Sulfide production and wastewater quality in pressure mains

An empirical model for predicting sulfide production in pressure mains (Hvitved-Jacobsen et al., 1988) was evaluated and modified based on results obtained from two intercepting pressure mains located in the Northern part of Jutland, Denmark. Mass balances in pipe influent and effluent were made for volatile fatty acids, VFA (formate, acetate, propionate and butyrate), dissolved COD, DOC and sulfide and biofilm surface rate for sulfide and organic matter were calculated. Relatively high sulfide formation rates were observed at low temperatures (5–12°C). The sulfide production rate strongly depended on wastewater quality in terms of VFA and dissolved carbohydrate concentration. Based on these two sets of observations — wastewater quality and temperature — the original empirical model was modified.     

The effect of sulphide and organic matter on the nitrification activity in a biofilm process

Septic wastewater, characterised by the appearance of sulphide, is known to cause problems in sewage systems (corrosion and odour), at treatment plants (e.g. inhibition, sludge bulking) and for human beings (toxicity). Sulphide formation in sewers may be prevented by increasing the redox potential, either by oxygen/air injection (aerobic conditions) or dosage of nitrate (anoxic conditions). The effect on the nitrification capacity in a biofilm process of an anoxic wastewater as compared to a septic wastewater has been studied. The main change in wastewater quality as a result of nitrate dosage is reduced concentrations of organic matter and insignificant sulphide concentrations. The results show that a sulphide concentration of 0.5 mg/1 had a considerable negative effect on the nitrification activity. The sulphide and the higher concentrations of organic matter in the septic wastewater caused together a 30–40% reduction of the nitrification capacity as compared to the anoxic wastewater, even with pre-aeration and pre-precipitation with Fe³⁺. The removal of organic matter in the sewer as a result of the anoxic conditions created by the addition of nitrate, resulted in a maximum nitrification capacity when particulate organic matter was removed by pre-precipitation.     

Stratification of microbial metabolic processes and redox potential change in an aerobic biofilm studied using microelectrodes

In this study we used oxygen, sulfide, redox potential and pH microelectrodes to examine the stratification of microbial metabolic processes and the change of redox potential within an aerobic biofilm used to treat azo dye containing wastewater. These microelectrodes have tip diameters of 3 to 20 μm and a high spatial resolution. They were used to measure the profiles of oxygen, total dissolved sulfide, redox potential and pH as a function of depth in the biofilm. These profiles demonstrated that oxygen was depleted at 550 μm from the surface and the deeper section of the biofilm was actually anaerobic. While aerobic oxidation took place only in a shallow layer near the surface, sulfate reduction occurred in the deeper anaerobic zone, even with a low concentration of sulfate (6.75 mg/1 as SO^2-) in the bulk solution. We discovered a sharp decrease of redox potential (271 mV) from a positive potential to a negative potential within a very narrow band of 50 μm near the interface between the aerobic zone and the sulfate reduction zone. The new experimental findings support the concept of stratification of the microbial metabolic processes in biofilms.     

Controlling sulfide generation in force mains by air injection

Air injection into force mains has been used to control sulfide generation. However, the design criteria have not been clearly established. In this study, the minimum concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) required to prevent sulfide generation, and the oxygen balance in the force mains were investigated using an experimental facility. Air injection completely eliminated sulfide presence at the pipe outlet when DO at the pipe end was 0.2 mg/1 or higher. Reaeration from gaseous phase to wastewater was affected by sewage flow velocity and oxygen concentration in the gaseous phase. Oxygen consumption rate in bulk water (Rr) ranged widely from 3 to 18 mg/1.h. Oxygen consumption rate in biofilm (Re) was measured using a rotating reactor. Re seemed to increase in proportion to the square root of DO.     

Mathematical model for describing reactions of residual chlorine with organic matter in reclaimed wastewater.

Among several applications of urban wastewater reuse, use of reclaimed wastewater to sustain stream flows has become attractive in the urban area. Since these rivers are used for recreational purposes and for restoring aquatic eco-system, the adequate control of residual chlorine is essential. Mathematical model for describing reactions between residual chlorine and organic matter in reclaimed wastewater has been developed. The model considers the effect of molecular weight distribution of organic matter on the reaction rate. Lab-scale experiments were performed to estimate reaction rates constants and to examine their temperature dependency. The experiments showed that 1) the smaller organic matter gave the larger reaction rate; 2) temperature effect on reaction rate was described by the Arrhenius formula; 3) decline of free chlorine had more temperature dependency than combined chlorine. The comparison of computed results with data from lab-scale experiments confirmed the validity of the model. We used the one-dimensional dispersion model with proposed reaction model and examined the seasonal variation of residual chlorine profile along the river sustained by reclaimed wastewater in Sapporo. Simulation showed that seasonal variation of nitrification performance in secondary treatment as well as change in temperature caused seasonal variation in residual chlorine profile along the river.     

