Paul Lant

The influence of key chemical constituents in activated sludge on surface and flocculating properties.

This paper examines the influence of the chemical constituents of activated sludge and extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the surface properties, hydrophobicity, surface charge (SC) and flocculating ability (FA) of activated sludge flocs. Activated sludge samples from 7 different full-scale wastewater treatment plants were examined. Protein and humic substances were found to be the dominant polymeric compounds in the activated sludges and the extracted EPS, and they significantly affected the FA and surface properties, hydrophobicity and SC, of the sludge flocs. The polymeric compounds proteins, humic substances and carbohydrates in the sludge flocs and the extracted EPS contributed to the negative SC, but correlated negatively to the hydrophobicity of sludge flocs. The quantity of protein and carbohydrate within the sludge and the extracted EPS was correlated positively to the FA of the sludge flocs, while increased amounts of humic substances resulted in lower FA. In contrast, increased amounts of total extracted EPS had a negative correlation to FA. The results reveal that the quality and quantity of the polymeric compounds within the sludge flocs is more informative, with respect to understanding the mechanisms involved in flocculation, than if only the extracted EPS are considered. This is an important finding as it indicates that extracting EPS may be insufficient to characterise the EPS. This is due to the low extraction efficiency and difficulties involved in the separation of EPS from other organic compounds. Correlations were observed between the surface properties and FA of the sludge flocs. This confirms that the surface properties of the sludge flocs play an important role in the bioflocculation process but that also other interactions like polymer entanglement are important.

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in bench-scale sequencing batch reactors

Two bench-scale sequencing batch reactors were fed with domestic wastewater and operated in an anaerobic-aerobic sequence for 139 d. Denitrification during the aerated react period was observed and the factors influencing the extent of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification were examined. It was found that the influence of DO on the nitrification rate during the aerated react period could be described by a Monod kinetic with a high oxygen half-saturation coefficient for autotrophic nitrifiers (KO.A) of 4.5 mg/l. The dependency of the denitrification rate on DO could be described by a mathematical switching function with a higher switching function constant than expected, meaning that the extent of aerobic denitrification was higher than usual. It was also observed that aerobic denitrification decreased with time over the aerated react period. For most of the time of reactor operation nitrite was the main NOx species in the effluent, instead of the commonly expected nitrate. This led to the conclusion that the activity of Nitrobacter species was probably inhibited in the SBRs studied. It also demonstrated the importance of measuring nitrite in the effluent to ensure that the reactor performance and the extent of aerobic denitrification was not over-estimated.

Activated sludge flocculation: on-line determination of floc size and the effect of shear

This paper presents a technique which enables on-line monitoring of activated sludge flocculation. The usefulness of this technique is demonstrated by investigating the effect of shear on steady-state floc sizes. The technique is based on a method developed to investigate flocculation of inorganic particles. Samples of activated sludge are sonicated for 3 min at 50 W to produce the necessary primary particles to observe flocculation. The samples are then stirred in a batch mixing vessel and sized on-line using a Malvern Mastersizer/E. The dynamics of flocculation were found to be reproducible and follow the principles of inorganic shear induced flocculation. The median flee size was found to increase until an equilibrium between the rates of aggregation and breakage was reached. At this point, a steady-state floc size was maintained. The effect of shear on the steady-state flee size was quantified using the experimental technique. The change in floc size-with shear followed a power law relationship. This relationship was used to investigate the breakage mechanisms

Nitrous oxide generation in full-scale biological nutrient removal wastewater treatment plants.

