Rheological properties of thermally treated and digested sludge: Implications for energy requirements of pumps and agitators.

Understanding sludge rheology and optimizing equipment performance is crucial for energy efficiency in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study examined sludge rheology after thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment (THP) at 60, 80, and 120 °C for 2 h, followed by anaerobic digestion (AD) at 37 °C for 20 days, and assessed impacts on pump and agitator performance. Post-treatment, sludge showed reduced viscosity and improved flowability, indicated by changes in Herschel-Bulkley parameters, enhancing pump and agitator efficiency, particularly at 120 °C.

Biological Oxygen-dosed Activated Carbon (BODAC) filters - A bioprocess for ultrapure water production removing organics, nutrients and micropollutants.

Biological oxygen-dosed activated carbon (BODAC) filters in an Ultrapure water plant were demonstrated to have the potential to further treat secondary wastewater treatment effluent. The BODAC filters were operated for 11 years without carbon regeneration or replacement, while still functioning as pre-treatment step to reverse osmosis (RO) membranes by actively removing organic micropollutants (OMPs) and foulants. In this study, the removal of nutrients and 13 OMPs from secondary wastewater treatment effluent was investigated for 2 years and simultaneously, the granules' characterization and microbial community analysis were conducted to gain insights behind the stable long-term operation of the BODAC filters.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) synthesis and degradation by microbes and applications towards a circular economy.

Overusing non-degradable plastics causes a series of environmental issues, inferring a switch to biodegradable plastics. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising biodegradable plastics that can be produced by many microbes using various substrates from waste feedstock. However, the cost of PHAs production is higher compared to fossil-based plastics, impeding further industrial production and applications.

The impact of carbon to nitrogen ratios and pH on the microbial prevalence and polyhydroxybutyrate production levels using a mixed microbial starter culture.

Growth conditions have been frequently studied in optimizing polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production, while few studies were performed to unravel the dynamic mixed microbial consortia (MMCs) in the process. In this study, the relationship between growth conditions (C/N ratios and pH) and the corresponding key-microbes were identified and monitored during PHB accumulation. The highest PHB level (70 wt% of dry cell mass) was obtained at pH 9, C/N 40, and acetic acid 10 g/L.

Strategies to boost anaerobic digestion performance of cow manure: Laboratory achievements and their full-scale application potential.

Cow manure represents a surplus manure waste in agricultural food sectors, which requires proper disposal. Anaerobic digestion, in this regard, has raised global interest owing to its apparent environmental benefits, including simultaneous waste diminishment and renewable energy generation. However, dedicated intensifications are necessary to promote the degradation of recalcitrant lignocellulosic components of cow manure.

Comparison of the microbial communities in anaerobic digesters treating high alkalinity synthetic wastewater at atmospheric and high-pressure (11 bar).

High-pressure anaerobic digestion is an appealing concept since it can upgrade biogas directly within the reactor. However, the decline of pH caused by the dissolution of CO is the main barrier that prevents a good operating high-pressure anaerobic digestion process. Therefore, in this study, a high-pressure anaerobic digestion was studied to treat high alkalinity synthetic wastewater, which could not be treated in a normal-pressure anaerobic digester.

The biomethanation of cow manure in a continuous anaerobic digester can be boosted via a bioaugmentation culture containing Bathyarchaeota.

A bioaugmentation approach was used to enhance the performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) using cow manure (CM) as the substrate in a continuous system. To obtain the desirable microbial culture for bioaugmentation, a biochemical methane potential test (BMP) was used to evaluate three commonly used inocula namely (1) municipal solid waste (MSW), (2) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and (3) cow manure digester (CMMD) for their hydrolytic capacity. The highest lignocellulose removal (56% for cellulose and 50% for hemicellulose) and the most profusion of cellulolytic bacteria were obtained when CM was inoculated with CMMD.