Fouling mitigation in anaerobic membrane bioreactors using fluidized resin beads.

This study focuses on the use of fluidized resin beads to mitigate fouling during ultrafiltration (UF) of the effluent of an anaerobic bioreactor. Two different module configurations were tested: A fluidized bed of resin beads was generated in a tubular UF membrane, and a hollow fiber (HF) UF membrane was submerged into a fluidized bed, respectively. During filtration of anaerobically treated synthetic wastewater using the tubular module, fluidized resin beads with a diameter of 0.5-0.71 mm did not show any beneficial effect. In contrast, the presence of fluidized resin beads (diameter of 0.5-0.71 and 1.00-1.25 mm) in the HF module reduced the fouling rate significantly. Furthermore, particle diameter and the bed voidage affected the cleaning efficiency of a pre-fouled membrane in the HF module. Interestingly, short-term filtration tests (<2 h) of a dextran solution showed that fluidized resin beads are able to minimize concentration polarization of a macromolecule, even in the tubular module. Therefore, it is supposed that fouling of the anaerobically treated synthetic wastewater was mainly attributed to the deposition of colloidal and particulate matter.

Separating grey- and blackwater in urban water cycles - sensible in the view of misconnections?

The infrastructure approach SEMIZENTRAL has been developed for fast growing cities, to meet their challenges regarding water supply as well as biowaste and wastewater treatment. The world's first full-scale SEMIZENTRAL Resource Recovery Center (RRC) has been implemented in Qingdao (PR China). Greywater (GW) and blackwater (BW) are collected and treated separately. Measurement of influent concentrations differ significantly from the design values. Thus, the operation strategy for the RRC had to be adapted. Amongst other reasons, the changed influent characteristic was caused by misconnections of GW and BW sewers. Already a misconnection rate of 6-8% requires an extension of the GW treatment process for nitrification/denitrification to fulfill effluent standards. Hence, measures should be taken to avoid or reduce misconnections. Nonetheless, in a semi-centralized scale (>10,000 inhabitants) a 100% avoidance might not be possible. Thus, consequences from misconnections should be considered during the design of source-oriented infrastructure systems.

Fluidized glass beads reduce fouling in a novel anaerobic membrane bioreactor.

This study focuses on the use of fluidized glass beads as turbulence promoters in a laboratory-scale anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating municipal wastewater at 20 °C. The addition of fluidized glass beads into an external tubular ceramic membrane enabled the operation at low crossflow velocities of 0.053-0.073 m/s (mean fluxes between 5.5 and 9.7 L/(m2·h)) with runtimes >300 h. Glass beads with a diameter of 1.5 mm were more effective than smaller ones with a diameter of 0.8-1.2 mm. Increasing the bed voidage from 74 to 80% did not show any beneficial effect. As scanning electron microscope examination showed, the fluidized glass beads damaged the used membrane by abrasion. The overall total chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was between 77 and 83%, although mean hydraulic retention times were only between 1.3 and 2.3 h. The production of total methane was increased about 30% in comparison to the bioreactor without membrane. The increased methane production is presumably attributed to biological conversion of rejected, dissolved and particulate organic matter. The total required electrical energy was predicted to be about 0.3 kWh/m3.

Semicentralized greywater and blackwater treatment for fast growing cities: how uncertain influent characteristics might affect the treatment processes.

The SEMIZENTRAL infrastructure approach has been developed for fast growing cities, to meet their challenges regarding water supply as well as biowaste and wastewater (WW) treatment. The world's first full-scale SEMIZENTRAL Resource Recovery reference plant has been implemented in Qingdao (PR China). Greywater (GW) and blackwater (BW) are collected and treated separately. Measurement of influent concentrations revealed significant differences, compared with the design values. Values from the literature for GW and BW characteristics vary more markedly than for municipal WW; recommended design values are still lacking. Moreover, cross-connections between GW and BW can influence the influent characteristics considerably. Consequences for the design of GW and BW treatment are evaluated for boundary conditions, which require high effluent quality for both treatment modules. Model calculations illustrate the significant influence of uncertain WW characteristics on the required aeration basin volume and oxygen demand for GW and BW treatment; however, uncertainties are considerably reduced for the combination of these modules. Thus, a flexible design of the treatment plant is required. A possible concept for such a design is presented.

