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.

Evaluation of the Inverse Fluidized Bed Biological Reactor for Treating High-Strength Industrial Wastewaters

The aim of this work was to investigate the aerobic degradation of high-strength industrial (refinery) wastewaters in the inverse fluidized bed biological reactor, in which polypropylene particles of density 910 kg/m3 were fluidized by an upward flow of gas through a bed. Measurements of chemical oxygen demand (COD) versus residence time t were performed for various ratios of settled bed volume to reactor volume (Vb/VR) and air velocities u. The largest COD reduction, namely, from 54,840 to 2,190 mg/l, i.e. a 96% COD decrease, was achieved when the reactor was operated at the ratio (Vb/VR) = 0.55, air velocity u = 0.046 m/s and t = 65 h. Thus, these values of (Vb/VR), u and t can be considered as the optimal operating parameters for a reactor when used in treatment of high-strength refinery wastewaters. In the treatment operation conducted in a reactor optimally controlled at (Vb/VR) = 0.55, u = 0.046 m/s and t = 65 h, the conversions obtained for all phenolic constituents of the wastewater were larger than 95%. The conversions of about 90% were attained for other hydrocarbons.

Effects of anaerobic digestion and aerobic treatment on the reduction of gaseous emissions from dairy manure storages

Effects of anaerobic digestion and aerobic treatment on the reduction of gaseous emissions from dairy manure storages were evaluated in this study.Screened dairy manure containing 3.5%volatile solids(VS)was either anaerobically digested or aerobically treated prior to storage in air-tight vessels.Anaerobic digestion was carried out using a mesophilic anaerobic sequencing batch reactor operated at a hydraulic retention time of 20 days and an organic loading rate(OLR)of 1 gVS/L/day.Aerobic treatment was achieved using an aerobic reactor operated at a hydraulic retention time(HRT)of 10 days and an OLR of 2 gVS/(L·d).The treated manure was put into the storage on a daily basis for a period of 180 days.All the gases produced during this period were captured and analyzed for methane,carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds(VOCs).Untreated manure was stored and analyzed in the same way as the treated manure and used as a control for comparison.The results show that low amounts of gases were produced during the first 84 days of storage in both treated and untreated manure,but increased significantly after this time point.The generally expected positive impacts of anaerobic and aerobic treatment on the reductions of methane and VOCs were confirmed in this study.However,the effects of anaerobic and aerobic treatment varied over the time of storage,especially for VOCs.The results of this study indicate that to achieve significant reductions in VOC emission the storage time of anaerobic digester or aerobic reactor effluent should be limited to no more than 100 days.

Elucidating the removal mechanism of N,N-dimethyldithiocarbamate in an anaerobic-anoxic-oxic activated sludge system

N,N-Dimethyldithiocarbamate （DMDTC） is a typical precursor of N-nitrosodimethylamine （NDMA）. Based on separate hydrolysis, sorption and biodegradation studies of DMDTC, a laboratory-scale anaerobic-anoxic-oxic （AAO） system was established to investigate the removal mechanism of DMDTC in this nutrient removal biological treatment system. DMDTC hydrolyzed easily in water solution under either acidic conditions or strong alkaline conditions, and dimethylamine （DMA） was the main hydrolysate. Under anaerobic, anoxic or oxic conditions, DMDTC was biodegraded and completely mineralized. Furthermore, DMA was the main intermediate in DMDTC biodegradation. In the AAO system, the optimal conditions for both nutrient and DMDTC removal were hydraulic retention time 8 hr, sludge retention time 20 day, mixed-liquor return ratio 3：1 and sludge return ratio 1：1. Under these conditions, the removal efficiency of DMDTC reached 99.5%; the removal efficiencies of chemical organic demand, ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were 90%, 98%, 81% and 93%, respectively. Biodegradation is the dominant mechanism for DMDTC removal in the AAO system, which was elucidated as consisting of two steps： first, DMDTC is transformed to DMA in the anaerobic and anoxic units, and then DMA is mineralized to CO2 and NH3 in the anoxic and oxic units. The mineralization of DMDTC in the biological treatment system can effectively avoid the formation of NDMA during subsequent disinfection processes.

A pilot scale trickling filter with pebble gravel as media and its performance to remove chemical oxygen demand from synthetic brewery wastewater

Evaluating the performance of a biotrickling filter for the treatment of wastewaters produced by a company manufacturing beer was the aim of this study.A pilot scale trickling filter filled with gravel was used as the experimental biofilter.Pilot scale plant experiments were made to evaluate the performance of the trickling filter aerobic and anaerobic biofilm systems for removal of chemical oxygen demand(COD) and nutrients from synthetic brewery wastewater.Performance evaluation data of the trickling filter were generated under different experimental conditions.The trickling filter had an average efficiency of(86.81±6.95)% as the hydraulic loading rate increased from 4.0 to 6.4 m3/(m2·d).Various COD concentrations were used to adjust organic loading rates from 1.5 to 4.5 kg COD/(m3·d).An average COD removal efficiency of(85.10±6.40)% was achieved in all wastewater concentrations at a hydraulic loading of 6.4 m3/(m2·d).The results lead to a design organic load of 1.5 kg COD/(m3·d) to reach an effluent COD in the range of 50–120 mg/L.As can be concluded from the results of this study,organic substances in brewery wastewater can be handled in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner using the gravel-filled trickling filter.