Effects of ORP, recycling rate, and HRT on simultaneous sulfate reduction and sulfur production in expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactors under micro-aerobic conditions for treating molasses distillery wastewater

An expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor was adopted to incubate the sludge biogranule that could simultaneously achieve sulfate reduction and sulfide reoxidization to elemental sulfur for treating molasses distillery wastewater. The EGSB reactor was operated for 175 days at 35 °C with a pH value of 7.0, chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rate of 4.8 kg COD/(m3 d), and sulfate loading rate of 0.384 kg SO(4)(2-)/(m3 d). The optimal operation parameters, including the oxidation reduction potential (ORP), recycling rate, and hydraulic retention time (HRT), were established to obtain stable and acceptable removal efficiencies of COD, sulfate, and higher elemental sulfur production. With an ORP of -440 mV, a recycling rate of 300%, and HRT of 15 h, the COD and sulfate removal efficiencies were 73.4 and 61.3%, respectively. The elemental sulfur production ratio reached 30.1% when the elemental sulfur concentration in the effluent was 48.1 mg/L. The performance results were also confirmed by the mass balance calculation of sulfate, sulfide, and elemental sulfur over the EGSB reactor.     

一种水源热泵供水的理想水源——以重庆南温泉洗浴废水为例

水源热泵一般采用地下水作为水源,而长期抽取地下水将引起地面沉降、水质污染恶化,开辟新的水源热泵,具有十分重要的节能意义。温泉洗浴废水与一般的地下水相比,除水温不同外,还含有大量有机物、微生物。通过检测重庆南温泉洗浴废水水质,结果表明:废水钙镁离子含量、硫酸根离子含量超出了《浅层地热能勘查评价规范》标准,而浑浊度、矿化度、pH值、氯离子含量和二氧化硅含量均能满足水源热泵供水水质要求;有机物浓度较高,存在生物污染。如对此类废水采取相应的处理措施,水量稳定、水温高于常温的温泉洗浴废水不失为一种水源热泵供水的理想水源。     

Degradation of organic matter from domestic wastewater with loofah sponge biofilm reactor

A laboratory-scale oxic biofilm reactor using loofah sponge as support material was carried out to study its start-up characteristics and the optimum operation parameters in removing organic matter and nitrogen from domestic wastewater. It took no more than 10 days to complete microbiological cultivation and acclimation, indicating that the natural loofah sponge was a superior support material compared with some conventional ones. The influence parameter experiments showed that the hydraulic retention time (HRT) had a significant influence on the COD and NH(3)-N removal efficiencies, the average COD and NH(3)-N removal efficiencies were 83.7 and 96.9% respectively when the temperature was 25 ± 2 °C, the influent flow rate was 0.21 L/h and the HRT was 7.5 h. The loofah sponge biofilm system had a strong tolerance to organic shock loading in the present experiment. Additionally, it was found that domestic wastewater could be preferably treated with 88.9% of COD and 98.7% of NH(3)-N removal efficiencies with the corresponding influent concentrations of 260.0 and 26.8 mg/L, respectively. The observations obtained in the present study indicated that the loofah sponge was an excellent natural support material, potentially feasible for the present system for the treatment of the decentralized domestic wastewater.     

Biofilm dynamics studied with microsensors and molecular techniques

Here we present preliminary data on the development of a biofilm from a wastewater treatment plant studied with microsensors and molecular techniques. The development during biofilm growth of oxygen, sulfide and pH profiles was measured with microsensors. Anoxic zones developed within one week and further increased during the following weeks. However, sulfide production was delayed and was first detected in a six-week-old biofilm. With denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified 165 rRNA gene fragments the sequence of the bacterial community was followed showing an increasing complexity of the biofilm community during development. In a mature biofilm the influence of nitrate on sulfide production was studied by measuring oxygen, sulfide, pH, nitrite and nitrate profiles with microsensors. Sulfide production was detected deeper in the biofilm and in lower concentrations, when nitrate was added to the medium. The DGGE pattern of the mature biofilm showed both differences and similarities with the DGGE pattern of the 12-week-old biofilm. In particular the RNA pattern changed when nitrate was added to the medium, indicating a change in activity of certain strains.     

