Transportability Class of Americium in K Basin Sludge under Ambient and Hydrothermal Processing Conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Delegard, Calvin H.; Schmitt, Bruce E.; Schmidt, Andrew J.

2006-08-01

This report establishes the technical bases for using a ''slow uptake'' instead of a ''moderate uptake'' transportability class for americium-241 (241Am) for the K Basin Sludge Treatment Project (STP) dose consequence analysis. Slow uptake classes are used for most uranium and plutonium oxides. A moderate uptake class has been used in prior STP analyses for 241Am based on the properties of separated 241Am and its associated oxide. However, when 241Am exists as an ingrown progeny (and as a small mass fraction) within plutonium mixtures, it is appropriate to assign transportability factors of the predominant plutonium mixtures (typically slow) to themore » Am241. It is argued that the transportability factor for 241Am in sludge likewise should be slow because it exists as a small mass fraction as the ingrown progeny within the uranium oxide in sludge. In this report, the transportability class assignment for 241Am is underpinned with radiochemical characterization data on K Basin sludge and with studies conducted with other irradiated fuel exposed to elevated temperatures and conditions similar to the STP. Key findings and conclusions from evaluation of the characterization data and published literature are summarized here. Plutonium and 241Am make up very small fractions of the uranium within the K Basin sludge matrix. Plutonium is present at about 1 atom per 500 atoms of uranium and 241Am at about 1 atom per 19000 of uranium. Plutonium and americium are found to remain with uranium in the solid phase in all of the {approx}60 samples taken and analyzed from various sources of K Basin sludge. The uranium-specific concentrations of plutonium and americium also remain approximately constant over a uranium concentration range (in the dry sludge solids) from 0.2 to 94 wt%, a factor of {approx}460. This invariability demonstrates that 241Am does not partition from the uranium or plutonium fraction for any characterized sludge matrix. Most of the K Basin sludge characterization data is derived spent nuclear fuel corroded within the K Basins at 10-15?C. The STP process will place water-laden sludges from the K Basin in process vessels at {approx}150-180 C. Therefore, published studies with other irradiated (uranium oxide) fuel were examined. From these studies, the affinity of plutonium and americium for uranium in irradiated UO2 also was demonstrated at hydrothermal conditions (150 C anoxic liquid water) approaching those proposed for the STP process and even for hydrothermal conditions outside of the STP operating envelope (e.g., 150 C oxic and 100 C oxic and anoxic liquid water). In summary, by demonstrating that the chemical and physical behavior of 241Am in the sludge matrix is similar to that of the predominant species (uranium and for the plutonium from which it originates), a technical basis is provided for using the slow uptake transportability factor for 241Am that is currently used for plutonium and uranium oxides. The change from moderate to slow uptake for 241Am could reduce the overall analyzed dose consequences for the STP by more than 30%.« less

A Guide to the Selection of Cost-Effective Wastewater Treatment Systems. Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Note, Robert H.; And Others

The data within this publication provide guidelines for planners, engineers and decision-makers at all governmental levels to evaluate cost-effectiveness of alternative wastewater treatment proposals. The processes described include conventional and advanced treatment units as well as most sludge handling and processing units. Flow sheets, cost…

Structure modification and extracellular polymeric substances conversion during sewage sludge biodrying process.

PubMed

Cai, Lu; Krafft, Thomas; Chen, Tong-Bin; Gao, Ding; Wang, Li

2016-09-01

Biodrying, an economical and energy-saving biomass waste treatment, removes water from waste using the biological heat generated by organic matter degradation. Technical limitations associated with dewatering complicate the biodrying of sewage sludge. This study investigated the sludge alteration associated with its water removal, focusing on sludge form, extracellular polymeric substances, and free water release. An auto-feedback control technology was used for the biodrying; a scanning electron microscope was used to record the morphological change; three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy was used to analyze extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) variation, and time domain reflectometry was used to assess the free water release. Over the 20-day biodrying, there was a 62% water removal rate during the first thermophilic phase. Biodrying created a hollow and stratified sludge structure. Aromatic proteins and soluble microbial byproducts in the EPS were significantly degraded. The thermophilic phase was the phase resulting in the greatest free water release. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and application of a continuous fast microwave pyrolysis system for sewage sludge utilization.

PubMed

Zhou, Junwen; Liu, Shiyu; Zhou, Nan; Fan, Liangliang; Zhang, Yaning; Peng, Peng; Anderson, Erik; Ding, Kuan; Wang, Yunpu; Liu, Yuhuan; Chen, Paul; Ruan, Roger

2018-05-01

A continuous fast microwave-assisted pyrolysis system was designed, fabricated, and tested with sewage sludge. The system is equipped with continuous biomass feeding, mixing of biomass and microwave absorbent, and separated catalyst upgrading. The effect of the sludge pyrolysis temperature (450, 500, 550, and 600 °C) on the products yield, distribution and potentially energy recovery were investigated. The physical, chemical, and energetic properties of the raw sewage sludge and bio-oil, char and gas products obtained were analyzed using elemental analyzer, GC-MS, Micro-GC, SEM and ICP-OES. While the maximum bio-oil yield of 41.39 wt% was obtained at pyrolysis temperature of 550 °C, the optimal pyrolysis temperature for maximum overall energy recovery was 500 °C. The absence of carrier gas in the process may be responsible for the high HHV of gas products. This work could provide technical support for microwave-assisted system scale-up and sewage sludge utilization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving anaerobic and aerobic degradation by ultrasonic disintegration of biomass.

PubMed

Neis, Uwe; Nickel, Klaus; Lundén, Anna

2008-11-01

Biological cell lysis is known to be the rate-limiting step of anaerobic biosolids degradation. Due to the slow pace by which this reaction occurs, it is necessary to equip treatment plants with large digesters or alternatively incorporate technological aids. High-power ultrasound used to disintegrate bacterial cells has been utilized as a pre-treatment process prior to anaerobic digestion. Through this application, as seen on pilot- and full-scales, it is possible to attain up to 30% more biogas, an increase in VS-destruction of up to 30% and a reduced sludge mass for disposal. Utilizing ultrasound technology in aerobic applications is a new and innovative approach. Improved denitrification through a more readily available internal carbon source, and less excess sludge mass can be traced to the positive effects that sonication of sludge has on the overall biological wastewater treatment process. Reference full-scale installations suggest that the technology is both technically feasible and economically sound.

40 CFR 501.12 - Program description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 501.12 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SEWAGE SLUDGE STATE... technical support, except where a State is seeking authorization for an established sewage sludge management... section, except where a State is seeking authorization for an established sewage sludge management program...

Defense Waste Processing Facility Simulant Chemical Processing Cell Studies for Sludge Batch 9

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Tara E.; Newell, J. David; Woodham, Wesley H.

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) received a technical task request from Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) and Saltstone Engineering to perform simulant tests to support the qualification of Sludge Batch 9 (SB9) and to develop the flowsheet for SB9 in the DWPF. These efforts pertained to the DWPF Chemical Process Cell (CPC). CPC experiments were performed using SB9 simulant (SB9A) to qualify SB9 for sludge-only and coupled processing using the nitric-formic flowsheet in the DWPF. Two simulant batches were prepared, one representing SB8 Tank 40H and another representing SB9 Tank 51H. The simulant used for SB9 qualification testing wasmore » prepared by blending the SB8 Tank 40H and SB9 Tank 51H simulants. The blended simulant is referred to as SB9A. Eleven CPC experiments were run with an acid stoichiometry ranging between 105% and 145% of the Koopman minimum acid equation (KMA), which is equivalent to 109.7% and 151.5% of the Hsu minimum acid factor. Three runs were performed in the 1L laboratory scale setup, whereas the remainder were in the 4L laboratory scale setup. Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) cycles were performed on nine of the eleven. The other two were SRAT cycles only. One coupled flowsheet and one extended run were performed for SRAT and SME processing. Samples of the condensate, sludge, and off-gas were taken to monitor the chemistry of the CPC experiments.« less

Bench-Scale Evaluation of the Genifuel Hydrothermal Processing Technology for Wastewater Solids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marrone, Philip A.; Elliott, Douglas C.; Billing, Justin M.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) and Catalytic Hydrothermal Gasification (CHG) proof-of-concept bench-scale tests were performed to assess the potential of the Genifuel hydrothermal process technology for handling municipal wastewater sludge. HTL tests were conducted at 300-350°C and 20 MPa on three different feeds: primary sludge (11.9 wt% solids), secondary sludge (9.7 wt% solids), and post-digester sludge (also referred to as digested solids) (16.0 wt% solids). Corresponding CHG tests were conducted at 350°C and 20 MPa on the HTL aqueous phase output using a ruthenium based catalyst. A comprehensive analysis of all feed and effluent phases was also performed. Total mass and carbonmore » balances closed to within ± 15% in all but one case. Biocrude yields from HTL tests were 37%, 25%, and 34% for primary sludge, secondary sludge, and digested solids feeds, respectively. The biocrude yields accounted for 59%, 39%, and 49% of the carbon in the feed for primary sludge, secondary sludge, and digested solids feeds, respectively. Biocrude composition and quality were comparable to that seen with biocrudes generated from algae feeds. Subsequent hydrotreating (i.e., upgrading) of the biocrude produced from primary sludge and digested solids resulted in a product with comparable physical and chemical properties to petroleum crude oil. CHG product gas consisted primarily of methane, with methane yields (relative to CHG input) on a carbon basis of 47%, 61%, and 64% for aqueous feeds that were the output of HTL tests with primary sludge, secondary sludge, and digested solids, respectively. Siloxane concentrations in the CHG product gas were below the detection limit and well below fuel input composition limits set by several engine manufacturers. Relative to that of the sludge feeds, the HTL-CHG process resulted in a reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) of greater than 99.9% and a reduction in residual solids for disposal of 94-99%. The test results, as a whole, support further long term testing in a larger scale integrated system that is representative of what would be installed at a water resource recovery facility (WRRF) in order to fully assess the technical and economic viability of this technology for wastewater sludge treatment.« less

Full-scale production of VFAs from sewage sludge by anaerobic alkaline fermentation to improve biological nutrients removal in domestic wastewater.

PubMed

Liu, He; Han, Peng; Liu, Hongbo; Zhou, Guangjie; Fu, Bo; Zheng, Zhiyong

2018-07-01

A full-scale project of thermal-alkaline pretreatment and alkaline fermentation of sewage sludge was built to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs) which was then used as external carbon source for improving biological nitrogen and phosphorus removals (BNPR) in wastewater plant. Results showed this project had efficient and stable performances in VFA production, sludge reduce and BNPR. Hydrolysis rate in pretreatment, VFAs yield in fermentation and total VS reduction reached 68.7%, 261.32 mg COD/g VSS and 54.19%, respectively. Moreover, fermentation liquid with VFA presented similar efficiency as acetic acid in enhancing BNPR, obtaining removal efficiencies of nitrogen and phosphorus up to 72.39% and 89.65%, respectively. Finally, the project also presented greater economic advantage than traditional processes, and the net profits for VFAs and biogas productions are 9.12 and 3.71 USD/m 3 sludge, respectively. Long-term operation indicated that anaerobic alkaline fermentation for VFAs production is technically and economically feasible for sludge carbon recovery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioconversion of paper mill sludge to bioethanol in the presence of accelerants or hydrogen peroxide pretreatment.

PubMed

Gurram, Raghu Nandan; Al-Shannag, Mohammad; Lecher, Nicholas Joshua; Duncan, Shona M; Singsaas, Eric Lawrence; Alkasrawi, Malek

2015-09-01

In this study we investigated the technical feasibility of convert paper mill sludge into fuel ethanol. This involved the removal of mineral fillers by using either chemical pretreatment or mechanical fractionation to determine their effects on cellulose hydrolysis and fermentation to ethanol. In addition, we studied the effect of cationic polyelectrolyte (as accelerant) addition and hydrogen peroxide pretreatment on enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. We present results showing that removing the fillers content (ash and calcium carbonate) from the paper mill sludge increases the enzymatic hydrolysis performance dramatically with higher cellulose conversion at faster rates. The addition of accelerant and hydrogen peroxide pretreatment further improved the hydrolysis yields by 16% and 25% (g glucose / g cellulose), respectively with the de-ashed sludge. The fermentation process of produced sugars achieved up to 95% of the maximum theoretical ethanol yield and higher ethanol productivities within 9h of fermentation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production of biosolid fuels from municipal sewage sludge: Technical and economic optimisation.

PubMed

Wzorek, Małgorzata; Tańczuk, Mariusz

2015-08-01

The article presents the technical and economic analysis of the production of fuels from municipal sewage sludge. The analysis involved the production of two types of fuel compositions: sewage sludge with sawdust (PBT fuel) and sewage sludge with meat and bone meal (PBM fuel). The technology of the production line of these sewage fuels was proposed and analysed. The main objective of the study is to find the optimal production capacity. The optimisation analysis was performed for the adopted technical and economic parameters under Polish conditions. The objective function was set as a maximum of the net present value index and the optimisation procedure was carried out for the fuel production line input capacity from 0.5 to 3 t h(-1), using the search step 0.5 t h(-1). On the basis of technical and economic assumptions, economic efficiency indexes of the investment were determined for the case of optimal line productivity. The results of the optimisation analysis show that under appropriate conditions, such as prices of components and prices of produced fuels, the production of fuels from sewage sludge can be profitable. In the case of PBT fuel, calculated economic indexes show the best profitability for the capacity of a plant over 1.5 t h(-1) output, while production of PBM fuel is beneficial for a plant with the maximum of searched capacities: 3.0 t h(-1). Sensitivity analyses carried out during the investigation show that influence of both technical and economic assessments on the location of maximum of objective function (net present value) is significant. © The Author(s) 2015.

Defense Technical Information Center Thesaurus

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-10-01

acquisition radar 4 + Indicates existence of further generic levels of the term DTIC Thesaurus Actuators Acridines Actinide series (cont.) Activated sintering...BT Heterocyclic compounds+ Uranium+ BT Sintering Acrilan Actinide series compounds Activated sludge process use Acrylonitrile polymers RT Actinide...Waste treatment+ Protactinium compounds Acronyms Thorium compounds+ Activation use Abbreviations Transuranium compounds+ UF Energizing Uranium compounds

Helminth ova control in sludge: a review.

PubMed

Jiménez, B

2007-01-01

Sludge reuse for agricultural production or soil reclamation is a common practice in several countries, but it entails risks if not properly performed. One such risk is the dissemination of helminthiases diseases. As a consequence, international criteria and national standards set values to limit their content in biosolids. However, little information is available on how to inactivate helminth ova from sludge, particularly when a high content is involved as is the case in the developing world. Moreover, treatment criteria are based on a limited number of studies dealing with local characteristics that, when applied to the conditions in developing countries, produce poor results. This is because design criteria were developed for Ascaris (a kind of helminth) while sludge contains a variety of genera. In addition, much information on helminth ova was produced a long time ago using inaccurate analytical techniques. This paper summarizes research and recent technical information from the literature concerning: (a) the general characteristics of helminth ova; (b) the common helminth ova genera found in sludge; (c) the main removal and inactivation mechanisms, (d) the processes that have proven effective in practical conditions at inactivating helminth ova; and (e) analytical techniques used to enumerate these pathogens.

Technical, economic and environmental assessment of sludge treatment wetlands.

PubMed

Uggetti, Enrica; Ferrer, Ivet; Molist, Jordi; García, Joan

2011-01-01

Sludge treatment wetlands (STW) emerge as a promising sustainable technology with low energy requirements and operational costs. In this study, technical, economic and environmental aspects of STW are investigated and compared with other alternatives for sludge management in small communities (<2000 population equivalent). The performance of full-scale STW was characterised during 2 years. Sludge dewatering increased total solids (TS) concentration by 25%, while sludge biodegradation lead to volatile solids around 45% TS and DRI(24h) between 1.1 and 1.4 gO(2)/kgTS h, suggesting a partial stabilisation of biosolids. In the economic and environmental assessment, four scenarios were considered for comparison: 1) STW with direct land application of biosolids, 2) STW with compost post-treatment, 3) centrifuge with compost post-treatment and 4) sludge transport to an intensive wastewater treatment plant. According to the results, STW with direct land application is the most cost-effective scenario, which is also characterised by the lowest environmental impact. The life cycle assessment highlights that global warming is a significant impact category in all scenarios, which is attributed to fossil fuel and electricity consumption; while greenhouse gas emissions from STW are insignificant. As a conclusion, STW are the most appropriate alternative for decentralised sludge management in small communities. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reuse of residual sludge from stone-processing: differences and similarities between sludge coming from carbonate and silicate stones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Careddu, Nicola; Antonella Dino, Giovanna

2015-04-01

Residual sludge coming from dimension stone working activities represents a serious environmental and economic problem both for Stone Industry and citizens. Indeed, most of time, residual sludge is landfilled because of the difficulties to recover it; such difficulties are mainly connected to local legislation and a lack of proper protocols. In general, it is possible to individuate two different categories of sludge: residual sludge coming from carbonate rocks (CS) and those coming from silicate rocks (SS). Both of them are characterised by a very fine size distribution. CS is composed mainly by the same compounds of the processed stones (marble, limestone, travertine). The reason of this is related to the very slow wear of diamond tools during processing which entails a negligible content of heavy metals. CS becomes very interesting, from an economic point of view, when it has a CaCO3 grade > 95 %. On the contrary, SS is characterised by high heavy metal and TPH content. Residual sludge from the processing of silicate rocks can be split in three different sub-categories, depending on the way they are produced, and in particular: sludge from gangsaw using abrasive steel shot (GSS), sludge from multi diamond-saw block cutter (DBC), and mixed sludge (MS) from gangsaw and block cutter. These three sub-categories show different problems connected to heavy metal content, indeed on the one hand GSS is characterised by a high percentage of Ni, Cr, Cu, etc., on the other hand DBC is characterised by Co and Cu high content. In general, sludge, management of which in Italy is administered in accordance with the Italian Legislative Decree 152/06, can be used as waste from for environmental restoration or for cement plants. Several researches investigate the possible reuse of these materials but, at present time, there is no evidence of its systematic recovery as "recycled product" or "by-product". On the basis of the results of these researches it is possible to highlight its recovery, after a proper treatment, mainly as: landfill waterproofing material; filler material for civil works; artificial soil for land rehabilitation and high value added products from carbonate rocks. Such "new products", obtained from the treatment of residual sludge, have to be certified not only on the basis of their technical and physical characteristics but also by means of appropriate chemical analyses to guarantee that the products are not polluted. The research will show a comparison between the characteristics of the two main sludge categories (similarities and differences), the environmental problems connected to sludge management, the potential applications for both the categories (CS and SS), highlighting the most promising ones (e.g., SS: artificial soil for land rehabilitation and filler material for civil works; CS: filler in high value added products as paper, rubber and paints), the problems connected to "new products" certification and selling, and some suggestions for executive protocols to boost their systematic recovery.

Strategic petroleum reserve supporting research. Quarterly technical report, January 1-March 31, 1986

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Woodward, P.W.

1986-01-01

The basic objective is to provide technical support to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Office (SPRO), through the Bartlesville Project Office. This support includes routine analyses, experimental research, and technical consultation at the SPRO's request. Accomplishments for this past quarter include: stable D, /sup 34/S, and /sup 13/C isotope ratio analyses for 27 samples of SPR crude oil; gas chromatographic simulated distillation (Sim-dis) of 74 SPR crude samples; sim-dis of sludge samples to check for bimodal distributions; data for 8 comprehensive analyses have been entered into the Bonner and Moore ''Crude Assay II'' library; 25 samples which included both whole crudesmore » and distillate fractions were chromatographed using Siemens dual-oven GC and PIANO software; separation of 4 sludge samples into acid, base, and neutral fractions by ion exchange chromatography; and proton and sodium-23 NMR measurements of sludge samples. 1 fig., 5 tabs.« less

Production of technical grade phosphoric acid from incinerator sewage sludge ash (ISSA).

PubMed

Donatello, S; Tong, D; Cheeseman, C R

2010-01-01

The recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge ash samples obtained from 7 operating sludge incinerators in the UK using a sulfuric acid washing procedure to produce a technical grade phosphoric acid product has been investigated. The influences of reaction time, sulfuric acid concentration, liquid to solid ratio and source of ISSA on P recovery have been examined. The optimised conditions were the minimum stoichiometric acid requirement, a reaction time of 120 min and a liquid to solid ratio of 20. Under these conditions, average recoveries of between 72% and 91% of total phosphorus were obtained. Product filtrate was purified by passing through a cation exchange column, concentrated to 80% H(3)PO(4) and compared with technical grade H(3)PO(4) specifications. The economics of phosphate recovery by this method are briefly discussed. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Economic evaluation of alternative wastewater treatment plant options for pulp and paper industry.

PubMed

Buyukkamaci, Nurdan; Koken, Emre

2010-11-15

Excessive water consumption in pulp and paper industry results in high amount of wastewater. Pollutant characteristics of the wastewater vary depending on the processes used in production and the quality of paper produced. However, in general, high organic material and suspended solid contents are considered as major pollutants of pulp and paper industry effluents. The major pollutant characteristics of pulp and paper industry effluents in Turkey were surveyed and means of major pollutant concentrations, which were grouped in three different pollution grades (low, moderate and high strength effluents), and flow rates within 3000 to 10,000m(3)/day range with 1000m(3)/day steps were used as design parameters. Ninety-six treatment plants were designed using twelve flow schemes which were combinations of physical treatment, chemical treatment, aerobic and anaerobic biological processes. Detailed comparative cost analysis which includes investment, operation, maintenance and rehabilitation costs was prepared to determine optimum treatment processes for each pollution grade. The most economic and technically optimal treatment processes were found as extended aeration activated sludge process for low strength effluents, extended aeration activated sludge process or UASB followed by an aeration basin for medium strength effluents, and UASB followed by an aeration basin or UASB followed by the conventional activated sludge process for high strength effluents. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A review of the sustainable value and disposal techniques, wastewater stabilisation ponds sludge characteristics and accumulation.

PubMed

Keffala, Chéma; Harerimana, Casimir; Vasel, Jean-luc

2013-01-01

Based on worldwide works available in international literature, this paper describes the status of sewage sludge resulting from settleable solids in waste stabilisation ponds (WSP). This review presents, in detail, sludge characteristics, production and accumulation rates in order to provide background information to those who expect to advise or get involved with sewage disposal in situations where resources are limited. Knowing that several years are usually required for a sludge removal operation and that the long-term sustainability of WSP systems is dependent on the safe and effective management of their sludge, its cost must be estimated and taken into account in the annual maintenance costs of the processes. Thus, this paper intends to summarise desludging methods and their financial estimation. Even when ponds have been functioning for several years, most of the sediments are stabilised well, the final disposal is an issue in terms of risk due, for example, to their content in nematode eggs. More generally, the pathogen content in sludge from WSP ponds has to be known to define an appropriate management and to safeguard public health. Based on existing data, the rates and distribution of helminth eggs will be presented and practical treatment methods will be suggested. A number of sludge utilisation and disposal pathways will also be summarised. Sludge activity in terms of oxygen consumption is also discussed in order to gather more information to improve pond design and keep an economic and sustainable value of WSP. The objectives of the present review are to advance knowledge and gather scientific and technical information on all aspects of sludge management including production, characterisation, management, agricultural reuse and ultimate disposal.

Data quality objectives for the initial fuel conditioning examinations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawrence, L.A.

The Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) were established for the response of the first group of fuel samples shipped from the K West Basin to the Hanford 327 Building hot cells for examinations to the proposed Path Forward conditioning process. Controlled temperature and atmosphere furnace testing testing will establish performance parameters using the conditioning process (drying, sludge drying, hydride decomposition passivation) proposed by the Independent Technical Assessment (ITA) Team as the baseline.

Enhanced phenol removal in an innovative lignite activated coke-assisted biological process.

PubMed

Zhang, Chen; Li, Jianfeng; Cheng, Fangqin; Liu, Yu

2018-07-01

In this study, a lignite activated coke (LAC)-assisted activated sludge (AS) process was developed for enhancing biodegradation of phenol, while the effects of LAC on sludge properties and microbial community structure were investigated. It was found that more than 90% of phenol was removed within 1 h in the LAC/AS, which was 3 times higher than the conventional AS process. Moreover, the floc size and settleability were also significantly improved in the LAC/AS. These results suggested that LAC could serve as the nucleating agent to promote the formation of compact floc, which was beneficial for toxicity mitigation and system stability. The microbial community analysis by 16S high-throughput pyrosequencing technology further revealed a more abundant bacterial richness and diversity in the LAC/AS process loaded with phenol, while some phenol degraders, such as Propionibacteriaceae were enriched. Engineering implications further suggests the LAC-assisted AS process is technically sound and economically viable. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project recommended path forward

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fulton, J.C.

The Spent Nuclear Fuel Project (the Project), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy-commissioned Independent Technical Assessment (ITA) team, has developed engineered alternatives for expedited removal of spent nuclear fuel, including sludge, from the K Basins at Hanford. These alternatives, along with a foreign processing alternative offered by British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL), were extensively reviewed and evaluated. Based on these evaluations, a Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) Recommended Path Forward for K Basins spent nuclear fuel has been developed and is presented in Volume I of this document. The recommendation constitutes an aggressive series of projects to construct andmore » operate systems and facilities to safely retrieve, package, transport, process, and store K Basins fuel and sludge. The overall processing and storage scheme is based on the ITA team`s proposed passivation and vault storage process. A dual purpose staging and vault storage facility provides an innovative feature which allows accelerated removal of fuel and sludge from the basins and minimizes programmatic risks beyond any of the originally proposed alternatives. The projects fit within a regulatory and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) overlay which mandates a two-phased approach to construction and operation of the needed facilities. The two-phase strategy packages and moves K Basins fuel and sludge to a newly constructed Staging and Storage Facility by the year 2000 where it is staged for processing. When an adjoining facility is constructed, the fuel is cycled through a stabilization process and returned to the Staging and Storage Facility for dry interim (40-year) storage. The estimated total expenditure for this Recommended Path Forward, including necessary new construction, operations, and deactivation of Project facilities through 2012, is approximately $1,150 million (unescalated).« less

A modified oxic-settling-anaerobic activated sludge process using gravity thickening for excess sludge reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jun; Li, Shi-Yu; Jiang, Feng; Wu, Ke; Liu, Guang-Li; Lu, Hui; Chen, Guang-Hao

2015-09-01

Oxic-settling-anaerobic process (OSA) was known as a cost-effective way to reduce the excess sludge production with simple upgrade of conventional activated sludge process (CAS). A low oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) level was the key factor to sludge decay and lysis in the sludge holding tank of the OSA process. However, the ORP control with nitrogen purge or chemical dosing in the OSA process would induce extra expense and complicate the operation. Hence, in this study, a sludge holding tank using gravity thickening was applied to OSA process to reduce the excess sludge production without any ORP control. Results showed that the modified OSA process not only reduced the excess sludge production effectively but also improved the sludge settleability without affected the treatment capacity. The reduction of the excess sludge production in the modified OSA process resulted from interactions among lots of factors. The key element of the process was the gravity thickening sludge holding tank.

Phosphorus recovery from municipal wastewater: An integrated comparative technological, environmental and economic assessment of P recovery technologies.

PubMed

Egle, L; Rechberger, H; Krampe, J; Zessner, M

2016-11-15

Phosphorus (P) is an essential and limited resource. Municipal wastewater is a promising source of P via reuse and could be used to replace P derived from phosphate rocks. The agricultural use of sewage sludge is restricted by legislation or is not practiced in several European countries due to environmental risks posed by organic micropollutants and pathogens. Several technologies have been developed in recent years to recover wastewater P. However, these technologies target different P-containing flows in wastewater treatment plants (effluent, digester supernatant, sewage sludge, and sewage sludge ash), use diverse engineering approaches and differ greatly with respect to P recycling rate, potential of removing or destroying pollutants, product quality, environmental impact and cost. This work compares 19 relevant P recovery technologies by considering their relationships with existing wastewater and sludge treatment systems. A combination of different methods, such as material flow analysis, damage units, reference soil method, annuity method, integrated cost calculation and a literature study on solubility, fertilizing effects and handling of recovered materials, is used to evaluate the different technologies with respect to technical, ecological and economic aspects. With regard to the manifold origins of data an uncertainty concept considering validity of data sources is applied. This analysis revealed that recovery from flows with dissolved P produces clean and plant-available materials. These techniques may even be beneficial from economic and technical perspectives under specific circumstances. However, the recovery rates (a maximum of 25%) relative to the wastewater treatment plant influent are relatively low. The approaches that recover P from sewage sludge apply complex technologies and generally achieve effective removal of heavy metals at moderate recovery rates (~40-50% relative to the WWTP input) and comparatively high costs. Sewage sludge ash is the most promising P source, with recovery rates of 60-90% relative to the wastewater P. The costs highly depend on the purity requirements of the recycled products but can be kept comparatively low, especially if synergies with existing industrial processes are exploited. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Methane potential of sterilized solid slaughterhouse wastes.

PubMed

Pitk, Peep; Kaparaju, Prasad; Vilu, Raivo

2012-07-01

The aim of the current study was to determine chemical composition and methane potential of Category 2 and 3 solid slaughterhouse wastes rendering products (SSHWRP) viz. melt, decanter sludge, meat and bone meal (MBM), technical fat and flotation sludge from wastewater treatment. Chemical analyses showed that SSHWRP were high in protein and lipids with total solids (TS) content of 96-99%. Methane yields of the SSHWRP were between 390 and 978 m(3) CH(4)/t volatile solids (VS)(added). Based on batch experiments, anaerobic digestion of SSHWRP from the dry rendering process could recover 4.6 times more primary energy than the energy required for the rendering process. Estonia has technological capacity to sterilize all the produced Category 2 and 3 solid slaughterhouse wastes (SSHW) and if separated from Category 1 animal by-products (ABP), it could be further utilized as energy rich input material for anaerobic digestion. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How can sludge dewatering devices be assessed? Development of a new DSS and its application to real case studies.

PubMed

Bertanza, Giorgio; Papa, Matteo; Canato, Matteo; Collivignarelli, Maria Cristina; Pedrazzani, Roberta

2014-05-01

A key issue in biological Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) operation is represented by the sludge management. Mechanical dewatering is a crucial stage for sludge volume reduction; though, being a costly operation, its optimization is required. We developed an original experimental methodology to evaluate the technical (dewatering efficiency) and financial (total treatment costs) performance of dewatering devices, which might be used as a DSS (Decision Support System) for WWTP managers. This tool was then applied to two real case studies for comparing, respectively, three industrial size centrifuges, and two different operation modes of the same machine (fixed installation vs. outsourcing service). In both the cases, the best option was identified, based jointly on economic and (site-specific) technical evaluations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SCIX IMPACT ON DWPF CPC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koopman, D.

2011-07-14

A program was conducted to systematically evaluate potential impacts of the proposed Small Column Ion Exchange (SCIX) process on the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Chemical Processing Cell (CPC). The program involved a series of interrelated tasks. Past studies of the impact of crystalline silicotitanate (CST) and monosodium titanate (MST) on DWPF were reviewed. Paper studies and material balance calculations were used to establish reasonable bounding levels of CST and MST in sludge. Following the paper studies, Sludge Batch 10 (SB10) simulant was modified to have both bounding and intermediate levels of MST and ground CST. The SCIX flow sheetmore » includes grinding of the CST which is larger than DWPF frit when not ground. Nominal ground CST was not yet available, therefore a similar CST ground previously in Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was used. It was believed that this CST was over ground and that it would bound the impact of nominal CST on sludge slurry properties. Lab-scale simulations of the DWPF CPC were conducted using SB10 simulants with no, intermediate, and bounding levels of CST and MST. Tests included both the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) cycles. Simulations were performed at high and low acid stoichiometry. A demonstration of the extended CPC flowsheet was made that included streams from the site interim salt processing operations. A simulation using irradiated CST and MST was also completed. An extensive set of rheological measurements was made to search for potential adverse consequences of CST and MST and slurry rheology in the CPC. The SCIX CPC impact program was conducted in parallel with a program to evaluate the impact of SCIX on the final DWPF glass waste form and on the DWPF melter throughput. The studies must be considered together when evaluating the full impact of SCIX on DWPF. Due to the fact that the alternant flowsheet for DWPF has not been selected, this study did not consider the impact of proposed future alternative DWPF CPC flowsheets. The impact of the SCIX streams on DWPF processing using the selected flowsheet need to be considered as part of the technical baseline studies for coupled processing with the selected flowsheet. In addition, the downstream impact of aluminum dissolution on waste containing CST and MST has not yet been evaluated. The current baseline would not subject CST to the aluminum dissolution process and technical concerns with performing the dissolution with CST have been expressed. Should this option become feasible, the downstream impact should be considered. The main area of concern for DWPF from aluminum dissolution is an impact on rheology. The SCIX project is planning for SRNL to complete MST, CST, and sludge rheology testing to evaluate any expected changes. The impact of ground CST transport and flush water on the DWPF CPC feed tank (and potential need for decanting) has not been defined or studied.« less

An Investigation of Technologies for Hazardous Sludge Reduction at AFLC (Air Force Logistics Command) Industrial Waste Treatment Plants. Volume 1. Sodium Borohydride Treatment and Sludge Handling Technologies.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

ql.udge treatment studies, and preparation of preliminary designs . First Lieutenant James Aldrich was the RDV Project Officer. This technical report has...METAL REMOVA STUDY.. . .. .. .. . . .. 51 VI INVESTIGATING SLUDGE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES . 76 VII PROTOTYPE DESIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 viii...Task V was directed at developing basic design and cost data for prototype systems that employ the most promising methods developed under Tasks III and

Critical operational parameters for zero sludge production in biological wastewater treatment processes combined with sludge disintegration.

PubMed

Yoon, Seong-Hoon; Lee, Sangho

2005-09-01

Mathematical models were developed to elucidate the relationships among process control parameters and the effect of these parameters on the performance of anoxic/oxic biological wastewater processes combined with sludge disintegrators (A/O-SD). The model equations were also applied for analyses of activated sludge processes hybrid with sludge disintegrators (AS-SD). Solubilization ratio of sludge in the sludge disintegrator, alpha, hardly affected sludge reduction efficiencies if the biomass was completely destructed to smaller particulates. On the other hand, conversion efficiency of non-biodegradable particulates to biodegradable particulates, beta, significantly affected sludge reduction efficiencies because beta was directly related to the accumulation of non-biodegradable particulates in bioreactors. When 30% of sludge in the oxic tank was disintegrated everyday and beta was 0.5, sludge reduction was expected to be 78% and 69% for the A/O-SD and AS-SD processes, respectively. Under this condition, the sludge disintegration number (SDN), which is the amount of sludge disintegrated divided by the reduced sludge, was calculated to be around 4. Due to the sludge disintegration, live biomass concentration decreased while other non-biodegradable particulates concentration increased. As a consequence, the real F/M ratio was expected to be much higher than the apparent F/M. The effluent COD was maintained almost constant for the range of sludge disintegration rate considered in this study. Nitrogen removal efficiencies of the A/O-SD process was hardly affected by the sludge disintegration until daily sludge disintegration reaches 40% of sludge in the oxic tank. Above this level of sludge disintegration, autotrophic biomass concentration decreases overly and TKN in the effluent increases abruptly in both the A/O-SD and AS-SD processes. Overall, the trends of sludge reduction and effluent quality according to operation parameters matched well with experimental results found in literatures.

Valuation of OSA process and folic acid addition as excess sludge minimization alternatives applied in the activated sludge process.

PubMed

Martins, C L; Velho, V F; Ramos, S R A; Pires, A S C D; Duarte, E C N F A; Costa, R H R

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of the oxic-settling-anaerobic (OSA)-process and the folic acid addition applied in the activated sludge process to reduce the excess sludge production. The study was monitored during two distinct periods: activated sludge system with OSA-process, and activated sludge system with folic acid addition. The observed sludge yields (Yobs) were 0.30 and 0.08 kgTSS kg(-1) chemical oxygen demand (COD), control phase and OSA-process (period 1); 0.33 and 0.18 kgTSS kg(-1) COD, control phase and folic acid addition (period 2). The Yobs decreased by 73 and 45% in phases with the OSA-process and folic acid addition, respectively, compared with the control phases. The sludge minimization alternatives result in a decrease in excess sludge production, without negatively affecting the performance of the effluent treatment.

Manufacturing ceramic bricks with polyaluminum chloride (PAC) sludge from a water treatment plant.

PubMed

da Silva, E M; Morita, D M; Lima, A C M; Teixeira, L Girard

2015-01-01

The objective of this research work is to assess the viability of manufacturing ceramic bricks with sludge from a water treatment plant (WTP) for use in real-world applications. Sludge was collected from settling tanks at the Bolonha WTP, which is located in Belém, capital of the state of Pará, Brazil. After dewatering in drainage beds, sludge was added to the clay at a local brickworks at different mass percentages (7.6, 9.0, 11.7, 13.9 and 23.5%). Laboratory tests were performed on the bricks to assess their resistance to compression, water absorption, dimensions and visual aspects. Percentages of 7.6, 9.0, 11.7 and 13.9% (w/w) of WTP sludge presented good results in terms of resistance, which indicates that technically, ceramic bricks can be produced by incorporating up to 13.9% of WTP sludge.

Comparing urban solid waste recycling from the viewpoint of urban metabolism based on physical input-output model: A case of Suzhou in China

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liang Sai, E-mail: liangsai09@gmail.com; Zhang Tianzhu, E-mail: zhangtz@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Impacts of solid waste recycling on Suzhou's urban metabolism in 2015 are analyzed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sludge recycling for biogas is regarded as an accepted method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Technical levels of reusing scrap tires and food wastes should be improved. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Other fly ash utilization methods should be exploited. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Secondary wastes from reusing food wastes and sludge should be concerned. - Abstract: Investigating impacts of urban solid waste recycling on urban metabolism contributes to sustainable urban solid waste management and urban sustainability. Using a physical input-output model and scenario analysis, urban metabolism of Suzhou in 2015 is predicted and impactsmore » of four categories of solid waste recycling on urban metabolism are illustrated: scrap tire recycling, food waste recycling, fly ash recycling and sludge recycling. Sludge recycling has positive effects on reducing all material flows. Thus, sludge recycling for biogas is regarded as an accepted method. Moreover, technical levels of scrap tire recycling and food waste recycling should be improved to produce positive effects on reducing more material flows. Fly ash recycling for cement production has negative effects on reducing all material flows except solid wastes. Thus, other fly ash utilization methods should be exploited. In addition, the utilization and treatment of secondary wastes from food waste recycling and sludge recycling should be concerned.« less

Particle size effects on uptake of heavy metals from sewage sludge compost using natural zeolite clinoptilolite.

PubMed

Zorpas, Antonis A; Vassilis, Inglezakis; Loizidou, Maria; Grigoropoulou, Helen

2002-06-01

Land application of sewage sludge may be the least energy consuming and the most cost-effective means of sludge disposal or utilization. However, the major technical problem with land application of sludge concerns the high concentrations of heavy metals. These metals may be leached and enter the ecosystem, the food chain, and eventually the human population. This paper deals with the removal of heavy metals from sewage sludge compost using natural zeolite clinoptilolite, in respect to the particle size. The final results indicate that heavy metals can be sufficiently removed by using 25% w/w of zeolite with particle size of 3.3-4.0 mm. Pore clogging and structural damage in smaller particle sizes is probably the reason for lower uptake of metals by the latter.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ANTIFOAM TRACKING SYSTEM AS AN OPTION TO SUPPORT THE MELTER OFF-GAS FLAMMABILITY CONTROL STRATEGY AT THE DWPF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwards, T.; Lambert, D.

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been working with the Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) in the development and implementation of an additional strategy for confidently satisfying the flammability controls for DWPF’s melter operation. An initial strategy for implementing the operational constraints associated with flammability control in DWPF was based upon an analytically determined carbon concentration from antifoam. Due to the conservative error structure associated with the analytical approach, its implementation has significantly reduced the operating window for processing and has led to recurrent Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) and Melter Feed Tank (MFT) remediation. Tomore » address the adverse operating impact of the current implementation strategy, SRR issued a Technical Task Request (TTR) to SRNL requesting the development and documentation of an alternate strategy for evaluating the carbon contribution from antifoam. The proposed strategy presented in this report was developed under the guidance of a Task Technical and Quality Assurance Plan (TTQAP) and involves calculating the carbon concentration from antifoam based upon the actual mass of antifoam added to the process assuming 100% retention. The mass of antifoam in the Additive Mix Feed Tank (AMFT), in the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT), and in the SME is tracked by mass balance as part of this strategy. As these quantities are monitored, the random and bias uncertainties affecting their values are also maintained and accounted for. This report documents: 1) the development of an alternate implementation strategy and associated equations describing the carbon concentration from antifoam in each SME batch derived from the actual amount of antifoam introduced into the AMFT, SRAT, and SME during the processing of the batch. 2) the equations and error structure for incorporating the proposed strategy into melter off-gas flammability assessments. Sample calculations of the system are also included in this report. Please note that the system developed and documented in this report is intended as an alternative to the current, analytically-driven system being utilized by DWPF; the proposed system is not intended to eliminate the current system. Also note that the system developed in this report to track antifoam mass in the AMFT, SRAT, and SME will be applicable beyond just Sludge Batch 8. While the model used to determine acceptability of the SME product with respect to melter off-gas flammability controls must be reassessed for each change in sludge batch, the antifoam mass tracking methodology is independent of sludge batch composition and as such will be transferable to future sludge batches.« less

Evaluation of sludge management alternatives in Istanbul metropolitan area.

PubMed

Cakmakci, M; Erdim, E; Kinaci, C; Akca, L

2005-01-01

The main concern of this paper was to predict the sludge quantities generated from 18 wastewater treatment plants, which were stated to be established in the "Istanbul Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage, Sewage Treatment and Disposal Master Plan", 10 of which are in operation at present. Besides this, obtaining the required data to compare various treatment schemes was another goal of the study. Especially, the estimation of the sludge quantity in the case of enhanced primary sedimentation was of importance. Wastewater sludge management strategies were discussed in order to develop suggestions for Istanbul Metropolitan city. Within this context, the wastewater treatment facilities, mentioned in the Master Plan that had been completed by 2000, were evaluated in terms of sludge production rates, locations and technical and management aspects. Disposal alternatives of the wastewater treatment sludge were also evaluated in this study. Using of the dewatered sludge as a landfill cover material seems the best alternative usage. Up to the year of 2040, the requirement of cover material for landfills in Istanbul will be met by the dewatered sludge originated from wastewater treatment plants in the region.

Matrix-specific distribution and diastereomeric profiles of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in a multimedia environment: Air, soil, sludge, sediment, and fish.

PubMed

Jo, Hyeyeong; Son, Min-Hui; Seo, Sung-Hee; Chang, Yoon-Seok

2017-07-01

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) contamination and its diastereomeric profile were investigated in a multi-media environment along a river at the local scale in air, soil, sludge, sediment, and fish samples. The spatial distribution of HBCD in each matrix showed a different result. The highest concentrations of HBCD in air and soil were detected near a general industrial complex; in the sediment and sludge samples, they were detected in the down-stream region (i.e., urban area). Each matrix showed the specific distribution patterns of HBCD diastereomers, suggesting continuous inputs of contaminants, different physicochemical properties, or isomerizations. The particle phases in air, sludge, and fish matrices were dominated by α-HBCD, owing to HBCD's various isomerization processes and different degradation rate in the environment, and metabolic capabilities of the fish; in contrast, the sediment and soil matrices were dominated by γ-HBCD because of the major composition of the technical mixtures and the strong adsorption onto solid particles. Based on these results, the prevalent and matrix-specific distribution of HBCD diastereomers suggested that more careful consideration should be given to the characteristics of the matrices and their effects on the potential influence of HBCD at the diastereomeric level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wastewater and sludge management and research in Oman: An overview.

PubMed

Jaffar Abdul Khaliq, Suaad; Ahmed, Mushtaque; Al-Wardy, Malik; Al-Busaidi, Ahmed; Choudri, B S

2017-03-01

It is well recognized that management of wastewater and sludge is a critical environmental issue in many countries. Wastewater treatment and sludge production take place under different technical, economic, and social contexts, thus requiring different approaches and involving different solutions. In most cases, a regular and environmentally safe wastewater treatment and associated sludge management requires the development of realistic and enforceable regulations, as well as treatment systems appropriate to local circumstances. The main objective of this paper is to provide useful information about the current wastewater and sludge treatment, management, regulations, and research in Oman. Based on the review and discussion, the wastewater treatment and sludge management in Oman has been evolving over the years. Further, the land application of sewage sludge should encourage revision of existing standards, regulations, and policies for the management and beneficial use of sewage sludge in Oman. Wastewater treatment and sludge management in Oman have been evolving over the years. Sludge utilization has been a challenge due to its association with human waste. Therefore, composting of sewage sludge is the best option in agriculture activities. Sludge and wastewater utilization can add up positively in the economic aspects of the country in terms of creating jobs and improving annual income rate. The number of research projects done on wastewater reuse and other ongoing ones related to the land application of sewage sludge should encourage revision of existing standards, regulations, and policies for the management and beneficial use of sewage sludge in Oman.

Clean-up and disposal process of polluted sediments from urban rivers.

PubMed

He, P J; Shao, L M; Gu, G W; Bian, C L; Xu, C

2001-10-01

In this paper, the discussion is concentrated on the properties of the polluted sediments and the combination of clean-up and disposal process for the upper layer heavily polluted sediments with good flowability. Based on the systematic analyses of various clean-up processes, a suitable engineering process has been evaluated and recommended. The process has been applied to the river reclamation in Yangpu District of Shanghai City, China. An improved centrifuge is used for dewatering the dredged sludge, which plays an important role in the combination of clean-up and disposal process. The assessment of the engineering process shows its environmental and technical economy feasibility, which is much better than that of traditional dredging-disposal processes.

Quarterly progress report for the Chemical and Energy Research Section of the Chemical Technology Division: October-December 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jubin, R.T.

This report summarizes the major activities conducted in the Chemical and Energy Research Section of the Chemical Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) during the period October--December 1997. The section conducts basic and applied research and development in chemical engineering, applied chemistry, and bioprocessing, with an emphasis on energy-driven technologies and advanced chemical separations for nuclear and waste applications. The report describes the various tasks performed within six major areas of research: Hot Cell Operations, Process Chemistry and Thermodynamics, Separations and Materials Synthesis, Fluid Structure and Properties, Biotechnology Research, and Molecular Studies. The name of a technical contactmore » is included with each task described, and readers are encouraged to contact these individuals if they need additional information. Activities conducted within the area of Hot Cell Operations included efforts to optimize the processing conditions for Enhanced Sludge Washing of Hanford tank sludge, the testing of candidate absorbers and ion exchangers under continuous-flow conditions using actual supernatant from the Melton Valley Storage Tanks, and attempts to develop a cesium-specific spherical inorganic sorbent for the treatment of acidic high-salt waste solutions. Within the area of Process Chemistry and Thermodynamics, the problem of solids formation in process solutions from caustic treatment of Hanford sludge was addressed and experimental collaborative efforts with Russian scientists to determine the solidification conditions of yttrium barium, and copper oxides from their melts were completed.« less

Use of a water treatment sludge in a sewage sludge dewatering process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Górka, Justyna; Cimochowicz-Rybicka, Małgorzata; Kryłów, Małgorzata

2018-02-01

The objective of the research study was to determine whether a sewage sludge conditioning had any impact on sludge dewaterability. As a conditioning agent a water treatment sludge was used, which was mixed with a sewage sludge before a digestion process. The capillary suction time (CST) and the specific filtration resistance (SRF) were the measures used to determine the effects of a water sludge addition on a dewatering process. Based on the CST curves the water sludge dose of 0.3 g total volatile solids (TVS) per 1.0 g TVS of a sewage sludge was selected. Once the water treatment sludge dose was accepted, disintegration of the water treatment sludge was performed and its dewaterability was determined. The studies have shown that sludge dewaterability was much better after its conditioning with a water sludge as well as after disintegration and conditioning, if comparing to sludge with no conditioning. Nevertheless, these findings are of preliminary nature and future studies will be needed to investigate this topic.

Technical problems of wastewater treatment plant in crude palm oil industry A case study in PT Socfin Indonesia-Kebun Sungai Liput, Nang groe Aceh Darussalam Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paramitadevi, Y. V.; Rahmatullah

2017-05-01

Crude palm oil produced in Indonesia has already been known as the largest in the world. Unfortunately many of palm oil factories (CPOF) spread out in Indonesia have not good wastewater treatments (WWTP) yet. PT Socfin Indonesia, as an example, which is located in Aceh Tamiang Regency, still has BOD contained in its final effluent of the waswater treatment plant more than 150 ppm. In fact, the capability and capacity of WWTP in PT Socfin are 192 m3per day. Because of improper operational and maintenance of the WWTP, the technical prob lem are accumulated, such as, increasing the deposition of sludge and decreasing the retention time. The following affect is the treatment process is not going well and the quality of effluent is getting worse. The objective of this paper is to solve the technical problems by means remov ing the deposition of sludge periodically and fixing floating aeration in the aerobic pond. Method using for this paper is survey and wastewater sampling. A recommendation of the was tewater treatment system has been proposed after average BOD from WWTP outlet is defined 158 mg/L. The recommendation has seven procesess including oil separation, neutralization, closed tank anaerobic digester equipped with gas holder, extended aeration, settling tank, sand drying bed and land application.

Effects of dissolved oxygen on performance and microbial community structure in a micro-aerobic hydrolysis sludge in situ reduction process.

PubMed

Niu, Tianhao; Zhou, Zhen; Shen, Xuelian; Qiao, Weimin; Jiang, Lu-Man; Pan, Wei; Zhou, Jijun

2016-03-01

A sludge process reduction activated sludge (SPRAS), with a sludge process reduction module composed of a micro-aerobic tank and a settler positioned before conventional activated sludge process, showed good performance of pollutant removal and sludge reduction. Two SPRAS systems were operated to investigate effects of micro-aeration on sludge reduction performance and microbial community structure. When dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the micro-aerobic tank decreased from 2.5 (SPH) to 0.5 (SPL) mg/L, the sludge reduction efficiency increased from 42.9% to 68.3%. Compared to SPH, activated sludge in SPL showed higher contents of extracellular polymeric substances and dissolved organic matter. Destabilization of floc structure in the settler, and cell lysis in the sludge process reduction module were two major reasons for sludge reduction. Illumina-MiSeq sequencing showed that microbial diversity decreased under high DO concentration. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi were the most abundant phyla in the SPRAS. Specific comparisons down to the class and genus level showed that fermentative, predatory and slow-growing bacteria in SPL community were more abundant than in SPH. The results revealed that micro-aeration in the SPRAS improved hydrolysis efficiency and enriched fermentative and predatory bacteria responsible for sludge reduction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Continuous sulfidogenic wastewater treatment with iron sulfide sludge oxidation and recycle.

PubMed

Deng, Dongyang; Lin, Lian-Shin

2017-05-01

This study evaluated the technical feasibility of packed-bed sulfidogenic bioreactors dosed with ferrous chloride for continuous wastewater treatment over a 450-day period. In phase I, the bioreactors were operated under different combinations of carbon, iron, and sulfate mass loads without sludge recycling to identify optimal treatment conditions. A COD/sulfate mass ratio of 2 and a Fe/S molar ratio of 1 yielded the best treatment performance with COD oxidation rate of 786 ± 82 mg/(L⋅d), which resulted in 84 ± 9% COD removal, 94 ± 6% sulfate reduction, and good iron retention (99 ± 1%) under favorable pH conditions (6.2-7.0). In phase II, the bioreactors were operated under this chemical load combination over a 62-day period, during which 7 events of sludge collection, oxidation, and recycling were performed. The collected sludge materials contained both inorganic and organic matter with FeS and FeS 2 as the main inorganic constituents. In each event, the sludge materials were oxidized in an oxidizing basin before recycling to mix with the wastewater influent. Sludge recycling yielded enhanced COD removal (90 ± 6% vs. 75 ± 7%), and better effluent quality in terms of pH (6.8 ± 0.1 vs. 6.5 ± 0.2), iron (0.7 ± 0.5 vs. 1.9 ± 1.7 mg/L), and sulfide-S (0.3 ± 0.1 vs. 0.4 ± 0.1 mg/L) removal compared to the baseline operation without sludge recycling during phase II. This process exhibited treatment stability with reasonable variations, and fairly consistent sludge content over long periods of operation under a range of COD/sulfate and Fe/S ratios without sludge recycling. The bioreactors were found to absorb recycling-induced changes efficiently without causing elevated suspended solids in the effluents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the design criteria of 141 onsite wastewater treatment systems available on the French market.

PubMed

Dubois, V; Boutin, C

2018-06-15

New EC standards published in 2009 led to a surge in onsite wastewater treatment systems reaching the European market. Here we summarize their technical aspects and compare them to known values used in centralized wastewater treatment. The paper deals with two types of processes: attached-growth systems (AGS) on fine media and suspended-growth systems (SGS). Covering 141 technical approvals and 36 manufacturers, we compare onsite design criteria against the centralized wastewater design criteria for each process. The systems use a wide range of materials for bacterial growth, from soil, sand or gravel to zeolite, coconut shavings or rockwool cubes, with a huge range of variation in useful surface, from 0.26 m 2 /PE for one rockwool cube filter to 5 m 2 /PE for a (traditional system) vertical sand filter. Some rockwool can handle applied daily surface load of 160 g BOD 5 /m 2 . SGS design parameters range from 0.025 to 0.34 kg BOD 5 per kg MLVSS/d with hydraulic retention times of 0.28-3.7 d. For clarifier design, water velocity ranges from 0.15 to 1.47 m/h. In the sludge line, sludge storage volume ranges from 0.125 down to just 0.56 m 3 /PE. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of ultrasound on oil recovery from crude oil containing sludge.

PubMed

He, Shilong; Tan, Xicheng; Hu, Xin; Gao, Yingxin

2018-01-16

To recover oil from crude oil containing sludge is still a research hot topic from the view of sustainability, in which ultrasonic has been proven to be an efficient and environment friendly technique. However, the effect of sludge characteristic on ultrasonic-assisted oil recovery efficiency is little known. In this study, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted based on six types of crude oily sludge with hydrophilicity and lipophilicity separately and five different ultrasonic operation factors (ultrasonic power (A), frequency (B), time (C), initial temperature (D) and pH (E)). The results showed that the oil recovery efficiency was mainly affected by the ultrasonic power and hydrophilicity of sludge (the highest 92% of oil recovery rate was achieved with the ultrasonic power of 240 W and hydrophilic sludge). Moreover, the wettability, decreased average particle size and increased specific surface area of sludge were found after ultrasonic treatment. Besides, changes in the oil component, such as the decrease of asphaltenes along with an increase of saturates, were also further observed. Therefore, the findings in this study can provide technical support for the practical application of ultrasonic technology in different kinds of oily sludge treatment.

Addition of polyaluminiumchloride (PACl) to waste activated sludge to mitigate the negative effects of its sticky phase in dewatering-drying operations.

PubMed

Peeters, Bart; Dewil, Raf; Vernimmen, Luc; Van den Bogaert, Benno; Smets, Ilse Y

2013-07-01

This paper presents a new application of polyaluminiumchloride (PACl) as a conditioner for waste activated sludge prior its dewatering and drying. It is demonstrated at lab scale with a shear test-based protocol that a dose ranging from 50 to 150 g PACl/kg MLSS (mixed liquor suspended solids) mitigates the stickiness of partially dried sludge with a dry solids content between 25 and 60 %DS (dry solids). E.g., at a solids dryness of 46% DS the shear stress required to have the pre-consolidated sludge slip over a steel surface is reduced with 35%. The salient feature of PACl is further supported by torque data from a full scale decanter centrifuge used to dewater waste sludge. The maximal torque developed by the screw conveyor inside the decanter centrifuge is substantially reduced with 20% in the case the sludge feed is conditioned with PACl. The beneficial effect of waste sludge conditioning with PACl is proposed to be the result of the bound water associated with the aluminium polymers in PACl solutions which act as a type of lubrication for the intrinsically sticky sludge solids during the course of drying. It can be anticipated that PACl addition to waste sludge will become a technically feasible and very effective method to avoid worldwide fouling problems in direct sludge dryers, and to reduce torque issues in indirect sludge dryers as well as in sludge decanter centrifuges. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Guide for Developing Standard Operating Job Procedures for the Sludge Conditioning & Dewatering Process Wastewater Treatment Facility. SOJP No. 11.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwing, Carl M.

This guide describes standard operating job procedures for the sludge conditioning and dewatering process of wastewater treatment facilities. In this process, sludge is treated with chemicals to make the sludge coagulate and give up its water more easily. The treated sludge is then dewatered using a vacuum filter. The guide gives step-by-step…

Biogasification of water hyacinth and sludge for methane production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chynoweth, D.P.; Biljetina, R.; Srivastava, V.J.

1985-01-01

Research is in progress to determine the technical and economic feasibility of treatment of domestic sewage using primary settling and water hyacinth ponds and conversion of the organic products of this treatment (primary sludge and hyacinth) to substitute natural gas. This paper describes the status of the conversion component of this program which is centered on anaerobic digestion of hyacinth/sludge blends to methane. The results of several experiments conducted successfully in a large-scale experimental test unit located at the hyacinth treatment facility at Walt Disney are presented. 11 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.

ELIMINATION OF THE CHARACTERIZATION OF DWPF POUR STREAM SAMPLE AND THE GLASS FABRICATION AND TESTING OF THE DWPF SLUDGE BATCH QUALIFICATION SAMPLE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amoroso, J.; Peeler, D.; Edwards, T.

2012-05-11

A recommendation to eliminate all characterization of pour stream glass samples and the glass fabrication and Product Consistency Test (PCT) of the sludge batch qualification sample was made by a Six-Sigma team chartered to eliminate non-value-added activities for the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) sludge batch qualification program and is documented in the report SS-PIP-2006-00030. That recommendation was supported through a technical data review by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and is documented in the memorandums SRNL-PSE-2007-00079 and SRNL-PSE-2007-00080. At the time of writing those memorandums, the DWPF was processing sludge-only waste but, has since transitioned to a coupledmore » operation (sludge and salt). The SRNL was recently tasked to perform a similar data review relevant to coupled operations and re-evaluate the previous recommendations. This report evaluates the validity of eliminating the characterization of pour stream glass samples and the glass fabrication and Product Consistency Test (PCT) of the sludge batch qualification samples based on sludge-only and coupled operations. The pour stream sample has confirmed the DWPF's ability to produce an acceptable waste form from Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) blending and product composition/durability predictions for the previous sixteen years but, ultimately the pour stream analysis has added minimal value to the DWPF's waste qualification strategy. Similarly, the information gained from the glass fabrication and PCT of the sludge batch qualification sample was determined to add minimal value to the waste qualification strategy since that sample is routinely not representative of the waste composition ultimately processed at the DWPF due to blending and salt processing considerations. Moreover, the qualification process has repeatedly confirmed minimal differences in glass behavior from actual radioactive waste to glasses fabricated from simulants or batch chemicals. In contrast, the variability study has significantly added value to the DWPF's qualification strategy. The variability study has evolved to become the primary aspect of the DWPF's compliance strategy as it has been shown to be versatile and capable of adapting to the DWPF's various and diverse waste streams and blending strategies. The variability study, which aims to ensure durability requirements and the PCT and chemical composition correlations are valid for the compositional region to be processed at the DWPF, must continue to be performed. Due to the importance of the variability study and its place in the DWPF's qualification strategy, it will also be discussed in this report. An analysis of historical data and Production Records indicated that the recommendation of the Six Sigma team to eliminate all characterization of pour stream glass samples and the glass fabrication and PCT performed with the qualification glass does not compromise the DWPF's current compliance plan. Furthermore, the DWPF should continue to produce an acceptable waste form following the remaining elements of the Glass Product Control Program; regardless of a sludge-only or coupled operations strategy. If the DWPF does decide to eliminate the characterization of pour stream samples, pour stream samples should continue to be collected for archival reasons, which would allow testing to be performed should any issues arise or new repository test methods be developed.« less

Pretreatment of high solid microbial sludges

DOEpatents

Rivard, Christopher J.; Nagle, Nicholas J.

1998-01-01

A process and apparatus for pretreating microbial sludges in order to enhance secondary anaerobic digestion. The pretreatment process involves disrupting the cellular integrity of municipal sewage sludge through a combination of thermal, explosive decompression and shear forces. The sludge is pressurized and pumped to a pretreatment reactor where it is mixed with steam to heat and soften the sludge. The pressure of the sludge is suddenly reduced and explosive decompression forces are imparted which partially disrupt the cellular integrity of the sludge. Shear forces are then applied to the sludge to further disrupt the cellular integrity of the sludge. Disrupting cellular integrity releases both soluble and insoluble organic constituents and thereby renders municipal sewage sludge more amenable to secondary anaerobic digestion.

Reduction of excess sludge production using mechanical disintegration devices.

PubMed

Strünkmann, G W; Müller, J A; Albert, F; Schwedes, J

2006-01-01

The usability of mechanical disintegration techniques for the reduction of excess sludge production in the activated sludge process was investigated. Using three different disintegration devices (ultrasonic homogeniser, stirred media mill, high pressure homogeniser) and different operational parameters of the disintegration, the effect of mechanical disintegration on the excess sludge production and on the effluent quality was studied within a continuously operated, laboratory scale wastewater treatment system with pre-denitrification. Depending on the operational conditions and the disintegration device used, a reduction of excess sludge production of up to 70% was achieved. A combination of mechanical disintegration with a membrane bioreactor process with high sludge age is more energy effective concerning reduction of sludge production than with a conventional activated sludge process at lower sludge ages. Depending on the disintegration parameters, the disintegration has no, or only minor, negative effect on the soluble effluent COD and on the COD-removal capacity of the activated sludge process. Nitrogen-removal was slightly deteriorated by the disintegration, whereas the system used was not optimised for nitrogen removal before disintegration was implemented.

Resource recovery of organic sludge as refuse derived fuel by fry-drying process.

PubMed

Chang, Fang-Chih; Ko, Chun-Han; Wu, Jun-Yi; Wang, H Paul; Chen, Wei-Sheng

2013-08-01

The organic sludge and waste oil were collected from the industries of thin film transistor liquid crystal display and the recycled cooking oil. The mixing ratio of waste cooking oil and organic sludge, fry-drying temperatures, fry-drying time, and the characteristics of the organic sludge pellet grain were investigated. After the fry-drying process, the moisture content of the organic sludge pellet grain was lower than 5% within 25 min and waste cooking oil was absorbed on the dry solid. The fry-drying organic sludge pellet grain was easy to handle and odor free. Additionally, it had a higher calorific value than the derived fuel standards and could be processed into organic sludge derived fuels. Thus, the granulation and fry-drying processes of organic sludge with waste cooking oil not only improves the calorific value of organic sludge and becomes more valuable for energy recovery, but also achieves waste material disposal and cost reduction. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Net positive energy wastewater treatment plant via thermal pre-treatment of sludge: A theoretical case study.

PubMed

Farno, Ehsan; Baudez, Jean Christophe; Parthasarathy, Rajarathinam; Eshtiaghi, Nicky

2017-04-16

In a wastewater treatment process, energy is mainly used in sludge handling and heating, while energy is recovered by biogas production in anaerobic digestion process. Thermal pre-treatment of sludge can change the energy balance in a wastewater treatment process since it reduces the viscosity and yield stress of sludge and increases the biogas production. In this study, a calculation based on a hypothetical wastewater treatment plant is provided to show the possibility of creating a net positive energy wastewater treatment plant as a result of implementing thermal pre-treatment process before the anaerobic digester. The calculations showed a great energy saving in pumping and mixing of the sludge by thermal pre-treatment of sludge before anaerobic digestion process.

Sludge Washing and Demonstration of the DWPF Nitric/Formic Flowsheet in the SRNL Shielded Cells for Sludge Batch 9 Qualification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pareizs, J.; Newell, D.; Martino, C.

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested by Savannah River Remediation (SRR) to qualify the next batch of sludge – Sludge Batch 9 (SB9). Current practice is to prepare sludge batches in Tank 51 by transferring sludge to Tank 51 from other tanks. The sludge is washed and transferred to Tank 40, the current Defense Waste Process Facility (DWPF) feed tank. Prior to sludge transfer from Tank 51 to Tank 40, the Tank 51 sludge must be qualified. SRNL qualifies the sludge in multiple steps. First, a Tank 51 sample is received, then characterized, washed, and again characterized. SRNL thenmore » demonstrates the DWPF Chemical Process Cell (CPC) flowsheet with the sludge. The final step of qualification involves chemical durability measurements of glass fabricated in the DWPF CPC demonstrations. In past sludge batches, SRNL had completed the DWPF demonstration with Tank 51 sludge. For SB9, SRNL has been requested to process a blend of Tank 51 and Tank 40 at a targeted ratio of 44% Tank 51 and 56% Tank 40 on an insoluble solids basis.« less

Pretreatment of high solid microbial sludges

DOEpatents

Rivard, C.J.; Nagle, N.J.

1998-07-28

A process and apparatus are disclosed for pretreating microbial sludges in order to enhance secondary anaerobic digestion. The pretreatment process involves disrupting the cellular integrity of municipal sewage sludge through a combination of thermal, explosive decompression and shear forces. The sludge is pressurized and pumped to a pretreatment reactor where it is mixed with steam to heat and soften the sludge. The pressure of the sludge is suddenly reduced and explosive decompression forces are imparted which partially disrupt the cellular integrity of the sludge. Shear forces are then applied to the sludge to further disrupt the cellular integrity of the sludge. Disrupting cellular integrity releases both soluble and insoluble organic constituents and thereby renders municipal sewage sludge more amenable to secondary anaerobic digestion. 1 fig.

Drying characteristics of electro-osmosis dewatered sludge.

PubMed

Ma, Degang; Qian, Jingjing; Zhu, Hongmin; Zhai, Jun

2016-12-01

Electro-osmotic dewatering (EDW) is one of the effective deeply dewatering technologies that is suitable for treating sludge with 55-80% of moisture content. Regarding EDW as the pre-treatment process of drying or incinerating, this article investigated the drying characteristics of electro-osmosis-dewatered sludge, including shear stress test, drying curves analysis, model analysis, and energy balance calculation. After EDW pre-treatment, sludge adhesion was reduced. The sludge drying rate was higher compared to the non-pre-treated sludge, especially under high temperatures (80-120°C). In addition, it is better to place the sludge cake with cathode surface facing upward for improving the drying rate. An adjusted model based on the Logarithmic model could better describe the EDW sludge drying process. Using the energy balance calculation, EDW can save the energy consumed in the process of sludge incineration and electricity generation and enable the system to run without extra energy input.

Full scale implementation of the nutrient limited BAS process at Södra Cell Värö.

PubMed

Malmqvist, A; Berggren, B; Sjölin, C; Welander, T; Heuts, L; Fransén, A; Ling, D

2004-01-01

A combination of the suspended carrier biofilm process and the activated sludge process (biofilm-activated sludge--BAS) has been shown to be very successful for the treatment of different types of pulp and paper mill effluents. The robust biofilm pre-treatment in combination with activated sludge results in a stable, compact and highly efficient process. Recent findings have shown that nutrient limited operation of the biofilm process greatly improves the sludge characteristics in the following activated sludge stage, while minimising sludge production and effluent discharge of nutrients. The nutrient limited BAS process was implemented at full scale at the Södra Cell Värö kraft mill and taken into operation in July 2002. After start-up and optimisation over about 5 months, the process meets all effluent discharge limits. The removal of COD is close to 70% and the removal of EDTA greater than 90%. Typical effluent concentrations of suspended solids and nutrients during stable operations have been 20-30 mg/L TSS, 0.3-0.5 mg/L phosphorus and 3-5 mg/L nitrogen. The sludge production was 0.09 kgSS/kg COD removed and the sludge volume index was 50-100 mL/g.

Thermophilic versus Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge: A Comparative Review

PubMed Central

Gebreeyessus, Getachew D.; Jenicek, Pavel

2016-01-01

During advanced biological wastewater treatment, a huge amount of sludge is produced as a by-product of the treatment process. Hence, reuse and recovery of resources and energy from the sludge is a big technological challenge. The processing of sludge produced by Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is massive, which takes up a big part of the overall operational costs. In this regard, anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge continues to be an attractive option to produce biogas that could contribute to the wastewater management cost reduction and foster the sustainability of those WWTPs. At the same time, AD reduces sludge amounts and that again contributes to the reduction of the sludge disposal costs. However, sludge volume minimization remains, a challenge thus improvement of dewatering efficiency is an inevitable part of WWTP operation. As a result, AD parameters could have significant impact on sludge properties. One of the most important operational parameters influencing the AD process is temperature. Consequently, the thermophilic and the mesophilic modes of sludge AD are compared for their pros and cons by many researchers. However, most comparisons are more focused on biogas yield, process speed and stability. Regarding the biogas yield, thermophilic sludge AD is preferred over the mesophilic one because of its faster biochemical reaction rate. Equally important but not studied sufficiently until now was the influence of temperature on the digestate quality, which is expressed mainly by the sludge dewateringability, and the reject water quality (chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, and pH). In the field of comparison of thermophilic and mesophilic digestion process, few and often inconclusive research, unfortunately, has been published so far. Hence, recommendations for optimized technologies have not yet been done. The review presented provides a comparison of existing sludge AD technologies and the gaps that need to be filled so as to optimize the connection between the two systems. In addition, many other relevant AD process parameters, including sludge rheology, which need to be addressed, are also reviewed and presented. PMID:28952577

Interpretation of the characteristics of ocean-dumped sewage sludge related to remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pagoria, P. S.; Kuo, C. Y.

1979-01-01

Wastewater sludge characteristics in general, and characteristics of wastewater sludges generated by the City of Philadelphia in particular, were addressed. The types and sources of wastewater sludges, a description of sludge treatment and disposal processes, examination of sludge generation and management for the City of Philadelphia, and definition of characteristics for typical east coast sludges undergoing ocean disposal were discussed. Specific differences exist between the characteristics of primary and secondary wastewater sludges, especially with the nature and size distribution of the solids particles. The sludges from the City of Philadelphia monitored during remote sensing experiments were mixtures of various sludge types and lacked distinguishing characteristics. In particular, the anaerobic digestion process exerted the most significant influence on sludge characteristics for the City of Philadelphia. The sludges generated by the City of Philadelphia were found to be typical and harbor no unique features.

Characteristics of sludge reduction in an integrated pretreatment and aerobic digestion process.

PubMed

Hwang, S; Jang, H; Lee, M; Song, J; Kim, S

2006-01-01

In this study, integrated pretreatments and aerobic digestion processes were investigated in order to provide a feasible alternative that can achieve effective sludge reduction. An ozone treatment in the presence of ionic manganese, a catalyst, increased the sludge reduction ratio three times higher than that of a single ozonation, presumably due to an increase in OH radical production. The ozone treatment yielded the effective sludge reduction ratio with an increasing ozone dosage, and an effective dosage of the catalyst was found to be 4 mg-Mn/g-TS. When a mechanical pretreatment and an ozone/catalyst were applied in a series, the integrated process, even at a half mechanical intensity and a half level of ozone dosage, showed higher and faster sludge reduction than each single process did. In addition, the integrated pretreatment process showed the highest dewaterability of the treated sludges. A ratio of sludge cake generation, which was newly introduced to quantify overall performance of sludge treatment processes, showed that the integrated pretreatment followed by the aerobic digestion yielded approximately a half of the sludge cake volume compared to the single aerobic digestion. Therefore, the integrated pretreatment can be a feasible method for the effective reduction of total suspended solid and the final volume.

