abstract: The Santa Cruz River, in southern Arizona, receives steady inputs of nutrient-enriched treated wastewater (effluent). Previous studies have documented reduced infiltration of surface water in the river. This disruption of hydrologic connectivity, or clogging, can have consequences for groundwater recharge, flows of wastewater in unwanted locations, and potentially even survivorship of floodplain riparian vegetation. Clogging can result from biotic processes (microbial or algal growth), abiotic processes (siltation of interstitial spaces), or both. Little is known about clogging in rivers and the environmental factors that regulate their dynamics, so natural field experiments along the Santa Cruz and San Pedro Rivers were used to answer: 1) Are there spatial patterns of hydraulic conductivity in the riverbed downstream from the effluent point-source? 2) Is there temporal variability in hydraulic conductivity and microbial abundance associated with flooding? 3) Are there environmental variables, such as nutrients or stream flow, related to differences in hydraulic conductivity and microbial abundance? To address these questions, a series of sites at increasing distance from two municipal effluent discharge points with differing water quality were selected on the Santa Cruz River and compared with non-effluent control reaches of the San Pedro River. Physical, chemical, and biological parameters were monitored over one year to capture seasonal changes and flood cycles. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Biology 2012

Orientador: Glaucia Maria Pastore / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-08T11:37:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Barros_FranciscoFabioCavalcante_M.pdf: 816271 bytes, checksum: 1ac93e87eef201f2b03cad5fc4da0cac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: A bactéria Bacillus subtilis tem a capacidade de produzir biossurfactantes do grupo dos lipopeptídeos, dentre os quais, o que mais se destaca é a surfactina, um dos que possui maior atividade superficial. Esse composto é capaz de reduzir a tensão superficial da água a 20°C de 72 para 27 mN/m em concentrações menores que 20 _M. A aplicação de resíduos industriais como substrato para produção de biossurfactante de Bacillus subtilis tem sido estudada como forma de reduzir custos associados à produção destes. A manipueira, que é o resíduo líquido da produção de farinha e fécula, tem sido apontada como potencial meio de cultura para processos biotecnológicos, incluindo produção de biossurfactantes. Esse uso tem significativa relevância quando se consideram os resultados de redução de tensão superficial e de produtividade obtidos. Este trabalho estudou o processo produtivo, as propriedades e a estabilidade de biossurfactante produzido pela linhagem LB5a de Bacillus subtilis em escala piloto utilizando manipueira como substrato. O composto produzido foi capaz de reduzir a tensão superficial da água de 72 para 27 mN/m além de apresentar concentração micelar crítica de 12 mg/l. Manteve estabilidade frente à temperatura de 100°C por 140 minutos e 121°C por 60 minutos. Também foi estável na faixa de pH de 6 a 10 e suportou concentrações salinas testadas (de até 20%). A eficiência da extração primária realizada através da coleta de espuma mostrou bons resultados, sendo perfeitamente aplicável ao processo. Além disso, os parâmetros envolvidos no preparo da manipueira foram otimizados visando um melhor aproveitamento do substrato. Os resultados apontam temperatura de aquecimento ótima de 95°C (máxima temperatura testada), tempo de aquecimento de 1 minuto, a aceleração centrífuga de 17,85 G x 103 e o tempo de centrifugação de 14,86 minutos. Os resultados apresentados são bastante animadores em relação à possibilidade de aplicações do biossurfactante produzido em diversos setores. Além de permitir um melhor aproveitamento da manipueira / Abstract: The bacteria Bacillus subtilis is well known by their capacity of production surfactants lipopeptides. Among these, the most studied is surfactin, a powerfull surfactant that reduces the superficial tension of the water from 72 to 27 mN/m in concentrations less than 20_M. The application of industrial wastewaters as substrate for production of biosurfactant by Bacillus has been studied in order to reduce manufacturing costs. Manipueira is the residue from cassava industrialization process to the production of flour and starch. It has been pointed as potential culture medium for biotechnological processes, including production of biosurfactants. This work studied the productive process, the properties and the stability of biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis strain LB5a in pilot scale using manipueira as substrate. The produced compounds were capable of reducing the superficial tension of the water from 72 to 27 mN/m beyond presenting critical micelar concentration of 12 mg/l. It remaing stable on temperature of 100°C during 140 minutes and 121°C during 60 minutes. It was also stabile in the range of pH from 6 to 10 and in saline concentrations (until 20%). The efficiency of the primary extration by foam collection showed good results, being perfectly applicable to the process. Moreover, the involved parameters in the preparation of the manipueira has been optimized with the objective of better using of the substrate. The results presented the optimal points of heating temperature was 95°C (maximum tested temperature), warm up time of 1 minute, the acceleration centrifugal of 17,85 G x 103 and the centrifugalization time of 14,86 minutes. The results showed that the biosurfactant produced have potential applications in several industrial sectors, beyond allowing one better exploitation of the manipueira / Mestrado / Mestre em Ciência de Alimentos

