New federal regulations with regards to ammonia in wastewater effluent discharge will require over 1000 existing wastewater treatment facilities to be upgraded. Although biological treatment is the most common and economical means of wastewater ammonia removal, nitrification rates can be completely impeded at cold temperatures. Moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBR) have shown promise as an upgrade nitrifying unit at pilot-scale and full-scale applications with respect to low temperature nitrification. MBBR technologies offfer the advantages of less space requirement, utilizing the whole tank volume, no sludge recycling, and no backwashing, over other attached growth systems. Two laboratory MBBRs were used in this study to investigate MBBR nitrification rates at 20deg.C, after long-term exposure to 1deg.C, and at the kinetic threshold temperature of 5deg.C. Furthermore, the biologically produced solids from the MBBR system 20deg.C and after long-term exposure to 1deg.C, and the Arrhenius temperature correction models used to predict nitrification rates after long-term exposure to 1deg.C. The nitrification rates at 1deg.C over a four month exposure period as compared to the rate at 20deg.C were 18.7 + 5.5% and 15.7 + 4.7% for the two reactors. The nitrification rate at 5deg.C was 66.2 + 3.9% and 64.4 + 3.7% compared to the rate measured at 20deg.C for reactors 1 and 2, respectively, and as such was identified as the kinetic temperature threshold. The quantity of solids detached from the nitrifying MBBR biocarriers was low and did not vary significantly at 20deg.C and after long-term exposure to 1deg.C. Lastly, a temperature correction model based on exposure time to cold temperatures, developed by Delatolla et al. (2009) showed a strong correlation to the calculated ammonia removal rates relative to 20deg.C following a gradual acclimatization period to cold temperatures. Biofilm morphology along with biomass viability at various depths in the biofilm were investigated using variable pressure electron scanning microscope imaging (VPSEM) and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) imaging in combination with viability live/dead staining. The biofilm thickness along with the number of viable cells showed significant increases after long-term exposure to 1deg.C while the dead cell coverage did not show significant increases after long-term exposure to 1deg.C while the dead cell coverage did not show significant changes. Hence, this study observed higher cell activities at warm temperatures and a slightly greater quantity of biomass with lower activities at cold temperatures in nitrifying MBBR biofilms. Using DNA sequencing analysis, 'Nitrosomonas' and 'Nitrosospira' (ammonia oxidizers)as well as 'Ntrospira' (nitrite oxidizer) were identified in which no population shift was observed during 20deg.C and after long-term exposure to 1deg.C. Furthermore, a number of non-nitrifiers were identified int he biofilm during warm and cold temperatures presenting the possibility that their presence may have provided some form of protection to the nitrifiers during long-term temperature exposure.

This research focuses on anoxic ammonium oxidation (anammox). The anammox process for treating high ammonium and low organic carbon wastewater can reduce operational costs to a greater extent than the conventional autotrophic/heterotrophic treatment process can. The process has been widely researched because of its potential economic benefits. However, during long-term reactor operation, sudden reductions of nitrogen removal rates have been reported; maximum nitrogen removal rates in different reactor configurations could not approach values predicted based on mathematical modeling; and the crucial stability parameter, such as nitrite, did not have defined threshold concentration. It was hypothesised that free ammonia (FA) increase is the precursor of the instability of the anammox reactor. If it is true that nitrite up to about 200 mg N/L should stimulate nitrogen removal rate inside of the anammox reactor, when FA is kept below the inhibition threshold concentration. The research presented in the thesis argues that FA plays a larger role than has been previously considered in the instability of the anammox reactor. This study found FA inhibited nitrogen removal rates (NRR) at concentrations exceeding 2 mg N/L. In the pH range 7 to 8, the decrease in anammox activity was independent of pH and related only to the concentration of FA. Nitrite concentrations of up to 200 mg N/L did not negatively affect nitrogen removal rate. This study further found that low nitrite provided stable anammox reactor performance, but that high nitrite was not necessarily the cause for reactor destabilization. During the research high nitrogen removal rate was achieved when low FA was provided. During regular reactor operation at pH 6.5, the NRR at about 6.2 g N/Ld was archived. This value was never achieved before till this study was conducted. Conducted research showed controlling FA at low level is required to approach high rates in anammox reactors. Achieving high rates in anammox reactors allow significant reduction in reactor volume which saves resources. Further studies will be required to identify the FA effect on different microbial interactions, and that may provide more in-depth understanding of the nitrite and FA effect than observations based on NRR alone.

