The constantly growing amount of unutilised wastewater sewage sludge (SS) remains an unsolved environmental problem in Lithuania. SS can serve efficiently as a renewable feedstock in agriculture for the production of composts, for recultivation of exhausted lands and for woodland soil improvement in forestry. Unfortunately, SS application in agriculture is ...

Caffeine, a biologically active drug with many known molecular targets, is recognized as a contaminant of marine systems. Although the concentrations of caffeine reported from aquatic systems are low (ng/l-μg/l), harmful ecological effects not detected by traditional toxicity tests could occur as a result of caffeine contamination. We used Hsp70, ...

Caffeine functions in the chemical defense against biotic attackers in a few plant species, including coffee and tea. Transgenic tobacco plants that endogenously produced caffeine by expressing three N-methyltransferases involved in the caffeine biosynthesis pathway exhibited a strong resistance to pathogens and herbivores. Here we report that transgenic Chrysanthemum, which ...

Wastewater sewage sludge was co-pyrolyzed with a well characterized clay sample, in order to evaluate possible advantages in the thermal disposal process of solid waste. Characterization of the co-pyrolysis process was carried out both by thermogravimetric-mass spectrometric (TG-MS) analysis, and by reactor tests, using a lab-scale batch reactor equipped with ...

Various analyses of physico-chemical characteristics and batch tests were conducted with the sludge obtained from a full-scale electrolysis facility for treating coal mine drainage in order to find the applicability of sludge as a material for removing Zn(II) in an aqueous phase. The physico-chemical analysis results indicated that coal mine ...

Co-combustion of sewage sludge can destabilize its combustion profile due to high volatility, which results in unstable flame. We carried out fuel reforming for sewage sludge by way of carbonization at pyrolysis temperature of 300-500°C. Fuel characteristics of carbonized sludge at each temperature were analyzed. As carbonization temperature increased, fuel ...

The occurrence of nine different types of pharmaceuticals and caffeine were analyzed in various units of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their receiving rivers in Beijing, China. Analyte concentrations were determined using ultra performance liquid chromatograph-tandem quadruple mass spectrometers (UPLC-MS/MS) and multiple-reaction monitoring. The studied pharmaceuticals and caffeine were ...

Landfill is largely considered as a reliable option for sewage sludge disposal in most metropolitan areas worldwide due to the huge quantities of this waste to be disposed of and the relatively low costs of such a kind of sludge management. It has been found that the sludge in the ...

This study compared the PHAs production behavior of sludges from the anaerobic and oxic phases of an enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) system. This was accomplished by using the kinetics and stoichiometric coefficients obtained from aerobic batch tests to evaluate the performance of these two sludges. Experimental results indicated that ...

Upon partial degradation of polar organic micropollutants during activated sludge treatment, transformation products (TPs) may be formed that enter the aquatic environment in the treated effluent. However, TPs are rarely considered in prospective environmental risk assessments of wastewater-relevant compound classes such as pharmaceuticals and biocides. Here, we suggest and evaluate ...

The potential benefits of electrolysis-conditioned sludge dewaterability treatments with surfactants were investigated in this study. Capillary suction time (CST) and specific resistance of filtration (SRF) were used to evaluate the sludge dewaterability. Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content, viscosity and zeta potential were determined in an attempt to explain the observed ...

Soil samples were collected for fluorotelomer alcohol (FTOH) analyses from six fields to which sludge had been applied and one "background" field that had not received sludge. Ten analytes in soil extracts were quantified using GC/MS. Sludge-applied fields had surface soil FTOH concentrations exceeding levels found in the background field. ...

Sludges generated at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Decatur, Alabama have been applied to agricultural fields for more than a decade. Waste-stream sources to this WWTP during this period included industries that work with fluorotelomer compounds, and sludges from this facility have been found to be elevated in perfluoroalkylates ...

Sustainable waste management system for effluents treatment sludge has been a pressing issue for pulp and paper sector. Recycling is always recommended in terms of environmental sustainability. Following an approach of waste valorisation, this work aims to demonstrate the technical viability of producing fiber-cement roof sheets incorporating cellulose primary sludge ...

Reduction and stabilization of sewage sludge during the clarification of municipal wastewater was synchronously shown to be improved significantly in a pilot-scale vermifiltration using an epigeic earthworm Eisenia fetida. The present study aimed to select a better filter media suited to vermifiltration performance by the comparisons of sludge yields, the ...

This study investigated the feasibility of treating the foams generated in enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes with the microwave-enhanced advanced oxidation process to reduce solids and solubilize nutrients for recovery purposes. It was found that more than half of the total chemical oxygen demand was solubilized during the treatment with ...

