Nutrient loads and their impacts on chlorophyll a in the Mae Klong River and estuarine ecosystem: an approach for nutrient criteria development

Investigations on the water quality of the Mae Klong River and Estuary were conducted from April 2005 to February 2006 during periods of early-, mid-, and late-loading. Nutrient loads and transfer patterns were studied together with clarification of contaminated sites. The results indicated that NH4+, NO2- + NO3-, Si(OH)4 and PO4(3-) concentrations varied by season and were comparatively high in the mid-loading period. Analysis of DIN:P and Si:P molar ratios indicated that P04(3-) could possibly be a limiting nutrient. Highly contaminated sites were in the middle (Ratchaburi province) and lower (Samut Songkhram province) river zones in which anthropogenic wastewater discharges were significantly (p < 0.05) loaded. Analysis of the DIN and P transfer patterns showed that self-remediation efficiencies were rarely found. The highest DIN and P loads of 23.87 and 4.03 t/day, respectively, were found in Samut Songkhram province. Nutrients were found to contribute to the hypertrophic condition of the lower river and the estuary. The baseline level of chlorophyll a in the upper river was approximately 3.3 microg/L, while levels exceeded 10 microg/L in the estuarine zone. Such chlorophyll a levels were highly significant (p < 0.01) related to DIN and P (with correlation coefficients of 0.44 and 0.37, respectively). In order to maintain river conservation to an acceptable degree, levels of about 20 micromol/L DIN and 1 micromol/L P were suggested as the upper limits. To achieve such levels will require serious consideration with regard to the development of nutrient criteria for water resource conservation management and sustainable utilization purposes.     

Analysis of phosphorus removal and anaerobic selector performance in a full-scale activated sludge process in Singapore.

This paper analyses the performance of the anaerobic selector (A/O process) in a full-scale activated sludge process receiving mostly industrial sewage discharge (> 60%) in Singapore. In addition to the sludge settleability, enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) was studied. The sludge volume index (SVI) reduced from 200 to 80 ml g(-1) and foaming was suppressed significantly, indicating the effectiveness of the anaerobic selector in improving sludge settleability. The phosphorus removal efficiency was 66%, and 7.5 mg HAc-COD was consumed per mg PO4(3-) -P removed. In the anaerobic compartment, 31% of the SCOD and 73% of the acetic acid in the settled sewage were removed with PO4(3-) -P release of 14.1 mg PO4(3-)-P l(-1). The linear correlation between PO4(3-) -P release in the anaerobic compartment and PO4(3-) -P uptake in the aerobic compartment indicates that there is about 0.8 mg PO4(3-) -P release in the anaerobic compartment per mg PO34(3-) -P uptake in the aerobic compartment. The fates of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and its short chain acids (SCAs) in the process were studied and discussed.     

长江口污水超标排放对水质影响的数值模拟研究

为分析长江口污水超标排放对水质的影响,建立了包括溶解氧(DO)、生化需氧量(BOD)、氨氮(NH_3-N)和磷酸盐(PO_4~(3-)-P)等水质指标的长江口杭州湾水动力水质数学模型,并对长江口污水超标排放过程进行了模拟。计算结果表明:长江口的水动力条件有利于污染物的稀释扩散,对短期超标排放(如24 h)的污水,可以在短时间内稀释并使海域水环境恢复至正常水平;对于长期超标排放,污染物质的累积作用将会对整个海域水质产生不利影响,使水质下降。     

Evaluation and thermodynamic calculation of ureolytic magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation from UASB effluent at pilot scale

