The James River Treatment Plant (JRTP) operated a 2 MGD Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) demonstration process from November 2007 to April 2009 to explore IFAS performance and investigate IFAS technology as an option for a full scale plant upgrade in response to stricter nutrient discharge limits in the James River Basin. During the study, nitrification kinetics for both ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria and plastic biofilm carrier biomass content were monitored on a near-weekly basis comparing the IFAS media, the IFAS process mixed liquor, and mixed liquor from the full-scale activated sludge process. Carrier biomass content is variable with respect to temperature and process SRT and relates to the localization of nitrification activity in the IFAS basin. Similar to trends observed for carrier biomass content (Regmi, 2008), ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) activity also shifted from the fixed film to the suspended phase as water temperatures increased and vice versa as the temperature decreased. The data suggest that AOB activity occurs on the surface of the biofilm carriers, while NOB activity remains deeper in the biofilm. During the highest temperatures observed in the IFAS tank, AOB activity on the media contributed as little as 30% of the total nitrification activity in the basin, and after temperatures dropped below 20 °C, AOB activity in the fixed film phase made up 75% of the total activity in the IFAS basin. During the warmest period of the summer, the media still retained more than 60% of the total NOB activity, and more than 90% of the total NOB activity during the period of coldest water temperature. This trend also points out that some AOB and NOB activity remained in the mixed liquor, even during the coldest periods. The retention of nitrification activity in the mixed liquor indicates that the constant sloughing of biomass off of the carriers allowed for autotrophic activity, even during washout conditions. Carrier biomass content and nitrification rates on the IFAS media remained constant along the length of the basin, indicating that the IFAS tank is will mixed with respect to biomass growth, although there was a concentration gradient for soluble species (NH₄-N, NO₂-N, NO₃-N). In addition to the weekly nitrification rate measurements, experiments were also conducted to determine how operational inputs such as dissolved oxygen (DO) and mixing affect the nitrification rates. Mixing intensity had a clear impact on nitrification rates by increasing the velocity gradient in the bulk liquid and decreasing the mass transfer boundary layer mass transfer resistance. At higher mixing intensities, advection through the mass transfer boundary layer increased making substrate more available to the biofilm. The affect of mixing was much more profound at low DO, whereas increased mixing had less effect on nitrification rates at higher bulk liquid DO. DO also affected nitrification rates, such that as DO increased it penetrated deeper into the biofilm increasing the nitrification rate in a linear fashion until the biofilm became saturated. Another aspect of the research was modeling effective half saturation effects for AOB and NOB activity in the fixed film phase. The modeling work demonstrated that KS for AOB activity on the media was similar to accepted suspended growth KS values, while KS for NOB activity on the media was considerably higher than suspended growth KS. This trend indicates that nitrite was not as bioavailable in the biofilm and resists diffusion into the deeper part of the biofilm where NOB activity takes place. KO for both AOB and NOB activity in the biofilm was higher than typical suspended growth values because of boundary layer and biofilm diffusion resistances. In addition, the presence of readily degradable organics did not significantly affect nitrification rates on the media, but did reduce nitrification rates in the mixed liquor. That, combined with low chemical oxygen demand (COD) uptake rates indicates that little heterotrophic activity is occurring on the media. / Master of Science

An alternative to conventional removal of nitrogen through autotrophic nitrification and heterotrophic denitrification is autotrophic nitritation-anammox. The anammox bacteria oxidise ammonium directly to nitrogen gas with nitrite as an electron acceptor. Total autotrophic removal of nitrogen in the mainstream would bring wastewater treatment plants closer to being energy self-sufficient as it would allow for a significant reduction of aeration and an increased chemical oxygen demand reduction in the pre-treatment. An increased chemical oxygen demand reduction by mechanical treatment would potentially generate a greater biogas yield in the subsequent anaerobic digestion of the sludge. Nitritation-anammox processes have been successfully implemented over the world for treatment of ammonium rich sludge liquor of higher temperatures, while the feasibility of a mainstream implementation is still under evaluation. Lower ammonium concentrations, lower operating temperatures and better effluent quality represent the main challenges considering this energy autarkic treatment technique. Terminating nitrification