Computer Aided Design and Performance Analysis of Inverse Fluidized Bed Biofilm Reactors with Special Reference to Bioplastic Synthesis

Poly Laevo Lactic Acid (PLLA), in spite of being an excellent bioplastic, has exorbitantly high market price due to the high cost of raw material (lactose, glucose, sucrose). Hence, its manufacture is being attempted starting from waste effluents such as cheese whey and molasses. Earlier studies on the same in fluidized bed and semifluidized bed biofilm reactors yielded encouraging results. The present study therefore involves design and analysis of inverse fluidized bed biofilm reactors for lactic acid synthesis. The performance features of the bioreactor have been studied both mathematically as well as experimentally. The inverse fluidized bed biofilm reactor has been found to provide more than 75% conversion of sucrose/lactose even at high capacities (high feed flow rates) exceeding 56,000 L/hr, within a reasonably low reactor volume. The fractional substrate conversion increases, though sluggishly, with increase in feed flow rate due to bed expansion and also with increase in cell mass concentration in biofilm due to enhancement in intrinsic rate of bioconversion. The inverse fluidized bed biofilm reactor of proposed design could be safely recommended for the commercial synthesis of polymer grade lactic acid from waste effluents such as cheese whey and molasses. The low operating cost of the bioreactor (due to downflow mode of operation) enhances the economy of the process. This would also help in significantly lowering the market price of the green plastic (PLLA) and shall promote its large scale manufacture and utilisation.

Bio-reduction of nitrate from groundwater using a hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor

A hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor （MBfR） using H2 as electron donor was investigated to remove nitrate from groundwater. When nitrate was first introduced to the MBfR, denitrification took place on the shell side of the membranes immediately, and the effluent concentration of nitrate continuously decreased with 100% removal rate on day 45 under the influent nitrate concentration of 5 mg NO3^--N/L, which described the acclimating and enriching process of autohydrogenotrophic denitrification bacteria. A series of short-term experiments were applied to investigate the effects of hydrogen pressures and nitrate loadings on deniWification. The results showed that nitrate reduction rate improved as H2 pressure increasing, and over 97% of total nitrogen removal rate was achieved when the nitrate loading increased from 0.17 to 0.34 g NO3^--N/（m^2.day） without nitrite accumulation. The maximum deniwification rate was 384 g N/（m^3.day）. Partial sulfate reduction, which occurred in parallel to nitrate reduction, was inhibited by denitrififcation due to the competition for H2. This research showed that MBfR is effective for removing nitrate from the contaminated groundwater.

Anammox transited from denitrification in upflow biofilm reactor

Anammox was successfully transited from heterotrophic denitrification and autotrophic denitrification in two upflow biofilm reactors, respectively. The results showed that the volumetric loading rate and nitrogen removal efficiency in the reactor transited from heterotrophic denitrification were higher than that in its counterpart. When the hydraulic retention time was 12 h or so, the total nitrogen loading rate was about 0.609 kg N/(m3·d), and the effluent ammonia and nitrite concentrations were less than 8.5 mg/L and 2.5 mg/L, respectively. The upflow anammox biofilm reactor was capable of keeping and accumulating the slow-growing bacteria efficiently. During operation of the reactor, the biomass color was gradually turned from brownish to red, and the ratio of ammonia consumption, nitrite consumption and nitrate production approached the theoretical one. These changes could be used as an indicator for working state of the reactor.

Simultaneous removal of COD and nitrogen using a novel carbon-membrane aerated biofilm reactor

A membrane aerated biofilm reactor is a promising technology for wastewater treatment. In this study, a carbon-membrane aerated biofilm reactor （CMABR） has been developed, to remove carbon organics and nitrogen simultaneously from one reactor. The results showed that CMABR has a high chemical oxygen demand （COD） and nitrogen removal efficiency, as it is operated with a hydraulic retention time （HRT） of 20 h, and it also showed a perfect performance, even if the HRT was shortened to 12 h. In this period, the removal efficiencies of COD, ammonia nitrogen （NH4^＋-N）, and total nitrogen （TN） reached 86%, 94%, and 84%, respectively. However, the removal efficiencies of NH4^＋-N and TN declined rapidly as the HRT was shortened to 8 h. This is because of the excessive growth of biomass on the nonwoven fiber and very high organic loading rate. The fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH） analysis indicated that the ammonia oxidizing bacteria （AOB） were mainly distributed in the inner layer of the biofilm. The coexistence of AOB and eubacteria in one biofilm can enhance the simultaneous removal of COD and nitrogen.