The removal of phosphate as magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP, struvite) has gained a lot of attention. A novel approach using ureolytic MAP crystallization (pH increase by means of bacterial ureases) has been tested on the anaerobic effluent of a potato processing company in a pilot plant and compared with NuReSys(?) technology (pH increase by means of NaOH). The pilot plant showed a high phosphate removal efficiency of 83 ± 7%, resulting in a final effluent concentration of 13 ± 7 mg · L(-1) PO(4)-P. Calculating the evolution of the saturation index (SI) as a function of the remaining concentrations of Mg(2+), PO(4)-P and NH(4)(+) during precipitation in a batch reactor, resulted in a good estimation of the effluent PO(4)-P concentration of the pilot plant, operating under continuous mode. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed the presence of struvite in the small single crystals observed during experiments. The operational cost for the ureolytic MAP crystallization treating high phosphate concentrations (e.g. 100 mg · L(-1) PO(4)-P) was calculated as 3.9 € kg(-1) P(removed). This work shows that the ureolytic MAP crystallization, in combination with an autotrophic nitrogen removal process, is competitive with the NuReSys(?) technology in terms of operational cost and removal efficiency but further research is necessary to obtain larger crystals.     

Development of a process for the recovery of phosphorus resource from digested sludge by crystallization technology.

Removal and recovery of phosphorus from sewage in form of MAP (magnesium ammonium phosphate) have attracted attention from the viewpoint of eutrophication prevention and phosphorus resource recovery as well as scaling prevention inside digestion tanks. In this work, phosphorus recovery demonstration tests were conducted in a 50 m3/d facility having a complete mixing type reactor and a liquid cyclone. Digested sludge, having 690 mg/L T-P and 268 mg/L PO4-P, was used as test material. The T-P and PO4-P of treated sludge were 464 mg/L and 20 mg/L achieving a T-P recovery efficiency of 33% and a PO4-P crystallization ratio of 93%. The reacted phosphorus did not become fine crystals and the recovered MAP particles were found to be valuable as a fertilizer. A case study in applying this phosphorus recovery process for treatment of sludge from an anaerobic-aerobic process of a 21,000 m3/d sewage system, showed that 30% of phosphorus concentration can be reduced in the final effluent, recovering 315 kg/d as MAP.     

菌藻混合固定化及其对污水的净化实验

对菌藻共固定化系统进行研究,初步确定菌藻共固定化中较佳的污泥包埋量。在同等条件下,固定化菌藻对氮磷的去除效果优于固定化细菌和固定化藻类的去除效果。对氨氮和磷酸盐磷去除能力的48 h实验结果表明,按去除率的大小排列为:固定化菌藻固定化小球藻固定化细菌,固定化菌藻对NH4+-N和PO43--P的去除率分别达到97.09%和88.69%,可见把细菌和藻类共同包埋于同一载体内,在同时去除污水中的氮磷和有机物方面有着更大的优势。     

东洞庭湖秋季氮磷营养盐结构及水华风险分析

以东洞庭湖区小型入湖河流、主洪道、主湖体为研究区域,于2016年9月分别设置12个代表断面进行氮、磷营养盐等环境因子及浮游植物调查。通过对氮磷营养盐形态结构、浮游植物群落结构及环境因子与浮游植物的RDA典范对应分析,探讨了秋季东洞庭湖蓝藻水华发生的风险水平。结果表明:(1)东洞庭湖ρ_(TN)为0.96~1.86 mg/L,平均1.58 mg/L,ρ_(TP)为0.065~0.137 mg/L,平均0.101 mg/L,其中入湖河流的ρ_(TN)、ρ_(TP)最低。水体氮磷以溶解态为主,ρ_(DTN)/ρ_(TN)为88.5%,ρ_(DTP)/ρ_(TP)为56.0%,其中ρ_(DIN)/ρ_(DTN)为75.4%,ρ_(PO34--P)/ρ_(DTP)为80.5%,ρ_(TN)/ρ_(TP)为16.9;其中东洞庭湖藻密度为9×10~4~325.2×10~4个/L,平均72.6×10~4个/L。(2)空间分布上,主湖体藻密度高于主洪道,主洪道及主湖体大部分水域优势属种为硅藻门的直链藻(Melosira sp.),其中主湖体北部尾部水域大小西湖发生了蓝藻水华,其优势属种为蓝藻门的颤藻(Oscillatoria sp.)、鱼腥藻(Anabeana sp.)。(3)RDA分析表明TP与流速是影响东洞庭湖水体蓝藻生长的主要环境因子,其它环境因子也有一定的影响。(4)主洪道、主湖体已轻度富营养,秋季藕池河断流时段,主湖体发生蓝藻水华的风险较大,尤其大小西湖水域爆发蓝藻水华的风险极大,主洪道由于水体较为浑浊,流速较大,对藻类生长有抑制作用,发生蓝藻水华的风险较小。     