A multi-criteria decision analysis of management alternatives for anaerobically digested kraft pulp mill sludge

PubMed Central

Eikelboom, Martijn; Lopes, Alice do Carmo Precci; Silva, Claudio Mudadu; Rodrigues, Fábio de Ávila; Zanuncio, José Cola

2018-01-01

The Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) procedure was used to compare waste management options for kraft pulp mill sludge following its anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion of sludge is advantageous because it produces biogas that may be used to generate electricity, heat and biofuels. However, adequate management of the digested sludge is essential. Landfill disposal is a non-sustainable waste management alternative. Kraft pulp mill digested sludge applied to land may pose risks to the environment and public health if the sludge has not been properly treated. This study is aimed to compare several recycling alternatives for anaerobically digested sludge from kraft pulp mills: land application, landfill disposal, composting, incineration, pyrolysis/gasification, and biofuel production by algae. The MCDA procedure considered nine criteria into three domains to compare digested sludge recycling alternatives in a kraft pulp mill: environmental (CO2 emission, exposure to pathogens, risk of pollution, material and energy recovery), economic (overall costs, value of products) and technical (maintenance and operation, feasibility of implementation). The most suitable management options for digested sludge from kraft pulp mills were found to be composting and incineration (when the latter was coupled with recycling ash to the cement industry). Landfill disposal was the worst option, presenting low performance in feasibility of implementation, risk of pollution, material and energy recovery. PMID:29298296

Combination of alkaline and microwave pretreatment for disintegration of meat processing wastewater sludge.

PubMed

Erden, G

2013-01-01

Meat processing wastewater sludge has high organic content but it is very slow to degrade in biological processes. Anaerobic digestion may be a good alternative for this type of sludge when the hydrolysis, known to be the rate-limiting step of biological sludge anaerobic degradation, could be eliminated by disintegration. This investigation deals with disintegration of meat processing wastewater sludge. Microwave (MW) irradiation and combined alkaline pretreatment and MW irradiation were applied to sludge for disintegration purposes. Disintegration performance of the methods was evaluated with disintegration degree based on total and dissolved organic carbon calculations (DD(TOC)), and the solubilization of volatile solids (S(VS)) in the pretreated sludge. Optimum conditions were found to be 140 degrees C and 30 min for MW irradiation using response surface methodology (RSM) and pH = 13 for combined pretreatment. While DD(TOC) was observed as 24.6% and 54.9, S(VS) was determined as 8.54% and 42.5% for MW pretreated and combined pretreated sludge, respectively. The results clearly show that pre-conditioning of sludge with alkaline pretreatment played an important role in enhancing the disintegration efficiency of subsequent MW irradiation. Disintegration methods also affected the anaerobic biodegradability and dewaterability of sludge. An increase of 23.6% in biogas production in MW irradiated sludge was obtained, comparing to the raw sludge at the end of the 35 days of incubation. This increase was observed as 44.5% combined pretreatment application. While MW pretreatment led to a little improvement of the dewatering performance of sludge, in combined pretreatment NaOH deteriorates the sludge dewaterability.

Modelling the structure of sludge aggregates

PubMed Central

Smoczyński, Lech; Ratnaweera, Harsha; Kosobucka, Marta; Smoczyński, Michał; Kalinowski, Sławomir; Kvaal, Knut

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The structure of sludge is closely associated with the process of wastewater treatment. Synthetic dyestuff wastewater and sewage were coagulated using the PAX and PIX methods, and electro-coagulated on aluminium electrodes. The processes of wastewater treatment were supported with an organic polymer. The images of surface structures of the investigated sludge were obtained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The software image analysis permitted obtaining plots log A vs. log P, wherein A is the surface area and P is the perimeter of the object, for individual objects comprised in the structure of the sludge. The resulting database confirmed the ‘self-similarity’ of the structural objects in the studied groups of sludge, which enabled calculating their fractal dimension and proposing models for these objects. A quantitative description of the sludge aggregates permitted proposing a mechanism of the processes responsible for their formation. In the paper, also, the impact of the structure of the investigated sludge on the process of sedimentation, and dehydration of the thickened sludge after sedimentation, was discussed. PMID:26549812

Full-scale effects of addition of sludge from water treatment stations into processes of sewage treatment by conventional activated sludge.

PubMed

Luiz, Marguti André; Sidney Seckler, Ferreira Filho; Passos, Piveli Roque

2018-06-01

An emerging practice for water treatment plant (WTP) sludge is its disposal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), an alternative that does not require the installation of sludge treatment facilities in the WTP. This practice can cause both positive and negative impacts in the WWTP processes since the WTP sludge does not have the same characteristics as domestic wastewater. This issue gives plenty of information in laboratory and pilot scales, but lacks data from full-scale studies. The main purpose of this paper is to study the impact of disposing sludge from the Rio Grande conventional WTP into the ABC WWTP, an activated sludge process facility. Both plants are located in São Paulo, Brazil, and are full-scale facilities. The WTP volumetric flow rate (4.5 m³/s) is almost three times that of WWTP (1.6 m³/s). The data used in this study came from monitoring the processes at both plants. The WWTP liquid phase treatment analysis included the variables BOD, COD, TSS, VSS, ammonia, total nitrogen, phosphorus and iron, measured at the inlet, primary effluent, mixed liquor, and effluent. For the WWTP solids treatment, the parameters tested were total and volatile solids. The performance of the WWTP process was analyzed with and without sludge addition: 'without sludge' in years 2005 and 2006 and 'with sludge' from January 2007 to March 2008. During the second period, the WTP sludge addition increased the WWTP removal efficiencies for solids (93%-96%), organic matter (92%-94% for BOD) and phosphorus (52%-88%), when compared to the period 'without sludge'. These improvements can be explained by higher feed concentrations combined to same or lower effluent concentrations in the 'with sludge' period. No critical negative impacts occurred in the sludge treatment facilities, since the treatment units absorbed the extra solids load from the WTP sludge. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Removal of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and conventional pollutants in a continuous-operating activated sludge process integrated with ozonation for excess sludge reduction.

PubMed

Nie, Yafeng; Qiang, Zhimin; Ben, Weiwei; Liu, Junxin

2014-06-01

Sludge ozonation is considered as a promising technology to achieve a complete reduction of excess sludge, but as yet its effects on the removal of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and conventional pollutants (i.e., COD, N and P) in the activated sludge process are still unclear. In this study, two lab-scale continuous-operating activated sludge treatment systems were established: one was operated in conjunction with ozonation for excess sludge reduction, and the other was operated under normal conditions as control. The results indicate that an ozone dose of 100 mg O₃ g(-1)SS led to a zero yield of excess sludge in the sludge-reduction system during a continuous-operating period of 45d. Although ozonation gave a relatively lower specific oxygen uptake rate of activated sludge, it had little effect on the system's removal performance of COD and nitrogen substances. As a plus, sludge ozonation contributed a little more removal of target EDCs (estrone, 17β-estrodiol, estriol, 17α-ethinylestradiol, bisphenol A, and 4-nonylphenol). However, the total phosphorus removal declined notably due to its accumulation in the sludge-reduction system, which necessitates phosphorus recovery for the activated sludge process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Irradiation of municipal sludge for agricultural use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahlstrom, Scott B.

Research has demonstrated that irradiation is an effective means for reducing pathogens in sewage sludge to levels where sludge reuse in public areas meets criteria for protection of the public health. Complementary research has demonstrated the value of the irradiated sludge in both agronomic and animal science applications. The benefits of sludge application to cropland are well documented. The irradiation process does not increase the extractability and plant uptake of a broad range of nutrients and heavy metals from sludge-amended soils. However, it does eliminate the hazards associated with pathogen contamination when applying sludge to agricultural land. Irradiated sludge has also been evaluated as a supplemental foodstuff for cattle and sheep. The data indicate that products derived from raw sewage may have a substantial nutritive value for ruminant animals. Irradiation of sewage sludge is a practical means of sludge disinfection. Where a highly disinfected sludge is required, it should be considered as a viable sludge management alternative. Evaluation of sludge irradiation technology and its associated costs must be done with consideration of other sludge treatment processes to develop an acceptable sludge management system.

Stabilization of waste-activated sludge through the anoxic-aerobic digestion process.

PubMed

Hashimoto, S; Fujita, M; Terai, K

1982-08-01

During the aerobic digestion process, the nitrogen which had been embedded in the activated sludge is solubilized to form ammoniacal and nitric nitrogen which are in turn transferred to the liquor and cause the increase of nitrogen loading in the sewage treatment plant. In this study, the anoxic-aerobic sludge digestion system which is a modified form of the conventional aerobic sludge digestion is made up of aerobic and anoxic tanks and are designed to remove both the volatile suspended solids and the total nitrogen (TN) simultaneously. The removal efficiencies of both VSS and TN were investigated by feeding waste-activated sludge continuously and semicontinuously. The maximum percent reduction of both VSS and TN was achieved at a Q(r)/Q(s) ratio of 2 in the continuous process. The semicontinuous process was used to improve the nitrogen removal efficiency further. In the semicontinuous process, the VSS reduction efficiency as well as the nitrogen removal efficiency increased remarkably under a constant Q(r)/Q(s) ratio of 2. This process also achieved a VSS reduction efficiency higher than the aerobic digestion process (control). It was suggested that the additional anoxic tank enhanced the sludge digestion. Furthermore, the anoxic-aerobic digestion system can be applied to other treatment media like the primary sludge, industrial sludge, animal manure, etc.

Analysis of the combustion and pyrolysis of dried sewage sludge by TGA and MS.

PubMed

Magdziarz, Aneta; Werle, Sebastian

2014-01-01

In this study, the combustion and pyrolysis processes of three sewage sludge were investigated. The sewage sludge came from three wastewater treatment plants. Proximate and ultimate analyses were performed. The thermal behaviour of studied sewage sludge was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis with mass spectrometry (TGA-MS). The samples were heated from ambient temperature to 800 °C at a constant rate 10 °C/min in air (combustion process) and argon flows (pyrolysis process). The thermal profiles presented in form of TG/DTG curves were comparable for studied sludges. All TG/DTG curves were divided into three stages. The main decomposition of sewage sludge during the combustion process took place in the range 180-580 °C with c.a. 70% mass loss. The pyrolysis process occurred in lower temperature but with less mass loss. The evolved gaseous products (H2, CH4, CO2, H2O) from the decomposition of sewage sludge were identified on-line. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EFFECT OF RECYCLING THERMOPHILICALLY DIGESTED SLUDGE ON THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS

EPA Science Inventory

A full-scale investigation was undertaken at Chicago's Hanover Park Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) to study whether the net sludge production from the WRP could be reduced by implementing a scheme developed by W. Torpey et al. (1984). n this process, sludge is withdrawn from a the...

[Influence of accessories mixing ratio on sludge biophysical co-drying].

PubMed

Yang, Jin-Long; Du, Qiong; Li, Dong; Han, Rong; Zhao, Yan; Wang, Hong-Tao

2011-08-01

Parameters (temperature, water content and so on) in the process of sludge biophysical co-drying were studied in self-made biophysical co-drying reactor. The sludge: tree bark: recycled sludge was set as 7: 3: 0.5, 9: 3: 0.5, 12: 3: 0.5 respectively. The results suggested that sludge temperature first increased then decreased along with drying time, water content decreased in the first 96 h, then had no obvious variability. While sludge: tree bark: recycled sludge was 9: 3: 0.5, the temperature of sludge spiraling, received to max 67 degrees C at 48 h under three different accessories mixture ratio, and was kept for 72 h above 55 degrees C, then spiraling, the final water content of sludge decreased from 74.1% to 61.8%, received the optimal water content removing rate 43.5%. Accessories mixing ratio had important influence on the process of sludge biophysical co-drying, sludge with proper mixing ratio can modify the structure of sludge, improve sludge permeability, arouse and keep microorganic activity, which will enhance sludge temperature and strengthen water content removal rate.

An Economic comparison of sludge irradiation and alternative methods of municipal sludge treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahlstrom, S.B.; McGuire, H.E.

1977-11-01

The relative economics of radiation treatment and other sludge treatment processes are reported. The desirability of radiation treatment is assessed in terms of cost and the quality of the treated sludge product. The major conclusions of this study are: radiation treatment is a high-level disinfection process. Therefore, it should only be considered if high levels of disinfection are required for widespread reuse of the sludge; the handling, transporting and pathogen growback problems associated with disinfected wet sludge makes it less attractive for reuse than dry sludge; radiation of composted sludge produces a product of similar quality at less cost thanmore » any thermal treatment and/or flash drying treatment option for situations where a high degree of disinfection is required; and heavy metal concerns, especially cadmium, may limit the reuse of sludge despite high disinfection levels. It is recommended that radiation treatment of sludge, particularly dry sludge, continue to be studied. A sensitivity analysis investigating the optimal conditions under which sludge irradiation operates should be instigated. Furthermore, costs of adding sludge irradiation to existing sludge treatment schemes should be determined.« less

REVIEW OF ALTERNATIVE ENHANCED CHEMICAL CLEANING OPTIONS FOR SRS WASTE TANKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hay, M.; Koopman, D.

2009-08-01

A literature review was conducted to support the Task Technical and Quality Assurance Plan for Alternative Enhanced Chemical Cleaning (AECC) for sludge heel removal funded as part of the EM-21 Engineering and Technology program. The goal was to identify potential technologies or enhancements to the baseline oxalic acid cleaning process for chemically dissolving or mobilizing Savannah River Site (SRS) sludge heels. The issues with the potentially large volume of oxalate solids generated from the baseline process have driven an effort to find an improved or enhanced chemical cleaning technology for the tank heels. This literature review builds on a previousmore » review conducted in 2003. A team was charged with evaluating the information in these reviews and developing recommendations of alternative technologies to pursue. The new information in this report supports the conclusion of the previous review that oxalic acid remains the chemical cleaning agent of choice for dissolving the metal oxides and hydroxides found in sludge heels in carbon steel tanks. The potential negative impact of large volumes of sodium oxalate on downstream processes indicates that the amount of oxalic acid used for chemical cleaning needs to be minimized as much as possible or the oxalic acid must be destroyed prior to pH adjustment in the receipt tank. The most straightforward way of minimizing the volume of oxalic acid needed for chemical cleaning is through more effective mechanical cleaning. Using a mineral acid to adjust the pH of the sludge prior to adding oxalic acid may also help to minimize the volume of oxalic acid used in chemical cleaning. If minimization of oxalic acid proves insufficient in reducing the volume of oxalate salts, several methods were found that could be used for oxalic acid destruction. For some waste tank heels, another acid or even caustic treatment (or pretreatment) might be more appropriate than the baseline oxalic acid cleaning process. Caustic treatment of high aluminum sludge heels may be appropriate as a means of reducing oxalic acid usage. Reagents other than oxalic acid may also be needed for removing actinide elements from the tank heels. A systems engineering evaluation (SEE) was performed on the various alternative chemical cleaning reagents and organic oxidation technologies discussed in the literature review. The objective of the evaluation was to develop a short list of chemical cleaning reagents and oxalic acid destruction methods that should be the focus of further research and development. The results of the SEE found that eight of the thirteen organic oxidation technologies scored relatively close together. Six of the chemical cleaning reagents were also recommended for further investigation. Based on the results of the SEE and plan set out in the TTQAP the following broad areas are recommended for future study as part of the AECC task: (1) Basic Chemistry of Sludge Dissolution in Oxalic Acid: A better understanding of the variables effecting dissolution of sludge species is needed to efficiently remove sludge heels while minimizing the use of oxalic acid or other chemical reagents. Tests should investigate the effects of pH, acid concentration, phase ratios, temperature, and kinetics of the dissolution reactions of sludge components with oxalic acid, mineral acids, and combinations of oxalic/mineral acids. Real waste sludge samples should be characterized to obtain additional data on the mineral phases present in sludge heels. (2) Simulant Development Program: Current sludge simulants developed by other programs for use in waste processing tests, while compositionally similar to real sludge waste, generally have more hydrated forms of the major metal phases and dissolve more easily in acids. Better simulants containing the mineral phases identified by real waste characterization should be developed to test chemical cleaning methods. (3) Oxalic Acid Oxidation Technologies: The two Mn based oxidation methods that scored highly in the SEE should be studied to evaluate long term potential. One of the AOP's (UV/O{sub 3}/Solids Separator) is currently being implemented by the SRS liquid waste organization for use in tank heel chemical cleaning. (4) Corrosion Issues: A program will be needed to address potential corrosion issues from the use of low molarity mineral acids and mixtures of oxalic/mineral acids in the waste tanks for short durations. The addition of corrosion inhibitors to the acids to reduce corrosion rates should be investigated.« less

Anaerobic storage as a pretreatment for enhanced biodegradability of dewatered sewage sludge.

PubMed

Xu, Huacheng; He, Pinjing; Wang, Guanzhao; Shao, Liming; Lee, Duujong

2011-01-01

Dewatered sewage sludge is often stored still before further processing and final disposal. This study showed that anaerobic storage of dewatered sewage sludge could hydrolyze organic matter from the sludge matrix, and increase soluble organic acid content from 90 to 2400 mg/L and soluble organic carbon content from 220 to 1650 mg/L. Correspondingly, the contents of proteins, celluloses and hemicelluloses were reduced by 2-9%. Applying anaerobic storage markedly enhanced the efficiency of the subsequent bio-drying process on stored sludge. Correspondingly, biogas and odor gas were produced immediately after commencing the sludge storage. Anaerobic storage with odor control can be applied as a pretreatment process for dewatered sewage sludge in wastewater treatment plants. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection of the surface water treatment technology - a full-scale technological investigation.

PubMed

Pruss, Alina

2015-01-01

A technological investigation was carried out over a period of 2 years to evaluate surface water treatment technology. The study was performed in Poland, in three stages. From November 2011 to July 2012, for the first stage, flow tests with a capacity of 0.1-1.5 m³/h were performed simultaneously in three types of technical installations differing by coagulation modules. The outcome of the first stage was the choice of the technology for further investigation. The second stage was performed between September 2012 and March 2013 on a full-scale water treatment plant. Three large technical installations, operated in parallel, were analysed: coagulation with sludge flotation, micro-sand ballasted coagulation with sedimentation, coagulation with sedimentation and sludge recirculation. The capacity of the installations ranged from 10 to 40 m³/h. The third stage was also performed in a full-scale water treatment plant and was aimed at optimising the selected technology. This article presents the results of the second stage of the full-scale investigation. The critical treatment process, for the analysed water, was the coagulation in an acidic environment (6.5 < pH < 7.0) carried out in a system with rapid mixing, a flocculation chamber, preliminary separation of coagulation products, and removal of residual suspended solids through filtration.

Methods for Converter Sludge Dehydration Intensification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vakhromeev, M. I.; Moreva, Y. A.; Starkova, L. G.

2017-11-01

The article considers the intensification methods for converter sludge dehydration exemplified by the sludges of the Oxygen Converter Workshop (OCW) of the Open Joint-Stock Company “Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works” (MMK, OJSC), one of the largest metallurgical companies in the Southern Urals. Converter sludges can contain up to 45-70% of ferrum [21] which is interesting in terms of their use as an addition to a sinter-feed mixture. Sludge intensifies the sintering process. It positively influences pelletizing and fusion mixture melting dynamics at sintering. Over the period of the converter sludge dehydration complex operation at the OCW, MMK, OJSC, it was revealed that processing results in obtaining of high humidity sludge. It causes sludge freezing during the winter period, thus, its transportation involves extra costs for sludge warming up. To resolve the above-mentioned problem, the following works were performed in 2016: - experimental studies of how the application of the low-molecular anionic flocculate “SEURVEY” FL-3 influences sludge humidity reduction. - experimental studies of how the filtering press process operation parameters influence sludge humidity reduction. The new flocculate application didn't lower the dehydrated sludge humidity (the objective was the humidity of not more than 15%). Basing upon the conducted research results, we can make a conclusion that putting into operation the sewage water reactant treatment technology with the use of “SEURVEY”, FL-3 (H-10) is not recommended. The research of the influence the filtering press process parameters have on the dehydration process intensification demonstrated that reaching of the obtained residue humidity value lower than 15% is possible under the reduction of the filtering press chamber depths to 30 mm and with the application of additional operation “Residue drying” with compressed air. This way of the sludge dehydration problem resolving at filtering presses of the converter sludge dehydration complex of the OCW, MMK, OJSC, can be recommended for application.

Overall effect of carbon production and nutrient release in sludge holding tank on mainstream biological nutrient removal efficiency.

PubMed

Jabari, Pouria; Yuan, Qiuyan; Oleszkiewicz, Jan A

2017-09-11

The potential of hydrolysis/fermentation of activated sludge in sludge holding tank (SHT) to produce additional carbon for the biological nutrient removal (BNR) process was investigated. The study was conducted in anaerobic batch tests using the BNR sludge (from a full-scale Westside process) and the mixture of BNR sludge with conventional non-BNR activated sludge (to have higher biodegradable particulate chemical oxygen demand (bpCOD) in sludge). The BioWin 4.1 was used to simulate the anaerobic batch test of the BNR sludge. Also, the overall effect of FCOD production and nutrient release on BNR efficiency of the Westside process was estimated. The experimental results showed that the phosphorous uptake of sludge increased during hydrolysis/ fermentation condition up to the point when poly-P was completely utilized; afterwards, it decreased significantly. The BioWin simulation could not predict the loss of aerobic phosphorous uptake after poly-P was depleted. The results showed that in the case of activated sludge with relatively higher bpCOD (originating from plants with short sludge retention time or without primary sedimentation), beneficial effect of SHT on BNR performance is feasible. In order to increase the potential of SHT to enhance BNR efficiency, a relatively low retention time and high sludge load is recommended.

Energy recovery from thermal treatment of dewatered sludge in wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Yang, Qingfeng; Dussan, Karla; Monaghan, Rory F D; Zhan, Xinmin

Sewage sludge is a by-product generated from municipal wastewater treatment (WWT) processes. This study examines the conversion of sludge via energy recovery from gasification/combustion for thermal treatment of dewatered sludge. The present analysis is based on a chemical equilibrium model of thermal conversion of previously dewatered sludge with moisture content of 60-80%. Prior to combustion/gasification, sludge is dried to a moisture content of 25-55% by two processes: (1) heat recovered from syngas/flue gas cooling and (2) heat recovered from syngas combustion. The electricity recovered from the combined heat and power process can be reused in syngas cleaning and in the WWT plant. Gas temperature, total heat and electricity recoverable are evaluated using the model. Results show that generation of electricity from dewatered sludge with low moisture content (≤ 70%) is feasible within a self-sufficient sludge treatment process. Optimal conditions for gasification correspond to an equivalence ratio of 2.3 and dried sludge moisture content of 25%. Net electricity generated from syngas combustion can account for 0.071 kWh/m(3) of wastewater treated, which is up to 25.4-28.4% of the WWT plant's total energy consumption.

Effects of co-processing sewage sludge in cement kiln on NOx, NH3 and PAHs emissions.

PubMed

Lv, Dong; Zhu, Tianle; Liu, Runwei; Lv, Qingzhi; Sun, Ye; Wang, Hongmei; Liu, Yu; Zhang, Fan

2016-09-01

The effects of co-processing sewage sludge in cement kiln on NOx, NH3 and PAHs emissions were systematically investigated in a cement production line in Beijing. The results show that co-processing the sewage sludge was helpful to reduce NOx emission, which primarily depends on the NH3 amount released from the sewage sludge. Meanwhile, NOx and NH3 concentrations in the flue gas have a negative correlation, and the contribution of feeding the sewage sludge to NOx removal decreased with the increase of injection amount of ammonia water in the SNCR system. Therefore, it is suggested that the injection amount of ammonia water in SNCR system may reduce to cut down the operating costs during co-processing the sewage sludge in cement kiln. In addition, the emission of total PAHs seems to increase with the increased amount of the sewage sludge feeding to the cement kiln. However, the distributions of PAHs were barely changed, and lower molecular weight PAHs were mainly distributed in gaseous phase, accounted for the major portion of PAHs when co-processing sewage sludge in cement kiln. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen removal from coal gasification wastewater by activated carbon technologies combined with short-cut nitrogen removal process.

PubMed

Zhao, Qian; Han, Hongjun; Hou, Baolin; Zhuang, Haifeng; Jia, Shengyong; Fang, Fang

2014-11-01

A system combining granular activated carbon and powdered activated carbon technologies along with shortcut biological nitrogen removal (GAC-PACT-SBNR) was developed to enhance total nitrogen (TN) removal for anaerobically treated coal gasification wastewater with less need for external carbon resources. The TN removal efficiency in SBNR was significantly improved by introducing the effluent from the GAC process into SBNR during the anoxic stage, with removal percentage increasing from 43.8%-49.6% to 68.8%-75.8%. However, the TN removal rate decreased with the progressive deterioration of GAC adsorption. After adding activated sludge to the GAC compartment, the granular carbon had a longer service-life and the demand for external carbon resources became lower. Eventually, the TN removal rate in SBNR was almost constant at approx. 43.3%, as compared to approx. 20.0% before seeding with sludge. In addition, the production of some alkalinity during the denitrification resulted in a net savings in alkalinity requirements for the nitrification reaction and refractory chemical oxygen demand (COD) degradation by autotrophic bacteria in SBNR under oxic conditions. PACT showed excellent resilience to increasing organic loadings. The microbial community analysis revealed that the PACT had a greater variety of bacterial taxons and the dominant species associated with the three compartments were in good agreement with the removal of typical pollutants. The study demonstrated that pre-adsorption by the GAC-sludge process could be a technically and economically feasible method to enhance TN removal in coal gasification wastewater (CGW). Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

PROGRESS WITH K BASINS SLUDGE RETRIEVAL STABILIZATION & PACKAGING AT THE HANFORD NUCLEAR SITE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

KNOLLMEYER, P.M.; PHILLIPS, C; TOWNSON, P.S.

This paper shows how Fluor Hanford and BNG America have combined nuclear plant skills from the U.S. and the U.K. to devise methods to retrieve and treat the sludge that has accumulated in K Basins at the Hanford Site over many years. Retrieving the sludge is the final stage in removing fuel and sludge from the basins to allow them to be decontaminated and decommissioned, so as to remove the threat of contamination of the Columbia River. A description is given of sludge retrieval using vacuum lances and specially developed nozzles and pumps into Consolidation Containers within the basins. Themore » special attention that had to be paid to the heat generation and potential criticality issues with the irradiated uranium-containing sludge is described. The processes developed to re-mobilize the sludge from the Consolidation Containers and pump it through flexible and transportable hose-in-hose piping to the treatment facility are explained with particular note made of dealing with the abrasive nature of the sludge. The treatment facility, housed in an existing Hanford building, is described, and the uranium-corrosion and grout packaging processes explained. The uranium corrosion process is a robust, tempered process very suitable for dealing with a range of differing sludge compositions. Optimization and simplification of the original sludge corrosion process design is described and the use of transportable and reusable equipment is indicated. The processes and techniques described in the paper are shown to have wide applicability to nuclear cleanup.« less

Potential of activated sludge disintegration.

PubMed

Boehler, M; Siegrist, H

2006-01-01

The disposal of sewage sludge and the agricultural use of stabilised sludge are decreasing due to more stringent regulations in Europe. An increasing fraction of sewage sludge must therefore be dewatered, dried, incinerated and the ashes disposed of in landfills. These processes are cost-intensive and also lead to the loss of valuable phosphate resources incorporated in the sludge ash. The implementation of processes that could reduce excess sludge production and recycle phosphate is therefore recommended. Disintegration of biological sludge by mechanical, thermal and physical methods could significantly reduce excess sludge production, improve the settling properties of the sludge and reduce bulking and scumming. The solubilised COD could also improve denitrification if the treated sludge is recycled to the anoxic zone. However, disintegration partly inhibits and kills nitrifiers and could therefore shorten their effective solid retention time, thus reducing the safety of the nitrification. This paper discusses the potential of disintegration on sludge reduction, the operating stability of nitrification, the improvement of denitrification and also presents an energy and cost evaluation.

Transformation of heavy metal speciation during sludge drying: mechanistic insights

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weng, Huanxin; Ma, Xue-Wen; Fu, Feng-Xia

2014-01-30

Speciation can fundamentally affect on the stability and toxicity of heavy metals in sludge from wastewater treatment plants. This research investigated the speciation of heavy metals in sludge from both municipal and industrial sources, and metal speciation change as a result of drying process to reduce sludge volume. The changes in sludge properties including sludge moisture content, temperature, density, and electrical conductivity were also monitored to provide insights into the mechanisms causing the change in heavy metal speciation. The results show that the drying process generally stabilized the Cr, Cu, Cd and Pb in sludge by transforming acid-soluble, reducible andmore » oxidizable species into structurally stable forms. Such transformation and stabilization occurred regardless of the sludge source and type, and were primarily caused by the changes in sludge properties associated with decomposition of organic matter and sulfide. The results enhanced our understanding of the geochemical behavior of heavy metals in municipal sludge, and are useful for designing a treatment system for environment-friendly disposal of sludge.« less

The influence of SRT on phosphorus removal and sludge characteristics in the HA-A/A-MCO sludge reduction process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuo, N.; Ji, F. Y.

2013-02-01

By researching the influence of sludge age (SRT) on phosphorous removal and sludge characteristics in the HA-A/A-MCO (hydrolysis-acidification-anaerobic/anoxic-multistep continuous oxic tank) process, which has the effect of simultaneous phosphorous and nitrogen removal and sludge reduction, it is found that extended SRT is helpful for improving the ability of anaerobic phosphorous release and chemical recovery of phosphate, but the hosphorous removal efficiency is not affected. Extended SRT causes the system to have even more active sludge; it can also lead to the system having a powerful ability of biochemical reaction by using superiority of concentration. Meanwhile, extended SRT can still reduce sludge yield. Extended SRT cannot make soluble metabolic product (SMP) accumulate in the reactor, so that the pollutant removal power is reduced; it also cannot affect the activity of the sludge. However, extended SRT is able to make the coagulation of the sludge hard, and cause the sludge volume index value increase, but cannot cause sludge bulking.

Impact of the excess sludge modification with selected chemical reagents on the increase of dissolved organic substances concentration compounds transformations in activated sludge.

PubMed

Zawieja, Iwona; Lidia, Wolny; Marta, Próba

2017-07-01

Submission of excess sludge initial disintegration process significantly affects the efficiency of anaerobic stabilization process. Expression of increasing the concentration of organic matter in dissolved form is to increase sludge disintegration. As a result of chemical modification is an increase of the chemical oxygen demand and the concentration of volatile fatty acids. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the disintegration process with selected chemical reagents to increase the concentration of organic substances in dissolved form. The process of chemical disintegration of excess sludge was treated using the following reagents: Mg(OH) 2 , Ca(OH) 2 , HCl, H 2 SO 4 , H 2 O 2 . The modification was carried out at ambient temperature for 2, 6 and 24h. During sludge disintegration it was noticed the growth of indicators values that confirmed the susceptibility of prepared sludge to biodegradation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microbial community related to lysozyme digestion process for boosting waste activated sludge biodegradability.

PubMed

Xin, Xiao-Dong; He, Jun-Guo; Qiu, Wei; Tang, Jian; Liu, Tian-Tian

2015-01-01

Waste activated sludge from a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor was used to investigate the potential relation of microbial community with lysozyme digestion process for sludge solubilization. The results showed the microbial community shifted conspicuously as sludge suffered lysozyme digestion. Soluble protein and polysaccharide kept an increasing trend in solution followed with succession of microbial community. The rise of lysozyme dosage augmented the dissimilarity among communities in various digested sludge. A negative relationship presented between community diversity and lysozyme digestion process under various lysozyme/TS from 0 to 240min (correlation coefficient R(2) exceeded 0.9). Pareto-Lorenz curves demonstrated that microbial community tended to be even with sludge disintegration process by lysozyme. Finally, with diversity (H) decrease and community distribution getting even, the SCOD/TCOD increased steadily in solution which suggested the sludge with high community diversity and uneven population distribution might have tremendous potential for improving their biodegradability by lysozyme digestion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of stabilization and sludge properties in a combined process of anaerobic digestion and thermophilic aerobic digestion.

PubMed

Cheng, Jiehong; Kong, Feng; Zhu, Jun; Wu, Xiao

2015-01-01

A novel process of combining mesophilic (<35°C) anaerobic digestion with the thermophilic (55°C) aerobic digestion process (AN-TAD) was designed to stabilize sludge and economize aeration energy. Effects of stabilization and sludge properties for AN-TAD process were evaluated by batch experiments during a 25 d digestion period. The sludges digested by AN-TAD process achieved the requirements for Class-A sludge standard. The sludge at total solid (TS) 5.4% had the highest value of decay coefficient K(d(55)) at 0.1851 d(-1) among the three TS contents according to the first-order kinetics equation. Oxidation reduction potential at below 0 mV remained for sludges at TSs of 6.5%, 5.4%, and 4.6% for at least 15 d because of initial hydrolytic-acidification. Concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in sludges at TSs of 6.5%, 5.4%, and 4.6% gradually increased up to the highest values in the supernatant during the initial 13 d, causing low utilized value in land application as a fertilizer. Prolonging the retention time for more than 15 d was considered because soluble phosphorus precipitated in the solid phase. High content of soluble organic matters of the soluble chemical oxygen demand, protein, and polysaccharide in the supernatant caused deterioration in sludge dewaterability rates.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in raw and treated sewage sludges.

PubMed

Amorós, Inmaculada; Moreno, Yolanda; Reyes, Mariela; Moreno-Mesonero, Laura; Alonso, Jose L

2016-11-01

Treated sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is commonly used in agriculture as fertilizers and to amend soils. The most significant health hazard for sewage sludge relates to the wide range of pathogenic microorganisms such as protozoa parasites.The objective of this study was to collect quantitative data on Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in the treated sludge in wastewater treatment facilities in Spain. Sludge from five WWTPs with different stabilization processes has been analysed for the presence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in the raw sludge and after the sludge treatment. A composting plant (CP) has also been assessed. After a sedimentation step, sludge samples were processed and (oo)cysts were isolated by immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and detected by immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Results obtained in this study showed that Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts were present in 26 of the 30 samples (86.6%) of raw sludge samples. In treated sludge samples, (oo)cysts have been observed in all WWTP's analysed (25 samples) with different stabilization treatment (83.3%). Only in samples from the CP no (oo)cysts were detected. This study provides evidence that (oo)cysts are present in sewage sludge-end products from wastewater treatment processes with the negative consequences for public health.

Digital image processing and analysis for activated sludge wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Khan, Muhammad Burhan; Lee, Xue Yong; Nisar, Humaira; Ng, Choon Aun; Yeap, Kim Ho; Malik, Aamir Saeed

2015-01-01

Activated sludge system is generally used in wastewater treatment plants for processing domestic influent. Conventionally the activated sludge wastewater treatment is monitored by measuring physico-chemical parameters like total suspended solids (TSSol), sludge volume index (SVI) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) etc. For the measurement, tests are conducted in the laboratory, which take many hours to give the final measurement. Digital image processing and analysis offers a better alternative not only to monitor and characterize the current state of activated sludge but also to predict the future state. The characterization by image processing and analysis is done by correlating the time evolution of parameters extracted by image analysis of floc and filaments with the physico-chemical parameters. This chapter briefly reviews the activated sludge wastewater treatment; and, procedures of image acquisition, preprocessing, segmentation and analysis in the specific context of activated sludge wastewater treatment. In the latter part additional procedures like z-stacking, image stitching are introduced for wastewater image preprocessing, which are not previously used in the context of activated sludge. Different preprocessing and segmentation techniques are proposed, along with the survey of imaging procedures reported in the literature. Finally the image analysis based morphological parameters and correlation of the parameters with regard to monitoring and prediction of activated sludge are discussed. Hence it is observed that image analysis can play a very useful role in the monitoring of activated sludge wastewater treatment plants.

Utilisation of energy from digester gas and sludge incineration at Hamburg's Köhlbrandhöft WWTP.

PubMed

Thierbach, R D; Hanssen, H

2002-01-01

At Hamburg's Köhlbrandhöft WWTP the demand for external energy supply is minimised by state of the art sludge treatment. The sludge is subjected to thickening, anaerobic digestion, dewatering, drying and incineration. The digester gas is used in a combined gas and steam turbine process. The sludge incineration also produces steam, which is also used in the steam turbine that follows the gas turbine. The turbines produce electricity, partially expanded steam is used for the sludge drying process. Heat from the condensation of vapours from sludge drying is used to heat the anaerobic digesters. The overall process requires no external heat or fuel and produces 60% of the WWTP's electricity demand.

Enhancing dewaterability of waste activated sludge by combined oxidative conditioning process with zero-valent iron and peroxymonosulfate.

PubMed

Zhou, Xu; Jin, Wenbiao; Chen, Hongyi; Chen, Chuan; Han, Songfang; Tu, Renjie; Wei, Wei; Gao, Shu-Hong; Xie, Guo-Jun; Wang, Qilin

2017-11-01

The enhancement of sludge dewaterability is of great importance for facilitating the sludge disposal during the operation of wastewater treatment plants. In this study, a novel oxidative conditioning approach was applied to enhance the dewaterability of waste activated sludge by the combination of zero-valent iron (ZVI) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS). It was found that the dewaterability of sludge was significantly improved after the addition of ZVI (0-4 g/g TSS) (TSS: total suspended solids) and PMS (0-1 g/g TSS). The optimal addition amount of ZVI and PMS was 0.25 g/g TSS and 0.1 g/g TSS, respectively, under which the capillary suction time of the sludge was reduced by approximately 50%. The decomposition of sludge flocs could contribute to the improved sludge dewaterability. Economic analysis demonstrated that the proposed conditioning process with ZVI and PMS was more economical than the ZVI + peroxydisulfate and the traditional Fenton conditioning processes.

Co-digestion of sewage sludge from external small WWTP's in a large plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miodoński, Stanisław

2017-11-01

Improving energy efficiency of WWTPs (Waste Water Treatment Plants) is crucial action of modern wastewater treatment technology. Technological treatment process optimization is important but the main goal will not be achieved without increasing production of renewable energy from sewage sludge in anaerobic digestion process which is most often used as sludge stabilization method on large WWTP's. Usually, anaerobic digestion reactors used for sludge digestion were designed with reserve and most of them is oversized. In many cases that reserve is unused. On the other hand, smaller WWTPs have problem with management of sewage sludge due to lack of adequately developed infrastructure for sludge stabilization. Paper shows an analysis of using a technological reserve of anaerobic digestion reactors at large WWTP (1 million P.E.) for sludge stabilization collected from smaller WWTP in a co-digestion process. Over 30 small WWTPs from the same region as the large WWTP were considered in this study. Furthermore, performed analysis included also evaluation of potential sludge disintegration pre-treatment for co-digestion efficiency improvement.

Analysis of Combustion Process of Sewage Sludge in Reference to Coals and Biomass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Środa, Katarzyna; Kijo-Kleczkowska, Agnieszka

2016-06-01

Production of sewage sludge is an inseparable part of the treatment process. The chemical and sanitary composition of sewage sludge flowing into the treatment plant is a very important factor determining the further use of the final product obtained in these plants. The sewage sludge is characterized by heterogeneity and multi-components properties, because they have characteristics of the classical and fertilizer wastes and energetic fuels. The thermal utilization of sewage sludge is necessary due to the unfavorable sanitary characteristics and the addition of the industrial sewage. This method ensures use of sewage sludge energy and return of expenditure incurred for the treatment of these wastes and their disposal. Sewage sludge should be analyzed in relation to conventional fuels (coals and biomass). They must comply with the applicable requirements, for example by an appropriate degree of dehydration, which guarantee the stable and efficient combustion. This paper takes the issue of the combustion process of the different sewage sludge and their comparison of the coal and biomass fuels.

Feedstock and process influence on biodiesel produced from waste sewage sludge.

PubMed

Capodaglio, Andrea G; Callegari, Arianna

2018-06-15

Disposal of sewage sludge is one of the most important issues in wastewater treatment throughout Europe, as EU sludge production, estimated at 9.5 million tons dry weight in 2005, is expected to approach 13 million tons in 2020. While sludge disposal costs may constitute 30-50% of the total operation costs of wastewater treatment processes, waste sewage sludge still contains resources that may be put to use, like nutrients and energy, that can be recovered through a variety of approaches. Research has shown that waste sewage sludge can be a valuable and very productive feedstock for biodiesel generation, containing lipids (the fats from which biofuels are extracted) in amounts that would require large areas cultivated with typical biodiesel feedstock, to produce, and at a much lower final cost. Several methods have been tested for the production of biodiesel from sewage sludge. To date, among the most efficient such process is pyrolysis, and in particular Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis (MAP), under which process conditions are more favorable in energetic and economic terms. Sludge characteristics are very variable, depending on the characteristics of the wastewater-generating service area and on the wastewater treatment process itself. Each sludge can be considered a unique case, and as such experimental determination of the optimal biodiesel yields must be conducted on a case-by-case basis. In addition to biodiesel, other pyrolysis products can add to the energetic yield of the process (and not only). This paper discusses how feedstock properties and process characteristics may influence biodiesel (and other products) yield from pyrolytic (and in particular, MAP) processes, and discusses future possible technological developments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical pretreatment of waste activated sludge: effect of process conditions on sludge disintegration degree and methane production.

PubMed

Ye, Caihong; Yuan, Haiping; Dai, Xiaohu; Lou, Ziyang; Zhu, Nanwen

2016-11-01

Waste activated sludge (WAS) requires a long digestion time because of a rate-limiting hydrolysis step - the first phase of anaerobic digestion (AD). Pretreatment can be used prior to AD to facilitate the hydrolysis step and improve the efficiency of WAS digestion. This study evaluated a novel application of electrochemical (EC) technology employed as the pretreatment method prior to AD of WAS, focusing on the effect of process conditions on sludge disintegration and subsequent AD process. A superior process condition of EC pretreatment was obtained by reaction time of 30 min, electrolysis voltage of 20 V, and electrode distance of 5 cm, under which the disintegration degree of WAS ranged between 9.02% and 9.72%. In the subsequent batch AD tests, 206 mL/g volatile solid (VS) methane production in EC pretreated sludge was obtained, which was 20.47% higher than that of unpretreated sludge. The AD time was 19 days shorter for EC pretreated sludge compared to the unpretreated sludge. Additionally, the EC + AD reactor achieved 41.84% of VS removal at the end of AD. The analysis of energy consumption showed that EC pretreatment could be effective in enhancing sludge AD with reduced energy consumption when compared to other pretreatment methods.

Hydrothermal Testing of K Basin Sludge and N Reactor Fuel at Sludge Treatment Project Operating Conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Delegard, Calvin H.; Schmidt, Andrew J.; Thornton, Brenda M.

The Sludge Treatment Project (STP), managed for the U. S. DOE by Fluor Hanford (FH), was created to design and operate a process to eliminate uranium metal from K Basin sludge prior to packaging for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The STP process uses high temperature liquid water to accelerate the reaction, produce uranium dioxide from the uranium metal, and safely discharge the hydrogen. Under nominal process conditions, the sludge will be heated in pressurized water at 185°C for as long as 72 hours to assure the complete reaction (corrosion) of up to 0.25-inch diameter uranium metal pieces. Under contractmore » to FH, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted bench-scale testing of the STP hydrothermal process in November and December 2006. Five tests (~50 ml each) were conducted in sealed, un-agitated reaction vessels under the hydrothermal conditions (e.g., 7 to 72 h at 185°C) of the STP corrosion process using radioactive sludge samples collected from the K East Basin and particles/coupons of N Reactor fuel also taken from the K Basins. The tests were designed to evaluate and understand the chemical changes that may be occurring and the effects that any changes would have on sludge rheological properties. The tests were not designed to evaluate engineering aspects of the process. The hydrothermal treatment affected the chemical and physical properties of the sludge. In each test, significant uranium compound phase changes were identified, resulting from dehydration and chemical reduction reactions. Physical properties of the sludge were significantly altered from their initial, as-settled sludge values, including, shear strength, settled density, weight percent water, and gas retention.« less

Multi-step process for concentrating magnetic particles in waste sludges

DOEpatents

Watson, John L.

1990-01-01

This invention involves a multi-step, multi-force process for dewatering sludges which have high concentrations of magnetic particles, such as waste sludges generated during steelmaking. This series of processing steps involves (1) mixing a chemical flocculating agent with the sludge; (2) allowing the particles to aggregate under non-turbulent conditions; (3) subjecting the mixture to a magnetic field which will pull the magnetic aggregates in a selected direction, causing them to form a compacted sludge; (4) preferably, decanting the clarified liquid from the compacted sludge; and (5) using filtration to convert the compacted sludge into a cake having a very high solids content. Steps 2 and 3 should be performed simultaneously. This reduces the treatment time and increases the extent of flocculation and the effectiveness of the process. As partially formed aggregates with active flocculating groups are pulled through the mixture by the magnetic field, they will contact other particles and form larger aggregates. This process can increase the solids concentration of steelmaking sludges in an efficient and economic manner, thereby accomplishing either of two goals: (a) it can convert hazardous wastes into economic resources for recycling as furnace feed material, or (b) it can dramatically reduce the volume of waste material which must be disposed.

Multi-step process for concentrating magnetic particles in waste sludges

DOEpatents

Watson, J.L.

1990-07-10

This invention involves a multi-step, multi-force process for dewatering sludges which have high concentrations of magnetic particles, such as waste sludges generated during steelmaking. This series of processing steps involves (1) mixing a chemical flocculating agent with the sludge; (2) allowing the particles to aggregate under non-turbulent conditions; (3) subjecting the mixture to a magnetic field which will pull the magnetic aggregates in a selected direction, causing them to form a compacted sludge; (4) preferably, decanting the clarified liquid from the compacted sludge; and (5) using filtration to convert the compacted sludge into a cake having a very high solids content. Steps 2 and 3 should be performed simultaneously. This reduces the treatment time and increases the extent of flocculation and the effectiveness of the process. As partially formed aggregates with active flocculating groups are pulled through the mixture by the magnetic field, they will contact other particles and form larger aggregates. This process can increase the solids concentration of steelmaking sludges in an efficient and economic manner, thereby accomplishing either of two goals: (a) it can convert hazardous wastes into economic resources for recycling as furnace feed material, or (b) it can dramatically reduce the volume of waste material which must be disposed. 7 figs.

Lipid-enhancement of activated sludges obtained from conventional activated sludge and oxidation ditch processes.

PubMed

Revellame, Emmanuel D; Hernandez, Rafael; French, W Todd; Holmes, William E; Forks, Allison; Callahan, Robert

2013-11-01

Lipid-enhancement of activated sludges was conducted to increase the amount of saponifiable lipids in the sludges. The sludges were obtained from a conventional activated sludge (CAS) and an oxidation ditch process (ODP). Results showed 59-222% and 150-250% increase in saponifiable lipid content of the sludges from CAS and ODP, respectively. The fatty acid methyl ester (FAMEs) obtained from triacylglycerides was 57-67% (of total FAMEs) for enhanced CAS and 55-73% for enhanced ODP, a very significant improvement from 6% to 10% (CAS) and 4% to 8% (ODP). Regardless of the source, the enhancement resulted in sludges with similar fatty acid profile indicating homogenization of the lipids in the sludges. This study provides a potential strategy to utilize existing wastewater treatment facilities as source of significant amount of lipids for biofuel applications. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Hygienization performances of innovative sludge treatment solutions to assure safe land spreading.

PubMed

Levantesi, C; Beimfohr, C; Blanch, A R; Carducci, A; Gianico, A; Lucena, F; Tomei, M C; Mininni, G

2015-05-01

The present research aims at the evaluation of the hygienization performances of innovative sludge treatment processes applied for the separated treatment of secondary sludge. Namely, two digestion pretreatments (sonication and thermal hydrolysis) and two sequential biological processes (mesophilic/thermophilic and anaerobic/aerobic digestion) were compared to the mesophilic (MAD) and thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD). Microbial indicators (Escherichia coli, somatic coliphages and Clostridium perfringens spores) and pathogens (Salmonella and enteroviruses), which show different resistances to treatment processes, were monitored in untreated and treated sludge. Overall, microbial load in secondary sludge was shown to be similar or lower than previously reported in literature for mixed sludge. Notably, the anaerobic/aerobic digestion process increased the removal of E. coli and somatic coliphages compared to the simple MAD and always achieved the hygienization requirement (2-log-unit removal of E. coli) proposed by EU Commission in the 3rd Working Document on sludge (April 2000) for the use of treated sludges in agriculture with restriction on their application. The microbial quality limits for the unrestricted use of sludge in agriculture (no Salmonella in 50 g wet weight (WW) and E. coli <500 CFU/g) were always met when thermal digestion or pretreatment was applied; however, the required removal level (6-log-unit removal of E. coli) could not be assessed due to the low level of this microorganism in raw sludge. Observed levels of indicator removal showed a higher resistance of viral particles to thermal treatment compared with bacterial cells and confirmed the suitability of somatic coliphages as indicators in thermal treatment processes.

Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in textile dyeing sludge with ultrasound and Fenton processes: Effect of system parameters and synergistic effect study.

PubMed

Lin, Meiqing; Ning, Xun-an; An, Taicheng; Zhang, Jianhao; Chen, Changmin; Ke, Yaowei; Wang, Yujie; Zhang, Yaping; Sun, Jian; Liu, Jingyong

2016-04-15

To establish an efficient oxidation process for the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in textile dyeing sludge, the effects of various operating parameters were optimized during the ultrasound process, Fenton process and the combined ultrasound-Fenton process. The results showed that the ultrasonic density of 1.80w/cm(3), both H2O2 and Fe(2+) dosages of 140mmol/L and pH 3 were favorable conditions for the degradation of PAHs. The degradation efficiency of high molecular weight PAHs was close to or even higher than that of light molecular weight PAHs. The highest degradation efficiencies of Σ16 PAHs were obtained within 30min in the order of: Fenton (83.5%) >ultrasound-Fenton (75.5%) >ultrasound (45.5%), then the efficiencies were decreased in the other of: ultrasound-Fenton (73.0%) >Fenton (70.3%) >ultrasound (41.4%) in 60min. The extra PAHs were released from the intracellular substances and the cavities of sludge due to the disruption of sludge during the oxidation process. Also, the degradation of PAHs could be inhibited by the other organic matter in the sludge. The combined ultrasound-Fenton process showed more efficient than both ultrasound process and Fenton process not only in the surface of sludge but also in the sludge interior. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Characteristics of odors and VOCs from sludge direct drying process].

PubMed

Chen, Wen-He; Deng, Ming-Jia; Luo, Hui; Zhang, Jing-Ying; Ding, Wen-Jie; Liu, Jun-Xin; Liu, Jun-Xin

2014-08-01

Co-processing sewage sludge by using the high-temperature feature of cement kiln can realize harmless disposal and energy recycling. In this paper, investigation on characteristics of the flue gas from sludge drying process was carried out in Guangzhou Heidelberg Yuexiu Cement Co., LTD. The composition and the main source of odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during the drying process were analyzed, aimed to provide scientific basis for the treatment of sewage sludge. Results showed that there were a large number of malodorous substances and VOCs in the flue gas. Sulfur dioxide and other sulfur-containing compounds were the main components in the malodorous substances, while benzene derivatives were predominant in VOCs. The compositions of odors and VOCs were influenced by the characteristics of the sludge and the heat medium (kiln tail gas). Total organic compounds in the sludge were significantly decreased after drying. Other organic substances such as volatile fatty acid, protein, and polysaccharide were also obviously reduced. The organic matter in sludge was the main source of VOCs in the flue gas. Part of sulfurous substances, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon disulfide, were from sulfur-containing substances in the sludge, and the rest were from the kiln tail gas itself.

[Analysis of carbon balance and study on mechanism in anoxic-oxic-settling-anaerobic sludge reduction process].

PubMed

Zhai, Xiao-Min; Gao, Xu; Zhang, Man-Man; Jia, Li; Guo, Jin-Song

2012-07-01

In order to deeply explore the mechanism of sludge reduction in OSA system, carbon balance was performed in an anoxic-oxic-settling-anaerobic (A + OSA) system and a reference AO system to investigate effects of inserting a sludge holding tank in sludge cycle line on the sludge reduction process. Meanwhile, carbon mass change in each reaction unit was identified in terms of solid, liquid and gas phases. The causes of excess sludge reduction in A + OSA system were deduced. The carbon balance results show that when the hydraulic retention time in the sludge holding tank is 7.14 h, carbon percent in solid phase of the sludge reduction system is nearly 50% higher than that of the reference system, supporting the consequence that sludge reduction rate of 49.98% had been achieved. The insertion of a sludge holding tank in the sludge return circuit can be effective in sludge reduction. Carbon changes in each unit reveal that the amount of carbon consumed for biosynthesis in the anoxic and oxic tanks (main reaction zone) of the sludge reduction system is higher than in that of the reference system. Sludge decay is observed in the sludge holding tank. Furthermore, CH4 released from the sludge holding tank is significantly higher than that from the main reaction zone. The DGGE profiles show that there are hydrolytic-fermentative bacteria in the sludge holding tank related to sludge decay. The excess sludge reduction in the A + OSA system could be a result of the combination of sludge decay in the sludge holding tank and sludge compensatory growth in the main reaction cell.

Comparison of three different wastewater sludge and their respective drying processes: Solar, thermal and reed beds - Impact on organic matter characteristics.

PubMed

Collard, Marie; Teychené, Benoit; Lemée, Laurent

2017-12-01

Drying process aims at minimising the volume of wastewater sludge (WWS) before disposal, however it can impact sludge characteristics. Due to its high content in organic matter (OM) and lipids, sludge are mainly valorised by land farming but can also be considered as a feedstock for biodiesel production. As sludge composition is a major parameter for the choice of disposal techniques, the objective of this study was to determine the influence of the drying process. To reach this goal, three sludges obtained from solar, reed beds and thermal drying processes were investigated at the global and molecular scales. Before the drying step the sludges presented similar physico-chemical (OM content, elemental analysis, pH, infrared spectra) characteristics and lipid contents. A strong influence of the drying process on lipids and humic-like substances contents was observed through OM fractionation. Thermochemolysis-GCMS of raw sludge and lipids revealed similar molecular content mainly constituted with steroids and fatty acids. Molecular changes were noticeable for thermal drying through differences in branched to linear fatty acids ratio. Finally the thermal drying induced a weakening of OM whereas the solar drying led to a complexification. These findings show that smooth drying processes such as solar or reed-beds are preferable for amendment production whereas thermal process leads to pellets with a high lipid content which could be considered for fuel production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Improvement of municipal sewage sludge dewaterability by bioleaching: a pilot-scale study with sequence batch reaction model].

PubMed

Liu, Fen-Wu; Zhou, Li-Xiang; Zhou, Jun; Jiang, Feng; Wang, Dian-Zhan

2011-07-01

To observe the bioleaching effect on sewage sludge dewaterability, three consecutive batch bioleaching experiments were conducted through a bioleaching bio-reactor with 700 L of working volume. Subsequently, the bioleached sludge was dewatered by using chamber filter press. The results show that the 1st batch bioleaching process can be finished within 90 hours if the aeration amount was 1.2 m3/h with the 1: 15 mixing ratio of bioleached sludge to raw sludge. The pH of sludge declines from initial 6.11 to 2.33 while ORP increased from initial -134 mV to finial 507 mV. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) of the tested sludge was decreased from original 1.00 x 10(13) m/kg to final 0.09 x 10(13) m/kg after bioleaching. For the subsequent two batch trials, the bioleaching process can be finished in 40 hours and 46 hours, respectively. Likewise, sludge SRF is also significantly decreased to 0.19 x 10(13) m/kg and 0.36 x 10(13) m/kg if the mixing ratio of bioleached sludge to fresh sludge is 1:1 although the microbial nutrient substance dosage is reduced by 25% and 50% for 2nd, and 3rd batch experiments, respectively. The harvested bioleached sludge from three batch trails is dewatered by chamber filter press with 0.3-0.4 MPa working pressure for 2 hours. It is found that the moisture of dewatered sludge cake can be reduced to 58%, and that the dewatered sludge cake is of khaki appearance and didn't emit any offensive odor. In addition, it is also observes that sludge organic matter only changed a bit from 52.9% to 48.0%, but 58% of sludge-borne Cu and 88% of sludge-borne Zn can be removed from sludge by bioleaching process. Therefore, dual goals for sludge-borne heavy metal removal and sludge dewatering of high efficiency can be achieved simultaneously through the approach mentioned above. Therefore, bioleaching technique is of great engineering application for the treatment of sewage sludge.

Multi-criteria evaluation of wastewater treatment plant control strategies under uncertainty.

PubMed

Flores-Alsina, Xavier; Rodríguez-Roda, Ignasi; Sin, Gürkan; Gernaey, Krist V

2008-11-01

The evaluation of activated sludge control strategies in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) via mathematical modelling is a complex activity because several objectives; e.g. economic, environmental, technical and legal; must be taken into account at the same time, i.e. the evaluation of the alternatives is a multi-criteria problem. Activated sludge models are not well characterized and some of the parameters can present uncertainty, e.g. the influent fractions arriving to the facility and the effect of either temperature or toxic compounds on the kinetic parameters, having a strong influence in the model predictions used during the evaluation of the alternatives and affecting the resulting rank of preferences. Using a simplified version of the IWA Benchmark Simulation Model No. 2 as a case study, this article shows the variations in the decision making when the uncertainty in activated sludge model (ASM) parameters is either included or not during the evaluation of WWTP control strategies. This paper comprises two main sections. Firstly, there is the evaluation of six WWTP control strategies using multi-criteria decision analysis setting the ASM parameters at their default value. In the following section, the uncertainty is introduced, i.e. input uncertainty, which is characterized by probability distribution functions based on the available process knowledge. Next, Monte Carlo simulations are run to propagate input through the model and affect the different outcomes. Thus (i) the variation in the overall degree of satisfaction of the control objectives for the generated WWTP control strategies is quantified, (ii) the contributions of environmental, legal, technical and economic objectives to the existing variance are identified and finally (iii) the influence of the relative importance of the control objectives during the selection of alternatives is analyzed. The results show that the control strategies with an external carbon source reduce the output uncertainty in the criteria used to quantify the degree of satisfaction of environmental, technical and legal objectives, but increasing the economical costs and their variability as a trade-off. Also, it is shown how a preliminary selected alternative with cascade ammonium controller becomes less desirable when input uncertainty is included, having simpler alternatives more chance of success.

Study on the combined sewage sludge pyrolysis and gasification process: mass and energy balance.

PubMed

Wang, Zhonghui; Chen, Dezhen; Song, Xueding; Zhao, Lei

2012-12-01

A combined pyrolysis and gasification process for sewage sludge was studied in this paper for the purpose of its safe disposal with energy self-balance. Three sewage sludge samples with different dry basis lower heat values (LHV(db)) were used to evaluate the constraints on this combined process. Those samples were pre-dried and then pyrolysed within the temperature range of 400-550 degrees C. Afterwards, the char obtained from pyrolysis was gasified to produce fuel gas. The experimental results showed that the char yield ranged between 37.28 and 53.75 wt% of the dry sludge and it changed with ash content, pyrolysis temperature and LHV(db) of the sewage sludge. The gas from char gasification had a LHV around 5.31-5.65 MJ/Nm3, suggesting it can be utilized to supply energy in the sewage sludge drying and pyrolysis process. It was also found that energy balance in the combined process was affected by the LHV(db) of sewage sludge, moisture content and pyrolysis temperature. Higher LHV(db), lower moisture content and higher pyrolysis temperature benefit energy self-balance. For sewage sludge with a moisture content of 80 wt%, LHV(db) of sewage sludge should be higher than 18 MJ/kg and the pyrolysis temperature should be higher than 450 degrees C to maintain energy self-sufficiency when volatile from the pyrolysis process is the only energy supplier; when the LHV(db) was in the range of 14.65-18 MJ/kg, energy self-balance could be maintained in this combined process with fuel gas from char gasification as a supplementary fuel; auxiliary fuel was always needed if the LHV(db) was lower than 14.65 MJ/kg.

Transformation of heavy metal speciation during sludge drying: mechanistic insights.

PubMed

Weng, Huan-Xin; Ma, Xue-Wen; Fu, Feng-Xia; Zhang, Jin-Jun; Liu, Zan; Tian, Li-Xun; Liu, Chongxuan

2014-01-30

Speciation can fundamentally affect on the stability and toxicity of heavy metals in sludge from wastewater treatment plants. This research investigated the speciation of heavy metals in sludge from both municipal and industrial sources, and metal speciation change as a result of drying process to reduce sludge volume. The changes in sludge properties including sludge moisture content, temperature, density, and electrical conductivity were also monitored to provide insights into the mechanisms causing the change in heavy metal speciation. The results show that the drying process generally stabilized Cr, Cu, Cd, and Pb in sludge by transforming acid-soluble, reducible, and oxidizable species into structurally stable forms. Such transformation and stabilization occurred regardless of the sludge source and type, and were primarily caused by the changes in sludge properties associated with decomposition of organic matter and sulfide. The results enhanced our understanding of the geochemical behavior of heavy metals in municipal sludge, and are useful for designing a treatment system for environment-friendly disposal of sludge. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combined effects of Fenton peroxidation and CaO conditioning on sewage sludge thermal drying.

PubMed

Liu, Huan; Liu, Peng; Hu, Hongyun; Zhang, Qiang; Wu, Zhenyu; Yang, Jiakuan; Yao, Hong

2014-12-01

Joint application of Fenton's reagent and CaO can dramatically enhance sludge dewaterability, thus are also likely to affect subsequent thermal drying process. This study investigated the synergistic effects of the two conditioners on the thermal drying behavior of sewage sludge and the emission characteristics of main sulfur-/nitrogen-containing gases. According to the results, Fenton peroxidation combined with CaO conditioning efficiently promoted sludge heat transfer, reduced the amounts of both free and bound water, and created porous structure in solids to provide evaporation channels, thus producing significant positive effects on sludge drying performance. In this case, the required time for drying was shortened to one-third. Additionally, joint usage of Fenton's reagent and CaO did not increase the losses of organic matter during sludge drying process. Meanwhile, they facilitated the formation of sulfate and sulfonic acid/sulfone, leading to sulfur retention in dried sludge. Both of Fenton peroxidation and CaO conditioning promoted the oxidation, decomposition, and/or dissolution of protein and inorganic nitrogen in sludge pre-treatment. As a consequence, the emissions of sulfurous and nitrogenous gases from dewatered sludge drying were greatly suppressed. These indicate that combining Fenton peroxidation with CaO conditioning is a promising strategy to improve drying efficiency of sewage sludge and to control sulfur and nitrogen contaminants during sludge thermal drying process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Review of enhanced processes for anaerobic digestion treatment of sewage sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xinyuan; Han, Zeyu; Yang, Jie; Ye, Tianyi; Yang, Fang; Wu, Nan; Bao, Zhenbo

2018-02-01

Great amount of sewage sludge had been produced each year, which led to serious environmental pollution. Many new technologies had been developed recently, but they were hard to be applied in large scales. As one of the traditional technologies, anaerobic fermentation process was capable of obtaining bioenergy by biogas production under the functions of microbes. However, the anaerobic process is facing new challenges due to the low fermentation efficiency caused by the characteristics of sewage sludge itself. In order to improve the energy yield, the enhancement technologies including sewage sludge pretreatment process, co-digestion process, high-solid digestion process and two-stage fermentation process were widely studied in the literatures, which were introduced in this article.

Fate of cyanobacteria in drinking water treatment plant lagoon supernatant and sludge.

PubMed

Pestana, Carlos J; Reeve, Petra J; Sawade, Emma; Voldoire, Camille F; Newton, Kelly; Praptiwi, Radisti; Collingnon, Lea; Dreyfus, Jennifer; Hobson, Peter; Gaget, Virginie; Newcombe, Gayle

2016-09-15

In conventional water treatment processes, where the coagulation and flocculation steps are designed to remove particles from drinking water, cyanobacteria are also concentrated into the resultant sludge. As a consequence, cyanobacteria-laden sludge can act as a reservoir for metabolites such as taste and odour compounds and cyanotoxins. This can pose a significant risk to water quality where supernatant from the sludge treatment facility is returned to the inlet to the plant. In this study the complex processes that can take place in a sludge treatment lagoon were investigated. It was shown that cyanobacteria can proliferate in the conditions manifest in a sludge treatment lagoon, and that cyanobacteria can survive and produce metabolites for at least 10days in sludge. The major processes of metabolite release and degradation are very dependent on the physical, chemical and biological environment in the sludge treatment facility and it was not possible to accurately model the net effect. For the first time evidence is provided to suggest that there is a greater risk associated with recycling sludge supernatant than can be estimated from the raw water quality, as metabolite concentrations increased by up to 500% over several days after coagulation, attributed to increased metabolite production and/or cell proliferation in the sludge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Research on the treatment of wastewater containing PVA by ozonation-activated sludge process].

PubMed

Xing, Xiao-Qiong; Huang, Cheng-Lan; Liu, Min; Chen, Ying

2012-11-01

The wastewater containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was characterized with poor biodegradability, and was difficult to remove. In order to find an economically reasonable and practical technology, the research on the removal efficiency of different concentration wastewater containing PVA by ozonation-activated sludge process was studied, and the result was compared with the traditional activated sludge process. The results showed that the ozonation-activated sludge process was not suitable for treating influent with COD below 500 mg x L(-1) and the wastewater PVA concentration was 10-30 mg x L(-1). When the influent COD was between 500-800 mg x L(-1) and the PVA concentration was 15-60 mg x L(-1), the system had advantages on dealing with this kind of wastewater, and the average removal efficiency of COD and PVA were 92.8% and 57.4%, which were better than the traditional activated sludge process 4.1% and 15.2% respectively. In addition, the effluent concentrations of COD could keep between 30-60 mg x L(-1). When the influent COD was 1 000-1 200 mg x L(-1) and the PVA concentration was 20-70 mg x L(-1), the average removal efficiencies of COD and PVA were 90.9% and 45.3%, which were better than the traditional activated sludge process 12.8% and 12.1% respectively, but the effluent should to be further treated. Compared with the traditional activated sludge process, ozonation-activated sludge process had high treatment efficiency, stable running effect, and effectively in dealing with industrial wastewater containing PVA.

Sludge stabilization through aerobic digestion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hartman, R.B.; Smith, D.G.; Bennett, E.R.

1979-10-01

The aerobic digestion process with certain modifications is evaluated as an alternative for sludge processing capable of developing a product with characteristics required for land application. Environmental conditions, including temperature, solids concentration, and digestion time, that affect the aerobic digestion of a mixed primary sludge-trickling filter humus are investigated. Variations in these parameters that influence the characteristics of digested sludge are determined, and the parameters are optimized to: provide the maximum rate of volatile solids reduction; develop a stable, nonodorous product sludge; and provide the maximum rate of oxidation of the nitrogenous material present in the feed sludge. (3 diagrams,more » 9 graphs, 15 references, 3 tables)« less

A comparison of aerobic granular sludge with conventional and compact biological treatment technologies.

PubMed

Bengtsson, Simon; de Blois, Mark; Wilén, Britt-Marie; Gustavsson, David

2018-03-20

The aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology is growing towards becoming a mature option for new municipal wastewater treatment plants and capacity extensions. A process based on AGS was compared to conventional activated sludge processes (with and without enhanced biological phosphorus removal), an integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) process and a membrane bioreactor (MBR) by estimating the land area demand (footprint), electricity demand and chemicals' consumption. The process alternatives compared included pre-settling, sludge digestion and necessary post-treatment to achieve effluent concentrations of 8 mg/L nitrogen and 0.2 mg/L phosphorus at 7°C. The alternative based on AGS was estimated to have a 40-50% smaller footprint and 23% less electricity requirement than conventional activated sludge. In relation to the other compact treatment options IFAS and MBR, the AGS process had an estimated electricity usage that was 35-70% lower. This suggests a favourable potential for processes based on AGS although more available experience of AGS operation and performance at full scale is desired.

Sequential anaerobic/aerobic digestion for enhanced sludge stabilization: comparison of the process performance for mixed and waste sludge [corrected].

PubMed

Tomei, M Concetta; Carozza, Nicola Antonello

2015-05-01

Sequential anaerobic-aerobic digestion has been demonstrated as a promising alternative for enhanced sludge stabilization. In this paper, a feasibility study of the sequential digestion applied to real waste activated sludge (WAS) and mixed sludge is presented. Process performance is evaluated in terms of total solid (TS) and volatile solid (VS) removal, biogas production, and dewaterability trend in the anaerobic and double-stage digested sludge. In the proposed digestion lay out, the aerobic stage was operated with intermittent aeration to reduce the nitrogen load recycled to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Experimental results showed a very good performance of the sequential digestion process for both waste and mixed sludge, even if, given its better digestibility, higher efficiencies are observed for mixed sludge. VS removal efficiencies in the anaerobic stage were 48 and 50% for waste and mixed sludge, respectively, while a significant additional improvement of the VS removal of 25% for WAS and 45% for mixed sludge has been obtained in the aerobic stage. The post-aerobic stage, operated with intermittent aeration, was also efficient in nitrogen removal, providing a significant decrease of the nitrogen content in the supernatant: nitrification efficiencies of 90 and 97% and denitrification efficiencies of 62 and 70% have been obtained for secondary and mixed sludges, respectively. A positive effect due to the aerobic stage was also observed on the sludge dewaterability in both cases. Biogas production, expressed as Nm(3)/(kgVSdestroyed), was 0.54 for waste and 0.82 for mixed sludge and is in the range of values reported in the literature in spite of the low anaerobic sludge retention time of 15 days.

Fluid dynamic analysis of a continuous stirred tank reactor for technical optimization of wastewater digestion.

PubMed

Hurtado, F J; Kaiser, A S; Zamora, B

2015-03-15

Continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR) are widely used in wastewater treatment plants to reduce the organic matter and microorganism present in sludge by anaerobic digestion. The present study carries out a numerical analysis of the fluid dynamic behaviour of a CSTR in order to optimize the process energetically. The characterization of the sludge flow inside the digester tank, the residence time distribution and the active volume of the reactor under different criteria are determined. The effects of design and power of the mixing system on the active volume of the CSTR are analyzed. The numerical model is solved under non-steady conditions by examining the evolution of the flow during the stop and restart of the mixing system. An intermittent regime of the mixing system, which kept the active volume between 94% and 99%, is achieved. The results obtained can lead to the eventual energy optimization of the mixing system of the CSTR. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Activated Sludge. Student Manual. Biological Treatment Process Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boe, Owen K.; Klopping, Paul H.

This student manual contains the textual material for a seven-lesson unit on activated sludge. Topic areas addressed in the lessons include: (1) activated sludge concepts and components (including aeration tanks, aeration systems, clarifiers, and sludge pumping systems); (2) activated sludge variations and modes; (3) biological nature of activated…

Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from sludge biodrying instead of heat drying combined with mono-incineration in China.

PubMed

Liu, Hong-Tao; Wang, Yan-Wen; Liu, Xiao-Jie; Gao, Ding; Zheng, Guo-di; Lei, Mei; Guo, Guang-Hui; Zheng, Hai-Xia; Kong, Xiang-Juan

2017-02-01

Sludge is an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, both in the form of direct process emissions and as a result of indirect carbon-derived energy consumption during processing. In this study, the carbon budgets of two sludge disposal processes at two well-known sludge disposal sites in China (for biodrying and heat-drying pretreatments, both followed by mono-incineration) were quantified and compared. Total GHG emissions from heat drying combined with mono-incineration was 0.1731 tCO 2 e t -1 , while 0.0882 tCO 2 e t -1 was emitted from biodrying combined with mono-incineration. Based on these findings, a significant reduction (approximately 50%) in total GHG emissions was obtained by biodrying instead of heat drying prior to sludge incineration. Sludge treatment results in direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moisture reduction followed by incineration is commonly used to dispose of sludge in China; however, few studies have compared the effects of different drying pretreatment options on GHG emissions during such processes. Therefore, in this study, the carbon budgets of sludge incineration were analyzed and compared following different pretreatment drying technologies (biodrying and heat drying). The results indicate that biodrying combined with incineration generated approximately half of the GHG emissions compared to heat drying followed by incineration. Accordingly, biodrying may represent a more environment-friendly sludge pretreatment prior to incineration.

