Microbiota adaptation after an alkaline pH perturbation in a full-scale UASB anaerobic reactor treating dairy wastewater

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - The aim of this study was to understand how the microbial community adapted to changes, including a pH perturbation, occurring during the start-up and...     

Aerobic granulation with brewery wastewater in a sequencing batch reactor

Aerobic granular sludge was cultivated in a sequencing batch reactor fed with brewery wastewater. After nine-week operation, stable granules with sizes of 2-7 mm were obtained. With the granulation, the SVI value decreased from 87.5 to 32 mL/g. The granular sludge had an excellent settling ability with the settling velocity over 91 m/h. Aerobic granular sludge exhibited good performance in the organics and nitrogen removal from brewery wastewater. After granulation, high and stable removal efficiencies of 88.7% COD(t), 88.9% NH(4)(+)-N were achieved at the volumetric exchange ratio of 50% and cycle duration of 6h. The average COD(t) and COD(s) of the effluent were 212 and 134 mg/L, respectively, and the average effluent ammonium concentration was less than 14.4 mg/L. Nitrogen was removed due to nitrification and simultaneous denitrification in the inner core of granules.     

Slaughterhouse wastewater treatment: evaluation of a new three-phase separation system in a UASB reactor.

The anaerobic treatment of the wastewater from the meat processing industry was studied using a 7.2 1 UASB reactor. The reactor was equipped with an unconventional configuration of the three-phase separation system. The effluent was characterized in terms of pH (6.3-6.6), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (2,000-6,000 mg l(-1)), biochemical oxygen demand BOD5 (1,300-2,300 mg 1(-1)), fats (40-600 mg l(-1)) and total suspended solids (TSS) (850-6,300 mg l(-1)) The reactor operated continuously throughout 80 days with hydraulic retention time of 14, 18 and 22 h. The wastewater from Rezende Industrial was collected after it had gone through pretreatment (screening, flotation and equalization). COD, BOD and TSS reductions and the biogas production rate were the parameters considered in analyzing the efficiency of the process. The average production of biogas was 111 day(-1) (STP) for the three experimental runs. COD removal varied from 77% to 91% while BOD removal was 95%. The removal of total suspended solids varied from 81% to 86%. This fact supports optimal efficiency of the proposed three-phase separation system as well as the possibility of applying it to the treatment of industrial effluents.     

Anaerobic treatment of fish meal process waste-water in a UASB reactor at high pH

Summary The influence of high pH on anaerobic degradation of fish process waste-water with a high total ammonia concentration was investigated in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. More than 99% of volatile fatty acids and trimethylamine in the process waste-water were degraded up to pH 7.9. Above pH 7.9 only the conversion of acetate was slightly decreased. At pH 8.3 serious disintegration of the granules occurred leading to process failure. Increasing the pH changed the physical characteristics of the granules leading to decreased density, size, and volatile solids content. After 4 months of acclimatization to high pH in the reactor, the specific methanogenic activity of the granular biomass was the same from pH 7.1 to 8.5. At pH 8.3 and 8.5, acclimatization had improved the specific activity by 25 and 50%, respectively. However, the acclimatized biomass generally showed a decreased activity (60%) at all pH values tested below the acclimatization pH.Offprint requests to: B. K. Ahring     

Improvement of the anaerobic treatment of potato processing wastewater in a UASB reactor by co-digestion with glycerol

The effect of three different types of glycerol on the performance of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors treating potato processing wastewater was investigated. High COD removal efficiencies were obtained in both control and supplemented UASB reactors (around 85%). By adding 2 ml glycerol product per liter of raw wastewater, the biogas production could be increased by 0.74 l biogas ml⁻¹ glycerol product, which leads to energy values in the range of 810–1270 kWh_electric per m³ product. Moreover, a better in-reactor biomass yield was observed for the supplemented UASB reactor (0.012 g VSS g⁻¹ COD_removed) compared to the UASB control (0.002 g VSS g⁻¹ COD_removed), which suggests a positive effect of glycerol on the sludge blanket growth.     

