Ammonium removal by modified zeolite from municipal wastewater

Ammonium removal by modified zeolite, H-form and Na-form zeolite, were examined by batch-type methods. The adsorption of ammonium on modified zeolite was exothermic process. The saturation adsorption capacity of ammonium on H-form and Na-form zeolite were 21.23 and 41.15 mg/g, respectively. After ten times adsorption-desorption-readsorption cycles the standard deviations of H-form and Na-form zeolite were 6.34% and 6.59%. The zeolite adsorption process has proved cost effective and practical in reducing ammonium by H-form and Na-form zeolite in municipal wastewater from concentration 27.68 mg/L to 2.80 mg/L and 5.91 mg/L.

Toxicity Reduction of Municipal Wastewater by Anaerobic-anoxic-oxic Process

Objective This study was conducted to optimize the operational parameters of anaerobic-anoxic-oxic （A^2/O） processes to reduce the toxicity of municipal wastewater and evaluate its ability to reduce toxicity. Methods A luminescent bacterium toxicity bioassay was employed to assess the toxicity of influent and effluent of each reactor in the A2/O system. Results The optimum operational parameters for toxicity reduction were as follows： anaerobic hydraulic retention time （HRT） = 2.8 h, anoxic HRT = 2.8 h, aerobic HRT = 6.9 h, sludge retention time （SRT） = 15 days and internal recycle ratio （IRR） = 100%. An important toxicity reduction （%） was observed in the optimized A2/O process, even when the toluene concentration of the influent was 120.7 mg·L^-1. Conclusions The toxicity of municipal wastewater was reduced significantly during the A^2/O process. A^2/O process can be used for toxicity reduction of municipal wastewater under toxic-shock loading.

Performance evaluation of hybrid constructed wetlands for the treatment of municipal wastewater in developing countries

In developing countries,high cost of conventional wastewater treatment is a major hindrance in its application.Constructed wetlands(CWs)offer low-cost and effective solution to this issue.The current study aimed to evaluate an innovative maneuver of CWs i.e.hybrid flow constructed wetlands(HCWs)for municipal wastewater(MWW).The HCWs included two lab scale CWs;one horizontal and one vertical,in series.Local plant species were used.HCWs were operated in both,batch and continuous mode.Batch mode was used to(1)optimize detention time and(2)find pollutants removal efficiency.Continuous operation(at batch optimized retention time)was carried out for the evaluation of mass removal rate,r(g·m-2·d-1),volumetric rate constant,Kv(per day)and areal rate constant,Ka(m·d-1).Among two local plants tested,Pistia stratiotes gave better removal efficiency than Typha.Optimum detention time in HCWs was found to be 8 days(4+4 each).The optimum COD,BOD,TSS,TKN and P removal observed for Pistia stratiotes planted HCWs was 80%,84%,82%,71%and88%respectively.Effluent standards for COD,BOD and TSS were met at optimum conditions.The values of Kaand Kv demonstrated that more removal occurred in vertical flow as compared to horizontal flow CW.

Optimum municipal wastewater treatment plant design with consideration of uncertainty

A newly developed model for the optimum municipal wastewater treatment plant(MWTP) design is presented. Through introducing the interval variables, the model attempts to consider the effects of uncertainties caused by the fluctuation of the wastewater quality and quantity during the design of MWTP. The model solution procedure is illustrated in detail, and a numerical example is given to verify the feasibility and advantage of the model. Furthermore, the possibility of the model application is briefly outlined.

Countermeasures of Reclaimed Municipal Wastewater for Safety of Agricultural Use in China

China is facing a severe water resource crisis, and the shortage of water for agricultural consumption is a prominent problem. Irrigation with reclaimed municipal wastewater that can reach the agricultural recycling standards is an important way to deal with water shortage in agricultural production. Owing to the complex sources of municipal wastewater, there are multifarious pollutants in municipal wastewater. Improper use of wastewater can cause potential risks to agoenvironment, agricultural products safety, and human health. This article deals with the current situation and the development prospects of reclaimed wastewater for agricultural use in China and abroad; the potential risks to human health and environmental pollution from the reclaimed municipal wastewater for agricultural reuse are also discussed. And some countermeasures and advices of reclaimed municipal wastewater for safety of agricultural reuse are provided.

Nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater by limit-oxic/anoxic/oxic biological aerated filter system

In this study,a three-stage biological aerated filter(BAF) system was proposed for the enhancement of nitrogen removal in the treatment of low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio(C/N ratio) municipal wastewater.Operational parameters were studied for each process for maximum nitrite accumulation in the nitrification step and nitrite adaptation in the denitrification step.Nitrite accumulation during nitrification could be controlled by the dissolved oxygen(DO) concentration,presenting a mean value of 40% at around 1.0 mg DO/L.Denitrification could be adapted to nitrite and the process was stable if nitrite in the reactor was keep low.Once the operational parameters were established,the process was stable and a steady state was maintained for over 30 days,and the various indexes of discharged water were up to the Discharge standard of pollutants for municipal wastewater treatment plant(GB18918-2002) Level-one A.It was concluded that the three-stage BAF system proposed in this study was excellent in nitrogen removal performance by employing three-column functioning as short-cut nitrification,short-cut denitrification and secondary nitrification,respectively.

Optimization and application of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) process in EBPR fed with municipal wastewater

For sludge samples from EBPR reactor fed with municipal wastewater,fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) operation process including moisture chamber,pretreatment,treatment with lysozyme and Proteinase K and washing time was optimized and improved.Preserving box was chosen to be moisture chamber due to its bigger depth /radii ratio,good sealability and big volume contrast with Petri dish.3-5 mm diameter glass balls could disperse samples without destroying microorganism cells and community structure.Impurities and ECPs could be removed easily and sludge samples became thinner after dispersing which benefit the observation.Permeabilized cells with lysozyme and Proteinase K could enhance probe penetration before hybridization.Experiments of different treatment time with lysozyme and Proteinase K were carried out.Best results were observed when sludge samples treated with lysozyme 10 min/Proteinase K 20 min or lysozyme 20 min/Proteinase K 10 min.Slides were washed at 48 ℃ for 10,20,30,40 and 60 min in parallel.The best washing time was 20 min when washing temperature was 48 ℃.Fluorescent dye could residue when washing time was 10 min and washing out happened when washed for 30 min or more.

Approaches to municipal wastewater irrigation and environmental protection

To reuse the water and nutrient resources from ecological point of view the goals, criteria and constraint conditions of the scientifically municipal wastewater irrigation are discussed as well as the practice in major municipal wastewater irrigation areas in China is introduced, of which particularly the effects of municipal water irrigation mixing with oil refinery wastewater on the agricultural ecosystem are studied and described. It has been revealed that benzo(a)pyrene in various parts of paddy crop is attributed to air pollution, water-soil pollution and biosynthesis of plant. Of exogenous contributions of benzo(a)pyrene in paddy shoot system under natural condition, the dominant factor is the air pollution, whereas the water-soil factor is considered to be secondary. Therefore, it is mostly urgent to control the air pollution source of benzo(a)pyrene, to which the edible parts of various green plants are exposed directly.

Reed-wetland beds for municipal wastewater treatment

The performance of 11 reed-wetland beds for municipal wastewater treatment is described in this paper. The interrelation between pollutants removal (BOD5, SS, N and P) and hydraulic loading rate, organic loading rate, hydraulic retention time as well as the seasonal variation could be found in this study. The treatment efficiencies of reed beds are better than the secondary treatment standards with high and steady nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The total nitrogen and phosphorus of the final effluent are less than 10 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L, respectively.