A novel conditioning process for enhancing dewaterability of waste activated sludge by combination of zero-valent iron and persulfate.

PubMed

Zhou, Xu; Wang, Qilin; Jiang, Guangming; Liu, Peng; Yuan, Zhiguo

2015-06-01

Improvement of sludge dewaterability is crucial for reducing the costs of sludge disposal in wastewater treatment plants. This study presents a novel conditioning method for improving waste activated sludge dewaterability by combination of persulfate and zero-valent iron. The combination of zero-valent iron (0-30g/L) and persulfate (0-6g/L) under neutral pH substantially enhanced the sludge dewaterability due to the advanced oxidization reactions. The highest enhancement of sludge dewaterability was achieved at 4g persulfate/L and 15g zero-valent iron/L, with which the capillary suction time was reduced by over 50%. The release of soluble chemical oxygen demand during the conditioning process implied the decomposition of sludge structure and microorganisms, which facilitated the improvement of dewaterability due to the release of bound water that was included in sludge structure and microorganism. Economic analysis showed that the proposed conditioning process with persulfate and ZVI is more economically favorable for improving WAS dewaterability than classical Fenton reagent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leachates from solid wastes: chemical and eco(geno)toxicological differences between leachates obtained from fresh and stabilized industrial organic sludge.

PubMed

Chiochetta, Claudete G; Goetten, Luís C; Almeida, Sônia M; Quaranta, Gaetana; Cotelle, Sylvie; Radetski, Claudemir M

2014-01-01

The chemical and ecotoxicological characteristics of fresh and stabilized industrial organic sludge leachates were compared to obtain information regarding how the stabilization process can influence the ecotoxic potential of this industrial waste, which could be used for the amendment of degraded soil. Physicochemical analysis of the sludge leachates, as well as a battery of eco(geno)toxicity tests on bacteria, algae, daphnids, and higher plants (including Vicia faba genotoxicity test) and the determination of hydrolytic enzyme activity, was performed according to standard methods. The chemical comparison of the two types of leachate showed that the samples obtained from stabilized sludge had a lower organic content and higher metal content than leachates of the fresh sludge. The eco(geno)toxicological results obtained with aquatic organisms showed that the stabilized sludge leachate was more toxic than the fresh sludge leachate, both originating from the same industrial organic sludge sample. Nevertheless, phytotoxicity tests carried out with a reference peat soil irrigated with stabilized sludge leachate showed the same toxicity as the fresh sludge leachate. In the case of the industrial solid organic sludge studied, stabilization through a biodegradation process promoted a higher metal mobility/bioavailability/eco(geno)toxicity in the stabilized sludge leachate compared to the fresh sludge leachate.

Influences of Extracellular Polymeric Substances on the Dewaterability of Sewage Sludge during Bioleaching

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xueying; Zhou, Lixiang

2014-01-01

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) play important roles in regulating the dewaterability of sludge. This study sought to elucidate the influence of EPS on the dewaterability of sludge during bioleaching process. Results showed that, in bioleaching system with the co-inoculation of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans TS6 and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 (A. t+A. f system), the capillary suction time (CST) of sludge reduced from 255.9 s to 25.45 s within 48 h, which was obviously better than the controls. The correlation analysis between sludge CST and sludge EPS revealed that the sludge EPS significantly impacted the dewaterability of sludge. Sludge CST had correlation with protein content in slime and both protein and polysaccharide contents in TB-EPS and Slime+LB+TB layers, and the decrease of protein content in slime and decreases of both protein and polysaccharide contents in TB-EPS and Slime+LB+TB layers improved sludge dewaterability during sludge bioleaching process. Moreover, the low sludge pH (2.92) and the increasing distribution of Fe in the solid phase were another two factors responsible for the improvement of sludge dewaterability during bioleaching. This study suggested that during sludge bioleaching the growth of Acidithiobacillus species resulted in the decrease of sludge pH, the increasing distribution of Fe in the solid phase, and the decrease of EPS content (mainly including protein and/or polysaccharide) in the slime, TB-EPS, and Slime+LB+TB layers, all of which are helpful for sludge dewaterability enhancement. PMID:25050971

Influences of extracellular polymeric substances on the dewaterability of sewage sludge during bioleaching.

PubMed

Zhou, Jun; Zheng, Guanyu; Zhang, Xueying; Zhou, Lixiang

2014-01-01

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) play important roles in regulating the dewaterability of sludge. This study sought to elucidate the influence of EPS on the dewaterability of sludge during bioleaching process. Results showed that, in bioleaching system with the co-inoculation of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans TS6 and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 (A. t+A. f system), the capillary suction time (CST) of sludge reduced from 255.9 s to 25.45 s within 48 h, which was obviously better than the controls. The correlation analysis between sludge CST and sludge EPS revealed that the sludge EPS significantly impacted the dewaterability of sludge. Sludge CST had correlation with protein content in slime and both protein and polysaccharide contents in TB-EPS and Slime+LB+TB layers, and the decrease of protein content in slime and decreases of both protein and polysaccharide contents in TB-EPS and Slime+LB+TB layers improved sludge dewaterability during sludge bioleaching process. Moreover, the low sludge pH (2.92) and the increasing distribution of Fe in the solid phase were another two factors responsible for the improvement of sludge dewaterability during bioleaching. This study suggested that during sludge bioleaching the growth of Acidithiobacillus species resulted in the decrease of sludge pH, the increasing distribution of Fe in the solid phase, and the decrease of EPS content (mainly including protein and/or polysaccharide) in the slime, TB-EPS, and Slime+LB+TB layers, all of which are helpful for sludge dewaterability enhancement.

Stabilization of waste-activated sludge through the anoxic-aerobic digestion process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hashimoto, S.; Fujita, M.; Terai, K.

1982-08-01

During the aerobic digestion process, the nitrogen which had been embedded in the activated sludge is solubilized to form ammoniacal and nitric nitrogen which are in turn transferred to the liquor and cause the increase of nitrogen loading in the sewage treatment plant. In this study, the anoxic-aerobic sludge digestion system which is a modified form of the conventional aerobic sludge digestion is made up of aerobic and anoxic tanks and are designed to remove both the volatile suspended solids and the total nitrogen (TN) simultaneously. The removal efficiencies of both VSS and TN were investigated by feeding waste-activated sludgemore » continuously and semicontinuously. The maximum percent reduction of both VSS and TN was achieved at a Q /SUB r/ /Q /SUB s/ ratio of 2 in the continuous process. The semicontinuous process was used to improve the nitrogen removal efficiency further. In the semicontinuous process, the VSS reduction efficiency as well as the nitrogen removal efficiency increased remarkably under a constant Q /SUB r/ /Q /SUB s/ ratio of 2. This process also achieved a VSS reduction efficiency higher than the aerobic digestion process (control). It was suggested that the additional anoxic tank enhanced the sludge digestion. Furthermore, the anoxic-aerobic digestion system can be applied to other treatment media like the primary sludge, industrial sludge, animal manure, etc.« less

Decontamination of sludge by the METIX-AC process. Part II: effects on maize growth and bioaccumulation of metals.

PubMed

Barraoui, Driss; Labrecque, Michel; Blais, Jean-François

2008-03-01

Given the fact that, according to our knowledge, no study has compared the agro-environmental use of decontaminated with non-decontaminated sludge, a greenhouse experiment was carried out to test the growth of maize (Zea mays L., G-4011 Hybrid) and bioaccumulation of metals in the presence of four different sludges (MUC, QUC, BEC and DAI), before and after their decontamination by a novel process (METIX-AC). Data showed that decontaminated sludge ameliorated plant growth and biomass production, and decreased bioaccumulation of metals, more than control soil, inorganic chemical fertilization, or conventional non-decontaminated sludge. Since chemicals used by the METIX-AC process contained S and Fe, decontaminated sludge introduced large amounts of these elements, while the overall presence of metals was reduced. Often, sludge dose also affected maize growth and bioaccumulation of metals. Overall, no toxicity to plants was noticed and bioaccumulation and transfer of many metals remained below the limits reported in the literature.

Evaluation of the Removal of Indicator Bacteria from Domestic Sludge Processed by Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD)

PubMed Central

Piterina, Anna V.; Bartlett, John; Pembroke, Tony J.

2010-01-01

The degradation of sludge solids in an insulated reactor during Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) processing results in auto-heating, thermal treatment and total solids reduction, however, the ability to eliminate pathogenic organisms has not been analysed under large scale process conditions. We evaluated the ATAD process over a period of one year in a two stage, full scale Irish ATAD plant established in Killarney and treating mixed primary and secondary sludge, by examining the sludge microbiologically at various stages during and following ATAD processing to determine its ability to eliminate indicator organisms. Salmonella spp. (pathogen) and fecal-coliform (indicator) densities were well below the limits used to validate class A biosolids in the final product. Enteric pathogens present at inlet were deactivated during the ATAD process and were not detected in the final product using both traditional microbial culture and molecular phylogenetic techniques. A high DNase activity was detected in the bulk sludge during the thermophilic digestion stage which may be responsible for the rapid turn over of DNA from lysed cells and the removal of mobile DNA. These results offer assurance for the safe use of ATAD sludge as a soil supplement following processing. PMID:20948933

Evaluation of the removal of indicator bacteria from domestic sludge processed by Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD).

PubMed

Piterina, Anna V; Bartlett, John; Pembroke, Tony J

2010-09-01

The degradation of sludge solids in an insulated reactor during Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) processing results in auto-heating, thermal treatment and total solids reduction, however, the ability to eliminate pathogenic organisms has not been analysed under large scale process conditions. We evaluated the ATAD process over a period of one year in a two stage, full scale Irish ATAD plant established in Killarney and treating mixed primary and secondary sludge, by examining the sludge microbiologically at various stages during and following ATAD processing to determine its ability to eliminate indicator organisms. Salmonella spp. (pathogen) and fecal-coliform (indicator) densities were well below the limits used to validate class A biosolids in the final product. Enteric pathogens present at inlet were deactivated during the ATAD process and were not detected in the final product using both traditional microbial culture and molecular phylogenetic techniques. A high DNase activity was detected in the bulk sludge during the thermophilic digestion stage which may be responsible for the rapid turn over of DNA from lysed cells and the removal of mobile DNA. These results offer assurance for the safe use of ATAD sludge as a soil supplement following processing.

Gaseous emissions from sewage sludge combustion in a moving bed combustor.

PubMed

Batistella, Luciane; Silva, Valdemar; Suzin, Renato C; Virmond, Elaine; Althoff, Chrtistine A; Moreira, Regina F P M; José, Humberto J

2015-12-01

Substantial increase in sewage sludge generation in recent years requires suitable destination for this residue. This study evaluated the gaseous emissions generated during combustion of an aerobic sewage sludge in a pilot scale moving bed reactor. To utilize the heat generated during combustion, the exhaust gas was applied to the raw sludge drying process. The gaseous emissions were analyzed both after the combustion and drying steps. The results of the sewage sludge characterization showed the energy potential of this residue (LHV equal to 14.5 MJ kg(-1), db) and low concentration of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF). The concentration of CO, NOx, BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) emitted from the sludge combustion process were lower than the legal limits. The overall sludge combustion and drying process showed low emissions of PCDD/PCDF (0.42 ng I-TEQ N m(-3)). BTEX and PAH emissions were not detected. Even with the high nitrogen concentration in the raw feed (5.88% db), the sludge combustion process presented NOx emissions below the legal limit, which results from the combination of appropriate feed rate (A/F ratio), excess air, and mainly the low temperature kept inside the combustion chamber. It was found that the level of CO emissions from the overall sludge process depends on the dryer operating conditions, such as the oxygen content and the drying temperature, which have to be controlled throughout the process in order to achieve low CO levels. The aerobic sewage sludge combustion process generated high SO2 concentration due to the high sulfur content (0.67 wt%, db) and low calcium concentration (22.99 g kg(-1)) found in the sludge. The high concentration of SO2 in the flue gas (4776.77 mg N m(-3)) is the main factor inhibiting PCDD/PCDF formation. Further changes are needed in the pilot plant scheme to reduce SO2 and particulate matter emissions, such as the installation of exhaust gas-cleaning systems. According to previous studies, the efficient operation of such cleaning systems is also effective for metals emission control, which makes the combustion of sewage sludge a feasible treatment method from both energetic and environmental perspectives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fermentation and chemical treatment of pulp and paper mill sludge

DOEpatents

Lee, Yoon Y; Wang, Wei; Kang, Li

2014-12-02

A method of chemically treating partially de-ashed pulp and/or paper mill sludge to obtain products of value comprising taking a sample of primary sludge from a Kraft paper mill process, partially de-ashing the primary sludge by physical means, and further treating the primary sludge to obtain the products of value, including further treating the resulting sludge and using the resulting sludge as a substrate to produce cellulase in an efficient manner using the resulting sludge as the only carbon source and mixtures of inorganic salts as the primary nitrogen source, and including further treating the resulting sludge and using the resulting sludge to produce ethanol.

[Emissions of greenhouse gas and ammonia from the full process of sewage sludge composting and land application of compost].

PubMed

Zhong, Jia; Wei, Yuan-Song; Zhao, Zhen-Feng; Ying, Mei-Juan; Zhou, Guo-Sheng; Xiong, Jian-Jun; Liu, Pei-Cai; Ge, Zhen; Ding, Gang-Qiang

2013-11-01

There is a great uncertainty of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and nitrogen conservation from the full process of sludge composting and land application of compost in China due to the lack of emission data of GHG such as N2O and CH4 and ammonia (NH3). The purpose of this study is to get emission characteristics of GHGs and NH3 from the full process with on-site observation. Results showed that the total GHG emission factor from full process of the turning windrow (TW) system (eCO2/dry sludge, 196.21 kg x t(-1)) was 1.61 times higher of that from the ATP system. Among the full process, N2O was mostly from the land application of compost, whereas CH4 mainly resulted from the sludge composting. In the sludge composting of ATP, the GHG emission equivalence of the ATP (eCO2/dry sludge, 12.47 kg x t(-1) was much lower than that of the TW (eCO2/dry sludge, 86.84 kg x t(-1)). The total NH3 emission factor of the TW (NH3/dry sludge, 6.86 kg x t(-1)) was slightly higher than that of the ATP (NH3/dry sludge, 6.63 kg x t(-1)). NH3 was the major contributor of nitrogen loss in the full process. During the composting, the nitrogen loss as NH3 from both TW and ATP was nearly the same as 30% of TN loss from raw materials, and the N and C loss caused by N2O and CH4 were negligible. These results clearly showed that the ATP was a kind of environmentally friendly composting technology.

Comprehensive characterisation of sewage sludge for thermochemical conversion processes - Based on Singapore survey.

PubMed

Chan, Wei Ping; Wang, Jing-Yuan

2016-08-01

Recently, sludge attracted great interest as a potential feedstock in thermochemical conversion processes. However, compositions and thermal degradation behaviours of sludge were highly complex and distinctive compared to other traditional feedstock led to a need of fundamental research on sludge. Comprehensive characterisation of sludge specifically for thermochemical conversion was carried out for all existing Water Reclamation Plants in Singapore. In total, 14 sludge samples collected based on the type, plant, and batch categorisation. Existing characterisation methods for physical and chemical properties were analysed and reviewed using the collected samples. Qualitative similarities and quantitative variations of different sludge samples were identified and discussed. Oxidation of inorganic in sludge during ash forming analysis found to be causing significant deviations on proximate and ultimate analysis. Therefore, alternative parameters and comparison basis including Fixed Residues (FR), Inorganic Matters (IM) and Total Inorganics (TI) were proposed for better understanding on the thermochemical characteristics of sludge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Drying characteristics and apparent change of sludge granules during drying].

PubMed

Ma, Xue-Wen; Weng, Huan-Xin; Zhang, Jin-Jun

2011-08-01

Three different weight grades of sludge granules (2.5, 5, 10 g) were dried at constant temperature of 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 degrees C, respectively. Then characteristics of weight loss and change of apparent form during sludge drying were analyzed. Results showed that there were three stages during sludge drying at 100-200 degrees C: acceleration phase, constant-rate phase, and falling-rate phase. At 300-500 degrees C, there were no constant-rate phase, but due to lots of cracks generated at sludge surface, average drying rates were still high. There was a quadratic nonlinear relationship between average drying rate and drying temperature. At 100-200 degrees C, drying processes of different weight grade sludge granules were similar. At 300-500 degrees C, drying processes of same weight grade of sludge granules were similar. Little organic matter decomposed till sludge burning at 100-300 degrees C, while some organic matter began to decompose at the beginning of sludge drying at 400-500 degrees C.

Heavy Metals and Radioactivity Reduction from Acid Mine Drainage Lime Neutralized Sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashifana, T.; Sithole, N.

2018-03-01

The worldwide known treatment processes of acid mine drainage result into the formation of hydrous ferric oxides that is amorphous, poorly crystalline and into the generation of hazardous voluminous sludge posing threat to the environment. Applicable treatment technologies to treat hazardous solid material and produce useful products are limited and in most cases nonexistence. A chemical treatment process utilizing different reagents was developed to treat hazardous acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge with the objectives to conduct radioactivity assessment of the sludge generated from lime treatment process and determine the reagent that provides the best results. Leaching with 0.5 M citric acid, 0.4 M oxalic acid, 0.5 M sodium carbonate and 0.5 M sodium bicarbonate was investigated. The leaching time applied was 24 hours at 25 °C. The characterization of the raw AMD revealed that the AMD sludge from lime treatment process is radioactive. The sludge was laden with radioactive elements namely, 238U, 214Pb, 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 214Bi. 0.5 M citric acid provided the best results and the hazardous contaminants were significantly reduced. The constituents in the sludge after treatment revealed that there is a great potential for the sludge to be used for other applications such as building and construction.

Biological sludge solubilisation for reduction of excess sludge production in wastewater treatment process.

PubMed

Yamaguchi, T; Yao, Y; Kihara, Y

2006-01-01

A novel sludge disintegration system (JFE-SD system) was developed for the reduction of excess sludge production in wastewater treatment plants. Chemical and biological treatments were applied to disintegrate excess sludge. At the first step, to enhance biological disintegration, the sludge was pretreated with alkali. At the second step, the sludge was disintegrated by biological treatment. Many kinds of sludge degrading microorganisms integrated the sludge. The efficiency of the new sludge disintegration system was confirmed in a full-scale experiment. The JFE-SD system reduced excess sludge production by approximately 50% during the experimental period. The quality of effluent was kept at quite a good level. Economic analysis revealed that this system could significantly decrease the excess sludge treatment cost.

The Conversion and Sustainable Use of Alumina Refinery Residues: Global Solution Examples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fergusson, Lee

This paper introduces current industry best practice for the conversion of alumina refinery residues (or "red mud") from hazardous waste to benign, inert material. The paper will examine four neutralization methods and Basecon Technology, a sustainable conversion process. The paper will consider ways through which this converted material can be combined and processed for sustainable applications in the treatment of hazardous waste streams (such as industrial wastewater and sludges, biosolids, and CCA wastes), contaminated brownfield sites, and mine site wastes. Recent discoveries and applications, such as the successful treatment of high levels of radium in drinking water in the USA, will also be discussed. Examples of global solutions and their technical merits will be assessed.

Alkaline treatment of high-solids sludge and its application to anaerobic digestion.

PubMed

Li, Chenchen; Li, Huan; Zhang, Yuyao

2015-01-01

High-solids anaerobic digestion is a promising new process for sludge reduction and bioenergy recovery, requiring smaller digestion tanks and less energy for heating, but a longer digestion time, than traditional low-solids anaerobic digestion. To accelerate this process, alkaline sludge disintegration was tested as a pretreatment method for anaerobic digestion of high-solids sludge. The results showed that alkaline treatment effectively disintegrated both low-solids sludge and high-solids sludge, and treatment duration of 30 min was the most efficient. The relation between sludge disintegration degree and NaOH dose can be described by a transmutative power function model. At NaOH dose lower than 0.2 mol/L, sludge disintegration degree remained virtually unchanged when sludge total solids (TS) content increased from 2.0 to 11.0%, and decreased only slightly when sludge TS increased to 14.2%. Although high-solids sludge required a slightly higher molarity of NaOH to reach the same disintegration level of low-solids sludge, the required mass of NaOH actually decreased due to sludge thickening. From the view of NaOH consumption, sludge TS of 8-12% and a NaOH dose of 0.05 mol/L were optimum conditions for alkaline pretreatment, which resulted in a slight increase in accumulative biogas yield, but a decrease by 24-29% in digestion time during the subsequent anaerobic digestion.

Advanced oxidation process using hydrogen peroxide/microwave system for solubilization of phosphate.

PubMed

Liao, Ping Huang; Wong, Wayne T; Lo, Kwang Victor

2005-01-01

An advanced oxidation process (AOP) combining hydrogen peroxide and microwave heating was used for the solubilization of phosphate from secondary municipal sludge from an enhanced biological phosphorus removal process. The microwave irradiation is used as a generator agent of oxidizing radicals as well as a heating source in the process. This AOP process could facilitate the release of a large amount of the sludge-bound phosphorus from the sewage sludge. More than 84% of the total phosphorous could be released at a microwave heating time of 5 min at 170 degrees C. This innovative process has the potential of being applied to simple sludge treatment processes in domestic wastewater treatment and to the recovery of phosphorus from the wastewater.

Enhancement of the sludge disintegration and nutrients release by a treatment with potassium ferrate combined with an ultrasonic process.

PubMed

Li, Wei; Yu, Najiaowa; Liu, Qian; Li, Yiran; Ren, Nanqi; Xing, Defeng

2018-09-01

Sludge disintegration by ultrasound is a promising sludge treatment method. In order to enhance the efficiency of the sludge reduction and hydrolysis, potassium ferrate (K 2 FeO 4 ) (PF) was used. A novel method was developed to improve the sludge disintegration-sludge pretreatment by using PF in combination with an ultrasonic treatment (PF + ULT). After a short-term PF + ULT treatment, 17.23% of the volatile suspended solids (VSS) were reduced after a 900-min reaction time, which is 61.3% higher than the VSS reduction for the raw sludge. The supernatant soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), total nitrogen (TN), volatile fatty acids (VFAs), soluble protein and polysaccharides increased by 522.5%, 1029.4%, 878.4%, 2996.6% and 801.9%, respectively. The constituent parts of the dissolved organic matter of the sludge products were released efficiently, which demonstrated the positive effect caused by the PF + ULT. The enhanced sludge disintegration process further alleviates environmental risk and offers a more efficient and convenient method for utilizing sludge. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A soil biotechnology system for wastewater treatment: technical, hygiene, environmental LCA and economic aspects.

PubMed

Kamble, Sheetal Jaisingh; Chakravarthy, Yogita; Singh, Anju; Chubilleau, Caroline; Starkl, Markus; Bawa, Itee

2017-05-01

Soil biotechnology (SBT) is a green engineering approach for wastewater treatment and recycling. Five SBT units located in the Mumbai region were under consideration of which holistic assessment of two SBT plants was carried out considering its technical, environmental and economic aspects and was compared with published research of other three. LCA has been done to evaluate the environmental impacts of construction and operation phase of SBT. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal of more than 90% can be achieved using this technology. Also, the nutrient removal proficiency (nitrate, nitrite, ammoniacal nitrogen, TKN, total nitrogen and phosphates) of this technique is good. On the other hand, SBT has low annual operation and maintenance cost, comparable to land-based systems and lower than conventional or advanced technologies. From the life cycle impact assessment, the main contributors for overall impact from the plant were identified as electricity consumption, discharges of COD, P-PO 4 3- and N-NH 4 + and disposal of sludge. The construction phase was found to have significantly more impact than the operation phase of the plant. This study suggests plant I is not relatively as efficient enough regarding sanitation. SBT provides several benefits over other conventional technologies for wastewater treatment. It is based on a bio-conversion process and is practically maintenance free. It does not produce any odorous bio-sludge and consumes the least energy.

Sludge Retention Time as a Suitable Operational Parameter to Remove Both Estrogen and Nutrients in an Anaerobic–Anoxic–Aerobic Activated Sludge System

PubMed Central

Zeng, Qingling; Li, Yongmei; Yang, Shijia

2013-01-01

Abstract Estrogen in wastewater are responsible for a significant part of the endocrine-disrupting effects observed in the aquatic environment. The effect of sludge retention time (SRT) on the removal and fate of 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in an anaerobic–anoxic–oxic activated sludge system designed for nutrient removal was investigated by laboratory-scale experiments using synthetic wastewater. With a hydraulic retention time of 8 h, when SRT ranged 10–25 days, E2 was almost completely removed from water, and EE2 removal efficiency was 65%–81%. Both estrogens were easily sorbed onto activated sludge. Distribution coefficients (Kd) of estrogens on anaerobic sludge were greater than those on anoxic and aerobic sludges. Mass balance calculation indicated that 99% of influent E2 was degraded by the activated sludge process, and 1% remained in excess sludge; of influent EE2, 62.0%–80.1% was biodegraded; 18.9%–34.7% was released in effluent; and 0.88%–3.31% remained in excess sludge. Optimal SRT was 20 days for both estrogen and nutrient removal. E2 was almost completely degraded, and EE2 was only partly degraded in the activated sludge process. Residual estrogen on excess sludge must be considered in the sludge treatment and disposal processes. The originality of the work is that removal of nutrients and estrogens were linked, and optimal SRT for both estrogen and nutrient removal in an enhanced biological phosphorus removal system was determined. This has an important implication for the design and operation of full-scale wastewater treatment plants. PMID:23633892

Transferring of components and energy output in industrial sewage sludge disposal by thermal pretreatment and two-phase anaerobic process.

PubMed

Yang, Xiaoyi; Wang, Xin; Wang, Lei

2010-04-01

For a better sewage sludge disposal and more efficient energy reclamation, transforming of components and energy in sludge by thermal and WAO pretreatment followed by two-phase anaerobic UASB process were studied in the pilot scale. Biogas outputs and the qualities and quantities of the effluent and solid residue were compared with a traditional anaerobic sludge digestion. Sludge components, including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, were observed and mass balances were discussed throughout the process. The input and output energy balance was also studied. Results showed different trait to compare with biogas outputs in terms of COD added and raw sludge added. Pretreatment improved the transformation of carbon substances into biogas production with higher carbon removal and higher VSS removal. Comparing the energy obtained from biogas production with energy inputs required for pretreatment, energy output in the whole process decreased with higher pretreatment temperature. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toluene in sewage and sludge in wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Mrowiec, Bozena

2014-01-01

Toluene is a compound that often occurs in municipal wastewater ranging from detectable levels up to 237 μg/L. Before the year 2000, the presence of the aromatic hydrocarbons was assigned only to external sources. The Enhanced Biological Nutrients Removal Processes (EBNRP) work according to many different schemes and technologies. For high-efficiency biological denitrification and dephosphatation processes, the presence of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in sewage is required. VFAs are the main product of organic matter hydrolysis from sewage sludge. However, no attention has been given to other products of the process. It has been found that in parallel to VFA production, toluene formation occurred. The formation of toluene in municipal anaerobic sludge digestion processes was investigated. Experiments were performed on a laboratory scale using sludge from primary and secondary settling tanks of municipal treatment plants. The concentration of toluene in the digested sludge from primary settling tanks was found to be about 42,000 μg/L. The digested sludge supernatant liquor returned to the biological dephosphatation and denitrification processes for sewage enrichment can contain up to 16,500 μg/L of toluene.

Improving the compression dewatering of sewage sludge through bioacidification conditioning driven by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans: dewatering rate vs. dewatering extent.

PubMed

Lu, Yi; Zhang, Chunmei; Zheng, Guanyu; Zhou, Lixiang

2018-04-22

Prior to mechanical dewatering, sludge conditioning is indispensable to reduce the difficulty of sludge treatment and disposal. The effect of bioacidification conditioning driven by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 on the dewatering rate and extent of sewage sludge during compression dewatering process was investigated in this study. The results showed that the bioacidification of sludge driven by A. ferrooxidans LX5 simultaneously improved both the sludge dewatering rate and extent, which was not attained by physical/chemical conditioning approaches, including ultrasonication, microwave, freezing/thawing, or by adding the chemical conditioner cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM). During the bioacidification of sludge, the decrease in sludge pH induced the damage of sludge microbial cell structures, which enhanced the dewatering extent of sludge, and the added Fe 2+ and the subsequent bio-oxidized Fe 3+ effectively flocculated the damaged sludge flocs to improve the sludge dewatering rate. In the compression dewatering process consisting of filtration and expression stages, high removal of moisture and a short dewatering time were achieved during the filtration stage and the expression kinetics were also improved because of the high elasticity of sludge cake and the rapid creeping of the aggregates within the sludge cake. In addition, the usefulness of bioacidification driven by A. ferrooxidans LX5 in improving the compression dewatering of sewage sludge could not be attained by the chemical treatment of sludge through pH modification and Fe 3+ addition. Therefore, the bioacidification of sludge driven by A. ferrooxidans LX5 is an effective conditioning method to simultaneously improve the rate and extent of compression dewatering of sewage sludge.

Sewage sludge drying process integration with a waste-to-energy power plant.

PubMed

Bianchini, A; Bonfiglioli, L; Pellegrini, M; Saccani, C

2015-08-01

Dewatered sewage sludge from Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is encountering increasing problems associated with its disposal. Several solutions have been proposed in the last years regarding energy and materials recovery from sewage sludge. Current technological solutions have relevant limits as dewatered sewage sludge is characterized by a high water content (70-75% by weight), even if mechanically treated. A Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) with good thermal characteristics in terms of Lower Heating Value (LHV) can be obtained if dewatered sludge is further processed, for example by a thermal drying stage. Sewage sludge thermal drying is not sustainable if the power is fed by primary energy sources, but can be appealing if waste heat, recovered from other processes, is used. A suitable integration can be realized between a WWTP and a waste-to-energy (WTE) power plant through the recovery of WTE waste heat as energy source for sewage sludge drying. In this paper, the properties of sewage sludge from three different WWTPs are studied. On the basis of the results obtained, a facility for the integration of sewage sludge drying within a WTE power plant is developed. Furthermore, energy and mass balances are set up in order to evaluate the benefits brought by the described integration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Removal of Triclocarban and Triclosan during Municipal Biosolid Production

PubMed Central

Ogunyoku, Temitope A.; Young, Thomas M.

2014-01-01

The antimicrobial compounds triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) accumulate in sludges produced during municipal wastewater treatment and persist through sludge treatment processes into finished biosolids. The objective of this research was to determine the extent to which conventional sludge processing systems such as aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion, and lime stabilization were able to remove TCC and TCS. Sludge and biosolid samples were collected from 10 municipal wastewater treatment plants in the United States. The concentrations of TCC and TCS in sludge and biosolid samples were determined via heated solvent extraction and analysis with liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Dry weight concentrations of TCC and TCS frequently were higher in finished biosolids than in the source sludges because of sludge mass reduction during digestion. The removal of TCC and TCS in municipal biosolid processing systems was determined from the measured concentration change after correcting for reductions in solid mass during sludge treatment. Removal in the digester systems ranged from 15 – 68 % for TCC and 20 – 75 % for TCS. Increased solid retention times during sludge treatment operations were correlated with higher removals of TCC and TCS. Apparent first order degradation rates for TCC ranged from 0.015–0.08 1/d and for TCS were between 0.003–0.15 1/d. PMID:24734467

Adsorption behavior of sulfamethazine in an activated sludge process treating swine wastewater.

PubMed

Ben, Weiwei; Qiang, Zhimin; Yin, Xiaowei; Qu, Jiuhui; Pan, Xun

2014-08-01

Swine wastewater is an important pollution source of antibiotics entering the aquatic environment. In this work, the adsorption behavior of sulfamethazine (SMN), a commonly-used sulfonamide antibiotic, on activated sludge from a sequencing batch reactor treating swine wastewater was investigated. The results show that the adsorption of SMN on activated sludge was an initially rapid process and reached equilibrium after 6hr. The removal efficiency of SMN from the water phase increased with an increasing concentration of mixed liquor suspended solids, while the adsorbed concentration of SMN decreased. Solution pH influenced both the speciation of SMN and the surface properties of activated sludge, thus significantly impacting the adsorption process. A linear partition model could give a good fit for the equilibrium concentrations of SMN at the test temperatures (i.e., 10, 20 and 30°C). The partition coefficient (Kd) was determined to be 100.5L/kg at 20°C, indicating a quite high adsorption capacity for SMN. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that SMN adsorption on activated sludge was an exothermic process. This study could help to clarify the fate and behavior of sulfonamide antibiotics in the activated sludge process and assess consequent environmental risks arising from sludge disposal as well. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Factors affecting decay of Salmonella Birkenhead and coliphage MS2 during mesophilic anaerobic digestion and air drying of sewage sludge.

PubMed

Mondal, Tania; Rouch, Duncan A; Thurbon, Nerida; Smith, Stephen R; Deighton, Margaret A

2015-06-01

Factors affecting the decay of Salmonella Birkenhead and coliphage, as representatives of bacterial and viral pathogens, respectively, during mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) and air drying treatment of anaerobically digested sewage sludge were investigated. Controlled concentrations of S. Birkenhead were inoculated into non-sterile, autoclaved, γ-irradiated and nutrient-supplemented sludge and cultures were incubated at 37 °C (MAD sludge treatment temperature) or 20 °C (summer air drying sludge treatment temperature). Nutrient limitation caused by microbial competition was the principal mechanism responsible for the decay of S. Birkenhead by MAD and during air drying of digested sludge. The effects of protease activity in sludge on MS2 coliphage decay in digested and air dried sludge were also investigated. MS2 coliphage showed a 3.0-3.5 log10 reduction during incubation with sludge-protease extracts at 37 °C for 25 h. Proteases produced by indigenous microbes in sludge potentially increase coliphage inactivation and may therefore have a significant role in the decay of enteric viruses in sewage sludge. The results help to explain the loss of viability of enteric bacteria and viral pathogens with treatment process time and contribute to fundamental understanding of the various biotic inactivation mechanisms operating in sludge treatment processes at mesophilic and ambient temperatures.

Enhancement of activated sludge disintegration and dewaterability by Fenton process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heng, G. C.; Isa, M. H.

2016-06-01

Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants produce large amounts of sludge. This excess sludge is an inevitable drawback inherent to the activated sludge process. In this study, the waste activated sludge was obtained from the campus wastewater treatment plant at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia. Fenton pretreatment was optimized by using the response surface methodology (RSM) to study the effects of three operating conditions including the dosage of H2O2 (g H2O2/kg TS), the molar ratio of H2O2/Fe2+ and reaction time. The optimum operating variables to achieve MLVSS removal 65%, CST reduction 28%, sCOD 11000 mg/L and EPS 500 mg/L were: 1000 g H2O2/kg TS, H2O2/Fe2+ molar ratio 70 and reaction time 45 min. Fenton process was proved to be able to enhance the sludge disintegration and dewaterability.

Membrane thickening aerobic digestion processes.

PubMed

Woo, Bryen

2014-01-01

Sludge management accounts for approximately 60% of the total wastewater treatment plant expenditure and laws for sludge disposal are becoming increasingly stringent, therefore much consideration is required when designing a solids handling process. A membrane thickening aerobic digestion process integrates a controlled aerobic digestion process with pre-thickening waste activated sludge using membrane technology. This process typically features an anoxic tank, an aerated membrane thickener operating in loop with a first-stage digester followed by second-stage digestion. Membrane thickening aerobic digestion processes can handle sludge from any liquid treatment process and is best for facilities obligated to meet low total phosphorus and nitrogen discharge limits. Membrane thickening aerobic digestion processes offer many advantages including: producing a reusable quality permeate with minimal levels of total phosphorus and nitrogen that can be recycled to the head works of a plant, protecting the performance of a biological nutrient removal liquid treatment process without requiring chemical addition, providing reliable thickening up to 4% solids concentration without the use of polymers or attention to decanting, increasing sludge storage capacities in existing tanks, minimizing the footprint of new tanks, reducing disposal costs, and providing Class B stabilization.

Evaluation of anaerobic digestion processes for short sludge-age waste activated sludge combined with anammox treatment of digestate liquor.

PubMed

Ge, Huoqing; Batstone, Damien; Keller, Jurg

2016-01-01

The need to reduce energy input and enhance energy recovery from wastewater is driving renewed interest in high-rate activated sludge treatment (i.e. short hydraulic and solids retention times (HRT and SRT, respectively)). This process generates short SRT activated sludge stream, which should be highly degradable. However, the evaluation of anaerobic digestion of short SRT sludge has been limited. This paper assesses anaerobic digestion of short SRT sludge digestion derived from meat processing wastewater under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions. The thermophilic digestion system (55°C) achieved 60 and 68% volatile solids destruction at 8 day and 10 day HRT, respectively, compared with 50% in the mesophilic digestion system (35°C, 10 day HRT). The digestion effluents from the thermophilic (8-10 day HRT) and mesophilic systems were stable, as assessed by residual methane potentials. The ammonia rich sludge dewatering liquor was effectively treated by a batch anammox process, which exhibited comparable nitrogen removal rate as the tests using a control synthetic ammonia solution, indicating that the dewatering liquor did not have inhibiting/toxic effects on the anammox activity.

Clay-sewage sludge co-pyrolysis. A TG-MS and Py-GC study on potential advantages afforded by the presence of clay in the pyrolysis of wastewater sewage sludge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ischia, Marco, E-mail: marco.ischia@ing.unitn.it; Maschio, Roberto Dal; Grigiante, Maurizio

2011-01-15

Wastewater sewage sludge was co-pyrolyzed with a well characterized clay sample, in order to evaluate possible advantages in the thermal disposal process of solid waste. Characterization of the co-pyrolysis process was carried out both by thermogravimetric-mass spectrometric (TG-MS) analysis, and by reactor tests, using a lab-scale batch reactor equipped with a gas chromatograph for analysis of the evolved gas phase (Py-GC). Due to the presence of clay, two main effects were observed in the instrumental characterization of the process. Firstly, the clay surface catalyzed the pyrolysis reaction of the sludge, and secondly, the release of water from the clay, atmore » temperatures of approx. 450-500 deg. C, enhanced gasification of part of carbon residue of the organic component of sludge following pyrolysis. Moreover, the solid residue remaining after pyrolysis process, composed of the inorganic component of sludge blended with clay, is characterized by good features for possible disposal by vitrification, yielding a vitreous matrix that immobilizes the hazardous heavy metals present in the sludge.« less

Spectroscopic study of the humification process during sewage sludge treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pajączkowska, J.; Sułkowska, A.; Sułkowski, W. W.; Jędrzejczyk, M.

2003-06-01

The aim of this work was to study the free radical transition of organic materials during the sewage treatment process. Investigations of sludge from biologic-mechanical sewage treatment plant in Sosnowiec Zagórze were carried out. The course of the humification processes during sewage treatment was studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique. The concentration of free radicals at each process stage and the value g were determined. Sludge samples and extracted fractions of humic acids were examined. Humic acids were extracted from sludge by means of conventional methods elaborated by Stevenson. For study of humic acids structures, besides EPR, the UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy were used.

Study of the viscosity behaviour of glasses obtained from urban wastewater treatment sludges from Egypt using hot stage microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Valles, M.

2012-04-01

The volume of sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants in Egypt is becoming more important; this paper studied the chemical composition of sludge from four treatment plants located around Nile delta and valley: El-Sadat City (E-01), Alexandria (E-02), Abo-Rawash (E-03) and Minufiya (E-04), and is suggested as a possible solution, the vitrification of these sludges. Another important objective for obtaining correct this glass is to know the viscosity temperature curve, including developing a prototype of hot stage microscopy (HSM) and development of software suitable for the analysis of images. Each image has different morphology related to different viscosity, can that way determine the viscosity at the temperature of heating. The chemical composition of these sludges is close to a basalt rock except that the phosphorus content is higher, and sometimes with a certain proportion of heavy metals. Cr, Zn and Pb exceeds the limit allowed to be used in agriculture, this is one of the solutions actually used. In general, major oxides to sludges ranging from: SiO2 (36-48 wt %), Al2O3 (9-16 wt %), CaO (5-25 wt %), P2O5 (1.5-11 wt %) and Fe2O3 (~ 9 wt %), this composition. Since of them are formulated and prepared by four different glasses, in some cases being necessary to incorporate a quantity of raw materials. The sludge combustion heat, the thermal evolution, vitreous transition temperature (Tg) and crystal growth temperature of the glasses were obtained by carrying out a differential thermal analysis. Tg of the four glasses vary between 650 and 725 °C and the growth occurs between 938 and 1033 °C. The vitreous transition temperature was also determined with a dilatometer. Each original glass has been characterized mineralogically by X-ray diffraction: quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar and calcite. Two samples contained gypsum and some clay mineral traces. We also obtained the viscosity - temperature curves with the aid of the hot stage microscopy that has allowed us to determine the working temperatures of the four glasses, ranging from 926 and to 1419 °C, depending on the type of forming process used. In all glass samples the viscosity-temperature curves have similar characteristics, but for higher viscosities a separation among the different viscosity-temperature curves occurs. This different behaviour is associated to chemical composition: Ca-rich silica aluminum melt, present low viscosity at low temperatures, > P2O5 content, the nucleation of a more refractory phosphate phase occurs. In order to obtain the original glasses working conditions (necessary for possible industrial applications) are used the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation: a) upper and lower annealing temperatures of the samples are similar for the different glasses and ranging between 595-641 °C and 671-701 °C respectively; b) working temperature range from 917-1307 °C for the sample E-02, and 925-1503 °C for the sample E-04, depending on the conformation system used. Finally, the forming and melting temperatures of the samples vary between 1307-1403 °C (E-02) and 1503-1550 °C (E-04). The results confirm that HSM is a good technique for studying the sludge vitrification process, and could provide important information for the possible industrial application. Acknowledgements This study is a contribution of the bilateral project A/030032/10 and CICYT TIN2008-02903. The analytical work was conducted at Research Consolidated Groups 2009SGR-0044 (Mineral Resources). Wastewater treatment plants at El-Sadat City, Alexandria, Abo-Rawash and Minufiya are acknowledged for sampling authorization and facilities. We express our acknowledgement to the technical support of the Scientific-Technical Service Unit of the University of Barcelona and the additional support of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulation potential and PHA-accumulating microbial communities in various activated sludge processes of municipal wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Sakai, K; Miyake, S; Iwama, K; Inoue, D; Soda, S; Ike, M

2015-01-01

To clarify the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulation potential and the PHA-accumulating microbial community structure in activated sludge in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and to identify their influential factors. Nine activated sludge samples were collected from municipal WWTPs employing various biological treatment processes. In acetate-fed 24-h batch experiments under aerobic and nitrogen- and phosphorus-limited conditions, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) content of activated sludge increased from 0-1·3 wt% to 7·9-24 wt%, with PHB yields of 0·22-0·50 C-mol 3-hydroxybutyrate (C-mol acetate)(-1). Microbial community analyses found that activated sludge samples that accumulated >20 wt% of PHB after 24-h PHA accumulation experiments had >5·0 × 10(8) copies g(-1)-mixed liquor-suspended solid of phaC genes. Results indicated that (i) activated sludge in municipal WWTPs can accumulate up to approx. 20 wt% of PHA without enrichment processes, (ii) PHA accumulation potential of activated sludge varied depending on the operational conditions (treatment processes) of WWTPs, and (iii) phaC gene number can provide a simple indication of PHA accumulation potential. This is the first study to compare the PHA accumulation potential and PHA-accumulating microbial communities in activated sludge of various treatment processes. Our findings may be useful for enhancing the resource recovery potential of wastewater treatment systems. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Solidification of Dredged Sludge by Hydraulic Ash-Slag Cementitious Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Shu-Jing; Qin, Ying; Hwang, Jiann-Yang

Solidification treatment is used to treat hazardous wastes for disposal and to remediate the contaminated land. It is an increasingly popular technology for redevelopment of brown fields since treated wastes can often be left on-site, which can improve the site's soil for subsequent construction. In order to find home for the dredged sludge from the Pearl River Estuary Channel in China, the potential uses of treated dredged sludge by solidification treatment as valuable structural fill was investigated. Structure fills were prepared under various formula and curing conditions. Modulus of elasticity was detemined at 7 days, 14 days and 28 days with different types of load application. Atterberg limit, compactibility and CBR values are reported. The relationship between the microstructure and engineering properties of treated sludge are examined. The results clearly show the technical benefits by stabilizing soft soils with Hydraulic ash-slag cementitious materials. XRD and DTA-TG tests were carried out on certain samples to characterize the hydraulic compounds formed.

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: THE BASIC EXTRACTIVE SLUDGE TREATMENT (B.E.S.T.) RESOURCES CONSERVATION COMPANY (RCC)

EPA Science Inventory

The Basic Extractive Sludge Treatment (B.E.S.T.®) process is a solvent extraction system that separates organic contaminants from sludges, soils, and sediments. The primary distinguishing feature of the process is the extraction agent, triethylamine. The key to the success of tri...

Highly efficient secondary dewatering of dewatered sewage sludge using low boiling point solvents.

PubMed

He, Chao; Chena, Chia-Lung; Xu, Zhirong; Wang, Jing-Yuan

2014-01-01

Secondary dewatering of dewatered sludge is imperative to make conventional drying and incineration of sludge more economically feasible. In this study, a secondary dewatering of dewatered sludge with selected solvents (i.e. acetone and ethanol) followed by vacuum filtration and nature drying was investigated to achieve in-depth dewatering. After the entire secondary dewatering process, the sludge was shown to be odourless and the organic matter content was greatly retained. Increased mean particle size of sludge after solvent contact improved solid-liquid separation. With an acetone/sludge ratio of 3:1 (mL:g) in solvent contact and subsequent nature drying at ambient temperature after 24 h, the moisture content of sludge can be reduced to a level less than 20%. It is found that the polysaccharides were mainly precipitated by acetone, whereas the release ratios of protein and DNA were increased significantly as the added acetone volumes were elevated. During nature drying, accumulated evaporation rates of the sludge after solvent contact were 5-6 times higher than original dewatered sludge. Furthermore, sludge after acetone contact had better nature drying performance than ethanol. The two-stage dewatering involves solvent contact dewatering and solvent enhanced evaporation dewatering. Through selecting an appropriate solvent/sludge ratio as well as economical solvents and minimizing the solvent loss in a closed-pilot system, this dewatering process can be competitive in industrial applications. Therefore, this solvent-aided secondary dewatering is an energy-saving technology for effective in-depth dewatering of dewatered sludge and subsequent sludge utilization.

Performance indicators and indices of sludge management in urban wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Silva, C; Saldanha Matos, J; Rosa, M J

2016-12-15

Sludge (or biosolids) management is highly complex and has a significant cost associated with the biosolids disposal, as well as with the energy and flocculant consumption in the sludge processing units. The sludge management performance indicators (PIs) and indices (PXs) are thus core measures of the performance assessment system developed for urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The key PIs proposed cover the sludge unit production and dry solids concentration (DS), disposal/beneficial use, quality compliance for agricultural use and costs, whereas the complementary PIs assess the plant reliability and the chemical reagents' use. A key PI was also developed for assessing the phosphorus reclamation, namely through the beneficial use of the biosolids and the reclaimed water in agriculture. The results of a field study with 17 Portuguese urban WWTPs in a 5-year period were used to derive the PI reference values which are neither inherent to the PI formulation nor literature-based. Clusters by sludge type (primary, activated, trickling filter and mixed sludge) and by digestion and dewatering processes were analysed and the reference values for sludge production and dry solids were proposed for two clusters: activated sludge or biofilter WWTPs with primary sedimentation, sludge anaerobic digestion and centrifuge dewatering; activated sludge WWTPs without primary sedimentation and anaerobic digestion and with centrifuge dewatering. The key PXs are computed for the DS after each processing unit and the complementary PXs for the energy consumption and the operating conditions DS-determining. The PX reference values are treatment specific and literature based. The PI and PX system was applied to a WWTP and the results demonstrate that it diagnosis the situation and indicates opportunities and measures for improving the WWTP performance in sludge management. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two strategies for phosphorus removal from reject water of municipal wastewater treatment plant using alum sludge.

PubMed

Yang, Y; Zhao, Y Q; Babatunde, A O; Kearney, P

2009-01-01

In view of the well recognized need of reject water treatment in MWWTP (municipal wastewater treatment plant), this paper outlines two strategies for P removal from reject water using alum sludge, which is produced as by-product in drinking water treatment plant when aluminium sulphate is used for flocculating raw waters. One strategy is the use of the alum sludge in liquid form for co-conditioning and dewatering with the anaerobically digested activated sludge in MWWTP. The other strategy involves the use of the dewatered alum sludge cakes in a fixed bed for P immobilization from the reject water that refers to the mixture of the supernatant of the sludge thickening process and the supernatant of the anaerobically digested sludge. Experimental trials have demonstrated that the alum sludge can efficiently reduce P level in reject water. The co-conditioning strategy could reduce P from 597-675 mg P/L to 0.14-3.20 mg P/L in the supernatant of the sewage sludge while the organic polymer dosage for the conditioning of the mixed sludges would also be significantly reduced. The second strategy of reject water filtration with alum sludge bed has shown a good performance of P reduction. The alum sludge has P-adsorption capacity of 31 mg-P/g-sludge, which was tested under filtration velocity of 1.0 m/h. The two strategies highlight the beneficial utilization of alum sludge in wastewater treatment process in MWWTP, thus converting the alum sludge as a useful material, rather than a waste for landfill.

Recycling of Cu powder from industrial sludge by combined acid leaching, chemical exchange and ferrite process.

PubMed

Tu, Yao-Jen; Chang, Chien-Kuei; You, Chen-Feng; Lou, Jie-Chung

2010-09-15

A method in combination of acid leaching, chemical exchange and ferrite process was applied to recycle copper and confer higher chemical stability to the sludge generated from etching process in printed circuit board industry. Ninety-five percent copper could be recycled in the form of powder from the sludge. Moreover, not only the wastewater after chemical exchange can be treated to fulfill the effluent standard, but also the sludge can satisfy the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) limits made by Taiwan's environmental protection administration. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization and biodegradability of sludge from a high rate A-stage contact tank and B-stage membrane bioreactor of a pilot-scale AB system treating municipal wastewaters.

PubMed

Trzcinski, Antoine Prandota; Ganda, Lily; Kunacheva, Chinagarn; Zhang, Dong Qing; Lin, Li Leonard; Tao, Guihe; Lee, Yingjie; Ng, Wun Jern

2016-10-01

In light of global warming mitigation efforts, increasing sludge disposal costs, and need for reduction in the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment plants, innovation in treatment technology has been tailored towards energy self-sufficiency. The AB process is a promising technology for achieving maximal energy recovery from wastewaters with minimum energy expenditure and therefore inherently reducing excess sludge production. Characterization of this novel sludge and its comparison with the more conventional B-stage sludge are necessary for a deeper understanding of AB treatment process design. This paper presents a case study of a pilot-scale AB system treating municipal wastewaters as well as a bio- (biochemical methane potential and adenosine tri-phosphate analysis) and physico-chemical properties (chemical oxygen demand, sludge volume index, dewaterability, calorific value, zeta potential and particle size distribution) comparison of the organic-rich A-stage against the B-stage activated sludge. Compared to the B-sludge, the A-sludge yielded 1.4 to 4.9 times more methane throughout the 62-week operation.

The Influence of Ultrasonic Cavitation on the Formation of Fe-Rich Intermetallics in A383 Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xuan, Yang; Liu, Tao; Nastac, Laurentiu; Brewer, Luke; Levin, Ilya; Arvikar, Vish

2018-06-01

The effect of ultrasonic treatment (UST) on the formation of Fe-rich intermetallics (including sludge) in the A383 alloy is investigated for different processing temperatures in the present study. Differential scanning calorimetry is used to analyze the precipitation temperature of the sludge phase. The results revealed that the sludge will precipitate at a temperature above that of the Al matrix and the precipitation temperature decreases with an increasing cooling rate. UST cavitation applied at different temperatures (600 °C to 750 °C) during the solidification process breaks the sludge into small island-like pieces. However, the aggregation trend of the sludge is not changed. Sludge with small size and uniform distribution is obtained when UST is applied at 600 °C, which is lower than the precipitation temperature of the sludge. At the highest temperature (850 °C), the application of UST has no effect on the formation of either sludge or α-Fe intermetallics. At 750 °C, UST promotes the formation of the sludge when applied at 750 °C.

Optimization of Ozonation Process for the Reduction of Excess Sludge Production from Activated Sludge Process of Sago Industry Wastewater Using Central Composite Design

PubMed Central

Subha, B.; Muthukumar, M.

2012-01-01

Sago industries effluent containing large amounts of organic content produced excess sludge which is a serious problem in wastewater treatment. In this study ozonation has been employed for the reduction of excess sludge production in activated sludge process. Central composite design is used to study the effect of ozone treatment for the reduction of excess sludge production in sago effluent and to optimise the variables such as pH, ozonation time, and retention time. ANOVA showed that the coefficient determination value (R 2) of VSS and COD reduction were 0.9689 and 0.8838, respectively. VSS reduction (81%) was achieved at acidic pH 6.9, 12 minutes ozonation, and retention time of 10 days. COD reduction (87%) was achieved at acidic pH 6.7, 8 minutes of ozonation time, and retention time of 6 days. Low ozonation time and high retention time influence maximum sludge reduction, whereas low ozonation time with low retention time was effective for COD reduction. PMID:22593666

Disintegration impact on sludge digestion process.

PubMed

Dauknys, Regimantas; Rimeika, Mindaugas; Jankeliūnaitė, Eglė; Mažeikienė, Aušra

2016-11-01

The anaerobic sludge digestion is a widely used method for sludge stabilization in wastewater treatment plant. This process can be improved by applying the sludge disintegration methods. As the sludge disintegration is not investigated enough, an analysis of how the application of thermal hydrolysis affects the sludge digestion process based on full-scale data was conducted. The results showed that the maximum volatile suspended solids (VSS) destruction reached the value of 65% independently on the application of thermal hydrolysis. The average VSS destruction increased by 14% when thermal hydrolysis was applied. In order to have the maximum VSS reduction and biogas production, it is recommended to keep the maximum defined VSS loading of 5.7 kg VSS/m(3)/d when the thermal hydrolysis is applied and to keep the VSS loading between 2.1-2.4 kg VSS/m(3)/d when the disintegration of sludge is not applied. The application of thermal hydrolysis leads to an approximately 2.5 times higher VSS loading maintenance comparing VSS loading without the disintegration; therefore, digesters with 1.8 times smaller volume is required.

Reduction of sludge production from WWTP using thermal pretreatment and enhanced anaerobic methanisation.

PubMed

Graja, S; Chauzy, J; Fernandes, P; Patria, L; Cretenot, D

2005-01-01

The objective of the study presented here was to investigate the performance of an enhanced two-step anaerobic process for the treatment of WWTP sludge. This process was developed to answer the urgent need currently faced by WWTP operators to reduce the production of biosolids, for which disposal pathways are facing increasing difficulties. A pilot plant was operated on a full-scale WWTP (2,500 p.e.) over a period of 4 months. It consisted of a thermal pre-treatment of excess sludge at 175 degrees C and 40 min, followed by dewatering and methanisation of the centrate in a fixed-film reactor. The thermal lysis had a two-fold enhancing effect on sludge reduction efficiency: firstly, it allowed a decrease of the HRT in the methaniser to 2.9 days and secondly, it yielded biosolids with a high dewaterability. This contributed to further reductions in the final volume of sludge to be disposed of. The two-step process achieved a sludge reduction efficiency of 65% as TSS, thus giving an interesting treatment option for WWTP facing sludge disposal problems.

An innovative sewage sludge reduction by using a combined mesophilic anaerobic and thermophilic aerobic process with thermal-alkaline treatment and sludge recirculation.

PubMed

Cho, Hyun Uk; Park, Sang Kyu; Ha, Jeong Hyub; Park, Jong Moon

2013-11-15

Lab-scale High Efficiency Digestion (HED) systems containing a Mesophilic Anaerobic Reactor (MAR), Thermophilic Aerobic Reactor (TAR), liquid/solid separation unit, and thermal-alkaline treatment were developed to evaluate the efficiencies of sludge reduction and methane production. The HED process was divided into three phases to examine the influence of sludge pretreatment and pretreated sludge recirculation using TCOD and VSS reduction, COD solubilization, and methane production. The VSS removal with a solid/liquid separation unit, sludge recirculation, and thermal-alkaline treatment drastically increased up to 95% compared to the feed concentration. In addition, the results of COD solubilization and VSS/TSS showed that the solubilization of cells and organic matters by the thermal-alkaline treatment was highly increased, which was also consistent with the SEM images. In particular, the methane production rate increased 24-fold when the feed sludge and recirculated sludge were pretreated together. Collectively, the HED experiments performed with sludge recirculation and thermal-alkaline treatment demonstrated that the HED systems can be successfully employed for highly efficient sewage sludge reduction and methane gas production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rheological properties of disintegrated sewage sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolski, Paweł

2017-11-01

The rheology of the sludge provides information about the capacity and the flow, which in the case of project tasks for the hydraulic conveying installation is an important control parameter. Accurate knowledge of the rheological properties of sludge requires the designation of rheological models. Models single and multiparameter (Ostwald, Bingham, Herschel-Bulkley'a, and others) allow an approximation of flow curves, and the determination of the boundaries of the flow of modified sludge allows you to control the process compaction or are dewatered sludge undergoing flow. The aim of the study was to determine the rheological parameters and rheological models of sludge conditioned by physical methods before and after the process of anaerobic digestion. So far, studies have shown that the application of conditioning in the preparation of sewage sludge increases shear stress, viscosity as well as the limits of flow in relation to the untreated sludge. Offset yield point by the application of a conditioning agent is associated with decreased flowability tested sludge, which has also been observed by analyzing the structure of the prepared samples. Lowering the yield point, and thus the shear stress was recorded as a result of the fermentation test of disintegrated sludge.

A review on sludge dewatering indices.

PubMed

To, Vu Hien Phuong; Nguyen, Tien Vinh; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuth; Ngo, Huu Hao

2016-01-01

Dewatering of sludge from sewage treatment plants is proving to be a significant challenge due to the large amounts of residual sludges generated annually. In recent years, research and development have focused on improving the dewatering process in order to reduce subsequent costs of sludge management and transport. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to establish reliable indices that reflect the efficiency of sludge dewatering. However, the evaluation of sludge dewaterability is not an easy task due to the highly complex nature of sewage sludge and variations in solid-liquid separation methods. Most traditional dewatering indices fail to predict the maximum cake solids content achievable during full-scale dewatering. This paper reviews the difficulties in assessing sludge dewatering performance, and the main techniques used to evaluate dewatering performance are compared and discussed in detail. Finally, the paper suggests a new dewatering index, namely the modified centrifugal index, which is demonstrated to be an appropriate indicator for estimating the final cake solids content as well as simulating the prototype dewatering process.

Supplementation of inorganic phosphate enhancing the removal efficiency of tannery sludge-borne Cr through bioleaching.

PubMed

Zheng, Guanyu; Zhou, Lixiang

2011-10-15

Four inorganic mineral nutrients including NH4+, K+, Mg2+ and soluble inorganic phosphate (Pi) were investigated to reveal the potential limiting nutrients for tannery sludge bioleaching process driven by Acidithiobacillus species, and the feasibility of supplementing the limiting nutrients to accelerate tannery sludge bioleaching was studied in the present study. It was found that the concentration of Pi was lower than 3.5 mg/L throughout the whole bioleaching process, which is the most probable restricting nutrient for tannery sludge bioleaching. Further experiments revealed that the deficiency of Pi could seriously influence the growth of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and lower its oxidization capacity for S0, and the limiting concentration of Pi for the growth of A. thiooxidans was 6 mg/L. The low concentration of soluble Pi in sludge matrix was resulted from the extremely strong sorbing/binding capacity of tannery sludge for phosphate. The supplementation of more than 1.6 g/L KH2PO4 into tannery sludge bioleaching system could effectively stimulate the growth of Acidithiobacillus species, enhance Cr removal rate and further shorten tannery sludge bioleaching period from 10 days to 7 days. Therefore, inorganic phosphate supplementation is an effective and feasible method to accelerate tannery sludge bioleaching process, and the optimum dosage of KH2PO4 was 1.6 g/L for tannery sludge with 5.1% of total solids. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gas composition of sludge residue profiles in a sludge treatment reed bed between loadings.

PubMed

Larsen, Julie D; Nielsen, Steen M; Scheutz, Charlotte

2017-11-01

Treatment of sludge in sludge treatment reed bed systems includes dewatering and mineralization. The mineralization process, which is driven by microorganisms, produces different gas species as by-products. The pore space composition of the gas species provides useful information on the biological processes occurring in the sludge residue. In this study, we measured the change in composition of gas species in the pore space at different depth levels in vertical sludge residue profiles during a resting period of 32 days. The gas composition of the pore space in the sludge residue changed during the resting period. As the resting period proceeded, atmospheric air re-entered the pore space at all depth levels. The methane (CH 4 ) concentration was at its highest during the first part of the resting period, and then declined as the sludge residue became more dewatered and thereby aerated. In the pore space, the concentration of CH 4 often exceeded the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). However, the total emission of CO 2 from the surface of the sludge residue exceeded the total emission of CH 4 , suggesting that CO 2 was mainly produced in the layer of newly applied sludge and/or that CO 2 was emitted from the sludge residue more readily compared to CH 4 .

Pit Latrine Fecal Sludge Resistance Using a Dynamic Cone Penetrometer in Low Income Areas in Mzuzu City, Malawi

PubMed Central

Chirwa, Charles F. C.; Hall, Ralph P.; Krometis, Leigh-Anne H.; Vance, Eric A.; Edwards, Adam; Guan, Ting; Holm, Rochelle H.

2017-01-01

Pit latrines can provide improved household sanitation, but without effective and inexpensive emptying options, they are often abandoned once full and may pose a public health threat. Emptying techniques can be difficult, as the sludge contents of each pit latrine are different. The design of effective emptying techniques (e.g., pumps) is limited by a lack of data characterizing typical in situ latrine sludge resistance. This investigation aimed to better understand the community education and technical engineering needs necessary to improve pit latrine management. In low income areas within Mzuzu city, Malawi, 300 pit latrines from three distinct areas were assessed using a dynamic cone penetrometer to quantify fecal sludge strength, and household members were surveyed to determine their knowledge of desludging procedures and practices likely to impact fecal sludge characteristics. The results demonstrate that there is a significant difference in sludge strength between lined and unlined pits within a defined area, though sludge hardened with depth, regardless of the pit type or region. There was only limited association between cone penetration depth and household survey data. To promote the adoption of pit emptying, it is recommended that households be provided with information that supports pit emptying, such as latrine construction designs, local pit emptying options, and cost. This study indicates that the use of a penetrometer test in the field prior to pit latrine emptying may facilitate the selection of appropriate pit emptying technology. PMID:28165378

Antifoam Degradation Products in Off Gas and Condensate of Sludge Batch 9 Simulant Nitric-Formic Flowsheet Testing for the Defense Waste Processing Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, T.

Ten chemical processing cell (CPC) experiments were performed using simulant to evaluate Sludge Batch 9 for sludge-only and coupled processing using the nitric-formic flowsheet in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) cycles were performed on eight of the ten. The other two were SRAT cycles only. Samples of the condensate, sludge, and off gas were taken to monitor the chemistry of the CPC experiments. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has previously shown antifoam decomposes to form flammable organic products, (hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), trimethylsilanol (TMS), and propanal), that are presentmore » in the vapor phase and condensate of the CPC vessels. To minimize antifoam degradation product formation, a new antifoam addition strategy was implemented at SRNL and DWPF to add antifoam undiluted.« less

Biogasification of Walt Disney World biomass waste blend. Annual report Jan-Dec 82

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biljetina, R.; Chynoweth, D.P.; Janulis, J.

1983-05-01

The objective of this research is to develop efficient processes for conversion of biomass-waste blends to methane and other resources. To evaluate the technical and economic feasibility, an experimental test facility (ETU) is being designed and installed at the Reedy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida. The facility will integrate a biomethanogenic conversion process with a waste-water treatment process employing water hyacinth ponds for secondary and tertiary treatment of sewage produced at Walt Disney World. The ETU will be capable of feeding 1-wet ton per day of water hyacinth-sludge blends to the digestion system for productionmore » of methane and other byproducts. The detailed design of the facility has been completed and procurement of equipment is in progress.« less

[Evaluating the Significance of Odor Gas Released During the Directly Drying Process of Sludge: Based on the Multi-index Integrated Assessment Method].

PubMed

Ding, Wen-jie; Chen, Wen-he; Deng, Ming-jia; Luo, Hui; Li, Lin; Liu, Jun-xin

2016-02-15

Co-processing of sewage sludge using the cement kiln can realize sludge harmless treatment, quantity reduction, stabilization and reutilization. The moisture content should be reduced to below 30% to meet the requirement of combustion. Thermal drying is an effective way for sludge desiccation. Odors and volatile organic compounds are generated and released during the sludge drying process, which could lead to odor pollution. The main odor pollutants were selected by the multi-index integrated assessment method. The concentration, olfactory threshold, threshold limit value, smell security level and saturated vapor pressure were considered as indexes based on the related regulations in China and foreign countries. Taking the pollution potential as the evaluation target, and the risk index and odor emission intensity as evaluation indexes, the odor pollution potential rated evaluation model of the pollutants was built according to the Weber-Fechner law. The aim of the present study is to form the rating evaluation method of odor potential pollution capacity suitable for the directly drying process of sludge.

Micropollutant removal by attached and suspended growth in a hybrid biofilm-activated sludge process.

PubMed

Falås, P; Longrée, P; la Cour Jansen, J; Siegrist, H; Hollender, J; Joss, A

2013-09-01

Removal of organic micropollutants in a hybrid biofilm-activated sludge process was investigated through batch experiments, modeling, and full-scale measurements. Batch experiments with carriers and activated sludge from the same full-scale reactor were performed to assess the micropollutant removal rates of the carrier biofilm under oxic conditions and the sludge under oxic and anoxic conditions. Clear differences in the micropollutant removal kinetics of the attached and suspended growth were demonstrated, often with considerably higher removal rates for the biofilm compared to the sludge. For several micropollutants, the removal rates were also affected by the redox conditions, i.e. oxic and anoxic. Removal rates obtained from the batch experiments were used to model the micropollutant removal in the full-scale process. The results from the model and plant measurements showed that the removal efficiency of the process can be predicted with acceptable accuracy (± 25%) for most of the modeled micropollutants. Furthermore, the model estimations indicate that the attached growth in hybrid biofilm-activated sludge processes can contribute significantly to the removal of individual compounds, such as diclofenac. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

K basins sludge removal sludge pretreatment system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, H.L.

1997-06-12

The Spent Nuclear Fuels Program is in the process of planning activities to remove spent nuclear fuel and other materials from the 100-K Basins as a remediation effort for clean closure. The 105 K- East and K-West Basins store spent fuel, sludge, and debris. Sludge has accumulated in the 1 00 K Basins as a result of fuel oxidation and a slight amount of general debris being deposited, by settling, in the basin water. The ultimate intent in removing the sludge and fuel is to eliminate the environmental risk posed by storing fuel at the K Basins. The task formore » this project is to disposition specific constituents of sludge (metallic fuel) to produce a product stream through a pretreatment process that will meet the requirements, including a final particle size acceptable to the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS). The purpose of this task is to develop a preconceptual design package for the K Basin sludge pretreatment system. The process equipment/system is at a preconceptual stage, as shown in sketch ES-SNF-01 , while a more refined process system and material/energy balances are ongoing (all sketches are shown in Appendix C). Thus, the overall process and 0535 associated equipment have been conservatively selected and sized, respectively, to establish the cost basis and equipment layout as shown in sketches ES- SNF-02 through 08.« less

Use of hydrodynamic disintegration to accelerate anaerobic digestion of surplus activated sludge.

PubMed

Grübel, Klaudiusz; Machnicka, Alicja

2009-12-01

Hydrodynamic disintegration of activated sludge resulted in organic matter and polymers transfer from the solid phase into the liquid phase. Disintegration by hydrodynamic cavitation had a positive effect on the degree and rate of excess sludge anaerobic digestion. Also, addition of a part of anaerobic digested sludge containing adapted microorganisms resulted in acceleration of the process. The disruption of cells of foam microorganisms and addition to the digestion process led to an increase of biogas production.

Determination of the acute toxicities of physicochemical pretreatment and advanced oxidation processes applied to dairy effluents on activated sludge.

PubMed

Sivrioğlu, Özge; Yonar, Taner

2015-04-01

In this study, the acute toxicities of raw, physicochemical pre-treated, ozonated, and Fenton reagent applied samples of dairy wastewater toward activated sludge microorganisms, evaluated using the International Organization for Standardization's respiration inhibition test (ISO 8192), are presented. Five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5) was measured to determine the biodegradability of physicochemical treatment, ozonation, Fenton oxidation or no treatment (raw samples) of dairy wastewater. Chemical pretreatment positively affected biodegradability, and the inhibition exhibited by activated sludge was removed to a considerable degree. Ozonation and the Fenton process exhibited good chemical oxygen demand removal (61%) and removal of toxins. Low sludge production was observed for the Fenton process applied to dairy effluents. We did not determine the inhibitory effect of the Fenton-process on the activated sludge mixture. The pollutant-removal efficiencies of the applied processes and their associated operating costs were determined. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste and Sludge for Energy Production and Recycling of Nutrients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leinonen, S.

This volume contains 18 papers presented at a Nordic workshop dealing with application of anaerobic decomposition processes on various types of organic wastes, held at the Siikasalmi Research and Experimental Station of the University of Joensuu on 1-2 Oct. 1992. Subject coverage of the presentations extends from the biochemical and microbiological principles of organic waste processing to descriptions and practical experiences of various types of treatment plants. The theoretical and experimental papers include studies on anaerobic and thermophilic degradation processes, methanogenesis, effects of hydrogen, treatment of chlorinated and phenolic compounds, and process modeling, while the practical examples range from treatment of various types of municipal, industrial, and mining wastes to agricultural and fish farm effluents. The papers provide technical descriptions of several biogas plants in operation. Geographically, the presentations span the Nordic and Baltic countries.

Evaluation of a biological wastewater treatment system combining an OSA process with ultrasound for sludge reduction.

PubMed

Romero-Pareja, P M; Aragon, C A; Quiroga, J M; Coello, M D

2017-05-01

Sludge production is an undesirable by-product of biological wastewater treatment. The oxic-settling-anaerobic (OSA) process constitutes one of the most promising techniques for reducing the sludge produced at the treatment plant without negative consequences for its overall performance. In the present study, the OSA process is applied in combination with ultrasound treatment, a lysis technique, in a lab-scale wastewater treatment plant to assess whether sludge reduction is enhanced as a result of mechanical treatment. Reported sludge reductions of 45.72% and 78.56% were obtained for the two regimes of combined treatment tested in this study during two respective stages: UO1 and UO2. During the UO1 stage, the general performance and nutrient removal improved, obtaining 47.28% TN removal versus 21.95% in the conventional stage. However, the performance of the system was seriously damaged during the UO2 stage. Increases in dehydrogenase and protease activities were observed during both stages. The advantages of the combined process are not necessarily economic, but operational, as US treatment acts as contributing factor in the OSA process, inducing mechanisms that lead to sludge reduction in the OSA process and improving performance parameters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phosphorus recovery from anaerobic swine lagoon sludge using the quick wash process

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long term accumulation of sludge in anaerobic swine lagoons reduces its storage volume and ability to treat waste. Usually, excess accumulation of lagoon sludge is removed using pumping dredges. The dredged sludge is then land applied at agronomic rates according to its nutrient content. The accumul...