The objective of this study is to remove turbidity originating from algae present in oxidation ponds effluents by an easy and inexpensive method. For this reason, a novel lab-scale Step Feed Dual Treatment (SFDT) process was constructed and the efficiency of trickling filter (TF) to remove algae and organic matter was investigated. SFDT process developed in this study is the unique, inexpensive and new system to scavenge algae from oxidation pond effluents. In this system, influent is first treated in a stabilization pond, and subsequently they directed to a TF, so as to provide a dual treatment. Moreover, some fraction of the raw influent was directly sent to TF to maintain a steady biofilm on the TF medium. Stabilization pond was not simulated in the experimental set-up as the main objective of the study is to observe TF ability to scavenge algae from pond effluent. To determine the magnitude of the effect of individual operational parameters (hydraulic loading rate, influent COD and chlorophyll-a concentration) and of their combinations on organics and particle removal efficacy an experimental design was followed. Experiments consistent with twolevel factorial design with three variables (23) were performed. Hydraulic loading rate (HLR) (0.5-2 m3/m2.day), influent COD (150-550 mg/l) and influent chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a) (250-600 &micro / g/l) were selected as independent variables. The COD and algae removal (as Chl-a) were selected as dependent variables. Data obtained from the experiments showed that when HLR (m3/m2.day) was increased from 0.5 to 2, Chl-a, NTU, SS and COD removals were decreased, however, more than 85 % removal was attained in each case, except for COD. The lowest removal efficiencies were obtained for all the quality parameters when hydraulic loading was increased to 4 m3/m2.day. It was observed that in general removal percentages for turbidity, Chl-a, SS and COD increased considerably with the decreasing hydraulic loading rate. Highest removals were obtained at lowest HLR. The removal of algae in TF was presumably due to both flocculation (due to algal and bacterial EPS production) and degradation (through bacterial activity) of algae. In conclusion, trickling filter produced clear effluents, with less than 2 NTU, for most of the cases.

Membrane processes are increasingly used in water treatment. Experiments were performed using stirred cell equipment, polymeric membranes and synthetic surface water containing natural organics, inorganic colloids and their aggregates, and cations. All processes could remove a significant amount of natural organics. Pretreatment with ferric chloride was required to achieve significant organic removal with MF and high MWCO UF. Additionally, fouling mechanisms for the three processes were investigated. Crucial parameters were aggregate characteristics (fractal structure, stability, organic-colloid interactions), solubility of organics and calcium, and hydrodynamics. In MF, fouling by pore plugging was most severe. Variations in solution chemistry changed the aggregation state of the colloids and/or natural organic matter and dramatically affected rejection and fouling behaviour. UF membrane fouling was mainly influenced by pore adsorption and could improve natural organics rejection significantly. Coagulant addition shifted fouling mechanism from pore adsorption to cake formation. Aggregate structure was most significant for flux decline. In NF, rejection of natural organics involved both size and charge exclusion. Fouling was caused by precipitation of a calcium-organic complex. Fouling could be avoided by pretreatment with metal salt coagulants. Thorough chemical characterisation of the organics used demonstrated that only size and aromaticity can be related to fouling. The study is concluded with a process comparison based on a water quality parameter and a cost comparison. Treatment cost of microfiltration with chemical pretreatment was similar to that of nanofiltration at a comparable natural organics rejection.

