Pusker Regmi

Removal of copper and cadmium from aqueous solution using switchgrass biochar produced via hydrothermal carbonization process

Biochar produced from switchgrass via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) was used as a sorbent for the removal of copper and cadmium from aqueous solution. The cold activation process using KOH at room temperature was developed to enhance the porous structure and sorption properties of the HTC biochar. The sorption efficiency of HTC biochar and alkali activated HTC biochar (HTCB) for removing copper and cadmium from aqueous solution were compared with commercially available powdered activated carbon (PAC). The present batch adsorption study describes the effects of solution pH, biochar dose, and contact time on copper and cadmium removal efficiency from single metal ion aqueous solutions. The activated HTCB exhibited a higher adsorption potential for copper and cadmium than HTC biochar and PAC. Experiments conducted with an initial metal concentration of 40 mg/L at pH 5.0 and contact time of 24 h resulted in close to 100% copper and cadmium removal by activated HTCB at 2 g/L, far greater than what was observed for HTC biochar (16% and 5.6%) and PAC (4% and 7.7%). The adsorption capacities of activated HTCB for cadmium removal were 34 mg/g (0.313 mmol/g) and copper removal was 31 mg/g (0.503 mmol/g).

Nitrogen removal assessment through nitrification rates and media biofilm accumulation in an IFAS process demonstration study.

An IFAS demonstration study was conducted at the 76,000 m(3)/day (20MGD) James River Wastewater Treatment Plant (JRTP) located in Newport News, Virginia by converting one fully-aerobic conventional aeration basin with dedicated secondary clarification to a 7041 m(3)/day (8404 m(3)/day max month) IFAS train in a modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) configuration. During the study, biomass concentrations on the biofilm carriers were monitored (weekly) as well as nitrogen species concentrations in the IFAS reactor to quantify the nitrogen transformations occurring within the demonstration tank. In a related effort, nitrification kinetics for ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria were monitored on a weekly basis for IFAS media alone, IFAS process mixed liquor without media, and IFAS mixed liquor and media together in an effort to identify the location of nitrification activity (i.e. on the media or in the suspended culture) in the IFAS process. Biomass quantity on the media was generally observed to be inversely related to temperature except during a period when an auxiliary carbon source contaminated with fungi was introduced. Both ammonia oxidizing and nitrite oxidizing bacterial activity were elevated on the carriers compared to the suspended culture (AOB(media): 4.97 mgNOx/gMLSS/hr; AOB(suspended): 1.72 mgNOx/gMLSS/hr; NOB(media): 7.55 mgNOx/gMLSS/hr; NOB(suspended): 0.82 mgNOx/gMLSS/hr) during all periods of the study. In-basin nitrification rates calculated based on nitrogen profiling efforts averaged 0.90 mgNOx/m(2)/day which was in good agreement with the average of 0.89 mgNOx/m(2)/day for IFAS mixed liquor and media from batch testing.

Model-based evaluation of mechanisms and benefits of mainstream shortcut nitrogen removal processes

The main challenge in implementing shortcut nitrogen removal processes for mainstream wastewater treatment is the out-selection of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) to limit nitrate production. A model-based approach was utilized to simulate the impact of individual features of process control strategies to achieve NO(-)(2)-N shunt via NOB out-selection. Simulations were conducted using a two-step nitrogen removal model from the literature. Nitrogen shortcut removal processes from two case studies were modeled to illustrate the contribution of NOB out-selection mechanisms. The paper highlights a comparison between two control schemes; one was based on online measured ammonia and the other was based on a target ratio of 1 for ammonia vs. NOx (nitrate + nitrite) (AVN). Results indicated that the AVN controller possesses unique features to nitrify only that amount of nitrogen that can be denitrified, which promotes better management of incoming organics and bicarbonate for a more efficient NOB out-selection. Finally, the model was used in a scenario analysis, simulating hypothetical optimized performance of the pilot process. An estimated potential saving of 60% in carbon addition for nitrogen removal by implementing full-scale mainstream deammonification was predicted.

Ammonia‐based intermittent aeration control optimized for efficient nitrogen removal

This work describes the development of an intermittently aerated pilot‐scale process (V = 0.45 m3) operated for optimized efficient nitrogen removal in terms of volume, supplemental carbon and alkalinity requirements. The intermittent aeration pattern was controlled using a strategy based on effluent ammonia concentration set‐points. The unique feature of the ammonia‐based aeration control was that a fixed dissolved oxygen (DO) set‐point was used and the length of the aerobic and anoxic time (anoxic time ≥25% of total cycle time) were changed based on the effluent ammonia concentration. Unlike continuously aerated ammonia‐based aeration control strategies, this approach offered control over the aerobic solids retention time (SRT) to deal with fluctuating ammonia loading without solely relying on changes to the total SRT. This approach allowed the system to be operated at a total SRT with a small safety factor. The benefits of operating at an aggressive SRT were reduced hydraulic retention time (HRT) for nitrogen removal. As a result of such an operation, nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) out‐selection was also obtained (ammonia oxidizing bacteria [AOB] maximum activity: 400 ± 79 mgN/L/d, NOB maximum activity: 257 ± 133 mgN/L/d, P < 0.001) expanding opportunities for short‐cut nitrogen removal. The pilot demonstrated a total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal rate of 95 ± 30 mgN/L/d at an influent chemical oxygen demand: ammonia (COD/NH4+‐N) ratio of 10.2 ± 2.2 at 25°C within the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 4 h and within a total SRT of 5–10 days. The TIN removal efficiency up to 91% was observed during the study, while effluent TIN was 9.6 ± 4.4 mgN/L. Therefore, this pilot‐scale study demonstrates that application of the proposed on‐line aeration control is capable of relatively high nitrogen removal without supplemental carbon and alkalinity addition at a low HRT. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 2060–2067.

Nitrogen polishing in a fully anoxic anammox MBBR treating mainstream nitritation-denitritation effluent.

As nitrogen discharge limits are becoming more stringent, short‐cut nitrogen systems and tertiary nitrogen polishing steps are gaining popularity. For partial nitritation or nitritation–denitritation systems, anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) polishing may be feasible to remove residual ammonia and nitrite from the effluent. Nitrogen polishing of mainstream nitritation–denitritation system effluent via anammox was studied at 25°C in a fully anoxic moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) (V = 0.45 m3) over 385 days. Unlike other anammox based processes, a very fast startup of anammox MBBR was demonstrated, despite nitrite limited feeding conditions (influent nitrite = 0.7 ± 0.59 mgN/L, ammonia = 6.13 ± 2.86 mgN/L, nitrate = 3.41 ± 1.92 mgN/L). The nitrogen removal performance was very stable within a wide range of nitrogen inputs. Anammox bacteria (AMX) activity up to 1 gN/m2/d was observed which is comparable to other biofilm‐based systems. It is generally believed that nitrate production limits nitrogen removal through AMX metabolism. However, in this study, anammox MBBR demonstrated ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate removal at limited chemical oxygen demand (COD) availability. AMX and heterotrophs contributed to 0.68 ± 0.17 and 0.32 ± 0.17 of TIN removal, respectively. It was speculated that nitrogen removal might be aided by denitratation which could be due to heterotrophs or the recently discovered ability for AMX to use short‐chain fatty acids to reduce nitrate to nitrite. This study demonstrates the feasibility of anammox nitrogen polishing in an MBBR is possible for nitritation–denitration systems. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 635–642.