Phosphorus recovery from anaerobic swine lagoon sludge using the quick wash process

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Long term and significant accumulation of sludge in anaerobic swine lagoons reduces its storage volume and ability to treat waste. Usually, excess accumulation of lagoon sludge is removed by dredging. The dredged sludge is then land applied at agronomic rates according to its nutrient content. Becau...

[Characteristics of novel wastewater treatment technology by swimming bed combined with aerobic granular sludge].

PubMed

Zhang, Yan; Wang, Yong-sheng; Bai, Yu-hua; Chen, Chen; Lü, Jian; Zhang, Jie

2007-10-01

Swimming bed combined with aerobic granular sludge as a novel technology for wastewater treatment was developed, which was on the basis of the biofilm process and activated sludge process, and results demonstrated notable performance of high-efficiency treatment capability and sludge reduction. Even when hydraulic retention time (HRT) was only at 3.2 h with average COD volumetric loading of 2.03 kg/(m3 x d) and NH4(+)-N of 0.52 kg/(m3 X d), 90.9% of average COD removal rate and 98.3% of NH4(+)-N removal rate were achieved. Aerobic granular sludge appeared with spherical or rod shape after 16 days operation. Mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) concentrations in the reactor reached 5,640 mg/L at the highest during operation period, and the average ratio of mixed liquor volatile suspended solid (MLVSS) to MLSS reached 0.87. Furthermore, microscopic observation of biofilm and aerobic granules revealed much presence of protozoa and metazoa on the biofilm and suspended sludge, and this long food chain can contribute to the sludge reduction. Only 0. 175 5 of sludge yields (MLSS/ CODremoved) was obtained in the experiment, which was only about 50% of the conventional aerobic processes.

Pollutant removal characteristics of a two-influent-line BNR process performing denitrifying phosphorus removal: role of sludge recycling ratios.

PubMed

Liu, Hongbo; Leng, Feng; Chen, Piao; Kueppers, Stephan

2016-11-01

This paper studied denitrifying phosphorus removal of a novel two-line biological nutrient removal process treating low strength domestic wastewater under different sludge recycling ratios. Mass balance of intracellular compounds including polyhydroxyvalerate, polyhydroxybutyrate and glycogen was investigated together with total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). Results showed that sludge recycling ratios had a significant influence on the use of organics along bioreactors and 73.6% of the average removal efficiency was obtained when the influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) ranged from 175.9 mgL -1 to 189.9 mgL -1 . The process performed better under a sludge recycling ratio of 100% compared to 25% and 50% in terms of ammonia and COD removal rates. Overall, TN removal efficiency for 50% and 100% sludge recycling ratios were 56.4% and 61.9%, respectively, unlike the big gap for carbon utilization and the TP removal rates, indicating that the effect of sludge recycling ratio on the anaerobic compartments had been counteracted by change in the efficiency of other compartments. The higher ratio of sludge recycling was conducive to the removal of TN, not in favor of TP, and less influence on COD. Thus, 25% was considered to be the optimal sludge recycling ratio.

Review on innovative techniques in oil sludge bioremediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahdi, Abdullah M. El; Aziz, Hamidi Abdul; Eqab, Eqab Sanoosi

2017-10-01

Petroleum hydrocarbon waste is produced in worldwide refineries in significant amount. In Libya, approximately 10,000 tons of oil sludge is generated in oil refineries (hydrocarbon waste mixtures) annually. Insufficient treatment of those wastes can threaten the human health and safety as well as our environment. One of the major challenges faced by petroleum refineries is the safe disposal of oil sludge generated during the cleaning and refining process stages of crude storage facilities. This paper reviews the hydrocarbon sludge characteristics and conventional methods for remediation of oil hydrocarbon from sludge. This study intensively focuses on earlier literature to describe the recently selected innovation technology in oily hydrocarbon sludge bioremediation process. Conventional characterization parameters or measurable factors can be gathered in chemical, physical, and biological parameters: (1) Chemical parameters are consequently necessary in the case of utilization of topsoil environment when they become relevant to the presence of nutrients and toxic compounds; (2) Physical parameters provide general data on sludge process and hand ability; (3) Biological parameters provide data on microbial activity and organic matter presence, which will be used to evaluate the safety of the facilities. The objective of this research is to promote the bioremediating oil sludge feasibility from Marsa El Hariga Terminal and Refinery (Tobruk).

Organic matter and heavy metals content modeling in sewage sludge treated with reed bed system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boruszko, Dariusz; Dąbrowski, Wojciech; Malinowski, Paweł

2017-11-01

The long process of sludge stabilization (7-15 years) remarkably reduces the organic matter content and causes the process of sludge humifaction. This paper presents the results of using low-cost methods of sludge treatment in the wastewater treatment plant located in Zambrow, Podlaskie Province. The results of studies on the organic matter and heavy metals content in sewage sludge after treatment in a reed bed system are presented. The aim of the research was to evaluate and model organic matter and heavy metals concentrations during sewage stabilization in reed bed lagoons. The lowest concentration, below 1.3 mg/kg DM of the examined seven heavy metals was mercury (Hg). The highest concentration, exceeding 1300 mg/kg DM was zinc (Zn). The obtained results for the heavy metals in sewage sludge from the reed bed lagoons in Zambrow show that the average content of the analyzed heavy metals is approximately 1620 mg/kg DM. The results of the study demonstrate a high efficiency of low-cost methods used in Zambrów WWTP in terms of the quality of the processed sludge. Sewage sludge from the lowest layer of the reed lagoon (12-14 years of dewatering and transformation) is characterized by the lowest organic matter and heavy metals content. The higher a sediment layer lies, i.e. the shorter the time of processing, the higher is the heavy metals content. This indicates a great role of reeds in the accumulation of these compounds.

Heavy metals and its chemical speciation in sewage sludge at different stages of processing.

PubMed

Tytła, Malwina; Widziewicz, Kamila; Zielewicz, Ewa

2016-01-01

The analysis of heavy metal concentrations and forms in sewage sludge constitutes an important issue in terms of both health and environmental hazards the metals pose. The total heavy metals concentration enables only the assessment of its contamination. Hence the knowledge of chemical forms is required to determine their environmental mobility and sludge final disposal. Heavy metals speciation was studied by using four-stage sequential extraction BCR (Community Bureau of Reference). This study was aimed at determining the total concentration of selected heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg) and their chemical forms (except for Hg) in sludge collected at different stages of its processing at two municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants in southern Poland. Metals contents in sludge samples were determined by using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). This study shows that Zn and Cu appeared to be the most abundant in sludge, while Cd and Hg were in the lowest concentrations. The sewage sludge revealed the domination of immobile fractions over the mobile ones. The oxidizable and residual forms were dominant for all the heavy metals. There was also a significant difference in metals speciation between sludges of different origin which was probably due to differences in wastewater composition and processes occurring in biological stage of wastewater treatment. The results indicate a negligible capability of metals to migrate from sludge into the environment. Our research revealed a significant impact of thickening, stabilization and hygienization on the distribution of heavy metals in sludge and their mobility.

Oxygen transfer and uptake, nutrient removal, and energy footprint of parallel full-scale IFAS and activated sludge processes.

PubMed

Rosso, Diego; Lothman, Sarah E; Jeung, Matthew K; Pitt, Paul; Gellner, W James; Stone, Alan L; Howard, Don

2011-11-15

Integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) processes are becoming more popular for both secondary and sidestream treatment in wastewater facilities. These processes are a combination of biofilm reactors and activated sludge processes, achieved by introducing and retaining biofilm carrier media in activated sludge reactors. A full-scale train of three IFAS reactors equipped with AnoxKaldnes media and coarse-bubble aeration was tested using off-gas analysis. This was operated independently in parallel to an existing full-scale activated sludge process. Both processes achieved the same percent removal of COD and ammonia, despite the double oxygen demand on the IFAS reactors. In order to prevent kinetic limitations associated with DO diffusional gradients through the IFAS biofilm, this systems was operated at an elevated dissolved oxygen concentration, in line with the manufacturer's recommendation. Also, to avoid media coalescence on the reactor surface and promote biofilm contact with the substrate, high mixing requirements are specified. Therefore, the air flux in the IFAS reactors was much higher than that of the parallel activated sludge reactors. However, the standardized oxygen transfer efficiency in process water was almost same for both processes. In theory, when the oxygen transfer efficiency is the same, the air used per unit load removed should be the same. However, due to the high DO and mixing requirements, the IFAS reactors were characterized by elevated air flux and air use per unit load treated. This directly reflected in the relative energy footprint for aeration, which in this case was much higher for the IFAS system than activated sludge. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coagulation efficiency and flocs characteristics of recycling sludge during treatment of low temperature and micro-polluted water.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhiwei; Yang, Yanling; Li, Xing; Gao, Wei; Liang, Heng; Li, Guibai

2012-01-01

Drinking water treatment sludge, characterized as accumulated suspended solids and organic and inorganic matter, is produced in large quantities during the coagulation process. The proper disposal, regeneration or reuse of sludge is, therefore, a significant environmental issue. Reused sludge at low temperatures is an alternative method to enhance traditional coagulation efficiency. In the present study, the recycling mass of mixed sludge and properties of raw water (such as pH and turbidity) were systematically investigated to optimize coagulation efficiency. We determined that the appropriate dosage of mixed sludge was 60 mL/L, effective initial turbidity ranges were below 45.0 NTU, and optimal pH for DOMs and turbidity removal was 6.5-7.0 and 8.0, respectively. Furthermore, by comparing the flocs characteristics with and without recycling sludge, we found that floc structures with sludge were more irregular with average size growth to 64.7 microm from 48.1 microm. Recycling sludge was a feasible and successful method for enhancing pollutants removal, and the more irregular flocs structure after recycling might be caused by breakage of reused flocs and incorporation of powdered activated carbon into larger flocs structure. Applied during the coagulation process, recycling sludge could be significant for the treatment of low temperature and micro-polluted source water.

Evaluating the efficiency of carbon utilisation via bioenergetics between biological aerobic and denitrifying phosphorus removal systems

PubMed Central

Jin, Zhan; He, Yin; Xu, Xuan; Zheng, Xiang-yong

2017-01-01

There are two biological systems available for removing phosphorus from waste water, conventional phosphorus removal (CPR) and denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) systems, and each is characterized by the type of sludge used in the process. In this study, we compared the characteristics associated with the efficiency of carbon utilization between CPR and DPR sludge using acetate as a carbon source. For DPR sludge, the heat emitted during the phosphorus release and phosphorus uptake processes were 45.79 kJ/mol e- and 84.09 kJ/mol e-, respectively. These values were about 2 fold higher than the corresponding values obtained for CPR sludge, suggesting that much of the energy obtained from the carbon source was emitted as heat. Further study revealed a smaller microbial mass within the DPR sludge compared to CPR sludge, as shown by a lower sludge yield coefficient (0.05 gVSS/g COD versus 0.36 gVSS/g COD), a result that was due to the lower energy capturing efficiency of DPR sludge according to bioenergetic analysis. Although the efficiency of anoxic phosphorus removal was only 39% the efficiency of aerobic phosphorus removal, the consumption of carbon by DPR sludge was reduced by 27.8% compared to CPR sludge through the coupling of denitrification with dephosphatation. PMID:29065157

Partial nitritation of raw anaerobic sludge digester liquor by swim-bed and swim-bed activated sludge processes and comparison of their sludge characteristics.

PubMed

Qiao, Sen; Kawakubo, Yuki; Koyama, Toichiro; Furukawa, Kenji

2008-11-01

This study evaluated performance of swim-bed (SB) reactors packed with a novel acrylic fiber carrier (BF) and swim-bed activated sludge (SBAS) reactor for partial nitritation of anaerobic sludge digester liquor from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Comparison of characteristics of sludge obtained from both the reactors was also made. The average conversion rates of ammonium to nitrite were 52.3% and 40.0% under relatively high nitrogen loading rates over 3.0 kg-N/m(3)/d, respectively in two reactors. The average BOD(5) removal efficiencies were 74.3% and 64.4%, respectively in the two reactors. The size of the sludge pellets taken from SB and SBAS reactors was found to be approximately three times (229 mum versus 88 mum) of that of the seed sludge. This sludge also had relatively high extracellular proteins levels indicating better sludge settling capability as compared to the sludge taken from SBAS reactor. Although the effluent nitrite/ammonium ratios had fluctuated in both reactor in some extent, the low dissolved oxygen concentration (average of 2.5 versus 0.35 mg/l), low suspended solids (average of 33.3 versus 33.5 mg/l), and about 50% ammonium conversion to nitrite demonstrated the application potential of anammox process for nitrogen removal.

Genifuel Hydrothermal Processing Bench Scale Technology ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) and Catalytic Hydrothermal Gasification (CHG) proof-of-concept bench-scale tests were performed to assess the potential of the Genifuel hydrothermal process technology for handling municipal wastewater sludge. HTL tests were conducted at 300-350◦C and 2900 psig on three different feeds: primary sludge (11.9 wt% solids), secondary sludge (9.7 wt% solids), and post-digester sludge (also referred to as digested solids) (16.0 wt% solids). Corresponding CHG tests were conducted at 350◦C and 2900 psig on the HTL aqueous phase product using a ruthenium based catalyst. A comprehensive analysis of all feed and effluent phases was also performed. Total mass and carbon balances closed to within ± 15% in all but one case. Biocrude yields from HTL tests were 37%, 25%, and 34% for primary sludge, secondary sludge, and digested solids feeds, respectively. The biocrude yields accounted for 59%, 39%, and 49% of the carbon in the feed for primary sludge, secondary sludge, and digested solids feeds, respectively. It should be noted that HTL test results for secondary sludge may have been affected by equipment problems. Biocrude composition and quality were comparable to that seen with biocrudes generated from algae feeds. CHG product gas consisted primarily of methane, with methane yields (relative to CHG input) on a carbon basis of 47%, 61%, and 64% for aqueous feeds that were the product of HTL tests with primary sludge, secondary sludge, and

Investigation of the effects of temperature and sludge characteristics on odors and VOC emissions during the drying process of sewage sludge.

PubMed

Ding, Wenjie; Li, Lin; Liu, Junxin

2015-01-01

Sludge drying is a necessary step for sludge disposal. In this study, sludge was collected from two wastewater treatment plants, and dried at different temperatures in the laboratory. The emission of odor and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) during the sludge drying process were determined by an online odor monitoring system. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in off-gas were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results showed that sludge with 30% moisture content could be obtained in 51 minutes under drying temperature 100 °C but only within 27 minutes under 150 °C. Concentration of odor, TVOCs, sulfur-containing compounds (SCCs), and amines were changed with drying temperature and sludge sources. The maximum concentration of odor, TVOCs, SCCs, and amines were 503.13 ppm, 3.01 ppm, 8.15 ppm, and 11.27 ppm, respectively, at drying temperature 100 °C. These values reached 1,250.79, 8.10, 53.51, and 37.80 ppm when sludge dried at 150 °C. Odor concentration had a close relationship with emission of SCCs, amines, and TVOCs. The main VOCs released were benzene series and organic acid. Potential migration of substances in sludge was examined via analysis of off-gas and condensate, aiming to provide scientific data for effective sludge treatment and off-gas control.

Effects of oxidation reduction potential in the bypass micro-aerobic sludge zone on sludge reduction for a modified oxic-settling-anaerobic process.

PubMed

Li, Kexun; Wang, Yi; Zhang, Zhongpin; Liu, Dongfang

2014-01-01

Batch experiments were conducted to determine the effect of oxidation reduction potential (ORP) on sludge reduction in a bypass micro-aerobic sludge reduction system. The system was composed of a modified oxic-settling-anaerobic process with a sludge holding tank in the sludge recycle loop. The ORPs in the micro-aerobic tanks were set at approximately +350, -90, -150, -200 and -250 mV, by varying the length of aeration time for the tanks. The results show that lower ORP result in greater sludge volume reduction, and the sludge production was reduced by 60% at the lowest ORP. In addition, low ORP caused extracellular polymer substances dissociation and slightly reduced sludge activity. Comparing the sludge backflow characteristics of the micro-aerobic tank's ORP controlled at -250 mV with that of +350 mV, the average soluble chemical oxygen (SCOD), TN and TP increased by 7, 0.4 and 2 times, median particle diameter decreased by 8.5 μm and the specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) decreased by 0.0043 milligram O2 per gram suspended solids per minute. For the effluent, SCOD and TN and TP fluctuated around 30, 8.7 and 0.66 mg/L, respectively. Therefore, the effective assignment of ORP in the micro-aerobic tank can remarkably reduce sludge volume and does not affect final effluent quality.

Three-dimensional three-phase model for simulation of hydrodynamics, oxygen mass transfer, carbon oxidation, nitrification and denitrification in an oxidation ditch.

PubMed

Lei, Li; Ni, Jinren

2014-04-15

A three-dimensional three-phase fluid model, supplemented by laboratory data, was developed to simulate the hydrodynamics, oxygen mass transfer, carbon oxidation, nitrification and denitrification processes in an oxidation ditch. The model provided detailed phase information on the liquid flow field, gas hold-up distribution and sludge sedimentation. The three-phase model described water-gas, water-sludge and gas-sludge interactions. Activated sludge was taken to be in a pseudo-solid phase, comprising an initially separated solid phase that was transported and later underwent biological reactions with the surrounding liquidmedia. Floc parameters were modified to improve the sludge viscosity, sludge density, oxygen mass transfer rate, and carbon substrate uptake due to adsorption onto the activated sludge. The validation test results were in very satisfactory agreement with laboratory data on the behavior of activated sludge in an oxidation ditch. By coupling species transport and biological process models, reasonable predictions are made of: (1) the biochemical kinetics of dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogen variation, and (2) the physical kinematics of sludge sedimentation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Actual waste demonstration of the nitric-glycolic flowsheet for sludge batch 9 qualification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Newell, D.; Pareizs, J.; Martino, C.

For each sludge batch that is processed in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) performs qualification testing to demonstrate that the sludge batch is processable. Based on the results of this actual-waste qualification and previous simulant studies, SRNL recommends implementation of the nitric-glycolic acid flowsheet in DWPF. Other recommendations resulting from this demonstration are reported in section 5.0.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Upgrading of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge: A Preliminary Techno-Economic Analysis, Rev.1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Snowden-Swan, Lesley J.; Zhu, Yunhua; Jones, Susanne B.

A preliminary process model and techno-economic analysis (TEA) was completed for fuel produced from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of sludge waste from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and subsequent biocrude upgrading. The model is adapted from previous work by Jones et al. (2014) for algae HTL, using experimental data generated in fiscal year 2015 (FY15) bench-scale HTL testing of sludge waste streams. Testing was performed on sludge samples received from Metro Vancouver’s Annacis Island WWTP (Vancouver, B.C.) as part of a collaborative project with the Water Environment and Reuse Foundation (WERF). The full set of sludge HTL testing data frommore » this effort will be documented in a separate report to be issued by WERF. This analysis is based on limited testing data and therefore should be considered preliminary. In addition, the testing was conducted with the goal of successful operation, and therefore does not represent an optimized process. Future refinements are necessary to improve the robustness of the model, including a cross-check of modeled biocrude components with the experimental GCMS data and investigation of equipment costs most appropriate at the relatively small scales used here. Environmental sustainability metrics analysis is also needed to understand the broader impact of this technology pathway. The base case scenario for the analysis consists of 10 HTL plants, each processing 100 dry U.S. ton/day (92.4 ton/day on a dry, ash-free basis) of sludge waste and producing 234 barrel per stream day (BPSD) biocrude, feeding into a centralized biocrude upgrading facility that produces 2,020 barrel per standard day of final fuel. This scale was chosen based upon initial wastewater treatment plant data collected by PNNL’s resource assessment team from the EPA’s Clean Watersheds Needs Survey database (EPA 2015a) and a rough estimate of what the potential sludge availability might be within a 100-mile radius. In addition, we received valuable feedback from the wastewater treatment industry as part of the WERF collaboration that helped form the basis for the selected HTL and upgrading plant scales and feedstock credit (current cost of disposal). It is assumed that the sludge is currently disposed of at $16.20/wet ton ($46/dry ton at 35% solids; $50/ton dry, ash-free basis) and this is included as a feedstock credit in the operating costs. The base case assumptions result in a minimum biocrude selling price of $3.8/gge and a minimum final upgraded fuel selling price of $4.9/gge. Several areas of process improvement and refinements to the analysis have the potential to significantly improve economics relative to the base case: •Optimization of HTL sludge feed solids content •Optimization of HTL biocrude yield •Optimization of HTL reactor liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) •Optimization of fuel yield from hydrotreating •Combined large and small HTL scales specific to regions (e.g., metropolitan and suburban plants) Combined improvements believed to be achievable in these areas can potentially reduce the minimum selling price of biocrude and final upgraded fuel by about 50%. Further improvements may be possible through recovery of higher value components from the HTL aqueous phase, as being investigated under separate PNNL projects. Upgrading the biocrude at an existing petroleum refinery could also reduce the MFSP, although this option requires further testing to ensure compatibility and mitigation of risks to a refinery. And finally, recycling the HTL aqueous phase product stream back to the headworks of the WWTP (with no catalytic hydrothermal gasification treatment) can significantly reduce cost. This option is uniquely appropriate for application at a water treatment facility but also requires further investigation to determine any technical and economic challenges related to the extra chemical oxygen demand (COD) associated with the recycled water.« less

Reducing capacities and redox potentials of humic substances extracted from sewage sludge.

PubMed

Yang, Zhen; Du, Mengchan; Jiang, Jie

2016-02-01

Humic substances (HS) are redox active organic materials that can be extracted from sewage sludge generated in wastewater treatment processes. Due to the poor understanding of reducing capacity, redox potentials and redox active functional groups of HS in sewage sludge, the potential contribution of sludge HS in transformation of wastewater contaminants is unclear. In the present study, the number of electrons donated or accepted by sewage sludge HS were quantified before and after reduction by iron compounds that possess different redox potentials and defined as the reducing capacity of the sewage sludge. In contrast to previous studies of soil and commercial humic acids (HA), reduced sludge HA showed a lower reducing capacity than that of native HA, which implies formation of semiquinone radicals since the semiquinone radical/hydroquinone pair has a much higher redox potential than the quinone/hydroquinone pair. It is novel that reducing capacities of sludge HA were determined in the redox potential range from -314 to 430 mV. The formation of semiquinone radicals formed during the reduction of quinone moieties in sludge HA is shown by three-dimensional excitation/emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopies information, increasing fluorescence intensities and blue-shifting of the excitation/emission peak of reduced sludge HA. Knowledge of sludge HS redox potentials and corresponding reducing capacities makes it possible to predict the transformation of redox active pollutants and facilitate manipulation and optimization of sludge loading wastewater treatment processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Priority and emerging pollutants in sewage sludge and fate during sludge treatment.

PubMed

Mailler, R; Gasperi, J; Chebbo, G; Rocher, V

2014-07-01

This paper aims at characterizing the quality of different treated sludges from Paris conurbation in terms of micropollutants and assessing their fate during different sludge treatment processes (STP). To achieve this, a large panel of priority and emerging pollutants (n=117) have been monitored in different STPs from Parisian wastewater treatment plants including anaerobic digestion, thermal drying, centrifugation and a sludge cake production unit. Considering the quality of treated sludges, comparable micropollutant patterns are found for the different sludges investigated (in mg/kg DM - dry matter). 35 compounds were detected in treated sludges. Some compounds (metals, organotins, alkylphenols, DEHP) are found in every kinds of sludge while pesticides or VOCs are never detected. Sludge cake is the most contaminated sludge, resulting from concentration phenomenon during different treatments. As regards treatments, both centrifugation and thermal drying have broadly no important impact on sludge contamination for metals and organic compounds, even if a slight removal seems to be possible with thermal drying for several compounds by abiotic transfers. Three different behaviors can be highlighted in anaerobic digestion: (i) no removal (metals), (ii) removal following dry matter (DM) elimination (organotins and NP) and iii) removal higher than DM (alkylphenols - except NP - BDE 209 and DEHP). Thus, this process allows a clear removal of biodegradable micropollutants which could be potentially significantly improved by increasing DM removal through operational parameters modifications (retention time, temperature, pre-treatment, etc.). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Study of Thermal Treatment of Coke Wastewater Sludge Using Plasma Torch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mingshu; Li, Shengli; Sun, Demao; Liu, Xin; Feng, Qiubao

2016-10-01

Thermal plasma was applied for the treatment of coke wastewater sludge derived from the steel industry in order to investigate the feasibility of the safe treatment and energy recovery of the sludge. A 30 kW plasma torch system was applied to study the vitrification and gas production of coke wastewater sludge. Toxicity leaching results indicated that the sludge treated via the thermal plasma process converted into a vitrified slag which resisted the leaching of heavy metals. CO2 was utilized as working gas to study the production and heat energy of the syngas. The heating value of the gas products by thermal plasma achieved 8.43 kJ/L, indicating the further utilization of the gas products. Considering the utilization of the syngas and recovery heat from the gas products, the estimated treatment cost of coke wastewater sludge via plasma torch was about 0.98 CNY/kg sludge in the experiment. By preliminary economic analysis, the dehydration cost takes an important part of the total sludge treatment cost. The treatment cost of the coke wastewater sludge with 50 wt.% moisture was calculated to be about 1.45 CNY/kg sludge dry basis. The treatment cost of the coke wastewater sludge could be effectively controlled by decreasing the water content of the sludge. These findings suggest that an economic dewatering pretreatment method could be combined to cut the total treatment cost in an actual treatment process.

Water reduction in waste-activated sludge by resettling and filtration in batch. Phase (1): pilot-scale experiments to optimize performance.

PubMed

Trapote, Arturo; Jover, Margarita; Cartagena, Pablo; El Kaddouri, Marouane; Prats, Daniel

2014-08-01

This article describes an effective procedure for reducing the water content of excess sludge production from a wastewater treatment plant by increasing its concentration and, as a consequence, minimizing the volume of sludge to be managed. It consists of a pre-dewatering sludge process, which is used as a preliminary step or alternative to the thickening. It is made up of two discontinuous sequential stages: the first is resettling and the second, filtration through a porous medium. The process is strictly physical, without any chemical additives or electromechanical equipment intervening. The experiment was carried out in a pilot-scale system, consisting of a column of sedimentation that incorporates a filter medium. Different sludge heights were tested over the filter to verify the influence ofhydrostatic pressure on the various final concentrations of each stage. The results show that the initial sludge concentration may increase by more than 570% by the end of the process with the final volume of sludge being reduced in similar proportions and hydrostatic pressure having a limited effect on this final concentration. Moreover, the value of the hydrostatic pressure at which critical specific cake resistance is reached is established.

Complete solids retention activated sludge process.

PubMed

Amanatidou, E; Samiotis, G; Trikoilidou, E; Pekridis, G; Tsikritzis, L

2016-01-01

In a slaughterhouse's full-scale extended aeration activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), operating under complete solids retention time, the evolution of mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) concentration, food to micro-organisms ratio (F/M) and substrate utilization rate (SUR) were studied for over a year. Biomass growth phases in correlation to sludge biological and morphological characteristics were studied. Three distinguished growth phases were observed during the 425 days of monitoring. The imposed operational conditions led the process to extended biomass starvation conditions, minimum F/M, minimum SUR and predator species growth. MLSS and MLVSS reached a stabilization phase (plateau phase) where almost zero sludge accumulation was observed. The concept of degradation of the considered non-biodegradable particulate compounds in influent and in biomass (cell debris) was also studied. Comparison of evolution of observed sludge yields (Yobs) in the WWTP with Yobs predictions by activated sludge models verified the degradation concept for the considered non-biodegradable compounds. Control of the sedimentation process was achieved, by predicting the solids loading rate critical point using state point analysis and stirred/unstirred settling velocity tests and by applying a high return activated sludge rate. The nitrogen gas related sedimentation problems were taken into consideration.

Sludge reduction and microbial community structure in an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic process coupled with potassium ferrate disintegration.

PubMed

An, Ying; Zhou, Zhen; Yao, Jie; Niu, Tianhao; Qiu, Zhan; Ruan, Danian; Wei, Haijuan

2017-12-01

An anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (AAO) wastewater treatment system combining with a potassium ferrate (K 2 FeO 4 ) oxidation side-stream reactor (SSR) was proposed for sludge reduction. Batch experiments showed that optimal K 2 FeO 4 dosage and reaction time for sludge disintegration was 100mg/g suspended solids (SS) and 24h, respectively. Subsequently, an AAO-SSR and a conventional AAO were operated in parallel to investigate effects of K 2 FeO 4 oxidation on process performance, sludge characteristics and microbial community structures. The AAO-SSR process operated under the optimized condition achieved efficient COD and NH 4 + -N removal, and reduced sludge by 47.5% with observed yield coefficient of 0.21gSS/g COD. K 2 FeO 4 addition broke sludge particles, increased dissolved organic matters in the mixed liquor, and improved sludge dewaterability. Illumina-MiSeq sequencing results showed that K 2 FeO 4 oxidation in the AAO-SSR decreased microbial richness and diversity, enriched slow growers (Dechloromonas), anaerobic fermentative bacteria (Azospira) and Fe(III)-reducing bacteria (Ferribacterium), but limited the growth of phosphate-accumulating organisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient removal of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) through reacting with recycled electroplating sludge.

PubMed

Zhang, Jia; Zhou, Ji Zhi; Liu, Qiang; Qian, Guangren; Xu, Zhi Ping

2013-06-18

This paper reports that recycled electroplating sludge is able to efficiently remove greenhouse gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The removal process involves various reactions of SF6 with the recycled sludge. Remarkably, the sludge completely removed SF6 at a capacity of 1.10 mmol/g (SF6/sludge) at 600 °C. More importantly, the evolved gases were SO2, SiF4, and a limited amount of HF, with no toxic SOF4, SO2F2, or SF4 being detected. These generated gases can be readily captured and removed by NaOH solution. The reacted solids were further found to be various metal fluorides, thus revealing that SF6 removal takes place by reacting with various metal oxides and silicate in the sludge. Moreover, the kinetic investigation revealed that the SF6 reaction with the sludge is a first-order chemically controlled process. This research thus demonstrates that the waste electroplating sludge can be potentially used as an effective removal agent for one of the notorious greenhouse gases, SF6.

Tracing the evolution of degraders in activated sludge during the sludge’s acclimation to a xenobiotic organic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chong, N. M.; Fan, C. H.; Yang, Y. C.

2017-01-01

The molecular biology method of high-throughput pyrosequencing was employed to examine the change of activated sludge community structures during the process in which activated sludge was acclimated to and degraded a target xenobiotic. The sample xenobiotic organic compound used as the activated sludge acclimation target was the herbicide 2,4-dichlorphenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Indigenous activated sludge microorganisms were acclimated to 2,4-D as the sole carbon source in both the batch and the continuous-flow reaction modes. Sludge masses at multiple time points during the course of acclimation were subjected to pyrosequencing targeting the microorganisms’ 16S rRNA genes. With the bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing results the genera that increased in abundance were checked with degradative pathway databases or literature to confirm that they are commonly seen as potent degraders of 2,4-D. From this systematic examination of degrader changes at time points during activated sludge acclimation and degradation of the target xenobiotic, the trend of degrader evolution in activated sludge over the sludge’s acclimation process to a xenobiotic was traced.

DWPF simulant CPC studies for SB8

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koopman, D. C.; Zamecnik, J. R.

2013-06-25

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) accepted a technical task request (TTR) from Waste Solidification Engineering to perform simulant tests to support the qualification of Sludge Batch 8 (SB8) and to develop the flowsheet for SB8 in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). These efforts pertained to the DWPF Chemical Process Cell (CPC). Separate studies were conducted for frit development and glass properties (including REDOX). The SRNL CPC effort had two primary phases divided by the decision to drop Tank 12 from the SB8 constituents. This report focuses on the second phase with SB8 compositions that do not contain themore » Tank 12 piece. A separate report will document the initial phase of SB8 testing that included Tank 12. The second phase of SB8 studies consisted of two sets of CPC studies. The first study involved CPC testing of an SB8 simulant for Tank 51 to support the CPC demonstration of the washed Tank 51 qualification sample in the SRNL Shielded Cells facility. SB8-Tank 51 was a high iron-low aluminum waste with fairly high mercury and moderate noble metal concentrations. Tank 51 was ultimately washed to about 1.5 M sodium which is the highest wash endpoint since SB3-Tank 51. This study included three simulations of the DWPF Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) cycle and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) cycle with the sludge-only flowsheet at nominal DWPF processing conditions and three different acid stoichiometries. These runs produced a set of recommendations that were used to guide the successful SRNL qualification SRAT/SME demonstration with actual Tank 51 washed waste. The second study involved five SRAT/SME runs with SB8-Tank 40 simulant. Four of the runs were designed to define the acid requirements for sludge-only processing in DWPF with respect to nitrite destruction and hydrogen generation. The fifth run was an intermediate acid stoichiometry demonstration of the coupled flowsheet for SB8. These runs produced a set of processing recommendations for DWPF along with some data related to Safety Class documentation at DWPF. Some significant observations regarding SB8 follow: Reduced washing in Tank 51 led to an increase in the wt.% soluble solids of the DWPF feed. If wt.% total solids for the SRAT and SME product weren’t adjusted upward to maintain insoluble solids levels similar to past sludge batches, then the rheological properties of the slurry went below the low end of the DWPF design bases for the SRAT and SME. Much higher levels of dissolved manganese were found in the SRAT and SME products than in recent sludge batches. Closed crucible melts were more reduced than expected. The working hypothesis is that the soluble Mn is less oxidizing than assumed in the REDOX calculations. A change in the coefficient for Mn in the REDOX equation was recommended in a separate report. The DWPF (Hsu) stoichiometric acid equation was examined in detail to better evaluate how to control acid in DWPF. The existing DWPF equation can likely be improved without changing the required sample analyses through a paper study using existing data. The recommended acid stoichiometry for initial SB8 SRAT batches is 115-120% stoichiometry until some processing experience is gained. The conservative range (based on feed properties) of stoichiometric factors derived in this study was from 110-147%, but SRNL recommends using only the lower half of this range, 110-126% even after initial batches provide processing experience. The stoichiometric range for sludge-only processing appears to be suitable for coupled operation based on results from the run in the middle of the range. Catalytic hydrogen was detectable (>0.005 vol%) in all SRAT and SME cycles. Hydrogen reached 30-35% of the SRAT and SME limits at the mid-point of the stoichiometry window (bounding noble metals and acid demand).« less

Nitrogen removal from the saline sludge liquor by electrochemical denitrification.

PubMed

Xie, Z M; Li, X Y; Chan, K Y

2006-01-01

Sludge liquor from the sludge dewatering process has a high ammonia content. In the present study, a lab-scale electrochemical (EC) system with a pair of Ti electrode plates was used for treating the sludge centrate liquor of digested wastewater sludge with a NH4(+) - N content of around 500 mg/L. The sludge liquor had a high salinity due to seawater being used for toilet flushing in Hong Kong. The results show that the EC process is highly effective for denitrification of the saline sludge liquor. Complete nitrogen removal could be achieved within 1 hr or so. The rate of EC denitrification increased with the current intensity applied. The best current efficiency for nitrogen removal was obtained for a gap distance between the electrodes at 8 mm. Electro-chlorination was considered to be the major mechanism of EC denitrification. The formation of chlorination by-products (CBPs) appeared to be minimal with the total trihalomethanes (THM) detected at a level of 300 microg/L or lower. The power consumption for EC denitrification was around 23 kWh/kg N. Additional electro-flocculation with a pair of iron needle electrodes could enhance the flocculation and subsequent sedimentation of colloidal organics in the sludge liquor, increasing the organic removal from less than 30% to more than 70%. Therefore, the EC process including both electro-denitrification and electro-flocculation can be developed as the most cost-effective method for treatment of the saline sludge liquor.

Biosolids accumulation and biodegradation of domestic wastewater treatment plant sludge by developed liquid state bioconversion process using a batch fermenter.

PubMed

Alam, Md Zahangir; Fakhru'l-Razi, A; Molla, Abul H

2003-09-01

The biosolids accumulation and biodegradation of domestic wastewater treatment plant (DWTP) sludge by filamentous fungi have been investigated in a batch fermenter. The filamentous fungi Aspergillus niger and Penicillium corylophilum isolated from wastewater and DWTP sludge was used to evaluate the treatment performance. The optimized mixed inoculum (A. niger and P. corylophilum) and developed process conditions (co-substrate and its concentration, temperature, initial pH, inoculum size, and aeration and agitation rate) were incorporated to accelerate the DWTP sludge treatment process. The results showed that microbial treatment of higher strength of DWTP sludge (4% w/w of TSS) was highly influenced by the liquid state bioconversion (LSB) process. In developed bioconversion processes, 93.8 g/kg of biosolids was enriched with fungal biomass protein of 30 g/kg. Enrichment of nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K) in biosolids was recorded in 6.2% (w/w), 3.1% (w/w) and 0.15% (w/w) from its initial values of 4.8% (w/w), 2.0% (w/w) and 0.08% (w/w) respectively after 10 days of fungal treatment. The biodegradation results revealed that 98.8% of TSS, 98.2% of TDS, 97.3% of turbidity, 80.2% of soluble protein, 98.8% of reducing sugar and 92.7% of COD in treated DWTP sludge supernatant were removed after 8 days of microbial treatment. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) in treated sludge (1.4x10(12) m/kg) was decreased tremendously by the microbial treatment of DWTP sludge after 6 days of fermentation compared to untreated sample (85x10(12) m/kg).

Two step esterification-transesterification process of wet greasy sewage sludge for biodiesel production.

PubMed

Urrutia, C; Sangaletti-Gerhard, N; Cea, M; Suazo, A; Aliberti, A; Navia, R

2016-01-01

Sewage sludge generated in municipal wastewater treatment plants was used as a feedstock for biodiesel production via esterification/transesterification in a two-step process. In the first esterification step, greasy and secondary sludge were tested using acid and enzymatic catalysts. The results indicate that both catalysts performed the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) simultaneously with the transesterification of triacylglycerols (TAG). Acid catalyst demonstrated better performance in FFA esterification compared to TAG transesterification, while enzymatic catalyst showed the ability to first hydrolyze TAG in FFA, which were esterified to methyl esters. In addition, FAME concentration using greasy sludge were higher (63.9% and 58.7%), compared with those of secondary sludge (11% and 16%), using acid and enzymatic catalysts, respectively. Therefore, only greasy sludge was used in the second step of alkaline transesterification. The alkaline transesterification of the previously esterified greasy sludge reached a maximum FAME concentration of 65.4% when using acid catalyst. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of different mesophilic temperatures during anaerobic digestion of sludge on the overall performance of a WWTP in Sweden.

PubMed

Moestedt, J; Rönnberg, J; Nordell, E

2017-12-01

This project was initiated to evaluate the effect of alternative process temperatures to 38 °C at the anaerobic digestion step in a Swedish wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) treating mixed sludge. The efficiency of the different temperatures was evaluated with respect to biogas production, volume of sludge produced and nutrient content in the reject water to find the optimum temperature for the WWTP as a whole. Three temperatures, 34 °C, 38 °C and 42 °C, were compared in laboratory scale. Increasing the process temperature to 42 °C resulted in process instability, reduced methane yield, accumulation of volatile fatty acids and higher treatment costs of the reject water. By decreasing the temperature to 34 °C, slightly higher sludge mass was observed and a lower gas production rate, while the specific methane produced remained unchanged compared to 38 °C but foaming was observed at several occasions. In summary 38 °C was proved to be the most favourable temperature for the anaerobic digestion process treating mixed sludge when the evaluation included effects such as foaming, sludge mass and quality of the reject water.

Enhancing sewage sludge dewaterability by bioleaching approach with comparison to other physical and chemical conditioning methods.

PubMed

Liu, Fenwu; Zhou, Jun; Wang, Dianzhan; Zhou, Lixiang

2012-01-01

The sewage sludge conditioning process is critical to improve the sludge dewaterability prior to mechanical dewatering. Traditionally, sludge is conditioned by physical or chemical approaches, mostly with the addition of inorganic or organic chemicals. Here we report that bioleaching, an efficient and economical microbial method for the removal of sludge-borne heavy metals, also plays a significant role in enhancing sludge dewaterability. The effects of bioleaching and physical or chemical approaches on sludge dewaterability were compared. The conditioning result of bioleaching by Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans on sludge dewatering was investigated and compared with the effects of hydrothermal (121 degrees C for 2 hr), microwave (1050 W for 50 sec), ultrasonic (250 W for 2 min), and chemical conditioning (24% ferric chloride and 68% calcium oxide; dry basis). The results show that the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) or capillary suction time (CST) of sludge is decreased by 93.1% or 74.1%, respectively, after fresh sludge is conditioned by bioleaching, which is similar to chemical conditioning treatment with ferric chloride and calcium oxide but much more effective than other conditioning approaches including hydrothermal, microwave, and ultrasonic conditioning. Furthermore, after sludge dewatering, bioleached sludge filtrate contains the lowest concentrations of chroma (18 times), COD (542 mg/L), total N (TN, 300 mg/L), NH4(+)-N (208 mg/L), and total P (TP, 2 mg/L) while the hydrothermal process resulted in the highest concentration of chroma (660 times), COD (18,155 mg/L), TN (472 mg/L), NH4(+)-N (381 mg/L), and TP (191 mg/L) among these selected conditioning methods. Moreover, unlike chemical conditioning, sludge bioleaching does not result in a significant reduction of organic matter, TN, and TP in the resulting dewatered sludge cake. Therefore, considering sludge dewaterability and the chemical properties of sludge filtrate and resulting dewatered sludge cakes, bioleaching has potential as an approach for improving sludge dewaterability and reducing the cost of subsequent reutilization or disposal of dewatered sludge.

Opportunities and prospects of biorefinery-based valorisation of pulp and paper sludge.

PubMed

Gottumukkala, Lalitha Devi; Haigh, Kate; Collard, François-Xavier; van Rensburg, Eugéne; Görgens, Johann

2016-09-01

The paper and pulp industry is one of the major industries that generate large amount of solid waste with high moisture content. Numerous opportunities exist for valorisation of waste paper sludge, although this review focuses on primary sludge with high cellulose content. The most mature options for paper sludge valorisation are fermentation, anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis. In this review, biochemical and thermal processes are considered individually and also as integrated biorefinery. The objective of integrated biorefinery is to reduce or avoid paper sludge disposal by landfilling, water reclamation and value addition. Assessment of selected processes for biorefinery varies from a detailed analysis of a single process to high level optimisation and integration of the processes, which allow the initial assessment and comparison of technologies. This data can be used to provide key stakeholders with a roadmap of technologies that can generate economic benefits, and reduce carbon wastage and pollution load. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hot-isostatically pressed wasteforms for Magnox sludge immobilisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heath, Paul G.; Stewart, Martin W. A.; Moricca, Sam; Hyatt, Neil C.

2018-02-01

Thermal treatment technologies offer many potential benefits for the treatment of radioactive wastes including the passivation of reactive species and significant waste volume reductions. This paper presents a study investigating the production of wasteforms using Hot-isostatic pressing technology for the immobilisation of Magnox sludges from the UK's Sellafield Site. Simulants considered physically representative of these sludges were used to determine possible processing parameters and to determine the phase assemblages and morphologies produced during processing. The study showed hot-isostatic pressing is capable of processing Magnox sludges at up to 60 wt% (oxide basis) into dense, mixed ceramic wasteforms. The wasteforms produced are a glass-bonded ceramic of mixed magnesium titanates, encapsulating localised grains of periclase. The ability to co-process Magnox sludges with SIXEP sand/clinoptilolite slurries has also been demonstrated. The importance of these results is presented through a comparison of volume reduction data, which shows HIPing may provide a 20-fold volume reduction over the current cementitious baseline and double the volume reduction attainable for vitrification technologies.

Up-to-date modification of the anaerobic sludge digestion process introducing a separate sludge digestion mode.

PubMed

Sato, K; Ochi, S; Mizuochi, M

2001-01-01

Sewage treatment plants in Japan are subjected to advanced treatment to remove nutrients and hence control eutrophication problems in lakes and bays. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the separate digestion treatment mode for sludge generated from advanced wastewater treatment. In the separate digestion only primary sludge is digested and the excess activated sludge is directly dewatered. Separate digestion can reduce the return load of nutrients to approximately one third, and has major potential for the beneficial use of sludge.

Operating aerobic wastewater treatment at very short sludge ages enables treatment and energy recovery through anaerobic sludge digestion.

PubMed

Ge, Huoqing; Batstone, Damien J; Keller, Jurg

2013-11-01

Conventional abattoir wastewater treatment processes for carbon and nutrient removal are typically designed and operated with a long sludge retention time (SRT) of 10-20 days, with a relatively high energy demand and physical footprint. The process also generates a considerable amount of waste activated sludge that is not easily degradable due to the long SRT. In this study, an innovative high-rate sequencing batch reactor (SBR) based wastewater treatment process with short SRT and hydraulic retention time (HRT) is developed and characterised. The high-rate SBR process was shown to be most effective with SRT of 2-3 days and HRT of 0.5-1 day, achieving >80% reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phosphorus and approximately 55% nitrogen removal. A majority of carbon removal (70-80%) was achieved by biomass assimilation and/or accumulation, rather than oxidation. Anaerobic degradability of the sludge generated in the high-rate SBR process was strongly linked to SRT, with measured degradability extent being 85% (2 days SRT), 73% (3 days), and 63% (4 days), but it was not influenced by digestion temperature. However, the rate of degradation for 3 and 4 days SRT sludge was increased by 45% at thermophilic conditions compared to mesophilic conditions. Overall, the treatment process provides a very compact and energy efficient treatment option for highly degradable wastewaters such as meat and food processing, with a substantial space reduction by using smaller reactors and a considerable net energy output through the reduced aerobic oxidation and concurrent increased methane production potential through the efficient sludge digestion. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Proof of concept for a new energy-positive wastewater treatment scheme.

PubMed

Remy, C; Boulestreau, M; Lesjean, B

2014-01-01

For improved exploitation of the energy content present in the organic matter of raw sewage, an innovative concept for treatment of municipal wastewater is tested in pilot trials and assessed in energy balance and operational costs. The concept is based on a maximum extraction of organic matter into the sludge via coagulation, flocculation and microsieving (100 μm mesh size) to increase the energy recovery in anaerobic sludge digestion and decrease aeration demand for carbon mineralisation. Pilot trials with real wastewater yield an extraction of 70-80% of total chemical oxygen demand into the sludge while dosing 15-20 mg/L Al and 5-7 mg/L polymer with stable operation of the microsieve and effluent limits below 2-3 mg/L total phosphorus. Anaerobic digestion of the microsieve sludge results in high biogas yields of 600 NL/kg organic dry matter input (oDMin) compared to 430 NL/kg oDMin for mixed sludge from a conventional activated sludge process. The overall energy balance for a 100,000 population equivalent (PE) treatment plant (including biofilter for post-treatment with full nitrification and denitrification with external carbon source) shows that the new concept is an energy-positive treatment process with comparable effluent quality than conventional processes, even when including energy demand for chemicals production. Estimated operating costs for electricity and chemicals are in the same range for conventional activated sludge processes and the new concept.

A full scale worm reactor for efficient sludge reduction by predation in a wastewater treatment plant.

PubMed

Tamis, J; van Schouwenburg, G; Kleerebezem, R; van Loosdrecht, M C M

2011-11-15

Sludge predation can be an effective solution to reduce sludge production at a wastewater treatment plant. Oligochaete worms are the natural consumers of biomass in benthic layers in ecosystems. In this study the results of secondary sludge degradation by the aquatic Oligochaete worm Aulophorus furcatus in a 125 m(3) reactor and further sludge conversion in an anaerobic tank are presented. The system was operated over a period of 4 years at WWTP Wolvega, the Netherlands and was fed with secondary sludge from a low loaded activated sludge process. It was possible to maintain a stable and active population of the aquatic worm species A. furcatus during the full period. Under optimal conditions a sludge conversion of 150-200 kg TSS/d or 1.2-1.6 kg TSS/m(3)/d was established in the worm reactor. The worms grew as a biofilm on carrier material in the reactor. The surface specific conversion rate reached 140-180 g TSS/m(2)d and the worm biomass specific conversion rate was 0.5-1 g TSS sludge/g dry weight worms per day. The sludge reduction under optimal conditions in the worm reactor was 30-40%. The degradation by worms was an order of magnitude larger than the endogenous conversion rate of the secondary sludge. Effluent sludge from the worm reactor was stored in an anaerobic tank where methanogenic processes became apparent. It appeared that besides reducing the sludge amount, the worms' activity increased anaerobic digestibility, allowing for future optimisation of the total system by maximising sludge reduction and methane formation. In the whole system it was possible to reduce the amount of sludge by at least 65% on TSS basis. This is a much better total conversion than reported for anaerobic biodegradability of secondary sludge of 20-30% efficiency in terms of TSS reduction. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Composition and aggregation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in hyperhaline and municipal wastewater treatment plants

PubMed Central

Zeng, Jie; Gao, Jun-Min; Chen, You-Peng; Yan, Peng; Dong, Yang; Shen, Yu; Guo, Jin-Song; Zeng, Ni; Zhang, Peng

2016-01-01

As important constituents of activated sludge flocs, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) play significant roles in pollutants adsorption, the formation and maintenance of microbial aggregates, and the protection of microbes from external environmental stresses. In this work, EPS in activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (M-WWTP) with anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2/O) process and a hyperhaline wastewater treatment plant (H-WWTP) with anaerobic/oxic (A/O) process were extracted by ultrasound method. The proteins and polysaccharides contents in EPS were determined by using a modified Lowry method and anthrone colorimetry respectively to analyze the detail differences in two types of WWTPs. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated proteins and polysaccharides were the dominant components of the two types of EPS, and the aromatic protein-like substances accounted for a larger proportion in EPS proteins. The results of the aggregation test indicated that EPS were good for the sludge aggregation, and the EPS in oxic sludge were more beneficial to sludge aggregation than that in anoxic sludge. Anoxic sludge EPS in H-WWTP showed a negligible effect on sludge aggregation. Comparative study on EPS of different tanks in the M-WWTP and H-WWTP was valuable for understanding the characteristics of EPS isolated from two typical wastewater treatment processes. PMID:27220287

Effect of humic acid in leachate on specific methanogenic activity of anaerobic granular sludge.

PubMed

Guo, Mengfei; Xian, Ping; Yang, Longhui; Liu, Xi; Zhan, Longhui; Bu, Guanghui

2015-01-01

In order to find out the effects of humic acid (HA) in anaerobic-treated landfill leachate on granular sludge, the anaerobic biodegradability of HA as well as the influences of HA on the total cumulative methane production, the anaerobic methanization process and the specific methanogenic activity (SMA) of granular sludge are studied in this paper. Experimental results show that as a non-biodegradable organic pollutant, HA is also difficult to be decomposed by microbes in the anaerobic reaction process. Presence of HA and changes in the concentration have no significant influences on the total cumulative methane production and the anaerobic methanization process of granular sludge. Besides, the total cumulative methane production cannot reflect the inhibition of toxics on the methanogenic activity of granular sludge on the premise of sufficient reaction time. Results also show that HA plays a promoting role on SMA of granular sludge. Without buffering agent the SMA value increased by 19.2% on average due to the buffering and regulating ability of HA, while with buffering agent the SMA value increased by 5.4% on average due to the retaining effect of HA on the morphology of the sludge particles. However, in the presence of leachate the SMA value decreased by 27.6% on average, because the toxic effect of the toxics in the leachate on granular sludge is much larger than the promoting effect of HA.

Retrofitting activated sludge systems to intermittent aeration for nitrogen removal.

PubMed

Hanhan, O; Artan, N; Orhon, D

2002-01-01

The paper provides the basis and the conceptual approach of applying process kinetics and modelling to the design of alternating activated sludge systems for retrofitting existing activated sludge plants to intermittent aeration for nitrogen removal. It shows the significant role of the two specific parameters, namely, the aerated fraction and the cycle time ratio on process performance through model simulations and proposes a way to incorporate them into a design procedure using process stoichiometry and mass balance. It illustrates the effect of these parameters, together with the sludge age, in establishing the balance between the denitrification potential and the available nitrogen created in the anoxic/aerobic sequences of system operation.

Combined System of Activated Sludge and Ozonation for the Treatment of Kraft E1 Effluent

PubMed Central

Assalin, Marcia Regina; dos Santos Almeida, Edna; Durán, Nelson

2009-01-01

The treatment of paper mill effluent for COD, TOC, total phenols and color removal was investigated using combined activated sludge-ozonation processes and single processes. The combined activated sludge-O3/pH 10 treatment was able to remove around 80% of COD, TOC and color from Kraft E1 effluent. For the total phenols, the efficiency removal was around 70%. The ozonation post treatment carried out at pH 8.3 also showed better results than the single process. The COD, TOC, color and total phenols removal efficiency obtained were 75.5, 59.1, 77 and 52.3%, respectively. The difference in the concentrations of free radical produced by activated sludge-O3/pH 10 and activated sludge-O3/pH 8.3 affected mainly the TOC and total phenol removal values. PMID:19440438

Scale-up and economic analysis of biodiesel production from municipal primary sewage sludge.

PubMed

Olkiewicz, Magdalena; Torres, Carmen M; Jiménez, Laureano; Font, Josep; Bengoa, Christophe

2016-08-01

Municipal wastewater sludge is a promising lipid feedstock for biodiesel production, but the need to eliminate the high water content before lipid extraction is the main limitation for scaling up. This study evaluates the economic feasibility of biodiesel production directly from liquid primary sludge based on experimental data at laboratory scale. Computational tools were used for the modelling of the process scale-up and the different configurations of lipid extraction to optimise this step, as it is the most expensive. The operational variables with a major influence in the cost were the extraction time and the amount of solvent. The optimised extraction process had a break-even price of biodiesel of 1232 $/t, being economically competitive with the current cost of fossil diesel. The proposed biodiesel production process from waste sludge eliminates the expensive step of sludge drying, lowering the biodiesel price. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparing urban solid waste recycling from the viewpoint of urban metabolism based on physical input-output model: A case of Suzhou in China.

PubMed

Liang, Sai; Zhang, Tianzhu

2012-01-01

Investigating impacts of urban solid waste recycling on urban metabolism contributes to sustainable urban solid waste management and urban sustainability. Using a physical input-output model and scenario analysis, urban metabolism of Suzhou in 2015 is predicted and impacts of four categories of solid waste recycling on urban metabolism are illustrated: scrap tire recycling, food waste recycling, fly ash recycling and sludge recycling. Sludge recycling has positive effects on reducing all material flows. Thus, sludge recycling for biogas is regarded as an accepted method. Moreover, technical levels of scrap tire recycling and food waste recycling should be improved to produce positive effects on reducing more material flows. Fly ash recycling for cement production has negative effects on reducing all material flows except solid wastes. Thus, other fly ash utilization methods should be exploited. In addition, the utilization and treatment of secondary wastes from food waste recycling and sludge recycling should be concerned. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Human Enteropathogen Load in Activated Sewage Sludge and Corresponding Sewage Sludge End Products▿

PubMed Central

Graczyk, Thaddeus K.; Lucy, Frances E.; Tamang, Leena; Miraflor, Allen

2007-01-01

This study demonstrated a significant reduction in the concentrations of Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis oocysts, Giardia lamblia cysts, and spores of human-virulent microsporidia in dewatered and biologically stabilized sewage sludge cake end products compared to those of the respective pathogens in the corresponding samples collected during the sludge activation process. PMID:17277215

40 CFR 61.52 - Emission standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... standard. (a) Emissions to the atmosphere from mercury ore processing facilities and mercury cell chlor... atmosphere from sludge incineration plants, sludge drying plants, or a combination of these that process...

40 CFR 61.52 - Emission standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... standard. (a) Emissions to the atmosphere from mercury ore processing facilities and mercury cell chlor... atmosphere from sludge incineration plants, sludge drying plants, or a combination of these that process...

40 CFR 61.52 - Emission standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... standard. (a) Emissions to the atmosphere from mercury ore processing facilities and mercury cell chlor... atmosphere from sludge incineration plants, sludge drying plants, or a combination of these that process...

40 CFR 61.52 - Emission standard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... standard. (a) Emissions to the atmosphere from mercury ore processing facilities and mercury cell chlor... atmosphere from sludge incineration plants, sludge drying plants, or a combination of these that process...

Construction materials as a waste management solution for cellulose sludge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Modolo, R., E-mail: regina.modolo@ua.pt; Ferreira, V.M.; Machado, L.M.

2011-02-15

Sustainable waste management system for effluents treatment sludge has been a pressing issue for pulp and paper sector. Recycling is always recommended in terms of environmental sustainability. Following an approach of waste valorisation, this work aims to demonstrate the technical viability of producing fiber-cement roof sheets incorporating cellulose primary sludge generated on paper and pulp mills. From the results obtained with preliminary studies it was possible to verify the possibility of producing fiber-cement sheets by replacing 25% of the conventional used virgin long fiber by primary effluent treatment cellulose sludge. This amount of incorporation was tested on an industrial scale.more » Environmental parameters related to water and waste, as well as tests for checking the quality of the final product was performed. These control parameters involved total solids in suspension, dissolved salts, chlorides, sulphates, COD, metals content. In the product, parameters like moisture, density and strength were controlled. The results showed that it is possible to replace the virgin long fibers pulp by primary sludge without impacts in final product characteristics and on the environment. This work ensures the elimination of significant waste amounts, which are nowadays sent to landfill, as well as reduces costs associated with the standard raw materials use in the fiber-cement industrial sector.« less

FUEL-EFFICIENT SEWAGE SLUDGE INCINERATION

EPA Science Inventory

A study was performed to evaluate the status of incineration with low fuel use as a sludge disposal technology. The energy requirements, life-cycle costs, operation and maintenance requirements, and process capabilities of four sludge incineration facilities were evaluated. These...

Verification Of The Defense Waste Processing Facility's (DWPF) Process Digestion Methods For The Sludge Batch 8 Qualification Sample

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Click, D. R.; Edwards, T. B.; Wiedenman, B. J.

2013-03-18

This report contains the results and comparison of data generated from inductively coupled plasma – atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis of Aqua Regia (AR), Sodium Peroxide/Sodium Hydroxide Fusion Dissolution (PF) and Cold Chem (CC) method digestions and Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption analysis of Hg digestions from the DWPF Hg digestion method of Sludge Batch 8 (SB8) Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) Receipt and SB8 SRAT Product samples. The SB8 SRAT Receipt and SB8 SRAT Product samples were prepared in the SRNL Shielded Cells, and the SRAT Receipt material is representative of the sludge that constitutes the SB8 Batch ormore » qualification composition. This is the sludge in Tank 51 that is to be transferred into Tank 40, which will contain the heel of Sludge Batch 7b (SB7b), to form the SB8 Blend composition.« less

Electricity generation from bio-treatment of sewage sludge with microbial fuel cell.

PubMed

Jiang, Junqiu; Zhao, Qingliang; Zhang, Jinna; Zhang, Guodong; Lee, Duu-Jong

2009-12-01

A two-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) with potassium ferricyanide as its electron acceptor was utilized to degrade excess sewage sludge and to generate electricity. Stable electrical power was produced continuously during operation for 250 h. Total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) of sludge was reduced by 46.4% when an initial TCOD was 10,850 mg/l. The MFC power output did not significantly depend on process parameters such as substrate concentration, cathode catholyte concentration, and anodic pH. However, the MFC produced power was in close correlation with the soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) of sludge. Furthermore, ultrasonic pretreatment of sludge accelerated organic matter dissolution and, hence, TCOD removal rate in the MFC was increased, but power output was insignificantly enhanced. This study demonstrates that this MFC can generate electricity from sewage sludge over a wide range of process parameters.

[Inhibition of Denitrification by Total Phenol Load of Coal Gasification Wastewater].

PubMed

Zhang, Yu-ying; Chen, Xiu-rong; Wang, Lu; Li, Jia-hui; Xu, Yan; Zhuang, You-jun; Yu, Ze-ya

2016-03-15

High loaded phenolic pollutants, refractory and high toxic, which existed in coal gasification wastewater, could cause the inhibition of sludge activity. In biological denitrification process of activated sludge treatment system, people tend to focus on the phenol inhibition on the efficiency and activity of nitrifying bacteria while there are few researches on the denitrification process. In order to investigate the inhibition of phenolic compounds from coal gasification wastewater on the denitrification and sludge activity, we used anoxic denitrification system to indentify the influence of different phenol load on denitrification efficiency (removal efficiency of NO₃⁻-N and NO₂⁻-N) as well as the stress and degradation activity of sludge. The results showed that when the concentration of total phenol was changed from 50 mg · L⁻¹ to 200 mg · L⁻¹, the removal rates of NO₃⁻-N and NO₂⁻-N were changed from 55% and 25% to 83% and 83% respectively. In the process of sludge domestication, the characteristics of denitrifying sludge were influenced to a certain degree.

Biodiesel from dewatered wastewater sludge: a two-step process for a more advantageous production.

PubMed

Pastore, Carlo; Lopez, Antonio; Lotito, Vincenzo; Mascolo, Giuseppe

2013-07-01

Alternative approaches for obtaining biodiesel from municipal sludge have been successfully investigated. In order to avoid the expensive conventional preliminary step of sludge drying, dewatered sludge (TSS: 15wt%) was used as starting material. The best performance in terms of yield of fatty acid methyl esters (18wt%) with the lowest energy demand (17MJkgFAME(-1)) was obtained by a new two-step approach based on hexane extraction carried out directly on dewatered acidified (H2SO4) sludge followed by methanolysis of extracted lipids. It was found that sulphuric acid plays a key role in the whole process not only for the transesterification of glycerides but also for the production of new free fatty acids from soaps and their esterification with methanol. In addition to biodiesel production, the investigated process allows valorization of primary sludge as it turns it into a valuable source of chemicals, namely sterols (2.5wt%), aliphatic alcohols (0.8wt%) and waxes (2.3wt%). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peeler, D.; Edwards, T.

High-level waste (HLW) throughput (i.e., the amount of waste processed per unit of time) is primarily a function of two critical parameters: waste loading (WL) and melt rate. For the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), increasing HLW throughput would significantly reduce the overall mission life cycle costs for the Department of Energy (DOE). Significant increases in waste throughput have been achieved at DWPF since initial radioactive operations began in 1996. Key technical and operational initiatives that supported increased waste throughput included improvements in facility attainment, the Chemical Processing Cell (CPC) flowsheet, process control models and frit formulations. As a resultmore » of these key initiatives, DWPF increased WLs from a nominal 28% for Sludge Batch 2 (SB2) to {approx}34 to 38% for SB3 through SB6 while maintaining or slightly improving canister fill times. Although considerable improvements in waste throughput have been obtained, future contractual waste loading targets are nominally 40%, while canister production rates are also expected to increase (to a rate of 325 to 400 canisters per year). Although implementation of bubblers have made a positive impact on increasing melt rate for recent sludge batches targeting WLs in the mid30s, higher WLs will ultimately make the feeds to DWPF more challenging to process. Savannah River Remediation (SRR) recently requested the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to perform a paper study assessment using future sludge projections to evaluate whether the current Process Composition Control System (PCCS) algorithms would provide projected operating windows to allow future contractual WL targets to be met. More specifically, the objective of this study was to evaluate future sludge batch projections (based on Revision 16 of the HLW Systems Plan) with respect to projected operating windows using current PCCS models and associated constraints. Based on the assessments, the waste loading interval over which a glass system (i.e., a projected sludge composition with a candidate frit) is predicted to be acceptable can be defined (i.e., the projected operating window) which will provide insight into the ability to meet future contractual WL obligations. In this study, future contractual WL obligations are assumed to be 40%, which is the goal after all flowsheet enhancements have been implemented to support DWPF operations. For a system to be considered acceptable, candidate frits must be identified that provide access to at least 40% WL while accounting for potential variation in the sludge resulting from differences in batch-to-batch transfers into the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and/or analytical uncertainties. In more general terms, this study will assess whether or not the current glass formulation strategy (based on the use of the Nominal and Variation Stage assessments) and current PCCS models will allow access to compositional regions required to targeted higher WLs for future operations. Some of the key questions to be considered in this study include: (1) If higher WLs are attainable with current process control models, are the models valid in these compositional regions? If the higher WL glass regions are outside current model development or validation ranges, is there existing data that could be used to demonstrate model applicability (or lack thereof)? If not, experimental data may be required to revise current models or serve as validation data with the existing models. (2) Are there compositional trends in frit space that are required by the PCCS models to obtain access to these higher WLs? If so, are there potential issues with the compositions of the associated frits (e.g., limitations on the B{sub 2}O{sub 3} and/or Li{sub 2}O concentrations) as they are compared to model development/validation ranges or to the term 'borosilicate' glass? If limitations on the frit compositional range are realized, what is the impact of these restrictions on other glass properties such as the ability to suppress nepheline formation or influence melt rate? The model based assessments being performed make the assumption that the process control models are applicable over the glass compositional regions being evaluated. Although the glass compositional region of interest is ultimately defined by the specific frit, sludge, and WL interval used, there is no prescreening of these compositional regions with respect to the model development or validation ranges which is consistent with current DWPF operations.« less

Use of anaerobic hydrolysis pretreatment to enhance ultrasonic disintegration of excess sludge.

PubMed

Li, Xianjin; Zhu, Tong; Shen, Yang; Chai, Tianyu; Xie, Yuanhua; You, Meiyan; Wang, Youzhao

2016-01-01

To improve the excess sludge disintegration efficiency, reduce the sludge disintegration cost, and increase sludge biodegradability, a combined pretreatment of anaerobic hydrolysis (AH) and ultrasonic treatment (UT) was proposed for excess sludge. Results showed that AH had an advantage in dissolving flocs, modifying sludge characteristics, and reducing the difficulty of sludge disintegration, whereas UT was advantageous in damaging cell walls, releasing intracellular substances, and decomposing macromolecular material. The combined AH-UT process was an efficient method for excess sludge pretreatment. The optimized solution involved AH for 3 days, followed by UT for 10 min. After treatment, chemical oxygen demand, protein, and peptidoglycan concentrations reached 3,949.5 mg O2/L, 752.5 mg/L and 619.1 mg/L, respectively. This work has great significance for further engineering applications, namely, reducing energy consumption, increasing the sludge disintegration rate, and improving the biochemical properties of sludge.

Hybrid life-cycle environmental and cost inventory of sewage sludge treatment and end-use scenarios: a case study from China.

PubMed

Murray, Ashley; Horvath, Arpad; Nelson, Kara L

2008-05-01

Sewage sludge management poses environmental, economic, and political challenges for wastewater treatment plants and municipalities around the globe. To facilitate more informed and sustainable decision making, this study used life-cycle inventory (LCI) to expand upon previous process-based LCIs of sewage sludge treatmenttechnologies. Additionally, the study evaluated an array of productive end-use options for treated sewage sludge, such as fertilizer and as an input into construction materials, to determine how the sustainability of traditional manufacturing processes changes with sludge as a replacement for other raw inputs. The inclusion of the life-cycle of necessary inputs (such as lime) used in sludge treatment significantly impacts the sustainability profiles of different treatment and end-use schemes. Overall, anaerobic digestion is generally the optimal treatment technology whereas incineration, particularly if coal-fired, is the most environmentally and economically costly. With respect to sludge end use, offsets are greatest for the use of sludge as fertilizer, but all of the productive uses of sludge can improve the sustainability of conventional manufacturing practices. The results are intended to help inform and guide decisions about sludge handling for existing wastewater treatment plants and those that are still in the planning phase in cities around the world. Although additional factors must be considered when selecting a sludge treatment and end-use scheme, this study highlights how a systems approach to planning can contribute significantly to improving overall environmental sustainability.

Biogasification of Walt Disney World biomass waste blend. Annual report, January-December 1983

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biljetina, R.; Chynoweth, D.P.; Janulis, J.

1984-09-01

The objective of this research is to develop efficient processes for conversion of biomass-waste blends to methane and other resources. To evaluate the technical and economic feasibility, an experimental test unit (ETU) was designed and installed at the Reedy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The facility integrates a biomethanogenic conversion process with a wastewater treatment process employing water hyacinth ponds for secondary and tertiary treatment of sewage. Harvested water hyacinth is subsequently combined with sludge from the primary wastewater clarifier and fed at 1-wet-ton per day to the ETU digester. This resultsmore » in the production of methane and other useful byproducts. Design, procurement of equipment, and installation has been completed. Start-up of the ETU is in progress.« less

A multi-disciplinary approach to the removal of emerging contaminants in municipal wastewater treatment plans in New York State, 2003-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Philips, Patrick J.; Stinson, Beverley; Zaugg, Steven D.; Furlong, Edward T.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Esposito, Kathleen; Bodniewicz, B.; Pape, R.; Anderson, J.

2005-01-01

The second phase of the study focused on one of the most common wastewater treatment processes operated in the United States, the Activated Sludge process. Using four controlled parallel activated sludge pilots, a more detailed assessment of the impact of Sludge Retention Time (SRT) on the reduction or removal of ECs was performed.

Emission characteristics of nitrogen- and sulfur-containing odorous compounds during different sewage sludge chemical conditioning processes.

PubMed

Liu, Huan; Luo, Guang-Qian; Hu, Hong-Yun; Zhang, Qiang; Yang, Jia-Kuan; Yao, Hong

2012-10-15

Chemical conditioners are often used to enhance sewage sludge dewaterability through altering sludge properties and flocs structure, both affect odorous compounds emissions not only during sludge conditioning but also in subsequent sludge disposal. This study was to investigate emission characteristics of ammonia (NH(3)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) and carbonyl sulfide (COS) generated from sewage sludge conditioned by three representative conditioners, i.e., organic polymers, iron salts and skeleton builders, F-S (Fenton's reagent and skeleton builders) composite conditioner. The results demonstrate that polyacrylamide (PAM) has an insignificant effect on emission characteristics of nitrogen- and sulfur-containing odorous compounds, because the properties, sulfur and nitrogen speciations are similar in PAM-conditioned sludge and raw sludge (RS). Significant increases of SO(2) and H(2)S emissions in the H(2)SO(4) conditioning process were observed due to the accelerated decomposition of sulfur-containing amino acids in acidic environment. Fenton peroxidation facilitates the formation of COS. CaO can reduce sulfur-containing gases emission via generation of calcium sulfate. However, under strong alkaline conditions, free ammonia or protonated amine in sludge can be easily converted to volatile ammonia, resulting in a significant release of NH(3). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combining high-rate aerobic wastewater treatment with anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge at a pulp and paper mill.

PubMed

Magnusson, Björn; Ekstrand, Eva-Maria; Karlsson, Anna; Ejlertsson, Jörgen

2018-05-01

The activated sludge process within the pulp and paper industry is generally run to minimize the production of waste activated sludge (WAS), leading to high electricity costs from aeration and relatively large basin volumes. In this study, a pilot-scale activated sludge process was run to evaluate the concept of treating the wastewater at high rate with a low sludge age. Two 150 L containers were used, one for aeration and one for sedimentation and sludge return. The hydraulic retention time was decreased from 24 hours to 7 hours, and the sludge age was lowered from 12 days to 2-4 days. The methane potential of the WAS was evaluated using batch tests, as well as continuous anaerobic digestion (AD) in 4 L reactors in mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Wastewater treatment capacity was increased almost four-fold at maintained degradation efficiency. The lower sludge age greatly improved the methane potential of the WAS in batch tests, reaching 170 NmL CH 4 /g VS at a sludge age of 2 days. In addition, the continuous AD showed a higher methane production at thermophilic conditions. Thus, the combination of high-rate wastewater treatment and AD of WAS is a promising option for the pulp and paper industry.

