Characterization of bioflocculants from biologically aerated filter backwashed sludge and its application in dying wastewater treatment

In this study, the feasibility of bioflocculant extraction from backwashing sludge to reduce its production costs was investigated. Results showed that ultrasound and base treatment could significantly enhance bioflocculant extraction efficiency, however, flocculating activity was affected. It was observed that bioflocculants extracted from sludge of pH 11.0 had no flocculating activity. In contrast, bioflocculants extracted from sludge of pH 5.0, named as M-1, had good flocculating activity. To further study the flocculating activity of M-1, factors such as bioflocculant dosage, temperature and pH of the reaction solution were tested. The optimal conditions were 6.0 mg/l bioflocculant dosage and pH 5.0, at a temperature of 10 °C. Under these conditions, the flocculating rate of kaolin clay was 92.67%. The effectiveness of such bioflocculants in the decolorization of synthetically dyed wastewater was then examined. In flocculating methylene blue and fast blue in aqueous solutions, decolorization efficiency levels were 82.9% and 77.8%, respectively.     

Production and characterization of bioflocculants from bacteria isolated from wastewater treatment plant in South Africa

Bioflocculants produced by six bacteria obtained from activated sludge at a wastewater treatment plant were quantified, purified, and characterized. Effects of pH, temperature, cationic salt content, and specific potential inhibitors on the flocculating activities of the bioflocculants were also determined. Bioflocculants produced by the different bacterial isolates ranged between 6.33 and 27.66 g/L in concentration and were composed of both carbohydrate and protein in varying amounts, as well as a relatively high concentration of uronic acid. The flocculating activity of the broth culture increased during the logarithmic phase of bacterial growth with a maximum ranging from 2.395 to 3.709/OD. Optimum pH for the flocculating activity of the bioflocculants was between 8 and 9, with generally higher flocculating activity observed at 28°C. Of the cations tested, Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺ improved flocculating activity up to 5.2 fold. The stability of these bacterial bioflocculants under various environmental and nutritional conditions suggests their possible use in the industries and environmental applications. Therefore, this study details important implications in providing a safer alternative flocculation method for wastewater treatment.     

一株产絮凝剂不动杆菌的筛选及其絮凝特性

从活性污泥中筛选出一株高效的微生物絮凝剂产生菌, 鉴定为鲍曼不动杆菌。蚕豆根尖细胞微核试验未显示该菌株所产絮凝剂具有遗传毒性。该菌产絮凝剂的最佳碳源和氮源分别为葡萄糖和酵母浸出汁, 培养时间为24 h。在絮凝体系中加入Ca2+能明显提高发酵液的絮凝率。在pH为8.0时对高岭土悬浊液和污水具有良好的絮凝效果。     

一株产絮凝剂不动杆菌的筛选及其絮凝特性

从活性污泥中筛选出一株高效的微生物絮凝剂产生菌,鉴定为鲍曼不动杆菌.蚕豆根尖细胞微核试验未显示该菌株所产絮凝剂具有遗传毒性.该菌产絮凝剂的最佳碳源和氮源分别为葡萄糖和酵母浸出汁,培养时间为24 h.在絮凝体系中加入Ca2 能明显提高发酵液的絮凝率.在pH为8.0时对高岭土悬浊液和污水具有良好的絮凝效果.     

微生物絮凝剂产生菌的筛选及培养条件的优化

目的:从好氧活性污泥、土壤和河泥中分离筛选具有较高活性的絮凝剂产生菌,并优化其培养条件;方法:通过常规分离获得目的菌株,运用单因素法考察培养时间、培养温度、发酵液初始pH值及摇床转速对菌株絮凝活性的影响;结果:得到了絮凝活性较高的菌株,经过优化得出,其最佳培养时间和温度分别为48h和30℃,发酵液最佳初始pH值为7.0,最佳摇床转速为120r/min,在最佳培养条件下,RF-32对高岭土悬浊液絮凝率为84.32%。结论:从活性污泥中可筛选出较高活性的絮凝剂产生菌,研究发现,菌株的絮凝活性与其生长量呈同步增长趋势,并在一段时间后达到一稳定值。培养时间、培养温度、发酵液初始pH值及摇床转速均能通过一定的作用因素对菌株生长情况产生影响,进而影响其絮凝活性。     

