scholarly journals Optimizing ADM1 Calibration and Input Characterization for Effective Co-Digestion Modelling

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 3100
Author(s):  
Arianna Catenacci ◽  
Matteo Grana ◽  
Francesca Malpei ◽  
Elena Ficara

Anaerobic co-digestion in wastewater treatment plants is looking increasingly like a straightforward solution to many issues arising from the operation of mono-digestion. Process modelling is relevant to predict plant behavior and its sensitivity to operational parameters, and to assess the feasibility of simultaneously feeding a digester with different organic wastes. Still, much work has to be completed to turn anaerobic digestion modelling into a reliable and practical tool. Indeed, the complex biochemical processes described in the ADM1 model require the identification of several parameters and many analytical determinations for substrate characterization. A combined protocol including batch Biochemical Methane Potential tests and analytical determinations is proposed and applied for substrate influent characterization to simulate a pilot-scale anaerobic digester where co-digestion of waste sludge and expired yogurt was operated. An iterative procedure was also developed to improve the fit of batch tests for kinetic parameter identification. The results are encouraging: the iterative procedure significantly reduced the Theil’s Inequality Coefficient (TIC), used to evaluate the goodness of fit of the model for alkalinity, total volatile fatty acids, pH, COD, volatile solids, and ammoniacal nitrogen. Improvements in the TIC values, compared to the first iteration, ranged between 30 and 58%.

2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuangxin Zhou ◽  
Johan Stüber ◽  
Rabea-Luisa Schubert ◽  
Christian Kabbe ◽  
Matthias Barjenbruch

Abstract Agricultural reuse of dewatered sludge is a valid route for sludge valorization for small and mid-size wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to the direct utilization of nutrients. A more stringent of German fertilizer ordinance requires the degradation of 20% of the synthetic additives like polymeric substance within two years, which came into force on 1 January 2017. This study assessed the use of starch-based polymers for full-scale dewatering of municipal sewage sludge. The laboratory-scale and pilot-scale trials paved the way for full-scale trials at three WWTPs in Germany. The general feasibility of applying starch-based ‘green’ polymers in full-scale centrifugation was demonstrated. Depending on the sludge type and the process used, the substitution potential was up to 70%. Substitution of 20–30% of the polyacrylamide (PAM)-based polymer was shown to achieve similar total solids (TS) of the dewatered sludge. Optimization of operational parameters as well as machinery set up in WWTPs is recommended in order to improve the shear stability force of sludge flocs and to achieve higher substitution potential. This study suggests that starch-based biodegradable polymers have great potential as alternatives to synthetic polymers in sludge dewatering.


2021 ◽  
pp. 49-60
Author(s):  
Hristo Najdenski ◽  
Lyudmila Dimitrova ◽  
Veselin Akivanov ◽  
Venelin Hubenov ◽  
Snejanka Mihailova ◽  
...  

A study on the anaerobic digestion of wheat straw in a pilot scale bioreactor with an organic load of 2, 5, 7, 10 and 20 g/l and a process duration of 18 to 80 days was performed. The pilot bioreactor used has a computerized system for control and monitoring of various operational parameters – temperature, pH, biogas composition, etc. Total solids, total organics and volatile fatty acids were measured by standard methods and gas chromatography. Daily biogas yield and its main components (CH4, CO2, H2S) were analysed too. During the anaerobic digestion, different species of microorganisms have been isolated from the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus and Aeromonas, as well as the species Terribacillus halophilus. With a known pathogenic potential are described Pseudomonas sp., Enterococcus sp. and Aeromonas sp. Studies on the antimicrobial resistance of all isolated strains show resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin, bacitracin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin and vancomycin. The cellulose degrading activity of some of the bacterial isolates, their pathogenic potential and antimicrobial resistance are discussed in detail in the light of the data on the mechanisms of proven resistance.


Entecho ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
Tamara Pacholská ◽  
Ivan Karpíšek ◽  
Jana Zuzáková ◽  
Vojtěch Kužel ◽  
Stanislav Gajdoš ◽  
...  