at nitritation, i.e. favouring ammonia-oxidising bacteria while supressing nitrite-oxidising bacteria, is vital for a functioning nitritation-anammox process. This study aims to evaluate the suppressive effect of intermittent aeration on nitrite- oxidising bacteria while sustaining anammox activity by ex-situ batch tests in a pilot-scale moving bed biofilm reactor at Sjölunda Wastewater Treatment Plant in Malmö, Sweden. The pilot plant consists of one reactor treating sludge liquor and two mainstream reactors, connected in series, receiving effluent from a high-loaded activated sludge plant. The batch test showed a slight decrease of nitrite-oxidising bacteria activity when the reactors were intermittently aerated. Some loss in activity is expected as oxygen supply is decreased when aeration is switched from continuous to intermittent. Furthermore, the decrease coincided with an increased organic carbon loading favouring fast growing heterotrophic bacteria. The decrease in nitrite-oxidising bacteria activity can thereby be coupled with an increased competition for dissolved oxygen and space with heterotrophic bacteria. The suppression of nitrite-oxidising bacteria was not selective as results indicate a decrease in ammonia-oxidising bacteria activity as well. The nitrogen removal rate was decreased during the study while the potential anammox activity was stable in the mainstream and increased in the sludge liquor reactor. This indicates that the anammox bacteria are not hampered but rather that the availability of nitrite, i.e. the activity of ammonia-oxidising bacteria, is the limiting factor of the process. / Ett alternativ till konventionell kväverening via autotrof nitrifikation och heterotrof denitrifikation är autotrof nitritation-anammox. Anammoxbakterien oxiderar ammonium direkt till kvävgas med nitrit som elektronacceptor. Fullständigt autotrof kväverening skulle föra avloppsreningsverk närmare ett självförsörjande energiläge då luftningsbehovet minskas signifikant och en ökad reduktion av organiskt kol via mekanisk rening skulle möjliggöras. Den ökade reduktionen av organiskt kol ger potentiellt en ökad biogasproduktion i den efterkommande anaeroba rötningen av slammet. Framgångsrika nitritation-anammoxprocesser har implementerats över världen för behandling av ammoniumrikt rejektvatten med högre temperatur medan möjligheten för en huvudströmsimplementation utreds. Lägre ammoniumkoncentrationer, lägre drift- temperaturer och höga krav på utgående vattens kvalitet utgör de största utmaningarna för denna reningsteknik. Att avbryta nitrifikation vid nitritation, det vill säga gynna ammoniakoxiderande bakterier och hämma nitritoxiderande bakterier är vitalt för en fungerande nitritation- anammoxprocess. Denna studie ämnar att utvärdera den hämmande effekten av intermittent luftning på nitritoxiderande bakterier samtidigt som anammoxaktiviteten bibehålls. Detta gjordes med hjälp av ex situ -aktivitetstest med bärare från en bioreaktor i pilotskala med rörligt bärarmaterial på Sjölunda Avloppsreningsverk i Malmö. Pilotanläggningen består av en reaktor för behandling av rejektvatten och två huvudströmsreaktorer, kopplade i serie, som mottar vatten från Sjölundas högbelastade aktivslamanläggning. Aktivitetstesterna visade att aktiviteten av nitritoxiderande bakterier sjönk något. En viss minskning i aktiviteten är dock förväntad enbart utifrån att tillförseln av syre minskat då luftningsstrategin ändrats från kontinuerlig till intermittent. Minskningen av aktiviteten sammanföll även med en ökad belastning av organiskt kol, vilket gynnar snabbväxande heterotrofer. Den minskade aktiviteten av nitritoxiderande bakterier kan därmed förklaras av en ökad konkurrens med heterotrofa bakterier om löst syre och plats. De nitritoxiderande bakterierna hämmades inte selektivt då resultaten tyder på att det även skett en minskning av de ammoniakoxiderande bakteriernas aktivitet. Kväverenings- hastigheten har gått ned under studien medan den potentiella anammoxaktiviteten har varit stabil i huvudströmsreaktorerna och har ökat i rejektvattenreaktorn. Detta indikerar att anammoxbakterierna inte blivit hämmade utan att det snarare är tillgången på nitrit, det vill säga aktiviteten av ammoniakoxiderande bakterier, som är begränsande för processen.

Abstract: This work summarizes the current knowledge about removing of nitrogen compounds from wastewater using non-traditional biological methods. They include for example process of nitritation/denitritation and a process of deammonification. Special innovative biological methods are economically advantageous because of savings of oxygen for the oxidation of N-ammon and organic substrate for the formation of N2. Achieving of accumulation of nitrites (achieving of shortcut nitrification) due to suppression of nitrite oxidising bacteria (NOB) is the basis of methods mentioned above. Stable shortcut nitrification is influenced by many factors and achieving of this process in a low-strength wastewater is still problematic, so some new procedures how to optimize it are investigated. This was also the main aim of research that was realized at the Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition of the Czech university of Life Sciences in Prague.

