Pilot plant study on ozonation and biological activated carbon process for drinking water treatment

A study on advanced drinking water treatment was conducted in a pilot scale plant taking water from conventional treatment process. Ozonation-biological activated carbon process （O3-BAC） and granular activated carbon process （GAC） were evaluated based on the following parameters： CODMn, UV254, total organic carbon （TOC）, assimilable organic carbon （AOC） and biodegradable dissolved organic carbon （BDOC）. In this test, the average removal rates of CODMn, UV254 and TOC in O3-BAC were 18.2%, 9.0% and 10.2% higher on （AOC） than in GAC, respectively. Ozonation increased 19.3-57.6 μg Acetate-C/L in AOC-P17, 45.6-130.6 μg Acetate-C/L in AOC-NOX and 0.1-0.5 mg/L in BDOC with ozone doses of 2 8 mg/L. The optimum ozone dose for maximum AOC formation was 3 mgO3/L. BAC filtration was effective process to improve biostability.

Bacterial Community and Function of Biological Activated Carbon Filter in Drinking Water Treatment

Objective It aims to investigate the changes in composition and structure of bacterial communities de-veloping on biological activated carbon （BAC） particles, and the bacterial functions. Method A pilot plant had been in service for 180 days, aiming to develop bacterial communities on acti-vated carbon naturally. After 180 days of operation, the bacterial communities were determined by dena-turing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） analyses of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes. The study on community composition and the phylogenetic relationships of the organisms was complemented by a se-quence analysis of cloned PCR products from 16S rRNA genes. Gas chromatorgaphy-mass （GC-MS） mea-surement was used to determine organic chemical composition of inflow and outflow water on the 300th day. TOC and NH 4 ＋ -N were also tested in this experiment. Results It showed that the stable bacterial structure did not develop on BAC particles until the 9th month during running time of the BAC filter. The communities were finally dominated by Pseudomonas sp., Ba-cillus sp., Nitrospira sp., and an uncultured bacterium. Stable bacterial communities played an important role in removal of NH 4 ＋ -N and total organic carbon （TOC）. Results from gas chromatorgaphy-mass （GC-MS） showed that 36 kinds of chemicals in feed water were eliminated, and concentrations of 5 kinds of chemicals decreased. These chemicals served as nutrients for the dominant bacteria. Conclusion The findings from the study suggested that the stability of microbial structure was beneficial for improving NH 4 ＋ -N and TOC removal efficiencies. The dominant bacteria had the advantage of biode-grading a wide range of organic chemicals and NH 4 ＋ -N.

Treatment of flotation wastewater using biological activated carbon

A laboratory scale up-flow biological activated carbon(BAC) reactor was constructed for the advanced treatment of synthetic flotation wastewater. Biodegradation of a common collector(i.e., ethyl xanthate) for non-ferrous metallic ore flotation was evaluated. The results show that the two stages of domestication can improve microbial degradation ability. The BAC reactor obtains a chemical oxygen demand(COD) reduction rate of 82.5% for ethyl xanthate and its effluent COD concentration lowers to below 20 mg/L. The kinetics equation of the BAC reactor proves that the activated carbon layers at the height of 0 mm to 70 mm play a key role in the removal of flotation reagents. Ultraviolet spectral analysis indicates that most of the ethyl xanthate are degraded by microorganisms after advanced treatment by the BAC reactor.

Enhanced biological nutrient removal in modified carbon source division anaerobic anoxic oxic process with return activated sludge pre-concentration