Impact of salinity on treatment of saline wastewater by sequencing batch biofilm reactor process

High salinity industrial wastewater is difficult to treat using biological treatment system because of the high concentrations of salt.The potential of a sequencing batch biofilm reactor(SBBR)process in treating synthetic high salinity wastewater was evaluated at laboratory scale during a 110-day operation.The reactor was operated in a 12 h cycle,and each cycle consisted of 0.25 h influent addition,8 h aeration,3 h anoxic reaction,0.5 h sedimentation and 0.25 h effluent withdrawal.Gradual increase in salinity gradient was applied during the acclimatization period.The acclimated SBBR system was demonstrated to be an effective process to remove organic compounds and ammonia nitrogen under high salinity conditions with chemical oxygen demand(COD)and ammonia nitrogen(NH3-N)removal efficiencies of 88% and 80%,respectively.The microscopic examination indicated that rather than rotifers or vorticella,the zoogloea,filamentous fungus mingled with a small quantity of swimming infusorians were dominant bacteria in SBBR system.The removal efficiencies close to 80% in COD and 75% in NH3-N were achieved at an organic loading rate(OLR)of 0.96 kg COD/(m3·d),pH of 7.0,salinity of 14 g/L and NH3-N of 30 mg/L.

Simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from swine wastewater in a sequencing batch biofilm reactor

In this study, the performance of a sequencing batch biofilm reactor(SBBR) for removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from swine wastewater was evaluated. The replacement rate of wastewater was set at 12.5% throughout the experiment. The anaerobic and aerobic times were 3 h and 7 h, respectively, and the dissolved oxygen concentration of the aerobic phase was about 3.95 mg·L-1. The SBBR process demonstrated good performance in treating swine wastewater. The percentage removal of total chemical oxygen demand(COD), ammonia nitrogen(NH4+-N), total nitrogen(TN), and total phosphorus(TP) was 98.2%, 95.7%, 95.6%, and 96.2% at effluent concentrations of COD85.6 mg·L-1, NH4+-N 35.22 mg·L-1, TN 44.64 mg·L-1, and TP 1.13 mg·L-1, respectively. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification phenomenon was observed. Further improvement in removal efficiency of NH4+-N and TN occurred at COD/TN ratio of 11:1, with effluent concentrations at NH4+-N 18.5 mg·L-1and TN 34 mg·L-1, while no such improvement in COD and TP removal was found. Microbial electron microscopy analysis showed that the filler surface was covered with a thick biofilm, forming an anaerobic–aerobic microenvironment and facilitating the removal of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matters. A long-term experiment(15 weeks) showed that stable removal efficiency for N and P could be achieved in the SBBR system.

Biodegradation of high concentration phenol containing heavy metal ions by functional biofilm in bioelectro-reactor

Functional microorganisms to high concentration phenol containing Cr^6＋ and Pb^2＋ were cultured and biofilm was formed on polypropylene packings in bioelectro-reactor. It was found that the biodegradation capability of such biofilm to phenol changed with the applied voltage. Under the optimal electric field conditions （voltage of 3.0 V, electric field of strength 17.7 V/m and current density of 1.98 A/m2）, biodegradation efficiency of phenol aof concentration of 1200 mg/L increased 33% compared to the instance without applying electric field. However, voltage had inverse effect on biodegradation, as microorganisms were killed under strong electric field. Voltage had little effect on heavy ions elimination. Higher absorption rate of Cr^6＋ and Pb^2＋ was observed when changing pH fi＇om acidic to neutral. The experiment results indicated that, after treatment, 10 L phenol of 2400 mg/L was biodegraded completely within 55 h and concentrations of Cr^6＋ and Pb^2＋ dropped to less than 1 mg/L within 12 h and 6 h, fi＇om initial values of 50 mg/L and 30 mg/L, respectively.

