Treatment of domestic sewage in a combined UASB/RBC system. Process optimization for irrigation purposes

2003 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Tawfik ◽  
G. Zeeman ◽  
A. Klapwijk ◽  
W. Sanders ◽  
F. El-Gohary ◽  
...  

A Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) was fed with raw domestic wastewater or anaerobic effluents. The experiments were conducted at increasing operational temperatures viz. 11, 20 and 30°C to assess the potential increase in removal efficiencies for the different COD fractions (CODtotal, CODsuspended, CODcolloidal and CODsoluble), E. coli and in the nitrification rate. The results clearly show that, the RBC at HRT of 2.5 h and OLR of 47 gCOD/m2.d provided a very high residual CODtotal value of 228 mg/l when treating domestic wastewater. This was not the case as compared to the results obtained for the system when operated at the same HRT but at lower OLR's of 27, 20 and 14.5 g COD/m2.d with a UASB effluent at operational temperatures of 11, 20 and 30°C respectively. The residual CODtotal values amounted to 100, 85 and 72 mg/l in the final effluents. Moreover, a high removal of ammonia and low residual values of E. coli was found for the RBC when treating a UASB effluent at operational temperature of 30°C as compared to the situation for treatment of domestic wastewater and UASB effluent at lower temperatures of 11 and 20°C. It can be concluded that an efficient pre-treatment of sewage implies a substantial reduction of OLR applied to the RBC and consequently improves the residual of CODtotal, ammonia and E. coli in the final effluent. Therefore, this study supports using a combined system UASB/RBC for treatment of domestic wastewater for reuse in irrigation.

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 371-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Tawfik ◽  
B. Klapwijk ◽  
F. El-Gohary ◽  
G. Lettinga

A small-scale pilot plant consisting of a three-stage RBC has been investigated for the removal of E. coli, COD fractions and ammonia from the effluent of an UASB reactor treating domestic wastewater. The results obtained reveal that a three-stage system operated at a HRT of 3.0 h represents an effective post-treatment process. The remaining COD in the final effluent was only 51 (± 7) mgl−1. Ammonia concentration was reduced by 67 (± 7.6) %. The overall E. coli reduction was 1.39 log10 at an influent count of 6.5 log10 corresponding to an overall removal efficiency of 95.8 (± 4.7) %. However, according to prevailing standards, residual E. coli counts are still high for unrestricted reuse for irrigation purposes. When the system was operated at a HRT of 10 h, overall E. coli removal and ammonia reduction were 99.9 (± 0.05)% and 92 (± 6.5)% respectively. At a HRT of 10 h, recirculation of the 3rd stage effluent to the 1st stage reduced the residual of E. coli in the final effluent from 2 × 103 to 9.8 × 102/100ml. Moreover, the recirculation of nitrified effluent from the 3rd stage to the 1st stage increased ammonia removal in the stage 1 from 23 to 43%. This relatively high ammonia removal likely can be attributed to the supply of nitrifiers from 3rd stage to the 1st one.


2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 956-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Elmitwalli

Although the septic tank is the most applied on-site system for wastewater pre-treatment, limited research has been performed to determine sludge accumulation and biogas production in the tank. Therefore a dynamic mathematical model based on the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) was developed for anaerobic digestion of the accumulated sludge in a septic tank treating domestic wastewater or black water. The results showed that influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the tank mainly control the filling time with sludge, while operational temperature governs characteristics of the accumulated sludge and conversion to methane. For obtaining stable sludge and high conversion, the tank needs to be operated for a period more than a year without sludge wasting. Maximum conversion to methane in the tank is about 50 and 60% for domestic wastewater and black water, respectively. The required period for sludge wasting depends on the influent COD concentration and the HRT, while characteristics of the wasted sludge are affected by operational temperature followed by the influent COD concentration and the HRT. Sludge production from the tank ranges between 0.19 to 0.22 and 0.13 to 0.15 L/(person.d), for the domestic wastewater and black water, respectively.


