Water shortage and wastewater reuse

China is not abandantly supplied with freshwater. Water shortage is a crucial problem in northern China, and affects the development of economy and causes a host of environmental and ecological problems. Water saving, water resource protection, strengthening of management and exploitation of new water resources are some of the major measures for solving the water shortage problem. Wastewater reuse is also a feasible and practical means of alleviating the problem.

Implementing Both Domestic Wastewater Reuse and Sludge Reduction by a Combination of Anaerobic Phase and Membrane bioreactor

The aim of the research was to obtain both an excellent effluent for reuse and a reduced sludge production simultaneously by a combination process of anaerobic phase and Membrane bioreactor （MBR） technology in treating domestic wastewater. During the experimental period of three months, excellent removals for COD, NH3-H, TN were obtained, and mean removals were 91.87%, 96.13%, and 69. 23%, respectively. Whereas, at first 20 days, the removal for TP was only about 15.87%. In the following days, about 30% of raw water was introduced into the anaerobic reactor to supply organics for denitrificatien and release of polyphosphate, then a significant improvement for TP removal was observed, and mean removal of TP increased to 76.35%. During the operational period, it was investigated that the permeate could meet the requirements of several water criteria for reuse except free chlorine, and a mean excess sludge yield coefficient of 0.137 g MLSS/g COD was obtained. Therefore, the predicted goals of permeate for reuse and excess sludge reduction could be both achieved after dosing a certain quantity of disinfectant into the permeate.

Piloting Study on Biofouling Control of Reverse Osmosis System in Steel Mill Wastewater Reuse

The biofouling of RO （Reverse Osmosis） system is one of the most common problems in highly contaminated demineralization and wastewater reuse system. The biological fouling occurs due to the bacteria growth and proliferation under nutritive environment, resulting in a dramatic increase of dP （differential pressure） in the RO system, which requires frequent system shutdown for cleaning. This paper discusses the effectiveness of low-dP RO element and periodic flushing on the biofouling scheme of industrial steel mill wastewater reuse system. The low-dP RO element is able to provide low RO system dP, which is expressed to be lower biofouling starting point during the industrial system operation. However, the periodic flushing utilizes fresh water to remove the biofilm deposit along with feed channel. The long term operation performance demonstrated strong caustic is effective in removing the biofilm and recovering RO system performance. It is experimentally validated that, in the case of a high biofouling environment, low-dP RO element and periodic flushing is able to extend the cleaning cycles by 36.6% and 11.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, a joint application of both methods is proven to improve the biofouling control and extend the cleaning cycle by 62.5%, as compared to standard RO technology.

Simultaneous synthesis of heat-integrated water networks by a nonlinear program:Considering the wastewater regeneration reuse

Heat-integrated water network synthesis(HIWNS)has received considerable attention for the advantages of reducing water and energy consumptions.HIWNS is effective in water and energy sustainability.Mixed integer non-linear programming(MINLP)is usually applied in HIWNS.In this work,a novel nonlinear programming(NLP)was proposed for HIWNS by considering wastewater reuse and wastewater regeneration reuse.Integer variables are changed to non-linear equation by the methods for identifying stream roles and denoting the existence of process matches.The model is tested by examples with single and multiple regeneration unit problems.The testing results showed that the NLP is an alternative method for HIWNS with wastewater reuse and regeneration reuse.

Pollutants removal and simulation model of combined membrane process for wastewater treatment and reuse in submarine cabin for long voyage

A laboratory scale test was conducted in a combined membrane process （CMP） with a capacity of 2.91 m3/d for 240 d to treat the mixed wastewater of humidity condensate, hygiene wastewater and urine in submarine cabin during prolonged voyage. Removal performance of chemical oxygen demand （COD）, ammonia nitrogen （NH4^＋-N）, turbidity and anionic surfactants （LAS） was investigated under different conditions. It was observed that the effluent COD, NH4^＋-N, turbidity and LAS flocculated in ranges of 0.19-0.85 mg/L, 0.03-0.18 mg/L, 0.0-0.15 NTU and 0.0-0.05 mg/L, respectively in spite of considerable fluctuation in corresponding influent of 2120-5350 mg/L, 79.5-129.3 mg/L, 110-181.1NTU and 4.9-5.4 mg/L. The effluent quality of the CMP could meet the requirements of mechanical water and hygiene water according to the class I water quality standards in China （GB3838-2002）. The removal rates of COD, NH4^＋-N, turbidity and LAS removed in the MBR were more than 90%, which indicated that biodegradation is indispensable and plays a major role in the wastewater treatment and reuse. A model, built on the back propagation neural network （BPNN） theory, was developed for the simulation of CMP and produced high reliability. The average error of COD and NH4^＋-N was 5.14% and 6.20%, respectively, and the root mean squared error of turbidity and LAS was 2.76% and 1.41%, respectively. The results indicated that the model well fitted the laboratory data, and was able to simulate the removal of COD, NH4^＋-N, turbidity and LAS. It also suggested that the model proposed could reflect and manage the operation of CMP for the treatment of the mixed wastewaters in submarine.

