Bioconversion of Sewage Sludge and Industrially Produced Woodchips

Platinum mines produce large amounts (750 m³ per month) of woodchips as by-product during ore extraction, posing environmental hazards but also a possible source of organic material to be applied in revegetating tailing dams. The aims of this study were to assess the effectiveness of different bioconversion strategies viz. composting, vermicomposting and a commercial micro-organism inoculant (EM). Woodchips (WC) and sewage sludge (SS) with a mixing ratio of 3:1 were composted and vermicomposted for 112 days and the generated products evaluated in terms of their chemical and physical characteristics. Despite low temperatures (33 °C) in all the treatments, no Escherichia coli or Salmonella was detected in any of the end-products. No significant (P ≥ 0.05) difference in the mean percentage change of C in the different bioconversion strategies was observed and it was only in the SS+WC and SS+WC+EM groups that the soil available P (P-Bray 1) increase was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05). Treatments containing SS showed significant (P ≤ 0.05) decreases in NH₄ ⁺, whereas NO₂ ^- and NO₃ ^-increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05). The NH₄ ⁺:NO₃ ^- ratios in the treatments containing SS were lower than 0.16, ranging from 0.011-0.0016, which is an indication of the maturity of the compost. Total solids and ash contents showed an increase, while the volatile solids and the lignin decreased, but it was only in the vermicomposted treatments that these changes were statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05). The percentage neutral detergent fibre (%NDF) and %cellulose decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in all the treatments containing SS and particle size analysis indicated higher reductions in the vermicomposted treatments. It is concluded that vermicomposting of industrially produced woodchips and sewage sludge is more effective than composting and that the addition of a microbial inoculant did not have a significant effect on the decomposition process.     

蚯蚓堆肥处理剩余污泥混合有机垃圾的效率研究

为了研究基质堆料高度和高密度接种条件对蚯蚓堆肥处理有机垃圾混合剩余污泥时蚯蚓生物量及其堆肥效率的影响,共设6个处理进行试验,按接种密度-堆料高度表示,分别为：1/10-10 cm组、1/10-15 cm组、1/15-10 cm组、1/15-15 cm组、1/20-10 cm组、1/20-15 cm组。试验结果表明,在堆料高度相同时,蚯蚓生物量与其接种密度呈显著的负相关关系,但接种密度对蚯蚓堆肥效率的影响有限,只有在1/10组同1/15组或1/20组比较时表现出显著差异,而后两个组别之间差异不显著;在接种密度相同时,堆料高度对蚯蚓堆肥效率的影响不显著,而对蚯蚓生物量的影响可能存在一个密度临界点（1/15）,在此密度附近,堆料高度对蚯蚓生物量的影响较显著,呈显著正相关关系,而在此密度以上或以下,堆料高度的影响不显著。从产业应用的角度,综合考虑蚯蚓维持种群繁衍的再生产能力以及混合污泥的堆肥效率这两个因素,赤子爱胜蚓（Eisenia foetida）处理有机垃圾混合剩余污泥的最佳接种密度为1/15,堆料高度为15 cm。     

Removal Processes for Tributyltin During Municipal Wastewater Treatment

Water, Air, &; Soil Pollution - The fate and behaviour of tributyltin (TBT) at two wastewater treatment works was examined. Both sites had two inlet streams, and each utilised high rate...     

兰州市城市污水处理厂污泥中重金属形态分布特征与潜在生态风险评价

通过现场调查采样及室内分析,研究了兰州市七里河安宁污水处理厂和雁儿湾污水处理厂污泥中重金属的形态分布特征,并对其进行了潜在生态风险评价。结果表明,污泥总体呈高有机质、高全N和有效P、高微量营养元素,且Cu、Zn、Cd、Pb、Ni5种重金属的含量均低于污泥农用控制标准,具有很好的农用价值。污泥中Zn、Cd、Pb主要以有机结合态和残渣态存在,而Cu、Ni可交换态所占比例较高,分别为14.95%和14.41%,不稳定态所占比例分别为41.12%和31.04%,表现出较高的生物活性和可利用性。七里河和雁儿湾污泥中重金属的潜在生态风险属于低度风险;Cd、Cu是污泥中重金属潜在生态风险的主要贡献者,在污泥处理处置时应引起高度重视。     

Application of Experimental Design Technique to the Optimization of Bench-Scale Composting Conditions of Municipal Raw Sludge