Oxygen Transfer and Hydrodynamics in a Flexible Fibre Biofilm Reactor for Wastewater Treatment

A flexible fibre biofilm reactor was developed for treatment of organic wastewaters.The hydrodynamic characteristics and mass transfer coefficients of oxygen were studied and compared with those of the conventional activated sludge processes.Tracer experiments were performed to obtain the residence time distributions of the reactors.The results indicated that both reactors could be treated as mixed flow reactors.The effects of flow rates of water and air on the overall mass transfer coefficient of oxygen were investigated,and the correlations between the mass transfer coefficient and the ratio of flow rates were obtained.Compared to the conventional activated sludge reactor,the mass transfer coefficients in the flexible fibre reactor were similar to but slightly lower,and less sensitive to the variation in the ratio of flow rates.It indicated that the fibre packing in the reactor hindered the oxygen transfer to some extent.

Feasibility and advantage of biofilm-electrode reactor for phenol degradation

The new biofilm-electrode method was used for the phenol degradation, because of its low current requirement. The biofilm-electrode reactor consisted of immobilized degrading bacteria on Ti electrode as cathode and Ti/PbO2 electrode as anode. With the biofilmelectrode reactor in a divided electrolytic cell, the phenol degradation rate could achieve 100% at 18 h which was higher than using traditional methods, such as biological or electrochemical methods. Chemical oxygen demand （COD） removal rate of the biofilmelectrode reactor was also greater than that using biological and electrochemical method, and could reach 80% at 16 h. The results suggested that the biofilm-electrode reactor system can be used to treat wastewater with phenol.

Reduction of Precursors of Chlorination By-products in Drinking Water Using Fluidized-bed Biofilm Reactor at Low Temperature

Objective To investigate the reduction of chlorination by-products （CBPs） precursors using the fluidized-bed biofdm reactor （FBBR）. Methods Reduction of total organic carbon （TOC）, ultraviolet absorbance （UV254）, tfihalomethane （THM） formation potential （THMFP）, haloacetic acid （HAA） formation potential （HAAFP）, and ammonia in FBBR were evaluated in detail. Results The reduction of TOC or UV254 was low, on average 12.6% and 4.7%, respectively, while the reduction of THMFP and HAAFP was significant. The reduction of ammonia was 30%-40% even below 3℃, however, it could quickly rise to over 50% above 3℃. Conclusions The FBBR effectively reduces CBPs and ammonia in drinking water even at low temperature and seems to be a very promising and competitive drinking water reactor for polluted surface source waters, especially in China.

Kinetic Studies for an Aerobic Packed Bed Biofilm Reactor for Treatment of Organic Wastewater with and without Phenol

A laboratory scale aerobic fixed film bioreactor packed with glass beads for biofilm growth was used to evaluate the removal efficiencies of COD and phenol for a carbohydrate—phenol mixture in wastewater. It was done by an indigenous mixed culture inoculums developed after collecting sludge from a return line of an activated sludge plant. The test result on continuous flow in the above biofilm reactor indicated an optimum hydraulic loading range of 4-6.4 m3day-1m-2 for attainment of reasonable amount of COD removal in case of carbohydrate substrate only. The COD removal efficiency, however, gradually depleted from 100% to 54% by gradual increase in organic loading (OLR) from 0.72-4.32 kgday-1m-3, beyond which removal was not significant. For the identical loading conditions, in presence of phenol in the substrate along with carbohydrate, the COD removal was observed varying from 100-40% in the above organic loading range. The COD removal kinetics in presence of phenol also shows a decreasing trend compared to data obtained without the presence of phenol in wastewater that reveals biological inhibition. The experimental data were fitted in a simple plug flow model for evaluating the zero order, first order and Monod form of rate equations to evaluate the kinetics. It was found that Monod type rate equations combining a zero and first order rate expression is the best fit for the above hydraulic and organic loading that gives a best fit half velocity constant value of 35 mgL-1 (R2 = 0.9612).

