Microbial reactions in facultative oxidation ponds—II. Biochemical activity of facultative oxidation pond sediments

Studies of biochemical reactions involved in the decomposition of organic matter in sediments of a facultative oxidations pond have shown that the reactions most sensitive to anaerobic conditions increased in activity with increasing pond depth. Other reactions less affected by anaerobic conditions showed little or no change. Use of these parameters in the examination of malfunctioning ponds is also indicated.     

Investigation of the sludge reduction mechanism in the anaerobic side-stream reactor process using several control biological wastewater treatment processes

To investigate the mechanism of sludge reduction in the anaerobic side-stream reactor (SSR) process, activated sludge with five different sludge reduction schemes were studied side-by-side in the laboratory. These are activated sludge with: 1) aerobic SSR, 2) anaerobic SSR, 3) aerobic digester, 4) anaerobic digester, and 5) no sludge wastage. The system with anaerobic SSR (system #2) was the focus of this study and four other systems served as control processes with different functions and purposes. Both mathematical and experimental approaches were made to determine solids retention time (SRT) and sludge yield for the anaerobic SSR process. The results showed that the anaerobic SSR process produced the lowest solids generation, indicating that sludge organic fractions degraded in this system are larger than other systems that possess only aerobic or anaerobic mode. Among three systems that involved long SRT (system #1, #2, and #5), it was only system #2 that showed stable sludge settling and effluent quality, indicating that efficient sludge reduction in this process occurred along with continuous generation of normal sludge flocs. This observation was further supported by batch anaerobic and aerobic digestion data. Batch digestion on sludges collected after 109 days of operation clearly demonstrated that both anaerobically and aerobically digestible materials were removed in activated sludge with anaerobic SSR. In contrast, sludge reduction in the aerobic SSR process or no wastage system was achieved by removal of mainly aerobically digestible materials. All these results led us to conclude that repeating sludge under both feast/fasting and anaerobic/aerobic conditions (i.e., activated sludge with anaerobic SSR) is necessary to achieve the highest biological solids reduction with normal wastewater treatment performance.     

Coliphages as indicators of enteric viruses in activated sludge

The use of indigenous coliphage as indicators of enteric viruses during activated sludge treatment of domestic wastewater was examined. Enteric viruses, coliphage attacking three strains of Escherichia coli and a number of wastewater parameters were monitored in the primary effluent, secondary effluent and secondary sludge of a wastewater treatment plant.Removal of viruses during secondary treatment appeared to be the result of rapid adsorption of influent virions to mixed liquor suspended solids. Adsorption was followed by inactivation of the viruses during aeration of the mixed liquor. A larger proportion of influent enteric viruses than coliphage was recovered from the secondary sludge. This suggests that activated sludge treatment was less antagonistic towards enteric viruses than towards the coliphage.Coliphage plaques of less than or equal to 1 mm in diameter were composed of large viruses (approx. 100 nm in diameter). Plaques greater than 3 mm in diameter appeared to be the result of host infection by a much smaller virus (approx. 45 nm in diameter). Plaques between 1 and 3 mm in diameter were composed of both small and large coliphages.Coliphage concentrations could not be correlated with enteric virus concentrations in either primary or secondary effluent. However, it was found that coliphage giving rise to plaques greater than 3 mm in diameter were positively related with enteric viruses in the secondary effluent. This result suggests that this group of coliphage may serve as an indicator of the efficacy of activated sludge treatment of enteric viruses.     

Sunlight, season, snowmelt, storm, and source affect E. coli populations in an artificially ponded stream

Reducing fecal indicator bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), in streams is important for many downstream areas. E. coli concentrations within streams may be reduced by intervening ponds or wetlands through a number of physical and biological means. A section of Dunes Creek, a small coastal stream of southern Lake Michigan, was impounded and studied for 30 months from pre-through post-construction of the experimental pond. E. coli reduction became more predictable and effective with pond age. E. coli followed the hydrograph and increased several-fold during both rainfall and snowmelt events. Seasonally, the pond was more effective at reducing E. coli during summer than winter. Late summer, non-solar reduction or inactivation of E. coli in the pond was estimated at 72% and solar inactivation at 26%. E. coli DNA fingerprinting demonstrated that the winter population was genetically more homogeneous than the summer population. Detection of FRNA coliphages suggests that there was fecal contamination during heavy rain events. An understanding of how environmental factors interact with E. coli populations is important for assessing anticipated contaminant loading and the reduction of indicator bacteria in downstream reaches.     

Study on chlorine disinfection of pond effluent

Chlorine disinfection experiments were conducted to investigate the die-off patterns of the fecal coliforms when present in waste stabilization pond effluents containing from 100 to 400 mg l⁻¹ algae. The fecal coliform inactivation was observed to occur at two rates, i.e. an initial rapid kill followed by a slower kill. The magnitude of inactivation was found to be proportional to the initial chlorine dose and contact time and inversely proportional to the algal concentration. A mathematical model was developed to predict the fecal coliform survival ratio during the chlorination of the pond effluent. When compared with the experimental data, the predicted results had a correlation coefficient of 0.981.     