A pilot-scale modified carbon source division anaerobic anoxic oxic(AAO) process with pre-concentration of returned activated sludge(RAS) was proposed in this study for the enhanced biological nutrient removal(BNR) of municipal wastewater with limited carbon source. The influent carbon source was fed in step while a novel RAS pre-concentration tank was adopted to improve BNR efficiency, and the effects of an influent carbon source distribution ratio and a RAS pre-concentration ratio were investigated. The results show that the removal efficiency of TN is mainly influenced by the carbon source distribution ratio while the TP removal relies on the RAS pre-concentration ratio. The optimum carbon source distribution ratio and RAS pre-concentration ratio are 60% and 50%, respectively, with an inner recycling ratio of 100% under the optimum steady operation of pilot test, reaching an average effluent TN concentration of 9.8 mg·L-1with a removal efficiency of 63% and an average TP removal efficiency of 94%. The mechanism of nutrient removal is discussed and the kinetics is analyzed. The results reveal that the optimal carbon source distribution ratio provides sufficient denitrifying carbon source to each anoxic phase, reducing nitrate accumulation while the RAS pre-concentration ratio improves the condition of anaerobic zone to ensure the phosphorus release due to less nitrate in the returned sludge. Therefore, nitrifying bacteria, denitrifying bacteria and phosphorus accumulation organisms play an important role under the optimum condition, enhancing the performance of nutrient removal in this test.

Effect of a biological activated carbon filter on particle counts

Due to the importance of biological safety in drinking water quality and the disadvantages which exist in traditional methods of detecting typical microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, it is necessary to develop an alternative. Particle counts is a qualitative measurement of the amount of dissolved solids in water. The removal rate of particle counts was previously used as an indicator of the effectiveness of a biological activated carbon (BAC) filter in removing Cryptosporidium and Giardia. The particle counts in a BAC filter effluent over one operational period and the effects of BAC filter construction and operational parameters were investigated with a 10 m3/h pilot plant. The results indicated that the maximum particle count in backwash remnant water was as high as 1296 count/ml and it needed about 1.5 h to reduce from the maximum to less than 50 count/ml. During the standard filtration period, particle counts stay constant at less than 50 count/ml for 5 d except when influ- enced by sand filter backwash remnant water. The removal rates of particle counts in the BAC filter are related to characteristics of the carbon. For example, a columned carbon and a sand bed removed 33.3% and 8.5% of particles, respectively, while the particle counts in effluent from a cracked BAC filter was higher than that of the influent. There is no significant difference among particle removal rates with different filtration rates. High post-ozone dosage (>2 mg/L) plays an important role in particle count removal; when the dosage was 3 mg/L, the removal rates by carbon layers and sand beds decreased by 17.5% and increased by 9.5%, respectively, compared with a 2 mg/L dosage.

Invertebrate community characteristics in biologically active carbon filter

Biologically active carbon （BAC） system was set up in a water plant of South China during January to December 2007,to study the invertebrate community characteristics of BAC filter.Thirty-seven invertebrate species were found,of which 28 belonging to rotifers.Filter operation could lead to an output of invertebrates in high abundances with the filtrate,and the maximum density could reach 5608 individuals/m 3.Average abundances in the effluent water increased in 27-33 folds in comparison to the influent water during the sampling period.Invertebrate community succession had the following trend：filter-feeding animals → small benthic invertebrates → large benthic and resistant invertebrates.Abundances of large-sized invertebrates （copepod adult and oligochaete） at bigger-media column were significantly higher than that at small-media column.The results implied the abundant species diversity of invertebrate in BAC filter.The relationship between invertebrate and biofilm still remain to be studied in detail.

Study on Treatment of the Pesticide Wastewater by the Composite Process of Biological Active Carbon Filter-Fluid Bed

[ Objectlve] The research aimed to study treatment effect of the pesticide wastewater by the composite process of biological active car- bon filter-fluid bed. [Method] The composite process of biological active carbon filter- fluid bed was applied to treat the mixed pesticide wastewater. The removal efficiencies of CODcr, BODs, NH3-N, SS and the influence factors were investigated. [ Result] The composite process had good treatment efficiency for pesticide wastewater. After running stably, the average removal rates of CODc,, BODs, NH3-N and SS were re- spectively 91.6%, 96.2%, 90.2% and 87.5%. All indices reached the third level cdteda specified in Comprehensive Standard of the Sewage Dis- charge （DB12/356-2008）. [ Conclusionl The whole system operates reliably and simply, and provides a stable, convenient and economical solu- tion for deep treatment of the mixed pesticide wastewater.