Research Development and Application of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal in Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor

Frequent variations of the wastewater quality and quantity and other uncertain factors are the challenges faced by many wastewater treatment plants during the operation. Sequencing batch biofilm reactor（ SBBR） process provides a new idea for an effective solution to this problem. This paper introduces the basic processes and characteristics of the sequencing batch biofilm reactor（ SBBR） process,and summarizes the research status of this process in wastewater treatment. Factors affecting the nitrogen and phosphorus removal effect of the SBBR process are also analyzed.

Treatment of Wastewater with Modified Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor Technology

This paper describes the removal of COD and nitrogen from wastewater with modified sequencing batch biofilm reactor. The strategy of simultaneous feeding and draining was explored.The results show that introduction of a new batch of wastewater and withdrawal of the purified water can be conducted simultaneously with the maximum volumetric exchange rate of about 70%.Application of this feeding and draining mode leads to the reduction of the cycle time, the increase of the utilization of the reactor volume and the simplification of the reactor structure. The treatment of a synthetic wastewater containing COD and nitrogen was investigated. The operation mode of F(D) O ( i.e ., simultaneous feeding and draining followed by the aerobic condition) was adopted. It was found that COD was degraded very fast in the initial reaction period of time, then reduced slowly and the ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen concentrations decreased and increased with time respectively, while the nitrite nitrogen level increased first and then reduced. The relationship between the COD or ammonia nitrogen loading and its removal rate was examined, and the removal of COD, ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen could exceed 95%, 90% and 80% respectively. The fact that nitrogen could be removed more completely under constant aeration (aerobic condition) of the SBBR operation mode is very interesting and could be explained in several respects.

Performance of Sequencing Biofilm Batch Reactor(SBBR) under Micro-aerobic Condition for Aniline-Contaminated Wastewater Treatment

The performance of sequencing biofilm batch reactor( SBBR) under micro-aerobic condition for aniline-contaminated wastewater treatment was investigated in this study. Dissolved oxygen( DO) and aniline concentrations were selected as the operating variables to analyze,model,and optimize the process. In order to analyze the process,5 dependent parameters,chemical oxygen demand( COD),aniline,ammonium,total nitrogen( TN),and total phosphorous( TP) removal as the process responses were studied. From the results, increase in DO concentration could promote the removal of COD,aniline,ammonium,and TN,while increase in aniline concentration has a slightly negative impact on the removal of pollutants. The optimum DO concentration was found to be 0. 4-0. 5 mg /L. The removal efficiencies for COD,aniline,ammonium,and TN at the optimum point( DO concentration0. 5 mg /L,aniline concentration 11 mg /L) were 95. 84%,100%,75. 72%,and 45. 39%,respectively. The oxidative deamination was the main degradation method for aniline under micro-aerobic condition. Simultaneously nitrification-denitrification( SND)process performed under micro-aerobic condition and about 20%-40% nitrogen was removed by SND.

Approximate analytical solution of non-linear reaction diffusion equation in fluidized bed biofilm reactor

A mathematical model for the fluidized bed biofilm reactor (FBBR) is discussed. An approximate analytical solution of concentration of phenol is obtained using modified Adomian decomposition method (MADM). The main objective is to propose an analytical method of solution, which do not require small parameters and avoid linearization and physically unrealistic assumptions. Theoretical results obtained can be used to predict the biofilm density of a single bioparticle. Satisfactory agreement is obtained in the comparison of approximate analytical solution and numerical simulation.

Optimal Aerations in the Inverse Fluidized Bed Biofilm Reactor When Used in Treatment of Industrial Wastewaters of Various Strength

