Effect of Salinity Variations on the Performance of Activated Sludge System

To investigate the influence of salinity variations on the performance of activated sludge systems, treating domestic wastewater. Methods The completely mixed reactor was used and operated in a batch-wise mode. The activated sludge taken from the Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant was used as a seeding sludge. Total organic carbon (TOC), oxygen uptake rate (OUR) and suspended solids (SS) were used as parameters to characterize the performance of the treatment systems. TOC was measured using a TOC-analyzer (TOC-5000, Japan). The OUR value was measured with a dissolved oxygen meter (YSI model-58). SS was measured gravimetrically. Results The TOC removal efficiency and the OUR value of activated sludge were not deteriorated when the NaCl shock concentration was less than 0.5 g/L. However, when the NaCl shock concentrations were up to 10g/L and 20 g/L, the OUR of activated sludge was reduced by 35% and TOC removal efficiency was dropped by 30%, compared with the control experiment without NaCl shock loading. Conclusion The effect of NaCl shock loading on the activated sludge wastewater treatment system is dependant upon the NaCl concentrations and the degree of influence can be inferred through the change of substrate utilization rate at different shock NaCl loadings.

Application of Heterogenous Catalysis with TiO2 Photo Irradiated by Sunlight and Latter Activated Sludge System for the Reduction of Vinasse Organic Load

Vinasse is the main residue generated during alcohol, sugar and blue rum production by fermentation process. This residue is effluent that could cause serious environmental pollution due to high organic load when is not treated adequately. The aim of this work consists of evaluating the efficiency and application of heterogeneous photocatalysis with TiO2, followed by a biological treatment (activated sludge system) to reduce organic load in the referred effluent. Complete factorial designs indicated the best experimental conditions subsequent to photacatalytic and biological treatments providing a reduction of non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC) as a variable response. After the photocatalytic process, the sample from the best experiment condition was treated by a biological process in order to verify the degradation efficiency of the effluent organic matter studied according to the hybrid system (Advanced Oxidation Process—Acti- vated Sludge System). This system, which presented more efficiency, had a photochemical treatment of 180 minutes carried out in aerated solutions, pH 9 and effluent in natura, while the biological treatment was performed at pH 8 and sludge concentration of 5 gL–1. The reduction of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) was >80%.

Response of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes to the co-occurrence of gadolinium and sulfamethoxazole in activated sludge systems

With the increasing use of antibiotics and rare earth elements(REE)during the coronavirus disease(COVID-19)pandemic,the co-occurrence of sulfamethoxazole(SMX)and gadolinium(Gd)has increased in wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs).However,the effects of SMX and Gd exposure on the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)and heavy metal resistance genes(MRGs)remain unknown.This study investigated the impacts of SMX and Gd on the fate of ARGs and MRGs in an activated sludge system.The diversity and relative abundance of ARGs,MRGs,and mobile genetic elements(MGEs)were detected by metagenomic sequencing.The results revealed an increased abundance of ARGs but a decreased abundance of MRGs under the joint effect of SMX and Gd.In addition,Gd alone exerted adverse effects on the proliferation and spread of ARGs and MRGs.However,SMX alone resulted in an increase in the diversity of ARGs and MRGs and promoted the growth of Pseudomonas,Thauera,and Streptomyces in the activated sludge system.Interestingly,a positive correlation was observed between most ARGs and MGEs.These findings provide comprehensive insights into the effects of co-occurring REEs and antibiotics on the fate of ARGs,MRGs,and MGEs,providing evidence to assist in controlling the spread and proliferation of ARGs and MRGs in activated sludge systems.

Synergetic Bioproduction of Short-Chain Fatty Acids from Waste Activated Sludge Intensified by the Combined Use of Potassium Ferrate and Biosurfactants