Bacteria are known to play important roles in biogeochemical cycles and biotechnology processes, but little is known about the influence of bacteriophage on these processes. A major impediment to the study of host-bacteriophage interactions is that the bacteria and their bacteriophage are often not available in a pure culture. In ...

Inorganic pigments were prepared from industrial wastes: galvanizing sludges resulting from Cr/Ni plating processes (S, G, and T) and a sludge generated from steel wiredraw process that is Fe-rich (F). These industrial wastes were characterized in order to determine the main compositional variations and discover their influence on the colour ...

Two new methods for treatment of tannery sludge were studied to achieve cost-effective and environmentally acceptable remediation solutions for high chromium containing tannery sludge. Quillaja bark saponin, a plant derived biosurfactant, was applied to dewatered tannery sludge for chromium recovery and a comparative assessment with H(2)O(2) oxidative treatment method is ...

The aim of this paper was to determine the effect of two different membrane bioreactor (MBR) configurations (external/immersed) on sludge structure and microbial activity. Sludge structure was deduced from rheological measurements. The high shear stress induced by the recirculation pump in the external MBR was shown to result in decreasing ...

Sludge treatment wetlands (STW) emerge as a promising sustainable technology with low energy requirements and operational costs. In this study, technical, economic and environmental aspects of STW are investigated and compared with other alternatives for sludge management in small communities (<2000 population equivalent). The performance of full-scale STW was characterised ...

Meso-macropore adsorbents were prepared from biological sludge, chemical sludge and hybrid sludge of biological and chemical sludges, by chemically activating with 18.0 M H(2)SO(4) in the mass ratio of 1:3, and then pyrolyzing at 550 °C for 1 h in anoxic atmosphere. The physical and chemical characteristics of the sludge-based ...

Foaming in Membrane BioReactor (MBR) is a frequently discussed topic. Some authors reported that the phenomenon is due to filamentous organisms, like at Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) plants. However, in recent years, other authors reported that the Extra-cellular Polymer Substances (EPSs) concentration is an important factor for controlling foam as ...

Effects of temperature (mesophilic (35 °C) vs. thermophilic (55 °C)) and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (under thermophilic conditions) on sludge properties and their role in bioflocculation and settling were studied using well-controlled sequencing batch reactors fed with a synthetic wastewater comprised of glucose and inorganic nutrients. Under a similar DO ...

A method in combination of acid leaching, chemical exchange and ferrite process was applied to recycle copper and confer higher chemical stability to the sludge generated from etching process in printed circuit board industry. Ninety-five percent copper could be recycled in the form of powder from the sludge. Moreover, not ...

This study examined the rheological characteristics of biological treatment sludges originating from secondary stage and sludge treatment unit of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), using a rotational viscometer equipped with an ultralow adapter or small cylindrical-shaped spindle. A total of four mathematical approaches were used to investigate the fitting ...

The degradation of sludge solids in an insulated reactor during Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) processing results in auto-heating, thermal treatment and total solids reduction, however, the ability to eliminate pathogenic organisms has not been analysed under large scale process conditions. We evaluated the ATAD process over a period of ...

Long-term field investigations on the use of biosolids are scarce in the Mediterranean region, especially on non-food high-profit crops. Thus we studied the effects of repeated sludge application for 4 yr on trace element (both essential and non-essential) availability to cotton, by applying sludge at four increasing rates up to ...

Soluble microbial products (SMPs) present a major part of residual chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the effluents from biological wastewater treatment systems, and the SMP formation is greatly influenced by a variety of process parameters. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with grey relational analysis (GRA) method was ...

Two sets of reactors were operated at 15°C and at sludge retention times (SRTs) of 65 days and 30 days, respectively. Each set was operated at six different mixing velocities. Shear forces provided by mixing affected particle size distribution and resulted in different sludge surface areas. The aim was to ...

Thousands of high production volume (HPV) chemicals are used in the US at rates exceeding 450,000 kg (1 million pounds) per year, yet little is known about their fates during wastewater treatment and upon release into the environment. We utilized a recently introduced empirical model to predict the fraction of ...

Different metal-oxides nanoparticles (MONP) including α-Al(2)O(3), ZnO and Al(OH)(3), were utilized as adsorbents to immobilize anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS). Immobilized AQDS was subsequently tested as a solid-phase redox mediator (RMs) for the reductive decolorization of the azo dye, reactive red 2 (RR2), by anaerobic sludge. The highest adsorption capacity of AQDS was ...

Laboratory and pilot-scale experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the influence of thermal pre-treatment time on waste-activated sludge properties and anaerobic biodegradability. Six experimental conditions were analyzed from 0 to 30 min of hydrolysis time. Solubilization of macromolecular compounds, changes in the main sludge properties and anaerobic biodegradability ...

