Organic Matter Removal Efficiency Research Articles

Advanced treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater with foam fractionation coupled with heterogeneous Fenton

Biochemical effluents of pharmaceutical wastewater contain many humic substances and small amounts of suspended matter. In this study, foam fractionation coupled with heterogeneous Fenton (FF-HF) was designed as an advanced wastewater treatment process. Using the same settings based on separate optimizations, the dissolved organic matter (DOC) removal efficiency of FF-HF was 71.6 %, 23.7 % higher than that of HF alone. In addition, a shorter reaction time (37.3 % HF) and lower cost (31.6 % HF) were required for FF-HF. Thus, FF-HF is promising for the advanced treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater. According to the organic matter removal characterization, FF can effectively remove humic substances, organic colloids, and other macroscopic or hydrophobic organic matter. The design of the pre-FF process can decrease the pollutant load of HF, which explains the enhanced performance of the coupling process.

Microbial indicators of efficient performance in an anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic integrated fixed-film activated sludge (A2O-IFAS) and a two-stage mesophilic anaerobic digestion process.

An analysis of the community structure, diversity and population dynamics of Bacteria and Archaea in the suspended and attached biomass fractions of a pilot-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic integrated fixed-film activated sludge (A2O-IFAS) was executed. Along with this, the effluents of the acidogenic (AcD) and methanogenic (MD) digesters of a two-stage mesophilic anaerobic (MAD) system treating the primary sludge (PS) and waste activated sludge (WAS) generated by the A2O-IFAS were also analyzed. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) and Biota-environment (BIO-ENV) multivariate analyses were performed to link population dynamics of Bacteria and Archaea to operating parameters and removal efficiencies of organic matter and nutrients, in search of microbial indicators associated with optimal performance. In all samples analyzed, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi were the most abundant phyla, while the hydrogenotrophic methanogens Methanolinea, Methanocorpusculum and Methanobacterium were the predominant archaeal genera. BIO-ENV analysis disclosed strong correlations between the population shifts observed in the suspended and attached bacterial communities of the A2O-IFAS and the removal rates of organic matter, N and P. It is noteworthy that the incorporation of carriers combined with a short sludge retention time (SRT = 4.0 ± 1.0 days) enhanced N removal performance of the A2O by favoring the enrichment of bacterial genera able to denitrify (Bosea, Dechloromonas, Devosia, Hyphomicrobium, Rhodobacter, Rhodoplanes, Rubrivivax, and Sulfuritalea) in the attached biomass fraction. In addition, operation at short SRT enabled the generation of a highly biodegradable WAS, which enhanced the biogas and methane yields in the two-stage MAD. An increase in the relative abundance of Acetobacteroides (uncultured Blvii28 wastewater-sludge group of Rikenellaceae family) correlated positively with the volatile solids removal rate (%VSR), CH4 recovery rate and %CH4 in the biogas (r > 0.8), supporting their relevance for an efficient methanogenesis in two-stage systems.

Development of a Primary Sewage Sludge Pretreatment Strategy Using a Combined Alkaline–Ultrasound Pretreatment for Enhancing Microbial Electrolysis Cell Performance

Ultrasound and combined alkaline–ultrasound pretreatment (AUP) strategies were examined for primary sewage sludge (SS) disintegration and were utilized to evaluate the degree of solubilization (DS). Further, the pretreated primary SS was operated in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) to maximize methane production and thereby improve the reactor performance. The highest DS of 67.2% of primary SS was recorded with the AUP. MEC reactors operated with the AUP showed the highest methane production (240 ± 6.4 mL g VSin−1). VS (61.1%) and COD (72.2%) removal in the MEC ALK-US showed the best organic matter removal efficiency. In the modified Gompertz analysis, the substrate with the highest degree of solubilization (AUP) had the shortest lag phase (0.2 ± 0.1 d). This implies that forced hydrolysis via pretreatment could enhance biodegradability, thereby making it easy for microorganisms to consume and leading to improved MEC performances. Microbial analysis implicitly demonstrated that pretreatment expedited the growth of hydrolytic bacteria (Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes), and a syntrophic interaction with electroactive microorganisms (Smithella) and hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanoculleus) was enriched in the MECs with AUP sludge. This suggests that the AUP strategy could be useful to enhance anaerobic digestion performance and provide a new perspective on treating primary SS in an economical way.