Abstract Environmental concern and tighter public regulations have created new pressures to reduce effluent loading from kraft pulp bleaching during the past decades. This trend has forced both pulp mills and the related engineering industries to develop and optimise equipment for the pulping processes which fulfils these demands. New pulp washers and washing systems connected with the introduction of new oxygen-based reagents have in particular provided considerably improved tools for reusing process water and thereby essentially reducing effluent discharge or even allowing the implementation of a totally closed water circulation system in kraft pulp bleaching. This study was performed mainly on a laboratory scale at the University of Oulu, but some pilot-scale tests were also performed to confirm the findings of the laboratory-scale evaporation test. Another aim of the pilot-scale tests was to produce enough concentrate for further processing. Conditions were strictly controlled in all the experiments in order to ensure that conclusions could be reached regarding the phenomena examined. The results reported here indicate that the amounts of transition metal ions such as iron, copper or manganese in the process water or water to be recirculated should be kept as low as possible during chlorine dioxide or peracetic acid bleaching, as even a small amount (<<5 ppm) markedly reduced pulp quality and increased reagent consumption. The results also show that evaporation can be used as a method for purifying acidic effluent from both chlorine dioxide and peracetic acid bleaching, and that the resulting condensates were free of transition metals and clean enough for reuse in both bleaching processes. The purity of the condensates was further improved by neutralising the feed pH of the acidic effluents from the bleach plant before evaporation. The results also indicate that the chloride ions in the concentrate arising from evaporation of the acidic effluent from chlorine dioxide bleaching can be removed by a combined acidification/re-evaporation system.