Performance of down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor coupled with up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor for treatment of onion dehydration wastewater

In this study, a promising system consisting of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor followed by down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor was investigated for onion dehydration wastewater treatment. Laboratory experiments were conducted at two different phases, i.e., phase (1) at overall hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 11 h (UASB reactor: 6 h and DHS reactor: 5 h) and phase (2) at overall HRT of 9.4 h (UASB reactor: 5.2 h and DHS reactor: 4.2 h). Long-term operation results of the proposed system showed that its overall TCOD, TBOD, TSS, TKN and NH₄N removal efficiencies were 92 ± 5, 95 ± 2, 95 ± 2, 72 ± 6 and 99 ± 1.3%, respectively (phase 1). Corresponding values for the 2nd phase were 85.4 ± 5, 86 ± 3, 87 ± 6, 65 ± 8 and 95 ± 2.8%. Based on the available results, the proposed system could be more viable option for treatment of wastewater generated from onion dehydration industry in regions with tropical or sub-tropical climates and with stringent discharge standards.     

Poultry slaughter wastewater treatment with an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor

Removal of organic material from poultry slaughter wastewater as determined by changes in biological oxygen demand (BOD5) was investigated by adding three different types of inoculum combining cow manure, yeast extract or hydraulic residence time as variables with response vector of reduction of BOD5. In a 3-l reactors, a 95% removal of BOD5 from poultry slaughter wastewater was obtained with organic loading rates up to 31 kg BOD5 m(-3) d(-1) without loss of stability. This 95% removal was obtained between 25 and 39 degrees C with a hydraulic residence time between 3.5 and 4.5 h. The growth of the consortium of micro-organisms in the reactor followed a first-order kinetic with a constant specific growth rate of 0.054 h(-1). It was concluded that an inoculum from cow manure added with nutrients and yeast extract allowed a 95% removal of BOD5 from poultry slaughter wastewater at ambient temperatures within a hydraulic residence time of 4 h, sharply reducing possible environmental hazards.     

Treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater in a UASB reactor and an anaerobic filter

A study was performed to assess the feasibility of anaerobic treatment of slaughterhouse wastewaters in a UASB (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket) reactor and in an AF (Anaerobic Filter). Among the different streams generated, the slaughter line showed the highest organic content with an average COD of 8000 mg/l, of which 70% was proteins. The suspended solids content represented between 15 and 30% of the COD. Both reactors had a working volume of 21. They were operated at 37°C. The UASB reactor was run at OLR (Organic Loading Rates) of 1–6.5 kg COD/m³/day. The COD removal was 90% for OLR up to 5 kg COD/m³/day and 60% for an OLR of 6.5 kg COD/m³/day. For similar organic loading rates, the AF showed lower removal efficiencies and lower percentages of methanization. At higher OLR sludge, flotation occurred and consequently the active biomass was washed out from the filter. The results indicated that anaerobic treatment systems are applicable to slaughterhouse wastewaters and that the UASB reactor shows a better performance, giving higher COD removal efficiencies than the AF.     

Comparison of startup and anaerobic wastewater treatment in UASB, hybrid and baffled reactor

An experimental study was carried out to compare the performance of selected anaerobic high rate reactors operated simultaneously at 37?°C. The three reactors, namely upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor (UASB), hybrid of UASB reactor and anaerobic filter (anaerobic hybrid reactor – AHR) and anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR), were inoculated with the anaerobic digested sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plant and tested with synthetic wastewater. This wastewater contained sodium acetate and glucose with balanced nutrients and trace elements (COD 6000?mg?·?l^?1). Organic loading rate (B _v ) was increased gradually from an initial 0.5?kg?·?m^?3?·?d^?1 to 15?kg?·?m^?3?·?d^?1 in all the reactors. From the comparison of the reactors' performance, the lowest biomass wash-out resulted from ABR. In the UASB, significant biomass wash-out was observed at the B _v 6?kg?·?m^?3?·?d^?1, and in the AHR at the B _v 12?kg?·?m^?3?·?d^?1. The demand of sodium bicarbonate for pH maintenance in ABR was two times higher as for UASB and AHR. The efficiency of COD removal was comparable for all three reactors – 80–90%. A faster biomass granulation was observed in the ABR than in the other two reactors. This fact is explained by the kinetic selection of filamentous bacteria of the Methanotrix sp. under a high (over 1.5?g?·?l^?1) acetate concentration.     