Comprehensive Analysis of Indoor Formaldehyde Removal Techniques:Exploring Physical,Chemical,and Biological Methods

This research focuses on the evaluation of diverse approaches for removing formaldehyde from indoor environments,which is a significant concern for indoor air quality.The study systematically examines physical,chemical,and biological methods to ascertain their effectiveness in formaldehyde mitigation.Physical methods,including air circulation and adsorption,particularly with activated carbon and molecular sieves,are assessed for their efficiency in various concentration scenarios.Chemical methods,such as photocatalytic oxidation using titanium dioxide and plasma technology,are analyzed for their ability to decompose formaldehyde into non-toxic substances.Additionally,biological methods involving plant purification and microbial transformation are explored for their eco-friendly and sustainable removal capabilities.The paper concludes that while each method has its merits,a combined approach may offer the most effective solution for reducing indoor formaldehyde levels.The study underscores the need for further research to integrate these methods in a practical,cost-effective,and environmentally sustainable manner,highlighting their potential to improve indoor air quality significantly.

Removal of disinfection by-products formation potential by biologically intensified process

The removal of disinfection by-products formation potential(DBPFP) in artificially intensified biological activated carbon(IBAC) process which is developed on the basis of traditional ozone granular activated carbon was evaluated. By IBAC removals of 31% and 68% for THMFP and HAAFP were obtained respectively. Under identical conditions, the removals of the same substances were 4% and 32% respectively only by the granular activated carbon(GAC) process. Compared with GAC, the high removal rates of the two formed potential substances were due to the increasing of bioactivity of the media and the synergistic capabilities of biological degradation cooperating with activated carbon adsorption of organic compounds. A clear linear correlation(R 2=0.9562 and R 2=0.9007) between DOC HAAFP removal rate and Empty Bed Contact Time(EBCT) of IBAC process was observed, while that between THMFP removal rate and EBCT of GAC was R 2=0.9782. In addition certain linear correlations between THMFP, HAAFP and UV 254 (R 2=0.855 and R 2=0.7702) were found for the treated water. For IBAC process there are also more advantages such as long backwashing cycle time, low backwashing intensity and prolonging activated carbon lifetime and so on.

Application of Green Technology Using Biological Means for the Adsorption of Micro-Pollutants in Water

It is true that the world we have today is not the world we use to know. The Covid-19 pandemic has paralyzed all sector, hence the need for safety and enabling environment for mankind is of high importance. Adsorption technology is far the best and cheapest treatment technology for water and has extensively proven its worth for the uptake of micro-pollutant from surface, ground and water which are the major channels of home water. Over the years activated carbon is considered as the most common and universally used adsorbent for the eradication of different types of micro-pollutants from water. The contamination of surface water by micro-pollutant is a potential threat for the production of high quality and safe drinking water. Adsorption operation onto granulated activated carbon (GAC) in fixed-bed filters is often applied as a remedying step in the synthesis of safe and drinkable water. Activated carbon actively tends to act as a carrier material for a thin usually resistant layer of microorganisms (mostly bacteria) that forms on the coat of various surfaces (biofilm), hence biological simplification can be an alternative removal approach that can be adopted in granulated activated carbon filters. To evaluate the capacity of biofilm to biologically simplify micro-pollutants, it is very imperative to distinguish adsorption from biological simplification (biodegradation) as a removal mechanism. Experiment was carried out under the operating condition of a temperature range of 6?C to 20?C with biologically activated and autoclaved GAC to assess the biological simplification by the biofilm adsorbed on the GAC surface. Five micro-pollutants were selected as model compounds, of which some of them were biologically simplified by the GAC biofilm. Additionally, we observed that temperature can increase or decrease adsorption. Conclusively, comparison was made on the adsorption capacity of granulated activated carbon used for more than 50,000 beds.