Purification and reclamation of wastewater by an integrated biological pond system

The feasibility of an inexpensive wastewater treatment system is evaluated in this study.The experiment was conducted in 3 phases with different treatment combinations for testing theirpurification efficiencies. The pond system was divided into 3 functional regions: influentpurification, efficient upgrading and multi-utilization. Various kinds of aquatic organisms, wereeffectively cooperated in this system. The system attained high reduction of BOD_5, COD, TSS, TN,TP and other pollutants. The mutagenic effect and number of bacteria and virus significantly de-clined during the process of purifieation. After the wastewater flowed through the upgrading zone,the concentrations of pollutants and algae evidently decreased. Plant harvesting did not yield drama-tic effects on reductions of the main pollutants, through it did affect remarkably the biomassproductivity of the macrophytes. The wastewater was reclaimed for various purposes.

Quality Changes during Artificial Recharge of Wastewater Effluents

Laboratory investigations were carried out to establish conservative estimates of the contaminant removals obtained by the recharge of local secondary effluents through a sand dune. In the preliminary study, suitability of unchlorinated wastewater as opposed to the chlorinated wastewater and the development of headlosses were investigated with respect to the development of anaerobic conditions. In the main laboratory study, a 5 m high Plexiglass sand box column was investigated for conservative predictions. The average removals of BOD, COD, and TOC were over 65%, 65%, and 55%, respectively. The COD was primarily removed in the first 200 cm of the column. The effluent had a residual TOC of 1.66 mg/L and consisted of humic substances. The average removal of microbial indicator organisms： Total Coliform （TC） and Coliphage were over 85% and 66%, respectively. The product water contained only nominal amounts of TC （Average - 21.5 MPN/100 ml） and Coliphage （Average - 6 PFU/100 ml）. The porous media largely remained unaffected by the recharge operation. The changes were mainly seen in the upper 26 cm of the column.

Wastewater reclamation and reuse in China:Opportunities and challenges

The growing water stress both in terms of water scarcity and quality deterioration promotes the development of reclaimed water as a new water resource use. This paper reviewed wastewater reuse practices in China, and the opportunities and challenges of expanding reclaimed water use were analyzed. Rapid urbanization with the increasing of water demand and wastewater discharge provides an opportunity for wastewater reuse. The vast amount of wastewater discharge and low reclaimed water production mean that wastewater reuse still has a great potential in China. Many environmental and economic benefits and successful reclamation technologies also provide opportunities for wastewater reuse. In addition, the overall strategy in China is also encouraging for wastewater reuse. In the beginning stage of wastewater reclamation and reuse, there are many significant challenges to expand wastewater reuse in China including slow pace in adopting urban wastewater reuse programs, the establishment of integrated water resources management framework and guidelines for wastewater reuse programs, incoherent water quality requirements, the limited commercial development of reclaimed water and the strengthening of public awareness and cooperation among stakeholders.

Biochar and zero-valent iron sand filtration simultaneously removes contaminants of emerging concern and Escherichia coli from wastewater effluent