An examination of the treatment of iron-dosed waste activated sludge by anaerobic digestion.

PubMed

Johnson, D K; Carliell-Marquet, C M; Forster, C F

2003-08-01

Anaerobic digestion is an important sludge treatment process enabling stabilisation of the organic fraction of sewage sludge prior to land application. Any practice which might retard the anaerobic digestion process will jeopardize the stability of the resulting digested sludge. This paper reports on an investigation into the relative digestibility of iron-dosed waste activated sludge (WAS) from a sewage treatment works (STW) with chemical phosphorus removal (CPR), in comparison to WAS from a works without phosphorus removal. Two laboratory scale anaerobic digesters (51) were fed initially with non iron-dosed WAS (Works M) at a solids retention time of 19 days. After 2 months the iron-dosed CPR sludge (Works R) was introduced into the second digester, resulting in a 32% decrease in biogas production and an increase in the methane content of the biogas from an average of 74% to 81%. Pre-treatment of the CPR sludge with sodium sulphide and shear, both alone and in combination, caused the gas production to deteriorate further. Pre-acidification and pre-treatment with EDTA did result in an enhanced gas production but it was still not comparable with that of the digester being fed with non-iron-dosed sludge. The daily gas production was found to be linearly related to the amount of bound iron in the sludge.

Effects of irradiation intensity and pH on nutrients release and solids destruction of waste activated sludge using the microwave-enhanced advanced oxidation process.

PubMed

Chan, W I; Liao, P H; Lo, K V

2010-11-01

Using the microwave-enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW/H2O2-AOP), the pH and irradiation intensity on waste activated sludge samples were investigated to provide insight to the athermal effects on nutrients release, solids destruction, particle size distribution and dewaterability, and to demonstrate their interrelationships. Carbonaceous matters and nutrients released into solution depended on the irradiation intensity and time. Higher irradiation levels tended to be more effective in the solubilization of nutrients and had more pronounced effects in the dewaterability of sludge. In terms of particle size distribution, detectable particles increased in size for treatments in acidic conditions, while the dewaterability of treated sludge was improved. In treatments under neutral and alkaline conditions, the particle size range increased, with more small particles formed, thereby significantly deteriorating the dewaterability of sludge treated in alkaline conditions. The best results for the solubilization of nutrients were in alkaline conditions with high irradiation power, but dewaterability of the sludge was compromised. Sludge treatment with the MW/H2O2-AOP in acidic conditions with high irradiation power yielded the best dewaterable sludge and significant nutrient solubilization; therefore, it is the recommended treatment condition for activated sludge.

Investigation of sewage sludge treatment using air plasma assisted gasification.

PubMed

Striūgas, Nerijus; Valinčius, Vitas; Pedišius, Nerijus; Poškas, Robertas; Zakarauskas, Kęstutis

2017-06-01

This study presents an experimental investigation of downdraft gasification process coupled with a secondary thermal plasma reactor in order to perform experimental investigations of sewage sludge gasification, and compare process parameters running the system with and without the secondary thermal plasma reactor. The experimental investigation were performed with non-pelletized mixture of dried sewage sludge and wood pellets. To estimate the process performance, the composition of the producer gas, tars, particle matter, producer gas and char yield were measured at the exit of the gasification and plasma reactor. The research revealed the distribution of selected metals and chlorine in the process products and examined a possible formation of hexachlorobenzene. It determined that the plasma assisted processing of gaseous products changes the composition of the tars and the producer gas, mostly by destruction of hydrocarbon species, such as methane, acetylene, ethane or propane. Plasma processing of the producer gas reduces their calorific value but increases the gas yield and the total produced energy amount. The presented technology demonstrated capability both for applying to reduce the accumulation of the sewage sludge and production of substitute gas for drying of sewage sludge and electrical power. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lignor process for acidic rock drainage treatment.

PubMed

Zhuang, J M; Walsh, T

2004-09-01

The process using lignosulfonates for acidic rock drainage (ARD) treatment is referred to as the Lignor process. Lignosulfonates are waste by-products produced in the sulfite pulping process. The present study has shown lignosulfonates are able to protect lime from developing an external surface coating, and hence to favor its dissociation. Further, the addition of lignosulfonates to ARD solutions increased the dotting and settling rate of the formed sludge. The capability of lignosulfonates to form stable metal-lignin complexes makes them very useful in retaining metal ions and thus improving the long-term stability of the sludge against leaching. The Lignor process involves metal sorption with lignosulfonates, ARD neutralization by lime to about pH 7, pH adjustment with caustic soda to 9.4 - 9.6, air oxidation to lower the pH to a desired level, and addition of a minimum amount of FeCl3 for further removal of dissolved metals. The Lignor process removes all concerned metals (especially Al and Mn) from the ARD of the Britannia Mine (located at Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada) to a level lower than the limits of the B.C. Regulations. Compared with the high-density sludge (HDS) process, the Lignor process has many advantages, such as considerable savings in lime consumption, greatly reduced sludge volume, and improved sludge stability.

The effects of artificial ageing on the leaching behaviour of heavy metals in stabilized/solidified industrial sludge.

PubMed

Keskes, M; Choura, M; Rouis, J

2009-12-01

The use of a hydraulic binder for the treatment of mineral-based industrial wastes, containing heavy metals, by the chemical fixation and solidification (CFS) technique has raised serious questions regarding the prediction of the behaviour of these pollutants in the obtained solid matrix. It seems necessary, for this reason, to study the behaviour of these metals in response to leaching in order to evaluate their chemical speciation within the solidified sludge over the medium and long-terms. Within the framework of the current research, we applied the CFS technique to metallic hydroxide sludge, produced by the electrotyping surface treatment industry, by using Portland artificial cement (PAC). Compaction at the paste phase of this treated sludge resulted in up to 35% enhancement of the retention of pollutants, mainly trivalent chromium, in a cementing matrix, as compared with the classical technique that uses a simple vibration of sludge at the paste phase. The implemented process led to an improvement in the compactness of the sludge, and thus assured a better retention of heavy metals in response to the leaching of this treated sludge. The evaluation of the chemical properties of the materials obtained after an artificial ageing process using humidity variation cycles and thermal chocks also revealed a significant improvement in the retention capacity of heavy metals in the solidified sludge, which was mainly favoured by the development of carbonation. In fact, the release of the heavy metals from the above mentioned treated sludge was reduced by 58% for zinc and 51% for trivalent chromium after the artificial ageing process.

Simulation and optimization of an experimental membrane wastewater treatment plant using computational intelligence methods.

PubMed

Ludwig, T; Kern, P; Bongards, M; Wolf, C

2011-01-01

The optimization of relaxation and filtration times of submerged microfiltration flat modules in membrane bioreactors used for municipal wastewater treatment is essential for efficient plant operation. However, the optimization and control of such plants and their filtration processes is a challenging problem due to the underlying highly nonlinear and complex processes. This paper presents the use of genetic algorithms for this optimization problem in conjunction with a fully calibrated simulation model, as computational intelligence methods are perfectly suited to the nonconvex multi-objective nature of the optimization problems posed by these complex systems. The simulation model is developed and calibrated using membrane modules from the wastewater simulation software GPS-X based on the Activated Sludge Model No.1 (ASM1). Simulation results have been validated at a technical reference plant. They clearly show that filtration process costs for cleaning and energy can be reduced significantly by intelligent process optimization.

Sewage sludge disposal strategies for sustainable development.

PubMed

Kacprzak, Małgorzata; Neczaj, Ewa; Fijałkowski, Krzysztof; Grobelak, Anna; Grosser, Anna; Worwag, Małgorzata; Rorat, Agnieszka; Brattebo, Helge; Almås, Åsgeir; Singh, Bal Ram

2017-07-01

The main objective of the present review is to compare the existing sewage sludge management solutions in terms of their environmental sustainability. The most commonly used strategies, that include treatment and disposal has been favored within the present state-of-art, considering existing legislation (at European and national level), characterization, ecotoxicology, waste management and actual routs used currently in particular European countries. Selected decision making tools, namely End-of-waste criteria and Life Cycle Assessment has been proposed in order to appropriately assess the possible environmental, economic and technical evaluation of different systems. Therefore, some basic criteria for the best suitable option selection has been described, in the circular economy "from waste to resources" sense. The importance of sewage sludge as a valuable source of matter and energy has been appreciated, as well as a potential risk related to the application of those strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of various types of thermochemical processing of sewage sludges on phosphorus speciation, solubility, and fertilization performance.

PubMed

Steckenmesser, Daniel; Vogel, Christian; Adam, Christian; Steffens, Diedrich

2017-04-01

Sewage sludge has one of the highest phosphorus (P) recovery potentials of all waste materials. Therefore, P-recycling from sewage sludge could contribute to closing the P-cycle. Recently, various thermal processes for P-recovery have been developed, but there is still a demand for information on the effect of different process parameters (e.g. additives and temperature) on P-speciation and especially on the fertilization performance. In the present study, two common methods (low-temperature conversion at 400-500°C and thermochemical treatment at 950°C) were investigated and combined to produce highly bioavailable P-fertilizers from two different types of sewage sludge based on chemical phosphorus precipitation (Chem-P) and enhanced biological phosphorus removal (Bio-P). The results of P-fractionation, X-ray diffraction analysis, and pot experiments with maize showed that Bio-P sludges attain high P-plant-availability after treatment at low temperatures (400°C). In contrast, Chem-P sludges can adequately be treated at higher temperatures under reductive conditions with sodium additives to form highly bioavailable calcium-sodium-phosphate. Additionally, also highly heavy-metal contaminated sludges can be thermochemically treated at high temperatures to achieve the legal requirements for fertilizers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vitrification as an alternative to landfilling of tannery sewage sludge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Celary, Piotr, E-mail: pcelary@is.pcz.czest.pl; Sobik-Szołtysek, Jolanta, E-mail: jszoltysek@is.pcz.czest.pl

Highlights: • The possibility of vitrification of tannery sewage sludge was investigated. • Glass cullet was substituted with different wastes of mineral character. • Component ratio in the processed mixtures was optimized. • Environmental safety of the acquired vitrificates was verified. • An alternative management approach of usually landfilled waste was presented. - Abstract: Due to high content of heavy metals such as chromium, tannery sewage sludge is a material which is difficult to be biologically treated as it is in the case of organic waste. Consequently, a common practice in managing tannery sewage sludge is landfilling. This poses amore » potential threat to both soil and water environments and it additionally generates costs of construction of landfills that meet specific environment protection requirements. Vitrification of this kind of sewage sludge with the addition of mineral wastes can represent an alternative to landfilling. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of obtaining an environmentally safe product by means of vitrification of tannery sewage sludge from a flotation wastewater treatment process and chemical precipitation in order to address the upcoming issue of dealing with sewage sludge from the tannery industry which will be prohibited to be landfilled in Poland after 2016. The focus was set on determining mixtures of tannery sewage sludge with additives which would result in the lowest possible heavy metal leaching levels and highest hardness rating of the products obtained from their vitrification. The plasma vitrification process was carried out for mixtures with various amounts of additives depending on the type of sewage sludge used. Only the materials of waste character were used as additives. One finding of the study was an optimum content of mineral additives in vitrified mixture of 30% v/v waste molding sands with 20% v/v carbonate flotation waste from the zinc and lead industry for the formulations with flotation sewage sludge, and 45% v/v and 5% v/v, respectively, for precipitation sewage sludge. These combinations allowed for obtaining products with negligible heavy metal leaching levels and hardness similar to commercial glass, which suggests they could be potentially used as construction aggregate substitutes. Incineration of sewage sludge before the vitrification process lead to increased hardness of the vitrificates and reduced leaching of some heavy metals.« less

Monitoring and optimizing the co-composting of dewatered sludge: a mixture experimental design approach.

PubMed

Komilis, Dimitrios; Evangelou, Alexandros; Voudrias, Evangelos

2011-09-01

The management of dewatered wastewater sludge is a major issue worldwide. Sludge disposal to landfills is not sustainable and thus alternative treatment techniques are being sought. The objective of this work was to determine optimal mixing ratios of dewatered sludge with other organic amendments in order to maximize the degradability of the mixtures during composting. This objective was achieved using mixture experimental design principles. An additional objective was to study the impact of the initial C/N ratio and moisture contents on the co-composting process of dewatered sludge. The composting process was monitored through measurements of O(2) uptake rates, CO(2) evolution, temperature profile and solids reduction. Eight (8) runs were performed in 100 L insulated air-tight bioreactors under a dynamic air flow regime. The initial mixtures were prepared using dewatered wastewater sludge, mixed paper wastes, food wastes, tree branches and sawdust at various initial C/N ratios and moisture contents. According to empirical modeling, mixtures of sludge and food waste mixtures at 1:1 ratio (ww, wet weight) maximize degradability. Structural amendments should be maintained below 30% to reach thermophilic temperatures. The initial C/N ratio and initial moisture content of the mixture were not found to influence the decomposition process. The bio C/bio N ratio started from around 10, for all runs, decreased during the middle of the process and increased to up to 20 at the end of the process. The solid carbon reduction of the mixtures without the branches ranged from 28% to 62%, whilst solid N reductions ranged from 30% to 63%. Respiratory quotients had a decreasing trend throughout the composting process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The sludge loading rate regulates the growth and release of heterotrophic bacteria resistant to six types of antibiotics in wastewater activated sludge.

PubMed

Yuan, Qing-Bin; Guo, Mei-Ting; Yang, Jian

2015-01-01

Wastewater treatment plants are considered as hot reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance. However, the fates of antibiotic-resistant bacteria during biological treatment processes and relevant influencing factors have not been fully understood. This study evaluated the effects of the sludge loading rate on the growth and release of six kinds of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in an activated sludge system. The results indicated that higher sludge loading rates amplified the growth of all six types of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The release of most antibiotic-resistant bacteria through both the effluent and biosolids was amplified with increased sludge loading rate. Biosolids were the main pattern for all antibiotic-resistant bacteria release in an activated sludge system, which was determined primarily by their growth in the activated sludge. A higher sludge loading rate reactor tended to retain more antibiotic resistance. An activated sludge system with lower sludge loading rates was considered more conducive to the control of antibiotic resistance.

Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge co-incineration in a coal-based power station.

PubMed

Hong, Jingmin; Xu, Changqing; Hong, Jinglan; Tan, Xianfeng; Chen, Wei

2013-09-01

A life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic effects of sewage sludge co-incineration in a coal-fired power plant. The general approach employed by a coal-fired power plant was also assessed as control. Sewage sludge co-incineration technology causes greater environmental burden than does coal-based energy production technology because of the additional electricity consumption and wastewater treatment required for the pretreatment of sewage sludge, direct emissions from sludge incineration, and incinerated ash disposal processes. However, sewage sludge co-incineration presents higher economic benefits because of electricity subsidies and the income generating potential of sludge. Environmental assessment results indicate that sewage sludge co-incineration is unsuitable for mitigating the increasing pressure brought on by sewage sludge pollution. Reducing the overall environmental effect of sludge co-incineration power stations necessitates increasing net coal consumption efficiency, incinerated ash reuse rate, dedust system efficiency, and sludge water content rate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biosynthesis of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) by bacterial community from propylene oxide saponification wastewater residual sludge.

PubMed

Wang, Yiwei; Zhu, Ying; Gu, Pengfei; Li, Yumei; Fan, Xiangyu; Song, Dongxue; Ji, Yan; Li, Qiang

2017-05-01

The saponification wastewater from the process of propylene oxide (PO) production is contaminated with high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and chlorine contents. Although the activated sludge process could treat the PO saponification wastewater effectively, the residual sludge was difficult to be disposed properly. In this research, microbes in PO saponification wastewater residual sludge were acclimated to produce poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) from volatile fatty acids. Through Miseq Illumina highthroughput sequencing, the bacterial community discrepancy between the original and the acclimated sludge samples were analyzed. The proportions of Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Brevundimonas and Pseudomonas, the potential PHBV-producers in the residual sludge, were all obviously increased. In the batch fermentation, the production of PHBV could achieve 4.262g/L at 300min, with the content increased from 0.04% to 23.67% of mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) in the acclimated sludge, and the COD of the PO saponification wastewater was also decreased in the fermentation. This work would provide an effective solution for the utilization of PO saponification wastewater residual sludge. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of acid detergent fiber in hydrothermally pretreated sewage sludge on anaerobic digestion process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takasaki, Rikiya; Yuan, Lee Chang; Kamahara, Hirotsugu; Atsuta, Youichi; Daimon, Hiroyuki

2017-10-01

Hydrothermal treatment is one of the pre-treatment method for anaerobic digestion. The application of hydrothermal treatment to sewage sludge of wastewater treatment plant has been succeeded to enhance the biogas production. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively clarify the effect of hydrothermal treatment on anaerobic digestion process focusing on acid detergent fiber (ADF) in sewage sludge, which is low biodegradability. The hydrothermal treatment experiment was carried out for 15 minutes between 160 °C and 200 °C respectively. The ADF content was decreased after hydrothermal treatment compared with untreated sludge. However, ADF content was increased when raising the treatment temperature from 160 °C to 200 °C. During batch anaerobic digestion experiment, untreated and treated sludge were examined for 10 days under 38 °C, and all samples were fed once based on volatile solids of samples. From batch anaerobic digestion experiment, as ADF content in sewage sludge increased, the total biogas production decreased. It was found that ADF content in sewage sludge influence on anaerobic digestion. Therefore, ADF could be one of the indicator to evaluate the effect of hydrothermal treatment to sewage sludge on anaerobic digestion.

Vitrification as an alternative to landfilling of tannery sewage sludge.

PubMed

Celary, Piotr; Sobik-Szołtysek, Jolanta

2014-12-01

Due to high content of heavy metals such as chromium, tannery sewage sludge is a material which is difficult to be biologically treated as it is in the case of organic waste. Consequently, a common practice in managing tannery sewage sludge is landfilling. This poses a potential threat to both soil and water environments and it additionally generates costs of construction of landfills that meet specific environment protection requirements. Vitrification of this kind of sewage sludge with the addition of mineral wastes can represent an alternative to landfilling. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of obtaining an environmentally safe product by means of vitrification of tannery sewage sludge from a flotation wastewater treatment process and chemical precipitation in order to address the upcoming issue of dealing with sewage sludge from the tannery industry which will be prohibited to be landfilled in Poland after 2016. The focus was set on determining mixtures of tannery sewage sludge with additives which would result in the lowest possible heavy metal leaching levels and highest hardness rating of the products obtained from their vitrification. The plasma vitrification process was carried out for mixtures with various amounts of additives depending on the type of sewage sludge used. Only the materials of waste character were used as additives. One finding of the study was an optimum content of mineral additives in vitrified mixture of 30% v/v waste molding sands with 20% v/v carbonate flotation waste from the zinc and lead industry for the formulations with flotation sewage sludge, and 45% v/v and 5% v/v, respectively, for precipitation sewage sludge. These combinations allowed for obtaining products with negligible heavy metal leaching levels and hardness similar to commercial glass, which suggests they could be potentially used as construction aggregate substitutes. Incineration of sewage sludge before the vitrification process lead to increased hardness of the vitrificates and reduced leaching of some heavy metals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of tank 51 sludge samples (HTF-51-17-44/ HTF-51-17-48) in support of sludge batch 10 processing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oji, L. N.

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested by Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Engineering (SRR-E) to provide sample characterization and analyses of Tank 51 sludge samples in support of Sludge Batch (SB) 10. The two Tank 51 sludge samples were sampled and delivered to SRNL in May of 2017. These two tank 51 sludge samples were combined into one composite sample and analyzed for corrosion controls analytes, select radionuclides, chemical elements, density and weight percent total solids and aluminum hydroxides (gibbsite and boehmite) by x-ray diffraction.

Impact of initial biodegradability on sludge anaerobic digestion enhancement by thermal pretreatment.

PubMed

Carrère, Hélène; Bougrier, Claire; Castets, Delphine; Delgenès, Jean Philippe

2008-11-01

Thermal treatments with temperature ranging from 60 to 210 degrees C were applied to 6 waste-activated sludge samples originating from high or medium load, extended aeration wastewater treatment processes that treated different wastewaters (urban, urban and industrial or slaughterhouse). COD sludge solubilisation was linearly correlated with the treatment temperature on the whole temperature range and independently of the sludge samples. Sludge batch mesophilic biodegradability increased with treatment temperature up to 190 degrees C. In this temperature range, biodegradability enhancement or methane production increase by thermal hydrolysis was shown to be a function of sludge COD solubilisation but also of sludge initial biodegradability. The lower the initial biodegradability means the higher efficiency of thermal treatment.

[Treatment of carbonization effluent by the ultrasonic radiation and activated sludge process].

PubMed

Ning, Ping; Xu, Jinqiu; Huang, Dongbin; Ma, Xiaoli; Xu, Xiaojun; Li, Ziyan

2003-05-01

The paper deals with the degradation of organic pollutants by the ultrasonic irradiation-activated sludge process. The treatment of the real coking wastewater of Kunming coke making-gas plant was studied with the water quality model. Using the ultrasonic irradiation-activated sludge process the organic pollutants in the real coking wastewater can be degraded effectively. The influence factors of the ultrasonic degradation effect such as initial concentration, aerated gas and ultrasonic density were investigated and mechanism was explored. The result shows that the ultrasonic degradation effect was high with the decrease of initial concentration of the CODCr, the presence of aerated gas and the increase of ultrasonic density. At the initial CODCr concentration of 807 mg/L, when air acted as aerated gas and only air itself (no ultrasound) was exerted on the wastewater, the degradation rate of the CODCr will be 4.5%. However, when the ultrasound of the intensity of 119.4 kW/m2 was exerted on the wastewater, the degradation rate of the CODCr will be 65%. Compared with the activated sludge process alone, the combination of the ultrasonic irradiation and activated sludge process can increase the degradation rate of the CODCr from 45% to 81%. The oxygen consumption rate of the carbonization effluent obviously decreased in the presence of the activated sludge. This shows the carbonization effluent is not biotoxic behind the ultrasonic irradiation.

Comparison of laboratory-scale thermophilic biofilm and activated sludge processes integrated with a mesophilic activated sludge process.

PubMed

Suvilampi, J; Lehtomäki, A; Rintala, J

2003-07-01

A combined thermophilic-mesophilic wastewater treatment was studied using a laboratory-scale thermophilic activated sludge process (ASP) followed by mesophilic ASP or a thermophilic suspended carrier biofilm process (SCBP) followed by mesophilic ASP, both systems treating diluted molasses (dilution factor 1:500 corresponding GF/A-filtered COD (COD(filt)) of 1900+/-190 mgl(-1)). With hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 12-18 h the thermophilic ASP and thermophilic SCBP removed 60+/-13% and 62+/-7% of COD(filt), respectively, with HRT of 8 h the removals were 48+/-1% and 69+/-4%. The sludge volume index (SVI) was notably lower in the thermophilic SCBP (measured from suspended sludge) than in the thermophilic ASP. Under the lowest HRT the mesophilic ASP gave better performance (as SVI, COD(filt), and COD(tot) removals) after the thermophilic SCBP than after the thermophilic ASP. Measured sludge yields were low (less than 0.1 kg suspended solids (SS) kg COD(filt removed)(-1)) in all processes. Both thermophilic treatments removed 80-85% of soluble COD (COD(sol)) whereas suspended COD (COD(susp)) and colloidal COD (COD(col)) were increased. Both mesophilic post-treatments removed all COD(col) and most of the COD(susp) from the thermophilic effluents. In conclusion, combined thermophilic-mesophilic treatment appeared to be easily operable and produced high effluent quality.

MiDAS: the field guide to the microbes of activated sludge.

PubMed

McIlroy, Simon Jon; Saunders, Aaron Marc; Albertsen, Mads; Nierychlo, Marta; McIlroy, Bianca; Hansen, Aviaja Anna; Karst, Søren Michael; Nielsen, Jeppe Lund; Nielsen, Per Halkjær

2015-01-01

The Microbial Database for Activated Sludge (MiDAS) field guide is a freely available online resource linking the identity of abundant and process critical microorganisms in activated sludge wastewater treatment systems to available data related to their functional importance. Phenotypic properties of some of these genera are described, but most are known only from sequence data. The MiDAS taxonomy is a manual curation of the SILVA taxonomy that proposes a name for all genus-level taxa observed to be abundant by large-scale 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of full-scale activated sludge communities. The taxonomy can be used to classify unknown sequences, and the online MiDAS field guide links the identity to the available information about their morphology, diversity, physiology and distribution. The use of a common taxonomy across the field will provide a solid foundation for the study of microbial ecology of the activated sludge process and related treatment processes. The online MiDAS field guide is a collaborative workspace intended to facilitate a better understanding of the ecology of activated sludge and related treatment processes--knowledge that will be an invaluable resource for the optimal design and operation of these systems. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Occurrence, identification and removal of microplastic particles and fibers in conventional activated sludge process and advanced MBR technology.

PubMed

Lares, Mirka; Ncibi, Mohamed Chaker; Sillanpää, Markus; Sillanpää, Mika

2018-04-15

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are acting as routes of microplastics (MPs) to the environment, hence the urgent need to examine MPs in wastewaters and different types of sludge through sampling campaigns covering extended periods of time. In this study, the efficiency of a municipal WWTP to remove MPs from wastewater was studied by collecting wastewater and sludge samples once in every two weeks during a 3-month sampling campaign. The WWTP was operated based on the conventional activated sludge (CAS) process and a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR). The microplastic particles and fibers from both water and sludge samples were identified by using an optical microscope, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) microscope and Raman microscope. Overall, the retention capacity of microplastics in the studied WWTP was found to be 98.3%. Most of the MP fraction was removed before the activated sludge process. The efficiency of an advanced membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology was also examined. The main related finding is that MBR permeate contained 0.4 MP/L in comparison with the final effluent of the CAS process (1.0 MP/L). According to this study, both microplastic fibers and particles are discharged from the WWTP to the aquatic environment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental optimization of chromium recovery from tannery sludge using a life cycle assessment approach.

PubMed

Kiliç, Eylem; Puig, Rita; Baquero, Grau; Font, Joaquim; Colak, Selime; Gürler, Deniz

2011-08-15

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the environmental impact of an oxidative chromium recovery method from tannery sludge, in comparison with the usual landfilling process. Three improvement options (water reduction, byproduct use and anaerobic sludge digestion) were considered. The results showed that the proposed chromium recovery process would be better environmentally than conventional landfilling in all the evaluated impact categories if the amount of chromium recovered was 43 kg per ton of sludge. This amount could be recovered if the chromium concentration was about 20 times higher than that considered in this study. Alternatively, a lower chromium concentration would produce a better result if the recovery method was optimized and implemented at industrial rather than laboratory scale, and if more accurate data were provided on environmental credits for avoiding the chromium production process. Thus, the recovery method is environmentally beneficial when tannery sludge contains a chromium concentration of about 100,000 ppm. According to the literature, such concentrations are not unusual. The results could serve as the basis for further environmental improvements in chromium recovery and tannery sludge management and should be used in decision-making processes, especially for end-of-pipe treatments. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acclimatization process of tofu wastewater on hybrid upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor using polyvinyl chloride rings as a growth medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanqoritha, Nyimas; Turmuzi, Muhammad; Derlini

2017-05-01

The appropriate process to resolve sewage contamination which have a high organic using anaerobic technology. Hybrid Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor is one of the anaerobic process which consists of a suspended growth media and attached growth media. The reactor has the ability to work at high load rate, sludge produced easily settles, high biomass and the separation of gas, solid and liquid excelent. The purpose of research is to study the acclimatization process in the reactor of Hybrid Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket using a polyvinl chloride ring as the attached growth medium. Reactor of Hybrid Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket use a working volume of 8.6 L. The operation consisting of 3 L suspended reactor and 5.6 L attached reactor. Acclimatization is conducted by providing the substrate from the smallest concentration of COD up to a concentration that will be processed. During the 50th day, acclimatization process assumed the bacteria begin to work, indicated by the dissolved COD and VSS decrease and biogas production. Due to the wastewater containing the high of protein in consequence operational parameters should be controlled and some precautions should be taken to prevent process partially or totally inhibited.

Characterization Of The As-Received Sludge Batch 9 Qualification Sample (Htf-51-15-81)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pareizs, J.

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) personnel have been requested to qualify the next sludge batch (Sludge Batch 9 – SB9) for processing at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). To accomplish this task, Savannah River Remediation (SRR) has sent SRNL a 3-L slurried sample of Tank 51H (HTF-51-15-81) to be characterized, washed, and then used in a lab-scale demonstration of the DWPF flowsheet (potentially after combining with Tank 40H sludge). This report documents the first steps of the qualification process – characterization of the as-received Tank 51H qualification sample. These results will be used to support a reprojection of SB9more » by SRR from which final Tank 51H washing, frit development, and Chemical Processing Cell (CPC) activities will be based.« less

Pattern of multiresistant to antimicrobials and heavy metal tolerance in bacteria isolated from sewage sludge samples from a composting process at a recycling plant in southern Brazil.

PubMed

Heck, Karina; De Marco, Évilin Giordana; Duarte, Mariana Wanderlei; Salamoni, Sabrina Pinto; Van Der Sand, Sueli

2015-06-01

The composting process is a viable alternative for the recycling of household organic waste and sewage sludge generated during wastewater treatment. However, this technique can select microorganisms resistant to antimicrobials and heavy metals as a result of excess chemicals present in compost windrow. This study evaluates the antimicrobial multiresistant and tolerance to heavy metals in bacteria isolated from the composting process with sewage sludge. Fourteen antimicrobials were used in 344 strains for the resistance profile and four heavy metals (chromium, copper, zinc, and lead) for the minimum biocide concentration assay. The strains used were from the sewage sludge sample (beginning of the process) and the compost sample (end of the process). Strains with higher antimicrobial and heavy metal profile were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed a multiresistant profile in 48 % of the strains, with the highest percentage of strains resistant to nitrofurantoin (65 %) and β-lactams (58 %). The strains isolated from the sewage sludge and the end of the composting process were more tolerant to copper, with a lethal dose of approximately 900 mg L(-1) for about 50 % of the strains. The genera that showed the highest multiresistant profile and increased tolerance to the metals tested were Pseudomonas and Ochrobactrum. The results of this study may contribute to future research and the revision and regulation of legislation on sewage sludge reuse in soils.

Actual Waste Demonstration of the Nitric-Glycolic Flowsheet for Sludge Batch 9 Qualification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J. D. Newell; Pareizs, J. M.; Martino, C. J.

For each sludge batch that is processed in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) performs qualification testing to demonstrate that the sludge batch is processable. Testing performed by the Savannah River National Laboratory has shown glycolic acid to be effective in replacing the function of formic acid in the DWPF chemical process. The nitric-glycolic flowsheet reduces mercury, significantly lowers the catalytic generation of hydrogen and ammonia which could allow purge reduction in the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT), stabilizes the pH and chemistry in the SRAT and the Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME), allowsmore » for effective rheology adjustment, and is favorable with respect to melter flammability. In order to implement the new flowsheet, SRAT and SME cycles, designated SC-18, were performed using a Sludge Batch (SB) 9 slurry blended from SB8 Tank 40H and Tank 51H samples. The SRAT cycle involved adding nitric and glycolic acids to the sludge, refluxing to steam strip mercury, and dewatering to a targeted solids concentration. Data collected during the SRAT cycle included offgas analyses, process temperatures, heat transfer, and pH measurements. The SME cycle demonstrated the addition of glass frit and the replication of six canister decontamination additions. The demonstration concluded with dewatering to a targeted solids concentration. Data collected during the SME cycle included offgas analyses, process temperatures, heat transfer, and pH measurements. Slurry and condensate samples were collected for subsequent analysis« less

Sludge batch 9 simulant runs using the nitric-glycolic acid flowsheet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lambert, D. P.; Williams, M. S.; Brandenburg, C. H.

Testing was completed to develop a Sludge Batch 9 (SB9) nitric-glycolic acid chemical process flowsheet for the Defense Waste Processing Facility’s (DWPF) Chemical Process Cell (CPC). CPC simulations were completed using SB9 sludge simulant, Strip Effluent Feed Tank (SEFT) simulant and Precipitate Reactor Feed Tank (PRFT) simulant. Ten sludge-only Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) cycles and four SRAT/Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) cycles, and one actual SB9 sludge (SRAT/SME cycle) were completed. As has been demonstrated in over 100 simulations, the replacement of formic acid with glycolic acid virtually eliminates the CPC’s largest flammability hazards, hydrogen and ammonia. Recommended processingmore » conditions are summarized in section 3.5.1. Testing demonstrated that the interim chemistry and Reduction/Oxidation (REDOX) equations are sufficient to predict the composition of DWPF SRAT product and SME product. Additional reports will finalize the chemistry and REDOX equations. Additional testing developed an antifoam strategy to minimize the hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) peak at boiling, while controlling foam based on testing with simulant and actual waste. Implementation of the nitric-glycolic acid flowsheet in DWPF is recommended. This flowsheet not only eliminates the hydrogen and ammonia hazards but will lead to shorter processing times, higher elemental mercury recovery, and more concentrated SRAT and SME products. The steady pH profile is expected to provide flexibility in processing the high volume of strip effluent expected once the Salt Waste Processing Facility starts up.« less

Anaerobic/oxic/anoxic granular sludge process as an effective nutrient removal process utilizing denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms.

PubMed

Kishida, Naohiro; Kim, Juhyun; Tsuneda, Satoshi; Sudo, Ryuichi

2006-07-01

In a biological nutrient removal (BNR) process, the utilization of denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (DNPAOs) has many advantages such as effective use of organic carbon substrates and low sludge production. As a suitable process for the utilization of DNPAOs in BNR, an anaerobic/oxic/anoxic granular sludge (AOAGS) process was proposed in this study. In spite of performing aeration for nitrifying bacteria, the AOAGS process can create anaerobic/anoxic conditions suitable for the cultivation of DNPAOs because anoxic zones exist inside the granular sludge in the oxic phase. Thus, DNPAOs can coexist with nitrifying bacteria in a single reactor. In addition, the usability of DNPAOs in the reactor can be improved by adding the anoxic phase after the oxic phase. These characteristics enable the AOAGS process to attain effective removal of both nitrogen and phosphorus. When acetate-based synthetic wastewater (COD: 600 mg/L, NH4-N: 60 mg/L, PO(4)-P: 10 mg/L) was supplied to a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor under the operation of anaerobic/oxic/anoxic cycles, granular sludge with a diameter of 500 microm was successfully formed within 1 month. Although the removal of both nitrogen and phosphorus was almost complete at the end of the oxic phase, a short anoxic period subsequent to the oxic phase was necessary for further removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. As a result, effluent concentrations of NH(4)-N, NO(x)-N and PO(4)-P were always lower than 1 mg/L. It was found that penetration depth of oxygen inside the granular sludge was approximately 100 microm by microsensor measurements. In addition, from the microbiological analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization, existence depth of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms was further than the maximum oxygen penetration depth. The water quality data, oxygen profiles and microbial community structure demonstrated that DNPAOs inside the granular sludge may be responsible for denitrification in the oxic phase, which enables effective nutrient removal in the AOAGS process.

Strengthen effects of dominant strains on aerobic digestion and stabilization of the residual sludge.

PubMed

Liu, Yongjun; Gao, Min; Zhang, Aining; Liu, Zhe

2017-07-01

In order to strengthen the aerobic digestion of residual sludge, shorten the time of sludge stabilization and further reduce operating costs, 3 dominant strains identified as Pseudomonas sp. L3, Acinetobacter sp. L16 and Bacillus sp. L19 were isolated from long-term aerobic digestion sludge. Results showed that the sludge stabilization time were reduced by 3-4days compared with the control when the dominant strains were added to the process of sludge aerobic digestion. The addition of dominant strains accelerated the accumulation of TOC, nitrate nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen in the digestive solution at different levels, and it was beneficial to the dissolution of phosphorus. Controlling DO 3-5mg/L, pH 6.5, the strains of Pseudomonas sp. L3 and Bacillus sp. L19 were combined dosing with the dosage of 2% in the process of sludge aerobic digestion, compared with the control, digestion rates of TOC and MLSS were increased about 19% and 16%, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic bioremediation of hexavalent uranium in groundwater by reductive precipitation with methanogenic granular sludge.

PubMed

Tapia-Rodriguez, Aida; Luna-Velasco, Antonia; Field, Jim A; Sierra-Alvarez, Reyes

2010-04-01

Uranium has been responsible for extensive contamination of groundwater due to releases from mill tailings and other uranium processing waste. Past evidence has confirmed that certain bacteria can enzymatically reduce soluble hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) to insoluble tetravalent uranium (U(IV)) under anaerobic conditions in the presence of appropriate electron donors. This paper focuses on the evaluation of anaerobic granular sludge as a source of inoculum for the bioremediation of uranium in water. Batch experiments were performed with several methanogenic anaerobic granular sludge samples and different electron donors. Abiotic controls consisting of heat-killed inoculum and non-inoculated treatments confirmed the biological removal process. In this study, unadapted anaerobic granular sludge immediately reduced U(VI), suggesting an intrinsic capacity of the sludge to support this process. The high biodiversity of anaerobic granular sludge most likely accounts for the presence of specific microorganisms capable of reducing U(VI). Oxidation by O(2) was shown to resolubilize the uranium. This observation combined with X-ray diffraction evidence of uraninite confirmed that the removal during anaerobic treatment was due to reductive precipitation. The anaerobic removal activity could be sustained after several respikes of U(VI). The U(VI) removal was feasible without addition of electron donors, indicating that the decay of endogenous biomass substrates was contributing electron equivalents to the process. Addition of electron donors, such as H(2) stimulated the removal of U(VI) to varying degrees. The stimulation was greater in sludge samples with lower endogenous substrate levels. The present work reveals the potential application of anaerobic granular sludge for continuous bioremediation schemes to treat uranium-contaminated water. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Instrumentation, control and automation for full-scale manure-based biogas systems.

PubMed

Wiese, J; Haeck, M

2006-01-01

In recent years manure-based biogas plants (MBBP) have won more and more importance, because of the numerous ecological advantages. The processes are similar to processes, which have been well known for many decades in anaerobic wastewater/sludge treatment. As a result of technical progress and permanently rising prices for non-renewable energy, MBBPs have become more and more economically reasonable. Because of the economies of scale law more and more larger MBBPs are being built (250-2000 kW(el)). With regard to investment costs, reactor volumes and complexity etc., these (centralized) plants are comparable with small wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Consequently, as actually in the case of the small WWTPs a rising use of instrumentation, control and automation (ICA) for larger MBBPs can be observed.

SLUDGE TREATMENT PROJECT KOP DISPOSITION - THERMAL AND GAS ANALYSIS FOR THE COLD VACUUM DRYING FACILITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

SWENSON JA; CROWE RD; APTHORPE R

2010-03-09

The purpose of this document is to present conceptual design phase thermal process calculations that support the process design and process safety basis for the cold vacuum drying of K Basin KOP material. This document is intended to demonstrate that the conceptual approach: (1) Represents a workable process design that is suitable for development in preliminary design; and (2) Will support formal safety documentation to be prepared during the definitive design phase to establish an acceptable safety basis. The Sludge Treatment Project (STP) is responsible for the disposition of Knock Out Pot (KOP) sludge within the 105-K West (KW) Basin.more » KOP sludge consists of size segregated material (primarily canister particulate) from the fuel and scrap cleaning process used in the Spent Nuclear Fuel process at K Basin. The KOP sludge will be pre-treated to remove fines and some of the constituents containing chemically bound water, after which it is referred to as KOP material. The KOP material will then be loaded into a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO), dried at the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility (CVDF) and stored in the Canister Storage Building (CSB). This process is patterned after the successful drying of 2100 metric tons of spent fuel, and uses the same facilities and much of the same equipment that was used for drying fuel and scrap. Table ES-l present similarities and differences between KOP material and fuel and between MCOs loaded with these materials. The potential content of bound water bearing constituents limits the mass ofKOP material in an MCO load to a fraction of that in an MCO containing fuel and scrap; however, the small particle size of the KOP material causes the surface area to be significantly higher. This relatively large reactive surface area represents an input to the KOP thermal calculations that is significantly different from the calculations for fuel MCOs. The conceptual design provides for a copper insert block that limits the volume available to receive KOP material, enhances heat conduction, and functions as a heat source and sink during drying operations. This use of the copper insert represents a significant change to the thermal model compared to that used for the fuel calculations. A number of cases were run representing a spectrum of normal and upset conditions for the drying process. Dozens of cases have been run on cold vacuum drying of fuel MCOs. Analysis of these previous calculations identified four cases that provide a solid basis for judgments on the behavior of MCO in drying operations. These four cases are: (1) Normal Process; (2) Degraded vacuum pumping; (3) Open MCO with loss of annulus water; and (4) Cool down after vacuum drying. The four cases were run for two sets of input parameters for KOP MCOs: (1) a set of parameters drawn from safety basis values from the technical data book and (2) a sensitivity set using parameters selected to evaluate the impact of lower void volume and smaller particle size on MCO behavior. Results of the calculations for the drying phase cases are shown in Table ES-2. Cases using data book safety basis values showed dry out in 9.7 hours and heat rejection sufficient to hold temperature rise to less than 25 C. Sensitivity cases which included unrealistically small particle sizes and corresponding high reactive surface area showed higher temperature increases that were limited by water consumption. In this document and in the attachment (Apthorpe, R. and M.G. Plys, 2010) cases using Technical Databook safety basis values are referred to as nominal cases. In future calculations such cases will be called safety basis cases. Also in these documents cases using parameters that are less favorable to acceptable performance than databook safety values are referred to as safety cases. In future calculations such cases will be called sensitivity cases or sensitivity evaluations Calculations to be performed in support of the detailed design and formal safety basis documentation will expand the calculations presented in this document to include: additional features of the drying cycle, more realistic treatment of uranium metal consumption during oxidation, larger water inventory, longer time scales, and graphing of results of hydrogen gas concentration.« less

Relationship between enhanced dewaterability and structural properties of hydrothermal sludge after hydrothermal treatment of excess sludge.

PubMed

Wang, Liping; Li, Aimin; Chang, Yuzhi

2017-04-01

Hydrothermal treatment is an effective method to enhance the deep dewaterability of excess sludge with low energy consumption. In this study, an insight into the relationship between enhanced dewaterability and structural properties of the produced hydrothermal sludge was presented, aiming at better understanding the effect of hydrothermal process on excess sludge dewatering performance. The results indicated that hydrothermal effect induced the transformation of surface water to interstitial and free water by lowering the binding strength between adjacent water and solid particles and that free water became the main form for moisture existence in hydrothermal sludge as temperature was higher than 180 °C. Increase in temperature of hydrothermal treatment generated a significant size reduction of sludge flocs but treated sludge with a higher rigidity, which not only strengthened the network of hydrothermal sludge but also destroyed the binding of EPS with water. Hydrothermal process caused crevice and pore structures of excess sludge to disappear gradually, which was a main driving force of water removal as temperature was below 150 °C. With the temperature of hydrothermal treatment exceeding 180 °C, the morphology of hydrothermal sludge became rough which linked closely to the solid precipitation of condensation polymerization, and further became smooth at higher temperature (210 °C) due to the coal-like structures with higher aromaticities, indicating that hydrothermal reaction pathways began to play a main role in enhanced dewaterability. Hydrothermal treatment led to more alkyl and aromatic carbon, but lower O-alkyl, carboxyl and carbonyl carbon. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of different types of anaerobic seed sludge for the high rate anaerobic digestion of pig slurry in UASB reactors.

PubMed

Rico, Carlos; Montes, Jesús A; Rico, José Luis

2017-08-01

Three different types of anaerobic sludge (granular, thickened digestate and anaerobic sewage) were evaluated as seed inoculum sources for the high rate anaerobic digestion of pig slurry in UASB reactors. Granular sludge performance was optimal, allowing a high efficiency process yielding a volumetric methane production rate of 4.1LCH 4 L -1 d -1 at 1.5days HRT (0.248LCH 4 g -1 COD) at an organic loading rate of 16.4gCODL -1 d -1 . The thickened digestate sludge experimented flotation problems, thus resulting inappropriate for the UASB process. The anaerobic sewage sludge reactor experimented biomass wash-out, but allowed high process efficiency operation at 3days HRT, yielding a volumetric methane production rate of 1.7LCH 4 L -1 d -1 (0.236LCH 4 g -1 COD) at an organic loading rate of 7.2gCODL -1 d -1 . To guarantee the success of the UASB process, the settleable solids of the slurry must be previously removed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microwave Thermal Hydrolysis Of Sewage Sludge As A Pretreatment Stage For Anaerobic Digestion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, W.; Wang, W.; Xun, R.

2008-02-01

This article focuses on the effects of microwave thermal hydrolysis on sewage sludge anaerobic digestion. Volatile suspended solid (VSS) and COD solubilization of treated sludge were investigated. It was found that the microwave hydrolysis provided a rapid and efficient process to release organics from sludge. The increase of organic dissolution ratio was not obvious when holding time was over 5 min. The effect of the VSS solubilization was mainly dependent on temperature. The highest value of VSS dissolving ratio, 36.4%, was obtained at 170 °C for 30 min. COD dissolving ratio was about 25% at 170 °C. BMP test of excess sludge and mixture of primary and excess sludge proved the increase of methane production. Total biogas production of microwave treated mixture sludge increased by 12.9% to 20.2% over control after 30 days digestion. For excess sludge, biogas production was 11.1% to 25.9% higher than untreated sludge.

Natural stone muds as secondary raw materials: towards a new sustainable recovery process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zichella, Lorena; Tori, Alice; Bellopede, Rossana; Marini, Paola

2016-04-01

The production of residual sludge is a topical issue, and has become essential to recover and reuse the materials, both for the economics and the environmental aspect. According to environmental EU Directives, in fact ,the stone cutting and processing should characterized by following objectives, targets and actions: the reduction of waste generated, the decreasing of use of critical raw material, the zero landfilling of sludge and decreasing in potential soil contamination, the prevention of transport of dangerous waste, the reduction of energy consumption, the zero impact on air pollution and the cost reduction . There are many industrial sector in which residual sludge have high concentrations of metals and/or elements deemed harmful and therefore hazardous waste. An important goal, for all industrial sectors, is an increase in productivity and a parallel reduction in costs. The research leads to the development of solutions with an always reduced environmental impact. The possibility to decrease the amount of required raw materials and at the same time the reduction in the amount of waste has become the aim for any industrial reality. From literature there are different approaches for the recovery of raw and secondary materials, and are often used for the purpose chemical products that separate the elements constituting the mud but at the same time make additional pollutants. The aim of the study is to find solutions that are environmentally sustainable for both industries and citizens. The present study is focused on three different Piedmont rocks: Luserna, Diorite from Traversella and Diorite from Vico, processed with three different stone machining technologies: cutting with diamond wire in quarry (blocks), in sawmill (slabs) and surface polishing. The steps are: chemical analysis, particle size analysis and mineralogical composition and characterization of the sludge obtained from the various machining operations for the recovery of the metal material by cutting and waste rock through an economical and simple method, without the use of chemical products. The technical feasibility of the use of stone mud for construction materials, and industrial mud for alloy reuse, is well known on a scientific and lab scale, but it is not industrially developed because of the wide variety of waste generated and logistic or organization difficulties of interaction among companies of different sectors. This can be realized implementing an existing plant with industrial technologies in order to valorize the product "mud", to reuse the heavy metals in the process and therefore to minimize the volume of sludge produced. A further progress to the previous researches, that is beyond the results obtained in this field, will be the identification of the best technique to eliminate the small amount of heavy metals in the mud fines. This is important because , removing all the toxic substances, the mud properties can be improved in order to be reuse in the other process as secondary raw material.

PROCESS DESIGN MANUAL: LAND APPLICATION OF SEWAGE SLUDGE AND DOMESTIC SEPTAGE

EPA Science Inventory

Land application of sewage sludge generated by domestic sewage treatment is performed in an environmentally safe and cost–effective manner in many communities. Land application involves taking advantage of the fertilizing and soil conditioning properties of sewage sludge by sp...

Improvement of primary settling performance with activated sludge.

PubMed

Yetis, U; Tarlan, E

2002-04-01

In biological treatment plants employing activated sludge processes, it is possible to recirculate some portion of the waste activated sludge that is not sent to the aeration basin, to the inlet of the primary sedimentation tanks. But in the literature there is no detailed information about the conditions, ratios and the characteristics of the waste sludge that can be recirculated back. However, depending on its settling characteristics, the addition of waste activated sludge to raw wastewater may improve primary settling. Settling tests have shown that the effect of waste activated sludge on primary settling is strongly dependent on the mean cell residence time (or sludge age), theta(c), of the waste activated sludge and also on the suspended solids concentration. Different sludge ages of 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 20 and 26 days, and for each sludge age at least five different initial suspended solids concentrations were studied. A sludge age of 8-10 days achieved the optimum efficiency in terms of the remaining suspended solids concentration as well as percent-suspended solids removal. Also, the settled sludge volumes were measured throughout the experiments; so, the comparison was made between settled sludge volumes, initial suspended solids (SS) concentrations and theta(c).

Lifecycle analysis of renewable natural gas and hydrocarbon fuels from wastewater treatment plants’ sludge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Uisung; Han, Jeongwoo; Urgun Demirtas, Meltem

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) produce sludge as a byproduct when they treat wastewater. In the United States, over 8 million dry tons of sludge are produced annually just from publicly owned WWTPs. Sludge is commonly treated in anaerobic digesters, which generate biogas; the biogas is then largely flared to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Because sludge is quite homogeneous and has a high energy content, it is a good potential feedstock for other conversion processes that make biofuels, bioproducts, and power. For example, biogas from anaerobic digesters can be used to generate renewable natural gas (RNG), whichmore » can be further processed to produce compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Sludge can be directly converted into hydrocarbon liquid fuels via thermochemical processes such as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). Currently, the environmental impacts of converting sludge into energy are largely unknown, and only a few studies have focused on the environmental impacts of RNG produced from existing anaerobic digesters. As biofuels from sludge generate high interest, however, existing anaerobic digesters could be upgraded to technology with more economic potential and more environmental benefits. The environmental impacts of using a different anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to convert sludge into energy have yet to be analyzed. In addition, no studies are available about the direct conversion of sludge into liquid fuels. In order to estimate the energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impacts of these alternative pathways (sludge-to-RNG and sludge-to-liquid), this study performed a lifecycle analysis (LCA) using the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET®) model. The energy uses and GHG emissions associated with the RNG and hydrocarbon liquid are analyzed relative to the current typical sludge management case, which consists of a single-stage mesophilic digester with biogas flaring. Along with the alternative HTL process, four types of AD technologies with fuel production—single-stage mesophilic, mesophilic 2-stage, single-stage mesophilic with thermohydrolysis treatment, and mesophilicmesophilic acid/gas phase—are studied. Results show that the sludge-to-CNG pathway via AD and the sludge-to-liquid pathway via HTL reduce GHG emissions consumptions significantly. When we compare the GHG emissions of the alternative fuel production pathways to that of the counterfactual case in terms of the amount of sludge treated, reductions in GHG emissions are 39%–80% and 87% for alternative AD and HTL, respectively. Compared to petroleum gasoline and diesel GHG emission results in terms of MJ, the renewable CNG production pathway via AD and the renewable diesel production pathway via HTL reduce GHG emissions by 193% and 46%, respectively. These large reductions are mainly due to GHG credits from avoiding GHGs under the counterfactual scenario, and/or fertilizer displacement credits. Similarly, reductions in fossil fuel use for sludge-based fuels are huge. However, well-defined counterfactual scenarios are needed because the results of the study depend on the counterfactual scenario, which might vary over time.« less

Evaluation of Control Parameters for the Activated Sludge Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stall, T. Ray; Sherrard, Josephy H.

1978-01-01

An evaluation of the use of the parameters currently being used to design and operate the activated sludge process is presented. The advantages and disadvantages for the use of each parameter are discussed. (MR)

Effect of deflocculation on the efficiency of disperser induced dairy waste activated sludge disintegration and treatment cost.

PubMed

Devi, T Poornima; Ebenezer, A Vimala; Kumar, S Adish; Kaliappan, S; Banu, J Rajesh

2014-09-01

Excess sludge disintegration by energy intensive processes like mechanical pretreatment is considered to be high in cost. In this study, an attempt has been made to disintegrate excess sludge by disperser in a cost effective manner by deflocculating the sludge using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) at a concentration of 0.04 g/g SS. The disperser pretreatment was effective at a specific energy input of 5013 kJ/kg TS where deflocculated sludge showed higher chemical oxygen demand solubilisation and suspended solids reduction of 26% and 22.9% than flocculated sludge and was found to be 18.8% and 18.6% for former and latter respectively. Higher accumulation of volatile fatty acid (700 mg/L) in deflocculated sludge indicates better hydrolysis of sludge by proposed method. The anaerobic biodegradability resulted in higher biogas production potential of 0.522 L/(g VS) for deflocculated sludge. Cost analysis of the study showed 43% net energy saving in deflocculated sludge. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Removal of oxytetracycline and determining its biosorption properties on aerobic granular sludge.

PubMed

Mihciokur, Hamdi; Oguz, Merve

2016-09-01

This study investigates biosorption of Oxytetracycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, using aerobic granular sludge as an adsorbent in aqueous solutions. A sequencing batch reactor fed by a synthetic wastewater was operated to create aerobic granular sludge. Primarily, the pore structure and surface area of granular sludge, the chemical structure and the molecular sizes of the pharmaceutical, operating conditions, such as pH, stirring rate, initial concentration of Oxytetracycline, during adsorption process was verified. Subsequently, thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the adsorption were examined and adsorption isotherm studies were carried out. It was shown that the aerobic granular sludge was a good alternative for biosorption of this pharmaceutical. The pharmaceutical was adsorbed better at pH values of 6-8. The adsorption efficiency increased with rising ionic strength. Also, it was seen that the adsorption process was an exothermic process in terms of thermodynamics. The adsorption can be well explained by Langmuir isotherm model. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Landfill leachate sludge use as soil additive prior and after electrocoagulation treatment: A cytological assessment using CHO-k1 cells.

PubMed

Morozesk, M; Bonomo, M M; Rocha, L D; Duarte, I D; Zanezi, E R L; Jesus, H C; Fernandes, M N; Matsumoto, S T

2016-09-01

Electrocoagulation has recently attracted attention as a potential technique for treating toxic effluents due to its versatility and environmental compatibility, generating a residue chemically suitable to be used as a soil additive. In the present study, landfill leachate sludge hazardous effects were investigated prior and after electrocoagulation process using in vitro assays with the mammalian cells CHO-k1. An integrated strategy for risk assessment was used to correctly estimate the possible adverse landfill leachate sludge effects on human health and ecosystem. Electrocoagulation process proved to be an effective treatment due to possibility to improve effluent adverse characteristics and produce sludge with potential to be used as soil additive. Despite low cytoxicity, the residue presented genotoxic and mutagenic effects, indicating a capacity to induce genetic damages, probably due to induction of polyploidization process in cells. The observed effects demand an improvement of waste management methods for reduce negative risks of landfill leachate sludge application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ozonation of return activated sludge for disintegration and solubilisation with synthesized titanium oxide as catalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarif, S. F. Z. Mohd; Alias, S. S.; Ridwan, F. Muhammad; Salim, K. S. Ku; Abidin, C. Z. A.; Ali, U. F. Md.

2018-03-01

Ozonation of activated sludge in the present of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as catalyst to enhance the production of hydroxyl radical was evaluated in comparison to the sole ozonation process. In this process, the catalytic ozontion showed improvement in increasing ozone consumption and improving activated sludge disintegration and solubilisation. The reduction of total suspended solid (TSS), volatile suspended solid (VSS) and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) solubilisation was better in the catalytic ozonation system. Initial pH 7 of activated sludge was found best to disintegrate and solubilise the sludge flocs. However upon additional of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in pH adjustment enhanced the solubilisation of organic matter from the flocs and cells, making the initial pH 9 is the best condition for activated sludge solubilisation. Yet the initial pH 7 of activated sludge supernatant was the best condition to achieve SCOD solubilisation due to sludge floc disintegration, when it had stronger correlation between TSS reduction and SCOD solubilisation (R2=0.961). Lower amount of catalyst of 100 mgTiO2/gTSS was found to disintegrate and solubilise the activated sludge better with 30.4% TSS reduction and 25.2% SCOD solubilisation efficiency, compared to 200 mgTiO2/gTSS with 21.9% and 17.1% TSS reduction and SCOD solubilisation, respectively.

Application of peroxymonosulfate-ozone advanced oxidation process for simultaneous waste-activated sludge stabilization and dewatering purposes: A comparative study.

PubMed

Badalians Gholikandi, Gagik; Zakizadeh, Nazanin; Masihi, Hamidreza

2018-01-15

In this study, the efficiency of the Peroxymonosulfate-ozone (PMS+O 3 ) advanced oxidation process in lab scale by the aim of stabilization and dewatering the biological excess sludge was investigated and the results were compared with persulfate-ozone (PS+O 3 ), hydrogen peroxide-ozone (H 2 O 2 +O 3 ) and ozonation (O 3 ) processes. The results show that the PMS+O 3 is more effective than other mentioned procedures. Therefore, under optimized conditions (pH = 11, PMS/O 3  = 0.06 and Dose O 3  = 12.5 mmol), VS (Volatile solids) and fecal coliforms reduced respectively 42% and 89% after 60 min and the stabilized sludge in term of pathogen reduction requirements was class B. Furthermore, time to filter (TTF) of sludge decreased 70% relative to the raw sludge. In order to demonstrate the dewatering conditions' improvement, the variations of particle size distribution, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and zeta potential were evaluated. Overall, the results show that the PMS+O 3 has the capability of stabilizing and dewatering the sludge simultaneously. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic modeling of nitrogen removal for a three-stage integrated fixed-film activated sludge process treating municipal wastewater.

PubMed

Moretti, Paul; Choubert, Jean-Marc; Canler, Jean-Pierre; Buffière, Pierre; Pétrimaux, Olivier; Lessard, Paul

2018-02-01

The integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) process is being increasingly used to enhance nitrogen removal for former activated sludge systems. The aim of this work is to evaluate a numerical model of a new nitrifying/denitrifying IFAS configuration. It consists of two carrier-free reactors (anoxic and aerobic) and one IFAS reactor with a filling ratio of 43% of carriers, followed by a clarifier. Simulations were carried out with GPS-X involving the nitrification reaction combined with a 1D heterogeneous biofilm model, including attachment/detachment processes. An original iterative calibration protocol was created comprising four steps and nine actions. Experimental campaigns were carried out to collect data on the pilot in operation, specifically for modelling purpose. The model used was able to predict properly the variations of the activated sludge (bulk) and the biofilm masses, the nitrification rates of both the activated sludge and the biofilm, and the nitrogen concentration in the effluent for short (4-10 days) and long (300 days) simulation runs. A calibrated parameter set is proposed (biokinetics, detachment, diffusion) related to the activated sludge, the biofilm and the effluent variables to enhance the model prediction on hourly and daily data sets.

Combined mesophilic anaerobic and thermophilic aerobic digestion process: effect on sludge degradation and variation of sludge property.

PubMed

Cheng, Jiehong; Ji, Yuehong; Kong, Feng; Chen, Xian

2013-12-01

One-stage autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) is effective for the reduction of volatile solids (VSs) and pathogen in sewage sludges. A novel process of combining mesophilic (<35 °C) anaerobic digestion with a thermophilic (55 °C) aerobic digestion process (AN/TAD) occurred in a one-stage digester, which was designed for aeration energy savings. The efficiency of sludge degradation and variation of sludge properties by batch experiments were evaluated for the AN/TAD digester with an effective volume of 23 L for 30 days compared with conventional thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD). The AN/TAD system can efficiently achieve sludge stabilization on the 16th day with a VS removal rate of 38.1 %. The AN/TAD system was operated at lower ORP values in a digestion period with higher contents of total organic compounds, volatile fatty acids, protein, and polysaccharide in the soluble phase than those of the TAD system, which can rapidly decreased and had low values in the late period of digestion for the AN/TAD system. In the AN/TAD system, intracellular substances had lysis because of initial hydrolytic acidification.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Upgrading of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge: A Preliminary Techno-Economic Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Snowden-Swan, Lesley J.; Zhu, Yunhua; Jones, Susanne B.

A preliminary process model and techno-economic analysis (TEA) was completed for fuel produced from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of sludge waste from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and subsequent biocrude upgrading. The model is adapted from previous work by Jones et al. (2014) for algae HTL, using experimental data generated in fiscal year 2015 (FY15) bench-scale HTL testing of sludge waste streams. Testing was performed on sludge samples received from MetroVancouver’s Annacis Island WWTP (Vancouver, B.C.) as part of a collaborative project with the Water Environment and Reuse Foundation (WERF). The full set of sludge HTL testing data from thismore » effort will be documented in a separate report to be issued by WERF. This analysis is based on limited testing data and therefore should be considered preliminary. Future refinements are necessary to improve the robustness of the model, including a cross-check of modeled biocrude components with the experimental GCMS data and investigation of equipment costs most appropriate at the smaller scales used here. Environmental sustainability metrics analysis is also needed to understand the broader impact of this technology pathway. The base case scenario for the analysis consists of 10 HTL plants, each processing 100 dry U.S. ton/day (92.4 ton/day on a dry, ash-free basis) of sludge waste and producing 234 barrel per stream day (BPSD) biocrude, feeding into a centralized biocrude upgrading facility that produces 2,020 barrel per standard day of final fuel. This scale was chosen based upon initial wastewater treatment plant data collected by the resource assessment team from the EPA’s Clean Watersheds Needs Survey database (EPA 2015a) and a rough estimate of what the potential sludge availability might be within a 100-mile radius. In addition, we received valuable feedback from the wastewater treatment industry as part of the WERF collaboration that helped form the basis for the selected HTL and upgrading plant scales and feedstock credit (current cost of disposal). It is assumed that the sludge is currently disposed of at $16.20/wet ton ($46/dry ton at 35% solids; $50/ton dry, ash-free basis) and this is included as a feedstock credit in the operating costs. The base case assumptions result in a minimum biocrude selling price of $3.8/gge and a minimum final upgraded fuel selling price of $4.9/gge. Several areas of process improvement and refinements to the analysis have the potential to significantly improve economics relative to the base case: • Optimization of HTL sludge feed solids content • Optimization of HTL biocrude yield • Optimization of HTL reactor liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) • Optimization of fuel yield from hydrotreating • Combined large and small HTL scales specific to regions (e.g., metropolitan and suburban plants) Combined improvements believed to be achievable in these areas can potentially reduce the minimum selling price of biocrude and final upgraded fuel by about 50%. Further improvements may be possible through recovery of higher value components from the HTL aqueous phase, as being investigated under separate PNNL projects. Upgrading the biocrude at an existing petroleum refinery could also reduce the MFSP, although this option requires further testing to ensure compatibility and mitigate risks to a refinery. And finally, recycling the HTL aqueous phase product stream back to the headworks of the WWTP (with no catalytic hydrothermal gasification treatment) can significantly reduce cost. This option is uniquely appropriate for application at a water treatment facility but also requires further investigation to determine any technical and economic challenges related to the extra chemical oxygen demand (COD) associated with the recycled water.« less

Kinetic model of excess activated sludge thermohydrolysis.

PubMed

Imbierowicz, Mirosław; Chacuk, Andrzej

2012-11-01

Thermal hydrolysis of excess activated sludge suspensions was carried at temperatures ranging from 423 K to 523 K and under pressure 0.2-4.0 MPa. Changes of total organic carbon (TOC) concentration in a solid and liquid phase were measured during these studies. At the temperature 423 K, after 2 h of the process, TOC concentration in the reaction mixture decreased by 15-18% of the initial value. At 473 K total organic carbon removal from activated sludge suspension increased to 30%. It was also found that the solubilisation of particulate organic matter strongly depended on the process temperature. At 423 K the transfer of TOC from solid particles into liquid phase after 1 h of the process reached 25% of the initial value, however, at the temperature of 523 K the conversion degree of 'solid' TOC attained 50% just after 15 min of the process. In the article a lumped kinetic model of the process of activated sludge thermohydrolysis has been proposed. It was assumed that during heating of the activated sludge suspension to a temperature in the range of 423-523 K two parallel reactions occurred. One, connected with thermal destruction of activated sludge particles, caused solubilisation of organic carbon and an increase of dissolved organic carbon concentration in the liquid phase (hydrolysate). The parallel reaction led to a new kind of unsolvable solid phase, which was further decomposed into gaseous products (CO(2)). The collected experimental data were used to identify unknown parameters of the model, i.e. activation energies and pre-exponential factors of elementary reactions. The mathematical model of activated sludge thermohydrolysis appropriately describes the kinetics of reactions occurring in the studied system. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sampling and analysis plan for sludge located on the floor and in the pits of the 105-K basins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

BAKER, R.B.

1998-11-20

This Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) provides direction for the sampling of the sludge found on the floor and in the remote pits of the 105-K Basins to provide: (1) basic data for the sludges that have not been characterized to-date and (2) representative Sludge material for process tests to be made by the SNF Project/K Basins sludge treatment process subproject. The sampling equipment developed will remove representative samples of the radioactive sludge from underwater at the K Basins, depositing them in shielded containers for transport to the Hanford Site laboratories. Included in the present document is the basic backgroundmore » logic for selection of the samples to meet the requirements established in the Data Quality Objectives (DQO), HNF-2033, for this sampling activity. The present document also includes the laboratory analyses, methods, procedures, and reporting that will be required to meet the DQO.« less

Effect of EPS Content on Activated Sludge Reduction in Process of Predation by T. tubifex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Yingjie; Ai, Cuiling; Zhang, Guochun

2017-12-01

A Sludge reduction in a conventional activated sludge process combined with a membrane biofilm inoculated with T. tubifex was investigated. The influence of microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) extracted in forms of LB-EPS and TB-EPS respectively on the surface properties of biomass was studied. Results showed that variations of polysaccharides and protein along with the increasing of EPS feeding would affect the existence of T. tubifex. When the amount of EPS varied from 10 to 50μg/mg, the specific resistance of a sludge suspension was obtained from 3.5×107 to 1.4×107 S2/g. Meanwhile, polysaccharides content in EPS was to be positively correlated with the SSR of sludge suspension whereas protein content would be not. Anyway, it can be argued that an increase in LB-EPS not TB-EPS may affect the performance of activated sludge reduction with efficiency about 40.1% to 31.6%.

Research on Treatment Technology and Device of Oily Sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J. Q.; Shui, F. S.; Li, Q. F.

2017-12-01

Oily sludge is a solid oily waste, which is produced during the process of oil exploitation, transportation, refining and treatment of oily sewage. It contains a great number of hazardous substance, and is difficult to handle with. To solve the problem of waste resources of oil sludge with high oil content and usually not easy to aggregate during the preparation of profile control agent, a new oily sludge treatment device was developed. This device consists of heat supply unit, flush and filter unit, oil removal unit and dehydration unit. It can effectively clean and filter out the waste from oily sludge, recycle the oil resources and reduce the water content of the residue. In the process of operation, the water and chemical agent are recycled in the device, eventually producing little sewage. The device is small, easy to move and has high degree of automation control. The experimental application shows that the oil removal rate of the oily sludge is up to 70%, and the higher the oil content rate the better the treatment.

Utilization of Drinking Water Treatment Slurry to Produce Aluminum Sulfate Coagulant.

PubMed

Fouad, Mahmoud M; Razek, Taha M A; Elgendy, Ahmed S

2017-02-01

  In Egypt, water treatment consumes about 365 000 tons of aluminum sulfate and produces more than 100 million tons of sludge per year. The common disposal system of sludge in Egypt is to discharge it into natural waterways. Toxicity of aluminum, environmental regulations and costs of chemicals used in water treatment and sludge treatment processes led to an evaluation of coagulant recovery and subsequent reuse. The present work aimed at aluminum recovery from sludge of El-Shiekh Zayd water treatment plant (WTP) to produce aluminum sulfate coagulant. Sludge was characterized and the effect of five variables was tested and the process efficiency was evaluated at different operating conditions. Maximum recovery is 94.2% at acid concentration 1.5 N, sludge weight 5 g, mixing speed 60 rpm, temperature 60 °C and leaching time 40 min. Then optimum conditions were applied to get maximum recovery for aluminum sulfate and compared to commercial coagulant on raw water of El-Shiekh Zayd (WTP).

High-rate anaerobic co-digestion of kraft mill fibre sludge and activated sludge by CSTRs with sludge recirculation.

PubMed

Ekstrand, Eva-Maria; Karlsson, Marielle; Truong, Xu-Bin; Björn, Annika; Karlsson, Anna; Svensson, Bo H; Ejlertsson, Jörgen

2016-10-01

Kraft fibre sludge from the pulp and paper industry constitutes a new, widely available substrate for the biogas production industry, with high methane potential. In this study, anaerobic digestion of kraft fibre sludge was examined by applying continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) with sludge recirculation. Two lab-scale reactors (4L) were run for 800days, one on fibre sludge (R1), and the other on fibre sludge and activated sludge (R2). Additions of Mg, K and S stabilized reactor performance. Furthermore, the Ca:Mg ratio was important, and a stable process was achieved at a ratio below 16:1. Foaming was abated by short but frequent mixing. Co-digestion of fibre sludge and activated sludge resulted in more robust conditions, and high-rate operation at stable conditions was achieved at an organic loading rate of 4g volatile solids (VS)L(-1)day(-1), a hydraulic retention time of 4days and a methane production of 230±10NmL per g VS. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Sorption and Release of Organics by Primary, Anaerobic, and Aerobic Activated Sludge Mixed with Raw Municipal Wastewater

PubMed Central

Modin, Oskar; Saheb Alam, Soroush; Persson, Frank; Wilén, Britt-Marie

2015-01-01

New activated sludge processes that utilize sorption as a major mechanism for organics removal are being developed to maximize energy recovery from wastewater organics, or as enhanced primary treatment technologies. To model and optimize sorption-based activated sludge processes, further knowledge about sorption of organics onto sludge is needed. This study compared primary-, anaerobic-, and aerobic activated sludge as sorbents, determined sorption capacity and kinetics, and investigated some characteristics of the organics being sorbed. Batch sorption assays were carried out without aeration at a mixing velocity of 200 rpm. Only aerobic activated sludge showed net sorption of organics. Sorption of dissolved organics occurred by a near-instantaneous sorption event followed by a slower process that obeyed 1st order kinetics. Sorption of particulates also followed 1st order kinetics but there was no instantaneous sorption event; instead there was a release of particles upon mixing. The 5-min sorption capacity of activated sludge was 6.5±10.8 mg total organic carbon (TOC) per g volatile suspend solids (VSS) for particulate organics and 5.0±4.7 mgTOC/gVSS for dissolved organics. The observed instantaneous sorption appeared to be mainly due to organics larger than 20 kDa in size being sorbed, although molecules with a size of about 200 Da with strong UV absorbance at 215–230 nm were also rapidly removed. PMID:25768429

A study on polypropylene encapsulation and solidification of textile sludge.

