Anaerobic treatment of wastewater from a food-manufacturing plant with a low concentration of organic matter and regeneration of usable pure water

Wastewater from a food-manufacturing plant with a low concentration of organic matter below 100 mg/l TOC was first treated at 37°C in an anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor (AFBR) or in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB). The TOC removal efficiency in both reactors decreased from 85% to 65% as the influent TOC concentration decreased from 100 to 35 mg/l at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h. Treatment at an HRT of 4 h resulted in an effluent TOC concentration of 11 to 15 mg/l. The concentration of suspended solids in the effluent could be reduced to 20 mg/l, which corresponded to 7% of that of the influent. The effluent from both reactors was then treated anaerobically in a fixed-bed reactor system. The TOC concentration and optical density (OD) of the effluent from the aerobic treatment were reduced to 5 mg/l and 0.005, respectively, at an HRT of 2 h. When anaerobically or aerobically treated effluent was passed over an activated carbon column, the effluent TOC concentration was reduced to 2 to 3 mg/l. The conductivity of 1.3 mS/cm in raw wastewater, which was not removed through the above treatments, was reduced to 0.001 mS/cm on an ion-exchange resin column. An effluent quality corresponding to that of ultra-pure water for industrial use was finally attained by the treatment in this multi-step system.     

Treatment of low strength soluble wastewaters in UASB reactors

Low strength wastewaters can be those with chemical oxygen demand (COD) below 2,000 mg/l. The anaerobic treatment of such wastewaters has not been fully explored so far. The suboptimal reaction rates with low substrate concentrations, and the presence of dissolved oxygen in the influent are regarded as possible constraints. In this study, the treatment of low strength soluble wastewaters containing ethanol or whey was studied in lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludged bed (UASB) reactors at 30°C. The high treatment performance obtained demonstrates that UASB reactors are viable for treating both types of wastewaters at low COD concentrations. The treatment of the ethanol containing wastewater resulted in COD removal efficiencies exceeding 95% at organic loading rates (OLR) between 0.3 to 6.8 g COD/l-d with influent concentrations in the range of 422 to 943 mg COD/l. In the case of the more complex whey containing wastewater, COD removal efficiencies exceeded 86% at OLRs up to 3.9 g COD/l·, as long as the COD influent was above 630 mg/l. Lowering the COD influent resulted in decreased efficiency with sharper decrease at values below 200 mg/l. Acidification instead of methanogenesis was found to be the rate limiting step in the COD removal at low concentrations, which was not the case when treating ethanol. The effect of dissolved oxygen in the influent as a potential danger in anaerobic treatment was investigated in reactors fed with and without dissolved oxygen. Compared with the control reactor, the reactor receiving oxygen showed no detrimental effects in the treatment performance. Thus, the presence of dissolved oxygen in dilute wastewaters is expected to be of minor importance in practice.     

Anaerobic treatment of wastewater with high salt content from a pickled-plum manufacturing process

Anaerobic treatment of wastewater with a high salt content generated during a pickled-plum manufacturing process (TOC, 14g/l; ash, 150g/l; pH 2.7, hereafter called pickled-plum effluent) was investigated for its effect on the high salt content of the wastewater. The synthetic wastewater, including NaCl up to 30g/l, was treated anaerobically by a draw and fill method (treatment temperature, 37°C; volumetric loading rate of organic matter, 2g/l·d). The TOC removal efficiency and rate of gas evolution then gradually decreased as salt content increased, although stable operation was maintained. At NaCl concentrations above 30g/l, TOC removal efficiency decreased rapidly and stable operation could not be maintained. Five-fold-diluted pickled-plum effluent was treated by the same method at a volumetric TOC loading rate of 2.9g/l·d with a TOC removal efficiency of 71%. Five-fold-diluted pickled-plum effluent was also treated in an anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor (AFBR) at a maximum volumetric TOC loading rate of 3.0g/l·d, which gave almost the same results as the draw and fill method. However, ten-fold-diluted pickled-plum effluent could be treated in the AFBR at a maximum volumetric TOC loading rate of 11.1g/l·d with a TOC removal efficiency of 84.6%. The red pigment in the pickled-plum effluent was completely decolorized by the anaerobic treatment.     