Seasonal and diurnal variations of temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen in advanced integrated wastewater pond system treating tannery effluent

Seasonal and diurnal fluctuations of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and temperature were investigated in a pilot-scale advanced integrated wastewater pond system (AIWPS) treating tannery effluent. The AIWPS was comprised of advanced facultative pond (AFP), secondary facultative pond (SFP) and maturation pond (MP) all arranged in series. The variations of pH, DO and temperature in the SFP and MP followed the diurnal cycle of sunlight intensity. Algal photosynthesis being dependent on sunlight radiation, its activity reached climax at early afternoons with DO saturation in the SFP and MP in excess of over 300% and pH in the range of 8.6-9.4. The SFP and MP were thermally stratified with gradients of 3-5 degrees C/m, especially, during the time of peak photosynthesis. The thermal gradient in the AFP was moderated by convective internal currents set in motion as a result of water temperature differences between the influent wastewater and contents of the reactor. In conclusion, the AFP possessed remarkable ability to attenuate process variability with better removal efficiencies than SFP and MP. Hence its use as a lead treatment unit, in a train of ponds treating tannery wastewaters, should always be considered.     

氧化塘工艺处理规模化养猪场污水

采用固液分离太阳能折流式厌氧塘/兼氧塘/强化好氧塘工艺处理养猪场污水,处理出水水质(COD≤400 mg/L、NH2-N≤70 mg/L)达到<畜禽养殖业污染物排放标准>(GB 18596-2001),运行成本为0.34元/m3,净运行成本为0.27元/m3.     

THE EFFECTS OF IMPROVING SEWAGE SLUDGE DIGESTION

A model was developed and tested to investigate the effects of various parameters on the processing costs of anaerobic digestion. The model was based on empirical data collected from full-scale plants which varied in size from 35,000 to 900,000 population equivalents. (Equivalent to loading rates of 0.5 to 2.7 kg VS/m³/d.) In spite of different operating regimes and conditions of the plants analysed, various relationships were discovered between: sludge quality and volatile solids destruction; sludge quality and biogas yield; and, effluent volatile solids and dewatering. Where correlations existed, these were used to make predictions on operating costs of the digestion and dewatering plant based on sensitivity analysis. The results of the model were used to make recommendations on how to optimise the operation of an anaerobic digestion plant.     

Modelling of coliform removal in 186 facultative and maturation ponds around the world

The paper presents a very extensive evaluation of the coliform decay in facultative and maturation ponds, based on data from 186 different ponds in the world. The ponds encompass a very wide diversity in terms of physical and operating conditions, covering most situations encountered in practice. The median values for the coliform removal efficiencies were 1.8 log units (98% removal) for primary facultative ponds, 1.0 log units for secondary facultative ponds (90% removal) and 1.2 log units (94% removal) for each maturation pond in the series. Two equations to be used for design purposes were derived for estimating the die-off coefficient K(b) (dispersed flow, 20 degrees C) in facultative and maturation ponds. The first equation led to a slightly better fitting with the observed logarithm of the effluent coliform concentrations (R2 = 0.874), and related K(b) with the pond detention time t and depth H (K(b) = 0.682 H(-1.286) t(-0.103)). The other equation also led to a satisfactory fitting (R2 = 0.845), but was slightly simpler, depending only on the pond depth (K(b) = 0.549 H(-1.456)).     

Removal of the endocrine disrupter nonylphenol and its estrogenic activity in sludge treatment processes

The estrogenic compound nonylphenol (NP) is frequently found in sludge from sewage treatment works. Hence, when sewage sludge is spread on the land, endocrine-disrupting compounds may get into the soil. The goal of this study was to investigate the extent to which aerobic mesophilic treatment in continuous reactors permits the removal of NP from sludge and how this process may be useful for treating anaerobically stabilised sludge. We also report on the behaviour of NP during the anaerobic treatment of sludge. The reduction in sludge estrogenic activity observed in the different types of treatment, as measured using estrogen-responsive reporter cells lines (MELN bioassay), was compared with NP removal rates. Under anaerobic conditions, no degradation of NP and its estrogenic activity was observed. Indeed, an accumulation of the compound occurred. In contrast, high removal of NP was achieved in aerobic conditions as well as in aerobic Post-treatment of anaerobically pre-digested sludge, with a concomitant reduction of the sludge's estrogenic potency.     

Combined anaerobic and aerobic digestion for increased solids reduction and nitrogen removal

A unique sludge digestion system consisting of anaerobic digestion followed by aerobic digestion and then a recycle step where thickened sludge from the aerobic digester was recirculated back to the anaerobic unit was studied to determine the impact on volatile solids (VS) reduction and nitrogen removal. It was found that the combined anaerobic/aerobic/anaerobic (ANA/AER/ANA) system provided 70% VS reduction compared to 50% for conventional mesophilic anaerobic digestion with a 20 day SRT and 62% for combined anaerobic/aerobic (ANA/AER) digestion with a 15 day anaerobic and a 5 day aerobic SRT. Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) removal for the ANA/AER/ANA system was 70% for sludge wasted from the aerobic unit and 43.7% when wasted from the anaerobic unit. TKN removal was 64.5% for the ANA/AER system.