Solutions to a combined problem of excessive hydrogen sulfide in biogas and struvite scaling.

The Woodman Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Western Australia has experienced two separate problems causing avoidable maintenance costs: the build-up of massive struvite (MgNH4PO4. 6H2O) scaling downstream of the anaerobic digester and the formation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels in the digester gas to levels that compromised gas engine operation and caused high operating costs on the gas scrubber. As both problems hang together with a chemical imbalance in the anaerobic digester, we decided to investigate whether both problems could be (feasibly and economically) addressed by a common solution (such as dosing of iron solutions to precipitate both sulfide and phosphate), or by using separate approaches. Laboratory results showed that, the hydrogen sulfide emission in digesters could be effectively and economically controlled by the addition of iron dosing. Slightly higher than the theoretical value of 1.5 mol of FeCl3 was required to precipitate 1 mol of dissolved sulfide inside the digester. Due to the high concentration of PO4(3-) in the digested sludge liquor, significantly higher iron is required for struvite precipitation. Iron dosing did not appear an economic solution for struvite control via iron phosphate formation. By taking advantage of the natural tendency of struvite formation in the digester liquid, it is possible to reduce the risk of struvite precipitation in and around the sludge-dewatering centrifuge by increasing the pH to precipitate struvite out before passing through the centrifuge. However, as the Mg2+/PO4(3-) molar ratio in digested sludge was low, by increasing the pH alone (using NaOH) the precipitation of PO4(3-) was limited by the amount of cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) available in the sludge. Although this would reduce struvite precipitation in the centrifuge, it could not significantly reduce PO4(3-) recycling back to the plant. For long-term operation, maximum PO4(3-) reduction should be the ultimate aim to minimise PO4(3-) accumulation in the plant. Magnesium hydroxide liquid (MHL) was found to be the most cost-effective chemical to achieve this goal. It enhanced struvite precipitation from both, digested sludge and centrate to the point where more than 95% PO4(3-) reduction in the digested sludge was achieved.     

Struvite crystallization versus amorphous magnesium and calcium phosphate precipitation during the treatment of a saline industrial wastewater

Struvite crystallization (MgNH(4)PO(4)·6H(2)O, MAP) could be an alternative for the sustainable and economical recovery of phosphorus from concentrated wastewater streams. Struvite precipitation is recommended for those wastewaters which have high orthophosphate concentration. However the presence of a cheap magnesium source is required in order to make the process feasible. For those wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) located near the seashore magnesium could be economically obtained using seawater. However seawater contains calcium ions that could interfere in the process, by promoting the precipitation of amorphous magnesium and calcium phosphates. Precipitates composition was affected by the NH(4)(+)/PO(4)(3-) molar ratio used. Struvite or magnesium and calcium phosphates were obtained when NH(4)(+)/PO(4)(3-) was fixed at 4.7 or 1.0, respectively. This study demonstrates that by manipulating the NH(4)(+)/PO(4)(3-) it is possible to obtain pure struvite crystals, instead of precipitates of amorphous magnesium and calcium phosphates. This was easily performed by using either raw or secondary treated wastewater with different ammonium concentrations.     

