Reaction coefficient (K) evaluation for full-scale facultative pond systems

Facultative ponds have found application in wastewater treatment as an economical system where geographical locations are available at reasonable cost. Several design methods have been reported to describe the organic matter removal of a facultative pond and to determine the reaction coefficient (K) in general terms. Therefore, it is important to evaluate if these coefficient values can be used satisfactorily in regional cases. For this purpose the data of two full-scale facultative ponds located in Brazlandia and Samambaia, in the mid-west region of Brazil, were used. A correlation between applied COD load and reaction coefficient (K) was obtained based on a mathematical adjustment using the dispersed flow hydraulic model. The results provide a suggested regional design parameter for facultative ponds in this region in terms of domestic wastewater.     

Hydrodynamic performance of pilot-scale duckweed,algal-based,rock filter and attached-growth media reactors used for waste stabilisation pond research

The specific nature of fluid dynamics within waste stabilisation ponds can have a determining influence on their functional treatment performance. This paper presents the results of hydraulic tracer experiments undertaken to characterise the hydrodynamic behaviour of several pilot-scale advanced pond treatment systems (a duckweed-based pond, a conventional algal-based ‘open’ pond, a rock filter and a novel horizontal-flow attached-growth media reactor) investigated for their effectiveness at polishing a full-scale tertiary pond effluent. Duplicate tracer studies were undertaken for each of the four experimental reactors with the aid of the fluorescent dye rhodamine WT. Results from tracer studies showed flow distribution in all reactors to be highly dispersed with varying degrees of dead space volume and short-circuiting in all pilot reactors, indicating that a percentage of the total reactor volume across all treatment systems was inactive. Results from a number of calculated parameters of hydraulic performance showed that hydrodynamic efficiency was greatest in the novel horizontal-flow attached-growth media system, where a possible baffling of inflowing wastewater was thought to have promoted improved hydraulic operation. Outcomes from this research in general highlight the importance of undertaking detailed characterisations of the hydrodynamic operation of experimental pond systems and also emphasise the value of pre-validating the hydraulic design of experimental reactors used for stabilisation pond research.     

水深对塘堰湿地水力性能的影响

塘堰湿地因其良好的生态性能而被广泛用于水稻灌区的排水净化,由于湿地的水力性能及净化效果受到诸多因素影响,客观认识这些因素的作用机理有助于提高湿地设计和运行管理的质量.本文通过示踪剂试验探讨了不同水深（20、40、60 cm）对塘堰湿地水力特性的影响.结果表明： 随着湿地水深的减小,湿地的有效容积率从0.421增加到0.844,水力效率从0.281增加到0.604;在水深较小时（20和40 cm）,湿地前半部分的有效容积率达到0.9以上,明显优于湿地整体情况,湿地前半部分的水流混合情况高,接近于完全混合流.通过对原始示踪曲线的标准化分析发现,矩分析参数与水力参数有较好的数值一致性,水力参数与不受尾部截断误差影响的矩指数之间具有良好的一致性.塘堰湿地水深较小时有利于提高湿地的水力性能,试验结果可为今后塘堰湿地的优化设计提供参考.     

Upgrading of facultative waste stabilisation ponds under high organic load

Wastewater treatment using laboratory scale waste stabilisation ponds enriched with activated sludge was studied. After enrichment, the efficiency of these ponds under high organic loading rates (i.e., up to 2800kg CODha^–1day^–1) reached a maximum COD removal rate of 970kg CODha^–1day^–1, which is from 2 to 10 times more than commonly reported values, and suggests that enrichment is an effective method to improve stabilisation ponds.     

Terrestrial Subsidies of Organic Carbon Support Net Ecosystem Production in Temporary Forest Ponds: Evidence from an Ecosystem Experiment

