Jeung-Jin Park

Biosorption of a reactive dye (Rhodamine-B) from an aqueous solution using dried biomass of activated sludge

Low cost, locally available biomaterial was tested for its ability to remove reactive dyes from aqueous solution. Granules prepared from dried activated sludge (DAS) were utilized as a sorbent for the uptake of Rhodamine-B (Rh-B) dye. The effects of various experimental parameters (dye concentration, sludge concentrations, swelling, pretreatment and other factors) were investigated and optimal experimental conditions were ascertained. Nearly 15min was required for the equilibrium adsorption, and Rh-B dyes could be removed effectively. Dye removal performance of Rh-B and DAS increased with increasing concentrations. The acid pretreated biomass exhibited a slightly better biosorption capacity than alkali pretreated or non-pretreated biomass. The optimum swelling time for dye adsorption of the DAS within the swelling time range studied was 12h. Both the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models could describe the adsorption equilibrium of the reactive dye onto the activated sludge with the Langmuir isotherm showing the better agreement of the two. Second-order kinetic models confirmed the agreement.

Analysis of nitrifying bacterial communities in aerobic biofilm reactors with different DO conditions using molecular techniques.

In order to assess the relationship between the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and the characteristics of nitrifying bacterial communities in an aerobic biofilm reactor, molecular techniques including denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)/cloning based on PCR targeting 16S rRNA and the amoA gene and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) were conducted. The D-1, D-2, D-3 and D-4 reactors with different DO concentrations (1, 3, 5 and 7 mg/L, respectively) were set up in the thermostat and acclimated. The optimal DO concentration with stable nitrification efficiency was above 5.0 mg/L. As was shown by the results of DGGE and cloning, the community of ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) and the ratio of Nitrosomonas sp. changed only slightly despite their differing nitrification efficiencies. The results of FISH indicated that higher DO concentrations resulted in an increase in AOB and nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB), and a reduction in heterotrophic microorganisms. The INT-dehydrogenase activity (DHA) test demonstrated that the activity of AOB decreased with reductions in the DO concentration. This means that the DO concentration does not influence the community of AOB, but rather the activity of AOB. In the relationship between the attached biomass and the nitrification efficiency, only the active biomass affected the nitrification efficiencies.

Simultaneous autotrophic & heterotrophic denitrification by the injection of reformed spent sulfidic caustic (SSC) in a pilot-scale sewage treatment plant

Spent sulfidic caustic (SSC), produced from petroleum plants, contains high levels of H2S and alkalinity. It can be used to denitrify nitrate-nitrogen via a biological nitrogen removal process, as both the electron donor and buffering agent for sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification. However, SSC also contains some recalcitrant organic compounds such as BTEX, so it has to be refined. To remove BTEX, air stripping was conducted in a laboratory scale, and as a result, over 93% of the BTEX were removed within 30min. For the reformation of the refined SSC, Na2S2O3 · 5H2O, methanol and organic material, produced from a biodiesel production plant, were supplemented, and referred to as new sulfidic caustic I (NSCI), II (NSCII), III (NSCIII), respectively. Thereafter, these products were applied to a modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) process to evaluate their effects on the effluent COD and TN concentrations. As a result, there was no increase in the COD level on the injection of NSC due to the removal of BTEX via air stripping. In addition, compared to no NSC injection, 44.0% more TN was removed with an injection of NSC III, which were the most effective conditions. Thus, the application of NSC to the biological nitrogen removal process was successfully performed. These results may contribute to the development of resource recovery technology.

Microbial community analysis in the autotrophic denitrification process using spent sulfidic caustic by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified genes.

Spent sulfidic caustic (SSC) produced from petrochemical plants contains a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide and alkalinity, and some almost non-biodegradable organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX). SSC is mainly incinerated with auxiliary fuel, leading to secondary pollution problems. The reuse of this waste is becoming increasingly important from economic and environmental viewpoints. To denitrify wastewater with low COD/N ratio, additional carbon sources are required. Thus, autotrophic denitrification has attracted increasing attention. In this study, SSC was injected as an electron donor for sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification in the modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) process. The efficiencies of nitrification, COD, and total nitrogen (TN) removal were evaluated with varying SSC dosage. Adequate SSC injection exhibited stable autotrophic denitrification. No BTEX were detected in the monitored BTEX concentrations of the effluent. To analyse the microbial community of the MLE process, PCR-DGGE based on 16 S rDNA with EUB primers, TD primers and nirK gene with nirK primers was performed in order to elucidate the application of the MLE process to SSC.

