Oxygen requirements in relation to sludge age in wastewater treatment plants

Sustainability of activated sludge (AS) wastewater treatment processes is inexplicably linked to minimization of secondary wastes, such as waste sludge, as well as energy requirements for achieving effluent quality standards. Oxygen requirements and waste sludge management accounts for most of energy consumption in aerobic AS wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this study, a novel, highly aerobic AS process, entitled complete solids retention AS process (CRAS), is being evaluated in terms of waste sludge production and biomass oxygen utilization rate. Aim of this work is to study the effect of solids retention time (SRT) on observed sludge yields and on oxygen requirements for respiration in order to evaluate CRAS process as a sustainable alternative to typical activated sludge processes.

The Behavior of Supersonic Jets Generated by Combination Gas in the Steelmaking Process

In the duplex steelmaking process, the oxygen flow rate is suppressed to reduce the increasing rate of the temperature in the molten bath, resulting in severe dynamic conditions. To improve the mixing effect of the molten bath, a Laval nozzle structure designed for combination gas has been proposed. In this research, five types of Laval nozzle structure have been built based on the combination gas content, and both numerical simulations and experiments are performed to analyze the flow field of the supersonic jet. The axial velocity and oxygen concentration were measured in the experiment, which agreed well with the numerically simulated data. The results show that both initial axial velocity and potential core length increase with the flow rate of combination gas. Further, applying a higher N2 flow rate could improve the oxygen utilization rate at different ambient temperatures, but this issue increases the oxygen utilization rate; however, the latter can be reduced at higher ambient temperatures.

Storage of aerobic granular sludge embedded in agar and its reactivation by real wastewater

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) was preserved using an agar embedding method to maintain its stability. No obvious damage was imposed on the granular appearance during 30 days of cold and dry storage, but the granular microstructure had an uneven surface with a large number of holes. The results were consistent with the extinction of microbial communities and the monitored consumption of extracellular polymeric substances, in which granular specific oxygen utilization rate and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids/mixed liquor suspended solids ratio, respectively, decreased by 72.4% and 62.5% during storage. A mass conversation calculation indicated that the loss of granular mass was 1.6393 g. An offensive odour was smelled during storage, and the results indicated that a material transformation and mitigation were involved between AGS and the gas phase. Although the granular structure was destroyed to a certain extent, no obvious damage was imposed on the granular skeleton during storage. After it was aerated again after a feeding with real wastewater, the residual skeleton served as a carrier for the rapid proliferation of microorganisms, and good granular properties were obtained after 11 days of reactivation.

Oxygen utilization and downward carbon flux in an oxygen-depleted eddy in the eastern tropical North Atlantic

The occurrence of mesoscale eddies that develop suboxic environments at shallow depth (about 40–100 m) has recently been reported for the eastern tropical North Atlantic (ETNA). Their hydrographic structure suggests that the water mass inside the eddy is well isolated from ambient waters supporting the development of severe near-surface oxygen deficits. So far, hydrographic and biogeochemical characterization of these eddies was limited to a few autonomous surveys, with the use of moorings, underwater gliders and profiling floats. In this study we present results from the first dedicated biogeochemical survey of one of these eddies conducted in March 2014 near the Cape Verde Ocean Observatory (CVOO). During the survey the eddy core showed oxygen concentrations as low as 5 µmol kg−1 with a pH of around 7.6 at approximately 100 m depth. Correspondingly, the aragonite saturation level dropped to 1 at the same depth, thereby creating unfavorable conditions for calcifying organisms. To our knowledge, such enhanced acidity within near-surface waters has never been reported before for the open Atlantic Ocean. Vertical distributions of particulate organic matter and dissolved organic matter (POM and DOM), generally showed elevated concentrations in the surface mixed layer (0–70 m), with DOM also accumulating beneath the oxygen minimum. With the use of reference data from the upwelling region where these eddies are formed, the oxygen utilization rate was calculated by determining oxygen consumption through the remineralization of organic matter. Inside the core, we found these rates were almost 1 order of magnitude higher (apparent oxygen utilization rate (aOUR); 0.26 µmol kg−1 day−1) than typical values for the open North Atlantic. Computed downward fluxes for particulate organic carbon (POC), were around 0.19 to 0.23 g C m−2 day−1 at 100 m depth, clearly exceeding fluxes typical for an oligotrophic open-ocean setting. The observations support the view that the oxygen-depleted eddies can be viewed as isolated, westwards propagating upwelling systems of their own, thereby represent re-occurring alien biogeochemical environments in the ETNA.

