Survival of a non-flocculating bacterium, Thiobacillus thioparus TK-1, inoculated to activated sludge

The survival of a non-flocculating bacterium inoculated to activated sludge and the development of the bacterial activity were examined. Thiobacillus thioparus TK-1, which degrades O,O-dimethyl phosphorodithioate (DMDTP) contained in the wastewater of pesticide manufacturers, shows no flocculation property. This strain was inoculated to activated sludge at the concentration of 5 × 10⁷, 10⁵ and 10³ cfu/ml, and a wastewater containing DMDTP was treated with this sludge. No degradation was observed for the first 3, 5 and 7 days, respectively. However, after this lag time the activated sludge developed the stable degradation activity. The population of the inoculated strain in the activated sludge decreased at first, but then increased very rapidly up to 10⁸ cfu/ml and remained stable at this level.     

The role of Lecane rotifers in activated sludge bulking control

Experiments were conducted on Lecane inermis feeding on filamentous bacteria and living in activated sludge to determine if the rotifers can control the growth of the bacteria responsible for bulking. The experiments showed that Lecane are capable of significantly reducing the density of Microthrix parvicella filaments. The rotifers not only survived the transfer from the culture to the activated sludge, but they multiplied quickly when foraging on filamentous bacteria. By reducing the number of filaments, the rotifers improved settling properties of the sludge. This is apparently the first report on the possibility of using rotifers to control bulking.     

Feasibility of a multi-component additive for efficient control of activated sludge filamentous bulking

Instantaneous improvement of the settling of bulking filamentous activated sludge can be achieved by the addition of a polymer or a large amount (up to 100% of the MLSS concentration) of talc powder to the sludge. Long-term improvement relies on repeated additions, as these additives have no adverse effects on the causative filaments. A multi-component additive was compared to the traditional additives in lab-scale activated sludge units using three highly filamentous sludges from different industrial treatment plants. The study demonstrated that the multi-component additive was superior to the traditional remedies. It was shown that, in the case of severe filamentous bulking, a single addition of the new additive immediately improved sludge settling and exerted a destructive effect on the causative filamentous bacteria. Thus, the latter additive also ensured a long-term sludge sedimentation improvement. The traditional additives exhibited an immediate and short-term effect. The novel additive also retarded sludge rising due to denitrification and it improved sludge dewaterability. The study revealed Nostocoido limicola II, with slightly hydrophobic cell wall, to be somewhat resistant to the quaternary ammonium salt present as biocide in the additive.     

Effect of anaerobic conditions on activated sludge filamentous bulking in laboratory systems

The effect of anaerobic conditions on the occurrence of filamentous microorganisms in the biocenosis of activated sludge has been studied in laboratory systems. These systems consisted of an anaerobic completely mixed tank followed by an oxic one. A single oxic completely mixed tank served as a control unit. Synthetic wastewater was used incorporating glucose and ethanol as a carbon source in order to support the growth of filamentous microorganisms in completely mixed tanks. It has been demonstrated that the growth of some filamentous organisms, for instance Type 021N and Sphaerotilus natans, was suppressed under anaerobic conditions as a result of lower rates of polyphosphate depolymerization under anaerobic conditions. However, the positive effect of the anaerobiosis may be eliminated if simultaneous dissimilatory sulphate reduction occurs. In this case filamentous bulking caused by presence of such microorganisms like Thiothrix is possible.     

Control of activated sludge filamentous bulking: Experimental verification of a kinetic selection theory

Two laboratory activated sludge systems, completely-mixed and selector-type, were continuously fed with a multi-component substrate. With excess biomass from both systems, the maximum substrate removal rates, r_x.m, and the half-velocity coefficients, K_s, were determined by means of a simple respirometric method. The following substrates were tested: glucose, galactose, acetic acid, valeric acid, citric acid, glutamic acid, alanine, tyrosine, methylalcohol, ethylalcohol and phenol.It has been found that both the r_x.m and the K_s are basically lower with the mixed cultures cultivated in a completely-mixed reactor (filamentous) than with those cultivated in a selector-type reactor (non-filamentous). The results have experimentally verified a kinetic selection theory in mixed cultures published previously.     

