Enhanced nutrient removal by biological treatment systems

The importance of nitrogen and phosphorus in stimulating eutrophic conditions in receiving waters has been well documented. As a result, over the last decade an increased emphasis has been placed on limiting these elements in wastewater effluents. In the future, new discharge permits will include limits on both of these elements.

In 1985 a research program was initiated to conduct a pilot plant study of an anoxic/anaerobic/aerobic treatment train using primary effluent. The facility was operated at varying flow and Qr/Q ratios, and at effective mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentrations of 3100 mg/L. The results of the first 13 month operational phase indicated that the effluent concentrations of total BOD₅, TSS and nitrate nitrogen were less than 5 mg/L. Ammonia nitrogen was less than 0.2 mg/L. The solids settleability was excellent, and foaming due to Norcadia, was effectively controlled. The average overall phosphorus removal was 48%. Influent BOD₅ concentrations of less than 100 mg/L significantly reduced the system's ability to remove phosphorus. A strong relationship between the amount of carbon source in the influent, phosphorus release in the anoxic and anaerobic tanks and phosphorus uptake in the aeration basin was established.     

Effect of air-assisted backwashing on the performance of an anaerobic fixed-bed bioreactor that simultaneously removes nitrate and arsenic from drinking water sources

Contaminant removal from drinking water sources under reducing conditions conducive for the growth of denitrifying, arsenate reducing, and sulfate reducing microbes using a fixed-bed bioreactor may require oxygen-free gas (e.g., N₂ gas) during backwashing. However, the use of air-assisted backwashing has practical advantages, including simpler operation, improved safety, and lower cost. A study was conducted to evaluate whether replacing N₂ gas with air during backwashing would impact performance in a nitrate and arsenic removing anaerobic bioreactor system that consisted of two biologically active carbon reactors in series. Gas-assisted backwashing, comprised of 2 min of gas injection to fluidize the bed and dislodge biomass and solid phase products, was performed in the first reactor (reactor A) every two days. The second reactor (reactor B) was subjected to N₂ gas-assisted backwashing every 3-4 months. Complete removal of 50 mg/L NO₃⁻ was achieved in reactor A before and after the switch from N₂-assisted backwashing (NAB) to air-assisted backwashing (AAB). Substantial sulfate removal was achieved with both backwashing strategies. Prolonged practice of AAB (more than two months), however, diminished sulfate reduction in reactor B somewhat. Arsenic removal in reactor A was impacted slightly by long-term use of AAB, but arsenic removals achieved by the entire system during NAB and AAB periods were not significantly different (p > 0.05) and arsenic concentrations were reduced from approximately 200 μg/L to below 20 μg/L. These results indicate that AAB can be implemented in anaerobic nitrate and arsenic removal systems.     

Innovative self-powered submersible microbial electrolysis cell (SMEC) for biohydrogen production from anaerobic reactors

A self-powered submersible microbial electrolysis cell (SMEC), in which a specially designed anode chamber and external electricity supply were not needed, was developed for in situ biohydrogen production from anaerobic reactors. In batch experiments, the hydrogen production rate reached 17.8 mL/L/d at the initial acetate concentration of 410 mg/L (5 mM), while the cathodic hydrogen recovery (RH₂) and overall systemic coulombic efficiency (CE_os) were 93% and 28%, respectively, and the systemic hydrogen yield (YH₂) peaked at 1.27 mol-H₂/mol-acetate. The hydrogen production increased along with acetate and buffer concentration. The highest hydrogen production rate of 32.2 mL/L/d and YH₂ of 1.43 mol-H₂/mol-acetate were achieved at 1640 mg/L (20 mM) acetate and 100 mM phosphate buffer. Further evaluation of the reactor under single electricity-generating or hydrogen-producing mode indicated that further improvement of voltage output and reduction of electron losses were essential for efficient hydrogen generation. In addition, alternate exchanging the electricity-assisting and hydrogen-producing function between the two cell units of the SMEC was found to be an effective approach to inhibit methanogens. Furthermore, 16S rRNA genes analysis showed that this special operation strategy resulted same microbial community structures in the anodic biofilms of the two cell units. The simple, compact and in situ applicable SMEC offers new opportunities for reactor design for a microbial electricity-assisted biohydrogen production system.     