2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Tawfik ◽  
F. El-Gohary ◽  
A. Ohashi ◽  
H. Harada

A promising system consisting of Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) and Down-Flow Hanging Sponge (DHS) system was investigated for removal of COD, BOD5 fractions, ammonia and faecal coliform from domestic wastewater. The combined system was operated at different HRTs of 16, 11 and 8 h. The results indicate that increasing the total HRT from 8 to 16 h significantly (p < 0.05) improves the CODtotal and BOD5 total removal mainly as a result of a higher removal of CODsoluble, BODsoluble, CODparticulate and BODparticulate. The main part of coarse suspended solids was removed in the UASB reactor (76.4±18%) and the remaining portion was adsorbed and/or enmeshed and degraded in the biomass of the DHS system. The combined system achieved a substantial reduction of total suspended solids (TSS) resulting in an average overall percentage removal of 94±6% (HRT = 16 h) and 89.5±7.8% (HRT = 8 h). Faecal coliform reduction was significantly improved when increasing the total HRT from 8 to 16 h. Residual counts of faecal coliform were 3.1 × 103/100 ml at a total HRT of 16 h, and 2.8 × 104/100 ml at total HRT of 8 h, corresponding to overall removal efficiency of 99.97±0.03 and 99.6±0.3% respectively. Despite the increase of ammonia concentration as a result of protein hydrolysis in the UASB reactor, a substantial removal of ammonia was achieved in the DHS system. The results obtained show that decreasing the OLR imposed to DHS system from 2.6 to 1.6 kg COD/m3·d significantly (p < 0.05) improves the removal efficiency of ammonia by a value of 29%. However, the removal efficiency of ammonia is not further increased when decreasing the OLR from 1.6 to 1.3 kg COD/m3·d. The discharged sludge from UASB + DHS system exerts a good settling property and partially stabilized. DHS profile results have shown that the major part of COD, BOD5, and TSS was removed in the upper part of the system, consequently, the nitrification process was occurring in the lower part of the DHS system.


1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 239-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Emparanza-Knörr ◽  
Francisco Torrella

The Salmonella presence and the microbiological quality indicators, total and fecal coliforms and coliphages of E. coli C, have been studied in a overloaded wastewater lagoon system treating urban wastewatrers of the village of Guardamar del Segura (Alicante, Spain). Classical microbiological technology to detect salmonellae was used, including pre-enrichment, enrichment, selective media plating and biochemical and serological confirmation. Water was physicochemically characterized according to COD, SS, temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen. The selective migration step through Rappaport-Vassiliadis semisolid agar medium was essential for the consistent detection of Salmonella in the different lagoon effluents. Total and fecal coliform levels of up to 105-106 MPN/100 ml were detected in the final effluent. High coliphage concentrations of 103-104 pfu/ml were also found in the effluent waters. Salmonella was always detected in 100 ml samples and eventually reached an order of value of 103 MPN/100 ml. Total coliform reduction was higher in the anaerobic ponds whereas fecal coliforms were more efficiently eliminated in the facultative (mostly “anoxic”) lagoons. Coliphage reduction was higher in the facultative lagoons when compared to the anaerobic ponds. On many occasions, no reduction or eventual increment of the concentration of salmonellae was detected in the effluents from the anaerobic ponds compared to concentrations of the patohogen in the influent raw wasterwaters. The possibility exists for a capacity of Salmonella to multiply in the anoxic phase of the wastewater treatment, but the presence of microorganisms in raw sewage waters which could maskSalmonella detection with the enrichment methodology employed cannot be ruled out.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1804
Author(s):  
Cassi J. Gibson ◽  
Abraham K. Maritim ◽  
Jason W. Marion

Quantitatively assessing fecal indicator bacteria in drinking water from limited resource settings (e.g., disasters, remote areas) can inform public health strategies for reducing waterborne illnesses. This study aimed to compare two common approaches for quantifying Escherichia coli (E. coli) density in natural water versus the ColiPlate™ kit approach. For comparing methods, 41 field samples from natural water sources in Kentucky (USA) were collected. E. coli densities were then determined by (1) membrane filtration in conjunction with modified membrane-thermotolerant E. coli (mTEC) agar, (2) Idexx Quanti-Tray® 2000 with the Colilert® substrate, and (3) the Bluewater Biosciences ColiPlate kit. Significant correlations were observed between E. coli density data for all three methods (p < 0.001). Paired t-test results showed no difference in E. coli densities determined by all the methods (p > 0.05). Upon assigning modified mTEC as the reference method for determining the World Health Organization-assigned “very high-risk” levels of fecal contamination (> 100 E. coli CFU/100 mL), both ColiPlate and Colilert exhibited excellent discrimination for screening very high-risk levels according to the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (~89%). These data suggest ColiPlate continues to be an effective monitoring tool for quantifying E. coli density and characterizing fecal contamination risks from water.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 911
Author(s):  
Maitreyee Mukherjee ◽  
Leah Marie ◽  
Cheyenne Liles ◽  
Nadia Mustafa ◽  
George Bullerjahn ◽  
...  