Evaluation of the energetic potential of sewage sludge by characterization of its organic composition.

The composition of sewage sludge and, thus, its energetic potential is influenced by wastewater and wastewater treatment processes. Higher or lower heating values (HHV or LHV) are decisive factors for the incineration/gasification/pyrolysis of sewage sludge. The HHV is analyzed with a bomb calorimeter and converted to the LHV. It is also possible to calculate the heating value via chemical oxygen demand (COD), total volatile solids (TVS), and elemental composition. Calculating the LHV via the COD provides a suitable method. In contrast, the correlation of the HHV or LHV with the TVS is limited. One prerequisite here is a constant specific energy density; this was given with the types of sewage sludge (primary, surplus/excess, and digested sludge) investigated. If the energy density is not comparable with sewage sludge, for instance with the co-substrate (bio-waste, grease, etc.), the estimation of the heating value using TVS will fail. When calculating the HHV or LHV via the elemental composition, one has to consider the validity of the coefficients of the calculation equation. Depending on the organic composition, it might be necessary to adjust the coefficients, e.g. when adding co-substrates.

Anaerobic treatment of sulfate-containing municipal wastewater with a fluidized bed reactor at 20 °C.

This study focuses on the anaerobic treatment of sulfate-containing municipal wastewater at 20 °C with a fluidized bed reactor. Mean influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sulfate concentrations were 481 and 96 mg/l. The response of the COD removal efficiency to increasing organic loading rates (OLR) was investigated. Average total COD removal was 61% at OLR between 2.7 and 13.7 kg COD/(m³·d) and did not distinctly depend on the OLR. To assess the removal efficiency in more detail the COD in- and output mass flows were balanced. The results showed that only 11-12% of the input COD was recovered as gaseous methane. About 12-13% of the input COD remained in the effluent as dissolved methane. Furthermore, a distinct amount of 12-19% of the input COD remained in the reactor as settled sludge and was not further biologically degraded. Due to the reduction by sulfate-reducing bacteria, 13-14% of the input COD was degraded. Further adverse impacts of the influent sulfate on the anaerobic treatment process are discussed as well.

Analysis of methane emissions from digested sludge.

The energetic use of sewage sludge is an important step in the generation of electricity and heat within a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). For a holistic approach, methane emissions derived from anaerobic treatment have to be considered. Measurements show that methane dissolved in digested sludge can be analyzed via the vacuum salting out degassing method. At different WWTPs, dissolved methane was measured, showing a concentration range of approximately 7-37 mg CH4/L. The average concentration of dissolved methane in mesophilic digested sludge was approximately 29 mg CH4/L, which corresponds to an estimated yearly specific load of approximately 14-21 g CH4 per population equivalent. Comparisons between continuous and discontinuous digester feeding show that a temporary rise in the volume load causes increased concentrations of dissolved methane. Investigations using an industrial-scale digestion plant, consisting of three digestion tank operated in series, show comparable results.

Examination of food waste co-digestion to manage the peak in energy demand at wastewater treatment plants.

Many digesters in Germany are not operated at full capacity; this offers the opportunity for co-digestion. Within this research the potentials and limits of a flexible and adapted sludge treatment are examined with a focus on the digestion process with added food waste as co-substrate. In parallel, energy data from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) are analysed and lab-scale semi-continuous and batch digestion tests are conducted. Within the digestion tests, the ratio of sewage sludge to co-substrate was varied. The final methane yields show the high potential of food waste: the higher the amount of food waste the higher the final yield. However, the conversion rates directly after charging demonstrate better results by charging 10% food waste instead of 20%. Finally, these results are merged with the energy data from the WWTP. As an illustration, the load required to cover base loads as well as peak loads for typical daily variations of the plant's energy demand are calculated. It was found that 735 m³ raw sludge and 73 m³ of a mixture of raw sludge and food waste is required to cover 100% of the base load and 95% of the peak load.

Oxygen transfer in activated sludge--new insights and potentials for cost saving.

The alpha-factor has the greatest impact on the calculation of the required standard oxygen transfer rate (SOTR) in activated sludge systems equipped with submerged aeration systems. Knowing the dependencies of the alpha-factor leads to a better design of the aeration devices and, consequently, to a more efficient use of aeration energy. Applying the current state of knowledge about oxygen transfer leads to the conclusion that, in contrast to current opinion, simultaneous aerobic stabilization requires the same SOTR as conventional activated sludge systems with advanced nutrient removal, even though a higher organic load is degraded.

