Anaerobic digestion for sustainable development: a natural approach

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 321-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.J. Gijzen
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Anaerobic Reactors ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Pre Treatment

After the discovery of methane gas by Alessandro Volta in 1776, it took about 100 years before anaerobic processes for the treatment of wastewater and sludges were introduced. The development of high rate anaerobic digesters for the treatment of sewage and industrial wastewater took until the nineteen-seventies and for solid waste even till the nineteen-eighties. All digesters have in common that they apply natural anaerobic consortia of microorganisms for degradation and transformation processes. In view of this, it could be rewarding to evaluate the efficiency of natural ecosystems for their possible application. Examples of high rate anaerobic natural systems include the forestomach of ruminants and the hindgut of certain insects, such as termites and cockroaches. These “natural reactors” exhibit volumetric methane production rates as high as 35 l/l.d. The development of anaerobic reactors based on such natural anaerobic systems could produce eco-technologies for the effective management of a wide variety of solid wastes and industrial wastewater. Important limitations of anaerobic treatment of domestic sewage relate to the absence of nutrient and pathogen removal. A combination of anaerobic pre-treatment followed by photosynthetic post-treatment is proposed for the effective recovery of energy and nutrients from sewage. This eco-technology approach is based on the recognition that the main nutrient assimilating capacity is housed in photosynthetic plants. The proposed anaerobic-photosynthetic process is energy efficient, cost effective and applicable under a wide variety of rural and urban conditions. In conclusion: a natural systems approach towards waste management could generate affordable eco-technologies for effective treatment and resource recovery.

Advances in high rate anaerobic treatment: staging of reactor systems

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.B. van Lier ◽  
F.P. van der Zee ◽  
N.C.G. Tan ◽  
S. Rebac ◽  
R. Kleerebezem
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Extreme Conditions ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
Textile Processing ◽  
Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Anaerobic Reactors ◽  
Wide Acceptance ◽  
Solids Retention

Anaerobic wastewater treatment (AnWT) is considered as the most cost-effective solution for organically polluted industrial waste streams. Particularly the development of high-rate systems, in which hydraulic retention times are uncoupled from solids retention times, has led to a world-wide acceptance of AnWT. In the last decade up to the present, the application potentials of AnWT are further explored. Research shows the feasibility of anaerobic reactors under extreme conditions, such as low and high temperatures. Also toxic and/or recalcitrant wastewaters, that were previously believed not to be suitable for anaerobic processes, are now effectively treated. The recent advances are made possible by adapting the conventional anaerobic high-rate concept to the more extreme conditions. Staged anaerobic reactor concepts show advantages under non-optimal temperature conditions as well as during the treatment of chemical wastewater. In other situations, a staged anaerobic - aerobic approach is required for biodegradation of specific pollutants, e.g. the removal of dyes from textile processing wastewaters. The current paper illustrates the benefits of reactor staging and the yet un-exploited potentials of high-rate AnWT.

scholarly journals Role of syntrophic microbial communities in high-rate methanogenic bioreactors

2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 352-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfons J. M. Stams ◽  
Diana Z. Sousa ◽  
Robbert Kleerebezem ◽  
Caroline M. Plugge
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Methanogenic Archaea ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Degrading Bacteria

Anaerobic purification is a cost-effective way to treat high strength industrial wastewater. Through anaerobic treatment of wastewaters energy is conserved as methane, and less sludge is produced. For high-rate methanogenesis compact syntrophic communities of fatty acid-degrading bacteria and methanogenic archaea are essential. Here, we describe the microbiology of syntrophic communities in methanogenic reactor sludges and provide information on which microbiological factors are essential to obtain high volumetric methane production rates. Fatty-acid degrading bacteria have been isolated from bioreactor sludges, but also from other sources such as freshwater sediments. Despite the important role that fatty acid-degrading bacteria play in high-rate methanogenic bioreactors, their relative numbers are generally low. This finding indicates that the microbial community composition can be further optimized to achieve even higher rates.