Le traitement des effluents et eaux usées par bioréacteurs à membranes immergées (BAMI) permet d'obtenir une haute qualité de perméat par une dégradation biologique et une séparation physique. Néanmoins, le procédé de filtration est limité par l'influence de facteurs très complexes, en particulier le colmatage de la membrane. Le but du travail est de développer des modèles dynamiques et de simuler le procédé de filtration dans les BAMI. Le développement et la simulation des modèles ont été ciblés sur la description des rapports existants entre les variables les plus importantes du système, comme la pression transmembranaire (PTM), les matières en suspension (MES), les substances polymériques extracellulaires (SPE) et l'influence sur l'évolution du colmatage d'une aération syncopée, injectée à la surface de membrane, et sa synchronisation avec une filtration intermittente. Le modèle et les études d'optimisation du système ont été validé par voie expérimentale. / This thesis studies a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology that is used to treat effluents. We present in detail the modeling of this process, the validation of developed models, and the results of simulation and optimization carried out with the above mentioned models. The new contributions to scientific knowledge of this work are the following: - A new dynamic model that integrates for such systems, many of the variables and the main phenomena occurring during the process of filtration in MBR wastewater treatment. That constitutes an original contribution to the analysis and development of this technology. – The simulation allows to achieve the quantification of the influence and effect of aeration on the process (membranes fouling) and the influence of the sequencing of the filtration and coarse bubbles aeration cycles. All that takes into account the behavior of biomass, the generation of exopolymeric substances and inlet characteristics. The results provided by the model are validated by comparison with experimental results. – An optimization of MBR operating conditions using the experimental design for simulation, is reported based on the results obtained using the developed models / En la presente tesis se reflejan los estudios realizados en un biorreactor con membrana sumergida, tecnología que se utiliza para el tratamiento de efluentes residuales. Se presentan de forma detallada la modelación de este proceso, la validación de los modelos desarrollados, así como los resultados de la simulación y optimización realizados con los modelos. Entre los nuevos aportes al conocimiento científico del trabajo se encuentran los siguientes: - Un nuevo modelo dinámico que integra por primera vez, para estos sistemas, muchas de las variables y los principales fenómenos que ocurren durante el proceso de filtración y tratamiento de las aguas residuales utilizando los BMS. Lo cual constituye un aporte novedoso para el análisis y desarrollo de esta tecnología. - Se logró por primera vez cuantificar mediante simulación la influencia y el efecto de la aireación sobre el proceso de colmatación de las membranas, así como la influencia de la sincronización de los ciclos de filtración y aireación de burbujas gruesas. Todo esto tomando en cuenta el comportamiento de la biomasa, la generación de sustancias colmatantes y las características de la alimentación. Se validaron los resultados que ofrece el modelo mediante la comparación con resultados experimentales. - Se reporta por primera vez la optimización de las condiciones operacionales de un sistema BMS utilizando el diseño de experimento para la simulación, partiendo de los resultados obtenidos utilizando los modelos desarrollados

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / As a consequence of various cellar activities the wine industry produces copious volumes of potentially hazardous wastewater each year. South Africa is one of the top ten wine-producing countries, making the successful treatment of cellar effluent an important environmental obligation in this country. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are resilient to the seasonal input fluxes associated with agri-industrial waste and are ideal systems for the in-situ treatment of cellar effluent in small to medium-sized wineries not connected to municipal reticulation systems. In a project sponsored by the Water Research Commission of South Africa, a number of studies were undertaken to assess the remediation of winery wastewater and common components of winery wastewater in sand-filled pilot-scale constructed wetlands operated in batch mode. This thesis contains the results of three studies. The first study evaluated the temporal aspects of CW equilibration as a basis for future studies of system response to amendment. Microbial biomass and hydraulic conductivity values were monitored and microbial community fingerprints were obtained using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. The study showed that microbial community fingerprinting provides a valuable tool to assess the time-scales of microbial equilibration, which was found to be in the order of 100 days. In the second study, the biodegradation and mineralization of ethanol by acclimated and non-acclimated microbial populations in CWs were compared. By increasing the influent ethanol concentration at incremental intervals (incremental priming), the biodegradative capacity was significantly enhanced. At an influent COD concentration of 15 800 mg/L, no volatile fatty acids were detected in the effluent of an incrementally primed system and the maximum effluent COD measured was 180 mg/L. In contrast, an identical, unprimed system, amended with a lower concentration of COD (7587 mg/L), exhibited a maximum effluent COD concentration of 1 400 mg/L, with the metabolites butyrate and propionate accounting for up to 83% of the effluent COD. It was conclusively demonstrated that the use of incremental priming, together with the batch mode of operation enhanced long-term function of the CWs. In the third study, the removal of the phenolic component of winery wastewater was evaluated in CWs, as well as in sand columns and microcosms. It was found that at low influent phenolic concentrations in CWs, complete organic removal was accomplished, but at high concentrations, there was incomplete substrate removal and an accumulation of potentially toxic metabolites, including catechol. The sand provided a suitable substrate for the treatment of phenolic-laden waste, and both biotic (48%) and abiotic (52%) removal mechanisms effected the removal of model phenolics. Prior acclimation of microbial communities increased the biodegradation rate of phenolic acids significantly.

