M.S. Fountoulakis

Enhanced methane and hydrogen production from municipal solid waste and agro-industrial by-products co-digested with crude glycerol.

The effects of crude glycerol on the performance of single-stage anaerobic reactors treating different types of organic waste were examined. A reactor treating the organic fraction of municipal solid waste produced 1400 mL CH(4)/d before the addition of glycerol and 2094 mL CH(4)/d after the addition of glycerol. An enhanced methane production rate was also observed when a 1:4 mixture of olive mill wastewater and slaughterhouse wastewater was supplemented with crude glycerol. Specifically, by adding 1% v/v crude glycerol to the feed, the methane production rate increased from 479 mL/d to 1210 mL/d. The extra glycerol-COD added to the feed did not have a negative effect on the reactor performance in either case. Supplementation of the feed with crude glycerol also had a significant positive effect on anaerobic fermentation reactors. Hydrogen yield was 26 mmole H(2)/g VS added and 15 mmole H(2)/g VS added in a reactor treating the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and a 1:4 mixture of olive mill and slaughterhouse wastewater. The addition of crude glycerol to the feed enhanced hydrogen yield at 2.9 mmole H(2)/g glycerol added and 0.7 mmole H(2)/g glycerol added.

Co-digestion of sewage sludge with glycerol to boost biogas production

The feasibility of adding crude glycerol from the biodiesel industry to the anaerobic digesters treating sewage sludge in wastewater treatment plants was studied in both batch and continuous experiments at 35 degrees C. Glycerol addition can boost biogas yields, if it does not exceed a limiting 1% (v/v) concentration in the feed. Any further increase of glycerol causes a high imbalance in the anaerobic digestion process. The reactor treating the sewage sludge produced 1106+/-36 ml CH(4)/d before the addition of glycerol and 2353+/-94 ml CH(4)/d after the addition of glycerol (1% v/v in the feed). The extra glycerol-COD added to the feed did not have a negative effect on reactor performance, but seemed to increase the active biomass (volatile solids) concentration in the system. Batch kinetic experiments showed that the maximum specific utilization rate (mu(max)) and the saturation constant (K(S)) of glycerol were 0.149+/-0.015 h(-1) and 0.276+/-0.095 g/l, respectively. Comparing the estimated values with the kinetics constants for propionate reported in the literature, it can be concluded that glycerol uptake is not the rate-limiting step during the process.

Ultrasound-induced inactivation of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria in secondary treated municipal wastewater.

The effect of 24kHz, high energy ultrasound in the presence and absence of titanium dioxide particles on the destruction of different bacteria groups was studied. Applying a total of 1500W/L for 60min (this corresponds to 5400kJ/L specific nominal energy), the mean destruction of gram-negative bacteria such as total coliforms, faecal coliforms and Pseudomonas spp. was 99.5%, 99.2% and 99.7%, respectively. More recalcitrant to sonolytic inactivation were the gram-positive bacteria Clostridium perfringens and faecal streptococci with a mean removal of 66% and 84%, respectively. The presence of 5g/L TiO(2) generally enhanced the destruction of gram-negative bacteria, yielding three to five logs reduction. On the other hand, the relatively weak sonochemical inactivation of gram-positive bacteria was only slightly affected by the presence of solid particles. Inactivation was found to follow first-order kinetics regarding bacteria population and was not affected significantly by the wastewater quality. Ultrasound irradiation at 4000kJ/L specific nominal energy and in the presence of 5g/L TiO(2) achieved less than 10(3) CFU/100mL total coliforms, thus meeting USEPA quality standards for wastewater reuse.

Constructed wetlands treating highway runoff in the central Mediterranean region.