Removal of disinfection by-product formation potentials by biologically assisted GAC treatment

The object of this paper is to evaluate the removal of disinfection by-products formation potential by artificially intensified biological activated carbon（BAC） process which is developed on the basis of traditional ozone granular activated carbon （GAC）. The results show that 23.1% of trihalomethane formation potential （THMFP） and 68% of haloacetic acid formation potential （HAAFP） can be removed by BAC, respectively. Under the same conditions, the removal rates of the same substances were 12.2% and 13-25% respectively only by GAC process. Compared with GAC, the high removal rates of the two formed potential substances were due to the increasing of bioactivity of the media and the synergistic capabilities of biological degradation cooperating with activated carbon adsorption of organic compounds. BAC process has some advantages such as long backwashing cycle time, low backwashing intensity and prolonged activated carbon lifetime, etc.

Preparation of a novel activated carbon microsphere and its in vitro adsorption characteristics for biological molecules

We prepared a novel pitch-based activated carbon microsphere（ACM）and studied its in vitro adsorption characteristics for biological molecules.The original spherical asphalt particles were prepared through bitumen emulsification.After oxidation and burning,ACMs with a range of parameters were prepared.In vitro adsorption experiments of ACMs for biological molecules were carried out.The prepared ACMs possessed a BET specific surface of 1566 m^2/g with a voidage of 0.653 cm^3/g and a volume of micropores of 0.478 cm^3/g.They showed high adsorption for glucose and creatintine.Compared with the medically used carbon powder,the prepared ACMs exhibited significantly lower adsorption for digestion enzymes.In conclusion,the prepared ACMs,as an oral adsorbent candidate,possessed higher BET specific surface area and larger volume of micropores;they also exhibited favorable selective adsorption features for biological molecules.

Removal of anaerobic soluble microbial products in a biological activated carbon reactor

The soluble microbial products （SMP） in the biological treatment effluent are generally of great amount and are poorly biodegradable. Focusing on the biodegradation of anaerobic SMP, the biological activated carbon （BAC） was introduced into the anaerobic system. The experiments were conducted in two identical lab-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket （UASB） reactors. The high strength organics were degraded in the first UASB reactor （UASB1） and the second UASB （UASB2, i.e., BAC） functioned as a polishing step to remove SMP produced in UASB1. The results showed that 90% of the SMP could be removed before granular activated carbon was saturated. After the saturation, the SMP removal decreased to 60% on the average. Analysis of granular activated carbon adsorption revealed that the main role of SMP removal in BAC reactor was biodegradation. A strain of SMP-degrading bacteria, which was found highly similar to Klebsiella sp., was isolated, enriched and inoculated back to the BAC reactor. When the influent chemical oxygen demand （COD） was 10,000 mg/L and the organic loading rate achieved 10 kg COD/（m 3 ·day）, the effluent from the BAC reactor could meet the discharge standard without further treatment. Anaerobic BAC reactor inoculated with the isolated Klebsiella was proved to be an effective, cheap and easy technical treatment approach for the removal of SMP in the treatment of easily-degradable wastewater with COD lower than 10,000 mg/L.

Effect of ozone on the performance of a hybrid ceramic membrane-biological activated carbon process

Two hybrid processes including ozonation-ceramic membrane-biological activated carbon （BAC） （Process A） and ceramic membrane-BAC （Process B） were compared to treat polluted raw water. The performance of hybrid processes was evaluated with the removal efficiencies of turbidity, ammonia and organic matter. The results indicated that more than 99% of particle count was removed by both hybrid processes and ozonation had no significant effect on its removal. BAC filtration greatly improved the removal of ammonia. Increasing the dissolved oxygen to 30.0 mg/L could lead to a removal of ammonia with concentrations as high as 7.80 mg/L and 8.69 mg/L for Processes A and B, respectively. The average removal efficiencies of total organic carbon and ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm （UV254, a parameter indicating organic matter with aromatic structure） were 49% and 52% for Process A, 51% and 48% for Process B, respectively. Some organic matter was oxidized by ozone and this resulted in reduced membrane fouling and increased membrane flux by 25%-30%. However, pre-ozonation altered the components of the raw water and affected the microorganisms in the BAC, which may impact the removals of organic matter and nitrite negatively.

