Interlinkages between operational conditions and direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions in a moving bed membrane biofilm reactor

Nitrous oxide (N2O) can be emitted during wastewater treatment contributing to the global warming due to its high global warming potential,. During the last ten years, several efforts have been provided to improve knowledge on: key mechanisms, operating factors and influent features affecting the N2O production/emission. However, the knowledge on the investigated issues is not completely mature. Indeed, in terms of mathematical modelling, literature shows that a reliable model has not yet been established due to the huge data set required and the complexity of the mechanistic models indicated as the most accurate. In this work, the first attempt to perform a multiregression analysis is pres…

Respirometry for the assessment of biomass activity in Membrane Bioreactors

The aim of the study was to use respirometric techniques for the characterization of biomass biokinetic behaviour in several MBR pilot plants characterized by different configurations, different operational conditions and fed with wastewater of different features (domestic/industrial). Four different MBR pilot plants were investigated: i) a sequencing batch MBR (SB-MBR) subjected to a gradual salinity increase; ii) a pre-denitrification MBR system for the treatment of saline wastewater contaminated by hydrocarbons; iii) a University of Cape Town MBR system (UCT-MBR) for the treatment of domestic wastewater subjected to a carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio variation; iiii) a UCT-IFAS-MBR for the…

PROCEEDINGS 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling (UDM) Sep. 23–26, 2018 Palermo, Italy

In recent decades, urban drainage systems are receiving increased attention as interests in sustainable water resources grow. Modelling of urban drainage system is of paramount importance for enhancing human life. Specifically, modelling of urban drainage system focuses on the main and advanced topics (e.g., water quality and quantity, urban flooding and modelling, urban flood forecasting and risk analysis, socio-economic interactions and modelling tools, etc… ) by paying the attention on the interrelationships among the entire water cycle, environment and society.

Removal of carbon and nutrients from wastewater in a moving bed membrane biofilm reactor: the influence of the sludge retention time

A University of Cape Town (UCT) pilot plant combining both membrane bioreactor (MBR) and moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology was monitored. Three experimental Phases were carried out by varying the mixed liquor sludge retention time (SRT) (indefinite, 30 and 15 days, respectively). The system performance has been investigated during experiments in terms of: organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus removal, biokinetic/stoichiometric constants, membrane fouling tendency and sludge dewaterability. The observed results showed that by decreasing the SRT the UCT pilot plant was able to maintain very high total COD removal efficiencies, whilst the biological COD removal efficiency showed a…

Rainwater reuse in urban areas: a mathematical model and a longterm modelling approach

Natural water resources are becoming increasingly limited due to global-scale climate change and water availability issues have become so severe that they must be addressed. Given these issues, reuse of wastewater and rainwater provides a promising way to cope with water shortages. This paper describes an investigation into the efficiency of rainwater usage systems. A conceptual model was built to assess the behaviour of rainwater tanks and their effectiveness in coping with water shortages. The study is based on a long-term simulation (12 years) of different rainwater reuse tank schemes. The associated reductions in residential freshwater demand (water reuse efficiency) and wetweather runo…

Proceedings of Frontiers International Conference on Wastewater Treatment May 21-14, 2017, Palermo, ITALY

Today multidisciplinary is a key and a must for solving issues in the water field. The works in several International Water Association Specialist Groups have demonstrated the importance of both innovative technologies and mathematical modelling, and that the exchange of scientific and technical information among researchers and practitioners involved in these fields is crucial for effectively advancing knowledge.

Greenhouse gas emissions from membrane bioreactors

Nowadays, it is widely accepted that wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are significant sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, significantly contributing to anthropogenic sources of GHG emission. Among the GHG emitted from WWTPs, nitrous oxide (N2O) has been identified as the potentially major component, since its high global warming potential (GWP) is 298 times higher than that of Carbon dioxide (CO2) and also to its capability to react with stratospheric ozone, causing the ozone layer depletion. Up to now, most of the experimental investigations aimed at assessing the key mechanisms of N2O formation, as well as the operational conditions that can enhance its emission, have been carrie…

AlKam Metabolic Syndrome Study (AlkaMeSy Study): Studio di prevalenza sulla sindrome metabolica.

Advances in Wastewater Treatment

Advances in Wastewater Treatment presents a compendium of the key topics surrounding wastewater treatment, assembled by looking at the future technologies, and provides future perspectives in wastewater treatment and modelling. It covers the fundamentals and innovative wastewater treatment processes (such as membrane bioreactors and granular process). Furthermore, it focuses attention on mathematical modelling aspects in the field of wastewater treatments by highlighting the key role of models in process design, operation and control.