Mikropolutanty v životním prostředí působí negativně na vodní ekosystémy a též představují potenciální riziko pro lidské zdraví. Zásadním zdrojem vnosu mikropolutantů do životního prostředí jsou městské ČOV, jejichž konvenční mechanicko-biologická technologie není na odstraňování mikropolutantů navržena. V této práci jsme testovali účinnost odstranění mikropolutantů řadou oxidačních (např. ozonizace, UV/H2O2, Fentonova reakce, borem dopovaná diamantová elektroda) a sorpčních (např. granulované aktivní uhlí GAU, zeolity) procesů. Účinnost odstranění vybraných léčiv (např. erythromycin, sulfamethoxazol, ibuprofen atd.) a metabolitů pesticidů (např. acetochlor ESA, metazachlor ESA) jsme testovali v jednorázových vsádkových testech. S přihlédnutím k ekonomickým i provozním parametrům byla pro následné testování v reálných podmínkách (poloprovozní měřítko) zvolena kombinace oxidace UV/H2O2 a sorpce na GAU. Mikropolutanty v modelové vodě byly úspěšně odstraněny z 91% (suma léčiv) a cca 100% (suma metabolitů pesticidů) při použití optimální dávky H2O2 5 mg/l a intenzity UV záření 4 kJ/m2 s následnou sorpcí na GAU. Tyto velmi slibné výsledky v současné době ověřujeme v pilotní jednotce pro dočištění reálného odtoku z městské ČOV. Abstract (EN) Micropollutants cause harm to aquatic ecosystems and can also negatively affect human health. Major sources of micropollutants input to aquatic environments are wastewater treatment plants due to their insufficient removal during the conventional mechanical-biological process. This study aimed to evaluate potential WWTP effluent post-treatment processes for the removal of selected pharmaceuticals and pesticides using oxidation (e.g., ozonization, UV/H2O2, Fenton, boron-doped diamond electrode) and sorption (e.g. granular activated carbon, zeolite) processes and their combinations. The removal of selected pharmaceuticals (e.g. erythromycin, sulphamethoxazole, ibuprofen) and pesticides (e.g. acetochlor ESA, metazachlor ESA) was tested in batch assays. The combination of UV/H2O2 and activated carbon adsorption was the most favorable in terms of removal efficiency and economic and operational parameters. This combination achieved the removal efficiencies of pharmaceuticals and pesticides of 91 and 100%, respectively, using an optimum H2O2 dose of 5 mg/L and UV intensity of 4 kJ/m2 followed by granular activated carbon adsorption. These promising results are currently adopted in a pilot-scale study for the post-treatment of a real WWTP effluent.


1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 165-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Soares ◽  
S. A. Silva ◽  
R. de Oliveira ◽  
A. L. C. Araujo ◽  
D. D. Mara ◽  
...  

Ammonia removal was monitored in a waste stabilisation pond complex comprising ponds of different geometries and depths under two different operational regimes. It was found that a high degree of ammonia removal commenced in the secondary maturation ponds, with the highest removals occurring in the shallowest ponds as a consequence of improved aerobic conditions. The tertiary maturation ponds produced effluents with mean ammonia concentrations of < 5 mg N/l, the maximum permitted recommended by Brazilian environmental legislation for the discharge of effluents of wastewater treatment plants into surface waters. Ammonia removal in the secondary facultative and maturation ponds could be modelled using equations based on the volatilization mechanism proposed by Middlebrooks et al. (1982).