Excess nutrients from nonpoint sources are an ongoing problem that is expected to worsen as population and fertilizer usage rise. Conventional centralized treatment systems are not well suited to address nonpoint source pollution. More distributed best management practices (BMPs) like constructed wetlands are a promising alternative and have been widely implemented in the US since the 1970's. Constructed wetlands are multi-functional systems that can effectively store and transform harmful contaminants using primarily natural processes. However, the removal of pollutants like nitrogen by wetlands is highly variable, likely due to a combination of factors such as plant species-specific assimilation behavior, the effects of plant communities on microbial diversity and function, and variable nitrogen inputs. In this study, the effect of plant species richness (i.e., number of plant species in a system) and seasonal nutrient loading (i.e., nitrogen fertilization) on the microbial community responsible for regulating nitrogen turnover in wetland mesocosm soils was investigated. The chip-based QuantStudio 3D digital PCR (QS3D dPCR) system was used to quantify ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), comammox, anammox, and denitrifiers. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify dominant patterns in the microbial community and nitrogen species. Resampling-based analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess statistical significance of any observed differences caused by nitrogen fertilization or plant species richness. Results indicated that fertilization or season, which was convolved with fertilization, was the dominant factor influencing the microbial community in the study environment (27% variance explained), as indicated by the disparate clustering of fall (fertilized) and spring (unfertilized) samples about principal component 1 (fall: negative PC1, spring: positive PC1). Because unplanted unfertilized controls sampled in November clustered within the season in which they were collected rather than with other unfertilized samples collected in May, season may have influenced microbial community shifts more than fertilization for unplanted systems. This finding should be interpreted cautiously, however, given the small number of unplanted unfertilized controls (N = 2) and the absence of similar controls in the planted systems. The most abundant bacterial groups detected in May (November) were AOB, nirK, anammox, and Nitrospira spp. NOB (AOB, anammox, Nitrospira spp. NOB, and nosZ). The effects of plant species richness were more nuanced, with greater richness significantly impacting the abundance of only a subset of bacterial groups (i.e., the nitrifying bacteria AOB, Nitrospira spp. NOB, and comammox, but not the denitrifying bacteria). Different relationships between richness and microbial abundance were observed in different seasonal nutrient loadings (i.e., interaction effects between richness and fertilization were detected for some bacterial groups). / MS / As global population continues to rise, fertilizer application is becoming more commonplace in order to meet increasing agricultural demand. Fertilizers supply nutrients like nitrogen that, in excess, can negatively affect water quality. Since conventional treatment systems are largely impractical to control such diffuse, nonpoint sources of pollution, more distributed best management practices (BMPs) like constructed wetlands are a promising alternative. Several important nitrogen transformations occur within wetlands, of which soil microbial communities have a significant influence over. For instance, nitrifying bacteria can transform ammonia into nitrate and denitrifying bacteria can transform nitrate into atmospheric nitrogen. Constructed wetlands are designed to mimic these complex, dynamic processes, and can be manipulated for more effective nitrogen pollution control. However, the removal of pollutants like nitrogen by wetlands is highly variable, likely due to a combination of factors such as plant species-specific assimilation behavior, the effects of plant communities on microbial diversity and function, and variable nitrogen inputs. In this study, the effects of plant species richness (i.e., number of plant species in a system) and seasonal nutrient loading (i.e., nitrogen fertilization) on several types of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in wetland mesocosm soils were investigated. Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) was used to quantify bacterial abundance. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify dominant patterns within the data and resampling-based analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess statistical significance of any observed differences caused by fertilization, season, and/or plant species richness. Results indicated that fertilization or season, which was convolved with fertilization, wasthe dominant factor influencing the microbial community in the study environment. The effects of plant species richness were more nuanced, with greater richness significantly impacting the abundance of only a subset of bacterial groups (i.e., the nitrifying bacteria AOB, Nitrospira spp. NOB, and comammox, but not the denitrifying bacteria).