Evaluation of the parameters affecting the compostability of dewatered raw sludge from a wastewater treatment plant has been carried out by means of a full factorial composite experimental design. The factors and their correspondent levels considered in the experimental design were: bulking agent:sludge ratio (from 1:1 to 4:1 by volume), bulking agent particle size (from 0-5 mm to 10-20 mm) and composting volume (in the range of typical laboratory-scale, from 1.5 to 25 L). Experimental design has permitted obtaining a polynomial second-order function that quantitatively describes the influence of the considered factors on the compostability of this waste in laboratory reactors. The function has been numerically optimized to find the optimal values for composting raw sludge resulting in a values of: 0-5 mm for bulking agent size, 1:1 for ratio bulking agent:sludge and a composting volume around 10 L. The use of this technique can be generalized and applied to the composting of other organic wastes and will permit comparison of composting performance of different wastes.     

城市污水污泥处理利用研究进展

城市污水污泥由于其产生量的巨大及成分的复杂,如何对它进行合理利用已越来越受人们关注。文章系统地综述了污泥的减容化、无害化处理方式及其进展,并重点对其资源化的土地利用和水处理利用等作了较为详细的论述,从而提出污泥的资源化最经济、最有效的处理途径。     

城市污泥堆肥商品化应用问题的探讨

讨论了国内外城市污泥的各种处理方法的利弊 ,城市污泥土地利用的可能性和有效性 ;论证了城市污泥堆肥商品化的可行性和必要性 ,并对污泥堆肥商品化应用中的安全性及质量控制等问题进行了探讨。     

Estimating Levels of Micropollutants in Municipal Wastewater

The evolution of microbial communities with increasing carbon tetrachloride concentrations was studied in two anaerobic columns containing sand and two different clay soils, one of which contained high levels of iron. Microbial communities were characterized through analysis of column effluents with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction for archaea and eubacteria as inlet carbon tetrachloride concentrations were increased from 0.8 to 29 μM. Inhibition of microbial activity was observed in both columns, and was associated with the accumulation of chloroform at concentrations of 0.2 to 0.4 μM as inlet CT concentrations were increased to 2.4–3.0 μM in the low-iron clay column and approximately 16 μM in the iron rich clay column. Inhibition was indicated by decreasing rates of methanol and carbon tetrachloride degradation, decreases in effluent levels of DNA, and shifts in microbial communities of the columns. Even with the inhibition observed, in the iron-rich clay column CT degradation continued to the end of the study with inlet CT concentrations of 29 μM, in contrast to the low-iron clay column in which minimal CT degradation occurred once CT inlet concentrations exceeded 3 μM. The greater capacity for CT degradation in the column containing the iron-rich clay was hypothesized to be the result of reaction with biogenic ferrous iron produced by biological dissimilatory iron reduction.     

Application of Cost Criteria for Selection of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems

Analysis of economic data pertinent to the existing municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTP) in Greece is presented. Thisinformation is important when budgeting for future plants. Thedata include land usage and the costs for construction, operationand maintenance of the form y = ax ^b, where a and b are calculated coefficients. Equations for cost and landuse were produced for specific systems. Personnel and energy aspects are analysed as they are major contributors to operationalcost. A life cycle analysis (LCA) of plants is undertaken. The results of such an analysis should suggest the most preferabletechnology under given circumstances. Thus, under high energy costs and low level of automation and operation, at low F/M ratios, conventional activated sludge systems are relatively notcost effective. In addition, for cost of land less than US$30 per m², waste stabilisation ponds are cost effective subjected to minor earthworks.     

城市污泥的污染现状及其土地利用评价

随着城市污泥产生量的迅速增加,污泥的科学处置及土地利用是当前城市固体废弃物资源化的主要研究内容。本文较系统地阐述了污泥的基本性质、污泥污染和处置现状及土地利用的风险评价等相关研究,并指出了目前城市污泥研究中存在的问题。     

Kinetic Analysis of Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Wastewater Sludge

Conventional mesophilic anaerobic digesters are sometimes subject to process upset and have earned the reputation of being difficult to cope with sludge overloading. This study was conducted to examine the thermophilic process as a viable alternative. An analysis of field data from an operating mesophilic sludge digester was conducted in parallel with experimental runs on a laboratory thermophilic reactor using similar sludge. The results showed that thermophilic anaerobic digestion was a viable alternative to the mesophilic process especially for overloaded digesters in warm climates. The optimum hydraulic retention time for the thermophilic process was 10 days which can lead to substantial savings in digester capacity. A simplified kinetic model was developed and applied in the analysis of steady-state operation of thermophilic anaerobic sludge digesters.     