Maumee River, the major tributary in the western basin of Lake Erie, serves as one of major sources of freshwater in the area, supplying potable, recreational, and industrial water. In this study we collected water samples from four sites in the Maumee River Bay between 2016–2017 and E. coli was isolated, enumerated, and analyzed for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multidrug resistance (MDR). Strikingly, 95% of the total isolates were found to be resistant to at least one antibiotic. A very high resistance to the drugs cephalothin (95.3%), ampicillin (38.3%), tetracycline (8.8%), gentamicin (8.2%), ciprofloxacin (4.2%), cefoperazone (4%), and sulfamethoxazole (1.5%) was observed within isolates from all four sampling sites. Percentages of AMR and MDR was consistently very high in the summer and fall months, whereas it was observed to be lowest in the winter. A remarkably high number of the isolates were detected to be MDR—95% resistant to ≥1 antibiotic, 43% resistant to ≥2 antibiotics, 15% resistant to ≥3 antibiotics, 4.9% resistant to ≥4 antibiotic and 1.2% resistant to ≥5 antibiotics. This data will serve in better understanding the environmental occurrence and dissemination of AMR/MDR in the area and assist in improving and establishing control measures.


2015 ◽  
Vol 752-753 ◽  
pp. 232-237
Author(s):  
Rafidah binti Hamdan ◽  
Izzati Izwani Ibrahim ◽  
Ain Nabila Abdul Talib

Nitrogen is a naturally occurring element that is essential for growth and reproduction in both plants and animals. Excessive concentrations in the water body can cause excessive growth of algae and other plants, leading to accelerate eutrophication of lakes, and occasional depletion of dissolved oxygen. To remove nitrogen conventionally from domestic wastewater requires a high cost technology due to consumption of chemicals, high operational and maintenance cost. Therefore, an alternative low cost treatment technology particularly for nutrient removal including nitrogen removal system has been developed to improve the final effluent quality that is an aerated rock filter system. However, the optimization study under warm climate has not yet been developed. Hence, the present study was carried out to investigate the removal of ammonia nitrogen (AN) from domestic wastewater through nitrification process using a lab-scale vertical aerated limestone filter. Domestic wastewater sample used in this study was collected from Taman Bukit Perdana Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), Batu Pahat, Johor owned by IWK. The experiment has been carried out for 10 weeks. The influent and effluent of the vertical aerated limestone filter system have been sampled and analyzed on biweekly basis for selected parameters including AN, Total Kjedhal Nitrogen (TKN), pH, alkalinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen to monitor the effectiveness of the filter. Results from this study show that nitrification process has took place within the aerated limestone filter as the results from laboratory experiments show that AN in wastewater was oxidized to nitrate and efficiently removed as the removal of AN was ranged from 85 % to 92 % and the removal percentage of TKN was ranged from 83.52 % - 91.67 %. The temperature was in the average of 26.3oC±0.75, pH value average of , DO was from 6.64 mg/L to 7.75 mg/L , and the alkalinity was from 15 to 110 mg / l as CaCO3 . Therefore, from this study it can be concluded that aerated rock filter system has high potential in removing AN and TKN. It is also able to produce a good final effluent quality which is comply with the effluent requirement for nutrient removal in wastewater under the Environmental Quality Act (Sewage) Regulations, 2009 that is safe to be released to the water body.


1971 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Goel ◽  
D. C. Kulshrestha ◽  
E. H. Marth ◽  
D. W. Francis ◽  
J. G. Bradshaw ◽  
...  

