Wastewater and Solid Waste Treatment

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 14055

Special Issue Editor

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
Interests: biological nutrient removal; second-generation technology for wastewater treatment; anaerobic digestion; food waste co-digestion; emerging contaminants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fast-growing industrialization and urbanization have dramatically increased energy demand and the discharge of nutrients. With an increasing shortage of energy resources and concerns of environmental pollution, energy-efficient and sustainable pollution control is critical for the optimization of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Typically, energy balance in WWTPs is negative, as energy demand for treating pollutants is higher than energy (methane) recovery through sludge treatment using anaerobic digestion. The main current challenges of WWTPs which drive innovation in the wastewater industry include nutrients and biosolids management as well as energy optimization. Co-digestion of organic-rich wastes with municipal sludge is a promising energy recovery technology to increase specific methane production per unit of influent solids significantly.

This Special Issue invites original research papers and critical reviews with an emphasis on the following topics: (i) advances in biological nutrient removal technology; (ii) modeling and optimization of BNR processes; (iii) co-digestion technology; and (iv) development of technology for energy-neutrality in WWTPs.

Dr. Mingu Kim
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biological nutrient removal
  • modeling
  • anaerobic digestion
  • co-digestion
  • energy-neutrality

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1756 KiB  
Article
Biogas Production from Food Residues—The Role of Trace Metals and Co-Digestion with Primary Sludge
by Moshe Habagil, Alexander Keucken and Ilona Sárvári Horváth
Environments 2020, 7(6), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7060042 - 29 May 2020
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6056
Abstract
The majority of municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in Sweden produce biogas from sewage sludge. In order to increase the methane production, co-digestion of internal sludge with Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) might be feasible in the future. The objective of [...] Read more.
The majority of municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in Sweden produce biogas from sewage sludge. In order to increase the methane production, co-digestion of internal sludge with Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) might be feasible in the future. The objective of this study was therefore to find a beneficial solution for the utilization of OFMSW at the WWTP in Varberg, Sweden. The effects of co-digesting primary sludge (PS) and OFMSW collected in the municipality, in different mixing ratios, were investigated by semi-continuous anaerobic digestion assays. Furthermore, the effects of the addition of a commercial trace elements mixture solution (CTES), available on the market in Sweden, were also examined. Co-digestion of OFMSW and PS resulted in specific methane yields of 404, 392, and 375 NmL CH4/g volatile solids (VS), obtained during semi-continuous operations of 301, 357 and 385 days, for the reactors fed with OMFSW:PS ratio of 4:1, 3:1, and 1:1, and at maximum organic loading rates (OLRs) achieved of 4.0, 4.0 and 5.0 gVS/L/d, respectively. Furthermore, mono-digestion of OFMSW failed already at OLR of 1.0 gVS/L/d, however, an OLR of 4.0 gVS/L/d could be achieved with addition of 14 µL/g VS Commercial Trace Element Solutions (CTES) leading to 363 mL CH4/g VS methane production. These experiments were running during 411 days. Hence, higher process efficiency was obtained when using co-digestion of OFMSW and PS compared to that of OFMSW in mono-digestion. Co-digestion is a more feasible option where a balanced Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratio and nutrient supply can be maintained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater and Solid Waste Treatment)
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16 pages, 1488 KiB  
Article
In Situ Acoustic Treatment of Anaerobic Digesters to Improve Biogas Yields
by John Loughrin, Stacy Antle, Karamat Sistani and Nanh Lovanh
Environments 2020, 7(2), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7020011 - 8 Feb 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 7195
Abstract
Sound has the potential to increase biogas yields and enhance wastewater degradation in anaerobic digesters. To assess this potential, two pilot-scale digestion systems were operated, with one exposed to sound at less than 10 kHz and with one acting as a control. Sounds [...] Read more.
Sound has the potential to increase biogas yields and enhance wastewater degradation in anaerobic digesters. To assess this potential, two pilot-scale digestion systems were operated, with one exposed to sound at less than 10 kHz and with one acting as a control. Sounds used were sine waves, broadband noise, and orchestral compositions. Weekly biogas production from sound-treated digesters was 18,900 L, more than twice that of the control digester. The sound-treated digesters were primarily exposed to orchestral compositions, because this made cavitational events easier to identify and because harmonic and amplitude shifts in music seem to induce more cavitation. Background recordings from the sound-treated digester were louder and had more cavitational events than those of the control digester, which we ascribe to enhanced microbial growth and the resulting accelerated sludge breakdown. Acoustic cavitation, vibrational energy imparted to wastewater and sludge, and mixing due to a release of bubbles from the sludge may all act in concert to accelerate wastewater degradation and boost biogas production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater and Solid Waste Treatment)
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