Study on the Optimization of Spent Sulfidic Caustic Applied for BNR Process

Abstract Caustic (NaOH) solution is used to remove H 2 S from hydrocarbon streams in petroleum refining industry, gradually being, so called, spent sulfidic caustic (SSC) which has high levels of H 2 S and alkalinity. Thus, SSC can be used as an electron donor and a buffering agent for autotrophic denitrification. As SSC, however, contains some non-biodegradable organics, air stripping was conducted to remove the non-biodegradable organics. As a result, over 93 % of the non-biodegradable organics was removed within 30 min of aeration. Then, Na 2 S 2 O 3 ·5H 2 O, methanol and organic matters, which are produced from a biodiesel production plant, were added to reform the air-stripped SSC and their products being referred to new sulf idic caustics (NSCs) Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ, respectively. Thereafter, to investigate the effect of these products on the removal of COD and TN, these products were injected to a biological nitrogen removal (BNR) process, resulting in additional 44 % TN removal without noticeable increase in the effluent COD level. Therefore, it can be said that the BNR process is a promising option to treat NSC as demonstrated in this study whose results can be useful for developing resource recovery technologies.

Application of ultrasound and air stripping for the removal of aromatic hydrocarbons from spent sulfidic caustic for use in autotrophic denitrification as an electron donor

Spent sulfidic caustic (SSC) produced from petroleum industry can be reused to denitrify nitrate-nitrogen via a biological nitrogen removal process as an electron donor for sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification, because it has a large amount of dissolved sulfur. However, SSC has to be refined because it also contains some aromatic hydrocarbons, typically benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX) and phenol that are recalcitrant organic compounds. In this study, laboratory-scale ultrasound irradiation and air stripping treatment were applied in order to remove these aromatic hydrocarbons. In the ultrasound system, both BTEX and phenol were exponentially removed by ultrasound irradiation during 60 min of reaction time to give the greatest removal efficiency of about 80%. Whereas, about 95% removal efficiency of BTEX was achieved, but not any significant phenol removal, within 30 min in the air stripping system, indicating that air stripping was a more efficient method than ultrasound irradiation. However, since air stripping did not remove any significant phenol, an additional process for degrading phenol was required. Accordingly, we applied a combined ultrasound and air stripping process. In these experiments, the removal efficiencies of BTEX and phenol were improved compared to the application of ultrasound and air stripping alone. Thus, the combined ultrasound and air stripping treatment is appropriate for refining SSC.

Field-scale application of spent sulfidic caustic as a source of alternative electron donor for autotrophic denitrification.

Biological reuse of spent sulfidic caustic (SSC) originating from oil refineries is a promising method for the petrochemical industry because of low handling cost. SSC typically contains high concentrations of sulfur, with the most dominant sulfur compounds being sulfide (S(2-)). SSC is also characterized by a high pH and elevated alkalinity up to 5-15% by weight. Because of these characteristics, SSC can be used for denitrification of NO3(-)-N in the biological nitrogen removal process as both the electron donor and buffering agent in sulfur-utilizing autotrophic denitrification. In this study, two kinds of SSC (SSC I, SSC II) produced from two petrochemical companies were used for autotrophic denitrification in a field-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The effluent total nitrogen (TN) concentration in this process was about 10.5 mg/L without any external carbon sources and the nitrification efficiency was low, about 93.0%, because of alkalinity deficiency in the influent. The injection of SSC I, but not SSC II, promoted nitrification efficiency, which was attributed to the difference in the NaOH/S ratio between SSC I and II. SSC was injected based on sulfide concentration of SSC required to denitrify NO3(-)-N in the WWTP. SSC I had higher NaOH/S than SSC II and thus could supply more alkalinity for nitrification than SSC II. On the other hand, additional TN removal of about 9.0% was achieved with the injection of both SSCs. However, denitrification efficiency was not proportionally increased with increasing SSC injection because of NO3(-)-N deficiency in the anoxic tank due to the limited capacity of the recycling pump. For the same reason, sulfate concentration, which is the end product of sulfur-utilizing autotrophic denitrificaiton in the effluent, was also not increased with increasing SSC injection.