Aerobacter (Enterobacter) aerogenes and Escherichia coli were inoculated separately into commercially produced samples of yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, and cottage cheese. Inoculated products were stored at 7.2 C and were tested daily for up to 10 days to determine changes in numbers of coliforms and in pH values. The number of viable coliforms in yogurt declined dramatically and was markedly different from the initial value after only 24 hr of storage. Usually, survival of coliforms in yogurt did not exceed 3 days of holding. In buttermilk, most often a marked decline in numbers of coliforms was evident after 24 hr of storage. A substantial reduction in numbers (&gt;50% of organisms present initially) of A. aerogenes B199 occurred in sour cream during the first 24 hr of storage, but a similar decline in numbers of E. coli and A. aerogenes FD was not evident until after 3 days of storage. Changes in numbers of E. coli and A. aerogenes in cottage cheese generally were not as rapid as in other products during the first days of storage. A few cottage cheese samples, however, did support rapid increases in test culture numbers. Because of the rapid decline in numbers of coliforms in yogurt, buttermilk, and sour cream, the provision in Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products that permits examination of some of these products for up to 48 hr after manufacture seems inadvisable.


1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trond Mæhlum ◽  
Per Stålnacke

This paper outlines the influence of temperature, flow rate and input concentrations on the treatment efficiency of organic matter and nutrients in constructed wetlands (CWs). Three integrated 10 PE systems with horizontal subsurface flow (HSF) treating domestic wastewater are described. Particular attention is devoted to: (1) aerobic pre-treatment in vertical-flow filters, (2) filter media with high phosphorus (P) sorption capacity, and (3) the treatment efficiency during winters. Aerobic pre-treatment followed by CW units including P sorption media removed most organic matter (BOD&gt; 75%), P (&gt; 90%) and total and ammonia N (40-80%). P retention was relatively stable in wetland filters, both with lightweight aggregates and ferruginous sand during 3-6 years of monitoring. Iron-rich sand from Bsh and Bs horizons of ferro-humic podzols was efficient for P sorption, but removal efficiencies of COD, TOC and SS were negative. The differences in efficiency between cold and warm periods were less than 10 percentage points for all parameters. It is anticipated that temperature effects are partially compensated by the large hydraulic retention time. The findings suggest that HSF systems do not require vegetation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Ceccarelli ◽  
Alieda van Essen-Zandbergen ◽  
Bregtje Smid ◽  
Kees T. Veldman ◽  
Gert Jan Boender ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases (pAmpC) are enzymes able to hydrolyze a large variety of β-lactam antibiotics, including third-generation cephalosporins and monobactams. Broilers and broiler meat products can be highly contaminated with ESBL- and pAmpC-producing Escherichia coli strains, also known as extended-spectrum cephalosporin (ESC)-resistant E. coli strains, and can be a source for human infections. As few data on interventions to reduce the presence of ESC-resistant E. coli in broilers are available, we used transmission experiments to examine the role of competitive exclusion (CE) on reducing transmission and excretion in broilers. A broiler model to study the transmission of ESC-resistant E. coli was set up. Day-old chickens were challenged with an ESBL-producing E. coli strain isolated from healthy broilers in the Netherlands. Challenged and not challenged chicks were housed together in pairs or in groups, and ESBL-producing E. coli transmission was monitored via selective culturing of cloacal swab specimens. We observed a statistically significant reduction in both the transmission and excretion of ESBL-producing E. coli in chicks treated with the probiotic flora before E. coli challenge compared to the transmission and excretion in untreated controls. In conclusion, our results support the use of competitive exclusion as an intervention strategy to control ESC-resistant E. coli in the field. IMPORTANCE Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases are a primary cause of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae in humans, animals, and the environment. Food-producing animals are not exempt from this, with a high prevalence being seen in broilers, and there is evidence pointing to a possible foodborne source for human contamination. We investigated the effect of administration of a commercial probiotic product as an intervention to reduce the amount of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in broilers. Our results showed a substantial reduction in the level of colonization of broiler intestines by ESBL-producing E. coli after administration of commercial probiotic product. The protective effect provided by these probiotics could be implemented on a larger scale in poultry production. Reductions in the levels of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the food chain would considerably benefit public health.


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