Search results for "Bioreactors"
showing 10 items of 230 documents
Effects of solid–liquid separation on recovering residual methane and nitrogen from digested dairy cow manure
2006
The feasibility of optimizing methane and nitrogen recovery of samples obtained from farm biogas digester (35 degrees C) and post-storage tank (where digested material is stored for 9-12 months) was studied by separating the materials into different fractions using 2, 1, 0.5 and 0.25 mm sieves. Mass-balances revealed that digested material mainly consists of0.25 mm (60-69%) and2 mm (18-27%) fractions, while fractions between 2 and 0.2 mm made the rest. Incubation of solid fractions0.25 mm of digester material at 35 degrees C resulted in specific methane yields of 0.060-0.085 m(3)kg(-1) volatile solids (VS) during initial 30-50 d and 0.16-0.18 m(3)kg(-1)VS at the end of 340 d incubation. Sim…
Simultaneous nitrogen and organic carbon removal in aerobic granular sludge reactors operated with high dissolved oxygen concentration
2013
Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) together with organic removal in granules is usually carried out without Dissolved Oxygen (DO) concentration control, at ‘‘low DO’’ (with a DO 7–8 mg/L, during feast and famine conditions respectively). In particular, different strategies of cultivation and several organic and nitrogen loading rate have been applied, in order to eval- uate the efficiencies in SND process without dissolved oxygen control. The results show that, even under conditions of high DO concentration, nitrogen and organic matter can be simultaneously removed, with efficiency >90%. Nevertheless, the biological conditions in the inner layer of the granule may change sig- …
Screening of novel plants for biogas production in northern conditions.
2013
Abstract The objective of this study was to screen nine annual or perennial novel plants for biogas production cultivated in years 2007–2010 in Finland. The most promising novel plants for biogas production were found to be brown knapweed, giant goldenrod and Japanese millet producing 14–27 t total solids/ha and 4000–6100 Nm 3 CH 4 /ha. The specific methane yields of all studied plants varied from 170 to 381 Nm 3 CH 4 /t volatile solids (VS), depending on harvest time and plant species. Co-digestion of brown knapweed with cow manure in continuously stirred tank reactor was investigated and the highest methane yield was 254 NL CH 4 /kg VS, when the share of brown knapweed was 50% in the fe…
Methane recovery efficiency in a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAnMBR) treating sulphate-rich urban wastewater: Evaluation of methane loss…
2012
The present paper presents a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAnMBR) as a sustainable approach for urban wastewater treatment at 33 and 20 C, since greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and energy recovery is enhanced. Compared to other anaerobic systems, such as UASB reactors, the membrane technology allows the use of biogas-assisted mixing which enhances the methane stripping from the liquid phase bulk. The methane saturation index obtained for the whole period (1.00 ± 0.04) evidenced that the equilibrium condition was reached and the methane loss with the effluent was reduced. The methane recovery efficiency obtained at 20 C (53.6%) was slightly lower than at 33 C (57.4%) due to …
Reliable method for assessing the COD mass balance of a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAMBR) treating sulphate-rich municipal wastewater
2012
The anaerobic treatment of sulphate-rich wastewater causes sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) and methanogenic archaea (MA) to compete for the available substrate. The outcome is lower methane yield coefficient and, therefore, a reduction in the energy recovery potential of the anaerobic treatment. Moreover, in order to assess the overall chemical oxygen demand (COD) balance, it is necessary to determine how much dissolved CH4 is lost in the effluent. The aim of this study is to develop a detailed and reliable method for assessing the COD mass balance and, thereby, to establish a more precise methane yield coefficient for anaerobic systems treating sulphate-rich wastewaters. A submerged anaer…
The role of fouling mechanisms in a membrane bioreactor.
2007
The present study has aimed to quantify the role of pore blocking and cake layer in a laboratory scale hollow fibre membrane module in submerged configuration. The membrane reactor (MBR) was fed with raw wastewater, only screened with a 2-mm sieve, collected from the Palermo WWTP. The MBR was characterised by an operating volume of 190 L and equipped with an aeration system located on the bottom of the reactor. The MBR operated for 65 days. The permeate was extracted by imposing a constant flux through the membrane (21 Lh−1m−2). The results confirm the importance of pore blocking control during start-up. In particular, it provides a rapid irreversible fouling that takes place at the beginni…
Effect of chemical and biological surfactants on activated sludge of MBR system: Microscopic analysis and foam test
2015
Abstract A bench-scale MBR unit was operated, under stressing condition, with the aim of stimulating the onset of foaming in the activated sludge. Possible synergies between synthetic surfactants in the wastewater and biological surfactants (Extra-Cellular Polymeric Substances, EPSs) were investigated by changing C/N ratio. The growth of filamentous bacteria was also discussed. The MBR unit provided satisfactory overall carbon removal overall efficiencies: in particular, synthetic surfactants were removed with efficiency higher than 90% and 95% for non-ionic and ionic surfactants, respectively. Lab investigation suggested also the importance to reduce synthetic surfactants presence entering…
Insights on mechanisms of excess sludge minimization in an oxic-settling-anaerobic process under different operating conditions and plant configurati…
2022
In the present research, insights about the mechanisms of excess sludge minimization occurring in an oxic-settling-anaerobic (OSA) were provided. The investigation involved two systems operating in parallel. In particular, a conventional activated sludge (CAS) system as control and a system implementing the OSA process both having a pre-denitrification scheme were considered. Five periods (P1-P5) were studied, during which several operating conditions and configurations were tested. Specifically, the hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the anaerobic reactor of the OSA system (P1 8 h, P2-P3 12 h, P4 8 h, P5 12 h) and the return sludge from the anaerobic to the anoxic (scheme A) (P1-P2) or aero…
The role of EPS in fouling and foaming phenomena for a membrane bioreactor
2013
In contraposition to conventional activated sludge processes, the foaming phenomenon in membrane bioreactor (MBR) is still in its infancy. On the other hand, although several studies have been carried out for better understanding the fouling phenomenon in MBR there are still some gaps in the up-to-date knowledge. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) may have a primary role in fouling and foaming phenomena which in turn can be crucial for MBRs. The aim of this study is to detect a possible relationship that EPSs may have with fouling and foaming in an MBR for wastewater treatment. Foaming phenomenon is monitored by performing specific foam-tests: Foam Power, Scum Index, Foam Rating …
A semi-industrial scale AnMBR for municipal wastewater treatment at ambient temperature: performance of the biological process
2022
A semi-industrial scale AnMBR plant was operated for more than 600 days to evaluate the long-term operation of this technology at ambient temperature (ranging from 10 to 27 ºC), variable hydraulic retention times (HRT) (from 25 to 41 h) and influent loads (mostly between 15 and 45 kg COD·d−1). The plant was fed with sulfate-rich high-loaded municipal wastewater from the pre-treatment of a full-scale WWTP. The results showed promising AnMBR performance as the core technology for wastewater treatment, obtaining an average 87.2 ± 6.1 % COD removal during long-term operation, with 40 % of the data over 90%. Five periods were considered to evaluate the effect of HRT, influent characteristics, CO…