Towards a complete recycling of phosphorus in wastewater treatment--options in Germany.

Global reserves of mineral phosphorus are finite and the recycling of phosphorus from wastewater, a significant sink for phosphorus, can contribute to a more sustainable use. In Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, an increasing percentage of municipal sewage sludge is incinerated and the contained phosphorus is lost. This paper reviews current technologies and shows that a complete phosphorus recovery from wastewater is technically feasible. Depending on the composition of the sewage sludge ash (SSA), there are various options for phosphorus recovery that are presented. Iron-poor SSAs can be used directly as substitute for phosphate rock in the electrothermal phosphorus process. SSAs with low heavy metal contents can be used as fertilizer without prior metal elimination. Ashes not suitable for direct recycling can be processed by thermal processes. Operators of wastewater treatment plants can additionally influence the ash composition via the selection of precipitants and the control of (indirect) dischargers. This way, they can choose the most suitable phosphorus recovery option. For sewage sludge that is co-incinerated in power plants, municipal waste incinerators or cement kilns phosphorus recovery is not possible. The phosphorus is lost forever.

Recovery of phosphorus and aluminium from sewage sludge ash by a new wet chemical elution process (SESAL-Phos-recovery process).

The potential of a new wet chemical process for phosphorus and aluminium recovery from sewage sludge ash by sequential elution with acidic and alkaline solutions has been investigated: SESAL-Phos (sequential elution of sewage sludge ash for aluminium and phosphorus recovery). Its most innovative aspect is an acidic pre-treatment step in which calcium is leached from the sewage sludge ash. Thus the percentage of alkaline soluble aluminium phosphates is increased from 20 to 67%. This aluminium phosphate is then dissolved in alkali. Subsequently, the dissolved phosphorus is precipitated as calcium phosphate with low heavy metal content and recovered from the alkaline solution. Dissolved aluminium is recovered and may be reused as a precipitant in wastewater treatment plants.

Effect of mechanical cleaning with granular material on the permeability of submerged membranes in the MBR process.

The research on fouling reduction and permeability loss in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) was carried out at two MBR pilot plants with synthetic and real wastewater. On the one hand, the effect of mechanical cleaning with an abrasive granular material on the performance of a submerged MBR process was tested. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements and integrity tests were conducted to check whether the membrane material was damaged by the granulate.The results indicate that the fouling layer formation was significantly reduced by abrasion using the granular material. This technique allowed a long-term operation of more than 600 days at a flux up to 40 L/(m2 h) without chemical cleaning of the membranes. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the membrane bioreactor (MBR) with granulate could be operated with more than 20% higher flux compared to a conventional MBR operation. SEM images and integrity tests showed that in consequence of abrasive cleaning, the granular material left brush marks on the membrane surface, however, the membrane function was not affected.In a parallel experimental set up, the impact of the operationally defined "truly soluble fraction" <0.04 microm from wastewater and activated sludge on the ultrafiltration membrane fouling characteristics was investigated. It was shown that the permeability loss was caused predominantly by the colloidal fraction >0.04 microm rather than by the dissolved fraction of wastewater and activated sludge.

Enhanced membrane bioreactor process without chemical cleaning.

In membrane bioreactors (MBR) for wastewater treatment, the separation of activated sludge and treated water takes place by membrane filtration. Due to the small footprint and superior effluent quality, the number of membrane bioreactors used in wastewater treatment is rapidly increasing. A major challenge in this process is the fouling of the membranes which results in permeability decrease and the demand of chemical cleaning procedures. With the objective of a chemical-free process, the removal of the fouling layer by continuous physical abrasion was investigated. Therefore, particles (granules) were added to the activated sludge in order to realise a continuous abrasion of the fouling layer. During operation for more than 8 months, the membranes showed no decrease in permeability. Fluxes up to 40 L/(m(2) h) were achieved. An online turbidity measurement was installed for the effluent control and showed no change during this test period. For comparison, a reference (standard MBR process without granules) was operated which demonstrated permeability loss at lower fluxes and required chemical cleaning. Altogether with this process an operation at higher fluxes and no use of cleaning chemicals will increase the cost efficiency of the MBR-process.