Efficient removal of NH4+ accumulated during anaerobic treatment of distillery wastewater from Shochu making

Propionate and NH₄⁺ were accumulated in the effluent during anaerobic treatment of five-fold diluted distillery wastewater from shochu making. Propionate could be removed efficiently during biological denitrification by the addition of NO₃⁻ (4.2 g/l) to the anaerobically treated wastewater. At a hydraulic retention time of more than 2 h, a TOC removal efficiency of 90% could be achieved. The wastewater was then treated aerobically by biological nitrification. With a hydraulic retention time of more than 14 h the efficiency of reduction of NH₄⁺ could be maintained above 97%. In order to reduce the amount of NO₃⁻ addition necessary for the removal of propionate, simultaneous removal of propionate and NH₄⁺ was studied by recirculating the effluent from a nitrification process to a denitrification process using denitrification and nitrification reactors connected in series. At a recirculation ratio of 2, the amount of NO₃⁻ that had to be added was reduced to 0.3 g/l of anaerobically treated wastewater, which corresponds to 6.9% of the theoretical value. Under the same conditions except for the addition of NO₃⁻ at 1.0 g/l, TOC and BOD in the effluent from the nitrification were 23 and 5 mg/l respectively, which are sufficiently low to allow discharge into river water. Moreover, the NO₃⁻ concentration in the effluent decreased with increases in the recirculation ratio.     

Treatment of wastewater containing Cl2 residue by packed cage rotating biological contactor (RBC) system

A packed cage rotating biological contactor (RBC) system was applied to treat wastewater containing Cl2 residue with concentration even up to 20 mg/L. However, Cl2 exhibited a negative effect on the efficiency of the system as evidenced by the decrease in the growth of bio-film. It could be concluded that the removal efficiency of the system decreased with the increase of Cl2 concentration or Cl2 loading. Due to inhibition of bio-film growth by the effects of Cl2 residue, the effluent suspended solids (SS) of the system was decreased. The bio-film was easily detached from the media under high growth rate conditions resulting in an increase of effluent SS. The COD and BOD5 removal efficiencies of the system under the highest organic and Cl2 loadings of 4.07 g BOD5/m2 d and 203.6 mg Cl2/m2 d, respectively, were 58.0+/-3.2% and 60.7+/-3.9%, respectively, while they were up to 83.3+/-1.8% and 85.8+/-2.0%, respectively, under the lowest organic and Cl2 loading of 2.04 g BOD5/m2 d and 25.5 mg Cl2/m2 d. However, the effluent SS of the system under above operating conditions was lower than 20 mg/L.     

Effect of pH on phase separated anaerobic digestion

A pilot scale experiment was performed for a year to develop a two-phase anaerobic process for piggery wastewater treatment (COD: 6,000 mg/L, BOD: 4,000 mg/L, SS: 500 gm/L, pH 8.4, alkalinity 6,000 mg/L). The acidogenic reactor had a total volume of 3 m³, and the methanogenic reactor, an, anaerobic up-flow sludge filter, combining a filter and a sludge bed, was also of total volume 3 m³ (1.5 m³ of upper packing material). Temperatures of the acidogenic and methanogenic reactors kept at 20°C and 35°C., respectively. When the pH of the acidogenic reactor was controlled at 6.0–7.0 with HCl, the COD removal efficiency increased from 50 to 80% over a period of six months, and as a result, the COD of the final effluent fell in the range of 1,000–1,500 mg/L. BOD removal efficiency over the same period was above 90%, and 300 to 400 mg/L was maintained in the final effluent. The average SS in the final effluent was 270 mg/L. The methane production was 0.32 m³ CH₄/kg COD_removed and methane content of the methanogenic reactor was high value at 80–90%., When the pH of the acidogenic reactor was not controlled over the final two months, the pH reached 8.2 and acid conversion decreased compared with that of pH controlled, while COD removal was similar to the pH controlled operation. Without pH control, the methane content in the gas from methanogenic reactor improved to 90%, compared to 80% with pH control.     

A pilot-scale study of total volatile fatty acids production by anaerobic fermentation of sewage in fixed-bed and suspended biomass reactors

