Treatment of organic synthesis wastewater using anaerobic packed bed and aerobic suspended growth bioreactors.

The performance of an anaerobic mesophilic packed bed reactor, with a mixture of GAC and tezontle, followed by an aerobic suspended growth system was studied for the treatment of organic chemical wastewater with a high COD concentration (22-29 g/L). The testing of the anaerobic-aerobic system was conducted in an experimental set-up for almost 2.5 years. Different operational conditions were evaluated. The anaerobic reactor showed performance stability and COD removals higher than 80% were obtained with loads up to 16.6 kg x m(-3) x d(-1). The acclimation of the aerobic biomass to the substrate in the anaerobic effluent was very quick and COD removals higher than 94% were obtained even at high organic loads. The combined anaerobic-aerobic system allowed total COD removals higher than 99.5% and the accomplishment of the discharge requirements of 200 mgCOD/L when the anaerobic reactor was operated with loads of 8-11 kg x m(-3)x d(-1) and the aerobic reactor with 0.33 kg x kg(-1) x d(-1), being the total HRT of 4.4. The average TKN removal in the anaerobic-aerobic system was 97%, the average for the anaerobic reactor being 52% and that one for the aerobic system being 94%.

Treatment techniques for the recycling of bottle washing water in the soft drinks industry.

The soft drink production is an important sector in the manufacturing industry of Mexico. Water is the main source in the production of soft drinks. Wastewater from bottle washing is almost 50% of the total wastewater generated by this industry. In order to reduce the consumption of water, the water of the last bottle rinse can be reused in to the bottle pre-rinse and pre-washing cycles. This work presents the characterization of the final bottle washing rinse discharge and the treatability study for the most appropriate treatment system for recycling. Average characteristics of the final bottle wash rinse were as follows: Turbidity 40.46 NTU, COD 47.7 mg/L, TSS 56 mg/L, TS 693.6 mg/L, electrical conductivity 1,194 microS/cm. The results of the treatability tests showed that the final rinse water can be used in the pre-rinse and pre-washing after removing the totality of the suspended solids, 80% of the COD and 75% of the dissolved solids. This can be done using the following treatment systems: filtration-adsorption-reverse osmosis, or filtration-adsorption-ion exchange. The installation of these treatment techniques in the soft drink industry would decrease bottle washing water consumption by 50%.

Characterization and dewaterability of raw and stabilized sludge using different treatment methods.

A comparison of the characteristics and stabilization potential of the four most used sludge treatment systems in Mexico was made. A pilot plant constituted by separate systems for anaerobic and aerobic digestion, lime stabilization, conditioning and dewatering, was built and operated during four months in one of the biological wastewater treatment plants in Acapulco, Mexico. Composting of sludge was also made. An aerobic static pile was built using bulking materials available in the region. A turbine centrifuge was used for dewatering the stabilized sludge and results showed good performance of the device. The main problem for the beneficial use of treated sludge was its pathogenicity. The composting process allowed us to obtain a product with approximately 20 fecal coliform density (MPN/g); with lime stabilization, the sludge produced had a fecal coliform density of 2 MPN/g. From these results, it is concluded that both the composting process and the alkaline stabilization with lime produce a well stabilized sludge, bacteriologically safe that accomplishes the requirements for its use on soil without restrictions. Related to parasitological removal, the best helminth egg removals were obtained also using these two processes. Ascaris sp. densities in raw sludge (309-430 eggs/g) were reduced to a final density of 3-14 eggs/g in the aerobic composting process and to 4-18 eggs/g in the lime stabilized sludge. Removal is not high enough to reach the recommended level for unrestricted use of stabilized sludge.

Vermicomposting of sewage sludge: a new technology for Mexico.

UNLABELLED: In Mexico 31% of the treatment plants have a flow less than 60 l/s. This study offers a simple and economical alternative through vermicomposting to resolve the management of sewage sludge and water hyacinth for these small treatment plants. This study was developed with laboratory and pilot scale systems. In the laboratory Eisenia foetida survival was quantified. They were fed three doses of sludge and water hyacinth and different percentages of humidity were applied. The production of worm cocoons was quantified as biomass production and the reduction in the TV/STS ratio as an indicator of stability. To install the pilot system the mixture with the highest cocoon production was chosen. In the pilot test the effect of the worm population density on the waste degradation was observed, the experiment was divided into five modules, four with densities from 2.5 to 15 kg/m2 and one module without worms that served as a blank test. RESULTS: the best mixture was 70% sewage sludge and 30% water hyacinth, with 80% humidity and an average production of 298 cocoons/kg of vermicompost. There were no significant differences in the TVS/TS reduction between the different modules with worms, but in the blank test module there was no reduction. The Type A vermicompost obtained, with non-restricted use, 900 fecal coliforms NMP/g, 0.0 helminth ova/g, highly organic (60% M.O.), high concentration of total nitrogen (2.5%), phosphorus (0.96%) and cationic exchange capacity (60.2 meq/100 g), which indicates that soil fertility would increase if used in agriculture.