Application of a Full-Scale Horizontal Anaerobic Digester for the Co-Digestion of Pig Manure, Food Waste, Excretion, and Thickened Sewage Sludge

Many laboratory- and pilot-scale studies on anaerobic co-digestion have been conducted in Republic of Korea; however, studies on full-scale demonstration facilities are lacking. This study aimed to present a successful case of a large-scale anaerobic co-digestion facility in Republic of Korea for biogas generation from four organic wastes (pig manure, food waste, excretion, and thickened sewage sludge) using a horizontal anaerobic digester. A preliminary biochemical methane potential test was performed for the individual and mixed organic waste to design a treatment facility for 320 m3/day of organic waste generated in Seosan City. Subsequently, a horizontal anaerobic digester with a 35 day-retention time (based on 320 m3/day input) was constructed. Each organic waste was placed in an anaerobic reactor after pretreatment. The input was gradually increased after the first seeding, and the operation continued for 158 days. Total and volatile solids made up 4.1% and 3.3%, respectively. Throughout the operating period, the digester temperature was maintained at 35–40 °C for mesophilic digestion, and the pH was maintained at 7–8. The average organic matter removal efficiency (volatile solids basis) was 64% and the methane gas production rates were 0.35, 0.6, 0.26, 0.28, and 0.39 Nm3CH4/kg vs. for pig manure, food waste, excretion, thickened sewage sludge, and mixed waste, respectively, resulting in an average methane content of the biogas 68.8%.

Carbon supplementation in domestic sewage via mixing with paint booth effluent: Influence on the performance of bioremediation and algal biomass production from high-rate algal ponds

The paint booth effluent (PBE) was used as a carbon supplement to evaluate the treatment of domestic sewage (DS) via microalgae biotechnology. The present study aimed to assess the performance of different mixtures of PBE and DS in the treatment and production of algal biomass in high-rate algal ponds (HRAPs), seeking to determine the optimal mixture between the effluents. The blends were: D1 (0% PBE, 100 % DS), D2 (18.75 % PBE, 81.25 % DS), D3 (37.5 % PBE, 62.5 % DS), D4 (56.25 % PBE, 43.75 % DS) and D5 (75% PBE, 25 % DS). As a result, in the D2 blend, with better carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus ratio, there was a higher primary and total biomass productivity (0.08 g chl-α/m2.day and 2.0 g VSS/m2.day). The regression adjustment corroborated the results of the D2 mixture, showing PBE dosages between 18 and 25 % as better for algal growth. The insertion of PBE in the medium positively affected the bioremediation performance, increasing the removals with the addition of PBE. The nutrient and organic matter removal efficiencies ranged from values close to 50 %, of total organic carbon in the D1 mixture, and reaching 100 % in the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen. The D2 mixture stands out with the highest nitrogen recovery via the assimilation of organic nitrogen, reaching 19 % more in relation to the initial value. Thus, PBE contributed to the supply of organic carbon to the biomass, favoring the consortium between algae and bacteria.

Assessment of Graphite, Graphene, and Hydrophilic-Treated Graphene Electrodes to Improve Power Generation and Wastewater Treatment in Microbial Fuel Cells.

