Implementation of in-line infrared monitor in full-scale anaerobic digestion process.

During start up but also during normal operation, anaerobic reactor systems should be run and monitored carefully to secure trouble-free operation, because the process is vulnerable to disturbances such as temporary overloading, biomass wash out and influent toxicity. The present method of monitoring is usually by manual sampling and subsequent laboratory analysis. Data collection, processing and feedback to system operation is manual and ad hoc, and involves high-level operator skills and attention. As a result, systems tend to be designed at relatively conservative design loading rates resulting in significant over-sizing of reactors and thus increased systems cost. It is therefore desirable to have on-line and continuous access to performance data on influent and effluent quality. Relevant variables to indicate process performance include VFA, COD, alkalinity, sulphate, and, if aerobic post-treatment is considered, total nitrogen, ammonia and nitrate. Recently, mid-IR spectrometry was demonstrated on a pilot scale to be suitable for in-line simultaneous measurement of these variables. This paper describes a full-scale application of the technique to test its ability to monitor continuously and without human intervention the above variables simultaneously in two process streams. For VFA, COD, sulphate, ammonium and TKN good agreement was obtained between in-line and manual measurements. During a period of six months the in-line measurements had to be interrupted several times because of clogging. It appeared that the sample pre-treatment unit was not able to cope with high solids concentrations all the time.

Automatic detection of exogenous respiration end-point using artificial neural network.

When aerobic bacteria receive a biodegradable material such as wastewater, then respiration changes from endogenous to exogenous. The reverse occurs when biodegradation is complete. When using respirometry a respirogram is recorded showing those changes in respiration, and for an expert it is not difficult to point the moments at which they occur. The area corresponding to the exogenous respiration phase is a measure of the easily biodegradable fraction of material, also called the short-term BOD or BOD(ST). That value, in combination with a value for COD, can be used to determine the treatability of wastewater. Respirometry can also be applied on-line, e.g. for on-line monitoring of wastewater. However, automatic detection of the end-point of exogenous respiration is difficult. The first step towards on-line monitoring of wastewater treatability is to make automatic detection of this end-point possible. In this study the use of a neural network for detection of this end-point was investigated. Results are promising; after training the neural network is able to detect the correct end-point in the majority of the studied cases.

Waste sizing solution as co-substrate for anaerobic decolourisation of textile dyeing wastewaters.

Dyeing wastewaters and residual size are textile factory waste streams that can be treated anaerobically. For successful anaerobic treatment of dyeing effluents, a co-substrate has to be added because of their low concentration of easily biodegradable compounds. Starch-based size contains easily biodegradable material, but is too concentrated to be treated without difficulties. Although residual size makes up only a small volume, when mixed with the other textile wastewater streams it has a considerable impact on the overall organic load. Many textile dyes can pass through a conventional aerobic treatment plant without being degraded. Anaerobic pre-treatment of the dyeing wastewaters before discharge to the aerobic plant can solve this problem, as many dyestuffs are partly degradable under anaerobic conditions, rendering aerobically degradable products. In this study, the possibility of using waste size as a co-substrate for the anaerobic pre-treatment of dyeing wastewaters was investigated. It was found that waste size was applicable as co-substrate for the decolourisation of the two textile dyeing wastewaters studied. Adding a redox mediator could enhance decolourisation rates for both wastewaters.

Literature review on textile wastewater characterisation.

In the textile industry, many different processes are used and almost all of them generate wastewater. The effluents resulting from these processes differ greatly in composition, due to differences in processes, used fabrics and machinery. Textile wastewater is usually treated as a mixed stream. For water and chemicals reuse purposes however, it is preferable to keep process streams apart and treat them separately. Characterisation of textile industry effluents is of great importance for the separate treatment of process streams. This literature review provides an overview of what is known about the wastewater of the separate processes, and the methods used for characterisation of these streams.