Research was performed at a pilot-scale wastewater treatment plant operating an adsorption/bio-oxidation (A/B) process at 20C. The study compared B-Stage performance under DO Control, Ammonia Based Aeration Control (ABAC), and Ammonia vs. NOx (AvN) control. AvN in 1) fully-intermittent and 2) intermittently-aerated MLE configurations was compared to DO Control and ABAC, each with continuous aeration, in an MLE configuration. The study also examined operation of each aeration strategy with two different feed types: A-Stage effluent (ASE) and primary clarifier effluent (PCE). Operating modes were compared on the basis of nitrogen removal performance, COD utilization efficiency for denitrification, and alkalinity consumption. AvN was found to provide comparable nitrogen removal performance to DO Control and ABAC. The highest nitrogen removal performance was seen when operating DO Control (81.4 ± 1.2%) and ABAC (81.1 ± 1.2%) with PCE. High nitrogen removal efficiency (77.5 ± 6.1%) was seen when fully-intermittent AvN operation was fed ASE containing a high particulate COD fraction. A high effluent nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR = NO2-/(NO2-+NO3-)) was seen during this period (46 ± 15%) accompanied by the out-selection of Nitrospira. Feeding effluent from AvN control to an Anammox MBBR improved removal efficiency. Increased soluble COD loading resulted in greater nitrogen removal with strategies operating in an MLE configuration while particulate COD was found to be important for processes where removal was designed to occur in downstream reactors. Efficiency of COD for denitrification was found to vary based on the amount and type of influent COD; however AvN in an MLE configuration was found to use COD more efficiently than fully-intermittent AvN. In either configuration, AvN required less alkalinity addition than DO Control or ABAC. High sCOD concentrations in PCE led to increased nutrient removal as compared to ASE but increased heterotrophic growth and mixed liquor concentrations in the B-Stage making the A-Stage an attractive option for its ability to control the C/N ratio fed to BNR processes. / Master of Science

Ammonium (NH4+) is a biological nutrient that is transformed in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in a process called activated sludge. This is accomplished in an aerobic environment using microorganisms and inorganic carbon that convert the ammonium to nitrate (NO3-). This process is termed nitrification. Removal of ammonium is necessary due to its oxygen demand and toxicity to the environment. Nitrification is considered a slow process due to the slow growth rate of the nitrifying bacteria. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) first covert the ammonium (NH4+) to nitrite (NO2-) followed by conversion to nitrate (NO3-) by nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). These slow rates limit the treatment capacity of the WWTP. The initial hypothesis suggested that these slow rates were due to limited carbon in the aeration basin of a WWTP. A series of designed experiments and observational studies revealed substantial dissolved CO2 exists throughout a WWTP. Based on these findings, the central research focused on determining if an optimum dissolved CO2 concentration/ pH combination exists that maximizes nitrification. Experimentation conducted at a pH of 7.0 and varying concentrations of dissolved CO2 concentration revealed inhibition at low (<5 mg/l) and high (>30 mg/l) dissolved CO2 concentration levels. Further research found that optimum nitrification can be attained in a dissolved CO2 concentration range of 10 - 15 mg/l and a pH range of 7.5 - 8.0. A maximum specific growth rate of 1.05 - 1.15 days-1 was achieved. A partitioning of the sums of squares from these designed experiments found that pH accounts for approximately 83 percent of the sums of squares due to treatment with the dissolved CO2 concentration accounting for 17 percent. This suggests that pH is the dominant factor affecting nitrification when dissolved CO2 concentration is optimized. Analysis of the growth kinetics for two of the designed experiments was conducted. However, a set of parameters could not be found that described growth conditions for all operating conditions. Evaluating the results from these two experiments may suggest that a microbial population shift occurred between 16 and 19 mg/l of dissolved CO2 concentration. These dissolved CO2 concentrations represent pH values of 7.1 and 7.0, respectively, and were compared to experimentation conducted at a pH of 7.0. Though the pH difference is minor, in combination with the elevated dissolved CO2 concentration, a microbial shift was hypothesized. Microbial samples were collected from the designed experiment that optimized dissolved CO2 concentration (5, 10 and 15 mg/l) and pH (6.5, 7.0, 7.5 and 8.0). These samples were evaluated using Fluorescence in situ hybridizations (FISH) to determine the population density of common ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) (Nitrosomonas and Nitrosospira) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) Nitrobacter and Nitrospirae). The dominant AOB and NOB microbes were found to be Nitrosomonas and Nitrospirae. These results suggest that increased nitrification rates can be achieved by incorporating appropriate controls in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). With higher nitrification rates, lower nitrogen values can be obtained which will reduce the WWTP effluent nitrogen concentration. Conversely, these increased nitrification rates can also reduce the volume of an aeration basin given similar effluent nitrogen concentrations.

