scholarly journals Low-Temperature Adapted Nitrifying Microbial Communities of Finnish Wastewater Treatment Systems

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2450
Author(s):  
Antonina Kruglova ◽  
Jenni Kesulahti ◽  
Khoi Minh Le ◽  
Alejandro Gonzalez-Martinez ◽  
Anna Mikola ◽  
...  

In this study, the microbial community of nitrifying activated sludge adapted to Finnish climate conditions was studied to clarify the microbial populations involved in low-temperature nitrification. Microbial community analysis of five full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) showed several differences compared to WWTPs from other countries with a similar climate. In particular, very low abundance of ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOBs) (altogether ˂ 0.25% of total community) as well as typical NOBs (˂0.35%) and a high abundance of orders Cytophagales and Micrococcales was observed in all Finnish WWTPs. To shed light on the importance of autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrifying processes, laboratory studies of activated sludge were carried out with a presence of and a lack of organic carbon in wastewater at 10 ± 1 °C. Two different sludge retention times (SRTs) were compared to determine the effect of this operational parameter on low-temperature nitrogen removal. The important role of previously reported Candidatus Nitrotogaarctica for nitrite oxidizing in cold climate conditions was confirmed in both full-scale and laboratory scale results. Additionally, potential participation of Dokdonella sp. and Flexibacter sp. in nitrogen removal at low-temperatures is proposed. Operation at SRT of 100 days demonstrated more stable and efficient nitrogen removal after a sharp temperature decrease compared to 14 days SRT.

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Fatima ◽  
S. Jamal Khan

In this study, the performance of wastewater treatment plant located at sector I-9 Islamabad, Pakistan, was evaluated. This full scale domestic wastewater treatment plant is based on conventional activated sludge process. The parameters which were monitored regularly included total suspended solids (TSS), mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). It was found that the biological degradation efficiency of the plant was below the desired levels in terms of COD and BOD. Also the plant operators were not maintaining consistent sludge retention time (SRT). Abrupt discharge of MLSS through the Surplus Activated sludge (SAS) pump was the main reason for the low MLSS in the aeration tank and consequently low treatment performance. In this study the SRT was optimized based on desired MLSS concentration between 3,000–3,500 mg/L and required performance in terms of BOD, COD and TSS. This study revealed that SRT is a very important operational parameter and its knowledge and correct implementation by the plant operators should be mandatory.


2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjun Mao ◽  
Xie Quan ◽  
Huimin Zhao ◽  
Yaobin Zhang ◽  
Shuo Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract The activated sludge (AS) process is widely applied in dyestuff wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs); however, the nitrogen removal efficiency is relatively low and the effluent does not meet the indirect discharge standards before being discharged into the industrial park's WWTP. Hence it is necessary to upgrade the WWTP with more advanced technologies. Moving bed biofilm processes with suspended carriers in an aerobic tank are promising methods due to enhanced nitrification and denitrification. Herein, a pilot-scale integrated free-floating biofilm and activated sludge (IFFAS) process was employed to investigate the feasibility of enhancing nitrogen removal efficiency at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs). The results showed that the effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium nitrate (NH4+-N) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations of the IFFAS process were significantly lower than those of the AS process, and could meet the indirect discharge standards. PCR-DGGE and FISH results indicated that more nitrifiers and denitrifiers co-existed in the IFFAS system, promoting simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. Based on the pilot results, the IFFAS process was used to upgrade the full-scale AS process, and the effluent COD, NH4+-N and TN of the IFFAS process were 91–291 mg/L, 10.6–28.7 mg/L and 18.9–48.6 mg/L, stably meeting the indirect discharge standards and demonstrating the advantages of IFFAS in dyestuff wastewater treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-344
Author(s):  
Jianfeng Wen ◽  
Mark W. LeChevallier ◽  
Wendong Tao

Abstract Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification under low dissolved oxygen conditions is an energy-saving modification of the activated sludge process to achieve efficient nitrogen removal. Geographically distinct full-scale treatment plants are excellent platforms to address the links of microbial community with operating parameters. Mixed liquor samples were collected from a sequencing batch reactor plant, oxidation ditch plant, and step-feed activated sludge plant. Next-Generation Sequencing of the samples showed that the microbial communities were similar at the phylum level among the plants, being dominated by Proteobacteria. Microbial composition of functional groups was similar between the react fill and react phases of the sequencing batch reactors, among four sequencing batch reactors, and among four oxidation ditches. Nitrospira was the only identified genus of autotropic nitrifying bacteria with a relative abundance of 2.2–2.5% in the oxidation ditches and 0.4–0.7% at the other plants. Heterotrophic nitrifying–aerobic denitrifying bacteria were dominated by Dechloromonas with a relative abundance of 0.4–1.0%. Microbial community composition and nitrogen removal mechanisms were related to overall level and local zonation of dissolved oxygen, mixed liquor suspended solids concentration, nitrogen and organic loadings, and solids retention time. Low dissolved oxygen and low organic and nitrogen loadings favored growth of Nitrospira.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250283
Author(s):  
Shulei Liu ◽  
Yasong Chen ◽  
Lin Xiao