生物滤池串联工艺处理西洋河淀粉废水

为减少西洋河淀粉废水中大量N、P、CODCr进入洋河水库,加剧水库的富营养化,进行了 生物滤池串联工艺处理西洋河淀粉废水的研究。结果表明:系统对淀粉废水中的氨氮、总氮、总磷、 可溶性总磷、正磷酸盐、CODCr均具有较好的去除效果,去除率可分别达到57．7％、58．7％、66．8％、 65．7％、67．4％、75．2％,且对进水浓度变化具有一定的适应性。     

Treatment of strong nitrogen swine wastewater in a full-scale sequencing batch reactor.

Treatment of swine wastewater containing strong nitrogen was attempted in a full-scale SBR. The strongest swine wastewater was discharged from a slurry-type barn and called swine-slurry wastewater (SSW). Slightly weaker wastewater was produced from a scraper-type barn and called swine-urine wastewater (SUW). TCOD, NH4+-N and TSS in raw SSW were 23,000-72,000 mg/L, 3,500-6,000 mg/L and 17,000-50,000 mg/L, respectively. A whole cycle of SBR consists of 4 sub-cycles with anoxic period of 1 hr and aerobic period of 3 hr. The maximum loading rates of both digested-SSW and SUW were similar to 0.22 kg NH4+-N/m3/day whereas the maximum loading rates of raw SSW was up to 0.35 TN/m3/day on keeping the effluent quality of 60 TN mg/l. The VFAs portion of SCOD in raw SSW was about more than 60%. The VFAs in SUW and digested-SSW were about 22% and 15%, respectively. NH4+-N and PO4(3-)-P in SSW were removed efficiently compared to those in digested-SSW and DUW because SSW had high a C/N ratio and readily biodegradable organic. High concentration of organic was useful to enhance denitrification and P uptake. Also the amount of external carbon for denitrification was reduced to 5% and 10% of those for digested-SSW and SUW.     

Treatment of wastewater from a school in a decentralized filtration system by percolation over organic packing media

Based on results obtained in the laboratory a WWTP composed of a septic tank and an aerated percolating filter packed with organic media was built for a school. The system can treat 18 m3 d(-1) and was operated with a hydraulic loading rate of 0.078 (m3 m(-2) d(-1). For 360 days different operational conditions including start-up; stabilization; operation with aeration and non aeration; effect of rainy season, breaks from activities due to holidays and restart; were monitored and described in the article. Once stabilized, the system was able to remove, without the need for mechanical aeration, 97% of BOD5, 71% of COD, 93% of TKN, 11% of PO(4-)-P, 95% of TSS, 96% of VSS, in addition to having a removal efficiency of 4 log units of Faecal Coliforms (FC) and 100% helminthes eggs (HE). With this quality, the treated wastewater can be chlorinated and reused to irrigate green areas and/or in toilets. Although sanitary wastewater has a high concentration of Total-N (250 mg L(-1)) and a C/N ratio of less than 1, the system removed 65% of Total-N. Finally it was observed that after non activity periods, there was neither system failure nor the need to re-stabilize the system.     

浙江沿海及长江口同步潮位数据比较分析

通过对浙江沿海及长江口31个潮位站同步潮位数据分析比较可知,浙江沿海各站的潮汐变化有着较好的一致性和明显的规律,即在半个月的潮汐周期中出现1次大潮和1次小潮,而在1个太阴日中,出现2次高潮和低潮,潮汐变化过程呈现出半日潮特征。在河口区,落潮历时长于涨潮历时,且由河口口门向上游历时差逐渐增大;在近岸浅海区,长江口至浙中沿海的大目涂站,表现为落潮历时长于涨潮历时;向南至浙中沿海的东矶岛、大陈岛站涨落潮历时基本相等;总的来说浙南沿海松门、披山岛、坎门、洞头站涨潮历时略长于落潮历时;而南麂岛、琵琶门和霞关站又以落潮历时略长于涨潮历时为特点。在近岸浅海区,潮差分布从长江口往南到霞关总的趋势由北向南增大。在河口区,最高潮位和平均高潮位由河口向上游逐渐增大;在近岸浅海区,最高潮位和平均高潮位由北向南增大,最低潮位和平均低潮位的分布则恰好相反。     

A study of NH3-N and P refixation by struvite formation in hybrid anaerobic reactor.