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of Lurgi coal gasification wastewater in a UASB reactor

Lurgi coal gasification wastewater (LCGW) is a refractory wastewater, whose anaerobic treatment has been a severe problem due to its toxicity and poor biodegradability. Using a mesophilic (35 ± 2 °C) reactor as a control, thermophilic anaerobic digestion (55 ± 2 °C) of LCGW was investigated in a UASB reactor. After 120 days of operation, the removal of COD and total phenols by the thermophilic reactor could reach 50-55% and 50-60% respectively, at an organic loading rate of 2.5 kg COD/(m³ d) and HRT of 24 h; the corresponding efficiencies were both only 20-30% in the mesophilic reactor. After thermophilic digestion, the wastewater concentrations of the aerobic effluent COD could reach below 200 mg/L compared with around 294 mg/L if mesophilic digestion was done and around 375 mg/L if sole aerobic pretreatment was done. The results suggested that thermophilic anaerobic digestion improved significantly both anaerobic and aerobic biodegradation of LCGW.     

Bioaugmentation with a novel alkali-tolerant Pseudomonas strain for alkaline phenol wastewater treatment in sequencing batch reactor

A novel alkali-tolerant strain JY-2, which could utilize phenol as sole source of carbon and energy, was isolated from activated sludge. It was identified as Pseudomonas sp. by 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. The appropriate conditions for strain growth and phenol biodegradation were as follows: pH 8.0–10.0 and temperature 23–30°C. With initial phenol concentrations of 225, 400, 550 and 750 mg/l, the degradation efficiencies were 94.9, 93.3, 89.3 and 48.2% within 40 h at pH 10.0 and 30°C, respectively. The alkaline phenol-containing wastewater treatment augmented with strain JY-2 in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system was investigated, which suggested that the bioaugmented (BA) system exhibited the better performance for adjusting high pH to neutral value than the non-bioaugmented (non-BA) one. Also, the BA system showed strong abilities for phenol degradation and maintaining good sedimentation coefficient (SV₃₀). The microbial community dynamics of both sequencing batch reactor (SBR) systems were analyzed by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) technique, which showed substantial changes between the two systems. This study suggests that it is feasible to treat alkaline phenol-containing wastewater augmented with strain JY-2.     

Trace elements enhance biofilm formation in UASB reactor for solo simple molecule wastewater treatment

In this paper, trace elements (TE) adding was investigated in one bench-scale UASB reactor treating solo simple molecule wastewater with the aim of evaluating its effect on enhancing biofilm formation. After adding sufficient TE (3 mL/L) in the influent, during 3 days, COD removal efficiency increased from 74% to 90% comparing to no adding TE. Over 55 days of operation, the organic loading rate (OLR) reached 11 g/L/day with COD removal efficiencies greater than 90%. While in the steady running period no effect even improvement on treatment performance was observed without any TE adding. The results illuminated that TE accounted for quick start-up of the UASB biofilm system rather than ever known biocatalyst.     

Treatment of phenolic wastewater in UASB reactor: effect of nitrogen and phosphorous

Phenolic wastewater representing an industrial wastewater was supplemented with varying amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) and treated in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASBR). The variation of COD:N:P from 300:10:1 to 300:1:0.1, did not influence the conversion of phenol COD to methane COD. The concentration of N and P in the influent was reduced from 25.5mgl(-1) to 2.5mgl(-1) and 2.5 to 0.25mgl(-1), respectively. However, on further reducing the nutrients in the feed from 300:1:0.1 to 300:0:0 the (i) CH(4)-COD decreased from 90% to 40%, and (ii) cell yield reduced to 25-50%. The average cell yield was 3.5%. Percent N and P in cells varied from 10% to 14% and 0.6% to 2.4%, respectively. The activity of the sludge assessed as specific methanogenic activity (SMA) was found in the range from 0.15 to 0.66g CH(4)-CODg(-1) VSSd(-1). The optimum COD:N:P for phenolic wastewater has been estimated to be 300:1:0.1.     