Synthetic Fibers as Indicators of Municipal Sewage Sludge,Sludge Products,and Sewage Treatment Plant Effluents

Because of concerns regarding health, safety, and aesthetics, a test that identifies the presence of sewage sludge or its products (biosolids) in commercial materials such as soil conditioners and composts would be useful. This test could also trace the effluent plume from a sewage treatment plant. We have discovered that synthetic fibers serve as such an indicator. Synthetic fibers are abundant in sludge, sludge products, and sewage treatment plant effluents. The fibers evidently are introduced from clothes-washing machines and survive the sewage treatment process. Synthetic fibers were identified using polarized light microscopy, which provided a simple, rapid method for determining the presence or absence of municipal sewage sludge or its products. False positives or false negatives have not occurred with any of the materials examined so far. We also monitored synthetic fibers in surface sediments of Huntington Harbor, Long Island, NY, a harbor receiving the effluent from a trickling filter sewage treatment plant. Fibers generally decrease in size and abundance with distance from the source. In Oyster Bay Harbor, Long Island, an advanced sewage treatment plant is operated with a final microfiltration step. Synthetic fibers are less abundant in the sediments of this harbor.     

Elemental Composition of Twelve Plant Species Grown with Irradiated Municipal Sludge

The objective of this research was to determine the availability to plants of elements in sewage sludge irradiated with high-energy electrons for disinfection. Irradiated raw sludge (irradiated with an electron dose of 400 krad) and non-irradiated raw sludge were obtained from the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant of Boston, Massachusetts. The sludges were used to grow 12 plant species under controlled-environmental conditions. The species were: bush bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), sweet corn (Zea mays L.), dill (Anethum graveolens L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), mustard (Brassica juncea Coss.), parsley (Petroselinum crispum Nym.), pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris cicla L.), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell.). Plants were also grown with inorganic fertilizer added at recommended rates or with tap water. At the end of the experiment (44 days after planting), dry weight and elemental composition of the plants and soil (fine sandy loam, Typic Ustifluvent) were determined. There was no measurable difference in nutrient composition of soil treated with irradiated and non-irradiated raw sludge. In general, plants treated with irradiated raw sludge grew as well as plants treated with non-irradiated raw sludge. Most plants treated with sludge grew as well as plants treated with inorganic fertilizer. Elemental composition of plants treated with irradiated sludge was similar to that of plants treated with non-irradiated sludge. Sludge-treated dill, parsley, spinach, and Swiss chard had high concentrations of one or more of the following heavy elements: Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr. The results showed that plants grown with sludge irradiated with high-energy electrons were similar to plants grown with non-irradiated sludge.     

城市污泥与玉米秸秆堆肥中多环芳烃(PAHs)的研究

将城市污泥与玉米秸秆进行自然通风堆肥处理，应用GC/MS检测方法对污泥堆肥中的多环芳烃化合物(PAHs)进行了分析。污泥堆肥中PAHs的含量较低，ΣPAHs和ΣPAHs_carc分别为0.561 mg/kg和0.107 mg/kg，绝大部分PAHs化合物的含量低于0.050 mg/kg，含量较高的主要是中、低分子量的化合物。PAHs的降解效果显著，ΣPAHs和ΣPAHs_carc的降解率在80%左右，绝大部分化合物的降解率在50%以上，中等分子量的3个和4个苯环的化合物的降解效果相对较好。污泥堆肥中PAHs的含量、分布模式及其降解效果与原污泥中PAHs的特征密切相关。     

pH Requirement for the Bioleaching of Heavy Metals from Anaerobically Digested Wastewater Sludge