PubMed

Kumari, V Krishna; Kanmani, S

2011-10-01

The textile sludge is an inevitable solid waste from the textile wastewater process and is categorised under toxic substances by statutory authorities. In this study, an attempt has been made to encapsulate and solidify heavy metals and dyes present in textile sludge using polypropylene and Portland cement. Sludge samples (2 Nos.) were characterized for pH (8.5, 9.5), moisture content (1.5%, 1.96%) and chlorides (245mg/L, 425.4mg/L). Sludge samples were encapsulated into polypropylene with calcium carbonate (additive) and solidified with cement at four different proportions (20, 30, 40, 50%) of sludge. Encapsulated and solidified cubes were made and then tested for compressive strength. Maximum compressive strength of cubes (size, 7.06cm) containing sludge (50%) for encapsulation (16.72 N/mm2) and solidification (18.84 N/mm2) was more than that of standard M15 mortar cubes. The leachability of copper, nickel and chromium has been effectively reduced from 0.58 mg/L, 0.53 mg/L and 0.07 mg/L to 0.28mg/L, 0.26mg/L and BDL respectively in encapsulated products and to 0.24mg/L, BDL and BDL respectively in solidified products. This study has shown that the solidification process is slightly more effective than encapsulation process. Both the products were recommended for use in the construction of non-load bearing walls.

Sludge settling processes in SBR-related sewage treatment plants according to the Biocos method.

PubMed

Meusel, S; Englert, R

2004-01-01

This paper describes the investigations in a sedimentation and circulation reactor (SU-reactor) of a three-phase Biocos plant. The aim of these investigations was the determination of the temporal and depth-dependent distribution of suspended solid contents, as well as describing the sludge sedimentation curves. The calculated results reveal peculiarities of the Biocos method with regard to sedimentation processes. In the hydraulically uninterrupted (pre-)settling phase, a sludge level depth was observed, which remained constant over the reactor surface and increased linearly according to the sludge volume. The settling and the thickening processes of this phase corresponded to a large extent to the well-known settling test in a one-litre measuring cylinder. During the discharge phase, the investigated settling rate was overlaid by the surface loading rate and the sludge level changed depending on the difference between those two parameters. The solid distribution of the A-phase indicated a formation of functional zones, which were influenced by the surface loading. The formation was comparable to the formation of layers in secondary settling tanks with vertical flow. The concentration equalisation between the biological reactor and the SU-reactor proved to be problematic during the circulation phase, because a type of internal sludge circulation occurred in the SU-reactor. A permanent sludge recirculation seems to be highly recommendable.

Nonoxidative removal of organics in the activated sludge process

PubMed Central

Modin, Oskar; Persson, Frank; Wilén, Britt-Marie; Hermansson, Malte

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The activated sludge process is commonly used to treat wastewater by aerobic oxidation of organic pollutants into carbon dioxide and water. However, several nonoxidative mechanisms can also contribute to removal of organics. Sorption onto activated sludge can remove a large fraction of the colloidal and particulate wastewater organics. Intracellular storage of, e.g., polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), triacylglycerides (TAG), or wax esters can convert wastewater organics into precursors for high-value products. Recently, several environmental, economic, and technological drivers have stimulated research on nonoxidative removal of organics for wastewater treatment. In this paper, we review these nonoxidative removal mechanisms as well as the existing and emerging process configurations that make use of them for wastewater treatment. Better utilization of nonoxidative processes in activated sludge could reduce the wasteful aerobic oxidation of organic compounds and lead to more resource-efficient wastewater treatment plants. PMID:27453679

Optimizing chemical conditioning for odour removal of undigested sewage sludge in drying processes.

PubMed

Vega, Esther; Monclús, Hèctor; Gonzalez-Olmos, Rafael; Martin, Maria J

2015-03-01

Emission of odours during the thermal drying in sludge handling processes is one of the main sources of odour problems in wastewater treatment plants. The objective of this work was to assess the use of the response surface methodology as a technique to optimize the chemical conditioning process of undigested sewage sludges, in order to improve the dewaterability, and to reduce the odour emissions during the thermal drying of the sludge. Synergistic effects between inorganic conditioners (iron chloride and calcium oxide) were observed in terms of sulphur emissions and odour reduction. The developed quadratic models indicated that optimizing the conditioners dosage is possible to increase a 70% the dewaterability, reducing a 50% and 54% the emission of odour and volatile sulphur compounds respectively. The optimization of the conditioning process was validated experimentally. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic modeling of sludge compaction and consolidation processes in wastewater secondary settling tanks.

PubMed

Abusam, A; Keesman, K J

2009-01-01

The double exponential settling model is the widely accepted model for wastewater secondary settling tanks. However, this model does not estimate accurately solids concentrations in the settler underflow stream, mainly because sludge compression and consolidation processes are not considered. In activated sludge systems, accurate estimation of the solids in the underflow stream will facilitate the calibration process and can lead to correct estimates of particularly kinetic parameters related to biomass growth. Using principles of compaction and consolidation, as in soil mechanics, a dynamic model of the sludge consolidation processes taking place in the secondary settling tanks is developed and incorporated to the commonly used double exponential settling model. The modified double exponential model is calibrated and validated using data obtained from a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. Good agreement between predicted and measured data confirmed the validity of the modified model.

SLUDGE RETRIEVAL FROM HANFORD K WEST BASIN SETTLER TANKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

ERPENBECK EG; LESHIKAR GA

In 2010, an innovative, remotely operated retrieval system was deployed to successfully retrieve over 99.7% of the radioactive sludge from ten submerged tanks in Hanford's K-West Basin. As part of K-West Basin cleanup, the accumulated sludge needed to be removed from the 0.5 meter diameter by 5 meter long settler tanks and transferred approximately 45 meters to an underwater container for sampling and waste treatment. The abrasive, dense, non-homogeneous sludge was the product of the washing process of corroded nuclear fuel. It consists of small (less than 600 micron) particles of uranium metal, uranium oxide, and various other constituents, potentiallymore » agglomerated or cohesive after 10 years of storage. The Settler Tank Retrieval System (STRS) was developed to access, mobilize and pump out the sludge from each tank using a standardized process of retrieval head insertion, periodic high pressure water spray, retraction, and continuous pumping of the sludge. Blind operations were guided by monitoring flow rate, radiation levels in the sludge stream, and solids concentration. The technology developed and employed in the STRS can potentially be adapted to similar problematic waste tanks or pipes that must be remotely accessed to achieve mobilization and retrieval of the sludge within.« less

Enhanced anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge digestion by the addition of zero valent iron.

PubMed

Feng, Yinghong; Zhang, Yaobin; Quan, Xie; Chen, Suo

2014-04-01

Anaerobic digestion is promising technology to recover energy from waste activated sludge. However, the sludge digestion is limited by its low efficiency of hydrolysis-acidification. Zero valent iron (ZVI) as a reducing material is expected to enhance anaerobic process including the hydrolysis-acidification process. Considering that, ZVI was added into an anaerobic sludge digestion system to accelerate the sludge digestion in this study. The results indicated that ZVI effectively enhanced the decomposition of protein and cellulose, the two main components of the sludge. Compared to the control test without ZVI, the degradation of protein increased 21.9% and the volatile fatty acids production increased 37.3% with adding ZVI. More acetate and less propionate are found during the hydrolysis-acidification with ZVI. The activities of several key enzymes in the hydrolysis and acidification increased 0.6-1 time. ZVI made the methane production raise 43.5% and sludge reduction ratio increase 12.2 percent points. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis showed that the abundances of hydrogen-consuming microorganisms including homoacetogens and hydrogenotrophic methanogens with ZVI were higher than the control, which reduced the H2 accumulation to create a beneficial condition for the sludge digestion in thermodynamics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced Cr bioleaching efficiency from tannery sludge with coinoculation of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans TS6 and Brettanomyces B65 in an air-lift reactor.

PubMed

Fang, Di; Zhou, Li-Xiang

2007-09-01

Bioleaching process has been demonstrated to be an effective technology in removing Cr from tannery sludge, but a large quantity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in tannery sludge often exhibits a marked toxicity to chemolithoautotrophic bioleaching bacteria such as Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. The purpose of the present study was therefore to enhance Cr bioleaching efficiencies through introducing sludge DOM-degrading heterotrophic microorganism into the sulfur-based sludge bioleaching system. An acid-tolerant DOM-degrading yeast strain Brettanomyces B65 was successfully isolated from a local Haining tannery sludge and it could metabolize sludge DOM as a source of energy and carbon for growth. A combined bioleaching experiment (coupling Brettanomyces B65 and A. thiooxidans TS6) performed in an air-lift reactor indicated that the rates of sludge pH reduction and ORP increase were greatly improved, resulting in enhanced Cr solubilization. Compared with the 5 days required for maximum solubilization of Cr for the control (single bioleaching process without inoculation of Brettanomyces B65), the bioleaching period was significantly shorten to 3 days for the combined bioleaching system. Moreover, little nitrogen and phosphorous were lost and the content of Cr was below the permitted levels for land application after 3 days of bioleaching treatment.

Behavior of radioactive materials and safety stock of contaminated sludge.

PubMed

Tsushima, Ikuo

2017-01-28

The radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011 has flowed into and accumulated in many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) via sewer systems; this has had a negative impact on WWTPs in eastern Japan. The behavior of radioactive materials was analyzed at four WWTPs in the Tohoku and Kanto regions to elucidate the mechanism by which radioactive materials are concentrated during the sludge treatment process from July 2011 to March 2013. Furthermore, numerical simulations were conducted to study the safe handling of contaminated sewage sludge stocked temporally in WWTPs. Finally, a dissolution test was conducted by using contaminated incinerated ash and melted slag derived from sewage sludge to better understand the disposal of contaminated sewage sludge in landfills. Measurements indicate that a large amount of radioactive material accumulates in aeration tanks and is becoming trapped in the concentrated sludge during the sludge condensation process. The numerical simulation indicates that a worker's exposure around contaminated sludge is less than 1 µSv/h when maintaining an isolation distance of more than 10 m, or when shielding with more than 20-cm-thick concrete. The radioactivity level of the eluate was undetectable in 9 out of 12 samples; in the remaining three samples, the dissolution rates were 0.5-2.7%.

Analysis on carbon dioxide emission reduction during the anaerobic synergetic digestion technology of sludge and kitchen waste: Taking kitchen waste synergetic digestion project in Zhenjiang as an example.

PubMed

Guo, Qia; Dai, Xiaohu

2017-11-01

With the popularization of municipal sewage treatment facilities, the improvement of sewage treatment efficiency and the deepening degree of sewage treatment, the sludge production of sewage plant has been sharply increased. Carbon emission during the process of municipal sewage treatment and disposal has become one of the important sources of greenhouse gases that cause greenhouse effect. How to reduce carbon dioxide emissions during sewage treatment and disposal process is of great significance for reducing air pollution. Kitchen waste and excess sludge, as two important organic wastes, once uses anaerobic synergetic digestion technology in the treatment process can on the one hand, avoid instability of sludge individual anaerobic digestion, improve sludge degradation rate and marsh gas production rate, and on the other hand, help increase the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to a great extent. The paper uses material balance method, analyzes and calculates the carbon dioxide emissions from kitchen waste and sludge disposed by the anaerobic synergetic digestion technology, compares the anaerobic synergetic digestion technology with traditional sludge sanitary landfill technology and works out the carbon dioxide emission reductions after synergetic digestion. It takes the kitchen waste and sludge synergetic digestion engineering project of Zhenjiang city in Jiangsu province as an example, makes material balance analysis using concrete data and works out the carbon dioxide daily emission reductions. The paper analyzes the actual situation of emission reduction by comparing the data, and found that the synergetic digestion of kitchen waste and sludge can effectively reduce the carbon dioxide emission, and the reduction is obvious especially compared with that of sludge sanitary landfill, which has a certain effect on whether to promote the use of the technology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Defense Waste Processing Facility Nitric- Glycolic Flowsheet Chemical Process Cell Chemistry: Part 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zamecnik, J.; Edwards, T.

The conversions of nitrite to nitrate, the destruction of glycolate, and the conversion of glycolate to formate and oxalate were modeled for the Nitric-Glycolic flowsheet using data from Chemical Process Cell (CPC) simulant runs conducted by Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) from 2011 to 2016. The goal of this work was to develop empirical correlation models to predict these values from measureable variables from the chemical process so that these quantities could be predicted a-priori from the sludge or simulant composition and measurable processing variables. The need for these predictions arises from the need to predict the REDuction/OXidation (REDOX) statemore » of the glass from the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) melter. This report summarizes the work on these correlations based on the aforementioned data. Previous work on these correlations was documented in a technical report covering data from 2011-2015. This current report supersedes this previous report. Further refinement of the models as additional data are collected is recommended.« less

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

PubMed Central

Guerrero-Barajas, Claudia; Ordaz, Alberto; García-Solares, Selene Montserrat; Garibay-Orijel, Claudio; Bastida-González, Fernando; Zárate-Segura, Paola Berenice

2015-01-01

The importance of microbial sulfate reduction relies on the various applications that it offers in environmental biotechnology. Engineered sulfate reduction is used in industrial wastewater treatment to remove large concentrations of sulfate along with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and heavy metals. The most common approach to the process is with anaerobic bioreactors in which sulfidogenic sludge is obtained through adaptation of predominantly methanogenic granular sludge to sulfidogenesis. This process may take a long time and does not always eliminate the competition for substrate due to the presence of methanogens in the sludge. In this work, we propose a novel approach to obtain sulfidogenic sludge in which hydrothermal vents sediments are the original source of microorganisms. The microbial community developed in the presence of sulfate and volatile fatty acids is wide enough to sustain sulfate reduction over a long period of time without exhibiting inhibition due to sulfide. This protocol describes the procedure to generate the sludge from the sediments in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) type of reactor. Furthermore, the protocol presents the procedure to demonstrate the capability of the sludge to remove by reductive dechlorination a model of a highly toxic organic pollutant such as trichloroethylene (TCE). The protocol is divided in three stages: (1) the formation of the sludge and the determination of its sulfate reducing activity in the UASB, (2) the experiment to remove the TCE by the sludge, and (3) the identification of microorganisms in the sludge after the TCE reduction. Although in this case the sediments were taken from a site located in Mexico, the generation of a sulfidogenic sludge by using this procedure may work if a different source of sediments is taken since marine sediments are a natural pool of microorganisms that may be enriched in sulfate reducing bacteria. PMID:26555802

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor.

PubMed

Guerrero-Barajas, Claudia; Ordaz, Alberto; García-Solares, Selene Montserrat; Garibay-Orijel, Claudio; Bastida-González, Fernando; Zárate-Segura, Paola Berenice

2015-10-15

The importance of microbial sulfate reduction relies on the various applications that it offers in environmental biotechnology. Engineered sulfate reduction is used in industrial wastewater treatment to remove large concentrations of sulfate along with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and heavy metals. The most common approach to the process is with anaerobic bioreactors in which sulfidogenic sludge is obtained through adaptation of predominantly methanogenic granular sludge to sulfidogenesis. This process may take a long time and does not always eliminate the competition for substrate due to the presence of methanogens in the sludge. In this work, we propose a novel approach to obtain sulfidogenic sludge in which hydrothermal vents sediments are the original source of microorganisms. The microbial community developed in the presence of sulfate and volatile fatty acids is wide enough to sustain sulfate reduction over a long period of time without exhibiting inhibition due to sulfide. This protocol describes the procedure to generate the sludge from the sediments in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) type of reactor. Furthermore, the protocol presents the procedure to demonstrate the capability of the sludge to remove by reductive dechlorination a model of a highly toxic organic pollutant such as trichloroethylene (TCE). The protocol is divided in three stages: (1) the formation of the sludge and the determination of its sulfate reducing activity in the UASB, (2) the experiment to remove the TCE by the sludge, and (3) the identification of microorganisms in the sludge after the TCE reduction. Although in this case the sediments were taken from a site located in Mexico, the generation of a sulfidogenic sludge by using this procedure may work if a different source of sediments is taken since marine sediments are a natural pool of microorganisms that may be enriched in sulfate reducing bacteria.

THE HYDROTHERMAL REACTIONS OF MONOSODIUM TITANATE, CRYSTALLINE SILICOTITANATE AND SLUDGE IN THE MODULAR SALT PROCESS: A LITERATURE SURVEY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fondeur, F.; Pennebaker, F.; Fink, S.

2010-11-11

The use of crystalline silicotitanate (CST) is proposed for an at-tank process to treat High Level Waste at the Savannah River Site. The proposed configuration includes deployment of ion exchange columns suspended in the risers of existing tanks to process salt waste without building a new facility. The CST is available in an engineered form, designated as IE-911-CW, from UOP. Prior data indicates CST has a proclivity to agglomerate from deposits of silica rich compounds present in the alkaline waste solutions. This report documents the prior literature and provides guidance for the design and operations that include CST to mitigatemore » that risk. The proposed operation will also add monosodium titanate (MST) to the supernate of the tank prior to the ion exchange operation to remove strontium and select alpha-emitting actinides. The cesium loaded CST is ground and then passed forward to the sludge washing tank as feed to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). Similarly, the MST will be transferred to the sludge washing tank. Sludge processing includes the potential to leach aluminum from the solids at elevated temperature (e.g., 65 C) using concentrated (3M) sodium hydroxide solutions. Prior literature indicates that both CST and MST will agglomerate and form higher yield stress slurries with exposure to elevated temperatures. This report assessed that data and provides guidance on minimizing the impact of CST and MST on sludge transfer and aluminum leaching sludge.« less

40 CFR 503.6 - Exclusions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment works. (i) Drinking water treatment sludge. This part does not... DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE SLUDGE General Provisions § 503.6 Exclusions. (a) Treatment processes. This part does... requirements for the use or disposal of sludge generated at an industrial facility during the treatment of...

Ultrasonic sludge pretreatment under pressure.

PubMed

Le, Ngoc Tuan; Julcour-Lebigue, Carine; Delmas, Henri

2013-09-01

The objective of this work was to optimize the ultrasound (US) pretreatment of sludge. Three types of sewage sludge were examined: mixed, secondary and secondary after partial methanisation ("digested" sludge). Thereby, several main process parameters were varied separately or simultaneously: stirrer speed, total solid content of sludge (TS), thermal operating conditions (adiabatic vs. isothermal), ultrasonic power input (PUS), specific energy input (ES), and for the first time external pressure. This parametric study was mainly performed for the mixed sludge. Five different TS concentrations of sludge (12-36 g/L) were tested for different values of ES (7000-75,000 kJ/kgTS) and 28 g/L was found as the optimum value according to the solubilized chemical oxygen demand in the liquid phase (SCOD). PUS of 75-150 W was investigated under controlled temperature and the "high power input - short duration" procedure was the most effective at a given ES. The temperature increase in adiabatic US application significantly improved SCOD compared to isothermal conditions. With PUS of 150 W, the effect of external pressure was investigated in the range of 1-16 bar under isothermal and adiabatic conditions for two types of sludge: an optimum pressure of about 2 bar was found regardless of temperature conditions and ES values. Under isothermal conditions, the resulting improvement of sludge disintegration efficacy as compared to atmospheric pressure was by 22-67% and 26-37% for mixed and secondary sludge, respectively. Besides, mean particle diameter (D[4,3]) of the three sludge types decreased respectively from 408, 117, and 110 μm to about 94-97, 37-42, and 36-40 μm regardless of sonication conditions, and the size reduction process was much faster than COD extraction. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The investigation of solid slag obtained by neutralization of sewage sludge.

PubMed

Kavaliauskas, Zydrunas; Valincius, Vitas; Stravinskas, Giedrius; Milieska, Mindaugas; Striugas, Nerijus

2015-11-01

The purpose of this research is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing the slag collected after gasification of organic fuel combined with sewage sludge. The residue left after gasification process is likely usable as raw material for production of supercondensers. The sewage sludge neutralization system consists of a dosing system (fuel tank), gasifier, plasma reactor, electrostatic filter, and heat exchangers. For the gasification process, dried solid sewage is supplied in proportion of 70% to biomass 30% by weight. The slag is collected in a specially designed chamber beneath the gasifier. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to evaluate surface morphology of the samples. Elemental analysis of the sewage sludge slag was performed using the energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) method, which showed different solid-state elements contained in the porous structure of the solid phase: carbon 29%, aluminum 26%, potassium 20%, chlorine 1%, and others. The specific surface area of the sewage sludge slag is 6.15 m(2)/g as the BET analysis shows. In order to use the slag as a secondary raw material, detailed analysis of the structure and properties is necessary for a decision on whether the slag left after gasification of sewage sludge is suitable for any further usages. Initial results indicate that the slag may be used for production of electrodes for supercapacitors. Every year thousands of tons of sewage sludge are formed in Lithuania. Sewage sludge consists of organic and inorganic compounds. Partial combustion, plasma decomposition, and other methods are used to neutralize the sewage sludge. The incineration of sewage sludge results in generation of solid-phase slag. In this paper the material structure and composition of a solid slag (formed during neutralization of sewage sludge) is considered. Also, the impact the ambient temperature on structure and composition of solid slag is analyzed.

Comparing the effects of three pre-treatment disintegration techniques on aerobic sludge digestion: biodegradability enhancement and microbial community monitoring by PCR-DGGE.

PubMed

Jaziri, Kais; Casellas, Magali; Dagot, Christophe

2012-06-01

The objectives of this work were to compare and investigate the effect of three activated sludge disintegration processes before aerobic sludge digestion on 1) aerobic biodegradability enhancement and 2) microbial community evolution using the polymerase chain reaction-denaturant gel gradient electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) technique. The comparison of three disintegration processes: thermal treatment (95 degrees C, 2h), sonication (100,000 kJ/kgTS) and ozonation (0.108 g O3/gTS) showed that the disintegration processes acted differently according to the composition of the soluble phase and to the DNA damage. Thermal treatment led to significant protein solubilization and to DNA modification. Sonication and ozonation resulted in similar soluble phase compositions and did not lead to any DNA modifications. During activated sludge aerobic digestion, intrinsic biodegradability enhancement was observed for thermal and ozone activated sludge pre-treatments. The analysis of the DGGE patterns at the end of aerobic digestion showed that population diversity was affected by both the aerobic digestion and the pre-treatment. The dissimilarity percentages measured at the end of aerobic digestion in the control sample and in the treated sludge were equal to 22, 25 and 20% for thermal treatment, sonication and ozonation respectively. This study indicated that PCR-DGGE could be a useful tool for the comparison of disintegration processes before and after aerobic digestion.

FROM CONCEPT TO EQUIVALENCY: GETTING YOUR INNOVATIVE SLUDGE DISINFECTION PROCESS CLASSIFIED AS A OR B IS NOW LESS OF A MYSTERY

EPA Science Inventory

The Pathogen Equivalency Committee has updated the criteria it uses to make recommendations of equivalency on innovative or alternative sludge pathogen reduction processes. To assist new applicants through the equivalency recommendation process the pathogen equivalency committee ...

Activated Sludge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, F. Michael

1978-01-01

Presents the 1978 literature review of wastewater treatment. This review covers: (1) activated sludge process; (2) process control; (3) oxygen uptake and transfer; (4) phosphorus removal; (5) nitrification; (6) industrial wastewater; and (7) aerobic digestion. A list of 136 references is also presented. (HM)

Application of NASA-developed technology to the automatic control of municipal sewage treatment plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hiser, L. L.; Herrera, W. R.

1973-01-01

A search was made of NASA developed technology and commercial technology for process control sensors and instrumentation which would be applicable to the operation of municipal sewage treatment plants. Several notable items were found from which process control concepts were formulated that incorporated these items into systems to automatically operate municipal sewage treatment plants. A preliminary design of the most promising concept was developed into a process control scheme for an activated sludge treatment plant. This design included process control mechanisms for maintaining constant food to sludge mass (F/M) ratio, and for such unit processes as primary sedimentation, sludge wastage, and underflow control from the final clarifier.

Combined thermophilic aerobic process and conventional anaerobic digestion: effect on sludge biodegradation and methane production.

PubMed

Dumas, C; Perez, S; Paul, E; Lefebvre, X

2010-04-01

The efficiency of hyper-thermophilic (65 degrees Celsius) aerobic process coupled with a mesophilic (35 degrees Celsius) digester was evaluated for the activated sludge degradation and was compared to a conventional mesophilic digester. For two Sludge Retention Time (SRT), 21 and 42 days, the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) solubilisation and biodegradation processes, the methanisation yield and the aerobic oxidation were investigated during 180 days. The best results were obtained at SRT of 44 days; the COD removal yield was 30% higher with the Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion/Thermophilic Aerobic Reactor (MAD-TAR) co-treatment. An increase of the sludge intrinsic biodegradability is also observed (20-40%), showing that the unbiodegradable COD in mesophilic conditions becomes bioavailable. However, the methanisation yield was quite similar for both processes at a same SRT. Finally, such a process enables to divide by two the volume of digester with an equivalent efficiency. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Approach of describing dynamic production of volatile fatty acids from sludge alkaline fermentation.

PubMed

Wang, Dongbo; Liu, Yiwen; Ngo, Huu Hao; Zhang, Chang; Yang, Qi; Peng, Lai; He, Dandan; Zeng, Guangming; Li, Xiaoming; Ni, Bing-Jie

2017-08-01

In this work, a mathematical model was developed to describe the dynamics of fermentation products in sludge alkaline fermentation systems for the first time. In this model, the impacts of alkaline fermentation on sludge disintegration, hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis processes are specifically considered for describing the high-level formation of fermentation products. The model proposed successfully reproduced the experimental data obtained from five independent sludge alkaline fermentation studies. The modeling results showed that alkaline fermentation largely facilitated the disintegration, acidogenesis, and acetogenesis processes and severely inhibited methanogenesis process. With the pH increase from 7.0 to 10.0, the disintegration, acidogenesis, and acetogenesis processes respectively increased by 53%, 1030%, and 30% while methane production decreased by 3800%. However, no substantial effect on hydrolysis process was found. The model also indicated that the pathway of acetoclastic methanogenesis was more severely inhibited by alkaline condition than that of hydrogentrophic methanogenesis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occurrence, distribution, and potential influencing factors of sewage sludge components derived from nine full-scale wastewater treatment plants of Beijing, China.

PubMed

Wang, Xu; Li, Meiyan; Liu, Junxin; Qu, Jiuhui

2016-07-01

Millions of tons of waste activated sludge (WAS) produced from biological wastewater treatment processes cause severe adverse environmental consequences. A better understanding of WAS composition is thus very critical for sustainable sludge management. In this work, the occurrence and distribution of several fundamental sludge constituents were explored in WAS samples from nine full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of Beijing, China. Among all the components investigated, active heterotrophic biomass was dominant in the samples (up to 9478mg/L), followed by endogenous residues (6736mg/L), extracellular polymeric substances (2088mg/L), and intracellular storage products (464mg/L) among others. Moreover, significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in composition profiles of sludge samples among the studied WWTPs. To identify the potential parameters affecting the variable fractions of sludge components, wastewater source as well as design and operational parameters of WWTPs were studied using statistical methods. The findings indicated that the component fraction of sewage sludge depends more on wastewater treatment alternatives than on wastewater characteristics among other parameters. A principal component analysis was conducted, which further indicated that there was a greater proportion of residual inert biomass in the sludge produced by the combined system of the conventional anaerobic/anoxic/oxic process and a membrane bioreactor. Additionally, a much longer solids retention time was also found to influence the sludge composition and induce an increase in both endogenous inert residues and extracellular polymeric substances in the sludge. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Operation, Maintenance and Management of Wastewater Treatment Facilities: A Bibliography of Technical Documents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Himes, Dottie

This is an annotated bibliography of wastewater treatment manuals. Fourteen manuals are abstracted including: (1) A Planned Maintenance Management System for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants; (2) Anaerobic Sludge Digestion, Operations Manual; (3) Emergency Planning for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities; (4) Estimating Laboratory Needs…

EPA Response to the National Research Council (NRC) Report - A Review of the Technical Basis of the Chemical and Pathogen Regulations for Biosolids

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The NRC published two reports over a twenty year span. They concluded that there is no documented scientific evidence that sewage sludge regulations have failed to protect public health, but identified areas of research.

40 CFR 60.4 - Address.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Stationary Combustion Turbines X X LLLL New Sewage Sludge Incineration Units OOOO Crude Oil and Natural Gas... Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming) Director, Air and Toxics Technical Enforcement Program, Office of... Gas Turbines X X X HH Lime Plants X X X KK Lead Acid Battery Manufacturing Plants X X LL Metallic...

40 CFR 60.4 - Address.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Stationary Combustion Turbines X X LLLL New Sewage Sludge Incineration Units OOOO Crude Oil and Natural Gas... Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming) Director, Air and Toxics Technical Enforcement Program, Office of... Gas Turbines X X X HH Lime Plants X X X KK Lead Acid Battery Manufacturing Plants X X LL Metallic...

Fate of stable strontium in the sewage treatment process as an analog for radiostrontium released by nuclear accidents.

PubMed

Kamei-Ishikawa, Nao; Ito, Ayumi; Umita, Teruyuki

2013-09-15

Radionuclides were widely released into the environment due to the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Some of these radionuclides have flowed into municipal sewage treatment plants through sewer systems. We have observed the fate of stable Sr in the sewage treatment process as a means to predict the fate of radiostrontium. Concentrations of stable Sr were determined in sewage influent, effluent, dewatered sludge, and incinerated sewage sludge ash collected from a sewage treatment plant once a month from July to December 2011. In the mass balance of Sr in the sewage treatment plant, 76% of the Sr entering the plant was discharged to the receiving water on average. Additionally, 14% of the Sr flowing through the plant was transferred to the sewage sludge and then concentrated in the sludge ash without being released to the atmosphere. We also investigated Sr sorption by activated sludge in a batch experiment. Measurements at 3 and 6h after the contact showed Sr was sorbed in the activated sludge; however, the measurements indicated Sr desorption from activated sludge occurred 48 h after the contact. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-temperature stability of viruses in sludges.

PubMed Central

Berg, G; Sullivan, G; Venosa, A D

1988-01-01

Enteroviruses survived for up to 38 days without diminishing in numbers in extended-aeration sludges maintained at 5 degrees C. In oxidation ditch sludges similarly maintained, enteroviruses survived for up to 17 days without diminishing in numbers. The pHs of the sludges in this study were well inside the pH 6 to 8 corridor in which destruction of enteroviruses by the detergents and ammonia present in sludges reportedly does not occur. Unexplained, however, was the survival of large numbers of enteroviruses in sludges at pH 3.5, a pH at which some anionic detergents commonly present in sewage are rapidly virucidal. The long survival of enteroviruses in these sludges at 5 degrees C indicates that such sludges can probably be stored under refrigeration in the laboratory for extended periods while awaiting processing without suffering significant losses in enterovirus numbers. PMID:2837146

Anaerobic co-digestion of waste activated sludge and greasy sludge from flotation process: batch versus CSTR experiments to investigate optimal design.

PubMed

Girault, R; Bridoux, G; Nauleau, F; Poullain, C; Buffet, J; Peu, P; Sadowski, A G; Béline, F

2012-02-01

In this study, the maximum ratio of greasy sludge to incorporate with waste activated sludge was investigated in batch and CSTR experiments. In batch experiments, inhibition occurred with a greasy sludge ratio of more than 20-30% of the feed COD. In CSTR experiments, the optimal greasy sludge ratio was 60% of the feed COD and inhibition occurred above a ratio of 80%. Hence, batch experiments can predict the CSTR yield when the degradation phenomenon are additive but cannot be used to determine the maximum ratio to be used in a CSTR configuration. Additionally, when the ratio of greasy sludge increased from 0% to 60% of the feed COD, CSTR methane production increased by more than 60%. When the greasy sludge ratio increased from 60% to 90% of the feed COD, the reactor yield decreased by 75%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Detection of anaerobic processes and microorganisms in immobilized activated sludge of a wastewater treatment plant with intense aeration].

PubMed

Litti, Iu V; Nekrasova, V K; Kulikov, N I; Siman'kova, M V; Nozhevnikova, A N

2013-01-01

Attached activated sludge from the Krasnaya Polyana (Sochi) wastewater treatment plant was studied after the reconstruction by increased aeration and water recycle, as well as by the installation of a bristle carrier for activated sludge immobilization. The activated sludge biofilms developing under conditions of intense aeration were shown to contain both aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Activity of a strictly anaerobic methanogenic community was revealed, which degraded organic compounds to methane, further oxidized by aerobic methanotrophs. Volatile fatty acids, the intermediates of anaerobic degradation of complex organic compounds, were used by both aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Anaerobic oxidation of ammonium with nitrite (anammox) and the presence of obligate anammox bacteria were revealed in attached activated sludge biofilms. Simultaneous aerobic and anaerobic degradation of organic contaminants by attached activated sludge provides for high rates of water treatment, stability of the activated sludge under variable environmental conditions, and decreased excess sludge formation.

The manufacture and use of sludge test materials for R and D purposes in the treatment and processing of magnox based sludge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blackburn, D.R.; Thompson, E.J.

2013-07-01

Among the Intermediate Level Waste materials in store and awaiting treatment and processing in the UK are quantities of magnesium hydroxide sludge. This sludge is a product of radioactive Magnox Swarf which arose from the de-canning of used magnox fuel element rods. As the Swarf was stored underwater, a corrosion reaction occurred over the course of time between the magnox and the water resulting in a magnesium hydroxide based sludge. The differing conditions and materials present in the various storage areas means that the sludge can range in consistency from that of a slurry through to a thick clay. Sludgemore » test materials are required to underpin and validate the research and development equipment and processes that are to be used to treat the waste material. Necessary restrictions imposed on the sampling and testing of the radioactive waste means that the available data on the properties and behaviour of the sludge is limited. The raw materials used to create the sludge test materials are based upon magnesium hydroxide so that as far as possible the chemical behaviour will be similar to that of the waste material. The most representative sludge test material is manufactured by the corrosion of non-radioactive magnox or magnesium. However, time constraints make it impractical to supply this material in sufficient quantities for full scale validation trials. An alternative is to use sludge manufactured from commercially available magnesium hydroxide. The particle shape of commercially available materials differs from corrosion product magnesium hydroxide which means that properties such as the rheological behaviour cannot be replicated. Nevertheless, valuable trial data can be obtained, giving a greater degree of confidence in the waste treatment process than would be possible if only the more representative but less available corrosion product materials were to be used. Key test material parameters used in the trials have been identified as the particle size distribution and the sludge thickness (measured as yield shear strength). Other properties including cohesion, adhesion and rheological behaviour are also considered. The use of different mixers for sludge manufacture has the potential to affect the behavioural properties and a brief description of each of these mixers is included. The scale of mixing has been found to make a significant difference to the ageing. A chemical impurity in the commercially available materials has been successfully exploited, so that sludge mixed at comparatively low yield shear strengths can thicken into the consistency of clay. This aids manufacture and allows large quantities of thick material to be produced relatively easily. (authors)« less

Thermo-Oxidization of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge for Production of Class A Biosolids

EPA Science Inventory

Bench-scale reactors were used to test a novel thermo-oxidation process on municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) waste activated sludge (WAS) using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) to achieve a Class A sludge product appropriate for land application. Reactor ...

Characterization of Tank 51 Sludge Slurry Samples (HTF-51-17-67, -68, -69, -74, -75, and -76) in Support of Sludge Batch 10 Processing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oji, L. N.; Reboul, S. H.

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested by Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Engineering (SRR-E) to provide sample characterization and analyses of Tank 51 sludge samples in support of Sludge Batch (SB) 10. The six Tank 51 sludge samples were sampled and delivered to SRNL in August of 2017. These six Tank 51 sludge samples, after undergoing physical characterizations which included rheology, weight percent total solid, dissolved solids and density measurements, were combined into one composite Tank 51 sample and analyzed for corrosion controls analytes, select radionuclides, chemical elements, density and weight percent total solids.

Economic feasibility of irradiation-composting plant of sewage sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, S.; Nishimura, K.; Machi, S.

Design and cost analysis were made for a sewage sludge treatment plant (capacity 25 - 200 ton sludge/day) with an electron accelerator. Dewatered sludge is spreaded on a rolling drum through a flat nozzle and disinfected by electron irradiation with a dose of 5 kGy. Composting of the irradiated sludge is also made at the optimum temperature for 3 days. The accelerating voltage of electron and capacity of the accelerator are 1.5 MV and 15 kW, respectively. Total volume of the fermentor is about one third of that of conventional composting process because the irradiation makes the time of composting shorter. The cost of sludge treatment is almost the same as that of conventional method.

Effective water content reduction in sewage wastewater sludge using magnetic nanoparticles.

PubMed

Lakshmanan, Ramnath; Kuttuva Rajarao, Gunaratna

2014-02-01

The present work compares the use of three flocculants for sedimentation of sludge and sludge water content from sewage wastewater i.e. magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MION), ferrous sulfate (chemical) and Moringa crude extract (protein). Sludge water content, wet/dry weight, turbidity and color were performed for, time kinetics and large-scale experiment. A 30% reduction of the sludge water content was observed when the wastewater was treated with either protein or chemical coagulant. The separation of sludge from wastewater treated with MION was achieved in less than 5min using an external magnet, resulted in 95% reduction of sludge water content. Furthermore, MION formed denser flocs and more than 80% reduction of microbial content was observed in large volume experiments. The results revealed that MION is efficient in rapid separation of sludge with very low water content, and thus could be a suitable alternative for sludge sedimentation and dewatering in wastewater treatment processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Change in the fouling propensity of sludge in membrane bioreactors (MBR) in relation to the accumulation of biopolymer clusters.

PubMed

Sun, Fei-yun; Wang, Xiao-mao; Li, Xiao-yan

2011-04-01

A membrane bioreactor (MBR) and an activated sludge process (ASP) were operated side by side to evaluate the change of sludge supernatant characteristics and the evolution of the sludge fouling propensity. The MBR sludge had a higher organic concentration and more biopolymer clusters (BPC) in the supernatant compared with ASP. BPC increased in both concentration and size in the MBR. The results show that the change in the liquid-phase property had a profound effect on the sludge fouling propensity. MBR operation transformed typical activated sludge to MBR sludge with a higher fouling propensity. Distinct from the ASP, membrane filtration retained soluble microbial products (SMP) within the MBR, and the vast membrane surface provided a unique environment for the transformation of SMP to large size BPC, leading to further sludge deposition on the membrane surface. Thus, membrane filtration is the crucial cause of the inevitable fouling problem in submerged MBRs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Sewage Sludge by Gamma Irradiation with Pasteurization as a Tool for Hygienization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priyadarshini, J.; Roy, P. K.; Mazumdar, A.

2014-01-01

In this research work, management of sewage sludge disposal on agricultural soils is addressed. The increasing amount of sewage sludge and more legislative regulation of its disposal have stimulated the need for developing new technologies to recycle sewage sludge efficiently. The research was structured along two main avenues, namely, the efficacy of the irradiation process for removing enteric pathogenic microorganisms and the potential of irradiated sludge as a soil amendment. This study investigated how application of irradiation with heat treatment reduced pathogens in sewage sludge. Raw and pasteurised Sewage sludge was treated at different dose treatment of 1.5, 3 and 5 kilogray (kGy) gamma irradiation individually and for 3 kGy sufficiency was achieved. Decrease in irradiation dose from 5 to 3 kGy was observed for pasteurised sludge resulting in saving of radiation energy. The presence of heavy metals in untreated sewage sludge has raised concerns, which decreases after irradiation.

From municipal/industrial wastewater sludge and FOG to fertilizer: A proposal for economic sustainable sludge management.

PubMed

Bratina, Božidar; Šorgo, Andrej; Kramberger, Janez; Ajdnik, Urban; Zemljič, Lidija Fras; Ekart, Janez; Šafarič, Riko

2016-12-01

After a ban on the depositing of untreated sludge in landfills, the sludge from municipal and industrial water-treatment plants can be regarded as a problem. Waste products of the water treatment process can be a problem or an opportunity - a source for obtaining raw materials. In the European Union, raw sludge and fats, oil and grease (FOG) from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) cannot be deposited in any natural or controlled environment. For this reason, it must be processed (stabilized, dried) to be used later as a fertilizer, building material, or alternative fuel source suitable for co-incineration in high temperature furnaces (power plants or concrete plants). The processes of drying sludge, where heat and electricity are used, are energy consuming and economically unattractive. Beside energy efficiency, the main problem of sludge drying is in its variability of quality as a raw material. In addition to this, sludge can be contaminated by a number of organic and inorganic pollutants and organisms. Due to the presence or absence of pollutants, different end products can be economically interesting. For example, if the dried sludge contains coliform bacteria, viruses, helminths eggs or smaller quantities of heavy metals, it cannot be used as a fertilizer but can still be used as a fuel. The objectives of the current article is to present a batch-processing pilot device of sludge or digestate that allows the following: (1) low pressure and low temperature energy effective drying of from 10 to 40% remaining water content, (2) disinfection of pathogen (micro)organisms, (3) heavy metal reduction, (4) production of products of predetermined quality (e.g. containing different quantities of water; it can be used as a fertilizer, or if the percentage of water in the dry sludge is decreased to 10%, then the dried sludge can be used as a fuel with a calorific value similar to coal). An important feature is also the utilization of low-pressure technology to prevent odorous gasses from spreading into the environment. There are presented two new technologies: a) Sewage sludge or digestate drying in the vacuum chamber consumes approx. 1 kWh/dm 3 of evaporated water and, therefore, reaches a price of 180-240 Euros/t Dry Matter (DM), and b) Heavy metals' reduction using adsorbing reaction with magnetite nanostructures can decrease the level of heavy metals in the sewage sludge or digestate up to 20% in one cycle, which can be repeated several times on the same sludge. The aim of the paper is to present a newly developed technology which can provide economic and safe use of moderate heavy metals polluted sewage sludge on agricultural lands as organic fertilizer and, therefore, returning the nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium) back to the human food chain, instead of being incinerated or landfilled. The proposed drying technology is economically sustainable due to the low vacuum and temperature (35 °C-40 °C), that increases the efficiency of the heat pump (coefficient of performance 5-7,2) of the energy produced by the anaerobic digestion. Hence, the main emphasis is given to the development of: an efficient method for heavy metals' reduction in the sludge treatment chain by using chitosan covered magnetite nanoparticles, an efficient drying method in a vacuum with low temperature energy which can be exploited from sludge digestion to reduce organic matter, and an energy sustainable concept of sludge treatment, with the addition of fats, oil and grease (FOG) to produce enough biogas for sludge drying to produce fertilizer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecotoxicity of arsenic contaminated sludge after mixing with soils and addition into composting and vermicomposting processes.

PubMed

Vašíčková, Jana; Maňáková, Blanka; Šudoma, Marek; Hofman, Jakub

2016-11-05

Sludge coming from remediation of groundwater contaminated by industry is usually managed as hazardous waste despite it might be considered for further processing as a source of nutrients. The ecotoxicity of phosphorus rich sludge contaminated with arsenic was evaluated after mixing with soil and cultivation with Sinapis alba, and supplementation into composting and vermicomposting processes. The Enchytraeus crypticus and Folsomia candida reproduction tests and the Lactuca sativa root growth test were used. Invertebrate bioassays reacted sensitively to arsenic presence in soil-sludge mixtures. The root elongation of L. sativa was not sensitive and showed variable results. In general, the relationship between invertebrate tests results and arsenic mobile concentration was indicated in majority endpoints. Nevertheless, significant portion of the results still cannot be satisfactorily explained by As chemistry data. Composted and vermicomposted sludge mixtures showed surprisingly high toxicity on all three tested organisms despite the decrease in arsenic mobility, probably due to toxic metabolites of bacteria and earthworms produced during these processes. The results from the study indicated the inability of chemical methods to predict the effects of complex mixtures on living organisms with respect to ecotoxicity bioassays. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inhibitory effect of high calcium concentration on municipal solid waste leachate treatment by the activated sludge process.

PubMed

Xia, Yi; He, Pin Jing; Pu, Hong Xia; Lü, Fan; Shao, Li Ming; Zhang, Hua

2017-05-01

This research focused on the inhibitory effects of Ca on the aerobic biological treatment of landfill leachate containing extremely high Ca concentrations. When the Ca concentration in leachate to be treated was more than 4500 mg l -1 , the total organic carbon removal rate was significantly reduced and the processing time to achieve the same removal efficiency was 1.4 times that in the control treatment without added Ca. In contrast, the total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 + -N) removal efficiencies were positively related to the Ca concentration, increasing from 65.2% to 81.2% and from 69.2% to 83.7%, respectively, when the dosage of added Ca increased from zero to 8000 mg l -1 . During aerobic treatment, the reductions of solution Ca concentration were in the range of 1003-2274 mg l -1 and were matched with increases in the Ca content in the residual sludge. The inhibition threshold of Ca in the leachate treated by the activated sludge process appeared to be 4500 mg l -1 , which could be realized by controlling the influent Ca concentration and using an appropriate sludge return ratio in the activated sludge process.

Loading and removal of PAHs, fragrance compounds, triclosan and toxicity by composting process from sewage sludge.

PubMed

Ozaki, Noriatsu; Nakazato, Akihiro; Nakashima, Kazuki; Kindaichi, Tomonori; Ohashi, Akiyoshi

2017-12-15

Although the production of compost from sewage sludge is well established in developed countries, the use of sludge-based compost may represent a source of pollutants. The present study assessed the levels of potentially harmful compounds in compost as well as their rates of decrease during composting. The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), three fragrance compounds (OTNE, HHCB and AHTN) and triclosan were determined in the initial sewage sludge and in compost over the span of 1year. Simultaneously, the toxicity to luminescent bacteria (Aliivibrio fischeri) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor reactivity of organic solvent extracts of sludge and compost samples were assessed. Higher PAH, fragrance compounds, and triclosan concentrations were found in sewage sludge from urban areas compared with rural regions, and the urban sludge was also more toxic than the rural sludge. The high pollutant concentrations in urban sludge raised the concentrations of these compounds in the raw materials for composting and in the resulting composts. The organic matter was decomposed by 65% during the composting process, and the measured toxic substances were decreased by a similar amount, with the exception of triclosan, which decreased by only 35%. The toxicity to A. fischeri decreased to a greater extent (90%) than did the organic matter, while the aryl hydrocarbon receptor reactivity decreased by only 35%. This lower decrease coincided with that of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-reactive PAHs (37%). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combined ultrasound with Fenton treatment for the degradation of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in textile dying sludge.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian-Hao; Zou, Hai-Yuan; Ning, Xun-An; Lin, Mei-Qing; Chen, Chang-Min; An, Tai-Cheng; Sun, Jian

2017-03-22

To develop an effective method to remove the toxic and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CPAHs) from textile dyeing sludge, five CPAHs were selected to investigate the degradation efficiencies using ultrasound combined with Fenton process (US/Fenton). The results showed that the synergistic effect of the US/Fenton process on the degradation of CPAHs in textile dyeing sludge was significant with the synergy degree of 30.4. During the US/Fenton process, low ultrasonic density showed significant advantage in degrading the CPAHs in textile dyeing sludge. Key reaction parameters on CPAHs degradation were optimized by the central composite design as followed: H 2 O 2 concentration of 152 mmol/L, ultrasonic density of 408 W/L, pH value of 3.7, the molar ratio of H 2 O 2 to Fe 2+ of 1.3 and reaction time of 43 min. Under the optimal conditions of the US/Fenton process, the degradation efficiencies of five CPAHs were obtained as 81.23% (benzo[a]pyrene) to 84.98% (benz[a]anthracene), and the benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaP eq ) concentrations of five CPAHs declined by 81.22-85.19%, which indicated the high potency of US/Fenton process for removing toxic CPAHs from textile dyeing sludge.

A review on paint sludge from automotive industries: Generation, characteristics and management.

PubMed

Salihoglu, Guray; Salihoglu, Nezih Kamil

2016-03-15

The automotive manufacturing process results in the consumption of several natural sources and the generation of various types of wastes. The primary source of hazardous wastes at an automotive manufacturing plant is the painting process, and the major waste fraction is paint sludge, which is classified with EU waste code of 080113* implying hazardous characteristics. The amount of the paint sludge generated increases every year with the worldwide increase in the car production. The characteristics of the paint sludge, which mainly designate the management route, are mainly determined by the type of the paint used, application technique employed, and the chemicals applied such as flocculants, detackifiers, pH boosters, antifoam agents, and biocides as well as the dewatering techniques preferred. Major routes for the disposal of the paint sludges are incineration as hazardous waste or combustion at cement kilns. Because of high dissolved organic carbon content of the paint, the paint sludge cannot be accepted by landfills according to European Union Legislations. More investigations are needed in the field of paint sludge recycling such as recycling it as a new paint or as other formulations, or making use of the sludge for the production of construction materials. Research on the applicability of the paint sludge in composting and biogasification can also be useful. Ongoing research is currently being conducted on new application techniques to increase the effectiveness of paint transfer, which helps to prevent the generation of paint sludge. Advancements in paint and coating chemistry such as the reduction in the coating layers with its thickness also help to decrease the level of paint sludge generation. Investigations on the effects of the chemicals on the recycling potential of paint sludges and consideration of these effects by the chemical manufacturer companies would be extremely important. This review presents the formation of paint sludge, the factors affecting its characteristics, common disposal routes, the findings of the field trips to automotive manufacturing plants in Turkey, and a summary of the characterization findings of the paint sludge samples from a plant in Turkey. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New technology for recyclingmaterials from oily cold rollingmill sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bo; Zhang, Shen-gen; Tian, Jian-jun; Pan, De-an; Meng, Ling; Liu, Yang

2013-12-01

Oily cold rolling mill (CRM) sludge is one of metallurgical industry solid wastes. The recycle of these wastes can not only protect the environment but also permit their reutilization. In this research, a new process of "hydrometallurgical treatment + hydrothermal synthesis" was investigated for the combined recovery of iron and organic materials from oily CRM sludge. Hydrometallurgical treatment, mainly including acid leaching, centrifugal separation, neutralization reaction, oxidizing, and preparation of hydrothermal reaction precursor, was first utilized for processing the sludge. Then, micaceous iron oxide (MIO) pigment powders were prepared through hydrothermal reaction of the obtained precursor in alkaline media. The separated organic materials can be used for fuel or chemical feedstock. The quality of the prepared MIO pigments is in accordance with the standards of MIO pigments for paints (ISO 10601-2007). This clean, effective, and economical technology offers a new way to recycle oily CRM sludge.

Study on substrate metabolism process of saline waste sludge and its biological hydrogen production potential.

PubMed

Zhang, Zengshuai; Guo, Liang; Li, Qianqian; Zhao, Yangguo; Gao, Mengchun; She, Zonglian

2017-07-01

With the increasing of high saline waste sludge production, the treatment and utilization of saline waste sludge attracted more and more attention. In this study, the biological hydrogen production from saline waste sludge after heating pretreatment was studied. The substrate metabolism process at different salinity condition was analyzed by the changes of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), carbohydrate and protein in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and dissolved organic matters (DOM). The excitation-emission matrix (EEM) with fluorescence regional integration (FRI) was also used to investigate the effect of salinity on EPS and DOM composition during hydrogen fermentation. The highest hydrogen yield of 23.6 mL H 2 /g VSS and hydrogen content of 77.6% were obtained at 0.0% salinity condition. The salinity could influence the hydrogen production and substrate metabolism of waste sludge.

Operation of an aquatic worm reactor suitable for sludge reduction at large scale.

PubMed

Hendrickx, Tim L G; Elissen, Hellen H J; Temmink, Hardy; Buisman, Cees J N

2011-10-15

Treatment of domestic waste water results in the production of waste sludge, which requires costly further processing. A biological method to reduce the amount of waste sludge and its volume is treatment in an aquatic worm reactor. The potential of such a worm reactor with the oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus has been shown at small scale. For scaling up purposes, a new configuration of the reactor was designed, in which the worms were positioned horizontally in the carrier material. This was tested in a continuous experiment of 8 weeks where it treated all the waste sludge from a lab-scale activated sludge process. The results showed a higher worm growth rate compared to previous experiments with the old configuration, whilst nutrient release was similar. The new configuration has a low footprint and allows for easy aeration and faeces collection, thereby making it suitable for full scale application. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of 4-chlorophenol wastewater treatment on sludge acute toxicity, microbial diversity and functional genes expression in an activated sludge process.

PubMed

Zhao, Jianguo; Li, Yahe; Li, Yu; Yu, Zeya; Chen, Xiurong

2018-05-31

In this study, the effects of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) wastewater treatment on sludge acute toxicity of luminescent bacteria, microbial diversity and functional genes expression of Pseudomonas were explored. Results showed that in the entire operational process, the sludge acute toxicity acclimated by 4-CP in a sequencing batch bioreactor (SBR) was significantly higher than the control SBR without 4-CP. The dominant phyla in acclimated SBR were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, which also existed in control SBR. Some identified genera in acclimated SBR were responsible for 4-CP degradation. At the stable operational stages, the functional genes expression of Pseudomonas in acclimated SBR was down-regulated at the end of SBR cycle, and their expression mechanisms needed further research. This study provides a theoretical support to comprehensively understand the sludge performance in industrial wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integration of the Uncertainties of Anion and TOC Measurements into the Flammability Control Strategy for Sludge Batch 8 at the DWPF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwards, T. B.

2013-03-14

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been working with the Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) in the development and implementation of a flammability control strategy for DWPF’s melter operation during the processing of Sludge Batch 8 (SB8). SRNL’s support has been in response to technical task requests that have been made by SRR’s Waste Solidification Engineering (WSE) organization. The flammability control strategy relies on measurements that are performed on Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) samples by the DWPF Laboratory. Measurements of nitrate, oxalate, formate, and total organic carbon (TOC) standards generated by the DWPF Laboratory aremore » presented in this report, and an evaluation of the uncertainties of these measurements is provided. The impact of the uncertainties of these measurements on DWPF’s strategy for controlling melter flammability also is evaluated. The strategy includes monitoring each SME batch for its nitrate content and its TOC content relative to the nitrate content and relative to the antifoam additions made during the preparation of the SME batch. A linearized approach for monitoring the relationship between TOC and nitrate is developed, equations are provided that integrate the measurement uncertainties into the flammability control strategy, and sample calculations for these equations are shown to illustrate the impact of the uncertainties on the flammability control strategy.« less

Co-firing of paper mill sludge and coal in an industrial circulating fluidized bed boiler.

PubMed

Tsai, Meng-Yuan; Wu, Keng-Tung; Huang, Chin-Cheng; Lee, Hom-Ti

2002-01-01

Co-firing of coal and paper mill sludge was conducted in a 103 MWth circulating fluidized bed boiler to investigate the effect of the sludge feeding rate on emissions of SOx, NOx, and CO. The preliminary results show that emissions of SOx and Nx decrease with increasing sludge feeding rate, but CO shows the reverse tendency due to the decrease in combustion temperature caused by a large amount of moisture in the sludge. All emissions met the local environmental requirements. The combustion ashes could be recycled as feed materials in the cement manufacturing process.

The occurrence and significance to animal health of salmonellas in sewage and sewage sludges.

PubMed Central

Jones, P. W.; Rennison, L. M.; Lewin, V. H.; Redhead, D. L.

1980-01-01

A total of 882 samples of settled sewage, sewage sludges and final effluents from eight sewage treatment plants were examined for the presence of salmonellas. Of these samples 68% were positive, isolations being made most frequently from settled sewage (85%), raw sludge (87%) and anaerobically digested sludge (96%). Fewer isolations were made from final effluent (24%) and processed sludges (58%). Samples usually contained less than 200 salmonellas/100 ml and arguments are presented that such concentrations should not lead to disease in animals if suitable grazing restrictions are followed. PMID:6985928

The use of waterworks sludge for the treatment of vegetable oil refinery industry wastewater.

PubMed

Basibuyuk, M; Kalat, D G

2004-03-01

Water treatment works using coagulation/flocculation in the process stream will generate a waste sludge. This sludge is termed as ferric, alum, or lime sludge based on which coagulant was primarily used. The works in Adana, Turkey uses ferric chloride. The potential for using this sludge for the treatment of vegetable oil refinery industry wastewater by coagulation has been investigated. The sludge acted as a coagulant and excellent oil and grease, COD and TSS removal efficiencies were obtained. The optimum conditions were a pH of 6 and a sludge dose of 1100 mg SS l(-1). The efficiency of sludge was also compared with alum and ferric chloride for the vegetable oil refinery wastewater. At doses of 1300-1900 mg SS l(-1), the sludge was as effective as ferric chloride and alum at removing oil and grease, COD, and TSS. In addition, various combinations of ferric chloride and waterworks sludge were also examined. Under the condition of 12.5 mg l(-1) fresh ferric chloride and 1000 mg SS l(-1) sludge dose, 99% oil and grease 99% TSS and 83% COD removal efficiencies were obtained.

Sewage sludge open-air drying affects on keratinolytic, keratinophilic and actidione-resistant fungi.

PubMed

Ulfig, Krzysztof; Płaza, Grazyna; Terakowskip, Maciej; Janda-Ulfig, Katarzyna

2006-01-01

The study was to demonstrate the effect of sewage sludge open-air drying on the quantitative and qualitative composition of keratinolytic/keratinophilic and actidione-resistant fungi. The sludge was being dried for up to thirty days (on average fourteen days) at 25-30'C. The composition of these fungi was determined with the hair baiting method along with the dilution method, using the Wiegand medium supplemented with chloramphenicol (100 mgiL) and actidione (500 mg/L). The open-air drying altered the composition of keratinolytic fungi and considerably increased the population of keratinophilic and actidione-resistant fungi in the sludge. This phenomenon can be explained with that the drying process was associated with slow sludge moisture decrease, sludge laceration due to crumbling and the subsequent improvement of sludge aeration and organic matter biodegradation conditions. A considerable increase of fungal populations can be expected in sludges being dried in drying beds at wastewater treatment plants and in sludge-amended soils. Two sludge opportunistic fungi, i.e. Microsporum gypseum and Pseudallescheria boydii, require special attention from the epidemiological point of view. Sludge land applications may increase the number of these fungi in the environment and the subsequent risk to public health posed by them.

Intensification of anaerobic digestion efficiency with use of mechanical excess sludge disintegration in the context of increased energy production in wastewater treatment plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Żubrowska-Sudoł, Monika; Podedworna, Jolanta; Bisak, Agnieszka; Sytek-Szmeichel, Katarzyna; Krawczyk, Piotr; Garlicka, Agnieszka

2017-11-01

The main goal of the study was to evaluate the effects of mechanical sludge disintegration for enhancing full scale anaerobic digestion of municipal sludge. Batch disintegration tests and lab dewatering tests were also performed aiming at determining the release of organic compounds and assessing the impact of disintegration of excess sludge before the fermentation process of mixed sludge on the dewaterability of post-fermented sludge, respectively. In the study a disc disintegrator driven by a motor with a power of 30 kW, revolutions n = 2950 rpm has been used. It was shown that with increase of energy consumed in the disintegration, the increased amounts of organic compounds were released from the sludge. It was also documented that the introduction of the excess sludge disintegration prior to fermentation tank, resulted in a significant increase in biogas production (by an average of 33.9%) and in increase in volatile total solids reduction in the fermented sludge (by an average of 22.7%). Moreover, the obtained results indicate the possibility of obtaining a higher degree of sludge dewatering, which was subjected to anaerobic stabilization with using disintegrated excess sludge.

Risk assessments of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) during sludge application in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Jun

2018-02-01

Due to increasingly less space in municipal environment, waste management has become an urgent issue worldwide. As one of common municipal waste, sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) contains abundant nutrients, some of which can be quite essential for plant growth. In consideration of nutrient recycling and energy saving, sludge application has been frequently promoted in many countries across the world. However, even after several sludge stabilization procedures, sewage sludge may still contain a large variety of toxic pollutants, especially some emerging organic contaminants (EOCs). Applied in various household products and plastic industries as additives, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been constantly detected in sewage sludge samples from several cities in China since 2005, as well as some biosolid samples after sludge stabilization processes, suggesting their strong persistence and wide occurrence. During sludge application onto farmland soils, PBDEs may desorb from sludge particles and get attached by soil organic matter (SOM), followed by plant root uptake and translocation to aboveground tissues. In this study, data about current pollution of PBDEs in sewage sludge samples from China was reviewed, and the potential risks during sludge application was comprehensively assessed.

Cost-performance analysis of nutrient removal in a full-scale oxidation ditch process based on kinetic modeling.

PubMed

Li, Zheng; Qi, Rong; Wang, Bo; Zou, Zhe; Wei, Guohong; Yang, Min

2013-01-01

A full-scale oxidation ditch process for treating sewage was simulated with the ASM2d model and optimized for minimal cost with acceptable performance in terms of ammonium and phosphorus removal. A unified index was introduced by integrating operational costs (aeration energy and sludge production) with effluent violations for performance evaluation. Scenario analysis showed that, in comparison with the baseline (all of the 9 aerators activated), the strategy of activating 5 aerators could save aeration energy significantly with an ammonium violation below 10%. Sludge discharge scenario analysis showed that a sludge discharge flow of 250-300 m3/day (solid retention time (SRT), 13-15 days) was appropriate for the enhancement of phosphorus removal without excessive sludge production. The proposed optimal control strategy was: activating 5 rotating disks operated with a mode of "111100100" ("1" represents activation and "0" represents inactivation) for aeration and sludge discharge flow of 200 m3/day (SRT, 19 days). Compared with the baseline, this strategy could achieve ammonium violation below 10% and TP violation below 30% with substantial reduction of aeration energy cost (46%) and minimal increment of sludge production (< 2%). This study provides a useful approach for the optimization of process operation and control.

Improving the sludge disintegration efficiency of sonication by combining with alkalization and thermal pre-treatment methods.

PubMed

Şahinkaya, S; Sevimli, M F; Aygün, A

2012-01-01

One of the most serious problems encountered in biological wastewater treatment processes is the production of waste activated sludge (WAS). Sonication, which is an energy-intensive process, is the most powerful sludge pre-treatment method. Due to lack of information about the combined pre-treatment methods of sonication, the combined pre-treatment methods were investigated and it was aimed to improve the disintegration efficiency of sonication by combining sonication with alkalization and thermal pre-treatment methods in this study. The process performances were evaluated based on the quantities of increases in soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD), protein and carbohydrate. The releases of soluble COD, carbohydrate and protein by the combined methods were higher than those by sonication, alkalization and thermal pre-treatment alone. Degrees of sludge disintegration in various options of sonication were in the following descending order: sono-alkalization > sono-thermal pre-treatment > sonication. Therefore, it was determined that combining sonication with alkalization significantly improved the sludge disintegration and decreased the required energy to reach the same yield by sonication. In addition, effects on sludge settleability and dewaterability and kinetic mathematical modelling of pre-treatment performances of these methods were investigated. It was proven that the proposed model accurately predicted the efficiencies of ultrasonic pre-treatment methods.

Proposal for a screening test to evaluate the fate of organic micropollutants in activated sludge.

PubMed

Salvetti, Roberta; Vismara, Renato; Dal Ben, Ilaria; Gorla, Elena; Romele, Laura

2011-04-01

The concentrations of organic micropollutants are usually low in wastewaters (order of magnitude of mg L(-1)). However, their emission standards, especially in the case of carcinogenic and bioaccumulating substances, are often much lower (order of magnitude of microg L(-1)). Since these substances, in some cases, can be adsorbable or volatile, their removal via volatilization, biodegradation or sludge adsorption in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) becomes a significant feature to include in the usual design process, in order to verify the emission standards in gas and sludge too. In this study a simple screening batch test for the evaluation of the fate of organic micropollutants in water, air and sludge is presented. The test is set up by means of simple laboratory instruments and simulates an activated sludge tank process. In this study the results obtained for four substances with different chemical properties (i.e. toluene, benz(a)anthracene, phenol and benzene) are presented. The screening test proposed can be a useful tool to assess in about one month the fate of organic micropollutants in an activated sludge tank of a WWTP. Moreover, the test can constitute a useful support in the use of mathematical models, since it allows the verification of model results and the calibration of the reactions involved in the removal process.

MiDAS: the field guide to the microbes of activated sludge

PubMed Central

McIlroy, Simon Jon; Saunders, Aaron Marc; Albertsen, Mads; Nierychlo, Marta; McIlroy, Bianca; Hansen, Aviaja Anna; Karst, Søren Michael; Nielsen, Jeppe Lund; Nielsen, Per Halkjær

2015-01-01

The Microbial Database for Activated Sludge (MiDAS) field guide is a freely available online resource linking the identity of abundant and process critical microorganisms in activated sludge wastewater treatment systems to available data related to their functional importance. Phenotypic properties of some of these genera are described, but most are known only from sequence data. The MiDAS taxonomy is a manual curation of the SILVA taxonomy that proposes a name for all genus-level taxa observed to be abundant by large-scale 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of full-scale activated sludge communities. The taxonomy can be used to classify unknown sequences, and the online MiDAS field guide links the identity to the available information about their morphology, diversity, physiology and distribution. The use of a common taxonomy across the field will provide a solid foundation for the study of microbial ecology of the activated sludge process and related treatment processes. The online MiDAS field guide is a collaborative workspace intended to facilitate a better understanding of the ecology of activated sludge and related treatment processes—knowledge that will be an invaluable resource for the optimal design and operation of these systems. Database URL: http://www.midasfieldguide.org PMID:26120139

Moringa oleifera-mediated coagulation of textile wastewater and its biodegradation using novel consortium-BBA grown on agricultural waste substratum.

PubMed

Bedekar, Priyanka A; Bhalkar, Bhumika N; Patil, Swapnil M; Govindwar, Sanjay P

2016-10-01

Generation of secondary sludge is a major concern of textile dye removal by coagulation process. Combinatorial coagulation-biodegradation treatment system has been found efficient in degradation of coagulated textile dye sludge. Moringa oleifera seed powder (700 mg L -1 ) was able to coagulate textile dyestuff from real textile wastewater with 98 % color removal. Novel consortium-BBA was found to decolorize coagulated dye sludge. Parameters that significantly affect coagulation process were optimized using response surface methodology. The bench-scale stirred tank reactor (50-L capacity) designed with optimized parameters for coagulation process could efficiently remove 98, 89, 78, and 67 % of American Dye Manufacturer's Institute (ADMI) in four repetitive cycles, respectively. Solid-state fermentation composting reactor designed to treat coagulated dye sludge showed 96 % removal of dye within 10 days. Coagulation of dyes from textile wastewater and degradation of coagulated dye sludge were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Cell morphology assay, comet assay, and phytotoxicity confirmed the formation of less toxic products after coagulation and degradation mechanism.

Influence of loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the flocculation, sedimentation and dewaterability of activated sludge.

PubMed

Li, X Y; Yang, S F

2007-03-01

Laboratory experiments on the activated sludge (AS) process were carried out to investigate the influence of microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), including loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), on biomass flocculation, sludge settlement and dewaterability. The heat EPS extraction method was modified to include a mild step and a harsh step for extracting the LB-EPS and TB-EPS, respectively, from the sludge suspension. Six lab-scale AS reactors were used to grow AS with different carbon sources of glucose and sodium acetate, and different sludge retention times (SRTs) of 5, 10 and 20 days. The variation in the bioreactor condition produced sludge with different abundances of EPS and different flocculation and separation characteristics. The sludge that was fed on glucose had more EPS than the sludge that was fed on acetate. For any of the feeding substrates, the sludge had a nearly consistent TB-EPS value regardless of the SRT, and an LB-EPS content that decreased with the SRT. The acetate-fed sludge performed better than the glucose-fed sludge in terms of bioflocculation, sludge sedimentation and compression, and sludge dewaterability. The sludge flocculation and separation improved considerably as the SRT lengthened. The results demonstrate that the LB-EPS had a negative effect on bioflocculation and sludge-water separation. The parameters for the performance of sludge-water separation were much more closely correlated with the amount of LB-EPS than with the amount of TB-EPS. It is argued that although EPS is essential to sludge floc formation, excessive EPS in the form of LB-EPS could weaken cell attachment and the floc structure, resulting in poor bioflocculation, greater cell erosion and retarded sludge-water separation.

Distribution and persistence of fecal bacterial populations in liquid and dewatered sludge from a biological treatment plant.

PubMed

Vilanova, Xavier; Blanch, Anicet R

2005-12-01

The changes in composition and structure of fecal coliforms (FC) and enterococci (ENT) populations, as well as the elimination of spores of sulphite-reducing bacteria (SRB), were compared between municipal sewage and their derived sludge in a biological treatment plant in order to determine any selective reduction or adsorption to sludge during the treatment process. Additionally, the persistence of antibiotic-resistant enterococcal populations in two kinds of sludge was also considered to evaluate their potential elimination in the treatment process. Microbial indicators, vancomycin-resistant and erythromycin-resistant enterococci were enumerated. The structure and composition of FC and ENT populations were determined by biochemical fingerprinting and clustering analyses. Raw and treated sewage showed a concentration of FC 1 log unit higher than ENT and nearly 2 log units higher than spores of SRB. However, the three studied indicators showed similar concentrations in both types of sludge. Consequently, FC were eliminated in higher proportion than ENT and spores of SRB in sludge. FC and ENT populations showed high diversity and similarity population indexes for all kinds of samples. Antibiotic-resistant enterococci persisted in a similar proportion in respect to total enterococci not only in treated sewage but also in sludge. The persistence of antibiotic-resistant strains in sludge as well as in treated sewage should be considered if they are used for land disposal or for water reutilization, respectively.

Agricultural recycling of treatment-plant sludge: a case study for a vegetable-processing factory.

PubMed

Dolgen, Deniz; Alpaslan, M Necdet; Delen, Nafiz

2007-08-01

The present study evaluated the possibility of using the sludge produced by a vegetable-processing factory in agriculture. The sludge was amended with a soil mixture (i.e., a mixture of sand, soil, and manure) and was applied at 0, 165, 330, 495 and 660 t/ha to promote the growth of cucumbers. The effects of various sludge loadings on plant growth were assessed by counting plants and leaves, measuring stem lengths, and weighing the green parts and roots of the plants. We also compared heavy metal uptake by the plants for sludge loadings of 330, 495, and 660 t/ha with various recommended standards for vegetables. Our results showed that plant growth patterns were influenced to some extent by the sludge loadings. In general, the number of leaves, stem length, and dry weight of green parts exhibited a pronounced positive growth response compared with an unfertilized control, and root growth showed a lesser but still significant response at sludge loadings of 165 and 330 t/ha. The sludge application caused no significant increase in heavy metal concentrations in the leaves, though zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) were found at elevated concentrations. However, despite the Zn and Fe accumulation, we observed no toxicity symptoms in the plants. This may be a result of cucumber's tolerance of high metal levels.

The impact of temporal variability of excess sludge characteristics on the effects obtained in the process of its ultrasonic disintegration.

PubMed

Tytła, Malwina; Zielewicz, Ewa

2017-09-13

This paper aimed to indicate the characteristics of excess sludge, which have the greatest impact on the effects obtained during its ultrasonic disintegration (UD). The direct and technological effects observed after sludge disintegration and anaerobic digestion (AD) depend on the factors affecting the quality of its matrix and simply on the parameters of a disintegrator. Sludge samples originate from a Central Waste Water Treatment Plant in Gliwice, and were collected after mechanical thickening by a monthly period. This approach allowed to observe the temporal changes of sludge characteristics, in a continuous manner. To evaluate the achieved disintegration effects, the following indicators were used: degree of disintegration (DD COD ) and the author's indicators describing the direct and technological effects of UD (ID i , IT i , IT d ), based on the changes in the sludge characteristics. Disintegration was carried out by means of an ultrasonic device equipped with a thin sonotrode. AD was conducted under mesophilic conditions for 20 days. Statistical analysis confirmed that the most important parameters of sludge, which determine obtained effects, were total and volatile solids, capillary suction time, concentration of chemical oxygen demand and pH value. The investigations have also showed that the increase in sludge temperature during its disintegration has a significant impact on the magnitude of other effects obtained in the process.