Recent research suggests that secondary production in aquatic systems can be driven by inputs of energy from terrestrial sources. Temporary forest ponds appear to be unproductive ecosystems that are reliant upon allochthonous inputs of energy to support secondary production, but the functioning of these systems has not been well quantified. To assess the metabolic state of this type of ecosystem as well as to quantify the importance of terrestrial subsidies of carbon to ecosystem function, we conducted an experiment in which we manipulated the amount of leaf litter in ponds. Litter was either removed or removed and replaced (that is, control) from the dry basins of ponds immediately after leaf abscission. Once the ponds filled, we monitored net ecosystem production (NEP) on a biweekly basis from 9 April to 27 May 2002. All ponds were consistently net heterotrophic; however, NEP was significantly less negative in removal ponds. Furthermore, removal ponds also had lower levels of respiration (R) and higher dissolved oxygen levels than control ponds. The removal of litter had no effect on gross primary production, indicating that the difference in NEP between treatments was driven by the change in R. Therefore, it appears that terrestrial inputs of organic carbon support heterotrophic respiration in these ponds, and that the endogenous production of carbon is insufficient to support secondary production.     

Hectare-scale demonstration of high rate algal ponds for enhanced wastewater treatment and biofuel production

High rate algal ponds (HRAPs) are shallow, paddlewheel-mixed open raceway ponds that are an efficient and cost-effective upgrade for the conventional wastewater treatment ponds used by communities and farms the world over. HRAPs provide improved natural disinfection and nutrient removal and can be further enhanced by carbon dioxide (CO₂) addition to promote algal growth which is often carbon limited. This paper discusses the construction and operation of a 5-ha demonstration HRAP system treating primary settled wastewater at the Christchurch wastewater treatment plant, New Zealand. The system consisted of four 1.25-ha HRAPs that were constructed from an existing conventional pond. Algae were harvested from the HRAP effluent in specially designed settlers, which concentrated the algal/bacterial biomass to 1–2% organic solids for conversion to bio-crude oil following dewatering. Performance data from the first 15?months of HRAP operation (without CO₂ addition) are presented. The four demonstration HRAPs had reasonable replication of both treatment performance and algal/bacterial productivity with similar annual average wastewater treatment efficiency (~50% removal of BOD₅, ~87% removal of fBOD₅, ~65% removal of ammoniacal-N, ~19% removal of dissolved reactive phosphorus and ~2 log removal of Escherichia coli), algal species composition and algal/bacterial biomass production (~8?g?m^?2?day ?1 volatile suspended solids). These results were in good agreement with the results for pilot-scale HRAP without CO₂ addition in New Zealand. This study provides further indication of the potential for energy efficient and effective wastewater treatment using HRAP, while biofuel conversion of the harvested algal bacterial biomass could provide a valuable niche distributed energy source for local communities.     

Anaerobic Reactor Design Concepts for the Treatment of Domestic Wastewater

Since the earlier anaerobic treatment systems, the design concepts were improved from classic reactors like septic tanks and anaerobic ponds, to modern high rate reactor configurations like anaerobic filters, UASB, EGSB, fixed film fluidized bed and expanded bed reactors, and others. In this paper, anaerobic reactors are evaluated considering the historical evolution and types of wastewaters. The emphasis is on the potential for application in domestic sewage treatment, particularly in regions with a hot climate. Proper design and operation can result in a high capacity and efficiency of organic matter removal using single anaerobic reactors. Performance comparison of anaerobic treatment systems is presented based mostly on a single but practical parameter, the hydraulic retention time. Combined anaerobic reactor systems as well as combined anaerobic and non-anaerobic systems are also presented.     

Optimization of waste stabilization pond design for developing nations using computational fluid dynamics

Waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) have been used extensively to provide wastewater treatment throughout the world. However, no rigorous assessment of WSPs that account for cost in addition to hydrodynamics and treatment efficiency has been performed. A study was conducted that utilized computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled with an optimization program to optimize the selection of the best WSP configuration based on cost and treatment efficiency. The results of monitoring the fecal coliform concentration at the reactor outlet showed that the conventional 70% pond-width baffle pond design is not consistently the best pond configuration as previously reported in the literature. The target effluent log reduction can be achieved by reducing the amount of construction material and tolerating some degree of fluid mixing within the pond. As expected, the multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization did produce a lower-cost WSP design compared to a SIMPLEX optimization algorithm, however, with only a marginal increase in the effluent microbial log reduction. Several other designs generated by the CFD/optimization model showed that both shorter and longer baffles, alternative depths, and reactor length to width ratios could improve the hydraulic efficiency of the ponds at a reduced overall construction cost.     