This dissertation documents the development of an environmental framework for monitoring antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) dissemination in the aquatic environment. The work opens with a review of the relevant literature and outlines the importance of an environmental framework for monitoring ARG dissemination as part of antimicrobial resistance risk assessments. The ability to interrogate sequencing data quickly and easily for the presence of ARGs is crucial in order to facilitate their monitoring in the environment. As current laboratory methods for the detection and surveillance of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in the environment were limited in their effectiveness and scope, the dissertation begins by describing the design and implementation of a Search Engine for Antimicrobial Resistance (SEAR), a pipeline and web interface for detection of horizontally-acquired ARGs in raw sequencing data. The suitability of metagenomic methods for monitoring the ARG content of effluents from faecal sources was then assessed via a pilot study of a river catchment. Novel metagenomes generated from effluents entering the catchment were interrogated for ARGs. The relative abundance of ARGs in effluents were determined to be higher relative to the background environment, as were sequences relating to human and animal pathogens and mobile genetic elements. Thus, effluents were implicated in the dissemination of ARGs throughout the aquatic environment. To determine if ARGs were potentially in use in the environment, the expression of ARGs within effluents was then evaluated across a series of longitudinal samples through the use of metatranscriptomics, and the presence of potential environmental antimicrobial selection pressures was examined. This demonstrated that the abundance of ARGs, as well as antimicrobial usage at the effluent source, was correlated with the transcription of ARGs in aquatic environments. The work described in this dissertation has also found that horizontally transmitted ARGs were present in pathogenic endospore-forming bacteria commonly found across the aquatic environment, potentially providing a mechanism for ARG persistence in the environment. Finally, these findings were integrated into a universal framework for monitoring ARG dissemination in aquatic environments and used to highlight the developments required to incorporate this framework into future environmental ARG research and to facilitate antimicrobial resistance risk assessments.

This study aims to evaluate the removal efficiency of microbial contaminants from two hospitals on-site Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in Saudi Arabia. Hospital wastewaters often go untreated in Saudi Arabia as in many devolving countries, where no specific regulations are imposed regarding hospital wastewater treatment. The current guidelines are placed to ensure a safe treated wastewater quality, however, they do not regulate for pathogenic bacteria and emerging contaminants. Results from this study have detected pathogenic bacterial genera and antibiotic resistant bacteria in the sampled hospitals wastewater. And although the treatment process of one of the hospitals was able to meet current quality guidelines, the other hospital treatment process failed to meet these guidelines and disgorge of its wastewater might be cause for concern. In order to estimate the risk to the public health and the impact of discharging the treated effluent to the public sewage, a comprehensive investigation is needed that will facilitate and guide suggestions for more detailed guidelines and monitoring.

This study characterizes 21 wastewater samples collected from Al-Amal hospital between the period of 12 April till 8 July 2020. Al Almal is a hospital that provides drug addiction and psychological treatment to patients. Using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), chemical contaminants profiles in these wastewater samples were determined in a non-targeted manner. These chemicals were then individually analyzed in an in-silico manner by checking against databases and literature to determine if they were mutagenic. By determining the proportion of mutagenic chemicals against the non-mutagenic ones, we aim to determine if untreated hospital wastewater may potentially negatively impact the downstream municipal biological wastewater treatment process. It was determined that 64% of the identified chemicals were not tested for their mutagenic effect, and hence no prior information is available in the literature and databases. Instead, we further performed in-vitro mutagenicity tests using Ames test to determine if the wastewater sample, with all of its chemical constituents, would be mutagenic. Ames test results showed that majority of the samples were non-mutagenic except for 1 sample that imposed a mutagenic effect on Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium TA98 and 3 samples with mutagenic effect on TA100. In addition, 1 sample showed a toxic effect on TA100. However, in all 5 instances, these samples only imposed a mutagenic and toxic effect at high concentrations of > 10x. The findings in this study suggest that a specialty hospital like Al Amal does not contribute substantially to mutagenic wastewater streams to the municipal sewer, and hence unlikely to significantly perturb the downstream biological treatment processes. However, there may still be a need to consider ad-hoc contributions of mutagenic and/or toxic wastewater streams from the hospitals.