Semicentralised supply and treatment systems: integrated infrastructure solutions for fast growing urban areas.

Currently, the development of the world population is characterised by two trends: absolute population growth and rapid urbanisation. Especially rapid urbanisation, taking place in Asia, Latin America and Africa, poses major pressure on the affected regions. The development of e.g. Asian countries today is stamped by a combination of urbanisation with high economic growth rates. Conventional centralised infrastructure of supply, treatment and disposal of water is not able to cope with the new challenges arising from these, in history incomparable, high growth rates. Therefore new approaches to infrastructure supply and treatment systems are required - for ecological, sociocultural and economic reasons. The semicentralised approach, focusing on integrated water supply and treatment structures for wastewater and waste on the neighbourhood level, offers one possible solution to the challenges imposed by rapid urbanisation and growing resource needs. The change from centralised to semicentralised supply and treatment systems will minimise the grave discrepancy between the rapid urban growth and the provision of supply and treatment infrastructure. Integrated semicentralised supply and treatment systems face the challenge of growing amounts of wastewater and solid waste combined with rising needs of water for private households and industrial use. The semicentralised approach offers a wide range of flexibility in implementation, energy self-sufficient operation, enormous saving potentials in water demands through intra-urban water reuse and further more advantages in comparison to centralised sectored solutions as practised today.

Aerated biofilter with seasonally varied operation modes for the production of irrigation water.

Water reuse for agricultural irrigation can contribute to the conservation of valuable water resources and opens the possibility to reuse the wastewater's nutrients (N and P) at the same time. As irrigation is usually limited to vegetation periods, effluent requirements for treated wastewater may vary seasonally. A process concept for wastewater treatment with variable operation modes for the seasonal production of nutrient-rich irrigation water and nutrient-poor discharge water is proposed. It is shown that a two-step process consisting of organics removal followed by biological aerated filters (biofilters) for nitrogen removal is a promising combination which allows a flexible and seasonally varied operation with a fast re-start of biological nitrification after shut-down periods. To date, there is no commonly accepted practice amongst operators to take biofilters out of service for periods of time while - at the same time - maintaining biological activity to enable a quick start-up. This paper shows that during shut-down periods the activity drop rate is the smallest if the filter bed is maintained flooded and without aeration; then a very quick re-start is possible.

Phosphorus recovery from wastewater: needs, technologies and costs.

Phosphorus is an essential, yet limited resource, which cannot be replaced by any other element. This is why there are increasing efforts to recycle phosphorus contained in wastewater. It involves the recovery of phosphorus and, normally, the separation of phosphates from harmful substances. Phosphorus can be recovered from wastewater, sewage sludge, as well as from the ash of incinerated sewage sludge, and can be combined with phosphorus removal in most cases. The phosphorus recovery rate from the liquid phase can reach 40 to 50% at the most, while recovery rates from sewage sludge and sewage sludge ash can reach up to 90%. There are various methods which can be applied for phosphorus recovery. Up to now, there is limited experience in industrial-scale implementation. The costs for recovered phosphate exceed the costs for phosphate from rock phosphate by several times. For German conditions, the specific additional costs of wastewater treatment by integrating phosphorus recovery can be estimated at euro2-6 per capita and year.

Potentials of using nanofiltration to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge.

Due to the depletion of mineral phosphorus resources there is an increasing demand for efficient phosphorus recovery technologies. In this study the potential of nanofiltration to recover phosphorus from pre-treated sewage sludge is investigated. The efficiency of three commercial nanofiltration membranes (Desal 5DK, NP030; MPF34) was tested using model solutions. Desal 5DK showed the best selectivity for phosphorus. A pH of lower than 1.5 was found to be most suitable. Desal 5DK was used on four different sewage sludge ash eluates and on one sewage sludge. In these experiments it was shown that a separation of phosphorus from undesired components such as heavy metals was possible with significant variations in the efficiency for the different ash and sludge types. Additionally the achievable product recovery was investigated with model solutions. A product recovery of 57.1% was attained for pH 1 and 41.4% for pH 1.5.

Potentials and limits of a pre-denitrification/ nitrification biofilter configuration for advanced municipal wastewater treatment.