1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 229-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kruit ◽  
F. Boley ◽  
L. J. A. M. Jacobs ◽  
T. W. M. Wouda

Influent characterization and biosorption experiments were carried out with settled influent of seven wastewater treatment plants to study the influence of O2 in the selector in relation to the success of developing good settling properties of the sludge. In previous years working selectors were installed and/or pilot plant research was carried out at these wastewater treatment plants. Characterization of the influent was done with help of standard COD and BOD measurements with help of a coarse filter. The research has elucidated that the presence of O2 in the selector, at initial sludge loadings of 3.5-6.5 kg BOD/kg MLSS.d, is important for producing good settling properties of the sludge when the sum of readily biodegradable COD and rapidly hydrolysable COD is greater than 40%. When the sum of sludge COD and slow hydrolysable COD is greater than 50% an unaerated selector can be used.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 897
Author(s):  
Neda Amanat ◽  
Bruna Matturro ◽  
Marta Maria Rossi ◽  
Francesco Valentino ◽  
Marianna Villano ◽  
...  

The use of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) as slow-release electron donors for environmental remediation represents a novel and appealing application that is attracting considerable attention in the scientific community. In this context, here, the fermentation pattern of different types of PHA-based materials has been investigated in batch and continuous-flow experiments. Along with commercially available materials, produced from axenic microbial cultures, PHA produced at pilot scale by mixed microbial cultures (MMC) using waste feedstock have been also tested. As a main finding, a rapid onset of volatile fatty acids (VFA) production was observed with a low-purity MMC-deriving material, consisting of microbial cells containing 56% (on weight basis) of intracellular PHA. Indeed, with this material a sustained, long-term production of organic acids (i.e., acetic, propionic, and butyric acids) was observed. In addition, the obtained yield of conversion into acids (up to 70% gVFA/gPHA) was higher than that obtained with the other tested materials, made of extracted and purified PHA. These results clearly suggest the possibility to directly use the PHA-rich cells deriving from the MMC production process, with no need of extraction and purification procedures, as a sustainable and effective carbon source bringing remarkable advantages from an economic and environmental point of view.


1992 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 125-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kappeler ◽  
W. Gujer

To predict the behaviour of biological wastewater treatment plants, the Activated Sludge Model No. 1 is often used. For the application of this model kinetic parameters and wastewater composition must be known. A simple method to estimate kinetic parameters of heterotrophic biomass and COD wastewater fractions is presented. With three different types of batch-tests these parameters and fractions can be determined by measuring oxygen respiration. Our measurements showed that the maximum specific growth rate µmax of heterotrophic biomass depends on temperature, reactor configuration and SRT. In typical wastewater treatment plants of Switzerland the amount of readily biodegradable substrate was generally small (about 9 % of the COD in primary effluent). The same method can also be used to determine kinetic parameters of nitrifying biomass.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sílvia C. Oliveira ◽  
Marcos von Sperling

This article analyses the performance of 166 wastewater treatment plants operating in Brazil, comprising six different treatment processes: septic tank + anaerobic filter, facultative pond, anaerobic pond + facultative pond, activated sludge, UASB reactors alone, UASB reactors followed by post-treatment. The study evaluates and compares the observed effluent quality and the removal efficiencies in terms of BOD, COD, TSS, TN, TP and FC with typical values reported in the technical literature. In view of the large performance variability observed, the existence of a relationship between design/operational parameters and treatment performance was investigated. From the results obtained, no consistent relationship between loading rates and effluent quality was found. The influence of loading rates differed from plant to plant, and the effluent quality was dictated by several combined factors related to design and operation.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 303-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Naidoo ◽  
V. Urbain ◽  
C. A. Buckley

Denitrification kinetics and wastewater characterization of eight different plants in Europe are discussed. Denitrification batch tests revealed three distinct rates except in the cases of Plaisir, Rostock and Orense where 4 rates were observed. The latter three plants revealed atypical rapid initial rates which were between 7 and 21 mgN/gVSS.h. All denitrification kinetics under non-limiting carbon conditions revealed fast first rates which ranged between 3.0 and 7.3 mgN/gVSS.h. Acetate was used to simulate denitrification kinetics with readily biodegradable COD present. Two subsequent rates were observed. Rates 2 and 3 ranged between 2 and 3 mgN/gVSS.h, and 1 and 2 mgN/gVSS.h, respectively. The RBCOD fraction varied between 10 and 19%, except for one of the plants where the value determined was 7%.


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