Nitrogen, when present in excess, can cause eutrophication in waterways, which may result in hypoxia and the desertion or death of aquatic life. As nitrogen continues to pollute our water, wastewater discharge limits are becoming more stringent with effluent limits based on preserving receiving waters. This project took place at the Hampton Roads Sanitation District's, Chesapeake-Elizabeth Wastewater Treatment Plant; a High-Rate Activated Sludge (HRAS) plant with no primary clarifiers operating at an SRT of 1.5" 2 days without biological nitrogen removal (BNR). BNR is considered more cost-effective than comparable chemical and physical processes, but it requires considerable resources to meet increasingly strict discharge limits. As these limits decrease, the resource requirement increases, making them no longer cost-effective. By 2021 HRSD anticipates the plant will be included in a bubble permit, resulting in a total nitrogen (TN) effluent target of approximately 5-8 mg/L. Conventional BNR plants remove carbon and nitrogen simultaneously, which requires both increased volume (capital costs) and aeration energy demand (operating costs). As an alternative, HRSD is pilot testing an A/B process; a two-sludge system comprised of a carbon removal stage followed by a nitrogen removal stage. The very high rate, low dissolved oxygen (DO) A-stage could reduce the organic load, allowing the B-stage to perform BNR within the existing reactor volume and eliminating the need for primary clarifiers. However, improper control of the carbon removal system can lead to carbon and alkalinity deficiencies, which results in poor nitrogen removal. This is mediated by employing a short-cut nitrogen removal technology. A novel aeration strategy based on set-points for reactor ammonia, nitrite and nitrate concentrations with the aim of maintaining equal effluent ammonia and nitrate + nitrite (NOx) concentrations was successfully employed. The goal was to inhibit nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) so the nitrification process stopped at nitrite. This helps promote an effluent with equal parts ammonia and nitrite, which is amenable to anammox polishing to achieve low effluent nitrogen concentrations. NOB suppression has been successfully applied in sidestream anaerobic digestion waste streams because NOB out-selection is favored in warm, nitrogen-rich conditions. However, the cold, dilute conditions of continuous mainstream processes are not favorable to NOB out-selection. The mechanisms employed to achieve sidestream NOB out-selection are not reasonable for mainstream applications. This study employed operational and process control strategies to aggressively out-select NOB based on optimizing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) input, imposing transient anoxia, aggressive solids retention time (SRT) operation approaching ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) washout, and a dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) of 1.5 mg O2/L during aeration. This pilot-scale study demonstrated that when run aggressively, the proposed online aeration control is able to out-select NOB in mainstream conditions and provide relatively high nitrogen removal without supplemental carbon and alkalinity at a low hydraulic retention time (HRT). Successful full-scale implementation would promote improved water quality that is economically sustainable. The ability of two different process configurations (full intermittent aeration and Modified Ludzak-Ettinger [MLE]) to achieve high nitrite accumulation and nitrogen removal efficiencies in four equal volume tanks in series followed by a cone-bottom clarifier in a pilot scale biological nitrogen removal (BNR) process (V=0.61 m3) was evaluated. All four biological reactors were equipped with a variable speed mixer, a 17.7 cm membrane disc diffuser, and a Hach LDO probe. Aeration capacity in all four tanks allowed the system to be operated with or without a defined anoxic zone. Both processes utilized a novel aeration strategy based on set-points for reactor ammonia, nitrite and nitrate concentrations with the aim of maintaining equal effluent ammonia and NOx concentrations. The B-stage had a variable HRT (2-7 hours) and a variable influent flow rate. When operating in the MLE configuration, an internal mixed liquor recycle (IMLR) line returned nitrified mixed liquor from the last aerobic reactor to the anoxic reactor using a peristaltic pump at a rate between 200-450% of the influent flow. When IMLR was used the first tank was not aerated. RAS from the clarifier was returned to the anoxic zone at 100% of the influent flow. SRT was controlled by wasting solids from the last aerobic tank. The wasting was automated to maintain desired SRT. The nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR), NO2- -N/(NO2- -N+ NO3- -N), was best under full intermittent aeration, achieving 0.43+0.10 at a 3 hour HRT and influent carbon to ammonia ratio (COD/NH4+-N) of 7.9+1.4. As an MLE, the NAR decreased with increasing internal mixed liquor return (IMLR); at IMLR of 200%, 325% and 450%, the NAR was 0.20+0.04, 0.17+0 and 0.14+0.03, respectively. The MLE did, however, improve the overall TIN removal efficiency compared to operation where all reactors were intermittently aerated. The TIN removal efficiency was best under MLE operation, increasing as the IMLR and influent COD/NH4+-N