International guidance for estimating emissions of the greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N(2)O), from biological nutrient removal (BNR) wastewater systems is presently inadequate. This study has adopted a rigorous mass balance approach to provide comprehensive N(2)O emission and formation results from seven full-scale BNR wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). N(2)O formation was shown to be always positive, yet highly variable across the seven plants. The calculated range of N(2)O generation was 0.006-0.253 kgN(2)O-Nper kgN denitrified (average: 0.035+/-0.027). This paper investigated the possible mechanisms of N(2)O formation, rather than the locality of emissions. Higher N(2)O generation was shown to generally correspond with higher nitrite concentrations, but with many competing and parallel nitrogen transformation reactions occurring, it was very difficult to clearly identify the predominant mechanism of N(2)O production. The WWTPs designed and operated for low effluent TN (i.e. <10 mgN L(-1)) had lower and less variable N(2)O generation factors than plants that only achieved partial denitrification.

A comprehensive insight into floc characteristics and their impact on compressibility and settleability of activated sludge

This paper presents a comprehensive study of sludge floc characteristics and their impact on compressibility and settleability of activated sludge in full scale wastewater treatment processes. The sludge flocs were characterised by morphological (floc size distribution, fractal dimension, filament index), physical (flocculating ability, viscosity, hydrophobicity and surface charge) and chemical (polymeric constituents and metal content) parameters. Compressibility and settleability were defined in terms of the sludge volume index (SVI) and zone settling velocity (ZSV). The floc morphological and physical properties had important influence on the sludge compressibility and settleability. Sludges containing large flocs and high quantities of filaments, corresponding to lower values of fractal dimension (D-f), demonstrated poor compressibility and settleability. Sludge flocs with high flocculating ability had lower SVI and higher ZSV, whereas high values of hydrophobicity, negative surface charge and viscosity of the sludge flocs correlated to high SVI and low ZSV. The quantity of the polymeric compounds protein. humic substances and carbohydrate in the sludge and the extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) had significant positive correlations with SVI. The ZSV was quantitatively independent of the polymeric constituents. High concentrations of the extracted EPS were related to poor compressibility and settleability. The cationic ions Ca, Mg, Al and Fe in the sludge improved significantly the sludge compressibility and settleability

Comprehensive life cycle inventories of alternative wastewater treatment systems.

Over recent decades, the environmental regulations on wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) have trended towards increasingly stringent nutrient removal requirements for the protection of local waterways. However, such regulations typically ignore other environmental impacts that might accompany apparent improvements to the WWTP. This paper quantitatively defines the life cycle inventory of resources consumed and emissions produced in ten different wastewater treatment scenarios (covering six process configurations and nine treatment standards). The inventory results indicate that infrastructure resources, operational energy, direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and chemical consumption generally increase with increasing nitrogen removal, especially at discharge standards of total nitrogen <5 mgN L(-1). Similarly, infrastructure resources and chemical consumption increase sharply with increasing phosphorus removal, but operational energy and direct GHG emissions are largely unaffected. These trends represent a trade-off of negative environmental impacts against improved local receiving water quality. However, increased phosphorus removal in WWTPs also represents an opportunity for increased resource recovery and reuse via biosolids applied to agricultural land. This study highlights that where biosolids displace synthetic fertilisers, a negative environmental trade-off may also occur by increasing the heavy metals discharged to soil. Proper analysis of these positive and negative environmental trade-offs requires further life cycle impact assessment and an inherently subjective weighting of competing environmental costs and benefits.

Enrichment of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidizing microorganisms

The microorganisms responsible for anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to denitrification have not been clearly elucidated. Three recent publications suggested it can be achieved by a denitrifying bacterium with or without the involvement of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea. A key factor limiting the progress in this research field is the shortage of enrichment cultures performing denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO). In this study, DAMO cultures were enriched from mixed inoculum including sediment from a freshwater lake, anaerobic digester sludge and return activated sludge from a sewage treatment plant. Two reactors, operated at 35°C and at 22°C, respectively, showed simultaneous methane oxidation and nitrate reduction after several months of operation. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from the 35°C enrichment showed the presence of an archaeon closely related to other DAMO archaea and a dominated bacterium belonging to the yet uncultivated NC10 phylum. This culture preferred nitrite to nitrate as the electron acceptor. The present study suggests that the archaea are rather methanotrophs than methanogens. The highest denitrification rate achieved was 2.35 mmol NO3 (-) -N gVSS(-1)  day(-1) . The culture enriched at 22°C contained the same NC10 bacterium observed in the culture enriched at 35°C but no archaea.