A new oxygen supply method for simultaneous organic carbon removal and nitrification by a one-stage biofilm process

A new oxygen supply method to biofilm is proposed for simultaneous organic carbon removal and nitrification. The main feature of the method is use of hydrophobic porous membrane or oxygen enrichment membrane as substratum of biofilm. In the biofilm formed on oxygen permeable membrane, oxygen is supplied from the bottom to the surface of the biofilm through the membrane while organic pollutants are supplied from the surface to the bottom of the biofilm. The oxygen supply method allows nitrifiers near the bottom region to grow with less competition from BOD oxidizers. The microbial population was investigated in the biofilm formed on hydrophobic microfilter. Nitrifiers grew mainly in the bottom region while denitrifiers grew in the middle region of the biofilm formed on the membrane. Simultaneous organic carbon removal and nitrification were carried out successfully by the biofilm. Furthermore, the potential of the new oxygen supply method was demonstrated with the biofilm formed on an oxygen enrichment-type biomass carrier in a single-stage treatment of domestic wastewater. The nitrification rate was about 1.9 g/m²d and was comparable to that in the conventional biofilm process designed especially for nitrification.     

Treatment of leachate from the anaerobic fermentation of solid wastes using two biofilm support media.

Biofilms growing on different carrier media have a different response to the nutrients contained in wastewater. Biofilms have proven to be an alternative to the treatment of wastewater containing higher concentrations of contaminants. The main objective of this research was to compare two biofilm support media for the treatment of leachate from the anaerobic fermentation of solid wastes. The removal of organic matter and ammonia was achieved in two fixed bed biofilm reactors containing Kaldnes and Linpor support materials with specific surface areas of 490 and 270 m2/m3, respectively, and operating under the sequencing batch procedure during 204 days. The Linpor reactor achieved higher total COD removal than the Kaldnes reactor (47% and 39%, respectively). Linpor was shown to be less sensitive to influent COD changes than Kaldnes. The effluent total COD values of Kaldnes were higher than Linpor. The dissolved COD removal was 21% for both reactors. The average ammonia removal for Linpor was 72% and 42% for Kaldnes. The matrix of Linpor allows higher concentrations of microorganisms (as dry mass) than Kaldnes. The dry mass concentration was related to the "active" exposed surface area of the biofilm. This is considered to be the cause for the better performance of Linpor when compared with Kaldnes.     

Simulation of sulfide buildup in wastewater and atmosphere of sewer networks.

A model concept for prediction of sulfide buildup in sewer networks is presented. The model concept is an extension to--and a further development of--the WATS model (Wastewater Aerobic-anaerobic Transformations in Sewers), which has been developed by Hvitved-Jacobsen and co-workers at Aalborg University. In addition to the sulfur cycle, the WATS model simulates changes in dissolved oxygen and carbon fractions of different biodegradability. The sulfur cycle was introduced via six processes: 1. sulfide production taking place in the biofilm covering the permanently wetted sewer walls; 2. biological sulfide oxidation in the permanently wetted biofilm; 3. chemical and biological sulfide oxidation in the water phase; 4. sulfide precipitation with metals present in the wastewater; 5. emission of hydrogen sulfide to the sewer atmosphere and 6. adsorption and oxidation of hydrogen sulfide on the moist sewer walls where concrete corrosion may take place.     

Cell biomass and exopolymer composition in sewer biofilms

During wastewater transportation in sewers conversion of organic matter into biomass takes place in bulk water and in bacterial biofilms. The biomass amount, the composition and the properties influences wastewater composition and the subsequent fate in the wastewater treatment plant. Because the biomass consists of both cell biomass and extracellular polymers having different properties, the biomass composition in biofilms from three different gravity sewers is reported here. Cell biomass was only a minor fraction of the organic matter in the biofilms and 70–98% of total organic carbon was found to be extracellular. The macromolecular composition of the biofilm was determined and the major part was protein. Also in the extracellular fraction protein was the largest fraction. Moreover, humic substances, polysaccharide, uronic acids and DNA could be extracted from all biofilm samples into an extracellular fraction. Between 30 and 40% of the COD from the total biofilm sample were not analysed by the methods used. Some variation in the content and composition of extracellular material was found among the different sewer lines. The results demonstrate that biofilm material from sewer lines entering a wastewater treatment plant mainly consists of heterogeneous extracellular organic material with protein as the dominating fraction.     