A comparative study of a fermentation process for total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) production using pilot-scale fixed-bed (FAS) and suspended biomass (FER) reactors in which similar operational conditions was carried out. The influence of the changes of ambient temperatures at fixed operational conditions was also studied. Oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) increased and effluent pH decreased as the hydraulic retention time (HRT) decreased, which was favourable for TVFA production. Equations describing the ORP and pH variations with the HRT were obtained. ORP variation with HRT for FAS and FER reactors followed a logarithmic function with a regression coefficient, R², equal to 0.98. The variations of pH with HRT followed polynomial functions with regression coefficients of 0.96 and 0.98 for FAS and FER reactors, respectively. Hydrolysis process increased with the experiment duration. At the beginning of the experiment, effluent soluble COD (SCOD) decreased with respect to the influent but further effluent SCOD increased showing higher values compared to the influent. Cold temperatures were more favourable than summer temperatures for the accumulation of TVFA at the liquid effluent. The FAS reactor was more effective in the production of TVFA than the FER reactor. The maximum yields of TVFA were obtained at an organic volumetric loading rate (B_V) of 1.9 g COD/l per day, corresponding to an HRT of 3.4 h, for both reactors. A maximum increase of ammonia and phosphorus was observed at the maximum value of HRT coinciding with an increase of pH and a decrease of ORP, as could be previously observed. The average P/SCOD ratio for the influent and effluent were 0.06 and 0.05, respectively, for FAS and FER reactors. The average Ammonia/SCOD ratio for the influent and effluent were 0.15 and 0.14, respectively. These results demonstrate that effluent quality was improved by the treatment employed in case a further process of nutrient removal is carried out.     

Constructed wetlands in Queensland: Performance efficiency and nutrient bioaccumulation

Nine pilot wetlands (eight free water surface and one subsurface flow) have been constructed in Queensland as joint projects between the State and Local Governments, to treat municipal wastewater. The wetlands are in several geographical locations which include tropical, subtropical and arid climates. Each wetland is a different configuration and contains a variety of macrophyte types and species. Most species are native and were collected in the locality or self colonised. This paper examines the performance efficiency of the wetlands and nutrient bioaccumulation in wetland plants. Biochemical oxygen demand concentrations were reduced by 17–89% and suspended solids concentrations by 14–77% to produce wetland effluent with BOD less than 12 mg l⁻¹ and suspended solids less than 22 mg l⁻¹. Reduction in total nitrogen concentrations ranged from 18 to 86%, ammonia nitrogen from 8 to 95% and oxidised nitrogen from 55 to 98%, producing effluent with total nitrogen between 1.6 and 18 mg l⁻¹. Reduction in reactive phosphorus concentration was less than 13% in the free water surface systems with concentration in the effluent exceeding the influent in many of the systems over long term operation. In contrast reduction through the single household subsurface system was 65%. Nutrient bioaccumulation was investigated in 60 species. Submerged (Ceratophyllum) and free floating species (duckweed) had the highest tissue nutrient concentrations, followed by the waterlily (Nymphoides indica), aquatic vines (Ipomoea spp., Ludwigia peploides), and waterferns (Ceratopteris, Marsilea). All these species remove nutrients from the water column. Emergent species had lower nutrient concentrations with the highest nutrients occurring in the exotic sedge Cyperus involucratus. Aquatic grasses including Phragmites had higher nutrient content than the sedges. Nitrogen concentrations were higher in leaf/stem tissue compared to the root/rhizome, whereas phosphorus was higher in root/rhizome tissue. Emergent species had a greater biomass than submerged or free floating species and were therefore able to store more nutrients per unit area of wetland. Cropping the shoots of emergent species increased nutrient content in new shoot growth.     

Hydraulic loading,stability and water quality of Nakivubo wetland,Uganda

Nakivubo wetland, which has performed tertiary water treatment for Kampala city for the past 40 years, is ecologically stressed by agricultural and infrastructural developments. Field studies were carried out to assess the hydraulic loading, pollution profile, stability and water quality of this wetland. The upper and lower Nakivubo wetland receive 4.13?7.66 × 10⁴ and 3.50?10.32 × 10⁴m³/day of water respectively, of which 48.3–57.9% of total hydraulic loading to the upper wetland was carried by sampling station S1. The influent water to the upper wetland had a total BOD₅ and NH₄-N loading ranging from 2.6?4.4 × 10³kg BOD/day and 0.79?1.68 × 10³kg NH₄-N/day respectively. The National Water and Sewerage Corporation's effluent constituted a large proportion of BOD and NH₄-N loading into Nakivubo wetland. Zinc, copper and chromium were detected in trace amounts at most sampling stations. However, lead was occasionally detected at Kibira channel (station S5) at a concentration of 0.4mg/l, which is higher than the permitted Ugandan discharge limit of 0.1mg/l (NEMA 1999). The wetland showed a very high removal efficiency for BOD, ranging from 77.4%–86.3%, compared to ammonium-N which ranged from ?66.1% to 33.1% indicating limitations with the nitrification process. A low self-purification for zinc, copper and chromium was also observed in the upper Nakivubo wetland, possibly due to poor plant-wastewater interaction resulting from wetland drainage. In the lower Nakivubo wetland conductivity and dissolved oxygen were generally higher in papyrus- than in Miscanthidium-vegetated zones. However, the BOD and ammonium-N loadings did not vary significantly (P = 0.217 and P = 0.359 respectively) between the two vegetated zones.     