In this study, graphite, graphene, and hydrophilic-treated graphene electrodes were evaluated in a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (DC-MFC). Free-oxygen conditions were promoted in anodic and cathodic chambers. Hydrochloric acid at 0.1 M and pH 1.1 was used as a catholyte, in addition to deionized water in the cathodic chamber. Domestic wastewater was used as a substrate, and a DuPontTM Nafion 117 membrane was used as a proton exchange membrane. The maximum power density of 32.07 mW·m-2 was obtained using hydrophilic-treated graphene electrodes and hydrochloric acid as catholyte. This power density was 1.4-fold and 32-fold greater than that of graphene (22.15 mW·m-2) and graphite (1.02 mW·m-2), respectively, under the same operational conditions. In addition, the maximum organic matter removal efficiencies of 69.8% and 75.5% were obtained using hydrophilic-treated graphene electrodes, for hydrochloric acid catholyte and deionized water, respectively. Therefore, the results suggest that the use of hydrophilic-treated graphene functioning as electrodes in DC-MFCs, and hydrochloric acid as a catholyte, favored power density when domestic wastewater is degraded. This opens up new possibilities for improving DC-MFC performance through the selection of suitable new electrode materials and catholytes.

Evaluation of biogas production and pollutant removal efficiency of two-phase anaerobic digestion treating slaughterhouse effluent

Treatment of slaughterhouse and other agro-processing industry effluent has become important due to continuous global population growth and meat demand, particularly in developing countries, for sustainable biowaste management as well as value additions such as biofuel. Therefore, the objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of two-phase anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse wastewater in terms of biogas production, methane yield, and removal efficiencies of organic matter, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Two consecutively connected 40 L galvanized metal anaerobic batch bioreactors were used to conduct the experiment. The total phosphorus removal efficiencies of hydrolytic-acidogenic reactor and methanogenic reactor were 13.34% and 16.58%, respectively. Total chemical oxygen demand, soluble chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, total solids, total suspended solids, volatile solids, and turbidity had overall removal efficiencies of 82.87, 88.53, 93.32, 75.35, 95.55, 98.95, 97.42 and 98.06%, respectively. Biogas production of 189.45 mL/day with methane and carbon dioxide compositions of 67.69% and 29.9%, respectively, was also achieved. It was concluded that the two-phase anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse wastewater shows substantial organic matter removal efficiencies and biogas production.

Impact of Integration of FO Membranes into a Granular Biomass AnMBR for Water Reuse

The granular sludge based anaerobic membrane bioreactor (G-AnMBR) has gained emphasis in the last decade by combining AnMBR advantages (high quality permeate and biogas production towards energy positive treatment) and benefits of granular biomass (boosted biological activity and reduced membrane fouling). With the aim to further reduce energy costs, produce higher quality effluent for water reuse applications and improve system efficiency, a forward osmosis (FO) system was integrated into a 17 L G-AnMBR pilot. Plate and frame microfiltration modules were step by step replaced by submerged FO ones, synthetic wastewater was used as feed (chemical oxygen demand (COD) content 500 mg/L), with hydraulic retention time of 10 h and operated at 25 °C. The system was fed with granular biomass and after the acclimation period, operated neither with gas sparging nor relaxation at around 5 L.m-2.h-1 permeation flux during at least 10 days for each tested configuration. Process stability, impact of salinity on biomass, the produced water quality and organic matter removal efficiency were assessed and compared for the system working with 100% microfiltration (MF), 70% MF/30% FO, 50% MF/50% FO and 10% MF/90% FO, respectively. Increasing the FO share in the reactor led to salinity increase and to enhanced fouling propensity probably due to salinity shock on the active biomass, releasing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the mixed liquor. However, above 90% COD degradation was observed for all configurations with a remaining COD content below 50 mg/L and below the detection limit for MF and FO permeates, respectively. FO membranes also proved to be less prone to fouling in comparison with MF ones. Complete salt mass balance demonstrated that major salinity increase in the reactor was due to reverse salt passage from the draw solution but also that salts from the feed solution could migrate to the draw solution. While FO membranes allow for full rejection and very high permeate purity, operation of G-AnMBR with FO membranes only is not recommended since MF presence acts as a purge and allows for reactor salinity stabilization.