The synergetic effect and underlying mechanism of potassium ferrate(PF)with tea saponin(TS,a biosurfactant)in producing short chain fatty acids(SCFAs)from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge(WAS)were explored in this work.Experimental results showed that 0.2 g PF(g TSS)^(-1)(total suspended solid)combined with 0.02 g TS(g TSS)^(-1) could further improve SCFAs’production,and the maximum SCFAs content reached 2008.7 mg COD L^(-1),which is 1.2 and 4.5 times higher than those with PF and TS individually added,respectively,and 5.3 times higher than that of blank WAS on Day 12.In the model substrates experiments,the degradation rates of bovine serum albumin and dextran with combination of PF and TS were 41.3%±0.1% and 48.5%±0.06%,respectively,on Day 3,which are lower than those in blank WAS(with degradation rates of 72.3%±0.5%and 90.3%±0.3%).It was revealed that the oxidative effect of PF and the solubilization of TS caused more organic matters to be dissolved out from WAS,providing a large number of biodegradable substances for subsequent SCFAs production.While WAS pretreated with the combination of PF and TS,the relative abundances of Firmicutes increased from 6.4%(blank)to 38.6%,and that of Proteobacteria decreased from 41.8%(blank)to 21.8%.The combination of PF and TS promoted the hydrolysis process of WAS by enriching Firmicutes,and then increased acetic acid production by inhibiting Proteobacteria that consumed SCFAs.Meanwhile,at the genus level,acidogenesis bacteria(e.g.,Proteiniclasticum and Petrimonas)were enriched whereas SCFAs consuming bacteria(e.g.,Dokdonella)were inhibited.

Study Progress Analysis of Effluent Quality Prediction in Activated Sludge Process Based on CiteSpace

In this paper, CiteSpace, a bibliometrics software, was adopted to collect research papers published on the Web of Science, which are relevant to biological model and effluent quality prediction in activated sludge process in the wastewater treatment. By the way of trend map, keyword knowledge map, and co-cited knowledge map, specific visualization analysis and identification of the authors, institutions and regions were concluded. Furthermore, the topics and hotspots of water quality prediction in activated sludge process through the literature-co-citation-based cluster analysis and literature citation burst analysis were also determined, which not only reflected the historical evolution progress to a certain extent, but also provided the direction and insight of the knowledge structure of water quality prediction and activated sludge process for future research.

Cultivation of aerobic granular sludge in a conventional, continuous flow, completely mixed activated sludge system

Aerobic granules were formed in a conven- tional, continuous flow, completely mixed activated sludge system （CMAS）. The reactor was inoculated with seed sludge containing few filaments and fed with synthetic municipal wastewater. The settling time of the sludge and the average dissolved oxygen （DO） of the reactor were 2 h and 4.2 mg. L 1, respectively. The reactor was agitated by a stirrer, with a speed of 250r·min^-1, to ensure good mixing . The granular sludge had good settleability, and the sludge volume index （SVI） was between 50 and 90 mL ·g ^-1. The laser particle analyzer showed the diameter of the granules to be between 0.18 and 1.25 mm. A scanning electron microscope （SEM） investigation revealed the predominance of sphere-like and rod-like bacteria, and only few filaments grew in the granules. The microbial community structure of the granules was also analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electro- phoresis （PCR-DGGE）. Sequencing analysis indicated the dominant species were α, β, and γ-Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. The data from the study suggested that aerobic granules could form, if provided with sufficient number of filaments and high shear force. It was also observed that a high height-to-diameter ratio of the reactor and short settling time were not essential for the formation of aerobic granular sludge.

Degradation of malathion by Pseudomonas during activated sludge treatment system using principal component analysis (PCA)

Popular descriptive multivariate statistical method currently employed is the principal component analyses （PCA） method. PCA is used to develop linear combinations that successively maximize the total variance of a sample where there is no known group structure. This study aimed at demonstrating the performance evaluation of pilot activated sludge treatment system by inoculating a strain of Pseudomonas capable of degrading malathion which was isolated by enrichment technique. An intensive analytical program was followed for evaluating the efficiency of biosimulator by maintaining the dissolved oxygen （DO） concentration at 4.0 mg/L. Analyses by high performance liquid chromatographic technique revealed that 90% of malathion removal was achieved within 29 h of treatment whereas COD got reduced considerably during the treatment process and mean removal efficiency was found to be 78%. The mean pH values increased gradually during the treatment process ranging from 7.36-8.54. Similarly the mean ammonia-nitrogen （NH3-N） values were found to be fluctuating between 19.425-28.488 mg/L, mean nitrite-nitrogen （NO3-N） ranging between 1.301- 2.940 mg/L and mean nitrate-nitrogen （NO3-N） ranging between 0.0071-0.0711 mg/L. The study revealed that inoculation of bacterial culture under laboratory conditions could be used in bioremediation of environmental pollution caused by xenobiotics. The PCA analyses showed that pH, COD, organic load and total malathion concentration were highly correlated and emerged as the variables controlling the first component, whereas dissolved oxygen, NO3-N and NH3-N governed the second component. The third component repeated the trend exhibited by the first two components.