The development of a novel hybrid aerating membrane-anaerobic baffled reactor for the simultaneous nitrogen and organic carbon removal from wastewater

A novel hybrid aerating membrane-anaerobic baffled reactor (HMABR), based on the installation of aerating membrane into an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR), to achieve simultaneous removal of nitrogenous and carbonaceous organic pollutants was developed in this study. The results demonstrated that after the installation of membrane module, total VFA and COD concentration in the HMABR effluent were decreased by 68.1 and 59.5% respectively, with increased nitrogenous pollutant remove efficiency by 83.5%, at influent COD concentration of 1600 mg/L and NH₄⁺-N concentration of 80 mg/L. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) results of the aerating membrane biofilm showed that the biofilm stratification for the spatial profiles of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, and denitrifying bacteria. The potential usage of HMABR widens the usage of aerobic-anaerobic combination technology for industrial wastewater treatment.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater effluent using microalgal biofilms

Microalgal biofilms have so far received little attention as post-treatment for municipal wastewater treatment plants, with the result that the removal capacity of microalgal biofilms in post-treatment systems is unknown. This study investigates the capacity of microalgal biofilms as a post-treatment step for the effluent of municipal wastewater treatment plants. Microalgal biofilms were grown in flow cells with different nutrient loads under continuous lighting of 230 μmol/m²/s (PAR photons, 400-700 nm). It was found that the maximum uptake capacity of the microalgal biofilm was reached at loading rates of 1.0 g/m²/day nitrogen and 0.13 g/m²/day phosphorus. These maximum uptake capacities were the highest loads at which the target effluent values of 2.2 mg/L nitrogen and 0.15 mg/L phosphorus were still achieved. Microalgal biomass analysis revealed an increasing nitrogen and phosphorus content with increasing loading rates until the maximum uptake capacities. The internal nitrogen to phosphorus ratio decreased from 23:1 to 11:1 when increasing the loading rate. This combination of findings demonstrates that microalgal biofilms can be used for removing both nitrogen and phosphorus from municipal wastewater effluent.     

Characteristics and fate of organic nitrogen in municipal biological nutrient removal wastewater treatment plants

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and fate of colloidal and dissolved organic nitrogen (CON and DON) across biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated sludge bioreactors. Primary and secondary effluent total nitrogen (TN) measurements and component fractionation, CON and DON concentration profiles across BNR bioreactors, and laboratory batch experiments with the process mixed liquor were carried out at several full-scale BNR plants in northern Poland. The organic nitrogen (ON) components were divided into high CON, low CON, and DON based on sequential filtration through 1.2, 0.45 and 0.1 μm pore-size filters. The average influent DON_0.1μm (<0.1 μm) concentrations ranged from 1.1 g N/m³ to 3.9 g N/m³ and accounted for only 4-13% of total organic nitrogen. In the effluents, however, this contribution increased to 12-45% (the DON_0.1μm concentrations varied in a narrow range of 0.5-1.3 g N/m³). Conversions of ON inside the bioreactors were investigated in more detail in two largest plants, i.e. Gdansk (565,000 PE) and Gdynia (516,000 PE). Inside the two studied bioreactors, the largest reductions of the colloidal fraction were found to occur in the anaerobic and anoxic compartments, whereas an increase of DON_0.1μm concentrations was observed under aerobic conditions in the last compartment. Batch experiments with the process mixed liquor confirmed that DON_0.1μm was explicitly produced in the aerobic phase and significant amounts of ON were converted in the anoxic phase of the experiments.     