Packed cage rotating biological contactor system for treatment of cyanide wastewater

The aim of this work was to study the efficiency of the packed cage rotating biological contactor (RBC) system with synthetic wastewater (SWW) containing 800 mg/l BOD(5) with various cyanide residue concentrations and hydraulic loading time. The results showed that cyanide had a negative effect to both the system's efficiency and bio-film quality. An increase in cyanide concentration led to a decrease in bio-film growth and the consequent reduction in the removal efficiency of the system. Also, the effluent suspended solids (SS) of the system was increased with increasing cyanide concentrations because the bio-film detached from the media due to the toxicity of the cyanide residue. The system showed the highest COD, BOD(5), TKN and cyanide removal efficiencies of 94.0 +/- 1.6%, 94.8 +/- 0.9%, 59.1 +/- 2.8% and 95.5 +/- 0.6%, respectively, with SWW containing 5 mg/l cyanide under HRT of 8 days, while they were only 88.8 +/- 0.7%, 89.5 +/- 0.5%, 40.3 +/- 1.1% and 93.60 +/- 0.09%, respectively, with SWW containing 40 mg/l cyanide. In addition, the effluent ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were increased with increases in cyanide concentration or loading. However, the system with SWW containing the highest cyanide concentration of 40 mg/l showed almost constant COD and BOD(5) removal efficiencies of 89% and 90%, even when the system was controlled under the lowest HRT of 8 h.     

Abundance of amoA genes of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in activated sludge of full-scale wastewater treatment plants

In this study, the abundance and sequences of amoA genes of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) were determined in seven wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) whose ammonium concentrations in influent and effluent wastewaters varied considerably (5.6-422.3 mgN l⁻¹ and 0.2-29.2 mgN l⁻¹, respectively). Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the comparative abundance of AOA and AOB amoA genes differed among the WWTPs. In all three industrial WWTPs, where the influent and effluent contained the higher levels of ammonium (36.1-422.3 mgN l⁻¹ and 5.3-29.2 mgN l⁻¹, respectively), more than four orders of magnitude higher numbers of AOB amoA genes than AOA amoA genes arose (with less than the limit of detection of AOA amoA genes). In contrast, significant numbers of AOA amoA genes occurred in all municipal WWTPs (with ammonium levels in the influent and effluent of 5.6-11.0 mgN l⁻¹ and 0.2-3.0 mgN l⁻¹, respectively). Statistical analysis suggested that compared to other plants’ parameters, the ammonium levels in the plants’ effluent showed correlation with the highest p value to the abundance of AOA amoA genes.     

Performance evaluation and phylogenic analysis of a full-scale subsurface cobble-bed biofilm system

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of municipal wastewater treatment by a subsurface cobble-bed biofilm system (SCBS) in Taipei, Taiwan. In contrast to traditional wastewater treatment facilities, SCBS uses cobbles as the contact media in the biofilm treatment unit. In this study, the SCBS consists of a series of underground treatment units, including a sedimentation tank, a grit chamber, two bar screens, a pumping station, a distribution tank, a collection tank and an effluent tank. At the flowrate of 4000 m³/day, the average influent concentrations for biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solid, ammonium nitrogen, and total phosphorus were 66.99 mg/L, 26.14 mg/L, 17.33 mg/L, and 1.96 mg/L, respectively. After 39 months of operation, the measured influent and effluent results show that the treatment efficiencies obtained from the SCBS for biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solid, ammonium nitrogen, and total phosphorus are 91.3%, 84.0%, 84.0%, and 26.0%, respectively. The result of a first-order kinetic analysis shows that the NH₃-N degradation constant is greater than the BOD degradation constant in this cobble-bed biofilm unit. Probability analysis revealed that the SCBS may be an attractive alternative from the perspectives of treatment efficiency for municipal wastewater treatment. Klebsiella spp. were found to be the predominant species in the biofilm system in the SCBS.     