Application of a bioluminescence ATP assay in brewery wastewater treatment studies

The importance of having a rapid method for determining the viable biomass in activated-sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for process control and development is well recognized. The firefly bioluminescence ATP assay has been proposed for this purpose. Such an assay using partially purified firefly luciferase and synthetic firefly luciferin for the bioluminescence reaction, a liquid scintillation counter in the out-of-coincidence mode as luminescence detector, and a sludge ATP extraction technique involving dimethyl sulfoxide at room temperature is described. Experiments with several pure bacteria cultures were done to demonstrate the feasibility of applying this assay to activated sludge to activated sludge WWTP investigation and control. The ATP content of samples taken from various points in a 350000 gal/day brewery activated-sludge WWTP was monitored for 4.5 months. Good linear correlation between ATP and mixed-liquor suspended solids, return sludge suspended solids, and effluent suspended solids were observed. Percentage viabilities of the various sludge samples were derived from the ATP results.     

Study of the microbial diversity in a full-scale UASB reactor treating domestic wastewater

The microorganisms diversity in a full-scale UASB reactor treating domestic sewage was studied by molecular techniques, with the objective of identifying the population differences associated with the specific methanogenic activity (SMA) of the sludges. Samples were collected at levels A (0.8 m; bottom), B (1.3 m), C (1.8 m), D (2.3 m) and E (2.8 m). Actinobacteria was dominant at the three lower points and should have been primarily responsible for the degradation of organic matter. DNA sequences belonging to Methanomicrobiales order of Archaea domain was detected in all five levels with the majority producing methane from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Points A and E showed similar bacteria variety. The SMA of point A was the highest (0.374 g COD-CH₄/g SSV.d); however, the point E showed much lower value, probably due to the predominance of Proteobacteria phylum, including sulfate-reducing bacteria. In the overall, the results obtained can be considered important because data from full-scale UASB reactors treating domestic sewage remain scarce.     

Granulation mechanism of a UASB reactor supplemented with iron

The aim of this paper was to propose a granulation mechanism in order to interpret all the experimental observations that arose during experiments on two UASB reactors, where one was supplemented with ferrous iron at a dose of 0.01 g Fe(2+) per g COD feed. This supplementation with ferrous iron allowed COD removal of more than 98% at a loading rate of 9 g COD/L per day, which was 24% higher than for the reactor not receiving the ferrous iron. Moreover, in the Fe(2+)-dosed reactor, a higher increase of the granule diameter was observed. Indeed, the granule diameter in the Fe(2+)-dosed reactor at the end of the experiments was 56% greater than that of the control reactor. This mechanism describes the course of anaerobic granule growth. The formation of the inorganic precipitate of ferrous sulphide constitutes the inert nuclei around which the biomass is attached. This initiates the formation of new granules.     

The co-disposal of a model brewery wastewater with domestic refuse

By use of refuse columns, it was shown that, at appropriate organic loading rates, the co-disposal of a synthetic brewery wastewater with refuse stimulated methane production and did not reduce leachate quality, in terms of pH or volatile fatty acid concentrations. When the application rate was doubled, from imposed dilution rate ( D ) 0·025 to 0·056 h⁻¹, there was no breakthrough of volatile fatty acids and methane production was promoted. However, when the same total organic load was achieved by doubling the organic strength of the wastewater, but maintaining D = 0·025 h⁻¹, leachate quality was temporarily reduced, with elevated concentrations of acetate and propionate.     

Evaluation of performance and microbial community in a two-stage UASB reactor pretreating acrylic fiber manufacturing wastewater

A two-stage UASB reactor was employed to pretreat acrylic fiber manufacturing wastewater. Mesophilic operation (35 ± 0.5 °C) was performed with hydraulic retention time (HRT) varied between 28 and 40 h. Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) in the reactor was maintained about 8000 mg/L. The results showed COD and sulfate removal could be kept at 51% and 75%, respectively, when the HRT was no less than 38 h. Sulfate reduction mainly occurred in the acidification-stage reactor while methane production mainly occurred in the methane-stage reactor. The size of granule formed in the acidification-stage reactor ranged between 1 and 5 mm while the largest size of granule in the methane-stage reactor ranged from 0.5 to 2 mm. Compared to microbial populations in the acidification-stage reactor, the microbial diversity in methane-stage reactor was more abundant. In the acidification-stage reactor, the Syntrophobacter sulfatireducens devoted to both sulfate reduction and acetate production.