Organic and nitrogen removal in a two-stage rotating biological contactor treating municipal wastewater

A laboratory scale rotating biological contactor (RBC) predenitrification system incorporating anoxic and aerobic units was evaluated for the treatment of settled high-strength municipal wastewater. The system was operated under four recycle ratios (1, 2, 3 and 4) and loading rates of 38-182 gCOD/m(2)d and 0.22-14 gOxid-N/m(2)d on the anoxic unit and 3.4-18 gCOD/m(2)d and 0.24-1.8 gNH(4)-N/m(2)d on the aerobic. The average removal efficiency in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD(5)), total suspended solids (TSS) and total nitrogen (Total-N) was 82%, 86%, 63% and 54%; settling of the RBC effluent increased COD and TSS removal to 94% and 97%. An increase in hydraulic loading resulting from higher recirculation, had limited negative effect on organic removal but improved nitrogen removal, and in terms of Total-N removal efficiency increased up to a ratio of 3 and then decreased.     

Rejuvenating the largest municipal treatment wetland in Florida

The Orlando Easterly Wetland (OEW), one of the largest constructed wetlands for the treatment of wastewater in Florida, started operation in 1987 for the reduction of nutrient loads in tertiary treated domestic wastewater produced by the City of Orlando. The wetland has performed better than design expectations, but phosphorus removal effectiveness experienced some seasonal declines beginning with the winter of 1999. Subsequent studies indicated that the OEW treatment capacity was hindered by inefficient phosphorus removal in the upstream cells of one of three flow trains. Therefore, rejuvenating management activities were initiated on these cells in 2002. The management included the removal of plants and organic top sediments, site grading in the interior of the cells, construction of baffles and islands, and re-vegetation. This study evaluates the improvement in hydraulic and phosphorus removal performance realized from the wetland modifications. Improvement of hydraulic performance was evaluated based on tracer tests, and improvement of phosphorus removal performance was evaluated based on episodic spatially distributed water samples as well as model prediction. The results showed that both the hydraulic efficiency and the phosphorus removal effectiveness of the rejuvenated wetland were significantly increased. However, the wetland has likely re-entered a start-up phase and long-term observation will be necessary to determine eventual steady-state conditions.     

Bioaugmentation and treatment of cephalexin drug-based pharmaceutical effluent in an upflow anaerobic fluidized bed system

Cephalexin is a constituent of the cephalosporin group used for the treatment of bronchitis and other heart diseases due to its enhanced oral activity. The effluent from these industries contains a disintegrated form of the drug contributing high chemical oxygen demand (COD), volatile solids and organic solvent. A laboratory-scale study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of a fluidized bed reactor operated under anaerobic condition with bioaugmentation to treat the cephalexin containing pharmaceutical factory effluent. The main objective of the study was to show that bioaugmentation could be used to promote biological treatment to applications where conventional operation might be difficult or unfavourable. The effluent, with COD of 12,000-15,000 mg/l, was diluted and studied in single and multiple inoculation experiments with hydraulic retention times of 3-12 h. The removal efficiency after inoculation from an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor was related to influent concentration, mass of inoculum and hydraulic retention time characterized by calculating the initial food to microorganism ratio. Continuous COD removal efficiency attained a maximum value of 88.5% using bioaugmentation through periodic addition of acclimated cells every 2 days with 30-73.2 g of cells from an off-line enricher-reactor.     

Comparison of macroinvertebrate community structure and driving environmental factors in natural and wastewater treatment ponds

Eutrophication still continues to be an issue of major concern for the protection of water quality, and accordingly, the European Union Water Framework Directive has set a minimum target for all waters where “good status” is defined as a slight departure from the biological community which would be expected in conditions of minimal anthropogenic impact. The use of constructed ponds for wastewater treatment aimed at achieving this target has shown to be an effective alternative to conventional systems in the farm landscape. Their applicability in these areas is of great interest since these ponds have the added potential to combine their wastewater treatment properties with that of biodiversity enhancement. This article focuses on exploring the community structure of both natural and constructed ponds used for wastewater treatment and the driving environmental factors. A total of 15 constructed and 5 natural ponds were sampled for aquatic macroinvertebrates and hydrochemistry in spring and summer 2006. Results showed that the most important factors responsible for the differences in the community structure between these two types of ponds were pH, vegetation structure and pollution levels. These gradients helped to structure a large proportion of the communities with some taxa being associated with the constructed ponds. These results highlight the potential contribution of constructed ponds used for wastewater treatment to the landscape biodiversity. The present findings also open the possibility for a more integrated management of water quality and biodiversity enhancement in farmland areas. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Guest editors: B. Oertli, R. Cereghino, A. Hull & R. Miracle Pond Conservation: From Science to Practice. 3rd Conference of the European Pond Conservation Network, Valencia, Spain, 14–16 May 2008     