Community analysis of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge of eight wastewater treatment systems

We investigated the communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria （AOB） in activated sludge collected from eight wastewater treatment systems using polymerase chain reaction （PCR） followed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism （T-RFLP）, cloning, and sequencing of the α-subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase gene （amoA）. The T-RFLP fingerprint analyses showed that different wastewater treatment systems harbored distinct AOB communities. However, there was no remarkable difference among the AOB T- RFLP profiles from different parts of the same system. The T-RFLP fingerprints showed that a full-scale wastewater treatment plant （WWTP） contained a larger number of dominant AOB species than a pilot-scale reactor. The source of influent affected the AOB community, and the WWTPs treating domestic wastewater contained a higher AOB diversity than those receiving mixed domestic and industrial wastewater. However, the AOB community structure was little affected by the treatment process in this study. Phylogenetic analysis of the cloned amoA genes clearly indicated that all the dominant AOB in the systems was closely related to Nitrosomonas spp. not to Nitrosospira spp. Members of the Nitrosomonas oligotropha and Nitrosomonas communis clusters were found in all samples, while members of Nitrosomonas europaea cluster occurred in some systems.

Effects of Potassium Ferrate and Low-Temperature Thermal Hydrolysis Co-Pretreatment on the Hydrolysis and Anaerobic Digestion Process of Waste Activated Sludge

This study evaluated the effect of potassium ferrate(PF)and low-temperature thermal hydrolysis co-pretreatment on the promotion of sludge hydrolysis process and the impact on acid production in the subsequent anaerobic digestion process.The analytical investigations showed that co-pretreatment significantly facilitated the hydrolysis process of the sludge and contributed to the accumulation of short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs).The pretreatment conditions under the optimal leaching of organic matter from sludge were hydrothermal temperature of 75℃,hydrothermal treatment time of 12 h,and PF dosage of 0.25 g g^(−1)TSS(total suspended solids),according to the results of orthogonal experiments.By pretreatment under proper conditions,the removal rate of soluble chemical oxygen demand(SCOD)achieved 71.8%at the end of fermentation and the removal rate of total phosphorus(TP)was 69.1%.The maximum yield of SCFAs was 750.3 mg L^(−1),7.45 times greater than that of the blank group.Based on the analysis of the anaerobic digestion mechanism,it was indicated that the co-pretreatment could destroy the floc structure on the sludge surface and improve organic matter dissolving,resulting in more soluble organic substances for the acidification process.Furthermore,microbial community research revealed that the main cause of enhanced SCFAs generation was an increase in acidogenic bacteria and a reduction of methanogenic bacteria.

Preliminary Study on the Treatment Efficiency of Pasteurized Lime Thermal Alkaline Hydrolysis for Excess Activated Sludge and Reduction of Tetracycline Resistance Genes

Thermal alkaline hydrolysis is a common pretreatment method for the utilization of excess activated sludge(EAS).Owing to strict environment laws and need for better energy utilization,new methods were developed in this study to improve the efficiency of pretreatment method.Direct thermal hydrolysis(TH),pasteurized thermal hydrolysis(PTH),and alkaline pasteurized thermal hydrolysis(PTH+CaO and PTH+NaOH)methods were used to treat EAS.Each method was compared and analyzed in terms of dissolution in ammonium nitrogen(NH_(4)^(+)-N)and soluble COD(SCOD)in EAS.Furthermore,the removal of tetracycline resistance genes(TRGs)and class 1 transposon gene intI1 from EAS was investigated.The NH_(4)^(+)-N and SCOD concentrations in EAS treated by PTH were 1.24 and 2.58 times higher than those of TH.However,the removal efficiency of total TRGs and intI1 between the groups was comparable.The SCOD concentration of the PTH+NaOH group was 4.37 times higher than that of the PTH group,and the removal efficiency of total TRGs was increased by 9.52%compared with that by PTH.The NH_(4)^(+)-N and SCOD concentrations of the PTH+CaO group could reach 85.04%and 92.14%of the PTH+NaOH group,but the removal efficiency of total TRGs by PTH+CaO was 19.78%lower than that by PTH+NaOH.Thus,to reduce the financial cost in actual operation,lime(CaO)can be used instead of a strong alkali(NaOH),and pasteurized steam at 70℃ instead of conventional high-temperature heating to treat EAS.This study provides a reference for the development of alkaline hydrolysis under moderate temperatures along with the removal of TRGs in EAS.