PATHOGEN RISKS FROM APPLYING SEWAGE SLUDGE TO LAND

EPA Science Inventory

Congress banned ocean dumping of municipal wastes in the late 1980s. In its place, EPA developed guidance (40 CFR Part 503) for land application of processed sewage sludge (biosolids), mainly for agricultural purposes (1). Public health and environmental concerns with processed...

Technologies for reducing sludge production in wastewater treatment plants: State of the art.

PubMed

Wang, Qilin; Wei, Wei; Gong, Yanyan; Yu, Qiming; Li, Qin; Sun, Jing; Yuan, Zhiguo

2017-06-01

This review presents the state-of-the-art sludge reduction technologies applied in both wastewater and sludge treatment lines. They include chemical, mechanical, thermal, electrical treatment, addition of chemical un-coupler, and predation of protozoa/metazoa in wastewater treatment line, and physical, chemical and biological pretreatment in sludge treatment line. Emphasis was put on their effect on sludge reduction performance, with 10% sludge reduction to zero sludge production in wastewater treatment line and enhanced TS (total solids) or volatile solids removal of 5-40% in sludge treatment line. Free nitrous acid (FNA) technology seems good in wastewater treatment line but it is only under the lab-scale trial. In sludge treatment line, thermal, ultrasonic (<4400kJ/kg TS), FNA pretreatment and temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) are promising if pathogen inactivation is not a concern. However, thermal pretreatment and TPAD are superior to other pretreatment technologies when pathogen inactivation is required. The new wastewater treatment processes including SANI®, high-rate activated sludge coupled autotrophic nitrogen removal and anaerobic membrane bioreactor coupled autotrophic nitrogen removal also have a great potential to reduce sludge production. In the future, an effort should be put on the effect of sludge reduction technologies on the removal of organic micropollutants and heavy metals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

K Basin sludge polychlorinated biphenyl removal technology assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ashworth, S.C.

The two Hanford K Basins are water-filled concrete pools that contain over 2,100 metric tons of N Reactor fuel elements stored in aluminum or stainless steel canisters. During the time the fuel has been stored, approximately 50 m3 of heterogeneous solid material have accumulated in the basins. This material, referred to as sludge, is a mixture of fuel corrosion products, metallic bits of spent fuel and zirconium clad iron and metal corrosion products and silica from migrating sands. Some of the sludges also contain PCBs. The congener group of PCBs was identified as Aroclor 1254. The maximum concentration of sludgemore » PCBS was found to be 140 ppm (as settled wet basis). However, the distribution of the PCBs is non-uniform throughout the sludge (i.e., there are regions of high and low concentrations and places where no PCBs are present). Higher concentrations could be present at various locations. Aroclors 1016/1242, 1221, 1248, 1254, and 1260 were identified and quantified in K West (KW) Canister sludge. In some of these samples, the concentration of 1260 was higher than 1254. The sludge requires pre-treatment to meet tank farm waste acceptance criteria, Among the numerous requirements, the sludge should be retreated so that it does not contain regulated levels of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) compounds. Because of their stable chemistry and relative insolubility in water, PCBs are difficult to treat. They also resist degradation from heat and electrical charges. This stability has resulted in environmental persistence which has prompted the development of a variety of new cleanup processes including supercritical processes, advanced oxidation, dehalogenation and others. Hopefully, most of the new processes are discussed herein. Information on new processes are being received and will be evaluated in a future revision.« less

Problematic issues of air protection during thermal processes related to the energetic uses of sewage sludge and other waste. Case study: Co-combustion in peaking power plant.

PubMed

Hroncová, Emília; Ladomerský, Juraj; Musil, Juraj

2018-03-01

Currently, it is necessary to deal with issues related to the emissions as there is a constantly increasing interest in combusting sludge from sewage treatment plants in the boilers for wood. An analysis of the energetic importance of the combustion of sewage sludge has already been carried out, but the effects of various treatments of the sludge are not always clear, e.g. composting and subsequent combustion to the air pollution. Investments in other thermal processes of energetic utilisation of sewage sludge and organic waste are not always successfully implemented. The objective of this paper is to point out some problematic cases for acceptance of thermal processes related to energetic use of waste in terms of the air protection. The other aim is to mention the experience with solutions of such issues in Slovakia. There are mentioned first results of the operational validation experiments during the energy generation in circulating fluidized bed boiler in peaking power plant (Power 110MW) with the addition of the so-called alternative fuel based on wood and sewage sludge to the main fuel - black coal (anthracite). And there has already been achieved the highest share of 12.4%w. (dry matter) of sewage sludge in form of compost in blend with black coal, which is technologically viable. Moreover analyzed the problems of the authorization and operation of the co-combustion of sewage sludge and of combustion of products of various kinds of pyrolysis waste - pyrolysis gas and pyrolysis oil are analyzed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improvement of anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge through microwave pre-treatment.

PubMed

Serrano, A; Siles, J A; Martín, M A; Chica, A F; Estévez-Pastor, F S; Toro-Baptista, E

2016-07-15

Sewage sludge generated in the activated sludge process is a polluting waste that must be treated adequately to avoid important environmental impacts. Traditional management methods, such as landfill disposal or incineration, are being ruled out due to the high content in heavy metal, pathogens, micropolluting compounds of the sewage sludge and the lack of use of resources. Anaerobic digestion could be an interesting treatment, but must be improved since the biomethanisation of sewage sludge entails low biodegradability and low methane production. A microwave pre-treatment at pilot scale is proposed to increase the organic matter solubilisation of sewage sludge and enhance the biomethanisation yield. The operational variables of microwave pre-treatment (power and specific energy applied) were optimised by analysing the physicochemical characteristics of sewage sludge (both total and soluble fraction) under different pre-treatment conditions. According to the variation in the sCOD and TN concentration, the optimal operation variables of the pre-treatment were fixed at 20,000 J/g TS and 700 W. A subsequent anaerobic digestion test was carried out with raw and pre-treated sewage sludge under different conditions (20,000 J/g TS and 700 W; 20,000 J/g TS and 400 W; and 30,000 J/g TS and 400 W). Although stability was maintained throughout the process, the enhancement in the total methane yield was not high (up to 17%). Nevertheless, very promising improvements were determined for the kinetics of the process, where the rG and the OLR increased by 43% and 39%, respectively, after carrying out a pre-treatment at 20,000 J/g TS and 700 W. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sludge reduction by ozone: Insights and modeling of the dose-response effects.

PubMed

Fall, C; Silva-Hernández, B C; Hooijmans, C M; Lopez-Vazquez, C M; Esparza-Soto, M; Lucero-Chávez, M; van Loosdrecht, M C M

2018-01-15

Applying ozone to the return flow in an activated sludge (AS) process is a way for reducing the residual solids production. To be able to extend the activated sludge models to the ozone-AS process, adequate prediction of the tri-atoms effects on the particulate COD fractions is needed. In this study, the biomass inactivation, COD mineralization, and solids dissolution were quantified in batch tests and dose-response models were developed as a function of the reacted ozone doses (ROD). Three kinds of model-sludge were used. S1 was a lab-cultivated synthetic sludge with two components (heterotrophs X H and X P ). S2 was a digestate of S1 almost made by the endogenous residues, X P . S3 was from a municipal activated sludge plant. The specific ozone uptake rate (SO 3 UR, mgO 3 /gCOD.h) was determined as a tool for characterizing the reactivity of the sludges. SO 3 UR increased with the X H fraction and decreased with more X P . Biomass inactivation was exponential (e -β.ROD ) as a function of the ROD doses. The percentage of solids reduction was predictable through a linear model (C Miner  + Y sol ROD), with a fixed part due to mineralization (C Miner ) and a variable part from the solubilization process. The parameters of the models, i.e. the inactivation and the dissolution yields (β, 0.008-0.029 (mgO 3 /mgCOD ini ) -1 vs Y sol , 0.5-2.8 mg COD sol /mgO 3 ) varied in magnitude, depending on the intensity of the scavenging reactions and potentially the compactness of the flocs for each sludge. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel antireflux covered metal stent for recurrent occlusion of biliary metal stents: a pilot study.

PubMed

Hamada, Tsuyoshi; Isayama, Hiroyuki; Nakai, Yousuke; Kogure, Hirofumi; Togawa, Osamu; Kawakubo, Kazumichi; Yamamoto, Natsuyo; Ito, Yukiko; Sasaki, Takashi; Tsujino, Takeshi; Sasahira, Naoki; Hirano, Kenji; Tada, Minoru; Koike, Kazuhiko

2014-03-01

Feasibility of antireflux metal stent (ARMS), designed to prevent duodenobiliary reflux, was reported in patients with distal malignant biliary obstruction. In this prospective pilot study, we aimed to evaluate a newly designed ARMS as a reintervention for self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) occlusion believed to be caused by duodenobiliary reflux. Patients with non-resectable distal malignant biliary obstruction were included in whom a prior SEMS was occluded as a result of sludge or food impaction between March 2010 and January 2012 at two Japanese tertiary referral centers. The occluded SEMS were endoscopically removed, if possible, and subsequently replaced by a newly designed ARMS. We evaluated the technical success rate and complications of ARMS and compared the time to occlusion of ARMS with that of prior SEMS. A total of 13 patients were included. ARMS was successfully placed in all patients in a single procedure. No procedure-related complications were identified. ARMS occlusion occurred in two patients (15%), the causes of which were sludge in one patient and unknown in the other. ARMS migration occurred in four patients (31%). ARMS patency time was significantly longer than that of prior SEMS (median, not available vs 58 days; P = 0.039). This newly designed ARMS is a technically feasible, safe, and effective reintervention for SEMS occlusion as a result of sludge or food impaction. An anti-migration mechanism to improve the outcomes of ARMS should be considered. © 2013 The Authors. Digestive Endoscopy © 2013 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

Sanitary Landfill. Sludge Treatment and Disposal Course #166. Instructor's Guide [and] Student Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharman, Ronald M.

This lesson is an introduction to disposal of sludge by landfill. A brief explanation of the complete process is provided, including discussions of sludge suitability, site selection, method selection and operation, site closure, and ultimate reuse. The lesson includes an instructor's guide and student workbook. The instructor's guide contains a…

Energy saving control strategies for Haliscomenobacter hydrossis filamentous sludge bulking in the A/O process treating real low carbon/nitrogen domestic wastewater.

PubMed

Jiao, Erlong; Gao, Chundi; Li, Renfei; Tian, Ye; Peng, Yongzhen

2017-07-16

The control strategies of energy saving for filamentous sludge bulking were investigated in the A/O process under low dissolved oxygen (DO) with low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, and the dominant filamentous bacteria were identified by using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Initially, the sludge volume index reached nearly 500 mL/g and serious bulking occurred when the DO value was 0.5 mg/L, with Haliscomenobacter hydrossis as the major filamentous bacteria in the bulking sludge. Later on, the compartment number increased in the aerobic zone, increasing by this way DO, to control serious bulking. Increasing DO to 1 mg/L based on the increase of compartment number in the aerobic zone was the favorable controlling method, which solved the sludge loss, improved the effluent quality to the national discharge standard and allowed for energy costs saving. As a result, the effective control method for H. hydrossis filamentous sludge bulking provided the economical, convenient and longstanding method for most municipal wastewater treatment plants treating real low C/N domestic wastewater.

Enhancing the functional and economical efficiency of a novel combined thermo chemical disperser disintegration of waste activated sludge for biogas production.

PubMed

Kavitha, S; Jayashree, C; Adish Kumar, S; Kaliappan, S; Rajesh Banu, J

2014-12-01

In this investigation, an effort was made to pretreat surplus waste activated sludge (WAS) inexpensively by a novel combined process involving thermo chemical disperser pretreatment. This pretreatment was found to be efficient at a specific energy (SE) consumption of 3360.94 kJ/kg TS, with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilization of 20%. This was comparatively higher than thermo chemically treated sludge where the solubilization was found to be 15.5% at a specific energy consumption of 10,330 kJ/kg TS respectively. Higher production of volatile fatty acids (VFA) (675 mg/L) in anaerobic fermentation of pretreated WAS indicates better hydrolysis performance. The biogas production potential of sludge pretreated through this combined technique was found to be 0.455 (L/gVS) and comparatively higher than thermo chemically pretreated sludge. Economic investigation provides 90% net energy savings in this combined pretreatment. Therefore, this combined process was considered to be potentially effective and economical in sludge disintegration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overview of current biological and thermo-chemical treatment technologies for sustainable sludge management.

PubMed

Zhang, Linghong; Xu, Chunbao Charles; Champagne, Pascale; Mabee, Warren

2014-07-01

Sludge is a semi-solid residue produced from wastewater treatment processes. It contains biodegradable and recalcitrant organic compounds, as well as pathogens, heavy metals, and other inorganic constituents. Sludge can also be considered a source of nutrients and energy, which could be recovered using economically viable approaches. In the present paper, several commonly used sludge treatment processes including land application, composting, landfilling, anaerobic digestion, and combustion are reviewed, along with their potentials for energy and product recovery. In addition, some innovative thermo-chemical techniques in pyrolysis, gasification, liquefaction, and wet oxidation are briefly introduced. Finally, a brief summary of selected published works on the life cycle assessment of a variety of sludge treatment and end-use scenarios is presented in order to better understand the overall energy balance and environmental burdens associated with each sludge treatment pathway. In all scenarios investigated, the reuse of bioenergy and by-products has been shown to be of crucial importance in enhancing the overall energy efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint. © The Author(s) 2014.

Deep dewatering process of sludge by chemical conditioning and its potential influence on wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Wang, Shuo; Ma, Cong; Zhu, Yin; Yang, Yangkun; Du, Guocheng; Li, Ji

2018-06-15

FeCl 3 , quick lime, and cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) were used for excess sludge conditioning from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and the dewatering performance by different chemical conditioners was investigated. Experimental results showed that FeCl 3 could make small and concentrated sludge particles. Furthermore, new mineral phase structures for building a dewatering framework were obtained by the addition of quick lime, and the coagulation capacity was enhanced by the formation of colloid hydroxyl polymer, which was induced due to the alkaline environment. In addition, the floc particle size significantly increased after the CPAM dosage. The bound water could be released with the stripping of tightly bound extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Therefore, the dewatering performance and efficiencies were improved and subsequently the hypothetical sludge deep dewatering process was depicted in accordance with the variation of EPS. However, high-strength refractory organics in sludge filtrates caused by quick lime pyrolysis could lead to the unstable operation of the WWTP, because the relatively high concentrations of organic compounds with benzene were dominant in sludge dewatering filtrates.

Autoclaved sludge as the ideal seed to culture anammox bacteria: Reactor performance and microbial community diversity.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Bu, Cui-Na; Kang, Qi; Ahmad, Hafiz Adeel; Zhang, Jian; Gao, Baoyu; Ni, Shou-Qing

2017-11-01

Reducing activity of commensal bacteria in inocula may enhance anammox bacteria proliferation and realization of anammox process. Fast start-up of anammox process in an UASB reactor was successfully achieved by using autoclaved sludge (anaerobic granular sludge pretreated by autoclaving) and 0.3% active anammox sludge as inoculum. Continuous experiments indicated that R2 (autoclaved sludge addition) could shorten the start-up period from 72days to 63days. The first 50days anammox population specific growth rates (μ) of R1 (the control) and R2 were determined to be 0.014d -1 and 0.045d -1 using q-PCR assays. Analysis of coefficient of variations of nitrogen removal performance during days 96-225 indicated that R2 was more stable than R1. The Illumina MiSeq sequencing showed that autoclaving could decrease microbial diversity of sludge and enhance the abundance of anammox bacteria. Furthermore, PICRUSt community functions forecast and c-di-GMP measure illuminated the result of higher stability in R2. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forage and tree seedling growth in a soil with an encased swine sludge layer.

PubMed

Penn, Chad J; Will, Rodney; Fultz, Lisa; Hamilton, Doug

2013-10-15

The closure of swine farms requires decommissioning of lagoons that contain large amounts of swine solids (sludge). Sludge is typically transported and land applied to soils. However, in some cases this process could be economically prohibitive and/or unpractical. An alternative idea is to encase sludge with lagoon soil berms after removing overlying effluent, followed by establishment of forages or short-rotation woody crops on the encased sludge. The objective of this study was to investigate growth potential for several forages and tree species into a pure layer of swine sludge. Alfalfa (Meticago sativa), bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) were established in 40 cm deep pots consisting of a lagoon berm soil overlaying a sludge layer for 12 w followed by analysis of aboveground and belowground biomass production. "New" and "old" sludge was collected from an active 10 year old lagoon and decommissioned 50 year old lagoon, respectively. A control (soil only) was used. Encased sludge treatments increased forage biomass production. Sycamore and green ash were sensitive to new sludge but not old sludge as these species had less biomass production in new sludge than control and showed tissue trace nutrient deficiencies. While both sludge materials contained adequate nutrients, the new sludge had a salt concentration 1.8 times higher than old sludge as indicated by electrical conductivity (12.4 mS). Thus, the forage crops and black locust were able to thrive in new sludge due to their salt tolerance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LESSONS LEARNED IN OPERATING THE HOSE-IN-HOSE SYSTEM FOR TRANSFSERRING SLUDGE AT HANFORDS K-BASINS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

PERES MW

In May 2007, the Department of Energy and the Fluor Hanford K Basin Closure Project completed transferring sludge from the K East Basin to new containers in the K West Basin using a Hose-in-Hose system. This project presented a number of complex and unique technical, operational, and management challenges that had to be resolved to complete the required transfers and satisfy project milestones. The project team (including DOE; regulators; and Fluor management, operations, maintenance, engineering and all other support organizations) found innovative solutions to each challenge. This paper records lessons learned during the operational phase of the sludge transfer viamore » the Hose-In-Hose system. The subject is limited to the operational phase and does not cover design, development, testing or turnover. A discussion of the situation or problem encountered is provided, along with the lesson learned as applicable to a future program or project.« less

High-rate activated sludge system for carbon management--Evaluation of crucial process mechanisms and design parameters.

PubMed

Jimenez, Jose; Miller, Mark; Bott, Charles; Murthy, Sudhir; De Clippeleir, Haydee; Wett, Bernhard

2015-12-15

The high-rate activated sludge (HRAS) process is a technology suitable for the removal and redirection of organics from wastewater to energy generating processes in an efficient manner. A HRAS pilot plant was operated under controlled conditions resulting in concentrating the influent particulate, colloidal, and soluble COD to a waste solids stream with minimal energy input by maximizing sludge production, bacterial storage, and bioflocculation. The impact of important process parameters such as solids retention time (SRT), hydraulic residence time (HRT) and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels on the performance of a HRAS system was demonstrated in a pilot study. The results showed that maximum removal efficiencies of soluble COD were reached at a DO > 0.3 mg O2/L, SRT > 0.5 days and HRT > 15 min which indicates that minimizing the oxidation of the soluble COD in the high-rate activated sludge process is difficult. The study of DO, SRT and HRT exhibited high degree of impact on the colloidal and particulate COD removal. Thus, more attention should be focused on controlling the removal of these COD fractions. Colloidal COD removal plateaued at a DO > 0.7 mg O2/L, SRT > 1.5 days and HRT > 30 min, similar to particulate COD removal. Concurrent increase in extracellular polymers (EPS) production in the reactor and the association of particulate and colloidal material into sludge flocs (bioflocculation) indicated carbon capture by biomass. The SRT impacted the overall mass and energy balance of the high-rate process indicating that at low SRT conditions, lower COD mineralization or loss of COD content occurred. In addition, the lower SRT conditions resulted in higher sludge yields and higher COD content in the WAS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of bacterial community in activated sludge with an anaerobic side-stream reactor (ASSR) to decrease the generation of excess sludge.

PubMed

Kim, Young Mo; Chon, Dong-Hyun; Kim, Hee-Sik; Park, Chul

2012-09-01

The goal of this study was to investigate the bacterial community in activated sludge with an anaerobic side-stream reactor (ASSR), a process permitting significant decrease in sludge production during wastewater treatment. The study operated five activated sludge systems with different sludge treatment schemes serving as various controls for the activated sludge with ASSR. Bacterial communities were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), sequencing and construction of phylogenetic relationships of the identified bacteria. The DGGE data showed that activated sludge incorporating ASSR contained higher diversity of bacteria, resulting from long solids retention time and recirculation of sludge under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The similarity of DGGE profiles between ASSR and separate anaerobic digester (control) was high indicating that ASSR is primarily related to conventional anaerobic digesters. Nevertheless, there was also unique bacteria community appearing in ASSR. Interestingly, sludge in the main system and in ASSR showed considerably different bacterial composition indicating that ASSR allowed enriching its own bacterial community different than that from the aeration basin, although two reactors were connected via sludge recirculation. In activated sludge with ASSR, sequences represented by predominant DGGE bands were affiliated with Proteobacteria. The remaining groups were composed of Spirochaetes, Clostridiales, Chloroflexi, and Actinobacteria. Their putative role in the activated sludge with ASSR is also discussed in this study. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effect of acidification on the dewaterability of sewage sludge in bioleaching].

PubMed

Zhu, Hai-Feng; Zhou, Li-Xiang; Wang, Dian-Zhan

2012-03-01

Batch experiments were performed to exploit the effect and the mechanism of bioleaching on sludge dewaterability by the inoculation of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 in this study. Besides, chemical leaching experiments using sulphuric acid were also performed as control to study the effect of acidification on sludge dewaterability. During the processes of both biological and chemical leaching, Zeta potential, cell lyses, morphology and structure of sludge flocs were monitored. Results showed that along with the acid production and hence the decrease of pH during bioleaching, the specific resistance of bioleached sludge decreased systematically from 1.81 x 10(12) m x kg(-1) to 0.59 x 10(12) m x kg(-1), whilst Zeta potential increased from -25.2 mV to 9.6 mV, and the natural sedimentation rate increased to as high as 48% at pH 2.90. In chemical leaching, the specific resistance decreased continuously to a minimum value of 2.6 x 10(12) m x kg(-1) at pH 3.35 and then started to increase. Zeta potential increased with the decrease of pH, and reached zero at pH 2.90. At strong acid condition, sludge cells could be decomposed, resulting in the increase of total dissolved phosphorus in centrifugal liquor of chemical leached sludge. However, this phenomenon was not observed in bioleaching process because that the phosphorus was utilized by the abundant microorganism in system. Observation by SEM showed that there was no obvious change in the flocs structure of both sludge at pH 3.35 except for that some secondary minerals appeared only in bioleached sludge. These results revealed that decrease of absolute value of Zeta potential and formation of secondary minerals caused by bioleaching were responsible for the improvement of sludge dewaterability.

Fate of cyanobacteria and their metabolites during water treatment sludge management processes.

PubMed

Ho, Lionel; Dreyfus, Jennifer; Boyer, Justine; Lowe, Todd; Bustamante, Heriberto; Duker, Phil; Meli, Tass; Newcombe, Gayle

2012-05-01

Cyanobacteria and their metabolites are an issue for water authorities; however, little is known as to the fate of coagulated cyanobacterial-laden sludge during waste management processes in water treatment plants (WTPs). This paper provides information on the cell integrity of Anabaena circinalis and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii during: laboratory-scale coagulation/sedimentation processes; direct filtration and backwashing procedures; and cyanobacterial-laden sludge management practices. In addition, the metabolites produced by A. circinalis (geosmin and saxitoxins) and C. raciborskii (cylindrospermopsin) were investigated with respect to their release (and possible degradation) during each of the studied processes. Where sedimentation was used, coagulation effectively removed cyanobacteria (and intracellular metabolites) without any considerable exertion on coagulant demand. During direct filtration experiments, cyanobacteria released intracellular metabolites through a stagnation period, suggesting that more frequent backwashing of filters may be required to prevent floc build-up and metabolite release. Cyanobacteria appeared to be protected within the flocs, with minimal damage during backwashing of the filters. Within coagulant sludge, cyanobacteria released intracellular metabolites into the supernatant after 3d, even though cells remained viable up to 7d. This work has improved the understanding of cyanobacterial metabolite risks associated with management of backwash water and sludge and is likely to facilitate improvements at WTPs, including increased monitoring and the application of treatment strategies and operational practices, with respect to cyanobacterial-laden sludge and/or supernatant recycle management. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Occurrence and fate of acrylamide in water-recycling systems and sludge in aggregate industries.

PubMed

Junqua, Guillaume; Spinelli, Sylvie; Gonzalez, Catherine

2015-05-01

Acrylamide is a hazardous substance having irritant and toxic properties as well as carcinogen, mutagen, and impaired fertility possible effects. Acrylamide might be found in the environment as a consequence of the use of polyacrylamides (PAMs) widely added as a flocculant for water treatment. Acrylamide is a monomer used to produce polyacrylamide (PAM) polymers. This reaction of polymerization can be incomplete, and acrylamide molecules can be present as traces in the commercial polymer. Thus, the use of PAMs may generate a release of acrylamide in the environment. In aggregate industries, PAM is widely involved in recycling process and water reuse (aggregate washing). Indeed, these industries consume large quantities of water. Thus, European and French regulations have favored loops of recycling of water in order to reduce water withdrawals. The main goal of this article is to study the occurrence and fate of acrylamide in water-recycling process as well as in the sludge produced by the flocculation treatment process in aggregate production plants. Moreover, to strengthen the relevance of this article, the objective is also to demonstrate if the recycling system leads to an accumulation effect in waters and sludge and if free acrylamide could be released by sludge during their storage. To reach this objective, water sampled at different steps of recycling water process has been analyzed as well as different sludge corresponding to various storage times. The obtained results reveal no accumulation effect in the water of the water-recycling system nor in the sludge.

Impacts of a participatory approach to assess sustainable sewage treatment technologies for urban fringe of Surat city in India.

PubMed

Vashi, A N; Shah, N C

2008-01-01

This paper describes the assessment of the sustainability of a number of different sewage treatment technologies by means of a multi-criteria, participatory method for a scattered settlement of urban fringe of Surat. The special efforts have been made for the broad participation to achieve stronger democracy, better quality of the end product, and a more effective process. The mere participation of technocrats and bureaucrats certainly lead to the greater efficiency in working methods. However, the ultimate goal of sustainable developments of such technologies could not be reached in absence of democratic participation and social learning. Keeping this important aspect in view for assessment of sustainability, the detailed study was conducted in the presence of policy makers and stakeholders, academicians, technical experts, finance managers and NGO, to find out sustainability criteria and indicators for three different sewage treatment technologies: (A) Conventional Activated Sludge Process (B) Extended Aeration System, and (C) Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) Reactor followed by Aerated Lagoon and Polishing Pond. Technologies were compared according to four criteria subdivided into twenty operational indicators. Criteria and indicators were evaluated as in a weighted-scale matrix. In India, sustainability criteria used in this type of comparisons are often restricted to a limited set of environmental impacts and financial costs but in this study additional criteria were evaluated including economic, social, and technical aspects. Based on the values assigned by the panel, the Sustainability Index (SI) was calculated for each technology. According to the SI and a predefined scale, sustainability was medium for options A and B, whereas high for option C. The purpose of this study is to provide a basis for the selection of a particular technology based on a rational and democratic assessment of its contribution to sustainability in the local and global context. IWA Publishing 2008.

Evaluation Of Sludge Heel Dissolution Efficiency With Oxalic Acid Cleaning At Savannah River Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sudduth, Christie; Vitali, Jason; Keefer, Mark

The chemical cleaning process baseline strategy at the Savannah River Site was revised to improve efficiency during future execution of the process based on lessons learned during previous bulk oxalic acid cleaning activities and to account for operational constraints imposed by safety basis requirements. These improvements were also intended to transcend the difficulties that arise from waste removal in higher rheological yield stress sludge tanks. Tank 12 implemented this improved strategy and the bulk oxalic acid cleaning efforts concluded in July 2013. The Tank 12 radiological removal results were similar to previous bulk oxalic acid cleaning campaigns despite the factmore » that Tank 12 contained higher rheological yield stress sludge that would make removal more difficult than the sludge treated in previous cleaning campaigns. No appreciable oxalate precipitation occurred during the cleaning process in Tank 12 compared to previous campaigns, which aided in the net volume reduction of 75-80%. Overall, the controls established for Tank 12 provide a template for an improved cleaning process.« less

Modeling of the reburning process using sewage sludge-derived syngas.

PubMed

Werle, Sebastian

2012-04-01

Gasification of sewage sludge can provide clean and effective reburning fuel for combustion applications. The motivation of this work was to define the reburning potential of the sewage sludge gasification gas (syngas). A numerical simulation of the co-combustion process of syngas in a hard coal-fired boiler was done. All calculations were performed using the Chemkin programme and a plug-flow reactor model was used. The calculations were modelled using the GRI-Mech 2.11 mechanism. The highest conversions for nitric oxide (NO) were obtained at temperatures of approximately 1000-1200K. The combustion of hard coal with sewage sludge-derived syngas reduces NO emissions. The highest reduction efficiency (>90%) was achieved when the molar flow ratio of the syngas was 15%. Calculations show that the analysed syngas can provide better results than advanced reburning (connected with ammonia injection), which is more complicated process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inhibition Of Washed Sludge With Sodium Nitrite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Congdon, J. W.; Lozier, J. S.

2012-09-25

This report describes the results of electrochemical tests used to determine the relationship between the concentration of the aggressive anions in washed sludge and the minimum effective inhibitor concentration. Sodium nitrate was added as the inhibitor because of its compatibility with the DWPF process. A minimum of 0.05M nitrite is required to inhibit the washed sludge simulant solution used in this study. When the worst case compositions and safety margins are considered, it is expected that a minimum operating limit of nearly 0.1M nitrite will be specified. The validity of this limit is dependent on the accuracy of the concentrationsmore » and solubility splits previously reported. Sodium nitrite additions to obtain 0.1M nitrite concentrations in washed sludge will necessitate the additional washing of washed precipitate in order to decrease its sodium nitrite inhibitor requirements sufficiently to remain below the sodium limits in the feed to the DWPF. Nitrite will be the controlling anion in "fresh" washed sludge unless the soluble chloride concentration is about ten times higher than predicted by the solubility splits. Inhibition of "aged" washed sludge will not be a problem unless significant chloride dissolution occurs during storage. It will be very important tomonitor the composition of washed sludge during processing and storage.« less

Comparison of biodiesel production from sewage sludge obtained from the A²/O and MBR processes by in situ transesterification.

PubMed

Qi, Juanjuan; Zhu, Fenfen; Wei, Xiang; Zhao, Luyao; Xiong, Yiqun; Wu, Xuemin; Yan, Fawei

2016-03-01

The potential of two types of sludge obtained from the anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A(2)/O) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) processes as lipid feedstock for biodiesel production via in situ transesterification was investigated. Experiments were conducted to determine the optimum conditions for biodiesel yield using three-factor and four-level orthogonal and single-factor tests. Several factors, namely, methanol-to-sludge mass ratio, acid concentration, and temperature, were examined. The optimum yield of biodiesel (16.6% with a fatty acid methyl ester purity of 96.7%) from A(2)/O sludge was obtained at a methanol-to-sludge mass ratio of 10:1, a temperature of 60°C, and a H2SO4 concentration of 5% (v/v). Meanwhile, the optimum yield of biodiesel (4.2% with a fatty acid methyl ester purity of 92.7%) from MBR sludge was obtained at a methanol-to-sludge mass ratio of 8:1, a temperature of 50°C, and a H2SO4 concentration of 5% (v/v). In this research, A(2)/O technology with a primary sedimentation tank is more favorable for obtaining energy from wastewater than MBR technology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Anaerobic biodegradation of phthalic acid esters (Paes) in municipal sludge].

PubMed

Liang, Zhi-Feng; Zhou, Wen; Lin, Qing-Qi; Yang, Xiu-Hong; Wang, Shi-Zhong; Cai, Xin-De; Qiu, Rong-Liang

2014-04-01

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), a class of organic pollutants with potent endocrine-disrupting properties, are widely present in municipal sludge. Study of PAEs biodegradation under different anaerobic biological treatment processes of sludge is, therefore, essential for a safe use of sludge in agricultural practice. In this study, we selected two major sludge PAEs, i.e. di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-(2-enthylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), to investigate their biodegradation behaviors in an anaerobic sludge digestion system and a fermentative hydrogen production system. The possible factors influencing PAEs biodegradation in relation to changes of sludge properties were also discussed. The results showed that the biodegradation of DBP reached 99.6% within 6 days, while that of DEHP was 46.1% during a 14-day incubation period in the anaerobic digestion system. By comparison, only 19.5% of DBP was degraded within 14 days in the fermentative hydrogen production system, while no degradation was detected for DEHP. The strong inhibition of the degradation of both PAEs in the fermentative hydrogen production system was ascribed to the decreases in microbial biomass and ratios of gram-positive bacteria/gram-negative bacteria and fungi/ bacteria, and the increase of concentrations of volatile fatty acids (e. g. acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid) during the fermentative hydrogen-producing process.

SUPERFUND TREATABILITY CLEARINGHOUSE: WORK PLAN FOR BIODEGRADATION OF POLY-CHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS) AT A SUPERFUND SITE

EPA Science Inventory

This document is composed of a work plan and additional technical information which demonstrates the qualifications of Detox Industries, Inc. to conduct remediation of a PCB contaminated sludge at General Motors (GM) plant in New York. Provided are the results of a field demons...

Review of Solids Handling. Student Manual. Biological Treatment Process Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnegie, John W.

This student manual contains the textual material for a single-lesson unit which summarizes and reviews most of the solids handling processes in common use in municipal treatment plants. No attempt is made to detail the theory and operation of the processes. Topics discussed include: (1) sources of sludge; (2) the importance of sludge management;…

Commercialization of New Beam Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKeown, Joseph

1996-05-01

The commercialization of electron processing applications is driven by demonstrated technical advantages over current practice. Mature and reliable accelerator technology has permitted more consistent product quality and the development of new processes. However, the barriers to commercial adoption are often not amenable to solution within the laboratory alone. Aspects of the base accelerator technology, plant engineering, production, project management, financing, regulatory control, product throughput and plant operational efficiency all contribute to the business risk. Experiences in building three 10 MeV, 50 kW, IMPELA electron accelerators at approximately 8 M each and achieving cumulative operational availability greater than 98% in commercial environments have identified key parameters defining those aspects. The allowed ranges of these parameters to generate the 1.5 M annual revenue that is typically necessary to support outlays of this scale are presented. Such data have been used in proposals to displace expensive chemicals in the viscose industry, sterilize sewage sludge, detoxify chemically contaminated soils and build radiation service centers for a diversity of applications. The proposals face stiff competition from traditional chemical methods. Quantitative technical and business details of these activities are provided and an attempt is made to establish realistic expectations for the exploitation of electron beam technologies in emerging applications.

Anaerobic treatment of sludge from a nitrification-denitrification landfill leachate plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maranon, E.; Castrillon, L.; Fernandez, Y.

2006-07-01

The viability of anaerobic digestion of sludge from a MSW landfill leachate treatment plant, with COD values ranging between 15,000 and 19,400 mg O{sub 2} dm{sup -3}, in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor was studied. The reactor employed had a useful capacity of 9 l, operating at mesophilic temperature. Start-up of the reactor was carried out in different steps, beginning with diluted sludge and progressively increasing the amount of sludge fed into the reactor. The study was carried out over a period of 7 months. Different amounts of methanol were added to the feed, ranging between 6.75 and 1more » cm{sup 3} dm{sup -3} of feed in order to favour the growth of methanogenic flora. The achieved biodegradation of the sludge using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket Reactor was very high for an HRT of 9 days, obtaining decreases in COD of 84-87% by the end of the process. Purging of the digested sludge represented {approx}16% of the volume of the treated sludge.« less

Extracellular protein analysis of activated sludge and their functions in wastewater treatment plant by shotgun proteomics.

PubMed

Zhang, Peng; Shen, Yu; Guo, Jin-Song; Li, Chun; Wang, Han; Chen, You-Peng; Yan, Peng; Yang, Ji-Xiang; Fang, Fang

2015-07-10

In this work, proteins in extracellular polymeric substances extracted from anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic sludges of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were analyzed to probe their origins and functions. Extracellular proteins in WWTP sludges were identified using shotgun proteomics, and 130, 108 and 114 proteins in anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic samples were classified, respectively. Most proteins originated from cell and cell part, and their most major molecular functions were catalytic activity and binding activity. The results exhibited that the main roles of extracellular proteins in activated sludges were multivalence cations and organic molecules binding, as well as in catalysis and degradation. The catalytic activity proteins were more widespread in anaerobic sludge compared with those in anoxic and aerobic sludges. The structure difference between anaerobic and aerobic sludges could be associated with their catalytic activities proteins. The results also put forward a relation between the macro characteristics of activated sludges and micro functions of extracellular proteins in biological wastewater treatment process.

Enhancement of sludge reduction and methane production by removing extracellular polymeric substances from waste activated sludge.

PubMed

Nguyen, Minh Tuan; Mohd Yasin, Nazlina Haiza; Miyazaki, Toshiki; Maeda, Toshinari

2014-12-01

The management of waste activated sludge (WAS) recycling is a concern that affects the development of the future low-carbon society, particularly sludge reduction and biomass utilization. In this study, we investigated the effect of removing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which play important roles in the adhesion and flocculation of WAS, on increased sludge disintegration, thereby enhancing sludge reduction and methane production by anaerobic digestion. EPS removal from WAS by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) significantly enhanced sludge reduction, i.e., 49 ± 5% compared with 27 ± 1% of the control at the end the digestion process. Methane production was also improved in WAS without EPS by 8881 ± 109 CH4 μmol g(-1) dry-weight of sludge. Microbial activity was determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time polymerase chain reaction, which showed that the hydrolysis and acetogenesis stages were enhanced by pretreatment with 2% EDTA, with a larger methanogenic community and better methane production. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leaching of Heavy Metals Using SPLP Method from Fired Clay Brick Incorporating with Sewage Sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadir, Aeslina Abdul; Salim, Nurul Salhana Abdul; Amira Sarani, Noor; Aqma Izurin Rahmat, Nur

2017-05-01

Sewage sludge is a by-product generate from wastewater treatment process. The sewage sludge contains significant trace metal such as Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb which are toxic to the environment. Sewage sludge is disposed of by landfilling method. However, this option not suitable because of land restriction and environmental control regulations imposed. Therefore, sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plant was incorporated into fired clay brick to produce good quality of brick as well as reducing heavy metals from sludge itself. Sewage sludge with 0%, 1%, 5%, 10% and 20% of were incorporated into fired clay bricks and fired at 1050°C temperature with heating rates of 1°C/min. The brick sample then crushed and sieved through 9.5 mm sieve for Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP). From the results, incorporation up to 20% of sewage sludge has leached less heavy metals and compliance with USEPA standard.

Drying or anaerobic digestion of fish sludge: Nitrogen fertilisation effects and logistics.

PubMed

Brod, Eva; Oppen, Johan; Kristoffersen, Annbjørg Øverli; Haraldsen, Trond Knapp; Krogstad, Tore

2017-12-01

Application of fish sludge as fertiliser to agricultural land can contribute to closing nutrient cycles in fish farming. The effect of different treatment technologies on the nitrogen fertilisation effects of fish sludge was studied by a bioassay with barley (Hordeum vulgare), an incubation and a field experiment. Dried fish sludge resulted in relative agronomic efficiency of 50-80% compared with mineral fertiliser. The anaerobic digestate based on fish sludge (20 vol%) and dairy manure did not increase nitrogen uptake in barley. Increasing the ratio of fish sludge in the digestate increased the fertilisation effect, but requires optimisation of the biogas process. A simple logistics analysis conducted for a case hatchery showed that on-site drying and co-digestion of fish sludge in a central biogas plant can be regarded as equal in terms of costs. Norway can become an exporter of fish sludge-based recycling fertilisers if current regulations are modified to facilitate nutrient recycling.

Two-phase anaerobic digestion of partially acidified sewage sludge: a pilot plant study for safe sludge disposal in developing countries.

PubMed

Passio, Luca; Rizzoa, Luigi; Fuchs, Stephan

2012-09-01

The unsafe disposal of wastewater and sludge in different areas of developing countries results in significant environmental pollution, particularly for groundwater, thus increasing the risk of waterborne diseases spreading. In this work, a two-phase anaerobic digestion process for post-treatment of partially acidified sewage sludge was investigated to evaluate its feasibility as a safe sludge disposal system. Pilot tests showed that an effective sludge stabilization can be achieved (total volatile solids content <65%, organic acid concentration <200 mg/L at flow rate = 50 L/d and hydraulic residence time = 18 d) as well as a relative low faecal coliform density (<1000 most probable number per g total solids), showing that land application of the sludge without restrictions is possible according to US Environmental Protection Agency criteria for safe sludge disposal. A biogas production as high as 390 L/d with a 60% methane content by volume was achieved, showing that energy production from biogas may be achieved as well.

Effect of calcium oxide (CaO) and sawdust on adhesion and cohesion characteristics of sewage sludge under agitated and non-agitated drying conditions.

PubMed

Deng, Wen-Yi; Yuan, Min-Hao; Mei, Jing; Liu, Ya-Jun; Su, Ya-Xin

2017-03-01

Stickiness phenomenon is widely observed in sewage sludge drying practices. This paper is aimed at demonstrating and comparing the sticky properties of sewage sludge through non-agitated and agitated drying tests specially designed for sewage sludge. Special attentions were paid to the effects of additives, i.e. CaO, fine sawdust (FSD) and coarse sawdust (CSD), on the adhesive and cohesive characteristics of sewage sludge. The results indicated that the sticky properties of the sludge were markedly different under the different testing methods, and was also greatly influenced by CaO or sawdust addition. For instance, in the non-agitated drying tests, CaO can significantly enhance the maximum adhesive and cohesive stresses of the sludge, whereas in the agitated drying tests, the torque of agitation, which strongly correlated with the cohesive stress of the sludge, was lowered by CaO addition. During agitated drying process, sludge lump with CaO addition started to break up at higher moisture content than that of original sludge. On the other hand, sawdust also affected the sticky properties of sludge in a way that was totally different with CaO. After sawdust addition (at 5-10%WS (wet sludge basis)), the cohesive stress of the sludge was markedly increased due to strengthening of mechanical interlocking inside the sludge, whereas the adhesiveness of the sludge was lowered by sawdust addition. The influencing mechanisms of CaO and sawdust under the different testing methods were detailedly discussed in the paper. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of sludge treatments on the extractability and fate of acetyl sulfamethoxazole residues in amended soils.

PubMed

Geng, Chunnu; Bergheaud, Valérie; Garnier, Patricia; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Haudin, Claire-Sophie

2018-03-01

Sludge recycled in agriculture may bring antibiotics into cropped soils. The nature, total amount, and availability of the antibiotics in soil partly depend on the sludge treatments. Our paper compares the fate of N-acetyl sulfamethoxazole (AC-SMX) residues between soils incubated with the same sludge but submitted to different processes before being added in soil. The fate of 14 C-AC-SMX residues was studied in mixtures of soil and sludges at different treatment levels: 1) activated and 2) centrifuged sludges, both enriched with 14 C-AC-SMX, and 3) limed and 4) heat-dried sludges obtained by treating the previously contaminated centrifuged sludge. The evolution of the extractability of 14 C residues (CaCl 2 , methanol) and their mineralization were followed during 119 days. More than 80% of the initial 14 C-activity was no longer extractable after 14 days, except in soil with limed sludge. Liming and drying the centrifuged sludge decreased the mineralized 14 C fraction from 5.7-6.4% to 1.2-1.8% and consequently, the corresponding soils contained more 14 C residues after 119 days. Although 14 C residues were more CaCl 2 -extractable in soil with limed sludge, they seemed to be poorly bioavailable for biodegradation. For all solid sludges, the mineralization rate of 14 C-AC-SMX residues was strongly correlated to that of sludge organic carbon, with a coefficient three times lower for the limed and dried sludges than for the centrifuged sludge after 14 days. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fate of heavy metals and major nutrients in a sludge-soil-plant-leachate system during the sludge phyto-treatment process.

PubMed

Xu, Tianfen; Qiu, Jinrong; Wu, Qi-Tang; Guo, Xiaofang; Wei, Zebin; Xie, Fangwen; Wong, Jonathan W C

2013-01-01

Land application of sewage sludge usually leads to increased levels of heavy metals in soil, plants and groundwater. Pre-treatment using plants has been proposed to reduce the contents of heavy metals and water in sludge prior to land application. This study quantified the transfer of Zn, Cd, Pb and major nutrients in a sludge-soil-plant-leachate system during the treatment of sewage sludge. To accomplish this, a two year pot experiment was carried out to collect leachate, mono- and co-cropping of Sedum alfredii and feed crops was conducted in sludge with an under-layer soil support. Sludge phyto-treatment increased Zn and Cd concentrations in the under-layer soil, but not Pb. Specifically, 70%, 70% and 80% of the original Zn, Cd and Pb, respectively, remained in the sludge, while about 40%, 70% and 60% of the original N, P and K remained. Only 3% to 5% of Cd and Zn and < 1% of Pb were transferred into the under-layer soils or leachates, while more than 12% of the N and P were transferred. Co-planting S. alfredii and feed crops led to a significant reduction of heavy metals in leachates when compared with sludge without planting. Overall, sludge leachate is more appropriate than whole sludge for recycling in agriculture since it reduces the chance of heavy metal contamination in the agro-ecosystem; therefore, co-cropping phytotreatment of sludge can be coupled with sludge leachate recycling for crop production and re-collection of the sludge residue for landfilling.

Electricity generation and in situ phosphate recovery from enhanced biological phosphorus removal sludge by electrodialysis membrane bioreactor.

PubMed

Geng, Yi-Kun; Wang, Yunkun; Pan, Xin-Rong; Sheng, Guo-Ping

2018-01-01

In this study, a novel electrodialysis membrane bioreactor was used for EBPR sludge treatment for energy and phosphorus resource recovery simultaneously. After 30days stable voltage outputting, the maximum power density reached 0.32W/m 3 . Over 90% of phosphorus in EBPR sludge was released while about 50% of phosphorus was concentrated to 4mmol/L as relatively pure phosphate solution. Nitrogen could be removed from EBPR sludge by desalination and denitrification processes. This study provides an optimized way treating sludge for energy production and in situ phosphorus recovery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Results of Fall 1994 sampling of gunite and associated tanks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1995-06-01

This Technical Memorandum, was developed under Work Breakdown Structure 1.4.12.6.1.01.41.12.02. 11 (Activity Data Sheet 3301, ``WAG 1``). This document provides the Environmental Restoration Program with analytical results from liquid and sludge samples from the Gunite and Associated Tanks (GAAT). Information provided in this report forms part of the technical basis for criticality safety, systems safety, engineering design, and waste management as they apply to the GAAT treatability study and remediation.

Sludge reduction in a small wastewater treatment plant by electro-kinetic disintegration.

PubMed

Chiavola, Agostina; Ridolfi, Alessandra; D'Amato, Emilio; Bongirolami, Simona; Cima, Ennio; Sirini, Piero; Gavasci, Renato

2015-01-01

Sludge reduction in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) has recently become a key issue for the managing companies, due to the increasing constraints on the disposal alternatives. Therefore, all the solutions proposed with the aim of minimizing sludge production are receiving increasing attention and are tested either at laboratory or full-scale to evaluate their real effectiveness. In the present paper, electro-kinetic disintegration has been applied at full-scale in the recycle loop of the sludge drawn from the secondary settlement tank of a small WWTP for domestic sewage. After the disintegration stage, the treated sludge was returned to the biological reactor. Three different percentages (50, 75 and 100%) of the return sludge flow rate were subjected to disintegration and the effects on the sludge production and the WWTP operation efficiency evaluated. The long-term observations showed that the electro-kinetic disintegration was able to drastically reduce the amount of biological sludge produced by the plant, without affecting its treatment efficiency. The highest reduction was achieved when 100% return sludge flow rate was subjected to the disintegration process. The reduced sludge production gave rise to a considerable net cost saving for the company which manages the plant.

Effect of potassium ferrate on disintegration of waste activated sludge (WAS).

PubMed

Ye, Fenxia; Ji, Haizhuang; Ye, Yangfang

2012-06-15

The activated sludge process of wastewater treatment results in the generation of a considerable amount of excess activated sludge. Increased attention has been given to minimization of waste activated sludge recently. This paper investigated the effect of potassium ferrate oxidation pretreatment on the disintegration of the waste activated sludge at various dosages of potassium ferrate. The results show that potassium ferrate pretreatment disintegrated the sludge particle, resulting in the reduction of total solid content by 31%. The solubility (SCOD/TCOD) of the sludge increased with the increase of potassium ferrate dosage. Under 0.81 g/g SS dosage of potassium ferrate, SCOD/TCOD reached 0.32. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) concentrations in the solution all increased significantly after potassium ferrate pretreatment. The sludge particles reduced from 116 to 87 μm. The settleability of the sludge (SVI) was enhanced by 17%, which was due to the re-flocculation by the by-product, Fe(III), during potassium ferrate oxidation and the decrease of the viscosity. From the result of the present investigations, it can be concluded that potassium ferrate oxidation is a feasible method for disintegration of excess activated sludge. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: Effects of Treatment.

PubMed

Mahon, A M; O'Connell, B; Healy, M G; O'Connor, I; Officer, R; Nash, R; Morrison, L

2017-01-17

Waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) are receptors for the cumulative loading of microplastics (MPs) derived from industry, landfill, domestic wastewater and stormwater. The partitioning of MPs through the settlement processes of wastewater treatment results in the majority becoming entrained in the sewage sludge. This study characterized MPs in sludge samples from seven WWTPs in Ireland which use anaerobic digestion (AD), thermal drying (TD), or lime stabilization (LS) treatment processes. Abundances ranged from 4196 to 15 385 particles kg -1 (dry weight). Results of a general linear mixed model (GLMM) showed significantly higher abundances of MPs in smaller size classes in the LS samples, suggesting that the treatment process of LS shears MP particles. In contrast, lower abundances of MPs found in the AD samples suggests that this process may reduce MP abundances. Surface morphologies examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed characteristics of melting and blistering of TD MPs and shredding and flaking of LS MPs. This study highlights the potential for sewage sludge treatment processes to affect the risk of MP pollution prior to land spreading and may have implications for legislation governing the application of biosolids to agricultural land.

Biosorption of Cu(II) by powdered anaerobic granular sludge from aqueous medium.

PubMed

Zhou, Xu; Chen, Chuan; Wang, Aijie; Jiang, Guangming; Liu, Lihong; Xu, Xijun; Yuan, Ye; Lee, Duu-Jung; Ren, Nanqi

2013-01-01

Copper(II) biosorption processes by two pre-treated powdered anaerobic granular sludges (PAGS) (original sludges were methanogenic anaerobic granules and denitrifying sulfide removal (DSR) anaerobic granules) were investigated through batch tests. Factors affecting the biosorption process, such as pH, temperature and initial copper concentrations, were examined. Also, the physico-chemical characteristics of the anaerobic sludge were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy image, surface area and elemental analysis. A second-order kinetic model was applied to describe the biosorption process, and the model could fit the biosorption process. The Freundlich model was used for describing the adsorption equilibrium data and could fit the equilibrium data well. It was found that the methanogenic PAGS was more effective in Copper(II) biosorption process than the DSR PAGS, whose maximum biosorption capacity was 39.6% lower. The mechanisms of the biosorption capacities for different PAGS were discussed, and the conclusion suggested that the environment and biochemical reactions during the growth of biomass may have affected the structure of the PAGS. The methanogenic PAGS had larger specific surface area and more biosorption capacity than the DSR PAGS.

Rise Time. Operational Control Tests for Wastewater Treatment Facilities. Instructor's Manual [and] Student Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnegie, John W.

The rise time test (along with the settleometer procedure) is used to monitor sludge behavior in the secondary clarifier of an activated sludge system. The test monitors the effect of the nitrification/denitrification process and aids the operator in determining optimum clarifier sludge detention time and, to some extent, optimum degree of…

Heat Treatment. Sludge Treatment and Disposal Course #166. Instructor's Guide [and] Student Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filer, Herb; Broste, Dale

This lesson was developed for a course in sludge treatment and disposal. The lesson describes the Porteous heat treatment method of sludge conditioning and compares that system to the Zimpro wet air oxidation process. The theory of heat treatment, system of components and functions, and concepts of operation are addressed in the lesson. The…

Operational Control Procedures for the Activated Sludge Process: Appendix.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Alfred W.

This document is the appendix for a series of documents developed by the National Training and Operational Technology Center describing operational control procedures for the activated sludge process used in wastewater treatment. Categories discussed include: control test data, trend charts, moving averages, semi-logarithmic plots, probability…

Enhancement of anaerobic sludge digestion by high-pressure homogenization.

PubMed

Zhang, Sheng; Zhang, Panyue; Zhang, Guangming; Fan, Jie; Zhang, Yuxuan

2012-08-01

To improve anaerobic sludge digestion efficiency, the effects of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) conditions on the anaerobic sludge digestion were investigated. The VS and TCOD were significantly removed with the anaerobic digestion, and the VS removal and TCOD removal increased with increasing the homogenization pressure and homogenization cycle number; correspondingly, the accumulative biogas production also increased with increasing the homogenization pressure and homogenization cycle number. The optimal homogenization pressure was 50 MPa for one homogenization cycle and 40 MPa for two homogenization cycles. The SCOD of the sludge supernatant significantly increased with increasing the homogenization pressure and homogenization cycle number due to the sludge disintegration. The relationship between the biogas production and the sludge disintegration showed that the accumulative biogas and methane production were mainly enhanced by the sludge disintegration, which accelerated the anaerobic digestion process and improved the methane content in the biogas. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Operational Control Procedures for the Activated Sludge Process, Part III-B: Calculation Procedures for Step-Feed Process Responses and Addendum No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Alfred W.

This is the third in a series of documents developed by the National Training and Operational Technology Center describing operational control procedures for the activated sludge process used in wastewater treatment. This document deals with the calculation procedures associated with a step-feed process. Illustrations and examples are included to…

Deep Sludge Gas Release Event Analytical Evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sams, Terry L.

2013-08-15

Long Abstract. Full Text. The purpose of the Deep Sludge Gas Release Event Analytical Evaluation (DSGRE-AE) is to evaluate the postulated hypothesis that a hydrogen GRE may occur in Hanford tanks containing waste sludges at levels greater than previously experienced. There is a need to understand gas retention and release hazards in sludge beds which are 200 -300 inches deep. These sludge beds are deeper than historical Hanford sludge waste beds, and are created when waste is retrieved from older single-shell tanks (SST) and transferred to newer double-shell tanks (DST).Retrieval of waste from SSTs reduces the risk to the environmentmore » from leakage or potential leakage of waste into the ground from these tanks. However, the possibility of an energetic event (flammable gas accident) in the retrieval receiver DST is worse than slow leakage. Lines of inquiry, therefore, are (1) can sludge waste be stored safely in deep beds; (2) can gas release events (GRE) be prevented by periodically degassing the sludge (e.g., mixer pump); or (3) does the retrieval strategy need to be altered to limit sludge bed height by retrieving into additional DSTs? The scope of this effort is to provide expert advice on whether or not to move forward with the generation of deep beds of sludge through retrieval of C-Farm tanks. Evaluation of possible mitigation methods (e.g., using mixer pumps to release gas, retrieving into an additional DST) are being evaluated by a second team and are not discussed in this report. While available data and engineering judgment indicate that increased gas retention (retained gas fraction) in DST sludge at depths resulting from the completion of SST 241-C Tank Farm retrievals is not expected and, even if gas releases were to occur, they would be small and local, a positive USQ was declared (Occurrence Report EM-RP--WRPS-TANKFARM-2012-0014, "Potential Exists for a Large Spontaneous Gas Release Event in Deep Settled Waste Sludge"). The purpose of this technical report is to (1) present and discuss current understandings of gas retention and release mechanisms for deep sludge in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex waste storage tanks; and (2) to identify viable methods/criteria for demonstrating safety relative to deep sludge gas release events (DSGRE) in the near term to support the Hanford C-Farm retrieval mission. A secondary purpose is to identify viable methods/criteria for demonstrating safety relative to DSGREs in the longer term to support the mission to retrieve waste from the Hanford Tank Farms and deliver it to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The potential DSGRE issue resulted in the declaration of a positive Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ). C-Farm retrievals are currently proceeding under a Justification for Continued Operation (JCO) that only allows tanks 241-AN-101 and 241-AN-106 sludge levels of 192 inches and 195 inches, respectively. C-Farm retrievals need deeper sludge levels (approximately 310 inches in 241-AN-101 and approximately 250 inches in 241-AN-106). This effort is to provide analytical data and justification to continue retrievals in a safe and efficient manner.« less

[Effects of ultrasonic pretreatment on drying characteristics of sewage sludge].

PubMed

Li, Run-Dong; Yang, Yu-Ting; Li, Yan-Long; Niu, Hui-Chang; Wei, Li-Hong; Sun, Yang; Ke, Xin

2009-11-01

The high water content of sewage sludge has engendered many inconveniences to its treatment and disposal. While ultrasonic takes on unique advantages on the sludge drying because of its high ultrasonic power, mighty penetrating capability and the ability of causing cavitations. Thus this research studies the characteristics influences of ultrasonic bring to the sludge drying and effects of the exposure time, ultrasonic generator power, temperatures of ultrasonic and drying temperature on the drying characteristics of dewatered sludge. Results indicate that ultrasonic pretreatment could speed up evaporation of the free water in sludge surface and help to end the drying stage with constant speed. In addition, ultrasonic treatment can effectively improve the sludge drying efficiency which could be more evident with the rise of the ultrasonic power (100-250 W), ultrasonic temperature and drying temperature. If dried under low temperature such as 105 degrees C, sludge will have premium drying characteristics when radiated under ultrasound for a shorter time such as 3 min. In the end, the ultrasonic treatment is expected to be an effective way to the low-cost sludge drying and also be an important reference to the optimization of the sludge drying process because of its effects on the increase of sludge drying efficiency.

Testing of the Defense Waste Processing Facility Cold Chemical Dissolution Method in Sludge Batch 9 Qualification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwards, T.; Pareizs, J.; Coleman, C.

For each sludge batch that is processed in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) tests the applicability of the digestion methods used by the DWPF Laboratory for elemental analysis of Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) Receipt samples and SRAT Product process control samples. DWPF SRAT samples are typically dissolved using a method referred to as the DWPF Cold Chemical or Cold Chem Method (CC), (see DWPF Procedure SW4- 15.201). Testing indicates that the CC method produced mixed results. The CC method did not result in complete dissolution of either the SRAT Receipt ormore » SRAT Product with some fine, dark solids remaining. However, elemental analyses did not reveal extreme biases for the major elements in the sludge when compared with analyses obtained following dissolution by hot aqua regia (AR) or sodium peroxide fusion (PF) methods. The CC elemental analyses agreed with the AR and PF methods well enough that it should be adequate for routine process control analyses in the DWPF after much more extensive side-by-side tests of the CC method and the PF method are performed on the first 10 SRAT cycles of the Sludge Batch 9 (SB9) campaign. The DWPF Laboratory should continue with their plans for further tests of the CC method during these 10 SRAT cycles.« less

Optimization of a thermal hydrolysis process for sludge pre-treatment.

PubMed

Sapkaite, I; Barrado, E; Fdz-Polanco, F; Pérez-Elvira, S I

2017-05-01

At industrial scale, thermal hydrolysis is the most used process to enhance biodegradability of the sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants. Through statistically guided Box-Behnken experimental design, the present study analyses the effect of TH as pre-treatment applied to activated sludge. The selected process variables were temperature (130-180 °C), time (5-50 min) and decompression mode (slow or steam-explosion effect), and the parameters evaluated were sludge solubilisation and methane production by anaerobic digestion. A quadratic polynomial model was generated to compare the process performance for the 15 different combinations of operation conditions by modifying the process variables evaluated. The statistical analysis performed exhibited that methane production and solubility were significantly affected by pre-treatment time and temperature. During high intensity pre-treatment (high temperature and long times), the solubility increased sharply while the methane production exhibited the opposite behaviour, indicating the formation of some soluble but non-biodegradable materials. Therefore, solubilisation is not a reliable parameter to quantify the efficiency of a thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment, since it is not directly related to methane production. Based on the operational parameters optimization, the estimated optimal thermal hydrolysis conditions to enhance of sewage sludge digestion were: 140-170 °C heating temperature, 5-35min residence time, and one sudden decompression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Co-Processing Sewage Sludge in the Cement Kiln on PAHs, Heavy Metals Emissions and the Surrounding Environment.

PubMed

Lv, Dong; Zhu, Tianle; Liu, Runwei; Li, Xinghua; Zhao, Yuan; Sun, Ye; Wang, Hongmei; Zhang, Fan; Zhao, Qinglin

2018-04-08

To understand the effects of co-processing sewage sludge in the cement kiln on non-criterion pollutants emissions and its surrounding environment, the flue gas from a cement kiln stack, ambient air and soil from the background/downwind sites were collected in the cement plant. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals of the samples were analyzed. The results show that PAHs in flue gas mainly exist in the gas phase and the low molecular weight PAHs are the predominant congener. The co-processing sewage sludge results in the increase in PAHs and heavy metals emissions, especially high molecular weight PAHs and low-volatile heavy metals such as Cd and Pb in the particle phase, while it does not change their compositions and distribution patterns significantly. The concentrations and their distributions of the PAHs and heavy metals between the emissions and ambient air have a positive correlation and the co-processing sewage sludge results in the increase of PAHs and heavy metals concentrations in the ambient air. The PAHs concentration level and their distribution in soil are proportional to those in the particle phase of flue gas, and the co-processing sewage sludge can accelerate the accumulation of the PAHs and heavy metals in the surrounding soil, especially high/middle molecular weight PAHs and low-volatile heavy metals.

Self-heating of dried industrial tannery wastewater sludge induced by pyrophoric iron sulfides formation.

PubMed

Bertani, R; Biasin, A; Canu, P; Della Zassa, M; Refosco, D; Simionato, F; Zerlottin, M

2016-03-15

Similarly to many powders of solids, dried sludge originated from tannery wastewater may result in a self-heating process, under given circumstances. In most cases, it causes a moderate heating (reaching 70-90°C), but larger, off-design residence times in the drier, in a suboxic atmosphere, extremely reactive solids can be produced. Tannery waste contains several chemicals that mostly end up in the wastewater treatment sludge. Unexpected and uncontrolled self heating could lead to a combustion and even to environmental problems. Elaborating on previous studies, with the addition of several analytical determinations, before and after the self-heating, we attempted to formulate a mechanism for the onset of heating. We demonstrated that the system Fe/S/O has been involved in the process. We proved that the formation of small quantities of pyrophoric iron sulfides is the key. They are converted to sulfated by reaction with water and oxygen with exothermic processes. The pyrite/pyrrhotite production depends on the sludge drying process. The oxidation of sulfides to oxides and sulfates through exothermic steps, reasonably catalyzed by metals in the sludge, occurs preferentially in a moist environment. The mechanism has been proved by reproducing in the laboratory prolonged heating under anoxic/suboxic atmosphere. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relationship between microbial community dynamics and process performance during thermophilic sludge bioleaching.

PubMed

Chen, Shen-Yi; Chou, Li-Chieh

2016-08-01

Heavy metals can be removed from the sludge using bioleaching technologies at thermophilic condition, thereby providing an option for biotreatment of wasted sludge generated from wastewater treatment. The purposes of this study were to establish a molecular biology technique, real-time PCR, for the detection and enumeration of the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria during the thermophilic sludge bioleaching. The 16S rRNA gene for real-time PCR quantification targeted the bioleaching bacteria: Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans, Sulfobacillus acidophilus, and Acidithiobacillus caldus. The specificity and stringency for thermophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were tested before the experiments of monitoring the bacterial community, bacterial number during the thermophilic sludge bioleaching and the future application on testing various environmental samples. The results showed that S. acidophilus was identified as the dominant sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, while A. caldus and S. thermosulfidooxidans occurred in relatively low numbers. The total number of the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria increased during the thermophilic bioleaching process. Meanwhile, the decrease of pH, production of sulfate, degradation of SS/VSS, and solubilization of heavy metal were found to correlate well with the population of thermophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria during the bioleaching process. The real-time PCR used in this study is a suitable method to monitor numbers of thermophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria during the bioleaching process.

Mesophilic co-digestion of dairy manure and lipid rich solid slaughterhouse wastes: process efficiency, limitations and floating granules formation.

PubMed

Pitk, Peep; Palatsi, Jordi; Kaparaju, Prasad; Fernández, Belén; Vilu, Raivo

2014-08-01

Lipid and protein rich solid slaughterhouse wastes are attractive co-substrates to increase volumetric biogas production in co-digestion with dairy manure. Addition of decanter sludge (DS), containing 42.2% of lipids and 35.8% of proteins (total solids basis), up to 5% of feed mixture resulted in a stable process without any indication of long chain fatty acids (LCFA) or free ammonia (NH3) inhibition and in 3.5-fold increase of volumetric biogas production. Contrary, only lipids addition as technical fat (TF) at over 2% of feed mixture resulted in formation of floating granules (FG) and process efficiency decrease. Formed FG had low biodegradability and its organic part was composed of lipids and calcium salts of LCFAs. Anaerobic digestion process intentionally directed to FG formation, could be a viable option for mitigation and control of lipids overload and derived LCFA inhibition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sludge Settling Rate Observations and Projections at the Savannah River Site - 13238

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gillam, Jeffrey M.; Shah, Hasmukh B.; Keefer, Mark T.

2013-07-01

Since 2004, sludge batches have included a high percentage of stored sludge generated from the H- modified (HM) process. The slow-settling nature of HM sludge means that the settling is often the major part of the washing tank quiescent period between required pump runs to maintain flammability control. Reasonable settling projections are needed to wash soluble salts from sludge in an efficient manner, to determine how much sludge can be washed in a batch within flammability limits, and to provide composition projections for batch qualification work done in parallel with field preparation. Challenges to providing reasonably accurate settling projections includemore » (1) large variations in settling behavior from tank-to-tank, (2) accounting for changing initial concentrations, sludge masses, and combinations of different sludge types, (3) changing the settling behavior upon dissolving some sludge compounds, and (4) sludge preparation schedules that do not allow for much data collection for a particular sludge before washing begins. Scaling from laboratory settling tests has provided inconsistent results. Several techniques have been employed to improve settling projections and therefore the overall batch preparation efficiency. Before any observations can be made on a particular sludge mixture, projections can only be made based on historical experience with similar sludge types. However, scaling techniques can be applied to historical settling models to account for different sludge masses, concentrations, and even combinations of types of sludge. After sludge washing/settling cycles begin, the direct measurement of the sludge height, once generally limited to a single turbidity meter measurement per settle period, is now augmented by examining the temperature profile in the settling tank, to help determine the settled sludge height over time. Recently, a settling model examined at PNNL [1,2,3] has been applied to observed thermocouple and turbidity meter readings to quickly provide settling correlations to project settled heights for other conditions. These tools improve the accuracy and adaptability of short and mid-range planning for sludge batch preparation. (authors)« less

Combined mesophilic anaerobic and thermophilic aerobic digestion process for high-strength food wastewater to increase removal efficiency and reduce sludge discharge.

PubMed

Jang, H M; Park, S K; Ha, J H; Park, J M

2014-01-01

In this study, a process that combines the mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) process with thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD) for high-strength food wastewater (FWW) treatment was developed to examine the removal of organic matter and methane production. All effluent discharged from the MAD process was separated into solid and liquid portions. The liquid part was discarded and the sludge part was passed to the TAD process for further degradation. Then, the digested sludge from the TAD process was recycled back to the MAD unit to achieve low sludge discharge from the combined process. The reactor combination was operated in two phases: during Phase I, 40 d of total hydraulic retention time (HRT) was applied; during Phase II, 20 d was applied. HRT of the TAD process was fixed at 5 d. For a comparison, a control process (single-stage MAD) was operated with the same HRTs of the combined process. Our results indicated that the combined process showed over 90% total solids, volatile solids and chemical oxygen demand removal efficiencies. In addition, the combined process showed a significantly higher methane production rate than that of the control process. Consequently, the experimental data demonstrated that the combined MAD-TAD process was successfully employed for high-strength FWW treatment with highly efficient organic matter reduction and methane production.

Important operational parameters of membrane bioreactor-sludge disintegration (MBR-SD) system for zero excess sludge production.

PubMed

Yoon, Seong-Hoon

2003-04-01

In order to prevent excess sludge production during wastewater treatment, a membrane bioreactor-sludge disintegration (MBR-SD) system has been introduced, where the disintegrated sludge is recycled to the bioreactor as a feed solution. In this study, a mathematical model was developed by incorporating a sludge disintegration term into the conventional activated sludge model and the relationships among the operational parameters were investigated. A new definition of F/M ratio for the MBR-SD system was suggested to evaluate the actual organic loading rate. The actual F/M ratio was expected to be much higher than the apparent F/M ratio in MBR-SD. The kinetic parameters concerning the biodegradability of organics hardly affect the system performance. Instead, sludge solubilization ratio (alpha) in the SD process and particulate hydrolysis rate constant (k(h)) in biological reaction determine the sludge disintegration number (SDN), which is related with the overall economics of the MBR-SD system. Under reasonable alpha and k(h) values, SDN would range between 3 and 5 which means the amount of sludge required to be disintegrated would be 3-5 times higher for preventing a particular amount of sludge production. Finally, normalized sludge disintegration rate (q/V) which is needed to maintain a certain level of MLSS in the MBR-SD system was calculated as a function of F/V ratio.

Research on the influence of anaerobic stabilization of various dairy sewage sludge on biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs with the use of effective microorganisms.

PubMed

Boruszko, Dariusz

2017-05-01

Sewage sludge was taken from a dairy WWTP belonging to Mlekovita Cooperative in Wysokie Mazowieckie. There were excess sludge, flotation sludge and a mixture of excess and flotation sludge from pre-treatment of dairy sewage. The initial content of 16 PAHs in excess sludge before fermentation was approximately 689µg·kg -1 in dry mass, whereas in post-flotation sludge (which constituted around 30% of raw sludge) it was approximately 95µg·kg -1 in dry mass. A mixture of excess and flotation sludge had the content of 497,7µg·kg -1 in dry mass. Through comparison of particular hydrocarbons content in raw sewage sludge to the total PAHs content, it was shown that tricyclic compounds, which constituted 46,3% of the PAHs sum (excess sludge), and tetracyclic compounds, which constituted 60,0% of the PAHs sum (flotation sludge), were the dominating fractions. In the sludge subjected to fermentation in reactors with mixed sludge and surplus activated sludge, the general trend of the course of changes in concentrations of PAHs was similar. Both in the sludge inoculated with EM and in that not inoculated with EM, a significant increase in the total PAHs contents was observed in the first fermentation phase (acidic fermentation) after 7 days of the process. Addition of EM into the sludge did not prevent the PAHs release, and therefore higher concentrations of PAHs sum were recorded during the hydrolysis stage than in sludge before fermentation. A decrease in the sum of PAHs was observed after 2 weeks of fermentation in relation to the quantity observed after 1 week of fermentation (except from post-flotation sludge). In the following weeks, there was further decrease in the concentration of the 16 PAHs sum in all sludge types. However, in sludge without EM inoculation, it was lower than in sludge with EM inoculation. The loss of the majority of tested hydrocarbons was reported in the final phase of fermentation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reduction of selenite to elemental selenium nanoparticles by activated sludge.