Pyridine biodegradation in a novel rotating rope bioreactor

A novel immobilised bioreactor has been developed especially for the treatment of pollutants characterized by high volatility along with high water solubility and low microbial yields. The new bioreactor referred to as the rotating rope bioreactor (RRB) provides higher interfacial area (per unit reactor liquid volume) along with high oxygen mass transfer rate, greater microbial culture stability; and consequently higher substrate loadings and removal rates in comparison to other conventional rectors for the treatment of volatile compounds. Pyridine was used as a model compound to demonstrate the enhanced performance with RRB, when compared to that reported with other conventional bioreactors. The experimental results indicate that the novel RRB system is able to degrade pyridine with removal efficiency of more than 85% at higher pyridine concentration (up to 1000 mg/l) and loading [up to 400 mg/m(2)/h (66.86 g/m(3)/h)], with a shorter hydraulic retention time (9-18 h). The reactor has been in operation for the past 15 months and no loss of activity has been observed.     

An analysis of the factors that influence biological phosphorous removal (BPR) in a sequencing batch anaerobic/aerobic reactor

A sequencing batch anaerobic/aerobic reactor was operated in such a manner as to simulate typical variations in loading and influent feed composition as might be encountered in an urban wastewater treatment plant. The impact of these variations on biological phosphorous removal (BPR) was assayed using a number of statistical techniques including simple regression, multiple regression, ANOVA and factorial analysis. The results demonstrate the importance of biomass loading on efficiency and relate this to the level of mixed liquor suspended solids retained within the system. The ratio of COD:P in the influent wastewater had no significant impact on removal. Multiple regression analysis of factors associated with the release of phosphorous in the anaerobic phase revealed a strong correlation of these factors with subsequent phosphorous uptake efficiency in the aerobic phase. On the basis of the coefficients derived from the analysis an equation was proposed which showed a good fit to experimental data on BPR.     

The influence of flatworm predation on zooplankton inhabiting small ponds

Experiments were performed in 1977 to determine which large zooplankton in a series of high altitude ponds can be consumed by the predatory flatworm Mesostoma ehrenbergii. This predator consumes Daphnia at a high rate and the fairy shrimp Branchinecta at a low rate, but does not consume Diaptomus. Experiments were performed in 1978 and 1979 to determined the rate of predation on Daphnia in 30 liter tubs and to determine if predation rate is correlated with surface to volume ratio of experimental containers. There is a clear correlation between surface to volume ratio and predation rate. Determinations of Mesostoma and Daphnia densities were made in a series of eight high altitude ponds, and pond surface to volume ratios were determined. Examination of these parameters lends credence to the argument that Mesostoma predation affects Daphnia dynamics in some circumstances. The results suggest that benthic invertebrate predators may affect zooplankton dynamics, especially in shallow ponds.     

Energy yields from anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent

Three different suspended-growth anaerobic digestion configurations—the mesophilic one-stage, the mesophilic two-phase and the thermophilic one-stage, were used to treat palm oil mill effluent (POME) and their performances compared. The mesophilic two-phase process showed the highest energy yields which reached 20 542 J g⁻¹ COD utilized at a hydraulic retention time of 31 days. However, high energy yields did not coincide with high TCOD removals. The latter was a characteristic of the thermophilic process. The relatively poor TCOD removal in the two-phase system was due to its lower efficiency in VSS removal. At hydraulic retention times of 25 days and more the mesophilic one-stage process had higher energy yields than the thermophilic process. Anaerobic digestion was found to be an effective means for POME treatment.     