Fungal pretreatment of citrus waste improves the hydrolysis and acidogenesis of the organic fraction of urban solids wastes

This work shows the increase in hydrolysis and acidogenesis of the organic fraction of urban solid waste (OFUSW) by the action of fungal hydrolytic enzymes obtained by solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Aspergillus niger C25B28 on citrus wastes (CW) without sterilization or the addition of nutrients. To quantify the hydrolysis and acidogenesis of the organic fraction of urban solid waste, three treatments were studied in triplicate: OFUSW plus 10 % fresh CW (RC treatment), and OFUSW plus 10 % citrus wastes pretreated by SSF (RCA treatment). The mixtures were packed into an anaerobic hydrolytic leaching bed reactor. The results showed that SSF decreased the limonene concentration by 97 %, removing 20 % of fiber and 46 % of fat from fresh CW. Pectinases (37 U/g DM [dry matter]), cellulases (33 U/g DM), xylanases (98 U/gDM), and proteases (0.2 U/gDM) were produced. Significant differences were observed between the different treatments: the greatest reduction in total solids (24 %), the highest removal efficiency of organic matter as chemical oxygen demand (COD), and the reduction of fats (23 % and 28 %, respectively), was achieved in RCA, compared to those obtained in the reactors with OFUSW and ReC without pretreatment. The production rate of volatile fatty acids (VFA) was 1.4 gVFA/Ld for RCA, 4.5 times higher than in the reactors without pretreatment.

Valorization of Food Waste Slurry as Potential Candidate for Lipid Accumulation: A Concept of Oleaginous Bio-Refinery

In the current state of huge waste production and energy crisis, there is a need to find additional alternate energy resources and options for waste management. The present study was designed to measure the potential of different fruit wastes to serve as substrate for lipid accumulation in oleaginous bacteria. For this purpose, three novel bacterial strains (AF3, KM1 and KM10) isolated from the crude oil samples were systematically compared for their lipid accumulation potential using three types of waste including orange waste (OW), mango waste (MW) and apple waste (AW). Using waste as sole substrate, it was observed that maximum lipid accumulation by each strain was above 20%, which confirms that the bacteria belong to the oleaginous group. However, each bacterial isolate represented differential accumulative capacity with varying organic matter removal efficiency. Maximum lipid accumulation was achieved by KM10 (>25%) with AW as substrate, and KM1 (>24%) with MW as substrate; however, AF3 represented only 21% lipid accumulation using AW as substrate. Similarly, the maximum removal efficiency was recorded for KM10 in AW, followed by OW, where >60% and >50% of volatile solids (VS) removal, respectively, were achieved over the period of 7 days of incubation. This showed that the oleaginous strains also exhibit excellent waste treatment efficiency. The 16s RNA gene sequencing results showed that these KM1 and KM10 strains were Serratia surfactantfaciens and Serratia liquefaciens. In the end, a circular economy model was presented to highlight the significance of the mechanisms, which offers dual benefits over the linear economy model. Overall, the findings of the present study revealed that the novel oleaginous strains not only provide considerable lipid accumulation, but are simultaneously capable of low-cost waste treatment.

Extraction of methylene orange and humic acid from aqueous solutions by using polymer inclusion membrane

Dyes and organic matters which are highly toxic to marine life and form a large part of industrial waste are commonly used colorants in textile and other related industries. Extractions of methylene orange dye and humic acid organic matter solution were investigated by using polymer inclusion membrane (PIM). PIM was made of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) and cellulose triacetate (CTA) as base polymer, trioctylamine (TOA) as a carrier, and methyltrioctyl ammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) as a plasticizer. The composition of the components was changed to determine the optimum composition of the membrane with better extraction ability. 10 ppm methylene orange and 100 ppm humic acid solution were passed through the produced membranes. Synthetic solutions prepared in the feed phase and HCl in the receiving phase were added in the system and the experiment continued until the system came to equilibrium. The PIM-6 membrane containing 40 wt% PVC, 40 wt% A336, and 20 wt% TOA had the highest removal efficiency of dye (93.57 %) and the highest organic matter removal efficiency (86.03 %). When the performance of PIM was examined, it was observed that it was an excellent method for the removal of dyes and organic substances from industrial wastewater.