Full Scale SBR Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility Utilization of Simultaneous Nitrification/Denitrification Coupled with Traditional Nitrogen Removal to Meet Water Criterion

Simultaneous nitrification denitrification (SND) is a well-established phenomenon in biological nutrient removal activated sludge systems. Study at a municipal wastewater treatment facility sought to determine nitrogen removal effectiveness within a full-scale sequential batch reactor (SBR) system utilizing SND in conjunction with traditional nitrogen removal. In addition to characterizing extent of SND, the research examined the ability of SND to meet state-based effluent water quality standards. At the selected facility, the average SND efficiency during a two-month sampling period was 52.8%, paralleling results from similar SBR municipal wastewater systems. The observed SBR system had removal efficiencies > 99% for the influent to effluent -N concentrations. The SND process also resulted in average NO3-NO2-N concentration that was 82% lower than the theoretical concentration under comparable circumstances. Overall, nitrogen removal for this SBR system was >99% which typified results in other SND systems, but at a higher Total Nitrogen removal rate.

Monitoring of 943 organic micropollutants in wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants with secondary and advanced treatment processes

To perform a systematic survey on the occurrence and removal of micropollutants during municipal wastewater treatment, 943 semi-volatile organic chemicals in 32 wastewater samples including influents of secondary treatments, secondary effluents and final effluents（effluents of advanced treatments）, which were collected from seven full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants（MWTPs） in China, were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS） coupled with an automated identification and quantification system with a database（AIQS-DB）. In total, 196 and 145 chemicals were detected in secondary and final effluents, respectively. The majority of the total concentrations（average removal efficiency, 87.0%±5.9%） of the micropollutants were removed during secondary treatments. However, advanced treatments achieved different micropollutant removal extents from secondary effluents depending on the different treatment processes employed. Highly variable removal efficiencies of total concentrations（32.7%–99.3%） were observed among the different advanced processes. Among them,ozonation-based processes could remove 70.0%–80.9% of the total concentrations of studied micropollutants. The potentially harmful micropollutants, based on their detection frequency and concentration in secondary and final effluents, were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons（PAHs）（2-methylnaphthalene, fluoranthene, pyrene, naphthalene and phenanthrene）, phosphorus flame retardants（tributyl phosphate（TBP）, tris（2-chloroethyl）phosphate（TCEP） and tris（1,3-dichloro-2-propyl） phosphate（TDCP））, phthalates（bis（2-ethylhexyl）phthalate（DEHP））, benzothiazoles（benzothiazole,2-（methylthio）-benzothiazol, and 2（3H）-benzothiazolone） and phenol. This study indicated that the presence of considerable amounts of micropollutants in secondary effluent creates the need for suitable advanced treatment before their reuse.

Sludge fermentation liquid addition attained advanced nitrogen removal in low C/N ratio municipal wastewater through short-cut nitrification-denitrification and partial anammox

Biological nitrogen removal of wastewater with low COD/N ratio could be enhanced by the addition of wasted sludge fermentation liquid(SFL),but the performance is usually limited by the introducing ammonium.In this study,the process of using SFL was successfully improved by involving anammox process.Real municipal wastewater with a low C/N ratio of 2.8–3.4 was treated in a sequencing batch reactor(SBR).The SBR was operated under anaerobic-aerobic-anoxic(AOA)mode and excess SFL was added into the anoxic phase.Stable short-cut nitrification was achieved after 46d and then anammox sludge was inoculated.In the stable period,effluent total inorganic nitrogen(TIN)was less than 4.3 mg/L with removal efficiency of 92.3%.Further analysis suggests that anammox bacteria,mainly affiliated with Candidatus_Kuenenia,successfully reduced the external ammonia from the SFL and contributed approximately 28%–43%to TIN removal.Overall,this study suggests anammox could be combined with SFL addition,resulting in a stable enhanced nitrogen biological removal.

