Alberto Mannucci

Biomass accumulation modelling in a highly loaded biotrickling filter for hydrogen sulphide removal

A pilot scale test on a biotrickling filter packed with polyurethane foam cubes was carried out for 110 d at high volumetric mass load (up to 280 g m(bed)(-3) h(-1)) with the aim of studying the accumulation of solids in the treatment of H(2)S. Removal rate up to 245 g m(bed)(-3) h(-1) was obtained; however, an accumulation of gypsum, elemental sulphur and, above all, inert biomass was identified as the cause of an increased pressure drop over the long term. A mathematical model was applied and calibrated with the experimental results to describe the accumulation of biomass. The model was capable of describing the accumulation of solids and, corresponding to a solids retention time of 50 d, the observed yield resulted in 0.07 g of solids produced g(-1) H(2)S removed. Respirometric tests showed that heterotrophic activity is inhibited at low pH (pH < 2.3), and the contribution to biomass removal through decay was negligible.

Biodegradation of naphthalenesulphonate polymers: the potential of a combined application of fungi and bacteria

The potential of several fungi and their synergy with bacterial biomasses were evaluated as a solution for the removal of 2-naphthalensulphonic acid polymers (2-NSAPs) from petrochemical wastewater, characterized by a chemical oxygen demand (COD) greater than 9000 mg/L. The ability of fungi to grow on 2-NSAP mixtures was preliminarily investigated using a solid medium, and then the action of the selected strains, both in suspended and immobilized form, was evaluated in terms of degradation, depolymerization, sorption and an increase in biodegradability of 2-NSAP. Among the 25 fungi evaluated two, in particular, Bjerkandera adusta and Pleurotus ostreatus, have been found to significantly depolymerize 2-NSAP yielding to the corresponding monomer (2-naphthalenesulphonic acid, 2-NSA), which has been further degraded by a bacterial consortia selected in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The fungal treatment alone was able to reduce the COD value up to 44%, while activated sludge removed only 9% of the initial COD. In addition, the combined treatment (fungi and bacteria) allowed an increase in the COD removal up to 62%.

Applicability of the Arrhenius model for Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria subjected to temperature time gradients

The aim of this work is to identify the range of applicability of Arrhenius type temperature dependence for Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) subjected to temperature time gradients through continuous titrimetric tests. An innovative online differential titrimetric technique was used to continuously monitor the maximum biologic ammonia oxidation rate of the biomass selected in a pilot scale membrane bioreactor, as a function of temperature time gradients. The monitoring technique is based on the measurement of alkalinity and hydrogen peroxide consumption rates in two parallel reactors operated in nonlimiting substrate conditions for AOB; both reactors were continuously fed with mixed liquor and in one of them AOB were inhibited with allylthiourea. The effects of temperature decrease rates in the range 1 to 4°C·h−1 were evaluated by controlling the titrimetric reactor in the temperature range 10°C-20°C. The dependence of growth kinetics on temperature time gradients and the range of applicability of Arrhenius model for temperature dependency of AOB growth kinetics were assessed. The Arrhenius model was found to be accurate only with temperature gradients lower than 2°C·h−1. The estimated Arrhenius coefficients (θ) were shown to increase from 1.07 to 1.6 when the temperature decrease rate reached 4°C·h−1.

Nitrifying biomass characterization and monitoring during bioaugmentation in a membrane bioreactor.

A membrane bioreactor (MBR), fed with domestic wastewater, was bioaugmented with nitrifying biomass selected in a side-stream MBR fed with a synthetic high nitrogen-loaded influent. Microbial communities evolution was monitored and comparatively analysed through an extensive bio-molecular investigation (16S rRNA gene library construction and terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques) followed by statistical analyses. As expected, a highly specialized nitrifying biomass was selected in the side-stream reactor fed with high-strength ammonia synthetic wastewater. The bioaugmentation process caused an increase of nitrifying bacteria of the genera Nitrosomonas (up to more than 30%) and Nitrobacter in the inoculated MBR reactor. The overall structure of the microbial community changed in the mainstream MBR as a result of bioaugmentation. The effect of bioaugmentation in the shift of the microbial community was also verified through statistical analysis.

Modeling bioaugmentation with nitrifiers in membrane bioreactors.

Bioaugmentation with nitrifiers was studied using two pilot-scale membrane bioreactors, with the purpose of assessing the suitability of state-of-the-art activated sludge models (ASMs) in predicting the efficiency of bioaugmentation as a function of operating conditions. It was demonstrated that the temperature difference between seeding and seeded reactors (ΔT) affects bioaugmentation efficiency. Experimental data were accurately predicted when ΔT was within a range of up to 10 °C at the higher range, and when the temperature was significantly lower in the seeded reactor compared to the seeding one, standard ASMs overestimated the efficiency of bioaugmentation. A modified ASM, capable of accurately representing the behavior of seeded nitrifying biomass in the presence of high ΔT, would require the inclusion of the effect of temperature time gradients on nitrifiers. A simple linear correlation between ΔT and the Arrhenius coefficient was proposed as a preliminary step.

Nitrite and nitrate as electron acceptors for biological sulphide oxidation

Autotrophic denitrification with sulphide using nitrate (R1) and nitrite (R2) as electron acceptor was investigated at bench scale. Different solids retention times (SRT) (5 and 20 d) have been tested in R1 while R2 was operated at SRT=13 d. The results indicated that the process allows complete sulphide removal to be achieved in all tested conditions. Tested sulphide loads were estimated from the H2S produced in a pilot-scale anaerobic digester treating vegetable tannery primary sludge; nitrogen loads originated from the nitrification of the supernatant. Average nitrogen removal efficiencies higher than 80% were observed in all the tested conditions once steady state was reached. A maximum specific nitrate removal rate equal to 0.35 g N-NO3- g VSS(-1) d(-1) was reached in R1. Due to sulphide limitation, incomplete denitrification was observed and nitrite and thiosulphate tend to accumulate especially in the presence of variable environmental conditions in both R1 and R2. Lower SRT caused higher NO2accumulated/NO3reduced ratios (0.22 and 0.24, with SRT of 5 d and 20 d, respectively) using nitrate as electron acceptor in steady-state condition. Temperature decrease caused sudden NO2accumulated/NO3reduced ratio increase in R1 and NO2- removal decrease in R2.

Differential Titrimeter for Nitrification Process Control and Energetic Optimization in a Large WRRF

The objective of this study was to validate an innovative monitoring technique suitable for online control of nitrification rates for aeration control system and to use it to replace or integrate conventional batch tests for the estimation of nitrifying biomass kinetic parameters. For this purpose, a continuously-fed online differential titrimeter was designed and installed in a large industrial WRRF (Calice, Italy). The possibility to use the output of the titrimeter for the calibration of AOB (Ammonia Oxidation Bacteria) kinetic parameters was assessed by comparing the accuracy of the model using kinetic parameters calibrated on titrimeter output result and that of the model using kinetic parameters estimated on the results of conventional kinetic batch tests. The titrimeter is a robust tool to replace or integrate conventional batch tests for the estimation of nitrifying biomass kinetic parameters. Having validated the values obtained with the titrimeter, a new aeration control system was implemented full scale within Calice WRRF, which is no longer based on DO measurements and measurements of the effluent characteristics, but rather, on the values of the nitrification rate calculated continuously and in real time, thus allowing to adopt timely intervention measures in the case of malfunctioning of the process associated with changes in the plant operating conditions, eventual inhibition phenomena or other external factors.