球形红细菌污泥颗粒化及降解氯苯

投加絮凝剂是促使微生物快速形成污泥颗粒的一种有效手段,通过研究在不同絮凝剂下生成的生物絮体的形态和沉降性能,推荐选用聚合氯化铝(PAC)作为促进光合细菌球形红细菌形成污泥颗粒的絮凝剂。PAC的最佳投加量范围为140-160mg/L,其中,PAC投加量150mg/L时,促进污泥颗粒化的效果最好。考察球形红细菌污泥颗粒降解氯苯的环境条件,结果表明球形红细菌污泥颗粒降解氯苯的最佳条件为好氧、pH7.0、30°C。     

一株絮凝剂产生菌的筛选及其絮凝特性研究

目的:筛选并研究对有毒物质有一定耐受性的絮凝剂产生菌。方法:利用含苯酚、邻苯二甲酸二丁酯和Pb2(SO4)3的分离培养基从土壤和活性污泥中分离筛选絮凝剂产生菌,对所得的菌种进行摇瓶发酵试验,分别考察其产絮凝剂的周期、絮凝活性分布以及对有毒物质的耐受性等特征,通过提取絮凝剂,将其絮凝活性与其它絮凝剂进行比较。结果:得到一株对苯酚具有一定耐受性的絮凝剂产生菌B2(Serratiasp.),其产絮凝剂的最佳培养时间为48h,絮凝率高于80%。苯酚浓度达0.6g/L时,B2菌的絮凝活性仍高于70%。其90%的絮凝物质集中于菌体,且热稳定性好,对多种悬浊液的絮凝活性高于硫酸铝、PAC。结论:新型絮凝剂产生菌B2对苯酚耐受性强,且絮凝剂提取简便,具有重要的研究价值。     

Influences of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the characteristics of activated sludge under non-steady-state conditions

Laboratory experiments were carried out on activated sludge (AS) to investigate the correlations between the content of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the performance of biosolids–water separation, including sludge flocculation, sedimentation, compression, and dewatering, under non-steady-state conditions. On three stabilized AS reactors changes were made in sludge retention time (SRT), substrate composition, and loading rate, respectively, to bring about unstable operation to the reactors. A two-step heating method was used to extract from the sludge the easily extractable EPS, or loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS), and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), respectively. The experimental results demonstrate dynamic changes in sludge characteristic and EPS production under the non-steady-state conditions. During the early phase of transition after a change was imposed, the sludge became generally worse in flocculation, compressibility, and dewaterability. With the acclimatization of the biomass to the new process conditions, biosolids–water separation showed a general trend of improvement. Changes in AS process condition also resulted in considerable variations in EPS production. The change of the LB-EPS content appeared to be more significant than that of the TB-EPS. Throughout the non-steady-state operation, the sludge flocculating behavior, settleability, compressibility, and dewaterability had a positive correlation with the LB-EPS content; however, no correlation could be found between these properties and the TB-EPS content. The results suggest that although EPS is essential to biofloc formation, excessive EPS in the form of LB-EPS would weaken cell attachment and deteriorate the AS floc structure, resulting in poor biosolids–water separation.     

The half-saturation coefficient for dissolved oxygen: A dynamic method for its determination and its effect on dual species competition

A simple approach was developed to determine the half-saturation coefficient for dissolved oxygen (K(DO)) for three bacteria by maintaining a constant oxygen concentration in continuous culture, and employing a dynamic method to obtain the specific growth rate (mu) for each species. Measurement of mu at selected dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO) resulted in a typical Monod curve for a plot of mu vs. DO. Values for K(DO) and mu(max) were obtained from the Lineweaver-Burk reciprocal plot. The bacteria studied included representative strains of three microorganisms isolated in pure culture from poorly settling activated sludge: two filamentous microorganisms, Sphaerotilus natans and a second Sphaerotilus sp., and an unidentified floc-forming microorganism. The K(DO) values obtained for Sphaerotilus sp., S. natans, and the floc former were 0.014, 0.033, and 0.073 mg/L, respectively. Dual species competition experiments were conducted in continuous culture under low and high DO conditions. Successful growth competition by these microorganisms under DO-limiting conditions was consistent with experimentally determined K(DO) values. The finding of lower K(DO) values for the two Sphaerotilus species, compared to the floc former, confirmed the hypothesis that these filamentous microorganisms can outgrow floc-forming microorganisms in activated sludge when DO in the aeration basin is low.     