Dewatered sewage sludge is often stored still before further processing and final disposal. This study showed that anaerobic storage of dewatered sewage sludge could hydrolyze organic matter from the sludge matrix, and increase soluble organic acid content from 90 to 2400 mg/L and soluble organic carbon content from 220 to ...

Kinetics of styrene biodegradation in synthetic wastewaters, containing either styrene or styrene together with ethanol, by an industrial activated sludge obtained from the wastewater treatment unit of a petrochemical complex was studied. The kinetic data could be fitted using the Haldane kinetic model. This model was previously used to predict ...

In this study, a high value-added and biodegradable thermoplastic, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), was produced by excess activated sludge. The effects of the nutritional condition, aeration mode, sodium acetate concentration and initial pH value on PHB accumulation in the activated sludge were investigated. The maximum PHB content and PHB yield of 67.0% ...

Nutrient release is reported as one of the main disadvantage of sludge reduction induced by aquatic worm. In this study, a Static Sequencing Batch Worm Reactor (SSBWR) was proposed with novel structure of perforated panels, combined aeration system and cycle operation. Effective simultaneous nitrification and denitrification were obtained owing to ...

The question of how to obtain the best inocula for conventional biofilters arises when an acclimation/adaptation procedure is to be applied. Bearing in mind that no standardized procedure for acclimating inocula exists, certain preliminary strategies for obtaining an active inoculum from wastewater treatment sludge are proposed in this work. Toluene ...

Sludge reduction is one of the major challenges in biological wastewater treatment. One approach is to increase the sludge degradation yield together with the biodegradation kinetics. Among the various sludge pretreatment strategies proposed, thermal pretreatment at around 65 °C was described as promising. The enhancement in the biodegradation activity due to ...

The study aims to evaluate the role of a polymeric substrate (starch) on sludge settleability. Despite being an important COD component of the wastewater, the relationship between polymeric substrates and bulking sludge has been hardly studied. The polymers are hydrolysed at a rate smaller than the consumption rate of monomers. ...

Activated sludge was successfully incorporated as the biocatalyst in the fast, ferricyanide-mediated biochemical oxygen demand (FM-BOD) bioassay. Sludge preparation procedures were optimized for three potential biocatalysts; aeration basin mixed liquor, aerobic digester sludge and return activated sludge. Following a 24h starving period, the return activated sludge and mixed liquor sludges ...

The growing release of nanosilver into sewage systems has increased the concerns on the potential adverse impacts of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in wastewater treatment plants. The inhibitory effects of nanosilver on wastewater treatment and the response of activated sludge bacteria to the shock loading of AgNPs were evaluated in a ...

The effect of dosing a metal limited anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor with a metal pulse on the methanogenic activity of granular sludge has thus far not been successfully modeled. The prediction of this effect is crucial in order to optimize the strategy for metal dosage and to prevent unnecessary ...

Bulking of activated sludge is a world-widely prevalent problem and can lead to loss of bio-oxidation, further deterioration of effluent quality, and even to a complete breakdown of the entire treatment process. Most common reasons of bulking are bacterial community changes, especially excessive growth of filamentous bacteria or excess of ...

Inefficient removal of estrone (E1) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) causes feminizing effects in male aquatic creatures. As E1 is mainly removed by biodegradation, investigation of E1 degradation is important to determine better removal strategies. Using microautoradiography-fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH), we demonstrated that the structures of [(3)H]E1-incorporating bacterial communities ...

The in situ ecophysiology of alphaproteobacterial filamentous Cluster III Defluviicoccus present in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR)-activated sludge systems was evaluated using FISH-MAR and histochemical staining methods. These organisms, sharing the Nostocoida limicola morphotype, are known to be responsible for serious episodes of activated sludge bulking. The data presented here ...

Cadmium uptake by activated sludge was studied following modifications of sludge composition and surface properties induced by ozone treatment. Ozone leads to the solubilization of sludge compounds as well as their mineralization, especially humic like substances. Small particles were formed following floc disintegration, leading to a decrease of average floc ...

The diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in activated sludge were compared using PCR-DGGE and real-time PCR assays. Activated sludge samples were collected from five different types of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) mainly treating textile, paper, food and livestock wastewater or domestic sewage. The composition of total bacteria determined ...

A cost sensitivity analysis was carried out for a full-scale hollow fibre membrane bioreactor to quantify the effect of design choices and operational parameters on cost. Different options were subjected to a long term dynamic influent profile and evaluated using ASM1 for effluent quality, aeration requirements and sludge production. The ...

The introduction of acid-tolerant heterotrophic microorganisms into sludge bioleaching systems has been proven effective in improving sludge bioleaching processes, and such positive effect is mainly attributed to the biodegradation of low molecular weight organic acids or sludge dissolved organic matter (DOM) toxic to Acidithiobacillus species by the heterotrophic microorganisms introduced. ...