Thermophilic anaerobic digestion in compact systems: investigations by modern microbiological techniques and mathematical simulation.

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion in compact systems can be an economical and ecological reasonable decentralised process technique, especially for rural areas. Thermophilic process conditions are important for a sufficient removal of pathogens. The high energy demand, however, can make such systems unfavourable in terms of energy costs. This is the case when low concentrated wastewater is treated or the system is operated at low ambient temperatures. In this paper we present experimental results of a compact thermophilic anaerobic system obtained with fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis and mathematical simulation. The system was operated with faecal sludge for a period of 135 days and with a model substrate consisting of forage and cellulose for a period of 60 days. The change in the microbial community due to the two different substrates treated could be well observed by the FISH analysis. The Anaerobic Digestion Model no. 1 (ADM1) was used to evaluate system performance at different temperature conditions. The model was extended to contribute to decreased methanogenic activity at lower temperatures and was used to calculate energy production. A model was developed to calculate the major parts of energy consumed by the digester itself at different temperature conditions. It was demonstrated by the simulation study that a reduction of the process temperature can lead to higher net energy yield. The simulation study additionally showed that the effect of temperature on the energy yield is higher when a substrate is treated with high protein content.

Interception of small particles by flocculent structures, sessile ciliates, and the basic layer of a wastewater biofilm.

We investigated attachment processes of hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles (diameter = 1 microm) to mature biofilms grown on clay marbles in a sequencing batch biofilm reactor. During a treatment cycle with filtered wastewater containing different fluorescent beads, the progression of particle density in various biofilm compartments (carrier biofilm, basic biofilm layer, biofilm flocs, and sessile ciliates) was determined by flow cytometry, confocal laser scanning microscopy and automated image analysis. Particles were almost completely removed from wastewater by typical processes of particle retention: up to 58% of particles attached to clay marbles, up to 15% were associated with suspended flocs, and up to 10% were ingested by sessile ciliates. Ingestion of particles by ciliates was exceptionally high immediately after wastewater addition (1,200 particles grazer(-1) x h(-1)) and continued until approximately 14% of the water had been cleared by ciliate filter feeding. Most probably, ciliate bioturbation increases particle sorption to the basic biofilm. Backwashing of the reactor detached pieces of biofilm and thus released approximately 50% of the particles into rinsing water. Clay marbles in the upper part of the reactor were more efficiently abraded than in the lower part. No indications for selective attachment of the applied hydrophobic and hydrophilic beads were found. As a consequence of interception patterns, organisms at elevated biofilm structures are probably major profiteers of wastewater particles; among them, ciliates may be of major importance because of their highly active digestive food vacuoles.