Two free water surface (FWS) and two subsurface flow (SSF) pilot-size constructed wetlands treating highway runoff (HRO) were monitored over a period of two years (September 2005-August 2007). One FWS and one SSF were designed with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12h, named FWS12 and SSF12, respectively, with each one capable of treating a maximum HRO of 12.6 m(3) d(-1). The other couple, named FWS24 and SSF24, respectively, was designed with an HRT of 24h, with each receiving a maximum HRO of 6.3 m(3) d(-1). The influent flowed from a highway section with a total surface 2752 m(2) on the island of Crete, Greece, in the heart of the South-Central Mediterranean region. Influent and effluent were monitored for COD, TSS, total N (TN), NO(3)(-) and total P (TP) concentrations. Furthermore, removal efficiencies were examined for heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) for both years, while polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs) were examined for the period between September 2006 and August 2007. The influent had a two-year average COD value of 101 mg l(-1), whereas the mean values for TSS, TN, N-NO(3)(-) and TP were 203, 4.30, 1.25 and 4.17 mg l(-1), respectively. For Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn the respective two-year mean influent concentrations were 56, 114, 49 and 250 microg l(-1). Mean concentration of total PAHs in runoff (summation operator PAHs, 16 compounds) were 12.01 microg l(-1). The performance among the four beds was not significantly different according to ANOVA analysis followed by Tukey test (at p<0.05) for almost all the above physicochemical parameters, suggesting that all systems performed in a similar way. All studied systems, achieved a mean of two-year removal efficiencies of 47% for COD, 89% for TSS, 49% for TN, 58% for N-NO(3)(-), 60% for TP, 47% for Cu, 23% for Ni, 33% for Pb, 61% for Zn and 59% for summation operator PAHs (16 compounds).

Pilot-scale comparison of constructed wetlands operated under high hydraulic loading rates and attached biofilm reactors for domestic wastewater treatment.

Four different pilot-scale treatment units were constructed to compare the feasibility of treating domestic wastewater in the City of Heraklio, Crete, Greece: (a) a free water surface (FWS) wetland system, (b) a horizontal subsurface flow (HSF) wetland system, (c) a rotating biological contactor (RBC), and (d) a packed bed filter (PBF). All units operated in parallel at various hydraulic loading rates (HLR) ranging from 50% to 175% of designed operating HLR. The study was conducted during an 8 month period and showed that COD removal efficiency of HSF was comparable (>75%) to that of RBC and PBF, whereas that of the FWS system was only 57%. Average nutrient removal efficiencies for FWS, HSF, RBC and PBF were 6%, 21%, 40% and 43%, respectively for total nitrogen and 21%, 39%, 41% and 42%, respectively for total phosphorus. Removals of total coliforms were lowest in FWS and PBF (1.3 log units) and higher in HSF and RBC (2.3 to 2.6 log units). HSF showed slightly lower but comparable effluent quality to that of RBC and PBF systems, but the construction cost and energy requirements for this system are significantly lower. Overall the final decision for the best non-conventional wastewater treatment system depends on the construction and operation cost, the area demand and the required quality of effluent.

Screening for faecal contamination in primary schools in Crete,Greece

BACKGROUND Hygienic conditions in primary schools are a major concern for both governmental organizations and families. Particularly, the occurrence of faecal indicators on childrens hands and various school surfaces has been associated with increased risk of diarrhoeal diseases. The presence of faecal streptococci on environmental surfaces and childrens hands and the possible correlation with socio-economic factors were examined. METHODS Overall, 1956 samples from hands and 1470 samples from surfaces were collected from 20 primary schools in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. RESULTS Faecal streptococci were found at 52.9% of childrens hands and at 16.7% of other surfaces. Children, who had parents with the highest education level (>12 years), had the lowest percentage (48.8%) of faecal contamination on their hands. Furthermore, boys exhibited higher levels of hands contamination compared with girls. Among the environmental surfaces examined, the school canteen reception was the most contaminated area. CONCLUSION High faecal contamination was detected in primary schools in the examined region. Childrens hands were highly infected (52.9%), while boys exhibited higher levels of contamination. The educational level of parents correlated well with the contamination of childrens hands.