Effect of sludge fasting/feasting on growth of activated sludge cultures

Reduction of excess sludge in an oxic-settling-anoxic (OSA) activated sludge process might be attributed to a "sludge fasting (insufficient food under an anoxic condition)/feasting (sufficient food under an oxic condition)" treatment. This paper was to examine this explanation by investigating both the sludge fasting/feasting phenomenon and the effect of a fasting/feasting treatment on sludge growth. In this study, five different activated sludge cultures cultivated using synthetic wastewater composed of mainly glucose and other necessary nutrients: (1) an aerobic batch culture, (2) an intermittently aerated batch culture, (3) an anoxic batch culture, (4) a continuous aerobic culture, and (5) an OSA culture, were employed. It was found that only the aerobic batch culture and the aerobic continuous culture are fastable when the oxidation reduction potential (ORP) level is below 100 mV under no-food condition during a 2-h fasting treatment, showing that both the biomass and carbohydrate storage of these two cultures were reduced after the treatment. When the fasted cultures were treated in a feasting environment, an accumulation of carbohydrate storage did not occur, while specific oxygen uptake rates (SOUR) showed a sharp increase. Both the substrate utilization and biomass growth rates were also accelerated. It was therefore confirmed that a sludge feasting did occur after a fasting treatment for the fastable cultures. However, an increase in sludge ATP content was not brought about by the feasting treatment. The sludge fasting/feasting treatment in this paper could not induce a reduction of the observed growth yield (Y(obs)) in all the cultures cultivated with glucose-based synthetic wastewater.     

Some characteristics of arthrobacters from a dairy waste activated sludge

In addition to data reported in a previous publication, a number of characteristics have been determined of water arthrobacters isolated from a dairy waste activated sludge. These characteristics give an indication as to the place of this group of bacteria amongst the other arthrobacters, isolated from different sources such as soil and cheese. The water arthrobacters were found to be different from the cheese arthrobacters in many respects. They were more similar to the soil arthrobacters.     

Anoxic growth of phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) in biological nutrient removal activated sludge systems

In this paper, research on the growth performance of phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) was conducted based on literature and experimental investigations on biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated sludge (BNRAS) systems. The research aims at presenting the occurrence of denitrifying PAOs (DPAOs), abstracting information on the kinetics and stoichiometry of PAOs under anoxic conditions and determining the conditions that stimulate the PAO growth under anoxic conditions. The research results indicate that the PAOs are capable of utilizing nitrate as electron acceptor instead of oxygen in BNRAS systems, particularly in external nitrification BNRAS (ENBNRAS) systems. However, the growth yield of PAOs under anoxic conditions should be reduced to about 70% of that under aerobic conditions, and further the stoichiometric coefficient for anoxic P uptake per PHB COD utilized should be reduced to about 80% of that under aerobic conditions as the DPAOs show a significantly lower BEPR performance and use the influent RBCOD less "efficiently" compared with aerobic PAOs (APAOs). The research results also indicate that the major factor influencing the occurrence of DPAOs and associated anoxic P uptake is the nitrate load into the anoxic reactor, i.e. the nitrate load should be large enough or exceeds the denitrification potential of ordinary heterotrophic organisms (OHOs), i.e. non-PAO organisms in the anoxic reactor to stimulate DPAOs in the system as the specific denitrification rate of OHOs (K'2 OHO) is significantly larger than that of PAOs (K'2 PAO). In terms of this competition, if the nitrate load into the main anoxic reactor is less than the denitrification potential of OHOs, then the OHOs will outcompete PAOs for using the limited nitrate, while if the nitrate load in the main anoxic reactor exceeds the denitrification potential of OHOs, then the PAOs would have opportunities to use the "excess" nitrate and so develop in the system. The other factors that influence DPAOs include the system aerobic mass fraction, sequence of reactors and frequency of sludge alternation between the aerobic and anoxic states. Although it does appear that these factors above may significantly influence the fraction of DPAOs (etaG), the quantitative relationship between these factors and etaG is not known, and the experimental observations indicate that this will be system-specific, and require calibration for each situation.     