Occurrence and fate of quinolone and fluoroquinolone antibiotics in a municipal sewage treatment plant

This study developed a method for analysis of nineteen quinolone and fluoroquinolone antibiotics (FQs) in sludge samples, and investigated the occurrence and fate of the FQs in a municipal sewage treatment plant (STP) with anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic treatment processes. Eleven compounds, including pipemidic acid, fleroxacin, ofloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, lomefloxacin, sparfloxacin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, and sarafloxacin (only in sludge), were detected in the STP. The predominance of ofloxacin and norfloxacin, followed by lomefloxacin, ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, and moxifloxacin, were found in wastewater, suspended solids, and sludge. The total concentrations of FQs were 2573 ± 241 ng/L, 1013 ± 218 ng/L, and 18.4 ± 0.9 mg/kg in raw sewage, secondary effluent, and sludge, respectively. Extremely low mass change percentages were observed for FQs in anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic treatment units, suggesting biodegradation to be of minor importance in the removal of FQs in STPs. 50-87% of the initial FQs loadings (except for pipemidic acid (36%)) were ultimately found in the dewatered sludge. Mean removal efficiencies of FQs in the STP were 56-75%, except for new generation drugs such as moxifloxacin (40 ± 5%) and gatifloxacin (43 ± 13%). A significant positive correlation was found between removal efficiencies and K_d of FQs. The major factor in the removal of FQs in the STP was sorption to sludge, which was not governed by hydrophobic interactions. The long-term cycling and persistence of FQs in the STP has made activated sludge as a huge reservoir of FQ antibiotics.     

Effect of natural organic matter on toxicity and reactivity of nano-scale zero-valent iron

Nano-scale zero-valent iron (NZVI) particles are increasingly used to remediate aquifers contaminated with hazardous oxidized pollutants such as trichloroethylene (TCE). However, the high reduction potential of NZVI can result in toxicity to indigenous bacteria and hinder their participation in the cleanup process. Here, we report on the mitigation of the bactericidal activity of NZVI towards gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Bacillus subtilis in the presence of Suwannee River humic acids (SRHA), which were used as a model for natural organic matter (NOM). B. subtilis was more tolerant to NZVI (1 g/L) than E. coli in aerobic bicarbonate-buffered medium. SRHA (10 mg/L) significantly mitigated toxicity, and survival rates after 4 h exposure increased to similar levels observed for controls not exposed to NZVI. TEM images showed that the surface of NZVI and E. coli was surrounded by a visible floccus. This decreased the zeta potential of NZVI from −30 to −45 mV and apparently exerted electrosteric hindrance to minimize direct contact with bacteria, which mitigated toxicity. H₂ production during anaerobic NZVI corrosion was not significantly hindered by SRHA (p > 0.05), However, NZVI reactivity towards TCE (20 mg/L), assessed by the first-order dechlorination rate coefficient, decreased by 23%. Overall, these results suggest that the presence of NOM offers a tradeoff for NZVI-based remediation, with higher potential for concurrent or sequential bioremediation at the expense of partially inhibited abiotic reactivity with the target contaminant (TCE).     

Reducing the startup time of aerobic granular sludge reactors through seeding floccular sludge with crushed aerobic granules

One of the main challenging issues for the aerobic granular sludge technology is the long startup time when dealing with real wastewaters. This study presents a novel strategy to reduce the time required for granulation while ensuring a high level of nutrient removal. This new approach consists of seeding the reactor with a mixture of crushed aerobic granules and floccular sludge. The effectiveness of the strategy was demonstrated using abattoir wastewater, containing nitrogen and phosphorus at approximately 250 mgN/L and 30 mgP/L, respectively. Seven different mixtures of crushed granules and floccular sludge at granular sludge fractions (w/w in dry mass) of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, 30% and 50% were used to start eight granulation processes. The granulation time (defined as the time when the 10th percentile bacterial aggregate size is larger than 200 μm) displayed a strong dependency on the fraction of granular sludge. The shortest granulation time of 18 days was obtained with 50% crushed granules, in comparison with 133 days with 5% crushed granules. Full granulation was not achieved in the two trials without seeding with crushed granules. In contrast to the 100% floccular sludge cases, where a substantial loss of biomass occurred during granulation, the biomass concentration in all other trails did not decrease during granulation. This allowed that good nitrogen removal was maintained in all the reactors during the granulation process. However, enhanced biological phosphorus removal was achieved in only one of the eight trials. This was likely due to the temporary accumulation of nitrite, a strong inhibitor of polyphosphate accumulating organisms.     