The structure and function of microbial communities are critical to the maintenance and sustainability of terrestrial ecosystem processes. Consequently, there is substantial interest in assessing how microbial communities respond to various land management practices, and if alterations to the characteristics of microbial communities has the potential to disrupt ecosystem processes. This thesis was conducted to identify the long term effects of fertilisation and different levels of post-harvest organic matter removal on the characteristics of the FH litter and soil microbial communities in six, second rotation Pinus radiata plantation forests located around New Zealand. The six sites, established between 1986 and 1994, were sampled in 2002 and 2003. Various physical and chemical properties of the sites were measured, and litterfall production was determined. The microbial biomass in the FH litter layer and soil was determined by chloroform fumigation-extraction, and Biolog plates were used to assess the relative differences in microbial community diversity, based on patterns of substrate utilisation. Fertilisation substantially altered the physical and chemical properties of the forest floor, including FH litter moisture content, mass, carbon content, nitrogen content and carbon: nitrogen ratio and soil pH, nitrogen content and carbon: nitrogen ratio. The same range of FH litter and soil properties were also significantly changed by different levels of organic matter removal. The biomass and diversity of the FH litter and soil microbial communities were significantly altered by fertilisation and organic matter removal, and the differences in the microbial community characteristics were significantly correlated to the effects of the fertilisation and organic matter removal treatments on the physical and chemical environment in the majority of cases. The physical and chemical properties of the sites were significantly correlated to estimates of wood production, and it was also found that the characteristics of the microbial community were strongly related to productivity at several sites. The results demonstrated that fertilisation and organic matter removal regimes have had long term effects on the microbial communities at the sites. The persistence of the effects of the organic matter removal treatments were particularly noteworthy, as these treatments were applied at site establishment, and despite no subsequent reinforcement over the life of the trials, were still substantially influencing the physical, chemical and microbiological properties of the FH litter and soil up to 17 years later. The results of this thesis also emphasised the value of long-term experiments in assessing the effects of disturbance on the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of forest ecosystems. Further research into the specific nature of the relationship between site productivity and microbial community characteristics was suggested as an important focus for future studies.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis aims to establish a sound scientific methodology for the effective and efficient polishing of thermally stable PCD composites (consisting of diamond and SiC) for cutting tools applications. The surface roughness of industrial PCD cutting tools, 0.06 μm Ra is currently achieved by mechanical polishing which is time consuming and costly because it takes about three hours to polish a 12.7 mm diameter PCD surface. An alternative technique, dynamic friction polishing (DFP) which utilizes the thermo-chemical reactions between the PCD surfaces and a catalytic metal disk rotating at high peripheral speed has been comprehensively investigated for highly efficient abrasive-free polishing of PCD composites. A special polishing machine was designed and manufactured in-house to carry out the DFP of PCD composites efficiently and in a controllable manner according to the requirements of DFP. The PCD polishing process and material removal mechanism were comprehensively investigated by using a combination of the various characterization techniques: optical microscopy, SEM and EDX, AFM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, STEM and EELS, etc. A theoretical model was developed to predict temperature rise at the interface of the polishing disk and PCD asperities. On-line temperature measurements were carried out to determine subsurface temperatures for a range of polishing conditions. A method was also developed to extrapolate these measured temperatures to the PCD surface, which were compared with the theoretical results. The material removal mechanism was further explored by theoretical study of the interface reactions under these polishing conditions, with particular emphasis on temperature, contact with catalytic metals and polishing environment. Based on the experimental results and theoretical analyses, the material removal mechanism of dynamic friction polishing can be described as follows: conversion of diamond into non-diamond carbon takes place due to the frictional heating and the interaction of diamond with catalyst metal disk; then a part of the transformed material is detached from the PCD surface as it is weakly bonded; another part of the non-diamond carbon oxidizes and escapes as CO or CO2 gas and the rest diffuses into the metal disk. Meanwhile, another component of PCD, SiC also chemically reacted and transformed to amorphous silicon oxide/carbide, which is then mechanically or chemically removed. Finally an attempt was made to optimise the polishing process by investigating the effect of polishing parameters on material removal rate, surface characteristics and cracking /fracture of PCD to achieve the surface roughness requirement. It was found that combining dynamic friction polishing and mechanical abrasive polishing, a very high polishing rate and good quality surface could be obtained. The final surface roughness could be reduced to 50 nm Ra for two types of PCD specimens considered from pre-polishing value of 0.7 or 1.5 μm Ra. The polishing time required was 18 minutes, a ten fold reduction compared with the mechanical abrasive polishing currently used in industry.

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is a biological wastewater treatment process facilitated by polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO). The absence of isolates that have the PAO phenotype has limited the scope of studies into the physiology of these industrially significant and metabolically unique organisms. This thesis outlines findings into the physiology and ecology of EBPR in mixed microbial cultures, which contribute to the fundamental understanding of the process. The first experimental approach used in these studies was to investigate the microbial abundance of identified PAOs and GAOs in full-scale and lab-scale EBPR processes, and correlate these data with chemical monitoring methods both at a “macroscale” and “microscale”. The “macroscale” studies consisted of process optimisation experiments that found propionate to be a more effective and stable carbon source than acetate. The “microscale” study investigated the activity of Competibacter, growing in dense aggregates. This study discovered that the structure of the granules affected the distribution of activity by limiting the supply of oxygen and that the activity of the Competibacter in turn affected the structure of the aggregate. The second experimental approach was to target key facets of the microbial physiology of PAOs and GAOs at a molecular level. Environmental gene expression studies were used to investigate the stimulus for the expression of a putative Accumulibacter polyphosphate kinase gene (ppk). This study found that the expression of this gene was repressed by high external phosphate concentrations, which suggests that the pho regulon is functioning in Accumulibacter. In another study, previously published models were integrated and elaborated to develop a model for the membrane transport processes in PAOs and GAOs, which give them the unique ability to sequester VFA without an electron acceptor. These studies confirmed that the proton-motive force (PMF) drives the uptake of VFA by both PAOs and GAOs and postulated fundamental differences in the molecular mechanisms that PAOs and GAOs use to create a PMF in the absence of respiratory electron transport. The studies also explain the molecular basis for findings in other studies that PAOs have a competitive advantage over GAOs at increased pH. The third experimental approach was to attempt to isolate organisms significant to EBPR. Some measure of success was achieved: colonies of Competibacter were obtained in pure culture but the growth could not be sustained further than the growth of micro-colonies just visible to the eye. EBPR microbiology, like many other subjects of inquiry in environmental microbiology, has benefited greatly from developments in molecular methods to identify and describe microbial communities. However, the investigation of microbial physiology in the environment remains a challenge; this thesis has taken up that challenge. Discoveries regarding the benefits of propionate as a carbon source and the basis for the competitive advantage that PAOs derive from an increased pH have potential application for practitioners of EBPR plants. Furthermore the findings make a contribution to the fundamental understanding of the physiology of EBPR organisms that may in the future lead to entirely novel approaches to EBPR optimisation.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2008. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 162 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-162).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Los Angeles, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 253-262).