Biological nutrient removal (BNR) from wastewater, and specifically nitrogen removal, is a growing concern to wastewater dischargers such as municipalities. Excess nutrients in effluent can create problems such as eutrophication, toxicity to aquatic life, and dissolved oxygen depletion in receiving waters. BNR systems have been installed in many locations with success, but their operation presents operational and financial demands greater than conventional biological treatment. Nitrogen removal is typically performed in sequential autotrophic nitrification and denitrification, which increases needed energy input, operational complexity, and therefore cost. Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SNdN) achieved in a single system has also been successfully implemented, however operational parameters that compromise between ideals for aerobic nitrification and anoxic denitrification result in decreased reaction rates and removal efficiencies. The application of a product that could potentially enhance SNdN reaction rates and removal efficiencies through bioaugmentation could help ease operational and financial strains. In contrast to common sequential processes, some heterotrophic Bacillus bacteria have demonstrated SNdN (Kim et al., 2005), (Zhang et al., 2011). However, their application outside of laboratory setting has yet to be established. Aqua™ is a proprietary bioaugmentation product composed of specific Bacillus strains developed by BiOWiSH® Technologies with the intent of improving aerobic, heterotrophic SNdN rates and removal efficiencies. Screening and bench-scale experiments were performed in flasks at 35° C on orbital shakers operated at a range of speeds. Primary wastewater and minimal media were used for the experiment, and inoculation was performed with both specific Bacillus strains and Aqua™. Rapid total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal was observed in initial screening experiments with Aqua™ in sterile wastewater. Bacillus pumilus was identified as the fastest growing organism of the Aqua™ assemblage with the greatest TAN removal 1st order rate constant (0.32/ hr.), decreasing TAN 96% within 10 hours from an initial 48.5 ppm. The orbital shaker speed that maximized TAN removal was 100 rpm, with reduction 47% and 88% more effective than both the upper (150 rpm) and lower (50 rpm) bound tested speeds, respectively. Visible floc growth centered in flasks, along with optical density data indicated cell growth and the possibility the system could support SNdN. Carbon amendments to minimal media were then evaluated, and sodium succinate improved TAN reduction by 53% compared to dextrose amended systems. This was likely because dextrose metabolism requires glycolysis to produce pyruvate for utilization in the TCA cycle for energy production; while succinate avoids glycolysis and thus is more easily utilized. In another experiment, flasks with supplemental trace minerals had a 59% higher TAN removal than the controls. Additions of supplemental vitamin solution or yeast extract improved TAN removal by 18% and 38%, respectively. Two 10-day experiments assessed Aqua™ performance in municipal primary clarifier effluent. Nitrogen balance and optical density data showed that Aqua™ dosing at 10 ppm had no effect on nitrogen removal. The second 10-day experiment increased Aqua™ dosing to 50 ppm and evaluated product activation through incubation in growth media prior to inoculation. Nitrogen balance analysis showed no effect from Aqua™ on nitrogen removal during the second 10-day experiment as well. Systems amended with dextrose saw an initial rapid TAN first order removal rate (0.25/ hr.). However, difference between control and inoculated flasks was negligible showing no effect from Aqua™. A lack of total nitrogen losses and a lack of nitrate presence during initial rapid TAN losses confirmed these losses were by assimilation into organic nitrogen. The above experiments suggest that initial success in TAN removal during screening experiments resulted from lack of competition with other microorganisms, the high 1500 ppm dose of Aqua™, and amended dextrose.

This thesis deals with the optimization of sewer heat recovery. For proper design and optimization it is necessary to use three basic methods: diagnostics, heat balance calculations and modeling. In 2D software Area Calculation are simulated different types of sewer exchangers arranged in sewer pipes. Using models of software CalA and simulations will be selected optimal variant. Using software BSim, which is based on more zone numerical simulation of the energy needs of buildings in relation to indoor climate, are detected heat needs of an office building. The optimal number of sewer exchanger is designed from the identified performance heat exchangers and supplies heat for the building.