This research is concerned with the removal of ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus in foodwaste by crystallization. Reductions have been achieved by struvite formation after the addition of magnesium ions (Mg2+). Magnesium ions used in this study were from magnesium salts of MgCl2. The results of our analysis using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis showed that the amount of struvite in precipitated sludge grew enough to be seen with the naked eye (600-700 microm). EDX analysis also showed that the main components of the struvite were magnesium and phosphorus. NH3-N removal efficiency using MgCl2 was 67% while PO4-P removal efficiency was 73%. It was confirmed that nitrogen and phosphorus could be stabilized and removal simultaneously through anaerobic digestion by Mg, NH3 and PO4-P, which were necessary for struvite formation.     

Biological treatment of whitewater in a laboratory process in order to determine kinetic parameters for model development.

Implementation of an in-mill biological treatment plant is one solution to the problems associated with closure of whitewater systems. It is, however, important to operate the treatment with low concentration of nutrients in the effluent. The effect on the COD reduction from decreased additions of NH4-N and PO4-P were investigated in three parallel aerobic suspended carrier reactors during treatment at 46 to 48 degrees C of whitewater from a recycled paper mill producing liner and fluting. In the reference reactor, a COD reduction of 89% was achieved and 45.6 mg NH4-N/(g COD reduced) and 11.6 mg PO4-P/(g COD reduced) was consumed at an organic load around 20 kg COD/(m3 x d). Reduced additions of NH4-N decreased the COD reduction. Addition of 56% of the consumption of NH4-N in the reference reactor resulted in a COD reduction of 80%. The response from decreased addition of PO4-P was different compared to NH4-N but it could not be determined if this is due to unsuitable experimental design or a different reaction mechanism. Reducing the addition of PO4-P to 26% of the consumption of PO4-P in the reference reactor, decreased the COD reduction to 83%. The main conclusion from the experiment is: biological treatment has the potential of treating whitewater from recycled paper mills with low effluent nutrient concentrations.     

Relationship of nutrient and residual chlorine concentration in treated wastewater with periphytic algae grown in a stream receiving treated wastewater.

The ratio of the amount of treated wastewater to river water is increasing in urban areas due to the spread of sewage systems. Treated wastewater is also sometimes extensively used to create streams and other water environments in urban areas. Rivers, streams and other water environments provide valuable habitats for all kinds of aquatic species, but the relationship between such aquatic species and the quality of treated wastewater they inhabit is not clearly understood. This study was carried out to clarify the effect of the water quality of treated wastewater such as nutrients and residual chlorine on periphytic algae grown in a stream receiving treated wastewater using laboratory-scale experimental channels. The following results were obtained. (1) When the range of phosphate (PO4-P) concentration was 0.04 to 0.09 mg/L, the higher the PO4-P concentration, the higher the biomass of periphytic algae and the more dominant the Chlorophyceae. (2) When the range of total residual chlorine (TRC) concentration was 0.07 to 5.8 mg/L, the higher the TRC concentration, the lower the biomass of periphytic algae. When the range of TRC concentration was 0.93 to 5.8 mg/L, this tendency was more pronounced.     