Enrichment of acetogenic bacteria in high rate anaerobic reactors under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions

The objective of the current study was to expand the knowledge of the role of acetogenic Bacteria in high rate anaerobic digesters. To this end, acetogens were enriched by supplying a variety of acetogenic growth supportive substrates to two laboratory scale high rate upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactors operated at 37 °C (R1) and 55 °C (R2). The reactors were initially fed a glucose/acetate influent. Having achieved high operational performance and granular sludge development and activity, both reactors were changed to homoacetogenic bacterial substrates on day 373 of the trial. The reactors were initially fed with sodium vanillate as a sole substrate. Although % COD removal indicated that the 55 °C reactor out performed the 37 °C reactor, effluent acetate levels from R2 were generally higher than from R1, reaching values as high as 5023 mg l⁻¹. Homoacetogenic activity in both reactors was confirmed on day 419 by specific acetogenic activity (SAA) measurement, with higher values obtained for R2 than R1.Sodium formate was introduced as sole substrate to both reactors on day 464. It was found that formate supported acetogenic activity at both temperatures. By the end of the trial, no specific methanogenic activity (SMA) was observed against acetate and propionate indicating that the methane produced was solely by hydrogenotrophic Archaea. Higher SMA and SAA values against H₂/CO₂ suggested development of a formate utilising acetogenic population growing in syntrophy with hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Throughout the formate trial, the mesophilic reactor performed better overall than the thermophilic reactor.     

Experimental study of the interaction between a pair of circular cylinders normal to a uniform shear flow

The flow about two cylinders of diameter D, displaced in a plane normal to a uniformly sheared free stream with a centreline separation H, has been investigated experimentally. The freestream shear parameter (D/U_c)dU/dy was 1.48 × 10^?2, and the Reynolds number based on the freestream central velocity was 4.3 × 10⁴. Three distinct flow regions were observed: for 1.1<H/D<1.8 the flow through the gap between the cylinders is biased and unstable; for 1.8?H/D<2.0 the flow through the gap is biased and stable; and for 2?H/D the gap flow is not biased. The present paper describes the effects of mutual interference on the pressure distributions, the vortex-shedding frequencies and the interaction of the vortex streets for these three regions.     

The effect of hydraulic retention time on granular sludge biomass in treating textile wastewater

The physical characteristics, microbial activities and kinetic properties of the granular sludge biomass were investigated under the influence of different hydraulic retention times (HRT) along with the performance of the system in removal of color and COD of synthetic textile wastewater. The study was conducted in a column reactor operated according to a sequential batch reactor with a sequence of anaerobic and aerobic reaction phases. Six stages of different HRTs and different anaerobic and aerobic reaction time were evaluated. It was observed that the increase in HRT resulted in the reduction of organic loading rate (OLR). This has caused a decrease in biomass concentration (MLSS), reduction in mean size of the granules, lowered the settling ability of the granules and reduction of oxygen uptake rate (OUR), overall specific biomass growth rate (ì_overall), endogeneous decay rate (k_d) and biomass yield (Y_obs, Y). When the OLR was increased by adding carbon sources (glucose, sodium acetate and ethanol), there was a slight increase in the MLSS, the granules mean size, ì_overall, and biomass yield. Under high HRT, increasing the anaerobic to aerobic reaction time ratio caused an increase in the concentration of MLSS, mean size of granules and lowered the SVI value and biomass yield. The ì_overall and biomass yield increased with the reduction in anaerobic/aerobic time ratio. The HRT of 24 h with anaerobic and aerobic reaction time of 17.8 and 5.8 h respectively appear to be the best cycle operation of SBR. Under these conditions, not only the physical properties of the biogranules have improved, the highest removal of color (i.e. 94.1 ± 0.6%) and organics (i.e. 86.5 ± 0.5%) of the synthetic textile dyeing wastewater have been achieved.     