Evaluation of relative importance of different microbial reactions on organic matter removal in horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetlands using a 2D simulation model

In this study, we used a two-dimensional (2D) mechanistic mathematical model in order to evaluate the relative contribution of different microbial reactions to organic matter removal (in terms of COD) in horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetlands that treated urban wastewater. We also used the model to analyse the effect of increasing or decreasing the organic loading rate (changing the hydraulic loading rate (HLR) at a constant influent organic matter concentration, or changing the organic matter concentration at a constant HLR) on both the removal efficiency and the relative importance of the microbial reactions. The model is based on the code RetrasoCodeBright, which we modified to include the main microbial processes related to organic matter and nitrogen transformations in the wetlands: hydrolysis, aerobic respiration, nitrification, denitrification, sulphate reduction and methanogenesis. The model was calibrated and validated with data from two wetlands (each with a surface area of 55 m²) located in a pilot plant near Barcelona (Spain). According to the simulations, anaerobic processes (methanogenesis and sulphate reduction) are more widespread in the wetlands and contribute to a higher COD removal rate (60–70%) than anoxic (denitrification) and aerobic reactions do. These model results are confirmed by experimental observations. In all the cases tested, the reaction that most contributed to COD removal was methanogenesis (33–52%). According to our simulations, decreasing the HLR (for example, from 40 to 25 mm/d) while maintaining a constant COD influent concentration has a clear positive impact on COD removal efficiency (which increases from 65% to 89%). Changing influent COD concentration (for example, from 290 to 190 mg/L) while maintaining a constant HLR has a smaller impact, causing efficiency to increase from 79% to 84%. Changes in influent COD concentration (at a constant HLR) affect the relative contribution of the microbial reactions to organic matter removal. However, this trend is not seen when the HLR changes and the COD influent concentration remains constant.     

Pathogen removal in high-rate algae pond: state of the art and opportunities

High-rate algae ponds (HRAPs) are wastewater treatment systems that enable combining cost-efficient secondary treatment at small scale with the production of a harvestable biomass for subsequent valorisation (e.g. biofuel). However, there is still limited data on pathogen removal during long-term HRAP operation with real effluents. This critical review evaluates the potential significance of mechanisms driving pathogen removal in classical wastewater ponds in light of the specific environmental conditions occurring in HRAPs. We thus establish that the presence of algae (at high cell density) increases sunlight attenuation in HRAP and this attenuation negatively impacts sunlight-mediated pathogen removal. However, mixing may counteract the negative effect of light attenuation by increasing the frequency of pathogen exposure to high light intensity near the culture surface in HRAPs. The magnitude of sunlight-mediated pathogen removal is also likely increased at high pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations, two conditions frequently co-occurring in HRAPs harbouring intense algal activity. Exposure to high pH and toxic algae metabolites may further enhance pathogen decay in HRAPs but these mechanisms are still poorly understood. Finally, predation may be significant, but little is known about the quantitative impact of this mechanism in classical ponds and HRAPs. Overall, and with the exception of settling, all pathogen removal mechanisms known to occur in maturation ponds should remain significant in HRAPs. While this pathogen removal ability has been verified in a few studies, further research must now seek to develop a better mechanistic understanding based on the study of real systems.

     

Optimization of copper sorbing-desorbing cycles with confined cultures of the exopolysaccharide-producing cyanobacterium Cyanospira capsulata

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the copper removal capability of the exopolysaccharide-producing cyanobacterium Cyanospira capsulata confined into various filtering devices and to assess its reuse for several metal sorbing-desorbing cycles. METHODS AND RESULTS: C. capsulata cultures were confined into three dialysis devices and two hollow fibre systems with different surface to volume ratios. The maximum amount of Cu was removed by the biomass confined into dialysis cassettes, followed by the dialysis tubing systems and by the two hollow fibre devices. The experiments on the sorbing-desorbing cycles showed that, with the most effective desorbing agents, the same biomass can be utilized for eight consecutive sorbing-desorbing cycles. CONCLUSIONS: The efficiency of the metal removal process is directly related to a high surface to volume ratio of the confining system and the biomass can be utilized for multiple sorbing-desorbing cycles without significant loss in the metal removal efficiency. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY: The feasibility of a metal removal process using EPS-producing cyanobacteria confined into filtering devices has been shown, pointing out the potential of this technique for industrial applications in the removal of metals from waste waters or in the recovery of valuable metals from water solutions.