Oxygen Uptake by Biological Processes inside Oxidation Ditch

In order to provide a better understanding of the Orbal Biological System (OBS), as one type of a modified oxidation ditch, the research aims to develop a preliminary process model to visualize the oxygen uptake by biological processes inside the oxidation ditch. Fundamentally, the model can be used as initial study to get a clearer picture of the oxygen utilization rate inside the ditch. Based on the results, the outer channel takes the highest portion of the overall oxygen consumption which is 66 % compare to the middle channel with only 14 % and followed by the inner channel with 20 %. However, simplifying assumptions made for the preliminary process model development (e.g. constant values of HRT throughout each channel) may affect the accuracy of describing the real conditions of the system.

Correct manipulation method of MBR operating parameters in membrane fouling studies

In this study, various parameter manipulation methods, variable sludge retention time (SRT)–variable mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration, constant SRT–variable MLSS concentration and variable SRT–constant MLSS concentration, were compared based on the interrelationships among the following membrane bioreactor operating parameters: SRT, food to microorganisms (biomass) (F/M) ratio, MLSS concentration, volumetric organic loading rate (OLR) and membrane flux. Although it is the most applied method, concurrent change of SRT (or F/M ratio) and MLSS concentration is not a good parameter manipulation method because it causes unnecessary changes in many other parameters such as viscosity, oxygen transfer efficiency and oxygen utilization rate. The method of constant SRT–variable MLSS concentration has similar disadvantages to the method of variable SRT–variable MLSS concentration. The best alternative parameter manipulation method to study membrane fouling is the method of variable SRT–constant MLSS concentration because this method eliminates unnecessary changes in other parameters. In addition, while changing OLR or hydraulic retention time (HRT), contrary to the common application, membrane flux should be kept constant because any change in flux overrides changes in other parameters. Accordingly, required changes in OLR or HRT should be made by adjusting membrane area rather than membrane flux.

Important limitations in the modeling of activated sludge: biased calibration of the hydrolysis process

The merit of activated sludge models depends on the accuracy and reliability of the information they contain on the wastewater to be treated and the biochemical mechanisms involved. In most advanced calibration studies, respirometry i.e. the measurement of the oxygen utilization rate, (OUR), provides the majority of the required experimental database. However, currently used procedures still involve a number of basic and practical problems. Model evaluation of the OUR data may generate a distorted image of the processes involved. Hydrolysis is the most important, yet the most vulnerable process as far as the experimental assessment of accurate kinetic parameters is concerned. This study intends to provide an overview of major experimental limitations in the modeling of activated sludge, with emphasis on the appropriate experimental design for the assessment of the hydrolysis rate.

Sulfide production and wastewater quality – investigations in a pilot plant pressure sewer

The relationship linking sulfide production rate and wastewater quality in terms of its biodegradability was studied using a pilot plant pressure sewer (inner diameter: 102 mm, length: 47 m). Furthermore, anaerobic transformations of wastewater organic matter were investigated. Wastewater characterization based on oxygen utilization rate (OUR) measurements and VFA analyses was employed. As wastewater quality parameters essential for the sulfide production, COD components and dissolved carbohydrate were focused on. Readily biodegradable substrate and fermentable, readily biodegradable substrate were better parameters than traditional dissolved COD for the prediction of sulfide production rates in a pressure sewer. From the results obtained, it was possible to integrate the sulfide production process with the transformation processes of wastewater organic matter in pressure sewers.