Flocculation properties of pectin in various suspensions

Pectin had a flocculating activity and its flocculating activities in various suspensions were investigated. Flocculating activity of pectin in a kaolin suspension was markedly stimulated by the addition of Al3+ and Fe3+ to the suspension. Optimum temperature for flocculating activity of pectin in the kaolin suspension was around 30 degrees C and high flocculating activity was obtained when 30 mg/l of pectin and 0.2 mM Fe3+ were added to the suspension. Other inorganic suspensions of activated carbon and acid clay were flocculated by pectin in the presence of Al3+ or Fe3+. Flocculation of organic suspensions such as cellulose and yeast by pectin occurred when 0.1-0.2 mM Fe3+ was present in the suspensions.     

Transient response of aerobic and anoxic activated sludge activities to sudden substrate concentration changes

The state-of-the-art understanding of activated sludge processes as summarized in activated sludge models (ASMs) predicts an instantaneous increase in the biomass activity (which is measured, e.g., by the corresponding respiration rate OUR, NUR, etc.) under sudden substrate concentration changes. Experimental data (e.g., short-term batch respiration experiments under aerobic or anoxic conditions) collected for the calibration of the dynamic models (ASMs) often exhibit a transient phenomenon while attaining maximum activity, which cannot be explained by the current understanding of the activated sludge process. That transient phenomenon exhibits itself immediately upon addition of a substrate source to an endogenously respiring activated sludge sample and it usually takes a few minutes until the activated sludge reaches its maximum possible rate under given environmental conditions. This discrepancy between the state-of-the-art model and the experimental data is addressed in detail in this investigation. It is shown that the discrepancy is not caused by an error in the experimental set-up/data but it is rather due to model inadequacy. Among the hypotheses proposed, it appears that this transient response of the activated sludge most likely results from the sequence of intracellular reactions involved in substrate degradation by the activated sludge. Results from studies performed elsewhere with pure cultures (S. cerevisae and E. coli) support the hypothesis. The transient phenomenon can be described by a dynamic metabolic network model or by a simple first-order model, as adopted in this study. The transient phenomenon occurring in short-term batch respiration experiments is shown to interfere severely with parameter estimation if not modeled properly (2.8%, 11.5%, and 16.8% relative errors [average of three experiments] on Y(H), micro(maxH), and K(S), respectively). Proper modeling of this transient phenomenon whose time constant is on the order of minutes (1 to 3 min) is expected to contribute fundamentally to a better understanding and modeling of Orbal, carousel, and SBR-type treatment plants with fast-alternating process conditions, although such studies are beyond the scope of this report.     

Activated Sludge Biodegradation of 12 Commercial Phthalate Esters

The activated sludge biodegradability of 12 commercial phthalate esters was evaluated in two test systems: (i) a semicontinuous activated sludge test and (ii) an acclimated 19-day die-away procedure. Both procedures demonstrated that phthalate esters are rapidly biodegraded under activated sludge conditions when loss of the parent phthalate ester (primary degradation) is measured.     

微生物絮凝剂产生菌的筛选和发酵条件研究

设计了微生物絮凝剂产生菌菌种筛选模型,并从土壤和活性污泥中筛选到５１株絮凝剂产生菌,经复筛获得两株絮凝活性较高的菌株,分别定名为Ｎｏｃａｒｄｉａ,ＪＩＭ－８９和ＪＩＭ－１２７。对两株菌的发酵条件,特别是培养基组成,进行了初步研究。两株菌所产生的絮凝剂,对大肠杆菌悬液２０ｍｉｎ的絮凝活性在１０００ｕ／ｍｌ,最高可达１２４８ｕ／ｍｌ。     

Method for adenosine 5'-triphosphate measurement on coke waste activated sludge

Measurement of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) in coke waste activated sludge can provide a simple method for estimating the levels of viable microbes in the sludge. However, the presence of inhibitors such as phenol in the sludge interferes when the luciferin-luciferase method is used to measure ATP. These inhibiting substances can be removed from the sludge before extraction of ATP by washing the cells with dilute sodium dodecyl sulfate.     

Activated sludge transformation in anoxic condition

Summary Substantial increase of methanogens and obligate hydrogen producing acetogens is occurs when activated sludges are allowed to remain under anoxic conditions at either 25°C and 35°C, without oxygen free atmosphere or any external addition of reductants. Acetate addition to activated sludge stimulates anoxic growth of all anaerobes except for butyrate users. During this period, the sludge volume index decrease.     