N2O production rate of an enriched ammonia-oxidising bacteria culture exponentially correlates to its ammonia oxidation rate.

The relationship between the ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) and nitrous oxide production rate (N(2)OR) of an enriched ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) culture was investigated. The AOB culture was enriched in a nitritation system fed with synthetic anaerobic digester liquor. The AOR was controlled by adjusting the dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH levels and also by varying the initial ammonium (NH(4)(+)) concentration in batch experiments. Tests were also performed directly on the parent reactor where a stepwise decrease/increase in DO was implemented to alter AOR. The experimental data indicated a clear exponential relationship between the biomass specific N(2)OR and AOR. Four metabolic models were used to analyse the experimental data. The metabolic model formulated based on aerobic N(2)O production from the decomposition of nitrosyl radical (NOH) predicted the exponential correlation observed experimentally. The experimental data could not be reproduced by models developed on the basis of N(2)O production through nitrite (NO(2)(-)) and nitric oxide (NO) reduction by AOB.

Decreasing activated sludge thermal hydrolysis temperature reduces product colour, without decreasing degradability

Activated sludges are becoming more difficult to degrade in anaerobic digesters, due to the implementation of stricter nitrogen limits, longer sludge ages, and removal of primary sedimentation units. Thermal hydrolysis is a popular method to enhance degradability of long-age activated sludge, and involves pressure and heat treatment of the process fluid (150-160 degrees C saturated steam). However, as documented in this study, in a full-scale system, the use of thermal hydrolysis produces coloured, recalcitrant compounds that can have downstream impacts (e.g., failure of UV disinfection, and increased effluent nitrogen). The coloured compound formed during thermal hydrolysis was found to be melanoidins. These are coloured recalcitrant compounds produced by polymerisation of low molecular weight intermediates, such as carbohydrates and amino compounds at elevated temperature (Maillard reaction). By decreasing the THP operating temperature from 165 degrees C to 140 degrees C, THP effluent colour decreased from 12,677 mg-PtCo L(-1) to 3837 mg-PtCo L(-1). The change in THP operating temperature from 165 degrees C to 140 degrees C was shown to have no significant impact on anaerobic biodegradability of the sludge. The rate and extent of COD biodegradation remained largely unaffected by the temperature change with an average first order hydrolysis rate of 0.19 d(-1) and conversion extent of 0.43 g-COD(CH4)g-COD(-1).

The effect of pH on N2O production under aerobic conditions in a partial nitritation system

Ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) are a major contributor to nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emissions during nitrogen transformation. N(2)O production was observed under both anoxic and aerobic conditions in a lab-scale partial nitritation system operated as a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The system achieved 55 ± 5% conversion of the 1g NH(4)(+)-N/L contained in a synthetic anaerobic digester liquor to nitrite. The N(2)O emission factor was 1.0 ± 0.1% of the ammonium converted. pH was shown to have a major impact on the N(2)O production rate of the AOB enriched culture. In the investigated pH range of 6.0-8.5, the specific N(2)O production was the lowest between pH 6.0 and 7.0 at a rate of 0.15 ± 0.01 mg N(2)O-N/h/g VSS, but increased with pH to a maximum of 0.53 ± 0.04 mg N(2)O-N/h/g VSS at pH 8.0. The same trend was also observed for the specific ammonium oxidation rate (AOR) with the maximum AOR reached at pH 8.0. A linear relationship between the N(2)O production rate and AOR was observed suggesting that increased ammonium oxidation activity may have promoted N(2)O production. The N(2)O production rate was constant across free ammonia (FA) and free nitrous acid (FNA) concentrations of 5-78 mg NH(3)-N/L and 0.15-4.6 mg HNO(2)-N/L, respectively, indicating that the observed pH effect was not due to changes in FA or FNA concentrations.