Performance and mechanistic study on electrocoagulation process for municipal wastewater treatment based on horizontal bipolar electrodes

The design of electrodes is crucial to electrocoagulation process(EC),specifically,with respect to pollutant removal and energy consumption.During EC,the mechanisms for interaction between different electrode arrangement and electrode reactions remain unclear.This work presents an integrated EC process based on horizontal bipolar electrodes(BPEs).In the electrochemical cell,the graphite plates are used as driving cathode while either Fe or A1 plates serves as driving anode and BPEs.The BPEs are placed horizontally between the driving electrodes.For municipal wastewater treatment,the pollutant removal efficiency and energy consumption in different configurations of twodimension electrocoagulation(2D-EC)system with horizontal BPEs were investigated.The removal efficiency of turbidity,total phosphorus and total organic carbon increased significantly with the number of BPEs.Noted that the energy consumption for TP removal decreased by 75.2%with Fe driving anode and 81.5%with A1 driving anode than those of 2D-EC,respectively.In addition,the physical field simulation suggested the distributions of potential and current in electrolyte and that of induced charge density on BPE surface.This work provides a visual theoretical guidance to predict the distribution of reactions on BPEs for enhanced pollutant removal and energy saving based on electrocoagulation process for municipal wastewater treatment.

Feedforward control for nitrogen removal in a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic-oxic plant for municipal wastewater treatment

To improve the efficiency of nitrogen removalwith lower energy consumption,the study of feedforwardcontrol was carried out on a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxicoxic(AAO)plant for the treatment of municipal wastewater.The effluent qualities of the pilot plant underdifferent control strategies were investigated.The resultsindicated that the change of external recycle was not asuitable approach to regulate the sludge concentration ofplug-flow reactors;adjusting the aeration valve anddissolved oxygen set-point according to ammonia loadcould overcome the impact of influent fluctuation;and thedenitrification potential could be estimated based on thetransit time of anoxic zone and the relative content ofcarbon resource entering the anoxic zone.Simple feedforwardcontrol strategies for aeration and internal recyclewere subsequently proposed and validated.The nitrogenremoval was successfully improved in the pilot plant.Theeffluent total nitrogen had decreased by 29.9%and wassteadily controlled below 15 mg·L^(-1).Furthermore,approximately 38%of the energy for aeration had beensaved.

Advanced treatment of municipal wastewater by nanofiltration： Operational optimization and membrane fouling analysis

Municipal sewage from an oxidation ditch was treated for reuse by nanofiltration（NF） in this study. The NF performance was optimized, and its fouling characteristics after different operational durations（i.e., 48 and 169 hr） were analyzed to investigate the applicability of nanofiltration for water reuse. The optimum performance was achieved when transmembrane pressure = 12 bar, p H = 4 and flow rate = 8 L/min using a GE membrane. The permeate water quality could satisfy the requirements of water reclamation for different uses and local standards for water reuse in Beijing. Flux decline in the fouling experiments could be divided into a rapid flux decline and a quasi-steady state. The boundary flux theory was used to predict the evolution of permeate flux. The expected operational duration based on the 169-hr experiment was 392.6 hr which is 175% longer than that of the 48-hr one. High molecular weight（MW） protein-like substances were suggested to be the dominant foulants after an extended period based on the MW distribution and the fluorescence characteristics. The analyses of infrared spectra and extracellular polymeric substances revealed that the roles of both humic- and polysaccharide-like substances were diminished, while that of protein-like substances were strengthened in the contribution of membrane fouling with time prolonged. Inorganic salts were found to have marginally influence on membrane fouling. Additionally, alkali washing was more efficient at removing organic foulants in the long term, and a combination of water flushing and alkali washing was appropriate for NF fouling control in municipal sewage treatment.