Inhibition coefficient (Ki) determination in activated sludge

A method of measurement of the inhibition coefficient, K_i, of chemicals within the activated sludge has been proposed. It makes possible the objective determination of the influence of non-competitive inhibitors on the reaction rate by means of simple respiration rate measurements with the application of a dissolved oxygen meter. The values of K_i for chromium Cr⁶⁺, for cyanide CN^? and for two pesticides—DDVP and des-methyl DDVP was determined.     

Observations on the attachment of Thiothrix to biological surfaces in activated sludge

The attachment of Thiothrix to stalks of the ciliated protozoan Opercularia has been observed and photographed in oxygen activated sludge. Correlations between the level of dissolved hydrogen sulfide in wastewater and the proliferation of Thiothrix are made.     

Utilization of a metabolic uncoupler, 3,3',4',5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) to reduce sludge growth in activated sludge culture

This paper studies the feasibility of using 3,3',4',5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) as a metabolic uncoupler to reduce the sludge growth in activated sludge cultures. The results have confirmed that TCS is an effective chemical agent in limiting the sludge growth when its concentration is >0.4 mg/L. It was demonstrated that TCS was able to reduce sludge growth rate by around 40% when the TCS concentration was 0.8mg/L. It was also revealed that substrate removal capability was not affected adversely by the presence of TCS when TCS was continuously dosed in a range of 0.5-1.0 mg/L during the 30-day operation of activated sludge batch cultures. Such a sludge growth reduction is associated with the enhancement of microbial activities and an increase in the percentage of active bacteria over the total microbial population. In the 30-day operation of the cultures, the TCS dosing at a 1-mg/L level did not undermine the treatment performance in terms of the substrate removal efficiency. This work has demonstrated that it might be feasible to apply TCS in activated sludge systems to limit the excess sludge production.     

The response of activated sludge to a polychlorinated biphenyl (KC-500)

A kind of polychlorinated biphenyl, Kanechlor 500, was selected as a representative industrial toxicant, and its effects on biochemical characteristics of the activated sludge and its behavior in the biological treatment process were observed at concentrations of 0, 1.5 and 10 μg l⁻¹.The presence of PCB in synthetic sewage resulted in changes in the microflora and aldolase activity of the activated sludge even at low concentration of PCB such as to be 1 μg l⁻¹, and it was also demonstrated that dosing PCB caused remarkable increase of the oxygen uptake activity. Furthermore, PCB was not found to undergo degradation to any appreciable extent during the aeration process nor as the result of anaerobic digestion, although low concentrations did not exert an influence on COD and BOD removal efficiency in the process. In synthetic sewage PCB was shown to undergo mobilization from the aqueous phase to the activated sludge as evidenced by a concentration factor on the order of 10³–10⁴.     

Some life history parameters and production of Daphnia carinata (king) grown in different culturing media

Estimates of the abundance and production of Daphnia carinata in six mass culture experiments revealed higher values in the cow dung medium compared with other manures tested. Average production ranged from 1.2 to 223 mg m⁻³ wk⁻¹ and average biomass of the population from 1.3 to 194 mg m⁻³ wk⁻¹. The P/B coefficient was highest in the mohua (Madhuca indica) oil cake (1.15) and lowest in the poultry manure (0.77). Daphnia started reproducing at the age of 6–9 days in different culture media. Longevity was higher in the field ( 36 days) than in the laboratory. The total numbers of offspring per female was closely correlated with the mean number of eggs per female in her life span. The intrinsic rate (r) and the finite rate (e') of population of growth of Daphnia were markedly higher in the field than in the laboratory.     