Enhancing residue degradation and methane production from active sludge: the role of conductive nanoparticles in anaerobic digestion systems

Abstract The effects of stepwise addition of conductive nanoparticles (n-C, n-Cu2O, n-ZnO and n-Al2O3) on anaerobic digestion (AD) performance, biogas and CH4 generation, and the removal efficiency of organic matter were thoroughly assessed. The addition of n-C and n-Al2O3 improved the removal efficiencies of total solid by 19.12% and 8.87%, volatile solid by 22.54% and 11.15%, total chemical oxygen demand by 13.6% and 6.27%, degradation efficacy by 4.87% and 2.3%, biogas yields by 20.62% and 8.27% and CH4 content by 11.49% and 8.63%, respectively. Contrarily, the addition of n-ZnO and n-Cu2O had a negative impact on AD performance and led to significant drops in the production of biogas of 34.3% and 57.3%, respectively.

Unraveling the over-oxidation inhibition mechanism during the hybrid ozonation-coagulation process: Immediate entrapment and complexation between intermediate organic matter and coagulants

Pre-ozonation coagulation process had a very low and narrow range of ozone dosages for enhancing the dissolved organic matter (DOC) removal efficiency, in which over-oxidation may occur if the ozone dosage was not strictly controlled. In contrast, the proposed hybrid ozonation-coagulation (HOC) process with higher oxidation ability notably inhibited over-oxidation in this study, and exhibited improved DOC removal efficiency compared with coagulation at a much wider range of ozone dosages at different initial pH for the treatment of WWTP effluent. The HOC process also had a higher DOC removal efficiency than pre-ozonation coagulation. According to zeta potential analysis, a rising trend indicated that complexation between organic matter and metal coagulants persisted throughout the HOC process. However, the zeta potential remained almost unchanged during subsequent coagulation after pre-ozonation at high ozone dosages. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy analysis revealed that immediate entrapment and complexation between hydrolysed coagulants and oxidized intermediate organic matter occurred in the HOC process. Furthermore, FT-IR analysis showed that more oxygen-containing functional groups were generated, which were effectively trapped by metal coagulants and readily flocculated. To further prove the immediate entrapment and complexation during the HOC process, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was applied to analyze the intermediate organic matter in the supernatant and flocs. The results implied that C21- organic matter was oxidized and decomposed into C11-C20, and C11-C20 intermediate organic matter was trapped and complexed by metal coagulants once formed, which led to the increase of C11-C20 in the flocs. Nevertheless, the catalytic ozonation process (γ-Al2O3/O3) with the same oxidation ability as the HOC process decomposed the organic matter into C1-C10. XPS analysis further confirmed the immediate entrapment and removal of aliphatic/aromatic carbon and oxygen-containing functional groups during the HOC process. Therefore, over-oxidation can be effectively inhibited, and wide range of ozone dosages was obtained during the HOC process, which facilitate the application of the HOC process.

Organic Compounds and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Behavior in Greywater Treated by a Constructed Wetland.

Laundry greywater is considered as an alternative source of non-potable water, as it is discharged in approximately 70% of homes. Because this water contains compounds such as biodegradable and recalcitrant organic matter, surfactants, and microbiological compounds, it must be treated prior to reuse. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the behavior of organic matter and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in greywater treated by a constructed wetland (CW). The results show that the organic matter removal efficiencies were 67.19%, 50.15%, and 63.57% for biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC), respectively; these efficiencies were not significant (p > 0.05). In addition, the CW allows the distribution of TOC and ionic compounds in the fractions below 1000 Da to increase by 5.03% and 13.05%, respectively. Meanwhile, the treatment of microbiological compounds generated non-significant removals (p > 0.05), along with increases in bacteria resistant to the antibiotics ciprofloxacin (CIP) and ceftriaxone (CTX) of 36.34%, and 40.79%, respectively. In addition, a strong association between ARB to CIP, CTX, cationic and non-ionic surfactants was determined, indicating the role of surfactants in ARB selection. It is suggested that disinfection systems should be employed prior to the reuse of the treated water.

Effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on the activated sludge process performance and biomass characteristics. A laboratory study with a sequencing batch reactor

The fate and presence of nanoplastics in wastewater treatment systems is a topic of increasing interest. Furthermore, challenges related to their quantification and identification have made it difficult to set up experimental conditions and compare results between studies. In this study, the effect of 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastics on activated sludge was evaluated. A concentration of 2 μg/L was used to continuously feed a sequencing batch reactor (SBR-NPs). Under the experimental conditions used in this study, no changes were observed in the process performance of the SBR-NPs compared to the reactor used as a control. Neither nitrification nor organic matter removal efficiency, which was 96% for both SBRs, were affected by the presence of 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastics, which suggests that the tested nanoplastics were not sufficiently toxic to the biomass. Although no significant differences in the relative abundances of predominant phyla between SBR-Control and SBR-NPs were observed, a slight shift in the relative abundance of Patescibacteria (1.5 ± 0.6% and 3.7 ± 0.8% in SBR-Control and SBR-NPs, respectively, at the end of the test) occurred. The higher abundance of this phylum in SBR-NPs compared to SBR-Control may suggest that these bacteria have some sensitivity to the presence of 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastics. Furthermore, even with the absence of nitrification inhibition, it was observed stagnation of the growth of Nitrotoga bacteria in SBR-NPs, which also suggests that the polystyrene nanoplastics could have an inhibitory effect on these cells and an impact on nitrification in the long term.

Statistical indicators to evaluate the performance of electrocoagulation with membrane bioreactor (EC-MBR) for treatment of organic matters in domestic wastewater

An electrocoagulation with membrane bioreactor technique (EC-MBR) was developed to treat domestic wastewater and prevent membrane fouling. To support the new design, experiments were conducted on a few levels. The structure and distribution of organic matter removal utilizing the membrane are investigated using a laboratory-scale (EC-MBR) treatment of domestic wastewater. The study's goals were to assess the removal efficiency of organic matter (biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in Al-Hawraa's wastewater, as well as its links to statistical indicators. It was chosen to sample and evaluate effluent from domestic wastewater using EC-MBR with operating temperature (25 0C), pH (7-8), DO (4-6) mg/L, beginning and final concentrations of BOD (184-6 mg/L), and COD (489-20 mg/L) using biological and electrochemical treatment procedures. According to the results, the organic matter removal efficiency may be calculated using the multilinear regression (MLR) and neural network (NN) models in the SPSS modeler. In addition, the results showed that the entire reactor had good BOD and COD maximum removal efficiencies of 96.7% and 95.9%, respectively. Finally, the highest accuracy of the MLR algorithm for COD and BOD is 99.6 for both, whereas the maximum accuracy of the NN algorithm for COD and BOD is 99.2 % and 99.1%, respectively. To choose the best algorithm for analysis and modeling the outcomes, a comparative study has been achieved to compare the results of two algorithms that used in this study. Therefore, for this study MLR algorithm was chosen.

Ciliated Peritrichous Protozoa in a Tezontle-Packed Sequencing Batch Reactor as Potential Indicators of Water Quality.

The presence of colonial and solitary ciliated peritrichous protozoa was determined in a Sequencing Batch Reactor system filled with tezontle, a volcanic rock, economic, and abundant material that can be found in some parts of the world, like Mexico. The presence of these protozoa was related to the removal efficiencies of organic matter. Also, two novel staining techniques are proposed for staining both colonial and solitary peritrichous protozoa. The results show that tezontle promotes the growth of solitary and colonial ciliated peritrichous protozoa, which, once identified, could be used as indicators of the efficiency of the wastewater treatment process. Additionally, the staining techniques established in the current study allowed the precise observation of protozoan nuclei. They can represent a useful complementary methodology for identifying protozoan species present in water treatment processes, along with the already existing identification techniques. The number and variety of protozoa found in the system may be considered potential bioindicators of water quality during biological treatments.