Optimum operation conditions of nitrogen and phosphorus removal by a biofilm-activated-sludge system

In the biofilm and activated sludge combined system, denitrifying bacteria attached on the fibrous carriers in the anoxic tank, while the sludge containing nitrifying and phosphorus removal bacteria was only recirculated between the aerobic and anaerobic tanks. Therefore, the factors affected and restricted nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal in a traditional A/A/O process were resolved. This paper describes the optimum operation conditions for nitrogen and phosphorus removal using this system.

A novel approach to estimate and control denitrification performance in activated sludge systems with respirogram technology

Respirogram technology has been widely applied for aerobic process, however, the response of respirogram to anoxic denitrification is still unclear. To reveal such response may help to design a new method for the evaluation of the performance of denitrification. The size distribution of flocs measured at different denitrification moments demonstrated a clear expansion of flocs triggered by denitrification, during which higher specific endogenous and quasi-endogenous respiration rates(SOUReand SOURq) were also observed. Furthermore,SOURqincreases exponentially with the specific denitrification rate(SDNR), suggesting that there should be a maximum SDNR in conventional activated sludge systems. Based on these findings, an index Rq/t, defined as the ratio of quasi-endogenous(OURq) to maximum respiration rate(OURt), is proposed to estimate the denitrification capacity that higher Rq/tindicates higher denitrification potential, which can be readily obtained without complex measurement or analysis, and it offers a novel and promising respirogram-based approach for denitrification estimation and control by taking measures to extend anoxic time to maintain its value at a high level within a certain range.

Impact of shock loading with mid-stage pulping wastewater on a magnetic micro-aerobic activated sludge system

The effect of mid-stage pulping wastewater(as shock load)on micro-aerobic magnetic activated sludge system was studied.Micro-aerobic activated sludge systems with and without magnetic particles were shocked with mid-stage wastewater for 16 days.“Recovery”experiments were conducted by using simulated wastewater for 12 days.Upon the addition of mid-stage wastewater,CODCr removal pertaining to the use of magnetic particles reached 71.57%and remained above 80%in the“recovery”experiment.However,the efficiency of the reactor in the absence of magnetic particles was only 37.29%,and reached about 40%in the“recovery”experiment.After the micro-aerobic activated sludge was shocked,the flocculation performance and surface properties of the sludge were analyzed,and the results showed that all indicators of the reactors in the presence of magnetic particles were superior to those of reactors without magnetic particles.After 12 days of“recovery”,the indicators of the sludge pertaining to the reactors containing magnetic particles“recovered”completely.

Functions and behaviors of activated sludge extracellular polymeric substances (EPS): a promising environmental interest

Extracellular polymeric substances （EPS） are the predominant constituents of activated sludge and represent up to 80% of the mass of activated sludge. They play a crucial role in the flocculation, settling and dewatering of activated sludge. Furthermore, EPS also show great efficiency in binding heavy metals. So EPS are key factors influencing reduction in sludge volume and mass, as well as activity and utilization of sludge. EPS are of considerable environmental interest and hundreds of articles on EPS have been published abroad, while information on EPS in China is limited. In this paper, results of over 60 publications related to constituents and characteristics of EPS and their influences on flocculation, settling and dewatering of sludge are compiled and analyzed. Metal-binding ability of EPS is also discussed, together with a brief consideration of possible research interests in the future.

Biosorption of cadmium(II) and lead(II) ions from aqueous solutions onto dried activated sludge

The removal of heavy-metal ions from aqueous solutions by using dried activated sludge has been investigated in batch systems. Effect of solution pH, initial metal ion concentration, and temperature were determined. The results of the kinetic studies showed that the uptake processes of the two metal ions（Cd（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ）） followed the pseudo-second-order rate expression. The equilibrium data fitted very well to both the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. The FT-IR analysis showed that the main mechanism of Cd（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ） biosorption onto dried activated sludge was their binding with amide I group.