Rifamycin B production by Nocardia mediterranei immobilized in a dual hollow fibre bioreactor

Continuous production of rifamycin B was studied using Nocardia mediterranei (ATCC 21789) immobilized in a dual hollow fibre bioreactor designed for cultivating aerobic cells. In the reactor operation the volumetric productivity based on the volume occupied by the immobilized cells was 108 mg l⁻¹ h⁻¹ when air was used for aeration and was 143 mg l⁻¹ h⁻¹ with pure oxygen. These corresponded to 22 and 30-fold increases over the productivity of the comparable batch system. These high productivities were due to the high cell mass density of 550 g l⁻¹. However, the specific productivity of the cell was 30–40% of that in the shake flask culture. As the residence time of medium in the reactor increased, pH of effluent rose to an alkaline region that was outside its optimum condition (pH 6.5–7.0) and the yield and productivity decreased.     

Upflow biological filtration with floating filter media

An aerobic biological filter with floating filter media was tested using domestic wastewater to determine the optimum operating and backwashing parameters in this study. This system was designed for a small-scale joint treatment plant and 4 mm diameter polystyrene foam pellets were used as the filter media. As the backwash is the most important point for using a floating biofilter, “air shot” system, a turbulent-flow backwashing utilising the air reverse syphon and the buoyancy of the filter media, was developed for this purpose. Through the test, the optimum position of the diffuser tube and the structure of the backwashing device were determined. It was confirmed that the system could achieve effluent biological oxygen demand (BOD) of under 10 mg/l, and a nitrification rate of over 86% at a BOD loading of 0.7 kg/m³ per day and “total-nitrogen (T-N) loading” of 0.16 kg/m³ per day. The backwashing frequency should be as many times as possible per cycle to remove the sloughed sludge thoroughly in order to maintain good effluent quality after backwashing.     

Amperometric estimation of BOD by using living immobilized yeasts

Summary A microbial electrode consisting of immobilized living whole cells of yeasts, porous membrane and an oxygen electrode was prepared for continuous estimation of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Immobilized Trichosporon cutaneum was employed for the microbial electrode sensor for BOD. When a sample solution containing the equivalent amount of glucose and glutamic acid was injected into the sensor system, the current of the electrode decreased markedly with time until steady state was reached. The response time was within 18 min. A linear relationship was observed between the current decrease and the concentration below 41 mg l ^– of glucose and 41 mg l ^– glutamic acid (5-day BOD 60 mg l ^–). The current decrease was reproducible within ± 6% of the relative error when a sample solution containing 27 mg l ^– of glucose and 27 mg l ^– of glutamic acid (5-day BOD 40 mg l ^–) was employed. The microbial electrode sensor was applied to untreated waste waters from a fermentation factory. Good comparative results were obtained between BOD estimated by the microbial electrode and that determined by the conventional 5-day method (regression coefficient was 1.2). Furthermore, the effect of various compounds on BOD estimation was also examined. The current output of the microbial electrode sensor was almost constant for 17 d and 400 tests.     

Continuous production of l-aspartic acid from ammonium fumarate using immobilized cells by capture on the surface of nonwoven cloth coated with a pyridinium-type polymer

Cells of Escherichia coli possessing aspartase activity were immobilized by capture on the surface of nonwoven cloth coated with 10 mg/g of poly (N-benzyl-4-vinylpyridinium chloride-co-styrene), a pyridinium-type polymer. Continuous operation of a fixed-bed column reactor containing 21.7 g/l of the immobilized cells produced l-aspartic acid in 95% yield from ammonium fumarate in the case where influent solution contained 0.1 mol/l of the fumarate and space velocity was 1.36 h⁻¹ at 30°C and pH 8.9. Immobilization on the coated nonwoven cloth insignificantly affected optimal pH of the biochemical reaction. Stability of enzymic activity of the immobilized cells was much improved by use of the coated nonwoven cloth as the supporting material instead of beads of insoluble pyridinium-type resin. l-Aspartic acid was obtained in 77% yield after 160 d of continuous operation, and the initial yield was estimated to require about 500 d for halving.     