Anaerobic pre-treatment of petrochemical effluents: terephthalic acid wastewater

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 237-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robbert Kleerebezem ◽  
Joost Mortier ◽  
Look W. Hulshoff Pol ◽  
Gatze Lettinga
Keyword(s):  
Acetic Acid ◽  
Benzoic Acid ◽  
Terephthalic Acid ◽  
Anaerobic Degradation ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Uasb Reactor ◽  
Anaerobic Sludge ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Uasb Reactors

During petrochemical production of purified terephthalic acid (PTA, 1,4-benzene dicarboxylic acid), a large quantity of concentrated effluent is produced. Main polluting compounds in this wastewater are terephthalic acid, acetic acid and benzoic acid in decreasing order of concentration. Acetic acid and benzoic acid are known to be rapidly degraded in high rate anaerobic treatment systems, such as Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed (UASB) reactors. Concerning the kinetics of anaerobic mineralization of terephthalic acid, however, no information is available in literuature. Therefore our work focused on the anaerobic degradation of neutralized terephthalic acid (disodium terephthalate) in laboratory scale UASB-reactors and batch reactors. It was found that high rate anaerobic treatment of terephthalate was difficult to obtain due to the low growth rate (μ ≈ 0.04 day−1) of the terephthalate mineralizing mixed culture. The maximum removal capacity of a lab-scale UASB-reactor was found to be 3.9 g COD.1−1 .day−1 at a loading rate of 4.5 g COD.1−1 .day−1 and a hydraulic retention time of 24 hours. Terephthalate was used as sole carbon source during these experiments. Addition of small amounts of sucrose (co-substrate) to the influent, as a source of reducing equivalents, was found to have a negative influence on the anaerobic degradation of terephthalate. Also benzoate was found to inhibit the mineralization of terephthalate. Batch-toxicity experiments showed that terephthalate is not toxic to any of the species involved in its mineralization. Based on these observations, a staged anaerobic reactor system is suggested for the anaerobic pre-treatment of PTA-wastewater.

scholarly journals Methanogenic Microorganisms in Industrial Wastewater Anaerobic Treatment

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1546
Author(s):  
Monika Vítězová ◽  
Anna Kohoutová ◽  
Tomáš Vítěz ◽  
Nikola Hanišáková ◽  
Ivan Kushkevych
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Methanogenic Archaea ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
Microbiome Composition ◽  
Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment ◽  
The Past ◽  
Anaerobic Reactors ◽  
Anaerobic Environment

Over the past decades, anaerobic biotechnology is commonly used for treating high-strength wastewaters from different industries. This biotechnology depends on interactions and co-operation between microorganisms in the anaerobic environment where many pollutants’ transformation to energy-rich biogas occurs. Properties of wastewater vary across industries and significantly affect microbiome composition in the anaerobic reactor. Methanogenic archaea play a crucial role during anaerobic wastewater treatment. The most abundant acetoclastic methanogens in the anaerobic reactors for industrial wastewater treatment are Methanosarcina sp. and Methanotrix sp. Hydrogenotrophic representatives of methanogens presented in the anaerobic reactors are characterized by a wide species diversity. Methanoculleus sp., Methanobacterium sp. and Methanospirillum sp. prevailed in this group. This work summarizes the relation of industrial wastewater composition and methanogen microbial communities present in different reactors treating these wastewaters.

Monitoring Bee Diversity in Natural Systems – Novel Aerial and Classical Ground Methods to Evaluate Biotic and Abiotic Indicators

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Di Pietra ◽  
Paolo Dabove ◽  
Yael Mandelik ◽  
Yael Mishael ◽  
Karmit Levy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Ecological Monitoring ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Multispectral Data ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Plant Groups ◽  
Bee Diversity

<p>Bees provide essential pollination services to natural ecosystems and agricultural crops. However, managed and wild (unmanaged) bee populations are in decline worldwide. In order to better manage and restore bee populations, long-term monitoring programs are required. Direct bee monitoring is costly, labor intensive, and requires high expertise. Therefore, cost-effective indicators for bee diversity and community composition are essential.<br>Here we propose to test the cost-efficacy of novel aerial techniques along with classical ground methods to collect biotic and a-biotic indicators of bee diversity and community composition. We will couple classical ecological monitoring approach with advanced photogrammetric tools, in order to develop a multi-scale and multi-temporal platform for monitoring bees. To this end, we formed a complementary, interdisciplinary research group of a pollination ecologist, soil chemists, environmental engineer, geomatics engineer, and topography surveyot. The study will include field work in two complimentary study systems in central Israel, light sandy vs heavy vertisol soils. In each study system we will concurrently conduct bee, flower, bee nesting substrates and soil surveys using classical tools/approaches, as well as apply advanced photogrammetric tools, based on RGB images, with thermal, multispectral data. The indicative ability for bee diversity and community composition of the different biotic and a-biotic measures collected, will be tested using advances statistical tools. Our findings may be instructive to other insects and plant groups, thus provide a novel generic approach towards the ecological monitoring of terrestrial systems.</p>

