Solids and Hydraulic Retention Time Effect on N2 O Emission from Moving-Bed Membrane Bioreactors

Assessing the aerobic/anoxic enrichment efficiency at different C/N ratios: polyhydroxyalkanoate production from waste activated sludge

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) can be produced using fermentation products of an excess sewage sludge fermentation process. An efficient method to enrich a PHA-producing community is an aerobic-feast/anoxic-famine enrichment strategy. The effect of different carbon to nitrogen (C/N) feed ratios of 1, 2 and 3.5 g COD/g N on the process performance was studied. The study was executed on a pilot plant scale using fermented waste activated sludge as the organic carbon source. The system's performance was monitored in terms of removing contaminants, producing PHA, and reducing N2O emissions. The results indicated that a lower C/N ratio results in lower PHA production, with PHA content in the sludge of 20, 24 and 36 % w/w for C/N ratios of 1, 2 and 3.5 g COD/g N, respectively. At the lowest C/N ratio, the highest nitrite accumulation rate (77 %), nitrification efficiency (89 %) and denitrification efficiency (89 %) were observed, but the N2O production was also the highest (0.77 mg N2O-N/L). The long-term comprehensive monitoring carried out in this study revealed high carbon and ammonia removal efficiencies (never below 80 %) despite the C/N shifts and high COD and ammonia concentrations. At the same time, the system showed relatively low PHA production and high environmental impact in terms of high gaseous N2O emission. These findings question the sustainability of the aerobic-feast/anoxic-famine enrichment strategy for PHA production in full-scale plants.

Reduction of sewage sludge and N2O emissions by an Oxic Settling Anaerobic (OSA) process: The case study of Corleone (Italy) wastewater treatment plant

Biosolid management is becoming one of the most crucial issues for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operators. The application of the Oxic Settling Anaerobic (OSA) process allows the minimisation of excess sludge production. This study compares conventional activated sludge (CAS) and OSA layouts in a full-scale WWTP (namely, Corleone - Italy). Extensive monitoring campaigns were conducted to assess treatment performances regarding carbon and nutrient removal, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, excess sludge production, and biomass activity (by means of respirometric analysis). Results showed that the effluent quality consistently met the Italian discharge limits. However, with the implementation of the OSA process, there was a decrease in ammonium removal efficiency, which could be attributed to reduced nitrifier activity related to reduced biomass production and extended anaerobic conditions affecting the nitrification process. On the other hand, the OSA configuration significantly increased phosphorus removal, indicating a high phosphorus content in the resulting waste sludge. A worsening of the sludge settling properties was observed with the OSA configuration likely due to decreased EPS concentrations. The sludge production in the OSA configuration decreased by 17.3 % compared to CAS. Nitrous-oxide measurements did not show a variation between CAS and OSA configurations, confirming that the OSA process can be a suitable solution for reducing WWTP's carbon footprint.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate production from fermentation of domestic sewage sludge monitoring greenhouse gas emissions: A pilot plant case study at the WRRF of Palermo University (Italy)

This paper presents a comprehensive study on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from sewage sludge. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were monitored for the first time to assess the impact of climate change and environmental sustainability. The pilot plant was composed of a fermenter with a membrane and two biological reactors (namely, selection and accumulation). Results showed that despite a low organic loading rate (namely, 0.06 kg BOD kg SS-1 day-1), a good PHA yield was obtained (namely, 0.37 g PHA/g volatile fatty acids), confirming that sewage sludge can be a suitable feedstock. GHG emissions were 3.85E-04 g CO2eq/g and 32.40 g CO2eq/g, direct and indirect, respectively. Results provided valuable insights in view of finding a trade-off between PHA production and GHG emissions to prove the PHA production process as an effective solution for biosolids disposal at a low carbon footprint.

Recent progress in integrated fixed-film activated sludge process for wastewater treatment: A review

Integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) process is considered as one of the leading-edge processes that provides a sustainable solution for wastewater treatment. IFAS was introduced as an advancement of the moving bed biofilm reactor by integrating the attached and the suspended growth systems. IFAS offers advantages over the conventional activated sludge process such as reduced footprint, enhanced nutrient removal, complete nitrification, longer solids retention time and better removal of anthropogenic composites. IFAS has been recognized as an attractive option as stated from the results of many pilot and full scales studies. Generally, IFAS achieves >90% removals for combined chemical oxygen demand and ammonia, improves sludge settling properties and enhances operational stability. Recently developed IFAS reactors incorporate frameworks for either methane production, energy generation through algae, or microbial fuel cells. This review details the recent development in IFAS with the focus on the pilot and full-scale applications. The microbial community analyses of IFAS biofilm and floc are underlined along with the special emphasis on organics and nitrogen removals, as well as the future research perspectives.