Optimized operational parameters of a pilot scale membrane bioreactor for high-strength organic wastewater treatment

A pilot-scale test was conducted in a submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) for 452 days to treat high-strength traditional Chinese medicine wastewater from two-phase anaerobic digest effluent. This study focuses on the effects of operational parameters on effluent quality of a SMBR. The parameters include shorter hydraulic retention time (HRT), higher influent COD concentration, higher COD loading rate and mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS). The experimental results demonstrated that when HRT was 5 h and the influent COD was less than 3000 mg L⁻¹, the effluent quality of the SMBR evaluated from its COD content (COD_filt) could meet the accepted Chinese standards for water reclamation; when HRT was 3.2 h and the influent COD was less than 3000 mg L ⁻¹, or HRT was 5 h and the influent COD fluctuated between 3000 and 6000 mg L⁻¹, the effluent quality of the SMBR could meet the normal Chinese discharged standard. Statistical analyses showed that COD_filt correlated positively with the COD loading rate. It correlated negatively with the MLSS for MLSS values between 7543 and 13 694 mg L⁻¹. When MLSS was >13 694 mg L⁻¹ it correlated positively with COD_filt. Based on experimental values from SMBR and on values predicted by a simulation model generated using the back propagation neural network (BPNN) theory, the optimum operational parameters for the treatment of a high-strength TCM wastewater were as follows: HRT was 5 h, SRT was 100 day, COD loading rate was<20.5 kg m⁻³ d⁻¹, the range of MLSS was 7543–13 694 mg L⁻¹.     

Phototrophic bacterial production of oleic acid in an illuminated upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor

Phototrophic bacterial cells in the effluent from a lighted upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor supplied with a medium containing 142 mg S (as SO₄ ^2–) l^–1 accumulated a 6.8% w/w oleic acid content in cells and 19 mg cell-bound oleic acid l^–1 in the effluent. Pure cultures of Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Blastochloris sulfoviridis isolated from the effluent also accumulated 5.1 and 6.4% w/w oleic acid contents in cells, respectively. The oleic acid content in the cells recovered from the LUASB reactor effluent was related to the phototrophic bacterial population in the LUASB reactor. The inverse relationship was observed in the LUASB reactor between phototrophic bacterial growth and sulfate concentration in the influent.     

Influence of wastewater composition on nutrient removal behaviors in the new anaerobic–anoxic/nitrifying/induced crystallization process

In this study, the new anaerobic–anoxic/nitrifying/induced crystallization (A₂N–IC) system was compared with anaerobic-anoxic/nitrifying (A₂N) process to investigate nutrient removal performance under different influent COD and ammonia concentrations. Ammonia and COD removal rates were very stable in both processes, which were maintained at 84.9% and 86.6% when the influent ammonia varied from 30 mg L⁻¹ to 45 mg L⁻¹ and COD ranged from 250 mg L⁻¹ to 300 mg L⁻¹. The effluent phosphorus always maintained below 0.2 mg L⁻¹ in A₂N–IC, whereas in A₂N the effluent phosphorus concentration was 0.4–1.7 mg L⁻¹, demonstrating that A₂N–IC is suitable to apply in a broader influent COD and ammonia concentration range. Under higher influent COD (300 mg L⁻¹) or lower ammonia conditions (30 mg L⁻¹), the main function of chemical induced crystallization was to coordinate better nutrient ratio for anoxic phosphorus uptake, whereas under high phosphorus concentration, it was to reduce phosphorus loading for biological system. Under the similar influent wastewater compositions, phosphorus release amounts were always lower in A₂N–IC. To clarify the decrease procedure of phosphorus release in the A₂N–IC, the equilibrium between chemical phosphorus removal and biological phosphorus removal in A₂N–IC was analyzed by mass balance equations. During the long-term experiment, some undesirable phenomena were observed: the declining nitrification in post-aerobic tank and calcium phosphorus precipitation in the anaerobic tank. The reasons were analyzed; furthermore, the corresponding improvements were proposed. Nitrification effect could be enhanced in the post-aerobic tank, therefore ammonia removal rate could be increased; and biologically induced phosphorus precipitation could be inhibited by controlling pH at the anaerobic stage, so the phosphorus release and recovery could be improved.     

Anaerobic treatment of distillery wastewater from barley-Shochu making by UASB

Distillery wastewater from barley-shochu making was anaerobically treated by a single upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), and stable operation at a volumetric TOC loading rate of 3 g/l·d could be attained by diluting raw wastewater to give a TOC concentration of less than 6,000 mg/l (18,000 mg/l as CODer). When the distribution of the concentrations of aliphatic acids at various levels within the reactor was investigated, it was found that the methanogenic gasification reaction did not occur in the sludge blanket of the reactor. Distillery wastewater from barley-shochu making with various TOC concentrations was preliminary adjusted to pH 7 and treated by a single passage without circulation of effluent to the bottom of the reactor. As a result, a maximum TOC removal rate (V_max) of 28.5 g/l·d and a saturation constant (K_s) of 0.63 g/l were obtained.