High-rate wastewater treatment combining a moving bed biofilm reactor and enhanced particle separation.

Many cities around the world are looking for compact wastewater treatment alternatives since space for treatment plants is becoming scarce. In this paper development of a new compact, high-rate treatment concept with results from experiments in lab-scale and pilot-scale are presented. The idea behind the treatment concept is that coagulation/floc separation may be used to separate suspended and colloidal matter (resulting in > 70% organic matter removal in normal wastewater) while a high-rate biofilm process (based on Moving Bed biofilm reactors) may be used for removing low molecular weight, easily biodegradable, soluble organic matter. By using flotation for floc/biomass separation, the total residence time for a plant according to this concept will normally be < 1 hour. A cationic polymer combined with iron is used as coagulant at low dosages (i.e. 1-2 mg polymer/l, 5-10 mg Fe/l) resulting in low sludge production (compared to conventional chemical treatment) and sufficient P-removal.     

Efficient nutrient removal from swine manure in a tubular biofilm photo-bioreactor using algae-bacteria consortia

Concentrated animals feeding operations (CAFOs) often pose a negative environmental impact due to the uncontrolled spreading of manure into soils that ends up in the release of organic matter and nutrients into water bodies. Conventional aerobic methods treating CAFOs wastewater require intensive oxygenation, which significantly increases the operational costs. The alternative proposed in this research is the application of micro-algae based systems by taking advantage of the cost-effective in situ oxygenation via photosynthesis. A 4.9 L enclosed tubular biofilm photo-bioreactor was inoculated with an algal-bacterial consortium formed by the micro-algae Chlorella sorokiniana and a mixed bacterial culture from an activated sludge process. C. sorokiniana delivers the O(2) necessary to accomplish both organic matter and ammonium oxidation. The reactor was fed with diluted swine wastewater containing 180, 15 and 2,000 mg/L of NH(4) (+)-N, soluble P and total COD, respectively. The photo-bioreactor exhibited good and sustained nutrient removal efficiencies (up to 99% and 86% for NH(4) (+) and PO(4) (3-), respectively) while total COD was removed up to 75% when the biofilm was properly established. Liquid superficial velocities up to 0.4 m/s (achieved by culture broth recirculation) hindered the formation of a stable biofilm, while operation at velocities lower than 0.1 m/s supported stable process performance. The high shear stress imposed by the centrifugal recirculation pump disintegrated the large aggregates detached from the biofilm, which resulted in a poor settling performance and therefore poor COD removal efficiencies. Enclosed biofilm photo-bioreactors therefore offer a potentially more economical alternative to conventional tertiary treatments process.     

Modelling of biological nitrogen removal during treatment of piggery wastewater.

During this study, a mathematical model simulating piggery wastewater treatment was developed, with the objective of process optimisation. To achieve this, the effect of temperature and free ammonia concentration on the nitrification rate were experimentally studied using respirometry. The maximum growth rates obtained were higher for ammonium-oxidising biomass than for nitrite-oxidising biomass for the temperatures above 20 degrees C; values at 35 degrees C were equal to 1.9 and 1.35 day(-1), respectively. No inhibition of nitrification was observed for free ammonia concentrations up to 50 mgN/L. Using these data with others experimental data obtained from a pilot-scale reactor to treat piggery wastewater, a model based on a modified version of the ASM1 was developed and calibrated. In order to model the nitrite accumulation observed, the ASM1 model was extended with a two-step nitrification and denitrification including nitrite as intermediate. Finally, the produced model called PiWaT1 demonstrated a good fit with the experimental data. In addition to the temperature, oxygen concentration was identified as an important factor influencing the nitrite accumulation during nitrification. Even if some improvements of the model are still necessary, this model can already be used for process improvement.     

Comparison of microbial activity in anaerobic and microaerobic digesters

Microaerobic alternative of anaerobic digestion offers many advantages especially when sulfide concentration in the digester is high. For better understanding of the microaerobic technology more detailed characterization of biomass activity is needed. Two equal digesters were operated under the same condition except of microaeration in one of them. During long term operation of anaerobic and microaerobic digesters the sludge quality and the biomass activity was monitored. The activity of sulfide oxidizing bacteria of microaerobic biomass was significantly higher in comparison with anaerobic biomass. The activity of sulfate reducing bacteria was comparable. The activity of methanogenic bacteria activity depended on sulfide concentration more than on microaeration. The extent of foaming problems was lower in the microaerobic than in the anaerobic digester.