UV/H2O2/O3 removal efficiency and characterization of algae-derived organic matter and odorous substances

Algal organic matter (AOM) released from the metabolic processes of alga is an important source/precursor for toxic substances, thus it has aroused major environmental concerns due to its threat to safe water supplies. In this study, the algae Anabaena was selected as the target species, and a UV/H2O2/O3 advanced oxidation process (AOP) was used for AOM degradation. Overall, the intracellular organic matter (IOM) of Anabaena was mainly composed of soluble microbial metabolites, tyrosin and tryptophan, while the extracellular organic matter (EOM) mainly contained fulvic-acid and humic-acid substances, soluble microbial metabolites. The AOM mainly contained odorous substances such as cyclocitral, ionone, isophorone and a small amount of geosmin (GSM). Low molecular weight and hydrophobic components produced the highest formation potential of trihalomethane (THMFP) and dichloroacetonitrile (DCANFP). The Trichloromethane formation potential (TCMFP) of the different molecular weight (MW) components was higher than the standard for drinking water (> 60 μg/L), while the cytotoxicity of DCANFP was much higher than that of THMFP. The degradation efficiency of the UV/H2O2/O3 technology for cyclocitral was significant, but it could not effectively reduce the TCMFP and DCANFP. After treatment with UV/H2O2/O3, the EEM intensity of organic matter in each area decreased, and the biodegradability of AOM improved.

Toxicity monitoring signals analysis of selenite using microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) based biosensors are widely studied to environmental monitoring. The suitable responsive signal is important for microbial electrochemical sensors. However, the responsive signals of toxins have not been investigated in detail. Using sodium selenite as a toxic substance, the different response signals are analyzed over a concentration range from 0 to 150 mg/L in the double chambered. The output voltage and power density had the opposite trend between 0 and 2.5 mg/L and 2.5–150 mg/L. To analyze the reasonable signal of Se(IV) monitoring sensor, correlation analysis of concentrations and responsive signal data (maximum voltage, maximum power density, coulombic recovery, coulombic efficiency, and normalized energy recovery, etc.) has been accomplished. The high concentration of exogenous selenite (2.5–100 mg/L) is negatively correlated with maximum voltage (r = −0.901, p < 0.01) and max power density (r = −0.910, p < 0.01). The low concentration of exogenous selenite is positively correlated with average voltage, max power density, coulombic yield (r = 0.973, 0.999 and 0.975, respectively. p < 0.05). Furthermore, Illumina sequencing results indicate that the addition of sodium selenite solution changes the anode community structure, thereby affecting the removal efficiency of organic matter, which may be the reason why coulombic efficiency and normalized energy recovery are not suitable as sensing signal. Overall, based on the analysis of experimental data, the maximum power density is the best response signal, which provides a reference for the selection of sensor response signal based on microbial fuel cells.

Removal of refractory organics from landfill leachate by in situ electrogenerated H2O2 combined with an Fe0 Fenton-like process.

Landfill leachate contains a large amount of refractory organic matter, which will cause harm to the environment if not appropriately treated. In this study, the refractory organic matter in landfill leachate has been treated by in situ electrogenerated H2O2 combined with an Fe0 Fenton-like process, aiming to explore a cleaner and more efficient process for leachate treatment. The results showed that the current, initial pH and oxygen flow rate have significant influences on H2O2 production. The current and oxygen flow rate are positively correlated with H2O2 production, and neutral conditions are more favourable. Under the conditions of a current of 200 mA, an initial pH of 7.0 and an oxygen flow rate of 0.3 L/min, H2O2 production reached 2.81 mM, the current efficiency was close to 80% and the highest removal efficiency of organic matter reached 40.70%. The absorbance at 280 nm (E280) decreased from 0.1669 to 0.1180, and the ratios E240/E420, E250/E365 and E300/E400 in the UV and visible regions changed from 0.7825, 5.4492 and 0.2422 to 1.3135, 7.3745 and 0.2966, respectively. The maximum fluorescence intensities due to humic-like acid and fulvic-like acid substances decreased from 1275 and 1246 to 595.9 and 711.0, respectively. Spectral analysis further showed that the complex structure of refractory organic matter in the landfill leachate was obviously destroyed, and the relative content of humus decreased significantly. This study may provide a theoretical basis for the effective treatment of refractory organic matter in landfill leachate by in situ electrogenerated H2O2 combined with a Fenton-like process.