Simultaneous nitrification and autotrophic denitrification in fluidized bed reactors using pyrite and elemental sulfur as electron donors

In this study, simultaneous nitrification and autotrophic denitrification (SNAD) with either elemental sulfur or pyrite were investigated in fluidized bed reactors in mesophilic conditions. The reactor performance was evaluated at different ammonium (12-40 mg/L of NH4+-N), nitrate (35-45 mg/L of NO3--N), and dissolved oxygen (DO) (0.1-1.5 mg/L) concentrations, with a hydraulic retention time of 12 h. The pyrite reactor supported the SNAD process with a maximum nitrogen removal efficiency of 139.5 mg/(L·d) when the DO concentration was in the range of 0.8-1.5 mg/L. This range, however, limited the denitrification efficiency of the reactor, which decreased from 90.0% ± 5.3% in phases II-V to 67.9% ± 7.2% in phases VI and VII. Sulfate precipitated as iron sulfate (FeSO4/Fe2(SO4)3) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) minerals during the experiment. The sulfur reactor did not respond well to nitrification with a low and unstable ammonium removal efficiency, while denitrification occurred with a nitrate removal efficiency of 97.8%. In the pyrite system, the nitrifying bacterium Nitrosomonas sp. was present, and its relative abundance increased from 0.1% to 1.1%, while the autotrophic denitrifying genera Terrimonas, Ferruginibacter, and Denitratimonas dominated the community. Thiobacillus, Sulfurovum, and Trichlorobacter were the most abundant genera in the sulfur reactor during the entire experiment.

Simultaneous removal of critical rare earth elements and chalcogen oxyanions by anaerobic granular sludge

Conventional mining of economically and strategically important critical rare earth elements(REEs)(such as neodymium,lanthanum and dysprosium),and chalcogens(such as selenium and tellurium)are associated with a huge economic and environmental cost.Therefore,the need to recover REEs as well as chalcogens from different waste streams including wastewaters is becoming urgent.Batch assays on synthetic chalcogen/REE-laden wastewater showed that the presence of REEs significantly improved the tellurite removal rate(>80%)and enhanced selenate removal by 66%±10%.Three 3.9 L continuous upflow anaerobic granular sludge bed(UASB)reactors were operated at a hydraulic retention time of 24 h and 30℃.Selenate reduction was achieved with a removal efficiency of~98% with an influent p H of 4.0 for more than 28 days.The effect of REEs on tellurite removal in the UASB bioreactor could not be clearly established since a soluble tellurium removal efficiency of more than 98%was observed already before the addition of REEs at elevated tellurite concentrations.The complete REE removal in both batch assays and UASB reactors at higher pH(7.0±0.5)was attributed to precipitation,whereas chalcogen oxyanions removal was due to microbial reduction.However,at acidic p H,biosorption was responsible for REE's removal,and the Se-enriched sludge exhibited a superior REE's removal efficiency than the non-enriched and Te-enriched sludge.

Unifying concepts in methanogenic,aerobic,and anammox sludge granulation

The retention of dense and well-functioning microbial biomass is crucial for effective pollutant removal in several biological wastewater treatment technologies.High solids retention is often achieved through aggregation of microbial communities into dense,spherical aggregates known as granules,which were initially discovered in the 1980s.These granules have since been widely applied in upflow anaerobic digesters for waste-to-energy conversions.Furthermore,granular biomass has been applied in aerobic wastewater treatment and anaerobic ammonium oxidation(anammox)technologies.The mechanisms underpinning the formation of methanogenic,aerobic,and anammox granules are the subject of ongoing research.Although each granule type has been extensively studied in isolation,there has been a lack of comparative studies among these granulation processes.It is likely that there are some unifying concepts that are shared by all three sludge types.Identifying these unifying concepts could allow a unified theory of granulation to be formed.Here,we review the granulation mechanisms of methanogenic,aerobic,and anammox granular sludge,highlighting several common concepts,such as the role of extracellular polymeric substances,cations,and operational parameters like upflow velocity and shear force.We have then identified some unique features of each granule type,such as different internal structures,microbial compositions,and quorum sensing systems.Finally,we propose that future research should prioritize aspects of microbial ecology,such as community assembly or interspecies interactions in individual granules during their formation and growth.