Advanced treated municipal wastewater is an important alternative water source for agricultural irrigation.However,the possible persistence of chemical and microbiological contaminants in these waters raise potential safety concerns with regard to reusing treated wastewater for food crop irrigation.Two low-cost and environmentally-friendly filter media,biochar(BC)and zero-valent iron(ZVI),have attracted great interest in terms of treating reused water.Here,we evaluated the efficacy of BC-,nanosilver-amended biochar-(Ag-BC)and ZVI-sand filters,in reducing contaminants of emerging concern(CECs),Escherichia coli(E.coli)and total bacterial diversity from wastewater effluent.Six experiments were conducted with control quartz sand and sand columns containing BC,Ag-BC,ZVI,BC with ZVI,or Ag-BC with ZVI.After filtration,Ag-BC,ZVI,BC with ZVI and Ag-BC with ZVI demonstrated more than 90%(>1 log)removal of E.coli from wastewater samples,while BC,Ag-BC,BC with ZVI and Ag-BC with ZVI also demonstrated efficient removal of tested CECs.Lower bacterial diversity was also observed after filtration;however,differences were marginally significant.In addition,significantly(p<0.05)higher bacterial diversity was observed in wastewater samples collected during warmer versus colder months.Leaching of silver ions occurred from Ag-BC columns;however,this was prevented through the addition of ZVI.In conclusion,our data suggest that the BC with ZVI and Ag-BC with ZVI sand filters,which demonstrated more than 99%removal of both CECs and E.coli without silver ion release,may be effective,low-cost options for decentralized treatment of reused wastewater.

Evaluation of gradual hydroponic system for decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse in rural areas of Palestine

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of a gradual multi-stage vertical flow hydroponic system as an option for decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse.The low cost of such option and the ease of its application make it feasible for rural areas where low cost decentralized options of wastewater treatment and reuse have a great potential in improving environmental and economic conditions in these areas.To evaluate the performance of such option,a five-stage vertical flow gradual hydroponic pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse in the new campus of An-Najah National University.The experiment included five types of plants:two types of corn,barely,alfalfa,and sunflowers.Wastewater flow was applied through a drip system for the five types of plants.Wastewater was drained by gravity from one pot to the next through a gradual vertical flow hydroponic system.Quality of wastewater entering the first pot and leaving the last pot for each set of plants was monitored throughout the growing season.Results showed an over 90%removal efficiency of soluble organics and suspended solids,and about 60%removal efficiency of nitrogen through the system.The proposed gradual hydroponic treatment system was proved to be a successful alternative method to treat and reuse wastewater.Thus,gradual hydroponic systems could be successfully used as small decentralized wastewater treatment systems.This system could be used in producing crops with economic returns in Palestinian rural areas,where agriculture has a significant contribution in the income and employment of communities.

Evaluation of the exploitation of nontraditional water resources—Case study of Yantian District in Shenzhen

Yantian District in Shenzhen is a water deficient area. Water shortage has become a major obstacle to its further economic progress. Consequently, rational exploitation of nontraditional water resources(NWR)has been naturally adopted to increase local available water volume. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the exploitation of two kinds of NWR, namely wastewater reuse and seawater utilization, in Yantian District, and assess the contribution of each mode to deal with the water crisis. Two different nontraditional water supply systems respectively based on the reclaimed water and sea water were presented, and the effects of each system were evaluated in terms of technology, economy and environment. The result shows that both wastewater reclamation and reuse (WRR) and direct utilization of seawater (DUS) are of great importance to cope with the tight water resource situation in the district. The data indicate that the fresh water saved by WRR system and DUS system is 29 and 17 million m3/a respectively. Moreover, the BOD, COD, NH3-N and T-P reduced by the WRR system are 870, 2900, 725 and 87 t/a, respectively. Considering the integrated effectiveness, the development of WRR system, which is of specific significance to exploiting new water resource and save natural fresh water supplied from distant water diversion project, is the preferred methods used to solve the water shortage problem in Yantian District and recover the water environment as well as maintain the sustainable development of the city zone.

Comprehensive Analysis of 9-year Running Data of A^2/O-MBR in Xi an Siyuan University

Since September 2011,A 2/O-MBR wastewater treatment plant in Xi'an Siyuan University has been successfully running without replacing any of membrane modules.A total of 6.661 million m^3 of campus wastewater has been treated,and 4.405 million m^3 of water reaching the national urban miscellaneous water standard has been reclaimed and reused.A total of 25 km pipeline,5 pits,scenery fountains,lakes,and 12 pump stations have been constructed for flushing toilets,irrigating green grass lawn and afforest,and cleaning hardened pavement.The design and construction of 5 pits,scenery fountains,and lakes are important to meet the national urban miscellaneous water standard under occasional phosphorus and/or nitrogen exceed concentration.The unit water cost is 4.19 yuan/m^3,including membrane modules depreciation and amortization.After the A 2/O-MBR system passes the membrane modules depreciation and amortization period,the unit water cost is 2.82 yuan/m^3.The water productivity of the membrane stack rises first at the beginning of operation,reaches the maximum value,and then decreases.The average annual transmembrane pressure difference increases by 1.12 kPa.The average VMD of industrial permeability decreases annually by 0.45 m^3.