increased. When the IMLR was 200%, 325% and 450%, the TIN removal efficiencies were 76.4+4.0%, 80.2+0% and 86.3+5.0%, respectively, which corresponded to an influent COD/NH4+-N and HRT of 9.2+0.8 and 4 hr, 9.8+0.4 and 6 hr, and 10.3+1.2 and 6 hr, respectively. In addition to process operation, key issues of filamentous bulking were assessed. Concrete solutions to this continual issue are not available as the unique features of each plants influent and process dynamics prohibit the formulation of a universal solution. Filaments observed throughout this study included Type 0041, Type 0675, Type 0803, Nocardia, Thiothrix I and Thiothrix II. Type 0041 and Type 067 were observed throughout the study and are typical of BNR systems; they arguably do not contribute to settling issues. Type 0803 filaments are linked to low F/M, high SRT systems. It was present at the start of the experiment and then no longer detected. Nocardia made a brief appearance on day 72 causing temporary foaming issues. This was fixed by vacuuming the surface of the clarifier daily and may be attributed to the high surface area to volume ratio present in pilot-scale systems. Thiothrix I and Thiothrix II were observed after day 93, however, never as the dominant species. Thiothrix related bulking was observed in the A-stage (Miller et al, 2012), which was attributed to high sulfide and organic acids in the influent raw wastewater during high temperature periods and carryover of sulfide and Thiothrix from the over-sized A-stage clarifier. The goals of this evaluation were to identify favorable parameters of common filaments and establish their impacts on the system. Typically an SVI of 150 mL/g indicates good settling. Overall the study experienced good settling (128.3+36.3 mL/g), indicating that operating under different influent substrate concentrations and process configurations did not result in poor settling. / Master of Science

Understanding how nitrifiers react when exposed to low DO conditions could provide a greater understanding of low DO operations in full-scale biological wastewater treatment. Previous methods to observe nitrifier oxygen kinetics do exist in literature, however they are inefficient and labor intensive. Other more efficient methods require the use of selective inhibitors, which alter the characteristics of the biomass. This study developed a time and labor efficient respirometric method to distinctly measure oxygen half-saturation coefficients for both ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) without the use of selective inhibitors. By eliminating the use of inhibitory substances, representative biomass characteristics were maintained throughout the tests. The developed method, called the declining DO method, consisted of using a high-speed dissolved oxygen (DO) probe to measure relative oxygen uptake rates (OUR) within a batch reactor when varying substrates (ammonia and nitrite) were present in excess within the system. A forward model was developed based on Monod kinetics to simultaneously fit Monod curves to the experimental OUR data. These curves were fit by solving for optimum oxygen kinetic parameters representing endogenous respiration, NOB, and AOB. An inverse model using Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis was applied to the results found in the forward model to provide statistical validation of the proposed respirometric method. A separate method, called the substrate utilization rate test, was conducted in parallel with the declining DO tests to compare and verify oxygen half-saturation coefficient results. Parallel tests were conducted using biomass samples from three different Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) full-scale facilities. Operating conditions between the three HRSD facilities were considered when performing parallel testing, including averages for DO, solids retention time (SRT), and floc size. Average floc size was found to have a significant effect on the observed oxygen half-saturation values. Observed trends for the KO values estimated using the two methods remained consistent throughout all tests, where KO,NOB was always lower than KO,AOB. The comparison of the two methods highlighted some faults associated with the substrate utilization rate test, which is commonly used in literature to observe nitrifier oxygen kinetics. The declining DO method appeared to be more resistant to potential experimental error and required less than half the time compared to the substrate utilization rate test. The development of the declining DO method without the use of selective inhibitors provided a more time and labor efficient technique for estimating apparent KO values for NOB and AOB without sacrificing biomass characteristics representative of the full-scale treatment process. Biomass samples collected from variable treatment process conditions yielded consistent parallel test results, providing further evidence that the proposed declining DO method can be a robust and reliable technique for distinctly measuring apparent oxygen half-saturation values for NOB and AOB. / Master of Science / Wastewater treatment operations utilizing biological nitrogen removal (BNR) require a continuous supply of oxygen for aerobic processes. Energy costs associated with aeration generally accounts for at least 50% of the total energy consumption at conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment facilities. Operating aerobic zones at low average dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations could be an effective way to significantly reduce aeration costs as well as material costs associated with BNR treatment processes. This study developed a method to measure oxygen kinetics for the two groups of autotrophic bacteria responsible for performing nitrogen removal. The method consisted of measuring relative oxygen uptake rates (OUR) within a batch reactor when varying substrates were available. This method is unique from previously developed techniques in that the use of selective inhibitors was not included, meaning the characteristics of the wastewater were largely unchanged and therefore better represent biomass conditions within the full-scale process. The results of the proposed method were verified using an alternate method for estimating oxygen kinetics. These two methods were conducted in parallel using biomass samples from several full-scale Hampton Roads Sanitation District wastewater treatment facilities utilizing a variety of process designs and operating conditions. Consistent results obtained between the two methods suggested the proposed method is an effective technique for distinctly measuring nitrifier oxygen kinetics.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:15:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Helena Cariaga Silva.pdf: 808647 bytes, checksum: 7f3d4199e8ad994be96d0541710c1ae9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-04 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This thesis aims to contribute to reflection on the particularity of the professional practice of social workers with families in the Centers of Social Assistance Reference Palmas Tocantins. The critical apprehension of the dialectical relationship with this particular the universality of the national proposal to set this area as expressed in legislation, and especially in public policy at the national level. The theoretical and methodological perspective of this apprehension was based on studies conducted by Georg Lukács on the dialectical universal social/ particular, constitutive of knowledge about a given reality. This perspective expresses a concept that is based on the social theory of Marx and his approach seeks to reconstruct in thought the whole - the multiple determinations - relating empirical reality with the structural conditions and their historical transformations partner. The research that led to the seizure of the peculiarity of the action taken in Palmas Tocantins had as its starting point the understanding of the social and historical formation of the State of Tocantins and its capital, Palmas, through desk research and interviews of characters significant in this story. The particularity of thumb was seized from the testimonies of professionals and observation of practices developed by social workers. This research revealed important aspects of the local modes that determine how the constitutional development and its proposals in terms of social welfare policies, expressed in PNAS and operationalized in the NOB-SUAS is appropriate. As the socio-economic, cultural and political region and the difficulties arising from lack of specific training of professionals, those norms and regulations related to the development of his work, expressed in the absence of a methodological proposal, operating effectively, with actions guided by clear goals / A presente tese visa contribuir para reflexão sobre a particularidade da prática profissional dos assistentes sociais com famílias nos Centros de Referência da Assistência Social de Palmas do Tocantins. Para tanto, realizou uma apreensão crítica da relação dialética dessa particularidade com a universalidade da proposta nacional definida para essa área, expressa na legislação e, principalmente, nas políticas públicas de nível nacional. A perspectiva teórico-metodológica dessa apreensão teve por referência os estudos realizados por Georg Lukàcs sobre a dialética universal/particular, constitutiva do saber sobre uma dada realidade social. Essa perspectiva expressa uma concepção que tem por base a teoria social de Marx e sua abordagem busca reconstituir no pensamento a totalidade - as múltiplas determinações relacionando a realidade empírica com as condições estruturais e suas transformações sócio históricas. A pesquisa que possibilitou a apreensão da particularidade da ação realizada em Palmas do Tocantins teve como ponto de partida a compreensão do processo de formação social e histórica do Estado do Tocantins e de sua capital, Palmas, por meio de pesquisa documental e de depoimentos de personagens significativos nessa história. A particularidade empírica foi apreendida a partir de depoimentos dos profissionais e da observação das práticas desenvolvidas pelos assistentes sociais. Essa pesquisa evidenciou aspectos importantes da realidade local que determinam os modos como os o avanços constitucionais e suas propostas em termos de políticas de assistência social, expressos na PNAS e operacionalizados na NOB-SUAS são apropriados. Como as características sócio-econômicas, culturais e políticas da região e as dificuldades resultantes da falta de capacitação específica dos profissionais, relacionadas àquelas normativas e regulações, para o desenvolvimento de seu trabalho, se expressam na ausência de uma proposta metodológico-operacional efetiva, com ações norteadas por objetivos claros