PubMed

Jain, Rohan; Matassa, Silvio; Singh, Satyendra; van Hullebusch, Eric D; Esposito, Giovanni; Lens, Piet N L

2016-01-01

Total selenium removal by the activated sludge process, where selenite is reduced to colloidal elemental selenium nanoparticles (BioSeNPs) that remain entrapped in the activated sludge flocs, was studied. Total selenium removal efficiencies with glucose as electron donor (2.0 g chemical oxygen demand (COD) L(-1)) at neutral pH and 30 °C gave 2.9 and 6.8 times higher removal efficiencies as compared to the electron donors lactate and acetate, respectively. Total selenium removal efficiencies of 79 (±3) and 86 (±1) % were achieved in shake flasks and fed batch reactors, respectively, at dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations above 4.0 mg L(-1) and 30 °C when fed with 172 mg L(-1) (1 mM) Na2SeO3 and 2.0 g L(-1) COD of glucose. Continuously operated reactors operating at neutral pH, 30 °C and a DO >3 mg L(-1) removed 33.98 and 36.65 mg of total selenium per gram of total suspended solids (TSS) at TSS concentrations of 1.3 and 3.0 g L(-1), respectively. However, selenite toxicity to the activated sludge led to failure of a continuously operating activated sludge reactor at the applied loading rates. This suggests that a higher hydraulic retention time (HRT) or different reactor configurations need to be applied for selenium-removing activated sludge processes. Graphical Abstract Scheme representing the possible mechanisms of selenite reduction at high and low DO levels in the activated sludge process.

Dissolution of Simulated and Radioactive Savannah River Site High-Level Waste Sludges with Oxalic Acid & Citric Acid Solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

STALLINGS, MARY

This report presents findings from tests investigating the dissolution of simulated and radioactive Savannah River Site sludges with 4 per cent oxalic acid and mixtures of oxalic and citric acid previously recommended by a Russian team from the Khlopin Radium Institute and the Mining and Chemical Combine (MCC). Testing also included characterization of the simulated and radioactive waste sludges. Testing results showed the following: Dissolution of simulated HM and PUREX sludges with oxalic and citric acid mixtures at SRTC confirmed general trends reported previously by Russian testing. Unlike the previous Russian testing six sequential contacts of a mixture of oxalicmore » acid citric acids at a 2:1 ratio (v/w) of acid to sludge did not produce complete dissolution of simulated HM and PUREX sludges. We observed that increased sludge dissolution occurred at a higher acid to sludge ratio, 50:1 (v/w), compared to the recommended ratio of 2:1 (v/w). We observed much lower dissolution of aluminum in a simulated HM sludge by sodium hydroxide leaching. We attribute the low aluminum dissolution in caustic to the high fraction of boehmite present in the simulated sludge. Dissolution of HLW sludges with 4 per cent oxalic acid and oxalic/citric acid followed general trends observed with simulated sludges. The limited testing suggests that a mixture of oxalic and citric acids is more efficient for dissolving HM and PUREX sludges and provides a more homogeneous dissolution of HM sludge than oxalic acid alone. Dissolution of HLW sludges in oxalic and oxalic/citric acid mixtures produced residual sludge solids that measured at higher neutron poison to equivalent 235U weight ratios than that in the untreated sludge solids. This finding suggests that residual solids do not present an increased nuclear criticality safety risk. Generally the neutron poison to equivalent 235U weight ratios of the acid solutions containing dissolved sludge components are lower than those in the untreated sludge solids. We recommend that these results be evaluated further to determine if these solutions contain sufficient neutron poisons. We observed low general corrosion rates in tests in which carbon steel coupons were contacted with solutions of oxalic acid, citric acid and mixtures of oxalic and citric acids. Wall thinning can be minimized by maintaining short contact times with these acid solutions. We recommend additional testing with oxalic and oxalic/citric acid mixtures to measure dissolution performance of sludges that have not been previously dried. This testing should include tests to clearly ascertain the effects of total acid strength and metal complexation on dissolution performance. Further work should also evaluate the downstream impacts of citric acid on the SRS High-Level Waste System (e.g., radiochemical separations in the Salt Waste Processing Facility and addition of organic carbon in the Saltstone and Defense Waste Processing facilities).« less

Persistence of pathogenic prion protein during simulated wastewater treatment processes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hinckley, G.T.; Johnson, C.J.; Jacobson, K.H.; Bartholomay, C.; Mcmahon, K.D.; McKenzie, D.; Aiken, Judd M.; Pedersen, J.A.

2008-01-01

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs, prion diseases) are a class of fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting a variety of mammalian species including humans. A misfolded form of the prion protein (PrP TSE) is the major, if not sole, component of the infectious agent. Prions are highly resistant to degradation and to many disinfection procedures suggesting that, if prions enter wastewater treatment systems through sewers and/or septic systems (e.g., from slaughterhouses, necropsy laboratories, rural meat processors, private game dressing) or through leachate from landfills that have received TSE-contaminated material, prions could survive conventional wastewater treatment Here, we report the results of experiments examining the partitioning and persistence of PrPTSE during simulated wastewater treatment processes including activated and mesophilic anaerobic sludge digestion. Incubation with activated sludge did not result in significant PrPTSE degradation. PrPTSE and prion infectivity partitioned strongly to activated sludge solids and are expected to enter biosolids treatment processes. A large fraction of PrPTSE survived simulated mesophilic anaerobic sludge digestion. The small reduction in recoverable PrPTSE after 20-d anaerobic sludge digestion appeared attributable to a combination of declining extractability with time and microbial degradation. Our results suggest that if prions were to enter municipal wastewater treatment systems, most would partition to activated sludge solids, survive mesophilic anaerobic digestion, and be present in treated biosolids. ?? 2008 American Chemical Society.

Modeling of the reburning process using sewage sludge-derived syngas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Werle, Sebastian, E-mail: sebastian.werle@polsl.pl

2012-04-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Gasification provides an attractive method for sewage sludges treatment. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Gasification generates a fuel gas (syngas) which can be used as a reburning fuel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Reburning potential of sewage sludge gasification gases was defined. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Numerical simulation of co-combustion of syngases in coal fired boiler has been done. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Calculation shows that analysed syngases can provide higher than 80% reduction of NO{sub x}. - Abstract: Gasification of sewage sludge can provide clean and effective reburning fuel for combustion applications. The motivation of this work was to define the reburning potential of the sewage sludge gasification gas (syngas). Amore » numerical simulation of the co-combustion process of syngas in a hard coal-fired boiler was done. All calculations were performed using the Chemkin programme and a plug-flow reactor model was used. The calculations were modelled using the GRI-Mech 2.11 mechanism. The highest conversions for nitric oxide (NO) were obtained at temperatures of approximately 1000-1200 K. The combustion of hard coal with sewage sludge-derived syngas reduces NO emissions. The highest reduction efficiency (>90%) was achieved when the molar flow ratio of the syngas was 15%. Calculations show that the analysed syngas can provide better results than advanced reburning (connected with ammonia injection), which is more complicated process.« less

Improving primary treatment of urban wastewater with lime-induced coagulation.

PubMed

Marani, Dario; Ramadori, Roberto; Braguglia, Camilla Maria

2004-01-01

The enhancement of primary treatment efficiency through the coagulation process may yield several advantages, including lower aeration energy in the subsequent biological unit and higher recovery of biogas from sludge digestion. In this work sewage coagulation with lime was studied at pilot plant level, using degritted sewage from the city of Rome. The work aimed at optimising the operating conditions (coagulant dosage or treatment pH, and mixing conditions in the coagulation and flocculation tanks), in order to maximise the efficiency of suspended Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal and to minimise sludge production. Lime dosage optimisation resulted in an optimal treatment pH of 9. Lime addition up to pH 9 may increase COD removal rate in the primary treatment from typical 30-35% of plain sedimentation up to 55-70%. Within the velocity gradients experimented in this work (314-795 s(-1) for the coagulation tank and 13-46 s(-1) for the flocculation tank), mixing conditions did not significantly affect the lime-enhanced process, which seems to be controlled by slow lime dissolution. Sludge produced in the lime-enhanced process settled and compacted easily, inducing an average 36% decrease in sludge volume with respect to plain settling. However excess sludge was produced, which was not accounted for by the amount of suspended solids removed. This is probably due to incomplete dissolution of lime, which may be partially incorporated in the sludge.

Application of electrochemical peroxidation (ECP) process for waste-activated sludge stabilization and system optimization using response surface methodology (RSM).

PubMed

Gholikandi, Gagik Badalians; Kazemirad, Khashayar

2018-03-01

In this study, the performance of the electrochemical peroxidation (ECP) process for removing the volatile suspended solids (VSS) content of waste-activated sludge was evaluated. The Fe 2+ ions required by the process were obtained directly from iron electrodes in the system. The performance of the ECP process was investigated in various operational conditions employing a laboratory-scale pilot setup and optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). According to the results, the ECP process showed its best performance when the pH value, current density, H 2 O 2 concentration and the retention time were 3, 3.2 mA/cm 2 , 1,535 mg/L and 240 min, respectively. In these conditions, the introduced Fe 2+ concentration was approximately 500 (mg/L) and the VSS removal efficiency about 74%. Moreover, the results of the microbial characteristics of the raw and the stabilized sludge demonstrated that the ECP process is able to remove close to 99.9% of the coliforms in the raw sludge during the stabilization process. The energy consumption evaluation showed that the required energy of the ECP reactor (about 1.8-2.5 kWh (kg VSS removed) -1 ) is considerably lower than for aerobic digestion, the conventional waste-activated sludge stabilization method (about 2-3 kWh (kg VSS removed) -1 ). The RSM optimization process showed that the best operational conditions of the ECP process comply with the experimental results, and the actual and the predicted results are in good conformity with each other. This feature makes it possible to predict the introduced Fe 2+ concentrations into the system and the VSS removal efficiency of the process precisely.

Complex use of waste in wastewater and circulating water treatment from oil in heat power stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaeva, L. A.; Iskhakova, R. Ya.

2017-06-01

Sewage and circulating water from oil of thermal power plants (TPP) generated in fuel-oil shops during washing of electrical equipment and its running into the storm drainage system from the industrial site has been considered in the paper. It has been suggested to use the carbonate sludge of water treatment modified with hydrophobing emulsion as a sorption material for waste and circulating water treatment in thermal power plants. The carbonate sludge is waste accumulated in clarifiers at the stage of natural water pretreatment. General technical characteristics of the sludge, such as moisture, bulk density, total pore volume, ash, etc., have been determined. It has been found that the sludge without additional treatment is a hydrophilic material that has low adsorption capacity and wettability with nonpolar compounds. Therefore, the sludge is treated with organosilicon compounds to reduce the moisture capacity and increase its floatation. Several types of sorption materials based on the carbonate sludge subjected to surface and volume hydrophobization have been developed. During the volume treatment, the hydrophobing compound has been introduced into the material along with the plastifier. In case of the surface treatment, heat-treated granules have been soaked into hydrophobing emulsion. It has been shown that surface hydrophobization is most economically advantageous, because it reduces the consumption of water-repelling agent, wherein the total pore volume and sorption capacity during surface hydrophobization increase by 45 and 25% compared to that during volume hydrophobization. Based on the obtained results, the most effective sorption material has been chosen. To produce this material, it is necessary to sequentially carry out mixing of carbonate sludge with the binder, granulation, calcination, impregnation with a waterrepellent emulsion, and drying of the finished material. The suggested technology to produce the material and use it as a sorbent allows efficient wastewater treatment from oil as well as reduction of anthropogenic pressure on the environment and economic costs of the station for nature protection measures.

Design, experimentation, and modeling of a novel continuous biodrying process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navaee-Ardeh, Shahram

Massive production of sludge in the pulp and paper industry has made the effective sludge management increasingly a critical issue for the industry due to high landfill and transportation costs, and complex regulatory frameworks for options such as sludge landspreading and composting. Sludge dewatering challenges are exacerbated at many mills due to improved in-plant fiber recovery coupled with increased production of secondary sludge, leading to a mixed sludge with a high proportion of biological matter which is difficult to dewater. In this thesis, a novel continuous biodrying reactor was designed and developed for drying pulp and paper mixed sludge to economic dry solids level so that the dried sludge can be economically and safely combusted in a biomass boiler for energy recovery. In all experimental runs the economic dry solids level was achieved, proving the process successful. In the biodrying process, in addition to the forced aeration, the drying rates are enhanced by biological heat generated through the microbial activity of mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms naturally present in the porous matrix of mixed sludge. This makes the biodrying process more attractive compared to the conventional drying techniques because the reactor is a self-heating process. The reactor is divided into four nominal compartments and the mixed sludge dries as it moves downward in the reactor. The residence times were 4-8 days, which are 2-3 times shorter than the residence times achieved in a batch biodrying reactor previously studied by our research group for mixed sludge drying. A process variable analysis was performed to determine the key variable(s) in the continuous biodrying reactor. Several variables were investigated, namely: type of biomass feed, pH of biomass, nutrition level (C/N ratio), residence times, recycle ratio of biodried sludge, and outlet relative humidity profile along the reactor height. The key variables that were identified in the continuous biodrying reactor were the type of biomass feed and the outlet relative humidity profiles. The biomass feed is mill specific and since one mill was studied for this study, the nutrition level of the biomass feed was found adequate for the microbial activity, and hence the type of biomass is a fixed parameter. The influence of outlet relative humidity profile was investigated on the overall performance and the complexity index of the continuous biodrying reactor. The best biodrying efficiency was achieved at an outlet relative humidity profile which controls the removal of unbound water at the wet-bulb temperature in the 1st and 2nd compartments of the reactor, and the removal of bound water at the dry-bulb temperature in the 3rd and 4th compartments. Through a systematic modeling approach, a 2-D model was developed to describe the transport phenomena in the continuous biodrying reactor. The results of the 2-D model were in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. It was found that about 30% w/w of the total water removal (drying rate) takes place in the 1st and 2nd compartments mainly under a convection dominated mechanism, whereas about 70% w/w of the total water removal takes place in the 3rd and 4th compartments where a bioheat-diffusion dominated mechanism controls the transport phenomena. The 2-D model was found to be an appropriate tool for the estimation of the total water removal rate (drying rate) in the continuous biodrying reactor when compared to the 1-D model. A dimensionless analysis was performed on the 2-D model and established the preliminary criteria for the scale-up of the continuous biodrying process. Finally, a techno-economic assessment of the continuous biodrying process revealed that there is great potential for the implementation of the biodrying process in Canadian pulp and paper mills. The techno-economic results were compared to the other competitive existing drying technologies. It was proven that the continuous biodrying process results in significant economic benefits and has great potential to address the current industrial problems associated with sludge management.

Operational Control Procedures for the Activated Sludge Process, Part III-A: Calculation Procedures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Alfred W.

This is the second in a series of documents developed by the National Training and Operational Technology Center describing operational control procedures for the activated sludge process used in wastewater treatment. This document deals exclusively with the calculation procedures, including simplified mixing formulas, aeration tank…

RECYCLING ZINC IN VISCOSE RAYON PLANTS BY TWO STAGE PRECIPITATION

EPA Science Inventory

In an EPA demonstration grant, a process for precipitating a dense sludge of high zinc assay was proven. The zinc in the sludge was recovered and recycled to the rayon manufacturing plant. This recycling of zinc was shown to have no ill effects on rayon yarn. This process greatly...

ARE THERE PATHOGENS IN YOUR SEWAGE SLUDGE? CHANGING APPROAHCES TO CONTROLLING PATHOGENS IN SEWAGE SLUDGE AND THEIR VECTOR ATTRACTIVENESS.

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation will review the commonly employed Class A & B processes for controlling pathogens; note how extensively they are used; and discuss issues and concerns. Processes presently being researched will also be noted together with EPA's methodology for determining equiva...

FATE OF WATER SOLUBLE AZO DYES IN THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of this study was to determine the partitioning of water soluble azo dyes in the activated sludge process (ASP). Azo dyes are of concern because some of the dyes, dye precursors , and/or their degradation products such as aromatic amines (which are also dye precurso...

Anaerobic Digestion. Student Manual. Biological Treatment Process Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnegie, John W., Ed.

This student manual contains the textual material for a four-lesson unit on anaerobic digestion control. Areas addressed include: (1) anaerobic sludge digestion (considering the nature of raw sludge, purposes of anaerobic digestion, the results of digestion, types of equipment, and other topics); (2) digester process control (considering feeding…

SLUDGE TREATMENT PROJECT PHASE 1 SLUDGE STORAGE OPTIONS ASSESSMENT OF T PLANT VERSUS ALTERNATE STORAGE FACILITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

RUTHERFORD WW; GEUTHER WJ; STRANKMAN MR

2009-04-29

The CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) has recommended to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) a two phase approach for removal and storage (Phase 1) and treatment and packaging for offsite shipment (Phase 2) of the sludge currently stored within the 105-K West Basin. This two phased strategy enables early removal of sludge from the 105-K West Basin by 2015, allowing remediation of historical unplanned releases of waste and closure of the 100-K Area. In Phase 1, the sludge currently stored in the Engineered Containers and Settler Tanks within the 105-K West Basin will be transferred into sludge transportmore » and storage containers (STSCs). The STSCs will be transported to an interim storage facility. In Phase 2, sludge will be processed (treated) to meet shipping and disposal requirements and the sludge will be packaged for final disposal at a geologic repository. The purpose of this study is to evaluate two alternatives for interim Phase 1 storage of K Basin sludge. The cost, schedule, and risks for sludge storage at a newly-constructed Alternate Storage Facility (ASF) are compared to those at T Plant, which has been used previously for sludge storage. Based on the results of the assessment, T Plant is recommended for Phase 1 interim storage of sludge. Key elements that support this recommendation are the following: (1) T Plant has a proven process for storing sludge; (2) T Plant storage can be implemented at a lower incremental cost than the ASF; and (3) T Plant storage has a more favorable schedule profile, which provides more float, than the ASF. Underpinning the recommendation of T Plant for sludge storage is the assumption that T Plant has a durable, extended mission independent of the K Basin sludge interim storage mission. If this assumption cannot be validated and the operating costs of T Plant are borne by the Sludge Treatment Project, the conclusions and recommendations of this study would change. The following decision-making strategy, which is dependent on the confidence that DOE has in the long term mission for T Plant, is proposed: (1) If the confidence level in a durable, extended T Plant mission independent of sludge storage is high, then the Sludge Treatment Project (STP) would continue to implement the path forward previously described in the Alternatives Report (HNF-39744). Risks to the sludge project can be minimized through the establishment of an Interface Control Document (ICD) defining agreed upon responsibilities for both the STP and T Plant Operations regarding the transfer and storage of sludge and ensuring that the T Plant upgrade and operational schedule is well integrated with the sludge storage activities. (2) If the confidence level in a durable, extended T Plant mission independent of sludge storage is uncertain, then the ASF conceptual design should be pursued on a parallel path with preparation of T Plant for sludge storage until those uncertainties are resolved. (3) Finally, if the confidence level in a durable, extended T Plant mission independent of sludge storage is low, then the ASF design should be selected to provide independence from the T Plant mission risk.« less

Performance evaluation of vinasse treatment plant integrated with physico-chemical methods.

PubMed

Ojha, Sanjay Kumar; Mishra, Snehasish; Kumar, Satish; Mohanty, Shakti Shankar; Sarkar, Biplab; Singh, Monika; Chaudhury, Gautam Roy

2015-11-01

With an objective to assess environmental management criteria of a vinasse treatment plant (VTP) and to evaluate the critical environmental parameters, a study was undertaken in a multi-product (packaged apple juice, distillery, brewery, packaged drinking water) brewery-cum-distillery unit. The facility with a volumetric loading rate of 11-15 kg COD m(-3).day, 3.6-4.5 h hydraulic retention time and 20 g l(-1) VSS had a scientifically managed technically sound effluent treatment system. While the water quality parameters were found within the acceptable limits, there was 99.07% reduction in BOD, from 43140.0 to 398.0 mg l(-1) and 98.61% reduction in COD from 98003.0 to 1357.0 mg l(-1). There was appreciable improvement in mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), mixed liquorvolatile suspended solids (MLVSS) and sludge volume index (SVI). A striking feature was the integrated aerobic-anaerobic highly efficient Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) treatment for biodegradation and energy production that reduced energy and space needs, producing utilisable end-products and net savings on the operational cost. The end-point waste management included terminal products such as fertile sludge, cattle feed supplement, recyclable water and biogas. Vast lagoons with combined aerobic-anaerobic approaches, biogasification unit, sludge recovery, remediated irrigable water were the notable attributes.

Fenton mediated ultrasonic disintegration of sludge biomass: Biodegradability studies, energetic assessment, and its economic viability.

PubMed

Kavitha, S; Rajesh Banu, J; IvinShaju, C D; Kaliappan, S; Yeom, Ick Tae

2016-12-01

Mechanical disintegration of sludge through ultrasonication demands high energy and cost. Therefore, in the present study, a comprehensive investigation was performed to analyze the potential of a novel method, fenton mediated sonic disintegration (FSD). In FSD process, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of sludge was first removed via fenton treatment. It was subsequently disintegrated via ultrasonication. Energetic assessment and economic analysis were then performed using net energy and cost gain (spent) as key factor to evaluate the practical viability of the FSD process. FSD was found to be superior over sonic disintegration based on its higher sludge solubilization (34.4% vs. 23.2%) and methane production potential (0.3gCOD/gCOD vs. 0.2gCOD/gCOD). Both energy analysis and cost assessment of the present study revealed that FSD could reduce the energy demand of ultrasonication considerably with a positive net profit of about 44.93USD/Ton of sludge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of operational conditions on sludge degradation and organic acids formation in low-critical wet air oxidation.

PubMed

Chung, Jinwook; Lee, Mikyung; Ahn, Jaehwan; Bae, Wookeun; Lee, Yong-Woo; Shim, Hojae

2009-02-15

Wet air oxidation processes are to treat highly concentrated organic compounds including refractory materials, sludge, and night soil, and usually operated at supercritical water conditions of high temperature and pressure. In this study, the effects of operational conditions including temperature, pressure, and oxidant dose on sludge degradation and conversion into subsequent intermediates such as organic acids were investigated at low critical wet oxidation conditions. The reaction time and temperature in the wet air oxidation process was shown an important factor affecting the liquefaction of volatile solids, with more significant effect on the thermal hydrolysis reaction rather than the oxidation reaction. The degradation efficiency of sludge and the formation of organic acids were improved with longer reaction time and higher reaction temperature. For the sludge reduction and the organic acids formation under the wet air oxidation, the optimal conditions for reaction temperature, time, pressure, and oxidant dose were shown approximately 240 degrees C, 30min, 60atm, and 2.0L/min, respectively.

Consequences of sludge composition on combustion performance derived from thermogravimetry analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Meiyan; Xiao, Benyi; Wang, Xu

Highlights: • Volatiles, particularly proteins, play a key role in sludge combustion. • Sludge combustion performance varies with different sludge organic concentrations. • Carbohydrates significantly affect the combustion rate in the second stage. • Combustion performance of digested sludge is more negative compared with others. - Abstract: Wastewater treatment plants produce millions of tons of sewage sludge. Sewage sludge is recognized as a promising feedstock for power generation via combustion and can be used for energy crisis adaption. We aimed to investigate the quantitative effects of various sludge characteristics on the overall sludge combustion process performance. Different types of sewagemore » sludge were derived from numerous wastewater treatment plants in Beijing for further thermogravimetric analysis. Thermogravimetric–differential thermogravimetric curves were used to compare the performance of the studied samples. Proximate analytical data, organic compositions, elementary composition, and calorific value of the samples were determined. The relationship between combustion performance and sludge composition was also investigated. Results showed that the performance of sludge combustion was significantly affected by the concentration of protein, which is the main component of volatiles. Carbohydrates and lipids were not correlated with combustion performance, unlike protein. Overall, combustion performance varied with different sludge organic composition. The combustion rate of carbohydrates was higher than those of protein and lipid, and carbohydrate weight loss mainly occurred during the second stage (175–300 °C). Carbohydrates have a substantial effect on the rate of system combustion during the second stage considering the specific combustion feature. Additionally, the combustion performance of digested sewage sludge is more negative than the others.« less

A Guide for Developing Standard Operating Job Procedures for the Activated Sludge - Aeration & Sedimentation Process Wastewater Treatment Facility. SOJP No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, George J.

This guide for developing standard operating job procedures for wastewater treatment facilities is devoted to the activated sludge aeration and sedimentation process. This process is for conversion of nonsettleable and nonfloatable materials in wastewater to settleable, floculated biological groups and separation of the settleable solids from the…

A Guide for Developing Standard Operating Job Procedures for the Digestion Process Wastewater Treatment Facility. SOJP No. 10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwing, Carl M.

This guide describes standard operating job procedures for the digestion process of wastewater treatment facilities. This process is for reducing the volume of sludge to be treated in subsequent units and to reduce the volatile content of sludge. The guide gives step-by-step instructions for pre-startup, startup, continuous operating, shutdown,…

Sequential anaerobic-aerobic biological treatment of colored wastewaters: case study of a textile dyeing factory wastewater.

PubMed

Abiri, Fardin; Fallah, Narges; Bonakdarpour, Babak

2017-03-01

In the present study the feasibility of the use of a bacterial batch sequential anaerobic-aerobic process, in which activated sludge was used in both parts of the process, for pretreatment of wastewater generated by a textile dyeing factory has been considered. Activated sludge used in the process was obtained from a municipal wastewater treatment plant and adapted to real dyeing wastewater using either an anaerobic-only or an anaerobic-aerobic process over a period of 90 days. The use of activated sludge adapted using the anaerobic-aerobic process resulted in a higher overall decolorization efficiency compared to that achieved with activated sludge adapted using the anaerobic-only cycles. Anaerobic and aerobic periods of around 34 and 22 hours respectively resulted in an effluent with chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color content which met the standards for discharge into the centralized wastewater treatment plant of the industrial estate in which the dyeing factory was situated. Neutralization of the real dyeing wastewater and addition of carbon source to it, both of which results in significant increase in the cost of the bacterial treatment process, was not found to be necessary to achieve the required discharge standards.

[Dynamics of quickly absorption of the carbon source in wastewater by activated sludge].

PubMed

Liu, Hong-Bo; Wen, Xiang-Hua; Zhao, Fang

2011-09-01

In this paper, absorption characteristics of organic matter in municipal wastewater by three kinds of activated sludge (carbon-enriching, nitrification and denitrification sludge) were studied, and the absorption kinetic data was checked using three kinds of absorption kinetic equations based on Ritchie rate equation. The objectives of this study were to investigate the absorption mechanism of activated sludge to organic matter in municipal wastewater, and to identify the possibility of reclaiming organic matter by activated sludge. Results indicated that in the early 30 min, absorption process of organic matter by activated sludge was found to be mainly physical adsorption, which could be expressed by the Lagergren single-layer adsorption model. The carbon-enriching sludge had the highest adsorption capacity (COD/SS) which was 60 mg/g but the adsorption rate was lower than that of denitrification sludge. While nitrification sludge had the lowest adsorption rate and higher adsorption capacity compared with denitrification sludge, which was about 35 mg/g. The rates of the fitting index theta(0) of carbon-enriching, nitrification and denitrification sludge were 0.284, 0.777 and 0.923, respectively, which indicated that the sorbed organic matter on the surface of carbon-enriching sludge was the easiest fraction to be washed away. That is, the combination intensity of carbon-enriching sludge and organic matter was the feeblest, which was convenient for carbon-enriching sludge to release sorbed carbon. Furthermore, by fitting with Langmuir model, concentration of organic matter was found to be the key parameter influencing the adsorption capacity of activated sludge, while the influence of temperature was not obvious. The kinetic law of organic matter absorption by activated sludge was developed, which introduces a way to kinetically analyze the removing mechanism of pollutant by activated sludge and provides theoretical base for the reclaiming of nutriments in wastewater by the absorption of activated sludge.

Adsorption mechanisms and impact factors of oxytetracycline on activated sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiancai, Song; Dongfang, Liu; Lejun, Zhao

2017-03-01

The adsorption mechanisms and the effect of Oxytetracycline (OTC) onto activated sludge were studied. The results show that the adsorption of Oxytetracycline (OTC) onto activated sludge was coincident with the Pseudo-second-order kinetic model which suggested that chemical adsorption mechanism was dominant. The influences including pH and metal ions on the OTC were examined. It was demonstrated that the adsorption process was highly pH-dependant, which indicate that cationic exchange mechanisms may play an important role in the adsorption process. Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Cd2+ ions more or less inhibited the adsorption of OTC on activated sludge while Cu2+ enhanced the adsorption ability. The phenomenon may reflect the result that a surface complexation mechanism could involved in the adsorption.

Improving the phytoremediation of heavy metals contaminated soil by use of sewage sludge

PubMed Central

Placek, Agnieszka; Grobelak, Anna; Kacprzak, Malgorzata

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Sewage sludge, in particular from the food industry, is characterized by fertilizing properties, due to the high content of organic matter and nutrients. The application of sewage sludge causes an improvement of soil parameters as well as increase in cation exchange capacity, and thus stronger binding of cations in the soil environment, which involves the immobilization of nutrients and greater resistance to contamination. In a field experiment sewage sludge has been used as an additive to the soil supporting the phytoremediation process of land contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Zn, and Pb) using trees species: Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L.), and oak (Quercus robur L.). The aim of the research was to determine how the application of sewage sludge into the soil surface improves the phytoremediation process. The conducted field experiment demonstrated that selected trees like Scots pine and Norway spruce, because of its excellent adaptability, can be used in the remediation of soil. Oak should not be used in the phytoremediation process of soils contaminated with high concentrations of trace elements in the soil, because a significant amount of heavy metals was accumulated in the leaves of oak causing a risk of recontamination. PMID:26368503

Improving the phytoremediation of heavy metals contaminated soil by use of sewage sludge.

PubMed

Placek, Agnieszka; Grobelak, Anna; Kacprzak, Malgorzata

2016-01-01

Sewage sludge, in particular from the food industry, is characterized by fertilizing properties, due to the high content of organic matter and nutrients. The application of sewage sludge causes an improvement of soil parameters as well as increase in cation exchange capacity, and thus stronger binding of cations in the soil environment, which involves the immobilization of nutrients and greater resistance to contamination. In a field experiment sewage sludge has been used as an additive to the soil supporting the phytoremediation process of land contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Zn, and Pb) using trees species: Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L.), and oak (Quercus robur L.). The aim of the research was to determine how the application of sewage sludge into the soil surface improves the phytoremediation process. The conducted field experiment demonstrated that selected trees like Scots pine and Norway spruce, because of its excellent adaptability, can be used in the remediation of soil. Oak should not be used in the phytoremediation process of soils contaminated with high concentrations of trace elements in the soil, because a significant amount of heavy metals was accumulated in the leaves of oak causing a risk of recontamination.

High-Precision Plutonium Isotopic Compositions Measured on Los Alamos National Laboratory’s General’s Tanks Samples: Bearing on Model Ages, Reactor Modelling, and Sources of Material. Further Discussion of Chronometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spencer, Khalil J.; Rim, Jung Ho; Porterfield, Donivan R.

2015-06-29

In this study, we re-analyzed late-1940’s, Manhattan Project era Plutonium-rich sludge samples recovered from the ''General’s Tanks'' located within the nation’s oldest Plutonium processing facility, Technical Area 21. These samples were initially characterized by lower accuracy, and lower precision mass spectrometric techniques. We report here information that was previously not discernable: the two tanks contain isotopically distinct Pu not only for the major (i.e., 240Pu, 239Pu) but trace ( 238Pu , 241Pu, 242Pu) isotopes. Revised isotopics slightly changed the calculated 241Am- 241Pu model ages and interpretations.

Evaluation of metal-ions containing sludges in the preparation of black inorganic pigments.

PubMed

Hajjaji, W; Seabra, M P; Labrincha, J A

2011-01-30

Inorganic pigments were prepared from industrial wastes: galvanizing sludges resulting from Cr/Ni plating processes (S, G, and T) and a sludge generated from steel wiredraw process that is Fe-rich (F). These industrial wastes were characterized in order to determine the main compositional variations and discover their influence on the colour characteristics of pigments for glazes and ceramics. The toxic character was also investigated and established. Attempting to form the black spinel structure, several combinations of sludges were prepared and then calcined at 1000 °C. XRD and microscopy analysis confirmed the presence of nichromite for compositions with higher Ni amounts, while trevorite was detected in iron-rich formulations. The combination of S and F sludges (SF compositions) generates pigments with higher black colorimetric quality, which is similar to, and sometimes better than, a commercial black pigment. Pigments containing GF and TF sludges develop brown hues on glazes and on porcelain stoneware bodies, being this effect more evident upon industrial firing trials. The addition of minor amounts of cobalt or manganese enhances the black coloration, and might adjust some formulation deviations. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of organic nitrogen and carbon removal in the aerobic digestion of various sludges.

PubMed

Genç, Nevim; Yonsel, Sems; Dağaşan, Levent; Onar, A N

2002-11-01

Nitrification and carbon removal are investigated in aerobic batch digestion of various sludges. The experiments are carried out with activated sludge (Test 1) and with a mixture of activated and primary settling sludge (Test 2). The nitrification rate was monitored, measuring the NO2- concentration. At the 3rd day of the digestion 40.7 mgNO2-N/l and 3.89 mgNO2-N/l were found in Tests 1 and 2 respectively. In a digestion process, the degradation of biomass indicates the beginning of the endogenous phase. Our measure for biomass content of the sludge was protein analysis. In Test 1, the first day values of 50.93 mgTOC/ g(dry) matter/day and 138.53 mg(protein)-C/g(dry) matter/day for specific TOC and protein-C removal rates showed, that the digestion process began in the endogenous phase. For Test 2, since the endogenous phase began after removal of raw organic matter in primary settling sludge, specific TOC and protein-C removal rates were observed to be 60.12 mgTOC/g(dry) matter/day and 26.72 mg(protein-C/g(dry)matter/day, respectively.

Digested sludge-derived three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon for high-performance supercapacitor electrode.

PubMed

Zhang, Jia-Jia; Fan, Hao-Xiang; Dai, Xiao-Hu; Yuan, Shi-Jie

2018-04-01

Digested sludge, as the main by-product of the sewage sludge anaerobic digestion process, still contains considerable organic compounds. In this protocol, we report a facile method for preparing digested sludge-derived self-doped porous carbon material for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes via a sustainable pyrolysis/activation process. The obtained digested sludge-derived carbon material (HPDSC) exhibits versatile O-, N-doped hierarchical porous framework, high specific surface area (2103.6 m 2  g -1 ) and partial graphitization phase, which can facilitate ion transport, provide more storage sites for electrolyte ions and enhance the conductivity of active electrode materials. The HPDSC-based supercapacitor electrodes show favourable energy storage performance, with a specific capacitance of 245 F g -1 at 1.0 A g -1 in 0.5 M Na 2 SO 4 ; outstanding cycling stability, with 98.4% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles; and good rate performance (211 F g -1 at 11 A g -1 ). This work provides a unique self-doped three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon material with a favourable charge storage capacity and at the same time finds a high value-added and environment-friendly strategy for disposal and recycling of digested sludge.

Digested sludge-derived three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon for high-performance supercapacitor electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jia-Jia; Fan, Hao-Xiang; Dai, Xiao-Hu; Yuan, Shi-Jie

2018-04-01

Digested sludge, as the main by-product of the sewage sludge anaerobic digestion process, still contains considerable organic compounds. In this protocol, we report a facile method for preparing digested sludge-derived self-doped porous carbon material for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes via a sustainable pyrolysis/activation process. The obtained digested sludge-derived carbon material (HPDSC) exhibits versatile O-, N-doped hierarchical porous framework, high specific surface area (2103.6 m2 g-1) and partial graphitization phase, which can facilitate ion transport, provide more storage sites for electrolyte ions and enhance the conductivity of active electrode materials. The HPDSC-based supercapacitor electrodes show favourable energy storage performance, with a specific capacitance of 245 F g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 in 0.5 M Na2SO4; outstanding cycling stability, with 98.4% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles; and good rate performance (211 F g-1 at 11 A g-1). This work provides a unique self-doped three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon material with a favourable charge storage capacity and at the same time finds a high value-added and environment-friendly strategy for disposal and recycling of digested sludge.

A novel approach to realize SANI process in freshwater sewage treatment--Use of wet flue gas desulfurization waste streams as sulfur source.

PubMed

Jiang, Feng; Zhang, Liang; Peng, Guo-Liang; Liang, Si-Yun; Qian, Jin; Wei, Li; Chen, Guang-Hao

2013-10-01

SANI (Sulfate reduction, Autotrophic denitrification and Nitrification Integrated) process has been approved to be a sludge-minimized sewage treatment process in warm and coastal cities with seawater supply. In order to apply this sulfur-based process in inland cold areas, wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) can be simplified and integrated with SANI process, to provide sulfite as electron carrier for sulfur cycle in sewage treatment. In this study, a lab-scale system of the proposed novel process was developed and run for over 200 days while temperature varied between 30 and 5 °C, fed with synthetic FGD wastewaters and sewage. The sulfite-reducing upflow anaerobic sludge bed (SrUASB) reactor, as the major bioreactor of the system, removed 86.9% of organics while the whole system removed 94% of organics even when water temperature decreased to around 10 °C. The bactericidal effect of sulfite was not observed in the SrUASB reactor, while thiosulfate was found accumulated under psychrophilic conditions. The sludge yield of the SrUASB reactor was determined to be 0.095 kg VSS/kg COD, higher than of sulfate reduction process but still much lower than of conventional activated sludge processes. The dominant microbes in the SrUASB reactor were determined as Lactococcus spp. rather than sulfate-reducing bacteria, but sulfite reduction still contributed 85.5% to the organic carbon mineralization in this reactor. Ammonia and nitrate were effectively removed in the aerobic and anoxic filters, respectively. This study confirms the proposed process was promising to achieve sludge-minimized sewage treatment integrating with flue gas desulfurization in inland and cold areas. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hybrid activated sludge/biofilm process for the treatment of municipal wastewater in a cold climate region: a case study.

PubMed

Di Trapani, Daniele; Christensso, Magnus; Odegaard, Hallvard

2011-01-01

A hybrid activated sludge/biofilm process was investigated for wastewater treatment in a cold climate region. This process, which contains both suspended biomass and biofilm, usually referred as IFAS process, is created by introducing plastic elements as biofilm carrier media into a conventional activated sludge reactor. In the present study, a hybrid process, composed of an activated sludge and a moving bed biofilm reactor was used. The aim of this paper has been to investigate the performances of a hybrid process, and in particular to gain insight the nitrification process, when operated at relatively low MLSS SRT and low temperatures. The results of a pilot-scale study carried out at the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim are presented. The experimental campaign was divided into two periods. The pilot plant was first operated with a constant HRT of 4.5 hours, while in the second period the influent flow was increased so that HRT was 3.5 hours. The average temperature was near 11.5°C in the overall experimental campaign. The average mixed liquor SRT was 5.7 days. Batch tests on both carriers and suspended biomass were performed in order to evaluate the nitrification rate of the two different biomasses. The results demonstrated that this kind of reactor can efficiently be used for the upgrading of conventional activated sludge plant for achieving year-round nitrification, also in presence of low temperatures, and without the need of additional volumes.

Enhanced biodegradation of hydrocarbons in petroleum tank bottom oil sludge and characterization of biocatalysts and biosurfactants.

PubMed

Suganthi, S Hepziba; Murshid, Shabnam; Sriram, Sriswarna; Ramani, K

2018-08-15

Petroleum hydrocarbon removal from tank bottom oil sludge is a major issue due to its properties. Conventional physicochemical treatment techniques are less effective. Though the bioremediation is considered for the hydrocarbon removal from tank bottom oil sludge, the efficiency is low and time taking due to the low yield of biocatalysts and biosurfactants. The focal theme of the present investigation is to modify the process by introducing the intermittent inoculation for the enhanced biodegradation of hydrocarbons in the tank bottom oil sludge by maintaining a constant level of biocatalysts such as oxidoreductase, catalase, and lipase as well as biosurfactants. In addition, the heavy metal removal was also addressed. The microbial consortia comprising Shewanalla chilikensis, Bacillus firmus, and Halomonas hamiltonii was used for the biodegradation of oil sludge. One variable at a time approach was used for the optimum of culture conditions. The bacterial consortia degraded the oil sludge by producing biocatalysts such as lipase (80 U/ml), catalase (46 U/ml), oxidoreductase (68 U/ml) along with the production of lipoprotein biosurfactant (152 mg/g of oil sludge) constantly and achieved 96% reduction of total petroleum hydrocarbon. The crude enzymes were characterized by FT-IR and the biosurfactant was characterized by surface tension reduction, emulsification index, FT-IR, TLC, and SDS-PAGE. GC-MS and NMR also revealed that the hydrocarbons present in the oil sludge were effectively degraded by the microbial consortia. The ICP-OES result indicated that the microbial consortium is also effective in removing the heavy metals. Hence, bioremediation using the hydrocarbonoclastic microbial consortium can be considered as an environmentally friendly process for disposal of tank bottom oil sludge from petroleum oil refining industry. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of herb residue and high ash-containing paper sludge blends from fixed bed pyrolysis.

PubMed

Li, Tiantao; Guo, Feiqiang; Li, Xiaolei; Liu, Yuan; Peng, Kuangye; Jiang, Xiaochen; Guo, Chenglong

2018-04-10

High ash-containing paper sludge which is rich in various metal oxides is employed in herb residue pyrolysis to enhance the yield of fuel gas and reduce tar yield in a drop tube fixed bed reactor. Effects of heat treatment temperature and blending ratio of paper sludge on the yields and composition of pyrolysis products (gas, tar and char) were investigated. Results indicate that paper sludge shows a significantly catalytic effect during the pyrolysis processes of herb residue, accelerating the pyrolysis reactions. The catalytic effect resulted in an increase in gas yield but a decrease in tar yield. The catalytic effect degree is affected by the paper sludge proportions, and the strongest catalytic effect of paper sludge is noted at its blending ratio of 50%. At temperature lower than 900 °C, the catalytic effect of paper sludge in the pyrolysis of herb residue promotes the formation of H 2 and CO 2 , inhibits the formation of CH 4 , but shows slight influence on the formations of CO, while the formation of the four gas components was all promoted at 900 °C. SEM results of residue char show that ash particles from paper sludge adhere to the surface of the herb residue char after pyrolysis, which may promote the pyrolysis process of herb residue for more gas releasing. FT-IR results indicate that most functional groups disappear after pyrolysis. The addition of paper sludge promotes deoxidisation and aromatization reactions of hetero atoms tars, forming heavier polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and leading to tar yield decrease. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biodegradation of tech-hexachlorocyclohexane in a upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor.

PubMed

Bhat, Praveena; Kumar, M Suresh; Mudliar, Sandeep N; Chakrabarti, T

2006-04-01

Biodegradability of technical grade hexachlorocyclohexane (tech-HCH) was studied in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) under continuous mode of operation in concentration range of 100-200 mg/l and constant HRT of 48 h. At steady state operation more than 85% removal of tech-HCH (upto 175 mg/l concentration) and complete disappearance of beta-HCH was observed. Kinetic constants in terms of maximum specific tech-HCH utilization rate (k) and half saturation velocity constant (K(L)) were found to be 11.88 mg/g/day and 8.11 mg/g/day, respectively. The tech-HCH degrading seed preparation, UASB reactor startup and degradation in continuous mode of operation of the reactor is presented in this paper.

Mathematical model investigation of long-term transport of ocean-dumped sewage sludge related to remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuo, C. Y.; Modena, T. D.

1979-01-01

An existing, three-dimensional, Eulerian-Lagrangian finite-difference model was modified and used to examine the transport processes of dumped sewage sludge in the New York Bight. Both in situ and laboratory data were utilized in an attempt to approximate model inputs such as mean current speed, horizontal diffusion coefficients, particle size distributions, and specific gravities. The results presented are a quantitative description of the fate of a negatively buoyant sewage sludge plume resulting from continuous and instantaneous barge releases. Concentrations of the sludge near the surface were compared qualitatively with those remotely sensed. Laboratory study was performed to investigate the behavior of sewage sludge dumping in various ambient density conditions.

STONES SAWING SLUDGE AS BY-PRODUCT: characterization for a future recovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zichella, Lorena; Bellopede, Rossana; Marini, Paola

2017-04-01

The European Commission, as part of its Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste, committed itself to tackle one of the issues around the waste definition, namely the distinction between waste and by-products. This definition has been outlined through the Communication on waste and by-product of the European Court of Justice (Brussels, 21.2.2007 COM(2007) 59 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT). By-product is a substance or object, resulting from a production process, the primary aim of which is not the production of that item. By-products can come from a wide range of business sectors, and can have very different environmental impacts. If there is a possibility that the material is in fact not useable, because it does not meet the technical specifications that would be required for its use, then it should continue to be considered as a waste. The status of waste protects the environment from the potential consequences of this uncertainty. If it subsequently happens that a use is found for the waste in question then it will lose its status of waste and it will be considered a by-product. An incorrect classification could be the cause of environmental damage or unnecessary costs for business. For this purpose a characterization of sludge coming from different plants of stone processing was carried out for a better classification of the materials in view of a future recovery. The different stones cutting processes considered for this study are: gangsaw, diamond blade and diamond wire. The cut materials are granites, gneisses, and other stones mainly of silicatic nature. The tests performed on the sawing sludge are the following: particle size analysis, chemical analysis, wet magnetic separation, diffraction and SEM analysis. The study performed is useful for evaluating the possible reuses of the products coming from the magnetic separation: the metal fraction, and the mineral one. In order to avoid a subsequent environmental degradation and to promote a technology innovation (sustainability and circular economy) a proactive waste management strategy trying to optimize on the one hand the processing to obtain reduced waste and the other to improve the process to obtain two reusable by-products was considered.

Investigation into the use of cement kiln dust in high density sludge (HDS) treatment of acid mine water.

PubMed

Mackie, Allison L; Walsh, Margaret E

2015-11-15

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential to replace lime with cement kiln dust (CKD) in high density sludge (HDS) treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD). The bench-scale study used two water samples: AMD sampled from a lead-zinc mine with high concentrations of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and arsenic (As) (Fe/Zn-AMD) and a synthetic AMD solution (Syn-AMD) spiked with ferric sulfate (Fe2(SO4)3). Arsenic was found to be significantly reduced with CKD-HDS treatment of Fe/Zn-AMD compared to lime-HDS treatment, to concentrations below the stringent mine effluent discharge regulation of 0.10 mg As/L (i.e., 0.04 ± 0.02 mg/L). Both CKD- and lime-HDS treatment of the two AMD samples resulted in settled water Fe concentrations above the stringent discharge guideline of 0.3 mg Fe/L. CKD addition in the HDS process also resulted in high settled water turbidity, above typical discharge guidelines of 15 mg TSS/L. CKD-HDS treatment was found to result in significantly improved settled solids (i.e., sludge) quality compared to that generated in the lime-HDS process. HDS treatment with CKD resulted in 25-88% lower sludge volume indices, 2 to 9 times higher % wet solids, and 10 to 20 times higher % dry solids compared to lime addition. XRD and XPS testing indicated that CKD-HDS sludge consisted of mainly CaCO3 and SiO2 with Fe(3+) precipitates attached at particle surfaces. XRD and XPS testing of the lime-HDS generated sludge showed that it consisted of non-crystalline Fe oxides typical of sludge formed from precipitates with a high water concentration. Increased sedimentation rates were also found for CKD (1.3 cm/s) compared to lime (0.3 cm/s). The increased solids loading with CKD addition compared to lime addition in the HDS process was suggested to both promote surface complexation of metal precipitates with insoluble CKD particles and increase compression effects during Type IV sedimentation. These mechanisms collectively contributed to the reduced water content of CKD-HDS sludge. The results of this study suggest that solids loading is a significant factor in increased sludge density found with the HDS process compared to conventional lime precipitation-sedimentation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of sludge age on methanogenic and glycogen accumulating organisms in an aerobic granular sludge process fed with methanol and acetate

PubMed Central

Pronk, M; Abbas, B; Kleerebezem, R; van Loosdrecht, M C M

2015-01-01

The influence of sludge age on granular sludge formation and microbial population dynamics in a methanol- and acetate-fed aerobic granular sludge system operated at 35°C was investigated. During anaerobic feeding of the reactor, methanol was initially converted to methane by methylotrophic methanogens. These methanogens were able to withstand the relatively long aeration periods. Lowering the anaerobic solid retention time (SRT) from 17 to 8 days enabled selective removal of the methanogens and prevented unwanted methane formation. In absence of methanogens, methanol was converted aerobically, while granule formation remained stable. At high SRT values (51 days), γ-Proteobacteria were responsible for acetate removal through anaerobic uptake and subsequent aerobic growth on storage polymers formed [so called metabolism of glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAO)]. When lowering the SRT (24 days), Defluviicoccus-related organisms (cluster II) belonging to the α-Proteobacteria outcompeted acetate consuming γ-Proteobacteria at 35°C. DNA from the Defluviicoccus-related organisms in cluster II was not extracted by the standard DNA extraction method but with liquid nitrogen, which showed to be more effective. Remarkably, the two GAO types of organisms grew separately in two clearly different types of granules. This work further highlights the potential of aerobic granular sludge systems to effectively influence the microbial communities through sludge age control in order to optimize the wastewater treatment processes. PMID:26059251

Select Biosolids Regulatory Processes

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Historical Regulatory Development and activities EPA has undertaken to respond to statutory obligations, respond to the National Academy of Sciences, understand pollutants that may occur in sewage sludge, and address dioxins in sewage sludge.

Oxygen transfer dynamics and activated sludge floc structure under different sludge retention times at low dissolved oxygen concentrations.

PubMed

Fan, Haitao; Liu, Xiuhong; Wang, Hao; Han, Yunping; Qi, Lu; Wang, Hongchen

2017-02-01

In activated sludge systems, the aeration process consumes the most energy. The energy cost can be dramatically reduced by decreasing the operating dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. However, low DO may lead to incomplete nitrification and poor settling performance of activated sludge flocs (ASFs). This study investigates oxygen transfer dynamics and settling performances of activated sludge under different sludge retention times (SRTs) and DO conditions using microelectrodes and microscopic techniques. Our experimental results showed that with longer SRTs, treatment capacity and settling performances of activated sludge improved due to smaller floc size and less extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Long-term low DO conditions produced larger flocs and more EPS per unit sludge, which produced a more extensive anoxic area and led to low oxygen diffusion performance in flocs. Long SRTs mitigated the adverse effects of low DO. According to the microelectrode analysis and fractal dimension determination, smaller floc size and less EPS in the long SRT system led to high oxygen diffusion property and more compact floc structure that caused a drop in the sludge volume index (SVI). In summary, our results suggested that long SRTs of activated sludge can improve the operating performance under low DO conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behaviour of endocrine disrupting chemicals during the treatment of municipal sewage sludge.

PubMed

Ivashechkin, P; Corvini, P F X; Dohmann, M

2004-01-01

Agricultural application of municipal sewage sludge has been emotionally discussed in the last decades, because the latter contains endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and other organic micropollutants with unknown fate and risk potential. Bisphenol A (BPA) was chosen as a model substance to investigate the influence of sludge conditioning on the end-concentration of EDCs in sludge. Adsorption studies with radioactive-labelled BPA showed that more than 75% BPA in anaerobically digested sludge is bound to solids (log Kd = 2.09-2.30; log Koc = 2.72-3.11). Sludge conditioning with polymer or iron (III) chloride alone had no influence on the adsorption of BPA. After conditioning with iron (III) chloride and calcium hydroxide desorption of BPA took place. Apparently, it occurred due to the deprotonation of BPA (pKa= 10.3) as the pH-value reached 12.4 during the process. The same behaviour is expected for other phenolic EDCs with similar pKa (nonylphenol, 17beta-estradiol, estron, estriol, 17alpha-ethinylestradiol). This study shows high affinity of BPA to the anaerobically digested sludge and importance of conditioning in the elimination of EDCs during the sludge treatment. Addition of polymer is favourable in the case of sludge incineration. Conditioning with iron (III) chloride and calcium hydroxide shows advantages for the use of sludge as fertiliser.

Consequences of sludge composition on combustion performance derived from thermogravimetry analysis.

PubMed

Li, Meiyan; Xiao, Benyi; Wang, Xu; Liu, Junxin

2015-01-01

Wastewater treatment plants produce millions of tons of sewage sludge. Sewage sludge is recognized as a promising feedstock for power generation via combustion and can be used for energy crisis adaption. We aimed to investigate the quantitative effects of various sludge characteristics on the overall sludge combustion process performance. Different types of sewage sludge were derived from numerous wastewater treatment plants in Beijing for further thermogravimetric analysis. Thermogravimetric-differential thermogravimetric curves were used to compare the performance of the studied samples. Proximate analytical data, organic compositions, elementary composition, and calorific value of the samples were determined. The relationship between combustion performance and sludge composition was also investigated. Results showed that the performance of sludge combustion was significantly affected by the concentration of protein, which is the main component of volatiles. Carbohydrates and lipids were not correlated with combustion performance, unlike protein. Overall, combustion performance varied with different sludge organic composition. The combustion rate of carbohydrates was higher than those of protein and lipid, and carbohydrate weight loss mainly occurred during the second stage (175-300°C). Carbohydrates have a substantial effect on the rate of system combustion during the second stage considering the specific combustion feature. Additionally, the combustion performance of digested sewage sludge is more negative than the others. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of sewage sludge content on gas quality and solid residues produced by cogasification in an updraft gasifier

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seggiani, Maurizia, E-mail: m.seggiani@diccism.unipi.it; Puccini, Monica, E-mail: m.puccini@diccism.unipi.it; Raggio, Giovanni, E-mail: g.raggio@tiscali.it

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cogasification of sewage sludge with wood pellets in updraft gasifier was analysed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The effects of sewage sludge content on the gasification process were examined. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sewage sludge addition up to 30 wt.% reduces moderately the process performance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer At high sewage sludge content slagging and clinker formation occurred. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Solid residues produced resulted acceptable at landfills for non-hazardous waste. - Abstract: In the present work, the gasification with air of dehydrated sewage sludge (SS) with 20 wt.% moisture mixed with conventional woody biomass was investigated using a pilot fixed-bed updraft gasifier. Attention was focused on the effectmore » of the SS content on the gasification performance and on the environmental impact of the process. The results showed that it is possible to co-gasify SS with wood pellets (WPs) in updraft fixed-bed gasification installations. However, at high content of sewage sludge the gasification process can become instable because of the very high ash content and low ash fusion temperatures of SS. At an equivalent ratio of 0.25, compared with wood pellets gasification, the addition of sewage sludge led to a reduction of gas yield in favor of an increase of condensate production with consequent cold gas efficiency decrease. Low concentrations of dioxins/furans and PAHs were measured in the gas produced by SS gasification, well below the limiting values for the exhaust gaseous emissions. NH{sub 3}, HCl and HF contents were very low because most of these compounds were retained in the wet scrubber systems. On the other hand, high H{sub 2}S levels were measured due to high sulfur content of SS. Heavy metals supplied with the feedstocks were mostly retained in gasification solid residues. The leachability tests performed according to European regulations showed that metals leachability was within the limits for landfilling inert residues. On the other hand, sulfate and chloride releases were found to comply with the limits for non-hazardous residues.« less

Use of wastewater ER sludges for the immobilization of heavy metals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Macha, S.; Murray, D.; Urasa, I.T.

1996-10-01

The distribution, mobility, and bioavailability of heavy metals in soils, surface water, and ground water have been of major interest and concern from both environmental and geochemical standpoints. Wastewater sludges represent an important anthropogenic factor whose impact on these processes is not fully understood. In the past, incineration and landfilling were common practices for discarding wastewater sludges. However, as local and state laws governing the disposal of these materials have become more stringent, land application has been used as an alternative. Reported studies have shown that the impact of land application of sludges can vary widely and is influenced bymore » a number of factors, including the source of the sludge; the organic matter content of the sludge; the form in which the sludge is applied; and the prevailing conditions of the receiving soils. It has also been shown that sewage sludge can have solubilizing effects on solid-phase heavy metals, thereby causing geochemical shifts of the insoluble fractions of metals to the more soluble forms. The work presented in this paper utilized synthetic minerals, standard solutions, sludges, and agricultural soils obtained from different sources to determine the mechanisms involved in the mineralization of heavy metals by sludge; the influence of soil conditions; interelemental effects; the influence of natural organic matter; and possible microbial activity that may come into play. Several types of sludge were evaluated for lead binding capacity.« less

PROCESS DESIGN MANUAL: LAND APPLICATION OF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Land application of sewage sludge generated by domestic sewage treatment is performed in an environmentally safe and cost–effective manner in many communities. Land application involves taking advantage of the fertilizing and soil conditioning properties of sewage sludge by spreading the sewage sludge on the soil surface, incorporating or injecting the sewage sludge into soil, or spraying the sewage sludge. Because sewage sludge disposal practices (e.g., landfilling) are becoming less available and more costly, and because of the increasing desire to beneficially reuse waste residuals whenever possible, land application is increasingly chosen as a sewage sludge use or disposal practice. Approximately 33 percent of the 5.4 million dry metric tons of sewage sludge generated annually in the United States at publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) is land applied. Of the sewage sludge that is land applied, approximately 67% is land applied on agricultural lands, 3% on forest lands, approximately 9% on reclamation sites, and 9% on public contact sites; 12% is sold or given away in a bag or other container for application to the land (Federal Register, Vol. 58, No. 32, February 19, 1993). In addition, approximately 8.6 billion gallons of domestic septage is generated annually. Land application of sewage sludge has been practiced in many countries for centuries so that the nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) and organic matter in sewage sludge can be beneficia

Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian scenario.

PubMed

Bhattacharyya, J K; Shekdar, A V

2003-06-01

Crude oil is a major source of energy and feedstock for petrochemicals. Oily sludge, bio-sludge and chemical sludge are the major sludges generated from the processes and effluent treatment plants of the refineries engaged in crude oil refining operations. Refineries in India generate about 28,220 tons of sludge per annum. Various types of pollutants like phenols, heavy metals, etc. are present in the sludges and they are treated as hazardous waste. Oily sludge, which is generated in much higher amount compared to other sludges, contains phenol (90-100 mg/kg), nickel (17-25 mg/kg), chromium (27-80 mg/kg), zinc (7-80 mg/kg), manganese (19-24 mg/kg), cadmium (0.8-2 mg/kg), copper (32-120 mg/kg) and lead (0.001-0.12 mg/ kg). Uncontrolled disposal practices of sludges in India cause degradation of environmental and depreciation of aesthetic quality. Environmental impact due to improper sludge management has also been identified. Salient features of various treatment and disposal practices have been discussed. Findings of a case study undertaken by the authors for Numaligarh Refinery in India have been presented. Various system alternatives have been identified for waste management in Numaligarh Refinery. A ranking exercise has been carried out to evaluate the alternatives and select the appropriate one. A detailed design of the selected waste management system has been presented.

Phosphorous removal from aqueous solution can be enhanced through the calcination of lime sludge.

PubMed

Bal Krishna, K C; Niaz, Mohamed R; Sarker, Dipok C; Jansen, Troy

2017-09-15

Water treatment plants generate an enormous amount of the sludge which is normally treated as waste. In the recent past, many investigations have been focused on developing an economical adsorbent using water treatment sludge to remove phosphorous (P) from aqueous solutions. However, the great extents of the studies have been limited in the use of alum- and iron-based sludges. This study, therefore, investigated the P removal performance of the calcined lime sludge. Calcined lime sludge at 700 °C significantly enhanced the P removal efficiency whereas marginal improvement was noted when the sludge calcined at 400 °C was tested. With increase P removal efficiency, final pH values of the solution also significantly increased. P removal efficiency of the calcined sludge decreased with increasing the initial P concentrations. However, the removal efficiency could be improved by increasing the weight of the sludge. Further analysis demonstrated that P removal trend followed both pseudo-second order and diffusion-chemisorption kinetics signifying the P removal is potentially due to a multi-mechanistic reaction in which, the process is controlled by intra-particle diffusion followed by chemisorptions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Research on change process of nitrosation granular sludge in continuous stirred-tank reactor].

PubMed

Yin, Fang-Fang; Liu, Wen-Ru; Wang, Jian-Fang; Wu, Peng; Shen, Yao-Liang

2014-11-01

In order to investigate the effect of different types of reactors on the nitrosation granular sludge, a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) was studied, using mature nitrosation granular sludge cultivated in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) as seed sludge. Results indicated that the change of reactor type and influent mode could induce part of granules to lose stability with gradual decrease in sludge settling ability during the initial period of operation. However, the flocs in CSTR achieved fast granulation in the following reactor operation. In spite of the changes of particle size distribution, e. g. the decreasing number of granules with diameter larger than 2.5 mm and the increasing number of granules with diameter smaller than 0.3 mm, granular sludge held the absolute predominance of sludge morphology in CSTR during the entire experimental period. Moreover, results showed that the change of reactor type and influent mode didn't affect the nitrite accumulation rate which was still kept at about 85% in effluent. Additionally, the average activity of the sludge in CSTR was stronger than that of the seed sludge, because the newly generated small particles in CSTR had higher specific reactive activity than the larger granules.

Recent development in the treatment of oily sludge from petroleum industry: a review.

PubMed

Hu, Guangji; Li, Jianbing; Zeng, Guangming

2013-10-15

Oily sludge is one of the most significant solid wastes generated in the petroleum industry. It is a complex emulsion of various petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), water, heavy metals, and solid particles. Due to its hazardous nature and increased generation quantities around the world, the effective treatment of oily sludge has attracted widespread attention. In this review, the origin, characteristics, and environmental impacts of oily sludge were introduced. Many methods have been investigated for dealing with PHCs in oily sludge either through oil recovery or sludge disposal, but little attention has been paid to handle its various heavy metals. These methods were discussed by dividing them into oil recovery and sludge disposal approaches. It was recognized that no single specific process can be considered as a panacea since each method is associated with different advantages and limitations. Future efforts should focus on the improvement of current technologies and the combination of oil recovery with sludge disposal in order to comply with both resource reuse recommendations and environmental regulations. The comprehensive examination of oily sludge treatment methods will help researchers and practitioners to have a good understanding of both recent developments and future research directions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differences on nitrogen availability in a soil amended with fresh, composted and thermally-dried sewage sludge.

PubMed

Tarrasón, D; Ojeda, G; Ortiz, O; Alcañiz, J M

2008-01-01

Anaerobically-digested sludge called fresh sludge (F), composted sludge (C) and thermally-drying sludge (T), all from the same batch, were applied to the surface of a calcareous Udic Calciustept with loamy texture. Dosage equivalent was 10 t ha(-1) of dry matter. The concentration of mineral nitrogen (ammonium and nitrate) in the soil was measured in order to estimate the effects of the post-treatments to which the different kinds of sewage sludge are subjected in relation to the availability of N in the surface layer of the soil. The most significant differences in NH(4)-N and NO(3)-N concentrations due to the transformation of the organic matter were observed during the first three weeks following soil amendment. Thermally-dried and composted sludge initially displayed higher concentrations of ammonium and nitrate in soil. Five months after the amendment, soil applied with fresh sludge showed the highest concentrations of NH(4)-N and NO(3)-N (6.1 and 36.6 mg kg(-1), respectively). It is clear that the processes of composting and thermal-drying influence the bioavailability of nitrogen from the different types of sewage sludge.

Disintegration of excess activated sludge--evaluation and experience of full-scale applications.

PubMed

Zábranská, J; Dohányos, M; Jenícek, P; Kutil, J

2006-01-01

Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge can be improved by introducing a disintegration of excess activated sludge as a pretreatment process. The disintegration brings a deeper degradation of organic matter and less amount of output sludge for disposal, a higher production of biogas and consequently energy yield, in some cases suppression of digesters foaming and better dewaterability. The full-scale application of disintegration by a lysate-thickening centrifuge was monitored long term in three different WWTPs. The evaluation of contribution of disintegration to biogas production and digested sludge quality was assessed and operational experience is discussed. Increment of specific biogas production was evaluated in the range of 15-26%, organic matter in digested sludge significantly decreased to 48-49%. Results proved that the installation of a disintegrating centrifuge in WWTPs of different sizes and conditions would be useful and beneficial.

REVISING/UPDATING EPA 625/1-79-011, PROCESS DESIGN MANUAL FOR SLUDGE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL

EPA Science Inventory

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wishes to revise/update its very large and comprehensive 1979 Process Design Manual for Sludge Treatment and Disposal, EPA 625/1-79-011. As you might imagine the task is not trivial, as already in 1979 the original manual cost more tha...

Environmental assessment of different dewatering and drying methods on the basis of life cycle assessment.

PubMed

Stefaniak, J; Zelazna, A; Pawłowski, A

2014-01-01

Sewage sludge is an inevitable product of wastewater treatment in municipal wastewater plants and its amount has increased dramatically due to the growing number of sewage systems users. This sludge needs to be adequately treated in order to decrease its hazardous properties and any negative influence on the environment. In this paper, gate to gate analysis, on the basis of life cycle assessment (LCA), was carried out in order to compare the environmental impact of alternative ways of sludge processing employing a dewatering press and three different kinds of dryers - belt dryer, container dryer and batch dryer. SimaPro 7.2 software and Ecoinvent 2.2 database were used to estimate the carbon footprint and energy balance of these processes. The main energy consumption in the scenarios analyzed is caused by the drying process. The solution based on application of the batch dryer allows a saving of 39.6% of energy compared with the most energy-consuming solution using a belt dryer. Sludge processing using belt and container dryers cause greater environmental burdens.

Practical experience with full-scale structured sheet media (SSM) integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) systems for nitrification.

PubMed

Li, Hua; Zhu, Jia; Flamming, James J; O'Connell, Jack; Shrader, Michael

2015-01-01

Many wastewater treatment plants in the USA, which were originally designed as secondary treatment systems with no or partial nitrification requirements, are facing increased flows, loads, and more stringent ammonia discharge limits. Plant expansion is often not cost-effective due to either high construction costs or lack of land. Under these circumstances, integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) systems using both suspended growth and biofilms that grow attached to a fixed plastic structured sheet media are found to be a viable solution for solving the challenges. Multiple plants have been retrofitted with such IFAS systems in the past few years. The system has proven to be efficient and reliable in achieving not only consistent nitrification, but also enhanced bio-chemical oxygen demand removal and sludge settling characteristics. This paper presents long-term practical experiences with the IFAS system design, operation and maintenance, and performance for three full-scale plants with distinct processes; that is, a trickling filter/solids contact process, a conventional plug flow activated sludge process and an extended aeration process.

Conversion of paper sludge to ethanol, II: process design and economic analysis.

PubMed

Fan, Zhiliang; Lynd, Lee R

2007-01-01

Process design and economics are considered for conversion of paper sludge to ethanol. A particular site, a bleached kraft mill operated in Gorham, NH by Fraser Papers (15 tons dry sludge processed per day), is considered. In addition, profitability is examined for a larger plant (50 dry tons per day) and sensitivity analysis is carried out with respect to capacity, tipping fee, and ethanol price. Conversion based on simultaneous saccharification and fermentation with intermittent feeding is examined, with ethanol recovery provided by distillation and molecular sieve adsorption. It was found that the Fraser plant achieves positive cash flow with or without xylose conversion and mineral recovery. Sensitivity analysis indicates economics are very sensitive to ethanol selling price and scale; significant but less sensitive to the tipping fee, and rather insensitive to the prices of cellulase and power. Internal rates of return exceeding 15% are projected for larger plants at most combinations of scale, tipping fee, and ethanol price. Our analysis lends support to the proposition that paper sludge is a leading point-of-entry and proving ground for emergent industrial processes featuring enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass.

Recent developments in the Sandia Laboratories' sewage sludge irradiation program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sivinski, H.D.; Brandon, J.R.; Morris, M.E.

1977-11-01

Pathogen reduction studies have shown that a 1 Mrad treatment (or less at elevated temperatures) is very effective in eliminating pathogenic bacteria and viable parasite ova in liquid sludges. Heat is effective in reducing levels not only of pathogenic bacteria and Ascaris ova, but viruses as well. Ammonia has been shown to be virucidal to poliovirus and several other enteric viruses. Sludge processing costs are seen to be marginally competitive with heat treatment for liquid sludges and relatively economical for composted or dried sludges. Physical/chemical effects studies have shown that the effects of irradiation of sludges on dewatering properties aremore » not significant when compared to polymers, nor is the combined effect synergistic. Dried, irradiated undigested sludge has been shown to be of significant nutritional value when used as a feed supplement for sheep and cattle, as well as in agronomic uses. No significant harmful effects have been demonstrated in the feeding program thus far. Product enhancement studies are currently under way, including schemes for removing nitrogen from effluent streams for addition as ammonium salts to sludges.« less

Environmental application for GIS: Assessing Iskandar Malaysia's (IM) sewage sludge for potential biomass resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salim, M. R.; Shaharuddin, N.; Abdullah Halim, K.

2014-02-01

The low carbon scenario could be achieved through the identification of major sectors contributing to the emission of high greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere. Sewage treatment plant (STP) was ranked as one of the major sectors that emits methane gas (CH4) during treatment processes, including sludge treatment. Sludge treatment is also capital extensive with high operational cost. Thus, sewage sludge has been accepted as a nuisance in STP. However, many has claimed that, sludge produced contain organic matter that has the potential for biomass resource. Thus, it would be such a Žwaste? if sludge are directly disposed of into the landfill without utilizing them at its full potential. In order to do so, it is vital to be able to determine the amount of sludge production. This research was implemented in Iskandar Malaysia regions in the state of Johor. By using GIS tool, the regions that produced the most sewage sludge can be determined, and can be group as critical area. Result shows that Nusajaya produces the most, compared to other regions, which indicated Nusajaya as a densely populated region.

Stabilization of heavy metals in fired clay brick incorporated with wastewater treatment plant sludge: Leaching analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadir, A. A.; Hassan, M. I. H.; Salim, N. S. A.; Sarani, N. A.; Ahmad, S.; Rahmat, N. A. I.

2018-04-01

Wastewater treatment sludge or known as sewage sludge is regarded as the residue and produced by the sedimentation of the suspended solid during treatment at the wastewater treatment plant. As such, this sludge was gained from the separation process of the liquids and solids. This sludge wastes has becomes national issues in recent years due to the increasing amount caused by population and industrialization growth in Malaysia. This research was conducted to fully utilize the sludge that rich in dangerous heavy metals and at the same time act as low cost alternative materials in brick manufacturing. The investigation includes determination of heavy metal concentration and chemical composition of the sludge, physical and mechanical properties. Wastewater treatment sludge samples were collected from wastewater treatment plant located in Johor, Malaysia. X-Ray Fluorescence was conducted to determine the heavy metals concentration of wastewater treatment sludge. Different percentage of sludges which are 0%, 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20%, has been incorporated into fired clay brick. The leachability of heavy metals in fired clay brick that incorporated with sludge were determined by using Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and Synthetic Precipitation Leachability Procedure (SPLP) that has been analyzed by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results show a possibility to stabilize the heavy metals in fired clay brick incorporated with wastewater treatment sludge. 20% of the sludge incorporated into the brick is the most suitable for building materials as it leached less heavy metals concentration and complying with USEPA standard.

Comparison of bioleaching and electrokinetic remediation processes for removal of heavy metals from wastewater treatment sludge.

PubMed

Xu, Ying; Zhang, Chaosheng; Zhao, Meihua; Rong, Hongwei; Zhang, Kefang; Chen, Qiuli

2017-02-01

Heavy metals prevent the growing amount of sewage sludge from being disposed as fertilizeron land. The electrokinetic remediation and bioleaching technology are the promising methods to remove heavy metals. In recent years, some innovation has been made to achieve better efficiency, including the innovation of processes and agents. This paper reviews the development of the electrokinetic remediation and bioleaching technology and analyses their advantages and limitation, pointing out the need of the future research for the heavy metals-contaminated sewage sludge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.