Bioleaching has been demonstrated to be a feasible technology for removing heavy metals from sewage sludge, but the leaching medium needs to be pre-acidified to less than 4. The objective of the research presented in this paper was to investigate the pH requirement for isolated indigenous Thiobacillus ferrooxidans for bioleaching heavy metals from wastewater sludge in Hong Kong. Isolated sludge-indigenous iron-oxidizing bacteria were used for the bioleaching experiments to investigate the dissolution behaviour of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Ni and Cr) from sludge set at an initial pH ranging from 3–7 with the purpose to reduce the acid consumption. The results showed that the inoculation of 15% of isolated indigenous iron-oxidizing bacteria and addition of 4.0 g L^-1 Fe²⁺ (in the form of FeSO⁴?7H₂O) resulted in a sharp decrease in sludge pH from an initial pH 3–7 to 2.1–2.4 and an increase in ORP (oxidation-reduction potential) from –200–38 mV to > 500 mV within the first 6 days. After 16 days of bioleaching, 50.2–78.4% of Cr, 63.7–74.1% of Cu, 74.9–88.2% of Zn and 15.5–38.6% of Ni can be leached out from the sludge at an initial pH range of 3–7. In contrast, only 1.5% of Cr, 1.7% of Cu, 15.3% of Zn and 15.5% of Ni was solubilized in the control run at pH 7.0. At the end of bioleaching, the dissolution of nutrients N and P from the organic matrix at pH 6 was significantly less than that at pH 3–5. Hence, the bioleaching efficiency could still be maintained at an initial pH of > 4 using the isolated indigenous T. ferrooxidans which would reduce the cost of operation.

     

脱氮功能菌去除市政废水中氮素的研究

为了探讨实验室筛选获得的氨氧化细菌CM-NR014和反硝化细菌CM-NRD3联合去除市政废水中氮素的应用价值,采用了两级A／O工艺进行菌株去除废水中氮素的小试实验,最后将菌株用于废水脱氮工程中。结果表明,脱氮功能菌实现了短程硝化-反硝化,氨氮去除率在98％以上,总氮去除率在75％以上,COD（化学需氧量）去除率大于90％,出水各项指标均低于城镇污水处理厂污染物排放一级（A）标准。脱氮功能菌在去除市政废水中氮素方面有很高的应用价值,可用于城镇污水处理厂提标改造等。     

城市污水污泥处置利用及其影响因素分析

重金属对污泥最终处置利用具有很大影响,有时甚至决定了技术路线的选择.论文从分析西安市3个污水处理厂污泥重金属含量和浸出量的检测结果出发,对我国污水污泥处置利用相关标准与危险废物鉴定标准进行研究.结果表明:我国污泥处置现行标准对重金属的迁移特性不够重视,应当建立重金属总量指标与形态指标(浸出毒性)相结合的污泥处置控制标准体系;在进行污水处理厂泥质分析的基础上,探索西安市较为可行的污泥处置利用方式,提出西安市污水污泥处置利用的2条途径:填埋和能源利用.     

植物处理后的城市污泥农用对玉米生长的影响

采用东南景天单种、东南景天与香芋套种对污泥进行植物处理,将植物处理后的污泥作为肥料与上层土壤混合后种植玉米,并设不同的肥料处理来研究对玉米生长的影响。结果表明,利用植物处理后的污泥作为肥料种植玉米,玉米生长良好,且长势和产量明显优于对照和施用化肥的处理,其中单种东南景天处理后的污泥与土壤混合种植的玉米籽粒的产量最高,分别是对照和化肥处理的3.26和2.66倍;利用植物处理后的污泥作为肥料所生产的玉米籽粒中Zn、Cd、Cu、Pb的含量符合国家饲料卫生安全标准,作为饲料是安全的。     

Composting of Yard Waste and Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge Mixtures

Composting of yard waste and sludge/yard waste mixtures was investigated during laboratory and field testing. A strong correlation between moisture content and windrow peak temperatures was observed. Odors were detected at cocomposting windrows when temperatures exceeded 54°C. The sludge to yard waste mixture ratio was found to affect resulting compost particle size and, consequently, oxygen transport. Compost quality was excellent, with pesticides below detection level and low concentrations of heavy metals.     

Fertility Response of Potato to Municipal Wastewater and Inorganic Fertilizers

This study evaluated fertilizer contribution of municipal wastewater on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivation in a split-plot experiment having two factors: water quality with 5 levels and fertilizer with 2 levels. Irrigation by raw wastewater supplied 16, 13, 13, 23, 1.7, and 83% of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), zinc (Zn), and boron (B) requirement of potato, respectively. Wastewater compared to freshwater, improved plant height, vigority, area coverage, leaf area index (LAI), stem per plant, number and weight of tuber per plant, above-ground dry matter (ADM), and tuber yield of potato. Averaged over 3 years, irrigation by 75 and 100% (raw) wastewater with recommended standard fertilizers produced the maximum, but identical, tuber yield. Wastewater raised N, P, and K contents in potato plants and tubers. Irrigation by wastewater could reduce the fertilizer requirement of potato by 10–15%. However, it caused high accumulation of total coliform (TC) and faecal coliform (FC) on potato skin, restricting the use of the produce.