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are important for pollutant removal from wastewater, elimination of point discharges of nutrients into the environment and water resource protection. The anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2/O) process is widely used in WWTPs for nitrogen removal, but the requirement for additional organics to ensure a suitable nitrogen removal efficiency makes this process costly and energy consuming. In this study, we report mixotrophic denitrification at a low COD (chemical oxygen demand)/TN (total nitrogen) ratio in a full-scale A2/O WWTP with relatively high sulfate in the inlet. Nitrogen and sulfur species analysis in different units of this A2/O WWTP showed that the internal sulfur cycle of sulfate reduction and reoxidation occurred and that the reduced sulfur species might contribute to denitrification. Microbial community analysis revealed that Thiobacillus, an autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing denitrifier, dominated the activated sludge bacterial community. Metagenomics data also supported the potential of sulfur-based denitrification when high levels of denitrification occurred, and sulfur oxidation and sulfate reduction genes coexisted in the activated sludge. Although most of the denitrification genes were affiliated with heterotrophic denitrifiers with high abundance, the narG and napA genes were mainly associated with autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing denitrifiers. The functional genes related to nitrogen removal were actively expressed even in the unit containing relatively highly reduced sulfur species, indicating that the mixotrophic denitrification process in A2/O could overcome not only a shortage of carbon sources but also the inhibition by reduced sulfur of nitrification and denitrification. Our results indicate that a mixotrophic denitrification process could be developed in full-scale WWTPs and reduce the requirement for additional carbon sources, which could endow WWTPs with more flexible and adaptable nitrogen removal.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneli Andersson Chan ◽  
Niklas Johansson ◽  
Magnus Christensson

Many wastewater treatment plants need to improve their nitrogen removal due to stricter requirements and increasing loads. This often means larger bioreactor volumes, which can be very expensive and is sometimes impossible if space is limited. Therefore, there is a need for compact hybrid solutions that can increase capacity within existing volumes. Two full-scale demonstration projects using moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology has proven to be an efficient way to treat nitrogen in existing volumes at Sundet wastewater treatment plant in Växjö. Increased nitrification and denitrification capacity in parts of the main stream were demonstrated through the Hybas™ process, a combination of MBBR and activated sludge using the integrated fixed-film activated sludge technology. The ANITA™ Mox process, using autotrophic N-removal through anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), provided high nitrogen removal for the sludge liquor. Data collected on-site for over a year are analyzed and compared with the performance of conventional treatment systems. These two full-scale demonstration projects have been a successful learning experience in identifying and correcting both process and operational issues, which may not have arisen at pilot scale. The set objectives in terms of nitrogen removal were met for both processes and design modifications have been identified that will improve future operation at Sundet WWTP.


1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 27-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Knoop ◽  
S. Kunst

During recent years modern full scale wastewater treatment plants with biological nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal have had increasing problems with foam formation on the surfaces of aerobic tanks and with bulking activated sludge. The results of a survey in 1995 (Kunst and Knoop, 1996) showed that most often the filamentous bacterium Microthrix parvicella is responsible for these problems. Up to today there is only little knowledge about its selection criteria in activated sludge. Therefore several experiments were done in full scale activated sludge plants and in laboratory systems under defined conditions to investigate the influence of low (< 0.1 kg/(kg·d)) and high (≤ 0.2 kg/(kg·d)) BOD5-sludge loading rates on the growth and morphology of M. parvicella and the settlement of activated sludge. Furthermore the influence of temperatures of 5°C, 12°C and 20°C on the growth of M. parvicella was investigated. It was shown that M. parvicella grows at low BOD5-sludge loading rate and low temperature and is the main causative organism of bulking and foaming sludge in nutrient removal plants. On the basis of this investigation it was concluded that the growth of M. parvicella and the settling problems of the activated sludge resulting from excessive growth of this filament will always appear in modern municipal wastewater treatment plants with BOD5-sludge loading rate ≤ 0.1 kg/(kg·d) especially under low temperature conditions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
pp. 2843-2851 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Matsuda ◽  
D. Inoue ◽  
Y. Anami ◽  
H. Tsutsui ◽  
K. Sei ◽  
...  

In this study, the microbial community structure and carbon source utilisation profile of activated sludge samples collected from full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operated under different conditions were characterised and compared, respectively, using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and Biolog assay. Samples were collected from each biological treatment tank of six conventional activated sludge, two anaerobic–oxic, two anaerobic–anoxic–oxic, and one step-aeration processes in eight full-scale WWTPs in Osaka, Japan. Results of the T-RFLP analysis of eubacterial 16S rDNA showed that microbial communities of activated sludge differed greatly among samples, and that they were affected by process-based operational conditions. In contrast, the carbon source utilisation profiles of activated sludge samples were mutually similar, but appeared to be influenced slightly by aerated conditions at each reaction tank. Similar carbon source utilisation profiles among all samples suggest that the activated sludge community possesses functions that are necessary for wastewater treatment even if the phylogenetic composition is different. Different results from the T-RFLP analysis and Biolog assay suggest that the phylogenetic composition of microbial community might not necessarily reflect the wastewater treatment functions of the activated sludge.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document