Possible cause of excess sludge reduction in an oxic-settling-anaerobic activated sludge process (OSA process)

Modification of a conventional activated sludge process by inserting a sludge holding tank in a sludge return line forms an oxic-settling-anaerobic (OSA) process that may provide a cost-effective way to reduce excess sludge production in activated sludge processes. In this paper we systematically evaluate the following possible scenarios that may explain the reduction of excess sludge in the OSA process: (i). energy uncoupling, (ii). domination of slow growers, (iii). soluble microbial products (SMPs) effect and (iv). sludge decay in the sludge holding tank under a low oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) condition. Results show that only the final scenario may reasonably explain this reduction. It has also been found that the sludge decay process in the sludge holding tank may involve the reduction of the cell mass.     

Fate of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) in activated sludge plants

Monitoring data were collected in a pilot-scale municipal activated sludge plant to assess the fate of the C12-homologue of linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS-C12). The pilot-plant was operated at influent LAS-C12 concentrations between 2 and 12 mg l(-1) and at sludge retention times of 10 and 27 days. Effluent and waste sludge concentrations varied between 5 and 10 microg l(-1) and between 37 and 69 microg g(-1) VSS, respectively. In the sludge samples only 2-8% was present as dissolved LAS-C12, whereas the remaining 92-98% was found to be adsorbed to the sludge. In spite of this high degree of sorption, more than 99% of the LAS-C12 load was removed by biodegradation, showing that not only the soluble fraction but also the adsorbed fraction of LAS-C12 is readily available for biodegradation. Sorption and biodegradation of LAS-C12 were also investigated separately. Sorption was an extremely fast and reversible process and could be described by a linear isotherm with a partition coefficient of 3.2 l g(-1) volatile suspended solids. From the results of biodegradation kinetic tests it was concluded that primary biodegradation of LAS-C12 cannot be described by a (growth) Monod model, but a secondary utilisation model should be used instead. The apparent affinity of the sludge to biodegrade LAS-C12 increased when the sludge was loaded with higher influent concentrations of LAS-C12.     

An examination of the surface characteristics of activated sludge in relation to bulking during the treatment of paper mill wastewater

The addition of mineral talc, Aquatal^®(Toulouse, France), to activated sludge treating paper mill effluents and its effect on settlement characteristics has been investigated. One laboratory study and a full‐scale investigation on a large waste water treatment plant (WWTP) with a capacity of 500.000 population equivalent (p.e.) have been carried out using this mineral. The sludge in the full‐scale plant was filamentous and had specific sludge volume index (SSVI) values in excess of 250. The talc dosing which was adapted to sludge settleability reduced SSVI values by 38%, improved the total suspended solids' concentrations by 86% and reduced the specific sludge load by 34%. In the laboratory‐scale plant, the sludge had SSVI values of 200–260 before treatment and was hydrophilic. The use of Aquatal^® at a dose of 0.7 g/g mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) took 2 weeks to reduce the SSVI to 78. It also increased the hydrophobicity to a balanced 50%. The use of mineral converted the somewhat diffuse flocs into a compact structure.     

Fate of antibiotics in activated sludge followed by ultrafiltration (CAS-UF) and in a membrane bioreactor (MBR)

The fates of several macrolide, sulphonamide, and trimethoprim antibiotics contained in the raw sewage of the Tel-Aviv wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were investigated after the sewage was treated using either a full-scale conventional activated sludge (CAS) system coupled with a subsequent ultrafiltration (UF) step or a pilot membrane bioreactor (MBR) system. Antibiotics removal in the MBR system, once it achieved stable operation, was 15-42% higher than that of the CAS system. This advantage was reduced to a maximum of 20% when a UF was added to the CAS. It was hypothesized that the contribution of membrane separation (in both systems) to antibiotics removal was due either to sorption to biomass (rather than improvement in biodegradation) or to enmeshment in the membrane biofilm (since UF membrane pores are significantly larger than the contaminant molecules). Batch experiments with MBR biomass showed a markedly high potential for sorption of the tested antibiotics onto the biomass. Moreover, methanol extraction of MBR biomass released significant amounts of sorbed antibiotics. This finding implies that more attention must be devoted to the management of excess sludge.     