Pre-denitrification in biofilters is limited by the amount of easily degradable organic substrate, resulting in relatively high requirements for external carbon. The combination of pre-DN, N and post-DN filters is much more advisable for most municipal wastewaters, because the recycle rate can be reduced and external carbon can be saved. For minimum use of external carbon, 100-150% recycle rate should not be exceeded. Then, approximately 50-60% of the total NO3-N can be depleted in the pre-DN stage. On average, 10 g total (t) COD/g NO3-N were required in the pre-DN stage for denitrification in the pilot and full-scale plant and 0.4-0.5 kg NO3-N/(m(3)DN d) can be reached without external carbon. As only 40-70% of the COD load is eliminated in the pre-DN, the remaining COD load is removed in the nitrification stage. 1 kg COD/(m(3) d) suppresses nitrification rates by approximately 0.1 kg NH4-N/(m(3) d). For nitrification rates, > 0.5 kg NH4N/(m(3) d) at 12 degrees C not more than 2 kg COD/(m(3) d) may be eliminated in the nitrification.

Semi-centralised supply and treatment systems for (fast growing) urban areas.

Mega cities with rapid growth are challenged by two main problems concerning water supply and sanitation. One is water scarcity because local demand exceeds local supply. The other is that the infrastructure for water supply and the collection and treatment of wastewater cannot keep up with the rapid growth of the mega cities. The transfer of conventional centralised water and wastewater systems from industrialised countries to mega cities does not seem appropriate, because of the rapid and almost unpredictable growth in mega cities on the one hand and the regional shortage of water which requires an economical use and reuse wherever possible on the other hand. The transition from centralised to semi-centralised supply and treatment systems (SESATS) may be one method of resolution to the grave discrepancy between the rapid growth of cities and the provision of supply and treatment infrastructure. One important aspect of planning semi-centralised wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure including intra-urban water reuse is the assessment of the optimal size. Therefore, factors and indicators, which have an effect on the scale of semi-centralised sanitation systems, have to be developed. Beside the introduction in SESATS some of these factors, criteria and indicators and their effects on the system's scale will be introduced in this paper.

Membrane bioreactors in industrial wastewater treatment--European experiences, examples and trends.

In wastewater treatment, micro- and ultra-filtration membranes are used for the separation of the activated sludge (biomass) from the treated water. This offers the advantages of a complete removal of solids and bacteria, as well as most of the viruses, namely those attached to the suspended solids. Compared to the conventional activated sludge process (CAS) this technology allows a much higher biomass concentration (MLSS) whereby the reactor volume and the footprint decreases. With increasing MLSS, the viscosity of the sludge increases, which leads to reduced oxygen transfer rates. Depending on the type of membrane and membrane module, the pre-treatment has to be more sophisticated to prevent clogging and sludging of the modules. Due to fouling and scaling, the flux through the membranes will decrease with time. The decrease depends on the water quality as well as on the measurements taken to minimize fouling. Mainly, three strategies are available: lowering the flux, increasing the "crossflow" and cleaning of the membranes. Different strategies including backwash and chemical cleaning "in situ", "on air" and "ex situ" can be applied. It has been proven more effective to apply preventive regular cleaning. Besides the energy demand for oxygen supply--which is typically in the range of 0.3 kWh/m3 for municipal wastewater--the energy for fouling prevention is substantial. Immersed membranes need approximately 0.4 to 1 kWh/m3 for the coarse bubble aeration, whereas tubular modules require 1 to 4 kWh/m3 pump energy. For proper design of industrial wastewater treatment, the verification of applicability and the development of adequate cleaning strategies, it is a precondition to run pilot tests for a sufficient period of time with the wastewater to be treated. More than 100 industrial wastewater treatment membrane bioreactors (MBR) are in operation in Europe. Data of three case studies for a sewage sludge dewatering plant in UK (12,000 m3/d), a plant for the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater in Germany (3600 m3/d), as well for revamping of an chemical WWTP >2000 m3/d in Italy, are given. MBRs will be used in future wherever high quality effluent is required, because of a sensitive receiving water body or due to the fact of water reuse as process water. MBRs are a perfect pre-treatment in industrial applications when further treatment with nanofiltration or reverse osmosis is considered. The technique is advanced and can be applied both in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. Higher operational costs must be balanced by superior effluent quality.