Change in genotoxicity of wastewater during chlorine dioxide and chlorine disinfections and the influence of ammonia nitrogen

The effects of chlorine dioxide and chlorine disinfections on the genotoxicity of different biologically treated sewage wastewater samples were studied by umu-test.The experiment results showed that when chlorine dioxide dosage was increased from 0 to 30 mg/L,the genotoxicity of wastewater first decreased rapidly and then tended to be stable,while when the chlorine dosage was increased from 0 to 30 mg/L,the genotoxicity of wastewater changed diver sely for different samples.It was then found that ammonia nitro-gen did not affect the change of genotoxicity during chlorine dioxide disinfection of wastewater,while it greatly affected the change of genotoxicity during chlorine disin fection of wastewater.When the concentration of ammonia nitrogen was low(<10-20 mg/L),the genotoxicity of wastewater decreased after chlorine disinfection,and when the con-centration of ammonia nitrogen was high(>10-20 mg/L),the genotoxicity of wastewater increased after chlorine disinfection.

Improvement of detection method of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in reclaimed water

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are two typical species of pathogenic protozoans that seriously endanger water quality.Previous works indicated that detection of Cryptosporidium and Giardia with modified United States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA)method-1623 using a membrane filtration-elution for sample concentration attained better recovery and lower cost compared to the USEPA method-1623.Several improvements of membrane filtration-elution step as well as immunomagnetic separation(IMS)steps were investigated and an optimized method for detection of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in wastewater reclamation system was recommended in this paper.The experimental results show that an overnight soak of the membrane after scraping and vortex agitation before elution could enhance and stabilize the recovery.Increasing turbidity to 4 NTU by adding kaolin clay before filtration could effectively improve the recovery of low-turbidity water.Washing the concentrate after centrifugation and twice acid dissociation both reduced the impact of water quality to protozoan recovery.Protozoans in different water samples were determined by this optimized method,and the recovery of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were above 70% and 80%respectively,much higher than the acceptance of method-1623.

ntegrated approach to winery waste： waste generation and data consolidation

The winemaking process involves the genera- tion of a significant amount of waste and wastewater. These residues should be addressed for recycling or treatment before being returned to environment. As each winery is unique in waste generation and disposal, plans for environmentally friendly waste management are not universal and should be tested for their effectiveness. In this study, a diagnostic was made during three years, in different wineries, throughout Portugal, in order to quantify and characterize the waste and the wastewater produced. The results showed that solid waste and wastewater are mainly produced during the harvest period, corresponding to 74% and 87%, respectively. One ton of processed grape approximately produce 0.13 t marc, 0.06 t lees, 0.03 t of stalks and 1.65 m3 of wastewater. No significant differences （P≤0.05） were observed for grape marc, lees and wastewater ratios, between years or wineries. With respect to the stalk ratio, there was no effect of year but the winery significantly affected this ratio （P ≤ 0.05）. During the study period the treated wastewater, since diluted, revealed suitable characteristics for irrigation representing an additional source of water. In this regard, the data acquisition and consolidation ensure the transfer of information and experience which constitute an essential step in a support decision tool design.

Effect of different molecular weight organic components on the increase of microbial growth potential of secondary effluent by ozonation

Ozonation has been widely applied in advanced wastewater treatment. In this study, the effect of ozonation on assimilable organic carbon （AOC） levels in secondary effluents was investigated, and AOC variation of different molecular weight （MW） organic components was analyzed. Although the removal efflciencies were 47%-76% and 94%-100% for UV2s4 and color at ozone dosage of 10 mg/L, dissolved organic carbon （DOC） in secondary effluents was hardly removed by ozonation. The AOC levels increased by 70%-780% at an ozone dosage range of 1-10 mg/L. AOC increased significantly in the instantaneous ozone demand phase, and the increase in AOC was correlated to the decrease in UV254 during ozonation. The results of MW distribution showed that, ozonation led to the transformation of larger molecules into smaller ones, but the increase in low MW （〈1 kDa） fraction did not contribute much to AOC production. The change of high MW （〉100 kDa and 10-100 kDa） fractions itself during ozonation was the main reason for the increase of AOC levels. Furthermore, the oxidation of organic matters with high MWs （〉 100 kDa and 10-100 kDa） resulted in more AOC production than those with low MWs （1-10 kDa and 〈1 kDa）. The results indicated that removing large molecules in secondary effluents could limit the increase of AOC during ozonation.