The aim of this work was the determination of the optimal aerations, and more specifically the corresponding optimal air velocities uopt, at which the largest COD removals were achieved in treatment of industrial wastewaters of various strength conducted in the inverse fluidized bed biofilm reactor. The largest COD removals were achieved at the following air velocities uopt and retention times ts, and (Vb/VR) = 0.55: i) for CODo = 72,780 mg/l at uopt = 0.052 m/s and ts = 80 h;ii) for CODo = 62,070 mg/l at uopt = 0.042 m/s and ts = 65 h;iii) for CODo = 49,130 mg/l at uopt = 0.033 m/s and ts= 55 h;iv) for CODo = 41,170 mg/l at uopt = 0.028 m/s and ts = 45 h;v) for CODo = 35,460 mg/l at uopt = 0.025 m/s and ts = 27.5 h;and vi) for CODo = 26,470 mg/l at uopt= 0.014 m/s and ts = 22.5 h. In the treatment operation conducted in a reactor optimally controlled at the above values of uopt, ts and (Vb/VR), the following decreases in COD were obtained: i) from 72,780 to 5410 mg/l;ii) from 62,070 to 3730 mg/l;iii) from 49,130 to 2820 mg/l;iv) from 41,170 to 1820 mg/l;v) from 35,460 to 1600 mg/l;and vi) from 26,470 to 1180 mg/l, that is, approximately a 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 95% and 96% COD reduction was attained, respectively.

基于三维生物膜电极的难生化有机化工废水处理研究进展

近年来,难降解有机化工污染物在自然水体中被广泛检出,对水生态环境和人体健康构成了严重威胁。生物膜电极技术因具备环境友好、去除效率高、适用范围广等优点,在难降解污染物处理领域应用前景日渐广阔。对此,介绍了三维生物膜电极(3D-BERs)反应器构建方法,阐述了三维生物膜电极对有机污染物的降解机理,分析了电化学催化氧化与电活性微生物(EAMs)的协同降解作用,从电子迁移强化角度解析了污染物强化降解机制,并概述了3D-BERs的构建方法与运行参数对反应器效率的影响。本文系统综述了3D-BERs在难生化有机化工废水处理领域中的应用与优势,提出了三维生物膜电极技术的发展前景和今后研究工作的重点方向,为难生化有机化工废水的高效处理提供新思路与技术选择。

侧流与主流磷回收工艺对比及调控因子分析

从污水中回收磷是缓解磷资源危机的有效途径,目前,污水处理厂常用的磷回收工艺主要为从剩余污泥中回收磷的侧流工艺,存在工艺复杂、回收效率低等问题.以生物膜为主体的主流磷回收工艺可实现磷的同步去除与富集,工艺简单且高效,因此更具发展前景.两种工艺在运行原理及模式上存在显著差异,因此对两者的调控措施不尽相同.本文分别以A^(2)O工艺和生物膜序批式反应器工艺为代表,对比了侧流和主流磷回收工艺在运行原理及模式上的异同,并以聚磷菌的代谢机理为基础,总结了温度、pH值、水力停留时间、溶解氧、碳源和蓄磷量等调控因子对两种工艺产生的影响,并阐述了其差异化机制,以期为生物膜磷回收工艺的进一步发展提供参考.

单级固定床生物膜反应器主流厌氧氨氧化快速启动性能

主流厌氧氨氧化(Anammox)是城市污水脱氮的热点和难点问题。本研究采用单级固定床生物膜反应器(SFBR)处理模拟城市污水,通过间歇运行切换和微氧(DO:0.4~0.7mg/L)控制,65天后成功启动Anammox。系统对氨氮和总氮去除率分别达98.8%和92.6%。此时生物膜结构致密,呈现红色。微生物活性测试发现,厌氧氨氧化菌活性在所有功能菌活性中最高。高通量测序证实厌氧氨氧化菌(Candidatus Brocadia)、短程反硝化菌(Thauera)和硝化菌(Nitrospira)共存,而未检测到氨氧化菌。amoA功能基因扩增子测序进一步分析表明,Nitrospira实际为全程氨氧化菌(Comammox)。因此,系统是在具有氧分层的生物膜内通过全程硝化/短程反硝化/厌氧氨氧化途径耦合实现城市污水脱氮。研究结果为主流Anammox快速实现提供了一种新的工艺思路。

膜曝气生物膜厚度控制研究进展

生物膜厚度控制是膜曝气生物膜反应器(MABR)工艺运行管理的关键,存在获得最佳碳氮磷同步去除效能的最优生物膜厚度.本文回顾了近20年来有关MABR生物膜厚度控制技术(包括定期冲刷、连续水力剪切、真核生物捕食、群体感应淬灭)的研究发展历程,探讨展望未来的研发方向,以期为MABR工艺向水质提升与节能降碳高质量发展提供参考.