Influence of pore structure on biologically activated carbon performance and biofilm microbial characteristics

Optimizing the characteristics of granular activated carbon(GAC)can improve the performance of biologically activated carbon(BAC)filters,and iodine value has always been the principal index for GAC selection.However,in this study,among three types of GAC treating the same humic acidcontaminated water,one had an iodine value 35%lower than the other two,but the dissolved organic carbon removal efficiency of its BAC was less than 5%away from the others.Iodine value was found to influence the removal of different organic fractions instead of the total removal efficiency.Based on the removal and biological characteristics,two possible mechanisms of organic matter removal during steady-state were suggested.For GAC with poor micropore volume and iodine value,high molecular weight substances(3500–9000 Da)were removed mainly through degradation by microorganisms,and the biodegraded organics(soluble microbial by-products,<3500 Da)were released because of the low adsorption capacity of activated carbon.For GAC with higher micropore volume and iodine value,organics with low molecular weight(<3500 Da)were more easily removed,first being adsorbed by micropores and then biodegraded by the biofilm.The biomass was determined by the pore volume with pore diameters greater than 100μm,but did not correspond to the removal efficiency.Nevertheless,the microbial community structure was coordinate with both the pore structure and the organic removal characteristics.The findings provide a theoretical basis for selecting GAC for the BAC process based on its pore structure.

Effect of biological activated carbon filter depth and backwashing process on transformation of biofilm community

The biological activated carbon (BAC) is a popular advanced water treatment to the provision of safe water supply. A bench-scale device was designed to gain a better insight into microbial diversity and community structure of BAC biofilm by using high-throughput sequencing method. Both samples of BAC biofilm (the first, third and fifth month) and water (inlet water and outlet water of carbon filter, outlet water of backwashing) were analyzed to evaluate the impact of carbon filter depth, running time and backwash process. The results showed that the microbial diversity of biofilm decreased generally with the increase of carbon filter depth and biofilm reached a steady-state at the top layer of BAC after three months' running. Proteobacteria (71.02%-95.61%) was found to be dominant bacteria both in biofilms and water samples. As one of opportunistic pathogen, the Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the outlet water of device (1.20%) was about eight times higher than that in the inlet water of device (0.16%) at the genus level after five-month operation. To maintain the safety of drinking water, the backwash used in this test could significantly remove Sphingobacteria (from 8.69% to 5.09%, p < 0.05) of carbon biofilm. After backwashing, the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) number and the Shannon index decreased significantly (p <0.05) at the bottom of carbon column and we found the Proteobacteria increased by about 10% in all biofilm samples from different filter depth. This study reveals the transformation of BAC biofilm with the impact of running time and backwashing.

Nitrification and denitrification in biological activated carbon filter for treating high ammonia source water

Since the ammonia in the effluent of the tradi-tional water purification process could not meet the supply demand,the advanced treatment of a high concentration of NH4+-N micro-polluted source water by biological activated carbon filter(BACF)was tested.The filter was operated in the downflow manner and the results showed that the remov-ing rate of NH_(4)^(+)-N was related to the influent concentration of NH_(4)^(+)-N.Its removing rate could be higher than 95%when influent concentration was under 1.0 mg/L.It could also decrease with the increasing influent concentration when the NH_(4)^(+)-N concentration was in the range from 1.5 to 4.9 mg/L and the dissolved oxygen(DO)in the influent was under 10 mg/L,and the minimum removing rate could be 30%.The key factor of restricting nitrification in BACF was the influent DO.When the influent NH_(4)^(+)-N concentration was high,the DO in water was almost depleted entirely by the nitrifying and hetetrophic bacteria in the depth of 0.4 m filter and the filter layer was divided into aerobic and anoxic zones.The nitrification and degradation of organic matters existed in the aerobic zone,while the denitrification occurred in the anoxic zone.Due to the limited carbon source,the denitrifica-tion could not be carried out properly,which led to the accu-mulation of the denitrification intermediates such as NO_(2)^(−).In addition to the denitrification bacteria,the nitrification and the heterotrophic bacteria existed in the anoxic zone.