Stability of long unsupported twin circular tunnels in soils

The stability of two long unsupported circular parallel tunnels aligned horizontally in fully cohesive and cohesive–frictional soils has been determined. An upper bound limit analysis in combination with finite elements and linear programming is employed to perform the analysis. For different clear spacing (S) between the tunnels, the stability of tunnels is expressed in terms of a non-dimensional stability number (γ_maxH/c); where H is tunnel cover, c refers to soil cohesion, and γ_max is maximum unit weight of soil mass which the tunnels can bear without any collapse. The variation of the stability number with tunnels’ spacing has been established for different combinations of H/D, m and ϕ; where D refers to diameter of each tunnel, ϕ is the internal friction angle of soil and m accounts for the rate at which the cohesion increases linearly with depth. The stability number reduces continuously with a decrease in the spacing between the tunnels. The optimum spacing (S_opt) between the two tunnels required to eliminate the interference effect increases with (i) an increase in H/D and (ii) a decrease in the values of both m and ϕ. The value of S_opt lies approximately in a range of 1.5D–3.5D with H/D = 1 and 7D–12D with H/D = 7. The results from the analysis compare reasonably well with the different solutions reported in literature.     

Transformation kinetics of biochemically active compounds in low-pressure UV photolysis and UV/H(2)O(2) advanced oxidation processes

Factors controlling photolysis and UV/H₂O₂ photooxidation rates of the biochemically active compounds (BACs) sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethazine, sulfadiazine, trimethoprim, bisphenol A, and diclofenac were determined. Experiments were conducted with a quasi-collimated beam apparatus equipped with low-pressure UV lamps. The effects of pH, H₂O₂ concentration, and background water matrix (ultrapure water, lake water, wastewater treatment plant effluent) on BAC transformation rates were evaluated. For the sulfa drugs, solution pH affected direct photolysis rates but had little effect on the hydroxyl radical oxidation rate. For sulfamethoxazole, the neutral form photolyzed more easily than the anionic form while the reverse was the case for sulfamethazine and sulfadiazine. For trimethoprim, the hydroxyl radical oxidation rate was higher for the cationic form (pH 3.6) than for the neutral form (pH 7.85). Quantum yields and second order rate constants describing the reaction between the hydroxyl radical and BACs were determined and used together with background water quality data to predict fluence-based BAC transformation rate constants (k′). For both the lake water and wastewater treatment plant effluent matrices, predicted k′ values were generally in good agreement with experimentally determined k′ values. At typical UV/H₂O₂ treatment conditions (fluence = 540 mJ cm⁻², H₂O₂ dose = 6 mg L⁻¹), BAC transformation percentages in North Carolina lake water ranged from 43% for trimethoprim to 98% for diclofenac. In wastewater treatment plant effluent, BAC transformation percentages were lower (31-97%) at the same treatment conditions because the hydroxyl radical scavenging rate was higher.     

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.     

Biodegradation of the endogenous residue of activated sludge

This study evaluated the potential biodegradability of the endogenous residue in activated sludge subjected to batch digestion under either non-aerated or alternating aerated and non-aerated conditions. Mixed liquor for the tests was generated in a 200 L pilot-scale aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) operated at a 5.2 days SRT. The MBR system was fed a soluble and completely biodegradable synthetic influent composed of sodium acetate as the sole carbon source. This influent, which contained no influent unbiodegradable organic or inorganic materials, allowed to generate sludge composed of essentially two fractions: a heterotrophic biomass X_H and an endogenous residue X_E, the nitrifying biomass being negligible (less than 2%). The endogenous decay rate and the active biomass fraction of the MBR sludge were determined in 21-day aerobic digestion batch tests by monitoring the VSS and OUR responses. Fractions of X_H and X_E: 68% and 32% were obtained, respectively, at a 5.2 days SRT. To assess the biodegradability of X_E, two batch digestion units operated at 35 °C were run for 90 days using thickened sludge from the MBR system. In the first unit, anaerobic conditions were maintained while in the second unit, alternating aerated and non-aerated conditions were applied. Data for both units showed apparent partial biodegradation of the endogenous residue. Modeling the batch tests indicated endogenous residue decay rates of 0.005 d⁻¹ and 0.012 d⁻¹ for the anaerobic unit and the alternating aerated and non-aerated conditions, respectively.     