Improvement of microalgae lipid productivity and quality in an ion-exchange-membrane photobioreactor using real municipal wastewater

To improve the productivity and quality of microalgae-based biodiesel when using municipal wastewater(MW)as nutrients source,an ion-exchange-membrane photobioreactor(IEM-PBR)was used in this study to eliminate the negative effects of pollutants in MW on microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus.In the IEM-PBR,the real MW and microalgae cultures were separated in two chambers by the ion-exchange-membranes(IEMs).Nutrients(N,P,etc.)in the MW permeated into microalgae cultures through the IEMs,while pollutants(suspended solids,competitors,etc.)in the MW could hardly permeate into microalgae cultures.As a result,the lipid productivity in the IEM-PBR was improved to 85.7 mg/(L·d)for C.vulgaris and 111.8 mg/(L·d)for S.obliquus,which was slightly higher than that in the traditional photobioreactor(T-PBR)with real MW after centrifugation(82.5 mg/(L·d)for C.vulgaris and 105.8 mg/(L·d)for S.obliquus),but much higher than that in the T-PBR with untreated MW and primary MW(with lipid productivity of 20-30 mg/(L·d)).Besides,the lipid quality obtained in the IEM-PBR had higher proportion of cetane number(ca.60%)and lower linolenic acid content(ca.8%),which showed a superior quality in the IEM-PBR to that in the T-PBR.It demonstrated that the IEM-PBR is an effective approach to improve the productivity and quality of microalgae biodiesel.

Selective elimination of chromophoric and fluorescent dissolved organic matter in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant

Effluent organic matter（Ef OM） from municipal wastewater treatment plants potentially has a detrimental effect on both aquatic organisms and humans.This study evaluated the removal and transformation of chromophoric dissolved organic matter（CDOM） and fluorescent dissolved organic matter（FDOM） in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant under different seasons.The results showed that bio-treatment was found to be more efficient in removing bulk DOM（in term of dissolved organic carbon,DOC） than CDOM and FDOM,which was contrary to the disinfection process.CDOM and FDOM were selectively removed at various stages during the treatment.Typically,the low molecular weight fractions of CDOM and protein-like FDOM were more efficiently removed during bio-treatment process,whereas the humic-like FDOM exhibited comparable decreases in both bio-treatment and disinfection processes.Overall,the performance of the WWTP was weak in terms of CDOM and FDOM removal,resulting in enrichment of CDOM and FDOM in effluent.Moreover,the total removal of the bulk DOM（P 〈 0.05） and the protein-like FDOM（P 〈 0.05） displayed a significant seasonal variation,with higher removal efficiencies in summer,whereas removal of CDOM and the humic-like FDOM showed little differences between summer and winter.In all,the results provide useful information for understanding the fate and transformation of DOM,illustrating that sub-fractions of DOM could be selectively removed depending on treatment processes and seasonality.

Removal of Organic Pollutants in Municipal Wastewater for Artificial Groundwater Recharge

In order to construct a demonstration artificial groundwater recharge system for wastewater reuse in China, three years of laboratory work has been conducted on advanced treatment technologies in combination with soil aquifer treatment of secondary effluent from sewage treatment plants. An effective and inexpensive process was selected, which uses DGB adsorption, PAC coagulation, sedimentation, sand filtration, ozone disinfection, and soil aquifer treatment. The effluent meets the recommended water quality criteria for groundwater recharge. Ozonation is effective for disinfection as well as for water quality improvement. Results showed that the total N in the SAT system remained constant thus the secondary effluent must have a low NH 3—N concentration for groundwater recharge.

Fuzzy super-twisting sliding mode control for municipal wastewater nitrification process

A fuzzy super-twisting algorithm sliding mode controller is developed for the dissolved oxygen concentration in municipal wastewater nitrification process. First, a fuzzy neural network(FNN) model is designed to approach the oxygen dynamics with unmeasurable disturbances, then the established model consists of the nominal system model and the modelling error. Second,based on the FNN model, a super-twisting sliding mode controller is employed to stabilize the nominal system and to suppress the modelling error. Moreover, the stability of the system is investigated and an adaption law is applied to ensure the robustness of the closed-loop system. Finally, the comparison experiments on benchmark simulation model no. 2(BSM2) of wastewater treatment show the advantages of the proposed method in multiple-units oxygen concentration control.