Characterization of bacterial community and iron corrosion in drinking water distribution systems with O3-biological activated carbon treatment

Bacterial community structure and iron corrosion were investigated for simulated drinking water distribution systems（DWDSs） composed of annular reactors incorporating three different treatments： ozone, biologically activated carbon and chlorination（O3-BAC-Cl2）;ozone and chlorination（O3-Cl2）; or chlorination alone（Cl2）. The lowest corrosion rate and iron release, along with more Fe3O4 formation, occurred in DWDSs with O3-BAC-Cl2 compared to those without a BAC filter. It was verified that O3-BAC influenced the bacterial community greatly to promote the relative advantage of nitrate-reducing bacteria（NRB）in DWDSs. Moreover, the advantaged NRB induced active Fe（III） reduction coupled to Fe（II） oxidation, enhancing Fe3O4 formation and inhibiting corrosion. In addition, O3-BAC pretreatment could reduce high-molecular-weight fractions of dissolved organic carbon effectively to promote iron particle aggregation and inhibit further iron release. Our findings indicated that the O3-BAC treatment, besides removing organic pollutants in water, was also a good approach for controlling cast iron corrosion and iron release in DWDSs.

A review on treatment of disinfection byproduct precursors by biological activated carbon process

Disinfection by-products(DBPs)in water systems have attracted increasing attention due to their toxic effects.Removal of precursors(mainly natural organic matter(NOM))prior to the disinfection process has been recognized as the ideal strategy to control the DBP levels.Currently,biological activated carbon(BAC)process is a highly recommended and prevalent process for treatment of DBP precursors in advanced water treatment.This paper first introduces the fundamental knowledge of BAC process,including the history,basic principles,typical process flow,and basic operational parameters.Then,the selection of BAC process for treatment of DBP precursors is explained in detail based on the comparative analysis of dominant water treatment technologies from the aspects of mechanisms for NOM removal as well as the treatability of different groups of DBP precursors.Next,a thorough overview is presented to summarize the recent developments and breakthroughs in the removal of DBP precursors using BAC process,and the contents involved include effect of pre-BAC ozonation,removal performance of various DBP precursors,toxicity risk reduction,fractional analysis of NOM,effect of empty bed contact time(EBCT)and engineered biofiltration.Finally,some recommendations are made to strengthen current research and address the knowledge gaps,including the issues of microbial mechanisms,toxicity evaluation,degradation kinetics and microbial products.

基于BIOLOG指纹解析土壤可培微生物对铀污染的响应

为考察铀污染对土壤微生物群落的影响,以50、100、150 mg·L-1铀处理的土壤为研究对象,未处理的土壤为对照(CK),采用BIOLOG-ECO微孔板技术考察土壤微生物群落的功能多样性和碳源利用动力学特征等的变化。根据微孔板中的孔平均颜色变化率(AWCD)可知,铀污染对土壤微生物的生理活性呈现显著的抑制作用;采用Shannon多样性指数、Simpson指数、Mc Intosh指数描述微生物功能多样性,结果表明,铀处理组与CK的微生物群落功能多样性差异在3个多样性指数上均达到显著水平;土壤微生物对各类碳源的利用能力有所不同,以氨基酸类和胺类碳源为主;铀处理后,6类碳源相对利用率均比CK显著降低,其中羧酸类和多聚物类的利用率下降50%以上。主成分分析结果表明,铀污染后的土壤微生物特异利用的碳源主要有β-甲基-D-葡萄糖苷、D-半乳糖酸-γ-内脂、L-精氨酸等。因此,铀污染改变了土壤微生物的群落结构,导致微生物生理代谢等功能特性的变化。BIOLOG-ECO技术结合数学统计分析方法可以较为直观、快捷地反映土壤微生物的生物多样性,研究结果为评估和修复铀污染生态环境提供了理论依据。