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:15:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Flavia Bortoleto Ortolani.pdf: 902037 bytes, checksum: ebaa4f622fa574b3451bca261599afbc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study discusses the knowledge and understanding of the city managers about the NOB-SUAS/RH, as well about the difficulties and challenges encountered in the execution of the guidelines in the management of social assistence work at the municipal level. From the V National Conference on Social Welfare (2005), when it is approved the resolution on the NOB-RH, a human resources policy is now considered one of the main principles in the SUAS, along with decentralization, financing and social control. The improvement of working conditions enters in the agenda for discussion as a strategic issue for qualifying services socioassistenciais and for effectuation of SUAS. In this sense, the premise that guided this study was that the approval and publication of a document that sets directives for the establishment and management of teams of reference for the deployment of ITS represent a great advance and a first step to promote changes structuring but its realization requires a conjunction of efforts that must be performed and correspond to the current challenge. To understand these dynamics we consider the historical context, political and economic that historically influence and continues directly influencing the institutionalization of social assistance as a public policy of rights. The territorial dimension of this study favored the administrative region of the Regional Office of Social Assistance of Piracicaba, composed of 27 cities of São Paulo. For quantitative research, we applied questionnaires to all the cities that are part of the coverage area. In turn to qualitative research, we used an intentional sample, electing the directors of municipal social assistance policy from four cities of different sizes and levels of management, seeking to include a heterogeneous sample that would allow to verify to what extent they resemble the difficulties and the challenges faced by each of these managers. The obtained results in this investigative trajectory show that the efforts for the effecting of directives contained in the NOB-RH/Suas in the cities researched are still very incipient. The effective of these directives in NOB-RH/Suas is not an exclusive responsibility limited of cities and municipal managers of social assistance policy since its implementation depends on a combination of political efforts, financial and institutional capacities of each level of government, in view of the shared management of social assistance policy / Este estudo busca discutir o conhecimento e a compreensão dos gestores municipais sobre a Norma Operacional Básica de Recursos Humanos (NOB-RH/Suas), bem como sobre as dificuldades e os desafios encontrados na efetivação das diretrizes na gestão do trabalho da assistência social em âmbito municipal. A partir da V Conferência Nacional de Assistência Social (2005), quando é aprovada a deliberação relativa à NOB-RH/Suas, a política de recursos humanos passa a ser considerada um dos eixos estruturantes do Sistema Único da Assistência Social (Suas), ao lado da descentralização, do financiamento, e do controle social. A melhoria das condições de trabalho entra na pauta das discussões como uma estratégia para a qualificação dos serviços socioassistenciais e efetivação do Suas. Nesse sentido, a premissa que norteou este estudo foi a de que a aprovação e publicação de um documento que define diretrizes para a constituição e gestão das equipes de referência para a implantação do Suas representam um grande avanço e o primeiro passo para impulsionar mudanças estruturantes, porém, a sua efetivação exige uma conjunção de esforços que precisam ser realizados e correspondem ao desafio atual. Para compreender essa dinâmica, consideramos os contextos histórico, político e econômico que influenciaram e continuam influenciando diretamente a institucionalização da assistência social como política pública de direitos. A dimensão territorial deste estudo privilegiou a região administrativa da Diretoria Regional de Assistência Social (Drads) de Piracicaba, composta por 27 municípios do Estado de São Paulo. Para a pesquisa quantitativa, foram aplicados questionários para todos os municípios contidos nesta área de abrangência. Por sua vez, para a pesquisa qualitativa, utilizou-se uma amostra intencional, elegendo os gestores municipais da política de assistência social de quatro municípios, de diferentes portes e níveis de gestão, de forma a contemplar uma amostra heterogênea que possibilitasse verificar em que medida se assemelham as dificuldades e os desafios encontrados por esses gestores. Os resultados obtidos no percurso investigativo revelam que os esforços para a efetivação das diretrizes contidas na NOBRH/ Suas nos municípios pesquisados ainda são muito incipientes. A efetivação das diretrizes contidas na NOB-RH/Suas não é responsabilidade exclusiva dos municípios e dos gestores municipais da política de assistência social, pois sua concretização depende da conjunção de esforços políticos, financeiros e institucionais de cada uma das esferas de governo, na perspectiva da gestão compartilhada da política de assistência social