Exploring the relationship between viscous bulking and ammonia-oxidiser abundance in activated sludge: A comparison of conventional and IFAS systems

This study investigated the nature of viscous sludge bulking within a molasses-fed integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) and conventional activated sludge (AS) plant by routinely measuring the total carbohydrate and protein fractions of the mixed liquor (ML). The impacts of sludge settleability and plant performance on the relative abundance of ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) (Nitrosomonas oligotropha-cluster) were also investigated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results showed that sludge volume index (SVI) correlated positively with the amount of ML total carbohydrate in both the IFAS and traditional AS plants, highlighting the influential role that ML polysaccharide concentration plays on sludge settleability in these reactors. Results also revealed a negative relationship between the AOB/total Bacteria ratio and SVI, demonstrating that a poor settling sludge generally coincided with periods of relatively low AOB abundance. The existence of these relationships suggests that readily available organic carbon (molasses) was likely to have been present in excess in these systems. Our qPCR results also showed that concentrations of both AOB and total Bacteria genomic copies detected within the ML of the IFAS and conventional AS plants were remarkably similar. For the IFAS system, results showed that the ML supported an equivalent number of AOB (per gram of biomass) to that detected on the plastic IFAS media carriers, suggesting that the suspended biomass fraction plays an equally important role in the overall nitrification performance of these systems. Interestingly, large observed variations in AOB and AOB/total Bacteria ratio measured within both the ML and IFAS media carriers had no measurable impact on the apparent nitrification performance of these systems; indicating the presence of some excess or ‘reserve’ nitrifying capacity above that which is required for effective plant performance. Results presented here also constitute the first known side-by-side comparison of the distribution of AOB in IFAS and conventional racetrack-like AS plants at the full-scale level.     

Biodegradation of a cationic surfactant in activated sludge

The biodegradation of DTDMAC (ditallowdimethylammonium chloride, a fabric softening agent) was established in semi-batch activated sludge reactors. Three ¹⁴C-forms of DTDMAC were studied separately under the simulated organic loading rates of conventional and extended aeration activated sludge treatment. Primary biodegradation was shown by means of a specific analytical technique in combination with radiochemical procedures. Ultimate biodegradation for each carbon position in the DTDMAC molecule was established by the detection of ¹⁴CO₂. Intermediate metabolites were followed throughout the study by both radio thin-layer chromatography and radiochemical procedures. Each carbon position of the DTDMAC molecule was equally accessible to metabolism and ultimate degradation by acclimated microorganisms. Degradation occurred more rapidly under extended aeration conditions and was influenced by the strong tendency of DTDMAC to associate with the microbial population. The low levels of metabolites observed were not of a single classification or characteristic and they did not persist in the activated sludge. This study suggests that DTDMAC removal in an activated sludge plant is a result of both sorption/precipitation and biodegradation mechanisms.     

Effects of naturally occurring aquatic organic fractions on cadmium toxicity to Simocephalus serrulatus (daphnidae) and Gambusia affinis (poeciliidae)

Cadmium toxicity to Simocephalus serrulatus and Gambusia affinis in soft well water, highly organic pond water and well water containing various sized organic fractions isolated from pond water was determined and compared to Cd binding capacity of each water type. Pond organics were separated into three nomial molecular diameter fractions (> 0.0183 μm; 0.0183 < > 0.0032 μm; 0.0032 < > 0.0009 μm) using ultrafiltration. Cadmium binding capacity was determined using selective ion electrodes. Pond water and organic fractions bound Cd. reducing the amount of free Cd²⁺ as determined by Cd selective ion electrode. Whole pond water reduced Cd toxicity to S. serrulatus but had little effect on Cd toxicity to G. affinis. The three larger molecular diameter organic fractions reduced Cd toxicity to S. serrulatus, while the smallest fraction slightly increased Cd toxicity. Cadmium 96 h LC₃₀ values cannot be predicted from Cd binding capacities determined by selective ion electrode.