As(III) removal by hydrous titanium dioxide prepared from one-step hydrolysis of aqueous TiCl4 solution

Hydrous titanium dioxide (TiO₂·xH₂O) nanoparticles were synthesized by a low-cost one-step hydrolysis process with aqueous TiCl₄ solution. These TiO₂·xH₂O nanoparticles ranged from 3 to 8 nm and formed aggregates with a highly porous structure, resulting in a large surface area and easy removal capability from aqueous environment after the treatment. Their effectiveness on the removal of As(III) (arsenite) from water was investigated in both laboratory and natural water samples. The adsorption capacity on As(III) of these TiO₂·xH₂O nanoparticles reached over 83 mg/g at near neutral pH environment, and over 96 mg/g at pH 9.0. Testing with a As(III) contaminated natural lake water sample confirmed the effectiveness of these TiO₂·xH₂O nanoparticles in removing As(III) from natural water. The high adsorption capacity of the TiO₂·xH₂O nanoparticles is related to the high surface area, large pore volume, and the presence of high affinity surface hydroxyl groups.     

Biodegradability and toxicity of sulphonate-based surfactants in aerobic and anaerobic aquatic environments

Four types of commonly used sulphonate-based surfactants (alkane sulphonates, alpha-olefin sulphonates, sulphosuccinates and methyl ester sulphonates) were tested for their aerobic and anaerobic biodegradability as well as for their toxicity to Daphnia magna and Photobacterium phosphoreum to assess the effect of the surfactant structure on those properties. Aerobic biodegradation was evaluated by means of the CO₂ headspace test and anaerobic biodegradation was assessed by a method based on the ECETOC test. All the surfactants tested were readily biodegraded under aerobic conditions. No clear effect of the surfactant structures on the toxicity to the aquatic organisms tested was found. The most significant differences in the surfactants studied were observed in their behaviour under anaerobic conditions. Alkane sulphonates, alpha-olefin sulphonates and methyl ester sulphonates were not mineralized in lab anaerobic digesters despite the fact that the last one showed a certain degree of primary degradation. Nevertheless, these surfactants did not significantly inhibit methanogenic activity at concentrations up to 15 g surfactant/kg dry sludge, a concentration that is much higher than the expected concentrations of these surfactants in real anaerobic digesters. Sulphosuccinates showed a high level of primary biodegradation in anaerobic conditions. However, linear alkyl sulphosuccinates were completely mineralized whereas branched alkyl sulphosuccinates achieved percentages of ultimate biodegradation ≤50%.     

Soil O2 profile affected by gas diffusivity and water retention in a drained peat layer

Peatlands consist of hundreds of gigatons of soil carbon storage. Once a peatland is drained, however, it is transformed into a carbon source, since better aerated conditions promote the aerobic microbial decomposition of the peat soil layers. Since the aerobic depth should depend on the balance between the capability of the peat layers to transport the O₂ and the intensity of the O₂ consumption by aerobic microbes, our aim in the present study was to characterize the soil gas diffusivity (D_s/D₀) and the soil water retention curves (SWRCs) of two types of peat soils found in sub-boreal and tropical peatlands. We also numerically simulated the effects of D_s/D₀ and SWRCs on the aerobic depth into which the atmospheric O₂ can penetrate in unsaturated peat layers with various groundwater table levels. For the numerical simulations, we modified the Millington-Quirk-type D_s/D₀ model, while the O₂ consumptive behavior in the peat layers was described by the Monod-type equation. The D_s/D₀, as a function of the air-filled porosity, was consistently larger for the tropical-peat samples than for the sub-boreal ones, implying that the tropical-peat samples had less tortuous pore geometry than the sub-boreal ones. However, the features of the SWRCs indicated that the tropical-peat samples showed higher water retentivity than the sub-boreal ones; and therefore, lowering the groundwater table would not raise the air-filled porosity of the tropical-peat samples more than that of the sub-boreal ones. Through numerical simulations contrasting the features of the D_s/D₀ and the SWRC curves for the tropical-peat samples with those of the sub-boreal ones, unsaturated anaerobic layers were seen to form more easily in the simulations representing the tropical-peat samples than in those representing the sub-boreal ones, suggesting high water retentivity. In turn, the difficulty in aeration inhibited the gaseous diffusion in the tropical-peat soils even though the D_s/D₀ values for the tropical-peat samples were higher than those for the sub-boreal ones for a series of air-filled porosity. Furthermore, the development of unsaturated anaerobic layers caused a “ceiling” for the increase in the surface CO₂ emission rate associated with the fall in the groundwater table.