Effect of polyaluminium chloride on phosphorus removal in constructed wetlands treated with swine wastewater

Total phosphorus (TP) removal in aged constructed wetlands poses a challenge, especially when treated with swine wastewater with high concentrations of phosphorus (P). Our earlier studies with anaerobic lagoon swine wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands showed a decline in P removal (45-22%) with increased years of operation. These particular wetlands have been treated with swine wastewater every year since the first application in 1997. Preliminary lab-scale studies were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of polyaluminium chloride (PAC) in the removal of phosphate-P (PO4-P) from swine wastewater. The experimental objective was to increase the phosphorus treatment efficiency in constructed wetland by adding PAC as a precipitating agent. PAC was added by continuous injection to each wetland system at a rate of 3 L day(-1) (1:5 dilution of concentrated PAC). Swine wastewater was added from an anaerobic lagoon to four constructed wetland cells (11m wide x 40m long) at TP loads of 5.4-6.1 kg ha(-1) day(-1) in two experimental periods, September to November of 2008 and 2009. Treatment efficiency of two wetland systems: marsh-pond-marsh (M-P-M) and continuous marsh (CM) was compared. The wetlands were planted with cattails (Typha latifolia L.) and bulrushes (Scirpus americanus). In 2008, PAC treatment showed an increase of 27.5 and 40.8% of TP removal over control in M-P-M and CM respectively. Similar trend was also observed in the following year. PAC as a flocculant and precipitating agent showed potential to enhance TP removal in constructed wetlands treated with swine wastewater.     

长江口及毗邻海域生态系统健康评价研究

生态系统健康评价是构建生态安全的重要支撑。以长江口及毗邻海域为例，构建由年径流量波动比、年泥沙量波动比、入海段面CODMn、DO超标率、COD超标率、DIN超标率、DIP超标率、底栖动物多样性指数、浮游动物桡足类密度比例、浮游植物甲藻种类比例、类大肠菌群超标率等22个敏感指标构成的评价指标体系，并建立了5个等级的评价标准；建立基于最大熵的河口生态系统健康模糊评价模型（FAME）。运用FAME模型对长江口生态系统健康的现状、变化趋势进行评价分析，目前长江口处于亚健康状态。为长江口综合整治及其他河口同类生态建设工程提供理论与方法储备。     

Changes in Environmental Conditions During Dreissena Colonization of a Monitoring Station in Eastern Lake Erie

Effects of colonization and subsequent population density increases of Dreissena have been monitored annually at a site in eastern Lake Erie near the Niagara River. Striking changes in environmental conditions coincided with build-up of the Dreissena population from 1989 to 1992. A peak mean population density of 320,000 individuals/m² was observed in July 1991. Changes in conditions between 1988 and 1992 were characterized by: a progressive shift in sediment particle size distribution from fine sand of a mean particle size of 125–200 μm to silt-sized particles of a mean particle size of 4–7 μm; increased sediment concentrations of total organic carbon, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and some metals; secchi disc transparency increases from less than 4 m to over 6 m, chlorophyll a concentration decreases from over 3 μg/L to less than 1 μg/L and; decreases in numbers of native bivalves and polychaetes while gammarid amphipods and tubificid worms remained abundant. Data suggest that the large Dreissena population has altered depositional patterns of sediment in this area of eastern Lake Erie.     

Quality evaluation methods for wastewater treatment plant data.

Non identified systematic errors in data sets can cause severe problems inducing wrong decisions in function control, process modelling or planning of new treatment infrastructure. In this paper statistical methods are shown to identify systematic errors in full-scale WWTP data sets. With a redundant mass balance approach analyzing five different mass balances, systematic errors of about 10%-20% compared to the input fluxes can be identified at a 5%-significance level. A Shewhart control-chart approach to survey the data quality of on-line-sensors allows a statistical as well as a fast graphical analysis of the measurement process. A 19 month data set indicates that NO(3) (-), PO(4) (-) and NH(4) (-) on-line analyzers in the filter effluent and MLSS sensors in the aeration tanks were not disturbed by any systematic error for 85-95% of the measuring time. The in-control-interval (+/-3.standard deviation) has a width of +/-12-17% (NO(3)-N), +/-35-40% (PO(4)-P), +/-83% (NH(4)-N) and +/-12-15% (TS) of the measured reference value.