Immobilization study of biosorption of heavy metal ions onto activated sludge

Activated sludge was immobilized into Ca-alginate beads via entrapment, and biosorption of three heavy metal ions, copper(Ⅱ), zinc(Ⅱ), and chromimum(Ⅱ), from aqueous solution in the concentration range of 10\_100 mg/L was studied by using both entrapped activated sludge and inactivated free biomass at pH≤5. A biphasic metal adsorption pattern was observed in all immobilized biomass experiments. The biosorption of metal ions by the biosorbents increased with the initial concentration increased in the medium. The adsorption rate of immobilized pre-treated activated sludge(PAS) was much lower than that of free PAS due to the increase in mass transfer resistance resulting from the polymeric matrix. Biosorption equilibrium of beads was established in about 20 h and the adsorbed heavy metal ions did not change further with time. No significant effect of temperature was observed in the test for free biomass while immobilized PAS appeared to be strong temperature dependent in the test range of 10 and 40℃. Besides, the content of activated sludge in the calcium alginate bead has an influence on the uptake of heavy metals. The sorption equilibrium was well modeled by Langmuir isotherm, implying monomolecular adsorption mechanism. Carboxyl group in cell wall played an important role in surface adsorption of heavy metal ions on PAS.

Start-up of anaerobic ammonia oxidation bioreactor with nitrifying activated sludge

The anaerobic ammonia oxidation(Anammox) bioreactor was successfully started up with the nitrifying activated sludge. After anaerobically operated for 105 d, the bioreactor reached a good performance with removal percentage of both ammonia and nitrite higher than 95% and volumetric total nitrogen removal as high as 149.55 mmol/(L·d). The soft padding made an important contribution to the high efficiency and stability because it held a large amount of biomass in the bioreactor.

Kinetic analysis of waste activated sludge hydrolysis and short-chain fatty acids production at pH 10

The accumulation of short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs）, a preferred carbon source for enhanced biological phosphorus removal microbes, was significantly improved when waste activated sludge （WAS） was fermented at pH 10. The kinetics of WAS hydrolysis and SCFAs production at pH 10 was investigated. It was observed that during WAS anaerobic fermentation the accumulation of SCFAs was limited by the hydrolysis process, and both the hydrolysis of WAS particulate COD and the accumulation of SCFAs followed first-order kinetics. The hydrolysis and SCFAs accumulation rate constants increased with increasing temperature from 10 to 35℃, which could be described by the Arrhenius equation. The kinetic data further indicated that SCFAs production at pH 10 was a biological process. Compared with the experiment of pH uncontrolled （blank test）, both the rate constants of WAS hydrolysis and SCFAs accumulation at 20℃ were improved significantly when WAS was fermented at pH 10.

Purification of total DNA extracted from activated sludge

Purification of the total DNA extracted from activated sludge samples was studied. The effects of extraction buffers and lysis treatments （lysozyme, sodium dodecyl sulfate （SDS）, sonication, mechanical mill and thermal shock） on yield and purity of the total DNA extracted from activated sludge were investigated. It was found that SDS and mechanical mill were the most effective ways for cell lysis, and both gave the highest DNA yields, while by SDS and thermal shock, the purest DNA extract could be obtained. The combination of SDS with other lysis treatment, such as sonication and thermal shock, could apparently increase the DNA yields but also result in severe shearing. For the purification of the crude DNA extract, polyvinyl polypyrrolidone was used for the removal of humic contaminants. Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, potassium acetate and phenol/chloroform were used to remove proteins and polysaccharides from crude DNA. Crude DNA was further purified by isopropanol precipitation. Thus, a suitable protocol was proposed for DNA extraction, yielding about 49.9 mg （total DNA）/g volatile suspended solids, and the DNA extracts were successfully used in PCR amplifications for 16S rDNA and 16S rDNA V3 region. The PCR products of 16S rDNA V3 region allowed the DGGE analysis （denatured gradient gel electrophoresis） to be possible.

Optimization of process parameters for the bioconversion of activated sludge by Penicillium corylophilum, using response surface methodology

The optimization of process parameters for the bioconversion of activated sludge by Penicillium corylophilum was investigated using response surface methodology （RSM）. The three parameters namely temperature of 33℃, agitation of 150 r/min, and pH of 5 were chosen as center point from the previous study of fungal treatment. The experimental data on chemical oxygen demand （COD） removal （%） were fitted into a quadratic polynomial model using multiple regression analysis. The optimum process conditions were determined by analyzing response surface three-dimensional surface plot and contour plot and by solving the regression model equation with Design Expert software. Box-Behnken design technique under RSM was used to optimize their interactions, which showed that an incubation temperature of 32.5℃, agitation of 105 r/min, and pH of 5.5 were the best conditions. Under these conditions, the maximum predicted yield of COD removal was 98.43%. These optimum conditions were used to evaluate the trail experiment, and the maximum yield of COD removal was recorded as 98.5%.