Future perspectives in bioreactor development

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 27-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Mulder ◽  
T.L.F.M. Vereijken ◽  
C.M.T.J. Frijters ◽  
S.H.J. Vellinga
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Biomass Concentration ◽  
Industrial Effluents ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
Membrane Bioreactors ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Fluidised Bed ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Anaerobic Reactors ◽  
Aerobic Wastewater Treatment

The paper discusses conversion capacities of both anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment systems in relation to growth kinetics, hydrodynamics and biomass concentration. In the current modern anaerobic high-rate reactors the conversion potentials are optimally exploited. This is not yet true for aerobic systems since operation of aerobic systems under conditions of low biomass growth reduces the maximum applicable loading rates significantly. Both the concept of granulation and the introduction of fluidised bed systems have increased conversion capacities for both anaerobic and aerobic systems significantly. One of the latest development concerns the SBR with granular biomass. The grazing concept, in which ciliates convert aerobically grown dispersed cells, offers a possibility for significant improvement of aerobic systems. In the fields of psychrophilic and thermophilic anaerobic treatment, specific reactor development may contribute to further enhance volumetric conversion capacities. Due to reduced water usage, both COD and salt concentrations tend to increase for industrial effluents. As a consequence, there is a need for the development of anaerobic reactors retaining flocculant biomass. The membrane bioreactors offer a solution for certain niches in wastewater treatment. However the oxygen transfer economy is poor. There is a need for fundamental knowledge development to obtain a realistic image of this technology.

Design of Pre-Acidification Reactors for the Anaerobic Treatment of Industrial Wastewaters

1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 199-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. E. Alexiou ◽  
G. K. Anderson ◽  
L. M. Evison
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Volatile Fatty Acids ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
Coffee Production ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Industrial Wastewaters ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pre Treatment

Two-phase anaerobic digestion has often been considered beneficial for the treatment of high strength industrial wastewaters, especially when the first phase is used as a pre-treatment system known as pre-acidification. Several applications in the field of industrial wastewater treatment have been reviewed in order to evaluate the advantages of the pre-acidification process and its effects on the methanogenic reactor. Although pre-acidification has obvious advantages, complete acidification may be detrimental to the efficiency of the overall process. The use of balancing tanks at full-scale has been common practice for the pre-acidification of a wide range of wastewaters yet no accepted design criteria for acidogenic reactors have been formulated and two-phase applications are generally based upon previous experience. The paper summarizes the results of a two year investigation into pre-acidification at both bench- and pilot-scale, presents the results of instant coffee production wastewaters and discusses a wide range of parameters which have been evaluated. Operating criteria will be discussed and guidelines for the design of pre-acidification reactors will be presented. Finally alternatives to using the total VFA (volatile fatty acids) concentrations for expressing the efficiency of acidogenesis will be introduced.

Cost-Effective Pre-Treatment of Food-Processing Industrial Wastewater

1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. El-Gohary ◽  
F. A. Nasr ◽  
H. I. Aly
Keyword(s):  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Uasb Reactor ◽  
Organic Loading Rate ◽  
Activated Sludge System ◽  
Engineering Designs ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Food Processing Wastewater

Performance of laboratory-scale aerobic and anaerobic systems treating food-processing wastewater was investigated. The results obtained showed that BOD and COD of wastewater discharged from a potato-chips factory can be reduced by 86% and 82% using UASB reactor at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 2.9 kg BOD/m3·d and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 18 hr. Corresponding results for an activated sludge system, operated at an OLR of 8.9 kg BOD/m3·d with a HRT of 6hr were 86% and 84%, respectively. Treatment of confectionery wastewater using UASB at a HRT of 12hr and an OLR of 4.4 kg BOD/m3.d gave satisfactory results. COD and BOD removals were 92.4% and 91.5%, respectively. The use of completely activated sludge system at a HRT of 6 hr and ORL of 8.4 kg BOD/m3.d gave lower results as compared to UASB reactor. However, characteristics of the effluents produced using the two systems were in agreement with the standards regulating discharge of industrial wastewater into the sewerage system. Based on the technical and economic evaluation of the results, engineering designs were made for the selected systems.

Cost‐effective pre‐treatment of agro‐industrial wastewater

2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma A. El‐Gohary ◽  
Fayza A. Nasr ◽  
Rifaat A. Wahaab ◽  
Hamdy I. Aly
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Pre Treatment
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