Kayako Hirooka

Removal and recovery of phosphorus as struvite from swine wastewater using microbial fuel cell

Air-cathode single chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were operated with swine wastewater. The maximum power density, the maximum current density, the average value of COD-removal efficiency, and the coulombic efficiency were 1-2.3 W/m(2), 6.0-7.0 A/m(2), 76-91%, and 37-47%, respectively. During operation, 70-82% of the phosphorus was removed from the influent, and some precipitations were observed on the surface of the liquid side of the cathodes. The amount of phosphorus contained in these precipitates was estimated to be equivalent 4.6-27% of the influent. The main component of these precipitates was revealed by X-ray diffraction analysis to be struvite. Furthermore, our results indicate that phosphorus in suspended solid form was first dissolved, and then precipitated on the cathode. By scanning electron microscope observation, the morphology of the precipitates was irregularly shaped, including crystals with hexagonal cross-section surfaces, and was different from the familiar needle-like ones. These results indicate that simultaneous recovery of electrical power and phosphorus from wastewater by microbial fuel cell is possible.

Phosphorus recovery from artificial wastewater by microbial fuel cell and its effect on power generation

The effects of ammonium (NH4) and magnesium (Mg) on the precipitation of phosphorus in artificial wastewater by an air-cathode single-chamber microbial fuel cell were investigated. When both NH4 and Mg were added to the wastewater, phosphorus was precipitated as struvite. Almost no precipitation occurred with the addition of only NH4, while phosphorus was precipitated as cattiite with the addition of only Mg. However, the amount of precipitate was less than that observed in experiments in which NH4 was also added. As the amounts of NH4 and Mg were increased, more precipitate was observed. Precipitated phosphorus on the cathode was recovered by dissolution in Milli-Q water and MES buffers. It was discovered that the formation of a precipitate reduced the performance of the cathode. Dissolution treatment caused the performance of the cathodes to increase to their initial level.

Reduction in excess sludge production in a dairy wastewater treatment plant via nozzle-cavitation treatment : Case study of an on-farm wastewater treatment plant

Nozzle-cavitation treatment was used to reduce excess sludge production in a dairy wastewater treatment plant. During the 450-d pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) operation, when 300 l of the sludge mixed liquor (1/10 of the MBR volume) was disintegrated per day by the nozzle-cavitation treatment with the addition of sodium hydrate (final concentration: 0.01% W/W) and returned to the MBR, the amount of excess sludge produced was reduced by 80% compared with that when sludge was not disintegrated. On the basis of the efficiency of CODCr removal and the ammonia oxidation reaction, it was concluded that the nozzle-cavitation treatment did not have a negative impact on the performance of the MBR. The estimation of the inorganic material balance showed that when the mass of the excess sludge was decreased, the inorganic content of the activated sludge increased and some part of the inorganic material was simultaneously solubilized in the effluent.

Change in the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge during selective incubation for MPN determination.

We investigated the changes in the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in activated sludge during incubation of the sludge in a medium selective for AOB. The number of AOB present in the activated sludge sample was enumerated by the most-probable-number (MPN) method. Both the activated sludge sample and the incubated samples for MPN determination were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Universal PCR-DGGE indicated that even after 40-d incubation in a medium selected for AOB, the MPN samples were predominantly composed of heterotrophic bacteria and not AOB. Denitrification by heterotrophic bacteria might lead to the underestimation of the MPN count of AOB. Not dominated in whole bacteria, one species of AOB was detected in both original activated sludge and samples after MPN incubation by PCR-DGGE targeting AOB. Furthermore, two new species of AOB were detected only after incubation. Therefore, the community structure of AOB in the MPN samples partially resembled that in the original activated sludge.

Middle-thermophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria Thiomonas sp. RAN5 strain for hydrogen sulfide removal

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the most toxic and offensively odorous gases and is generated in anaerobic bioreactors. A middle-thermophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacterium (SOB), Thiomonas sp. strain RAN5, was isolated and applied for H2S removal from both artificial and anaerobically digested gas. When a bioreactor containing medium inoculated with RAN5 was aerated continuously with artificial gas (containing 100 ppm H2S) at 45 ° C for 156 hr, the H2S concentration in the vented gas was reduced by 99%. This was not affected by the presence of other microbes in the bioreactor. The H2S removal efficiency of the RAN5 bioreactor for anaerobically digested gas was greater than 99% at influent H2S concentrations ranging from 2 to 1800 ppm; the efficiency decreased to 90% at influent H2S concentrations greater than 2000 ppm. Thiomonas sp. strain RAN5 cannot survive at room temperature, and thus its leakage from a wastewater treatment plant would not damage sewage systems. These data suggest that Thiomonas sp. strain RAN5 may be a useful microorganism for H2S removal. Implications: The hydrogen sulfide removal efficiency of the RAN5 bioreactor was greater than 99% over the long term, for influent H2S concentrations of up to 2000 ppm. Removal was not affected by the presence of other microbes. Leakage of strain RAN5 would not damage sewage systems.

Deterioration in the Cathode Performance during Operation of the Microbial Fuel Cells and the Restoration of the Performance by the Immersion Treatment

Microbial fuel cells were operated with synthetic wastewater containing phosphate as a buffer and sodium acetate as a substrate. Linear sweep voltammetry showed the deterioration in the performance of the cathodes after operation. The immersion of the deteriorated cathodes in Milli-Q water, acidic and basic buffer solutions improved the performance. The treatment in the acidic buffer solution restored the performance of the cathode to the extent almost equivalent to that of a new cathode, whereas the treatment in Milli-Q water and the basic buffer solution did not restore the performance to that extent. The improved performance by the immersion in Milli-Q water or the buffer solutions indicates that the water-soluble components are responsible for the deterioration in the cathode performance. Almost complete recovery of the performance in acidic condition suggests that salts that are highly soluble in acidic condition, and poorly soluble in basic condition are responsible for the deterioration. The analysis of the eluted substances in the immersion solution suggests that these salts contained phosphorus, magnesium and calcium in a high concentration.

Ammonia-oxidizing Archaea in laboratory-scale activated sludge systems for wastewater of low- or high-ammonium concentration.

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is known as ammonia-oxidizer in wastewater treatment systems. However, ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) is found from various environments, including wastewater treatment systems. In this study, to investigate the relationships between AOA population and ammonia concentration, AOA was monitored in two laboratory-scale reactors treating artificial wastewater of different ammonium concentrations by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis targeting ammonia monooxygenase genes. At day 60 of the operation, AOA populations dominant in each reactor differed, suggesting the importance of influent ammonia concentration in dominant AOA selection.