Complex dynamics of microbial competition in the gradostat

We examine the conditions necessary for the emergence of complex dynamic behavior in systems of microbial competition. In particular, we study the effect of spatial heterogeneity and substrate-inhibition on the dynamics of such a system. This is accomplished through the study of a mathematical model of two microbial populations competing for a single nutrient in a configuration of two interconnected chemostats. Microbial growth is assumed to follow substrate-inhibited kinetics for both species. Such a system with sterile feed has been shown in a previous work to exhibit stable periodic states. In the present work we study the system for the case of non-sterile feed, i.e., when the two species are present in the feed of the chemostats. The analysis is done by numerical bifurcation theory methods. We demonstrate that, in addition to periodic states, the system possesses stable quasi-periodic states resulting from Neimark-Sacker bifurcations of limit cycles. Also, periodic states may undergo successive period doublings leading to periodic states of increasing period and indicating that chaotic states might be possible. Multistability is also observed, consisting in the coexistence of several stable steady states and possibly stable periodic or quasi-periodic states for given operating conditions. It appears that substrate-inhibition, spatial heterogeneity and presence of microorganisms in the inflow are all necessary conditions for complex dynamics to arise in a microbial system of pure and simple competition.     

Method for Adenosine 5′-Triphosphate Measurement on Coke Waste Activated Sludge

Measurement of adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) in coke waste activated sludge can provide a simple method for estimating the levels of viable microbes in the sludge. However, the presence of inhibitors such as phenol in the sludge interferes when the luciferin-luciferase method is used to measure ATP. These inhibiting substances can be removed from the sludge before extraction of ATP by washing the cells with dilute sodium dodecyl sulfate.     

Determination of the decay rate of nitrifying bacteria

The growth and decay of nitrifying organisms determines the amount of nitrifying bacteria in activated sludge systems. The growth rate of the nitrifying organisms is reasonable, well defined, and studied, while the decay rate is still rather uncertain. Experiments in previous studies were over periods up to 14 days and obtained results were not confirmed. Contradicting decay rates of nitrifiers in different bacterial communities is reported. No differentiation between ammonia and nitrite oxidizers was made. Therefore, in this studyper day the decay rate of the nitrifying organisms was studied. The starvation condition (aerobic, anoxic, or anaerobic), temperature, type of bacterial community, and the presence of higher organisms are the main aspects that were investigated. A simple and reliable method (adapted from previous studies) for determining the decay rate of nitrifying organisms under different starvation conditions and different temperatures was developed. The test procedure has been used for determining the decay rate of ammonium and nitrite oxidizing bacteria in an enriched nitrifying culture and in activated sludge. The test was successfully applied at starvation periods up to 30 days. The decay rate of the enriched culture of nitrifiers was very low compared to values for nitrifiers in activated sludge. The decay rate of the nitrifiers in activated sludge was found to be to 0.2, 0.1, and 0.06 per day for aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic conditions, respectively. The decay rate of ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers was the same at the corresponding conditions.     

A three stage population model with cannibalism

A simple population model consisting of one adult and two larval stages with cannibalism or competition among the larval stages is presented. The solutions are found to be either periodic or of a steady state nature depending on the ratios of fertility and cannibalism among the larvae. Two similar cannibalism pressure functions are compared and the conditions that lead to steady or periodic solutions, or to extinction, are examined.     

Characterization and application of bioflocculant prepared by Rhodococcus erythropolis using sludge and livestock wastewater as cheap culture media

A new bioflocculant was produced by culturing Rhodococcus erythropolis in a cheap medium. When culture pH was 7.0, inoculum size was 2 % (v/v), Na₂HPO₄ concentration was 0.5 g L^?1, and the ratio of sludge/livestock wastewater was 7:1 (v/v), a maximum flocculating rate of 87.6 % could be achieved. Among 13 different kinds of pretreatments for sludge, the optimal one was the thermal-alkaline pretreatment. Different from a bioflocculant produced in a standard medium, this bioflocculant was effective over a wide pH range from 2 to 12 with flocculating rates higher than 98 %. Approximately, 1.6 g L^?1 of crude bioflocculant could be harvested using cold ethanol for extraction. This bioflocculant showed color removal rates up to 80 % when applied to direct and disperse dye solutions, but only 23.0 % for reactive dye solutions. Infrared spectrum showed that the bioflocculant contained functional groups such as –OH, –NH₂, and –CONH₂. Components in the bioflocculant consisted of 91.2 % of polysaccharides, 7.6 % of proteins, and 1.2 % of DNA. When the bioflocculant and copper sulfate (CuSO₄) were used together for decolorization in actual dye wastewater, the optimum decolorization conditions were specified by the response surface methodology as pH 11, bioflocculant dosage of 40 mg/L, and CuSO₄ 80 mg/L, under which a decolorization rate of 93.9 % could be reached.